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A cute, wholesome, slow-burn, slice of life yuri manga. Very little tension throughout. The characters have only minor flaws, and their conflicts are simple. The side characters don't have anything going on, save one. The art is... fine - nothing special, and none of the panels stand out in particular.

Overall, pretty meandering and forgettable. Almost dropped it from boredom, but finished on principle. Though it does explore some interesting ideas about marriage.

If you're generally a fan of light fluff or desperate for yuri about adults, this might interest you. But if you need tension or complex characters to stay awake, maybe give this a ... pass.

The cute, shoujo art style is a trojan horse - this manga gets HEAVY. But the tone of patriarchal horror is balanced well with slice of life comedy. The serialized story alternates by chapter with an anthology of twists on familiar yuri stories, which give welcome breaks from the drama of the overarching plot.

Yuri Espoir showcases the suffocating disempowerment of patriarchy inflicted on young girls and how well intentioned men can still perpetuate this power structure, even through inaction. Without spoiling anything, the primary antagonist, Kokoro's fiancé, is a well written and interesting take on a sexist man thus far. The banality of his ... evil haunts the narrative in the horrifically mundane way he ruins Kokoro's life.

While the art may appear simple at first, the creativity is impressive. Some of the pages and panels are incredibly memorable, whether they be hilarious or heartbreaking.

I consider this one a must read for fans of the yuri genre, so long as you can stomach the weight of it.

(This manga is currently being scanlated by Yao3, who have finished 17 chapters at time of writing)

Skip to the Conclusion for a TL;DR.

~Is it really GL?~

Kono Ai is yuri in name alone. Technically the story centers girls with more than platonic interests in one another, but it isn't *about* romance or intimacy between girls. The genders could be swapped without impacting much besides the surprise factor. In other words, this is a yuri in order to subvert expectations, not a yuri to do yuri things.

~Writing~

None of the characters act like real people. This isn't a realistic manga - it's a psychological thriller. It's like ... the protagonist wakes into a nightmare where nothing can go right because she's been damned for the sin of being an otaku. So far, there's been a bit of exploration as to why the characters act the way they do, but it hasn't been a focus.

~Art~

The art is beautiful in a special way. Some of the pages and panels are mesmerizing. Rarely does a manga have a style as unique and bold as this one. The raw and saturated visuals compliment the nightmarish vibe of the story. My only complaint is that the faces look wonky sometimes, mainly in 3/4 angles. There is use of 3d for some of the backgrounds, but I never found it distracting.

~Enjoyment~

The art is the standout part of the manga for me. I randomly saw a mis-tagged, OOC screenshot on Tumblr and immediately binged what was available. The thriller aspects are also good, and there's a constant sense of unease throughout.

~Conclusion~

If you want to experience unique art and a story about the dangers of idolization, give this a shot. If you're just looking for good yuri, this isn't it.

Skip to the conclusion for a TL;DR.

~Intro~

I happened upon this work when the bright red cover caught my eye from the sidebar of a manga site. It had a timeless look that frankly set my expectations too high. I'm usually more of a shoujo/josei yuri reader, but I'm a sucker for vampires and I think it does well enough with what it's trying to accomplish.

~Art~

- The quality of the composition varies throughout, ranging from utilitarian and flat to bursting with creativity to borderline confusing to cluttered mess.
- The backgrounds are almost exclusively 3d objects or filtered photos, which I found distracting for most ... of the experience.
- Facial expressions remain consistent for most of the series and are occasionally exaggerated or stylized for comedic effect. But there are several instances where they just look awkward, like the artist can't take the expression far enough and its stuck in an uncomfortable limbo.
- There's a stiffness to some of the poses that's mainly noticeable during action scenes. Some of the fights in the later chapters look BAD. The lines of action are off, the poses aren't just stiff but also awkward, there's no sense of depth or momentum, the pacing of the action and dialogue seems unnatural, and I could probably go on. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me this artists draws over photo or 3d character references.

+ The character designs are simple, but they stand out enough that I wasn't ever uncertain about who was who.
+ The quality of the character illustration is great. Accurate proportions and clothing. Besides the manga-esque faces, the style aims for photorealism.
+ There are some panels and pages that are very memorable (and not just ecchi ones).
+ As you would expect, a disproportionate amount of care and detail is spent on the ecchi scenes, to the point of becoming hyperreal in the detail of the kissing. There's also a strong emphasis on the eroticism of blood sucking shown skillfully through facial expressions and body language.

Overall, the combination of photorealism, 3d/photo backgrounds, and stiffness left the art generally feeling sterile in a clinical way. Plenty of panels look fantastic, but the space between them felt bland.

~Writing~

The comedy landed more often than not. The emotional beats of the later chapters were effective. The dialogue is decent. The themes center around immortality, which is explored from start to finish. There's a seriousness and gravity afforded to some of the scenes that balance out the ecchi and comedy to form a more well rounded whole.

~Plot~

There are elements that are introduced and later dropped, time spent on things that ended up not mattering, and inconsistent pacing. It starts off slow and seemingly aimless, but overtime develops a narrative destination as well as internal vampire lore. For the first half, things are just happening without much information given to the reader. The latter half begins tying these threads together. The ending hinges on factors that feel convenient rather than satisfying, but it did look cool.

The story is okay. Its serviceable as a backdrop to the relationship and romance of the two main characters. There are a variety of locations spanning several continents which was fun to see.

~Characters~

The main character, Ichika, is our point of view for most of the manga. Unfortunately, she has limited agency, so the plot is happening around her for most of the story. She's impulsive, sincere, and kindhearted, and acts as a foil to Aria, who is reserved and apathetic after living for so long. The supporting characters are pretty one note, with the exception of two who get an extended flashback sequence that was one of the highlights of the manga for me.

The characters don't develop much through the story, and their motivations aren't always clear. The racial diversity of the supporting characters is notable, which includes an Indian woman and an Arab woman.

~Conclusion~

If "male-gazey yuri vampire erotica with plot" sounds good to you, give it a shot. Otherwise, skip it. Cute girls kissing and sucking blood is the focus of this manga. Everything else is secondary. That’s not to say there's nothing else of value, but that should be the reason you choose to pick this manga up.

If you tend to have reactions like "ugh, why is anime/manga like this?", then give this one a pass. There are things that will definitely trigger a reasonable disgust response in many people.