Yuri (genre)

, also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction , is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters. While

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

ism is a commonly associated theme, the genre is also inclusive of works depicting emotional and spiritual relationships between women that are not necessarily romantic or sexual in nature. ''Yuri'' is most commonly associated with anime and

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, though the term has also been used to describe video games, light novels, and literature. Themes associated with ''yuri'' originate from Japanese lesbian fiction of the early twentieth century, notably the writings of Nobuko Yoshiya and literature in the Class S genre. Manga depicting female

homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

began to appear in the 1970s in the works of artists associated with the Year 24 Group, notably Ryoko Yamagishi and

Riyoko Ikeda is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group, by some, although her status as one of them has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most ...

. The genre gained wider popularity beginning in the 1990s; the founding of '' Yuri Shimai'' in 2003 as the first manga magazine devoted exclusively to ''yuri'', followed by its successor '' Comic Yuri Hime