Manga Archives - DoubleSama

Gokujou Drops Review

By DoubleSama | April 18, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

Gokujou Drops manga series cover art — Gokujou Drops

Life at Ohotori Girls Academy

Gokujou♥Drops (極上♥ドロップス) is a shoujo ai erotica manga, much like Citrus. It’s only three volumes long, so it’s pretty short. But, it’s the first manga by Hajime Mikuni to be more than one volume.

The series follows Komari Maezono, a girl who transfers to Ohotori Girls Academy. But, since she transfers in at an odd time of year (of course), there aren’t any dorms available. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue since apartments are also available for students. However, Komari’s father is only allowing her to attend the school as long as she isn’t living alone.

For that reason, Komari really needs a spot to open up in one of the dorms. Luckily for her, there’s a potential spot in the most prestigious of the school’s dorms — the Paraiso Yakata. Ohtori Girls Academy is already a school for rich girls. But, the Paraiso Yakata is where the richest of the rich live.

Komari Maezono in a big pinch from the manga series Gokujou Drops — Komari Maezono in a big pinch

So, what’s the deal with this potential spot in the dorms for Komari? Well, there’s not exactly an open spot. Instead, one of the girls who lives there, Yukio Himemiya, makes Komari an offer. If Komari agrees to be her slave, she’ll allow Komari to live with her.

For the most part, being Yukio’s slave is a pretty simple task. Komari’s expected to wake Yukio up for school, carry her things, and help her out in other basic ways. And, on top of that, she’ll work as the dorm’s maid.

Since this is the only way Komari can attend Ohtori, and since she likes cleaning anyway, this isn’t a bad deal. But, as I mentioned, there’s not really an open spot in the dorm. Yukio’s room only has one bed. So, Komari will be sleeping with her new master.

Meet the Girls of the Paraiso Yakata

Komari Maezono is the newest girl living in the dorm and also the one from the least prestigious family. Though, that’s not saying too much, as her family is still well-off. At any other school, Komari would be seen as the rich girl. It’s only at Ohtori, and especially within the Paraiso Yakata dorm, that this isn’t the case.

Other than Komari, there are six girls living in the Paraiso Yakata dorm. The first is, of course, Yukio “Hime” Himemiya. She’s considered the school’s idol. Despite being a first-year herself, all the first-year girls admire her.

Next is Asami Fujie, the head of the dorm and a member of the student council. I assume she’s a third-year student. But, she could also be a second-year. While Asami seems normal at first, she actually has a reputation for seducing first-year students.

Yukio Himemiya asking Komari Maezono to be her slave from the manga series Gokujou Drops — Yukio Himemiya asking Komari Maezono to be her slave

Erika Yanagi is a second-year student who leads the culture club council. I guess she’s technically the most normal of the girls in the dorm. Her character trait is simply that she’s manipulative. And, like most of the girls in the dorm, she’s also attracted to other girls.

Sai Yoshikawa is the shut-in of the dorm. She’s the head of the library. But, she doesn’t leave her room very often and attends class even less. Instead, she prefers to spend her time on her computer. I think Sai is also the only girl in the dorm who doesn’t make a pass at Komari.

Finally, there are the Kunikida twins, Miya and Maya. Miya is the more feminine of the two, though, I wouldn’t call Maya a tomboy by any means. These two sisters are in a sexual relationship with each other and want Komari to be a part of it.

Unbecoming of a Prestigious Family

Let’s get into the real review. Is Gokujou Drops any good? Yes. But, there are some things you should consider when starting it. First of all, it’s an erotica series, but not a hentai. It has sex, unlike Citrus. But, it’s not all about sex the way Shoujo Sect is.

I bring this up because if you’re looking for hentai, this isn’t going to give you what you want. And, if you’re looking for a wholesome slice of life series, this isn’t going to give you that, either. It’s somewhere in between.

The art style and the way the characters act are also very “shoujo manga.” You’re not going to find super high-detailed drawings. Instead, a lot of the art is “light” and “fluffy.” And, Komari’s character, in particular, feels like a generic shoujo manga protagonist. If you don’t like shoujo manga, you might not like this as much.

Komari Maezono and Yukio Himemiya in bed from the manga series Gokujou Drops — Komari Maezono and Yukio Himemiya in bed

Another thing to keep in mind is that the plot of this series isn’t deep. It’s a very generic plot that other (more recent) series have done better. For example, I think Yuu and Touko’s relationship in Bloom into You feels like a better version of Komari and Yukio’s relationship here.

These relationships aren’t exactly the same. But, they’re close enough. They both have a power dynamic. In Bloom into You, Touko is older than Yuu and uses that to influence Yuu. In Gokujou Drops, there’s the power imbalance of Yukio controlling Komari’s living situation.

Another example would be when Yukio’s family tries to set her up with arranged suitors. They don’t think a same-sex relationship is becoming of someone of their family’s status. This is very similar to something that happens in Citrus. And, surprise, Citrus did it better.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I gave Gokujou Drops a 7/10. It was a good read — worse than Bloom into You and Citrus, but better than Shoujo Sect. I’d say it’s about on par with I Can’t Believe I Slept With You! as far as yuri manga go.

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Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

Vagabond Review

By DoubleSama | April 9, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

The Last of the Big Three Seinen Manga*

Vagabond (バガボンド) is one of the big three seinen manga series alongside Berserk and Vinland Saga. It’s the 3rd highest-ranked manga of all time and the 15th most popular. So, as you can imagine, it’s kind of a good series.

Now, I’ve already read Berserk and I’ve watched both seasons of the Vinland Saga anime. That left Vagabond as the last of the big three for me to experience. And, it definitely holds up. It deserves its spot up there with those two series.

If I had to compare it to one, though, I’d say it’s far more like Vinland Saga than Berserk. I’ll be going into why that is later on in this review. But, for now, just know that the themes and general storyline are closer to Vinland Saga.

Miyamoto Musashi training from the manga series Vagabond — Miyamoto Musashi training

What’s Vagabond about? Berserk is a dark fantasy about a medieval warrior. Vinland Saga is about Vikings. And, Vagabond is about samurai. This likely plays into why I liked Vagabond as much as I did. Samurai are cool. I love samurai series like Samurai Champloo, Blade of the Immortal, and Sword of the Stranger.

The main story of Vagabond follows Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s most famous samurai. It starts with Musashi, then known as Takezou, heading to the Battle of Sekigahara. He and his childhood friend Matahachi Honiden went there to try to make names for themselves. But, they got to the battlefield too late, with the battle having already concluded.

From there, the rest of the story chronicles Musashi’s drive to fight stronger and stronger opponents. His ultimate goal is to prove to the world that he’s “The strongest under the heavens.” But, what does being the strongest actually mean to Musashi? That’s something he’ll have to find out for himself through his battles.

Stories of Three Swordsmen

Musashi isn’t the only swordsman Vagabond follows. But, he is the protagonist. So, let’s start with him. As I’ve already mentioned, Musashi’s story is mostly about his quest to become stronger. And, the way you prove that you’re becoming stronger as a samurai is by defeating other samurai.

A good portion of this manga is just Musashi getting into duel after duel. However, after meeting a few samurai from the older generation, he begins to question his path. He knows he wants to be the strongest. But, is the path he’s going down the right way to get there? Is killing the same as strength?

The second main character of the series is Matahachi. After traveling to Sekigahara with Musashi, Matahachi decides not to return to their village. He abandons his fiancée and begins living the life of a “ronin.”

Sasaki Kojirou from the manga series Vagabond — Sasaki Kojirou

Matahachi isn’t actually a ronin samurai like Musashi is, though. He’s a coward who tries to avoid fighting at all costs. But, he acts like he’s important, carrying the traditional two swords of a samurai and even taking the name of another prominent samurai. Ultimately, Matahachi is the foil character to Musashi. They’re opposites in pretty much every way.

The third and final of the main swordsmen is Sasaki Kojirou. He’s the swordsman whose name Matahachi takes. And, after meeting the real Kojirou, Matahachi sticks to him like a leech. You see, Kojirou is an actual swordsman, like Musashi. In fact, he’s considered one of the only swordsmen on Musashi’s level.

With that said, Kojirou and Musashi are pretty different. Yes, they both want to fight strong opponents. But, their reason for doing so isn’t the same. Kojirou enjoys the fight. Not in a twisted way, but in a childlike one. He thinks duels are fun.

What Does it Mean to Be Strong?

Alright, so let’s get into how Vagabond is similar to Vinland Saga. If you’ve seen or read Vinland Saga, you’ll know that it’s actually an anti-war series. It has a lot of violence, especially at the start. But, that’s all to set up the real message of the story.

Vagabond is the same way. A much higher percentage of the series is dedicated to Musashi fighting. However, he ultimately reaches a similar conclusion as Thorfinn. Thorfinn’s conclusion of pacifism is more extreme, though. Musashi doesn’t go that far.

What Musashi eventually realizes is that your life is the most important thing you have. Once you die, it’s all over. Now, he doesn’t necessarily care about losing his own life. But, he sees a lot of other samurai throwing away theirs for nothing.

Miyamoto Musashi coming to terms with his life from the manga series Vagabond — Miyamoto Musashi coming to terms with his life

Over time, Musashi makes a name for himself. And when that happens, up-and-coming samurai want to duel him so they can defeat and usurp him. Anyone who can kill the famed Miyamoto Musashi is going to go down in history. The only problem is that the vast majority of these challengers stand no chance.

Musashi doesn’t want to kill these men. He knows that if they fight him, they’re going to die. And, so, he tries to give them every opportunity to leave. Musashi starts drawing a circle on the ground around him. He tells the challengers that if they enter the circle, he’ll kill them. But, if they turn around and leave, he won’t chase them down.

Of course, none of the challengers heed Musashi’s warning. This leads to their deaths. And, it leads to Musashi having to kill people who had their whole lives ahead of them. Some of them even had families to return to.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I gave Vagabond a 9/10. The start of the series is pretty slow — maybe the first 50 chapters. Like, there’s a lot of action. But, the story doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere that early on. Musashi’s character growth doesn’t kick in until later, which is when it gets really good.

Also, Vagabond has been on indefinite hiatus since 2015. If you’re looking forward to a conclusion to this story, there isn’t one. There might never be one if Takehiko Inoue never feels like returning to the series. But, even so, I’d recommend it if you like Berserk and/or Vinland Saga.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Shoujo Sect Review

By DoubleSama | April 1, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

Shoujo Sect manga cover art — Shoujo Sect

Just (Gay) Girls Being (Gay) Girls

Shoujo Sect (少女セクト) is an 18+ shoujo ai series. And by 18+, I mean it’s a hentai. But, I actually didn’t know it was a hentai when I added the manga to my list. I thought it was simply erotica, like Citrus.

You can imagine my surprise when, very quickly, I discovered my mistake. However, the Shoujo Sect manga is very short — only 16 chapters. So, I figured I’d continue reading it and then watch the anime adaptation, as well. That’s right, today’s review is a double feature.

Since the manga is short, the anime is too. It’s a three-episode OVA called Shoujo Sect: Innocent Lovers. Why did they add a subtitle onto the OVA? I’m not sure. I guess it’s to make it easier to differentiate between the anime and manga when searching online.

Shinobu Handa and Kirin Suwabe from the anime OVA Shoujo Sect: Innocent Lovers — Shinobu Handa and Kirin Suwabe

Anyway, let’s get into the main premise of the series. There are girls at an all-girls school. And, guess what? All the girls at this all-girls school are gay — even the one teacher who makes an appearance. What a great and original idea.

Okay, so as I said, I first read the manga version of the series. It was pretty decent. The sex scenes are good, which as you might expect, is important for a series like this. But, I found it pretty hard to keep track of the characters. I still don’t know who the dark-haired girl on the cover of Volume 1 is supposed to be.

The anime fixed this issue with the manga. It was way easier to understand who was who when everything was in color. And, I’d say that the sex scenes are even better in the anime. You know, because the anime adds movement and sound into the mix.

Momoko vs. Shinobu

There’s a bit more to this yuri series than “girls being girls.” It also has quite a bit of drama and a shockingly complex web of interpersonal relationships. This web has two centers: Momoko Naitou and Shinobu Handa. They’re the ones who everyone else is connected to.

Alright, let’s begin untangling the web. Shinobu and Momoko were childhood friends. Now that they’re in high school, Shinobu has a crush on Momoko. However, Momoko doesn’t remember Shinobu from their childhood. This is the start of the drama.

To make up for the lack of affection she’s receiving from Momoko, Shinobu starts her own harem. You know, as you do. The first girl in Shinobu’s harem is Kirin Suwabe, a dark-skinned girl who offers to be Shinobu’s maid. Then, Shinobu and Kirin bring Maya Enjouji into the fold, creating a three-way relationship.

Momoko Naitou and Hayato Kyouko kissing from the anime OVA Shoujo Sect: Innocent Lovers — Momoko Naitou and Hayato Kyouko kissing

Momoko’s side of the web is a bit more monogamous. But, it’s also the side that’s more taboo. Momoko is in a relationship with her teacher, Hayato Kyouko. That’s a spicy relationship right there, but it’s not all. Momoko’s friend, Chizuru Komai, has a crush on her older sister, Shigure. And, thanks to Momoko, the two of them get together.

There are some other minor characters whose names I don’t remember, as well. For example, I think there’s a pair of twins who have something going on with Maya. But, those are all the main characters.

With that said, there’s one more character I need to mention. Sayuri Ookami is a third-year student who I only think comes into the series toward the end. She wants to make Shinobu hers — she doesn’t want to join Shinobu’s harem. And, she’s the reason why the two sides of the web come back together.

The Best Part of the Manga

There was one thing that the manga did infinitely better than the anime. But, before I get to it, I need to do a little build-up.

If Momoko is in a relationship with Hayato, how does she reconnect with Shinobu? Well, after Momoko and Hayato spend a night together, Hayato coughs up blood, collapses, and is out of the picture. She doesn’t die. However, she’s no longer around and that leaves Momoko all alone.

It’s around this time that Momoko begins to remember who Shinobu is.

Now, let’s bring Sayuri, the upperclassman, into the story. Sayuri traps Shinobu in a room and sexually assaults her. Momoko discovers this happening and saves Shinobu by sending Sayuri away. And then, it happens. Momoko snaps — and this is the single best scene of the entire series (in the manga).

Momoko Naitou hitting Sayuri Ookami with a fire extinguisher from the manga Shoujo Sect — Momoko Naitou hitting Sayuri Ookami with a fire extinguisher

After catching Sayuri assaulting Shinobu, Momoko couldn’t let Sayuri walk away. She grabs a fire extinguisher and uses it to bash Sayuri in the head, in a scene I never saw coming. I guess Momoko had a lot of pent-up anger after losing her older lover and seeing her childhood friend hurt.

Okay, but how did the anime ruin this iconic scene? I guess the team working on the OVA didn’t think Momoko’s attempted murder of Sayuri was very hot. They wanted their adaptation to be sexy, not crazy. So, instead of using a fire extinguisher, Momoko only punches Sayuri in the face.

Since I watched the anime right after reading the manga, I was looking forward to this scene. The plot of this series isn’t good — as you can likely tell from how I’ve described it in this review. It’s a hentai plot. But, that scene made all the drama worth it.

Final Thoughts

I ended up giving the Shoujo Sect manga a 6/10 and the anime a 7/10. Despite altering the best scene and making it worse than it was in the manga, the anime is still better (read: hotter). As a whole, though, I enjoyed Shoujo Sect. It’s a nice yuri series.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Berserk (Manga) Review

By DoubleSama | March 25, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

The Highest-Rated Manga of All Time

Berserk (ベルセルク) is the highest-rated manga of all time. And, it’s not even close. If we look at MyAnimeList, it has an average score of 9.47/10. The second-place manga is Jojo’s Part 7 with a 9.30. That might seem close, but it’s not. A difference of 0.17 is huge.

For comparison, let’s look at the highest-rated anime. Right now, it’s Frieren with a 9.17. But, that’s still airing so we can’t trust its rating. Many airing anime have reached the #1 spot before falling. The next two highest are FMA: Brotherhood with 9.09 and Steins;Gate with 9.07 — only a 0.02 difference.

Oh, and in case Berserk’s #1 ranking isn’t enough, it’s also the most popular manga on MyAnimeList. Ranking is how highly a manga is rated. Popularity is how many people have read it. So, more people have read Berserk than any other manga — even Attack on Titan and One Piece (the next two most popular).

Now, with all that said, I actually don’t think Berserk is the best manga I’ve read. But, in this review, I’m going to discuss each of the five major arcs and give my thoughts on them.

Black Swordsman Arc (Chapters 0-8)

Berserk Volume 1 manga cover art — Berserk Volume 1

The first arc of the series, the Black Swordsman arc, is also the shortest. However, it’s not the first chronologically. This is actually a look into the future, between the Golden Age and Conviction arcs. So, we get to see a glimpse of where the story’s going to be headed.

Since this arc is so short, not all that much happens in it. We’re introduced to Guts and Puck. Guts defeats two Apostles of the Godhand. And, we get the introduction of the five members of the Godhand — the main antagonists of the series.

Overall, this is a pretty strong start to the series. I like when we’re thrown right into the action from the start. But, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. One issue I have with it is the mere existence of Puck. This might be blasphemy to other Berserk fans, but I don’t like Puck.

Also, I get that this is only the first few chapters. But, Guts isn’t exactly a very interesting character here. I saw someone claiming that he never develops throughout the series — and that’s simply not true. But, if you only read the beginning, I can see how you’d think he’s one-dimensional.

Golden Age Arc (Chapters 9-94)

Berserk Volume 5 manga cover art — Berserk Volume 5

The Golden Age arc is the second arc of the series and my personal favorite. This is the only arc I’d rate as a 10/10. It’s what I consider peak Berserk — which is kind of weird to say since it’s pretty different than the rest of the series.

This is the arc covering Guts’s origin story and the major events that made him who he is. From a young age, all Guts has known is the battlefield. And one day, he’s recruited into the Band of the Falcon by Griffith — a man who wants to create his own kingdom.

I think what makes this arc so great is all the characters within the Band of the Falcon and how they interact with each other. Also, it features a lot of large-scale battles between armies, which is cool. Oh, and Puck doesn’t exist in this arc, which I loved. But, the highlight of the arc comes at the end.

The golden age ends with an event known as the Eclipse. Without getting into major spoilers, everything changes on the day of the Eclipse. Guts, Griffith, and the Band of the Falcon will never be the same.

Conviction Arc (Chapters 95-176)

Berserk Volume 18 manga cover art — Berserk Volume 18

The Conviction arc is my second favorite arc of the series. It’s pretty much a longer version of the Black Swordsman arc, which therefore makes it better. But, it’s not as good as the Golden Age arc. Puck is back and the focus is no longer on the Band of the Falcon.

This arc is all about rescuing Casca and Guts’s determination to defeat Griffith. That’s cool. I like that. It also introduces some new main characters: Isidro, Farnese, and Serpico. But, I have mixed feelings about these additions. To me, they’re what starts bringing the series down.

Like Puck, Isidro is mostly a comedic relief character, which I don’t like in this series. And, I don’t know if I can explain why, but I don’t like Serpico either. He annoys me. But then, we have Farnese. When Farnese was introduced, I had very high hopes for her.

She’s originally an enemy of Guts and is hunting him down on behalf of the Holy See. She’s also a sadomasochist, which is awesome. But, neither of those things lasts beyond about the first half of this arc. She becomes an ally of guts, stops being kinky, and becomes a boring wimp.

Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc (Chapters 177-307)

Berserk Volume 22 manga cover art — Berserk Volume 22

The Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc (or Millennium Falcon arc, for short) is the longest arc, so far. Fantasia might surpass it, but isn’t complete yet. Apparently, this is a popular arc. But, it’s actually my least favorite of the five that exist.

In this arc, Isidro, Farnese, and Serpico officially join Guts on his journey. And, Schierke and Ivalera join, as well. Schierke is a young witch and is currently my favorite of Guts’s companions. Ivalera is an elf and is there for comic relief like Puck and Isidro (so I don’t care for her).

This is really the arc where Farnese becomes boring. I mentioned Casca earlier, but she was a former Band of the Falcon member like Guts. And, back then, she was a very cool character. But now, her mind has reverted to that of a child and Farnese is her babysitter.

So, that’s not exactly what I like to see. But, what I did like to see is how Schierke shakes up the dynamic of the entire series by introducing magic. Unfortunately, that’s also counteracted by a lot of the monster horde fights in this arc being long and repetitive.

Fantasia Arc (Chapters 308-Present)

Berserk Volume 38 manga cover art — Berserk Volume 38

The Fantasia arc is the current arc — and should be completed eventually. But, it was delayed for quite a while after the death of Kentarou Miura in 2021. One of his close friends is working with the rest of Miura’s team to complete the manga.

Now, Fantasia isn’t my least favorite arc. But, it starts off with content I didn’t like very much. The beginning of this arc has a lot of the same drawn-out, repetitive monster horde fights that we got in the Millennium Falcon arc. I didn’t enjoy all the pirate and sea monster stuff.

However, the “second half” is better. Guts’s party makes its way to Elfhelm, the island home of the elves. And there, Casca’s memories are restored. Since I was a big fan of Casca in the Golden Age arc, I was glad to see her “return” in this arc.

Also, this arc is setting up for the major battle between Guts’s group and Griffith’s new kingdom. Until this arc, Griffith focused on consolidating his power and taking out his rivals. But now, he’s changing the entire world as we know it. And, it’s clear that he realizes he’ll need to fight Guts (again) at some point.

Final Thoughts

As a whole, I’m going to give Berserk a 9/10. If I averaged my scores for each arc, it would likely end up as an 8. But, that would be a bit misleading since the arcs don’t exist in a vacuum. I also have to take into consideration the overall story and character development.

I’ll probably revisit the Berserk manga when it finishes. That is if this blog still exists in 10+ years when that happens. But, considering I’m still going strong after over 6 years, that seems possible.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Citrus (Manga) Review

By DoubleSama | March 18, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

Citrus manga volume 1 cover art — Citrus

Was Citrus Always This Wholesome?

Citrus is the second yuri series that I’m doing a review of the manga for after reviewing the anime. The first was Bloom into You, so check that one out, as well if you’re into yuri. And, as with Bloom into You, I think the Citrus manga is better than the anime.

However, I can’t say that the Citrus manga was what I expected it to be. The anime aired back in the winter of 2018, and I reviewed it shortly after it finished. So, it’s been six years since then.

From what I remember, at the time, I thought the anime was pretty raunchy. I remember scenes like Mei pushing Yuzu down on the bed or couch and sliding her hand into Yuzu’s pants. That’s pretty spicy — and that happened in the manga, too. But, the manga felt very different.

Yuzu Aihara crying from the manga series Citrus — Yuzu Aihara crying

Citrus is an erotica (not hentai) series. There’s sexual content, for sure. But, I felt like it was way more prevalent in the anime than it is in the manga. Reading the manga, I never got the feeling that it was overly sexual. It never felt “dirty” as it did when I watched the anime.

So, what’s going on here? Did the anime add in more NSFW content? No. I think this is an example of how scenes in anime can sometimes feel more intimate. The risqué scenes in the manga are static, black and white pictures. But, in the anime, there’s color, movement, and voice acting.

If you watched the anime and didn’t like it because it felt too lewd, try the manga. It’s actually not as bad as you’d think. Yes, it’s still erotica. But, there’s actually no sex. That’s right, Bloom into You, which isn’t an erotica, has more sex than Citrus.

Mei’s Other Lovers

Let’s talk a bit about the drama in Citrus. There are a few different sources of drama in this series. There’s Yuzu and Mei not understanding each others’ feelings. There are external factors, like the school trying to expel Yuzu. And, there are other relationships.

The anime only covered 4 of the 10 volumes of the manga. So, there were only a few other relationships that threatened to get in the way of Yuzu and Mei. But, the manga has many more.

Yuzu only has one other relationship — Matsuri Mizusawa loves her. Oh, and I guess you could count Nene Nomura shipping Yuzu with Harumi Taniguchi. But, Harumi and Yuzu are just friends. There’s nothing romantic between them. So, that doesn’t really count.

Mei, on the other hand, has many other characters interested in her. The anime only includes three of them, though.

Yuzu introducing Shiraho Suzuran to her friend group from the manga series Citrus — Yuzu introducing Shiraho Suzuran to her friend group

The first of Mei’s other lovers is a teacher at the school to whom she was originally engaged. Then, there’s Himeko Momokino, Mei’s childhood friend who has feelings for her. And, finally, there was Sara Tachibana, who views Mei as her soulmate.

In the manga, Matsuri also develops some feelings for Mei — and even suggests a threesome (so based). But, Matsuri is still very much in love with Yuzu. The next girl who’s in love with Mei is Shiraho “Shirapon” Suzuran, an upper-classman. Yuzu meets her during her summer remedial classes and learns that she’s obsessed with Mei.

But, the biggest source of drama is the final person interested in Mei — Yuzu’s manager. I don’t remember what his name is. But, toward the end of the series, Yuzu’s manager gets engaged to Mei. And, this leads to Mei leaving home (where she lived with Yuzu).

Marriage Between Step-Sisters

Spoilers: At the end of the manga, Mei and Yuzu get married. Yuzu tells her mom and Mei’s dad that she’s in love with Mei. They both give her their blessing, and she goes to rescue Mei from being married off by her grandfather.

I thought this stuff at the end was a bit rushed. But, I’m also very happy for Yuzu and Mei. I’m glad that they were able to be together in the end. However, this made me wonder how realistic this ending is. Could Yuzu and Mei actually get married in Japan as step-sisters? Let’s find out.

The first big question we need to answer is, “Can step-siblings get married?” So, I did some research and found the answer in Article 734 of the Japan Civil Code.

“No marriage may be effected between lineal relatives by blood, nor between collateral relatives by blood up to the third degree of relationship; however, this shall not apply between an adopted child and any of the collateral relatives by blood on the side of the adoptive relatives.”
Japan Civil Code, Article 734

Mei and Yuzu Aihaira's wedding from the manga series Citrus — Mei and Yuzu Aihaira’s wedding

That last part is what we’re interested in. It means that if you’re adopted into a family, you can marry someone within that family. So, yes, step-siblings can get married in Japan. And, in case you’re wondering, Article 736 prohibits adoptive parents and children from marrying.

But, the step-sibling issue was only the first question. The second question is, “Can two women get married in Japan?”

Unfortunately for Yuzu and Mei, the answer is no. Same-sex relationships are legal in Japan. So, they have that going for them. But, same-sex marriage is currently not legal. It’s kind of crazy that Mei and Yuzu both being girls is the issue and not them being step-sisters.

Final Thoughts

The Citrus manga is an 8/10. That’s two points higher than I rated the anime. And, the main reason I liked the manga more than the anime is that I was more invested. It was way easier to get invested in Yuzu and Mei’s relationship in the manga. However, that may have been because it felt less sexualized in this medium.

If you enjoyed this review, or if you learned something new about marriage laws in Japan, share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

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