Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Vol. 1

Okay, first of all a disclaimer. For those who have read some other *yuri* anthologies, such as the recent *Éclair* ones from Yen Press, this is similar but different in some ways. They have some content that would be labeled as "mature". None of it is pornographic by any stretch, do not get me wrong, but some of the stories deal with more adult situations. It is still mostly plenty fun and cute, but it really is not for anyone younger than older teen and up.This is an anthology that basically covers the relationships and thoughts of professional women in a *yuri* context. Whether barely twenties or older, part-time or full-time, so on, they are the characters written about. Some of the stories are overly cute and unrealistic without plot development. So be it. They are, after all, one shots. You can't expect super-plotting from them. Some are better paced, but still kind of a fraction of a story.The above really does not matter, as the stories each still manage to be complete, self-contained tales. You can get a reasonably good sense of the characters, their motivations, and what they think by reading. Some authors take advantage of this sort of "difficulty" in writing to be extra cute, others to be suggestive of future events, some to have more open endings, and still others to have somewhat melancholy endings. It's a great set of one-shots that work well within the medium against the background of women living their lives with jobs of their own and the difficulties and stresses therein.One thing I truly liked was how the stories highlighted both the difficulties that women in general, and lesbian women in particular, face in Japan. The sexism is mentioned and the bigotry faced is real and hurtful. It goes beyond disagreement on a moral level with *love* and *respect* shown, nonetheless, to actual contempt and spite. Despite this, the various mangaka writing the stories, even in these moments, maintain the overall light-hearted theme.Not that these issues are not faced elsewhere. They, of course, are. But this is a manga, and thus stories about Japanese women, so it is focused on that context.The art was all over the place, as is to be expected with several different authors writing and illustrating their own story each one. It was hit and miss. But a few stories had truly beautiful art. Milk Morinaga, in particular, had gorgeous art.In general, this story is for someone who wants light, but still some slightly "real" flair to their stories mixed in with the uber-fluffy ones. Or for someone who doesn't mind this, I guess. It's not for everyone, as it's not completely slice-of-life, but it is a great deal of fun and overall quite the comfort read.So, if you are willing to have some slight melancholy with your mostly fluff, it's for you... as long as you are older teens and above, that is.

The stories are all short, simple, and pleasant. 10/10.

I received this volume last of the series and I'm glad for that as this is not as well done as the others. I have few regrets buying the series but if I had read this first, it's doubtful I would have purchased the rest; so no foul, no harm done.

Syrup is an anthology of yuri stories and I was drawn to it because it features contributions from Milk Morinaga and Kodama Naoko, whose earlier works I have liked. It's not bad, although the quality of the stories can vary. I might note that a couple of the tales are a bit more explicit than most yuri. Among the highlights are "Cram School Teachers", which has students asking two teachers about what appears to be their developing relationship. "Daily Smile" is a nice tale about a woman drawn to a clerk in a shop. "The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp" features a lonely woman in a lousy job and what happens one special night at a bookstore. "First Grown-up Love" is a well-drawn tale about a young woman who has been confessed to by another woman but she's not sure how an adult relationship functions. Syrup's best stories should be of appeal to yuri fans.

A handful of the stories are OK. Most just play out a thought or scenario. 14 stories total so they all are very short. Not terribly satisfying. Was going to buy the series but have decided against it now. Rather read a series where I can invest in the characters. I know it's an anthology but there are just too many stories in one volume so you don't really get much from it.

If you love yuri, then my friends, this is the manga for you. Adorable short stories about cute working women. So much fun. Some pretty big names involved, too. I rather enjoyed this anthology. It's a shame so few of these sorts of manga make it through the barriers to the West (but, more & more are starting to make it over! Finally!) I look forward to the next volume. Give this a read, you will enjoy it. And I would like to add, that several of these short stories, well, I would pay good money to read more about them, in their own series. Such wonderful characters.

Was hoping for more. Seems to be a collection of little one shots, but some left me feeling like they were unfinished or rushed. I also bought it for the cover, or more specifically the story. I recall reading the story that went with the cover art in the past, but that story was not included in this book. Which was very disappointing as I had liked that one. They have another book released and one being released in summer. Willing to give the second one a go, but will keep my hopes low. Hopefully it will be better than this one.

I love these stories in this book

There is mentions of r*p3 in the “Coward Queen” story for anyone that it may trigger. There are wholesome stories and mature ones. Wouldn’t recommend for anyone too young to really understand it. Since this is an anthology, don’t expect much development within the stories. It’s just a quick read, my personal favourite was “The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp” as a cat lover myself!

I'll start off saying this, some of these stories are lovely. It's more my personal opinion on some of the subjects and scenarios that knocked a few stars off. There were a few points where I would have returned it had I not pre-ordered and therefore missed the refund window. Still, I'm glad I read it until the end. There was enough good after the one I really disliked that I don't regret the purchase. Some people will love this book, absolutely - I'm just not one of them.