Up-and-Coming Yuri Manga (2024)

Pinky Candy Kiss

Status: ongoing ┃ MAL

A romance brimming with maturity and yet manages to capture the innocent spark that comes with first loves. Filled with sentimentality and sweetness, it's the perfect mixture of yearning and pining with a dose of angst.

For these past two volumes, a great deal of the story has dealt with Takara's internal struggles as she comes to terms with her feelings towards Ema, a middle-school friend that she recently reunited with. Takara can’t help but feel drawn to Ema as their time together is filled with joy and laughter. Her once shy and quiet classmate is now a beautiful woman after all. While navigating her emotions, there is another massive problem that Takara must face— Ema is married.

The drama is grounded and nuanced, it has the potential to get real messy but it seems more likely it'll opt for a different route. There's been a level of sincerity displayed as it slowly tackles compulsory heterosexuality. Also, this recently got officially licensed in English!

Love-Bullet

Status: ongoing ┃ MAL

It’s explosive! It’s fun! Cupid has a gun!

Stylish pinterest screenshots have led me to strike gold with this manga. The premise is a unique spin on modern-day cupids, and so far has been surprisingly heartfelt and lively. Our protagonist, Koharu, is a newly reborn ‘cupid’ who must work to help humans fall in love by shooting them… with a gun. The rule of cool is very much alive here, but the explanation is that cupids have adapted to modern technology and no longer use bows. A lot of little details have been packed into this manga. It’s been clear, even with just one volume out, a lot of care has been put into this story. This shines the most during emotional plot beats, which actually brings me to the romance aspect.

I don’t know how much yuri this manga will contain, but it does have the girl’s love tag and all the couples featured so far have been gl. I won’t spoil anything, but Koharu’s plotline has been really well done and I’m interested to see more of this mangaka’s approach to romance.

Bluer than Love

Status: ongoing ┃ MAL

Like a nice cup of tea during a quiet morning. Lovingly brewed and steeped in subtlety, this makes for a soothing and pleasant experience that leaves your heart feeling all fluttery. The two main leads, Takamine and Shiori, are so heartwarming together. Their relationship begins with a chance encounter on the train that quickly leads to a quiet friendship.

The pace is slowed as it lets the cast have breathing room to develop and for feelings to flourish. The characters have realistic and relatable problems that never feel overly melodramatic. Whether it be Takamine’s struggles to find passion or Shiori’s loneliness, the manga conveys them nicely. It excels at subtle writing and lets the readers pick up on things themselves. Everything is simply well-executed.

Even the Introverted Gals Wanna Get Out There!

Status: ongoing ┃ MAL

Sometimes life is just two introverted gyaru girls against the world. Also, they’re girlfriends <3

As members of the subculture research club, it is the sworn duty of Ichiko and Kuran to explore the many facets of society by goofing around. It’s fluffy, low stakes, and zero drama. The manga starts with the two of them already in an established relationship, so there’s a lot of casual intimacy between them. It’s not a heart-pounding romance by any means, but it’s very comfy and cute.

For the most part, each chapter centers itself around some different subculture (or more like seeing whatever the hell Ichiko and Kuran are up to). These are far from in-depth looks, just something short and snappy. It seems the mangaka has some experience/did research on all the topics they include, as there's usually a certain amount of insider knowledge present. The main appeal of this manga though, lies in the classic 'cute girls doing cute things'

Erio and the Electric Doll

Status: ongoing ┃ MAL

100 years of war between humans and AI have wrecked the planet, but somehow humanity manages to scrape by and rebuild itself. The cost of victory, however, is the abandonment of electricity. The remnants of civilization now rely on cogs, steam engines, and gas lamps.

That's right. It's steampunk time.

Among this world of cogs and steam are two travelling companions: Erio, the ever-cheerful protagonist who can emit electricity from her body due to reasons. And Ange (or Anjie depending on translation), a leftover soldier created by AI for the sole purpose of warfare. The both of them, deemed dangers to society, have been living together for years with only each other for company. It's a reciprocal relationship, where Erio helps power up Ange with electricity (by kissing her hehe), and Ange helps with basically everything else. Their peaceful yet stagnant lives come to an end when they decide to leave their isolated home and learn more about humanity.

Romance is not the focal point of this manga, but it’s certainly an added bonus. They have a grumpy-sunshine dynamic and play off of each other quite well. It’s obvious from the start just how comfortable and important they are to each other. I will admit, the first few chapters didn’t particularly grab me despite the pretty art and steampunk aesthetic. However, this manga really grew on me. It’s a simple story, but try it out and you might find some charm to it.