is a yuri manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series by Milk Morinaga

Milk Morinaga

is a female Japanese yuri and pornographic manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan. Her works have been published in Yuri Shimai, Comic Yuri Hime, Comic Hot Milk, and other yuri and adult manga magazines. She made her professional debut as an illustrator for Cobalt Bunko, a shōjo novel imprint from...

. It was serialized by Futabasha

Futabasha

is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-List of magazines published by Futabasha:*Bravo Ski*Comic Seed!*Futabasha Web Magazine*Manga Action ZERO*Tōji Rō*Getter Robot Saga...

 in the seinen manga magazine Comic High!

Comic High!

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine pushlished on a monthly basis by Futabasha. It was launched as a special issue of Weekly Manga Action but has since become its own independent monthly anthology...

between October 2006 and August 2010, and subsequently published as five bound volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

. The manga has been licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...

. According to the author's afterword to volume one, she based the story on her own experience in high school (and based the school on the school she attended) but had to update it with such details as ubiquitous cell phones.

Plot

The story revolves around the quiet Mari Kumakura whose only noticeable quality is her top of the class grades, enter the cute and friendly Akko Oohashi whose goal is to get to know Mari and become best friends with her. With Akko's help she quickly transforms into one of the more fashionable girls in school and becomes good friends with Akko, Sugi and Tamami. The group get into all kinds of situations; boys, diets, fashion, friends and studies. However, as the plot develops, Mari and later Akko realize both have deeper feelings for each other, feelings that eclipse friendship.

Characters

The protagonist, whose nickname is Mari. She is a shy and polite person who always sits during lunch breaks and read books by herself. When Akko befriends her, Mari starts to change and her personality starts to develop. She has recently become less shy and more socially-aware. In an effort to distance her feelings for her friend, she gains a boyfriend (despite having growing feelings of romantic love for Akko). Her resolve to remain "just friends" with Akko conceal her true desires did not hold for long; tormented by the then unaware Akko's kindness and care, she kissed Akko on the lips by impulse twice, but then chooses not to speak of it anymore (on the realization that her love will never bear fruit).

Second protagonist, known to her friends as "Akko". A confident and attractive girl that befriends Mari at the start of the story. She displays many attributes of a stereotypical teenage girl, such as being knowledgeable about dating, fashion and diets. She claims to know a lot about guys despite interacting with them on limited occasions and even less so when she becomes friends with Mari. Recently she had started to develop feelings for Mari; it is at first debatable whether or not she is aware of them or in denial, however, her increasing jealousy of Mari's boyfriend begins to put things into perspective for her. Akko realizes eventually that she is deeply in love with her best friend.

Sugi-san (as she is nicknamed) is an outgoing playgirl who makes lots of boyfriends and dates them all at the same time, she likes to go to mixers and drink a lot. It has been mentioned that she and Tamami kiss quite often (though only as a sign of girlish-friendship intimacy). She often is seen as the most promiscuous and party-loving of the group and tends to strip her clothes off when she is drunk. She is surprisingly a light-weight when it comes to drinking. She sometimes is embarrassed to be friends with Tamami whenever the latter girl is publicly cosplaying or engaging in her geeky hobbies. Sugi is often viewed and revered as the "grown-up" in the group (in terms of her attractiveness, allure and knowledge about male-female relationships, and Akiko has consulted her several times when it comes to issues involving Mariko. She is quite perceptive; she is the first and only person to figure out that Akko and Mari are in love with one another. She seems a bit wary of this, as she is concerned about their well-being, but chooses to watch over them from afar. In an omake chapter dedicated to her, she even envies how the both of them can retain their innocence and purity.

A cute and funny girl who is best friends with Satoko. She is an otaku and often buys or talks about anime, manga and video games. Contrastingly, she also likes nightclubs, drinking, food, and partying. When the original group is split up, Tamami and Satoko grow apart despite promising to stay in touch and be good friends but with help from Mari and Akko they are reunited. They have since been extremely close despite no longer being in the same class.

Manga

Girl Friends was first serialized by Futabasha in the seinen manga magazine Comic High! between October 2006 and August 2010. The series was completed with five bound volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 published. The manga is licensed in Taiwan by Sharp Point Press, in France by Taifu Comics,, in Russia by Palma Press and in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...

.

Drama CD

A drama CD

Radio drama in Japan

Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...

 adaptation directed by Midori Shimazawa was released on 28 January 2011 after advance sales at Comic Market 79 in December 2010.

Reception

In Anime News Network

Anime News Network

Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...

's Right Turn Only!! feature Girl Friends was given a generally positive review, however noting that "The ending is rather abrupt and being your typical happily ever after ending".

External links

• Official Futabasha website
• Review of volume 1 by Yuricon
  Yuricon
  Yuricon is an anime convention geared toward fans of yuri anime and manga. The first Yuricon event was held in 2003 in Newark, New Jersey with about 200 attending, although Yuricon has existed as an online entity since 2000. The event was organized by Yuricon, LLC., which continues to run...
  
  's Erica Friedman