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Syrup: A Yuri Anthology #1
Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Vol. 1
A beautiful new yuri manga anthology about adult women in love by some of the hottest names in the industry!
Beyond the tales of high school girls in the first bloom of love, stories of grown women yearn to be told. The Syrup collection focuses on women navigating love for other women amidst the ups and downs of a working life. Featuring short manga stories by a star-studded line-up—including Milk Morinaga (Girl Friends), Kodama Naoko (I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up), and Yoshimurakana (Murciélago)—this fascinating collection is the perfect addition to any yuri library.
Beyond the tales of high school girls in the first bloom of love, stories of grown women yearn to be told. The Syrup collection focuses on women navigating love for other women amidst the ups and downs of a working life. Featuring short manga stories by a star-studded line-up—including Milk Morinaga (Girl Friends), Kodama Naoko (I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up), and Yoshimurakana (Murciélago)—this fascinating collection is the perfect addition to any yuri library.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
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1127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
June 27, 2020
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.
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.
November 13, 2021
There were only 3 stories in this book that I somewhat enjoyed. The story about the actor and her manager, the woman living with her best friend and her baby, and the woman who was disowned from her family. Other than those, I didn’t particularly love this anthology.
Some stories didn’t really seem to go anywhere, there was a story about adult entertainers that was strange because I couldn’t figure out what age the characters were when they first hooked up, and one story was just about boobs. So, this was very hit or miss, mostly miss for me, unfortunately.
Some stories didn’t really seem to go anywhere, there was a story about adult entertainers that was strange because I couldn’t figure out what age the characters were when they first hooked up, and one story was just about boobs. So, this was very hit or miss, mostly miss for me, unfortunately.
July 12, 2020
It is absolutely possible to tell a good story in very few pages. With a couple of notable exceptions, this book doesn't pull it off.
Full review eventually appearing on ANN.
Full review eventually appearing on ANN.
September 22, 2020
Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 is published by Seven Seas Entertainment and features numerous mangaka. In total, there are 14 short stories by Yukiko, Kodama Naoko, Yoshimura Kana, Goumoto, Mocci_au_Lait, Kawanami Izumi, Shioya Teruko, Amano Shuninta, Ohi Pikachi, Yoshidamaru Yu, Kurogane Kenn, Matsuzaki Natsumi, Ito Hachi, and Morinaga Milk. This is an adult Yuri anthology that focuses on the multiple facets of love between women.
What makes this anthology stand out is its focus on adulthood within relationships. This is not your stereotypical, “falling in love” type of romance collection. Many of these women are working and navigating their mid to late 20s to early 30s. One of my favorite stories is titled, “First Grown-Up Love“ by Hachi. A 23-year-old baker is presented with a woman who confesses that she has feelings for her. The immediate response is “But I’m a virgin” and while it is presented to add comedic value, this other woman does not judge, pressure, or ridicule Miori for confessing this. Instead, Miori attempts to balance her work life as a cake decorator and personal life. She takes it day by day and slowly allows herself the time to understand these romantic feelings she has towards Hamura. It is short, sweet, and reflective of personal boundaries when navigating first love.
Within “Mama x Mom” by Yu, it tackles girl love between two women who have previously been with men. Our protagonist Konno Fumi is a 28-year-old game scriptwriter who is housing her friend Maki-Shima Sayaka. Maki-Shima is divorced with an infant and Konno helps take care of her daughter. This short story isn’t necessarily a tale of how they fall in love. Rather, it focuses on how Konno realizes that she has developed romantic feelings for Maki-Shima. Within the time she has spent living with Maki-Shima and her child, she realizes the deeper bond she shares with her. She would love to live like a family together as they are until the rest of their days and ponders that dream. However, the story is not about suffering but rather hope in knowing that maybe one day, Maki-Shima will fall in love with her too. It is nuanced and powerful to showcase not just romance in an idealistic way but also in it’s more bittersweet nature.
Presented within other stories, Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 tackles romance stories with a meet-cute (a romance troupe many are fond of where two characters meet and they both feel the mutual attraction that leads into a relationship) in “One AM at the Laundromat” by Yukiko; There is a story about lesbian acceptance in “The Cram School Teachers“ by Mocchi_au_Lait.
Lastly, in “The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp”, there is love at first sight at a bookstore cat cafe! Regardless of troupes, Syrup tackles a wide array of different stories that are a delight to read. Each story has its own unique art style per mangaka and all of them are beautiful. Letterer Kaitlyn Wiley made following along to these 14 different stories easy. The dialogue was always in rounded speech bubbles, inner thoughts were distinguished by square text boxes, sound effects were small and non-intrusive (on the artwork, panels, or main dialogue) and it was inconsistent throughout the entire collection despite there being multiple stories.
The issues present within Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 pertains to two different stories with trigger warnings for incest and rape. Within “Coward Queen” by Yoshimura Kana, the main character Kagetsu Ren is an adult actress. Thankfully, there is no sex worker shaming present within the story. However, the porn that Ren-San is filming with her soon-to-be love interest is Older Sister vs Younger Sister incest yuri. While this may be an incredibly popular romance/sexual fantasy within adult media, I still felt, personally, uncomfortable having to read that scene. It is, also, briefly mentioned that Ren-San did film “rape porn”. Tonally, this story doesn’t offer any real romantic tones and resolves with Ren filming this adult film as a joke to her directors, leaving her mad. This story could have been utilized as a pro-sex worker with a healthy relationship and that would have been much better. Additionally, in “Rose Quartz” by Kurogane Kenn there was one rape joke used to describe the protagonist’s first sexual encounter. The story, itself, is quite sweet and cute revolving around two female artists getting married. Unfortunately, that description could have easily not been a joke.
Overall, Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 is a (mostly) thoughtful and expressive deep dive into girl love. The inclusiveness of women who has either never been with another woman, women who were lesbians, or women who were bisexual was refreshing to see. From first love to meet-cutes, to best friends-to-lovers troupes all utilized in short, cute snips, this anthology is worth the read for any reader interested in older yuri. It is available now from Seven Seas Entertainment.
What makes this anthology stand out is its focus on adulthood within relationships. This is not your stereotypical, “falling in love” type of romance collection. Many of these women are working and navigating their mid to late 20s to early 30s. One of my favorite stories is titled, “First Grown-Up Love“ by Hachi. A 23-year-old baker is presented with a woman who confesses that she has feelings for her. The immediate response is “But I’m a virgin” and while it is presented to add comedic value, this other woman does not judge, pressure, or ridicule Miori for confessing this. Instead, Miori attempts to balance her work life as a cake decorator and personal life. She takes it day by day and slowly allows herself the time to understand these romantic feelings she has towards Hamura. It is short, sweet, and reflective of personal boundaries when navigating first love.
Within “Mama x Mom” by Yu, it tackles girl love between two women who have previously been with men. Our protagonist Konno Fumi is a 28-year-old game scriptwriter who is housing her friend Maki-Shima Sayaka. Maki-Shima is divorced with an infant and Konno helps take care of her daughter. This short story isn’t necessarily a tale of how they fall in love. Rather, it focuses on how Konno realizes that she has developed romantic feelings for Maki-Shima. Within the time she has spent living with Maki-Shima and her child, she realizes the deeper bond she shares with her. She would love to live like a family together as they are until the rest of their days and ponders that dream. However, the story is not about suffering but rather hope in knowing that maybe one day, Maki-Shima will fall in love with her too. It is nuanced and powerful to showcase not just romance in an idealistic way but also in it’s more bittersweet nature.
Presented within other stories, Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 tackles romance stories with a meet-cute (a romance troupe many are fond of where two characters meet and they both feel the mutual attraction that leads into a relationship) in “One AM at the Laundromat” by Yukiko; There is a story about lesbian acceptance in “The Cram School Teachers“ by Mocchi_au_Lait.
Lastly, in “The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp”, there is love at first sight at a bookstore cat cafe! Regardless of troupes, Syrup tackles a wide array of different stories that are a delight to read. Each story has its own unique art style per mangaka and all of them are beautiful. Letterer Kaitlyn Wiley made following along to these 14 different stories easy. The dialogue was always in rounded speech bubbles, inner thoughts were distinguished by square text boxes, sound effects were small and non-intrusive (on the artwork, panels, or main dialogue) and it was inconsistent throughout the entire collection despite there being multiple stories.
The issues present within Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 pertains to two different stories with trigger warnings for incest and rape. Within “Coward Queen” by Yoshimura Kana, the main character Kagetsu Ren is an adult actress. Thankfully, there is no sex worker shaming present within the story. However, the porn that Ren-San is filming with her soon-to-be love interest is Older Sister vs Younger Sister incest yuri. While this may be an incredibly popular romance/sexual fantasy within adult media, I still felt, personally, uncomfortable having to read that scene. It is, also, briefly mentioned that Ren-San did film “rape porn”. Tonally, this story doesn’t offer any real romantic tones and resolves with Ren filming this adult film as a joke to her directors, leaving her mad. This story could have been utilized as a pro-sex worker with a healthy relationship and that would have been much better. Additionally, in “Rose Quartz” by Kurogane Kenn there was one rape joke used to describe the protagonist’s first sexual encounter. The story, itself, is quite sweet and cute revolving around two female artists getting married. Unfortunately, that description could have easily not been a joke.
Overall, Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Volume 1 is a (mostly) thoughtful and expressive deep dive into girl love. The inclusiveness of women who has either never been with another woman, women who were lesbians, or women who were bisexual was refreshing to see. From first love to meet-cutes, to best friends-to-lovers troupes all utilized in short, cute snips, this anthology is worth the read for any reader interested in older yuri. It is available now from Seven Seas Entertainment.
October 2, 2022
It's nice to have an anthology of comic stories about women loving women, but the actual execution is a little lacking with with these (mostly) ten-page stories feeling a little disjointed or rushed.
Still, despite the chaff, there are a few good stories in the middle. And I do like that the stories try to do different things instead of just pure romance or sex scenes. And the character types are all over the place with office ladies, strippers, teachers, porn stars, florists, and otakus.
So, while it's not a favorite anthology, it may have something to offer in future volumes, so I'm going to stick it out for a bit.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: [creator names are formatted family name/given name]
• Cover illustration / Fly
• One AM at the Laundromat / Yukiko
• Daily Smile (^ ^) / Kodama Naoko
• Coward Queen / Yoshimura Kana
• My Girl / Goumoto
• The Cram School Teachers / Mocchi_au_Lait
• Night Flight / Kawanami Izumi
• Promise / Shioya Teruko
• The Florist and the Wednesday Night Lady / Amano Shuninta
• The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp / Ohi Pikachi
• Mama x Mom / Yoshidamaru Yu
• Rose Quartz / Kurogane Kenn
• My Femme Fatale / Matsuzaki Natsumi
• First Grown-up Love / Ito Hachi
• Working with an Angel / Morinaga Milk
Still, despite the chaff, there are a few good stories in the middle. And I do like that the stories try to do different things instead of just pure romance or sex scenes. And the character types are all over the place with office ladies, strippers, teachers, porn stars, florists, and otakus.
So, while it's not a favorite anthology, it may have something to offer in future volumes, so I'm going to stick it out for a bit.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: [creator names are formatted family name/given name]
• Cover illustration / Fly
• One AM at the Laundromat / Yukiko
• Daily Smile (^ ^) / Kodama Naoko
• Coward Queen / Yoshimura Kana
• My Girl / Goumoto
• The Cram School Teachers / Mocchi_au_Lait
• Night Flight / Kawanami Izumi
• Promise / Shioya Teruko
• The Florist and the Wednesday Night Lady / Amano Shuninta
• The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp / Ohi Pikachi
• Mama x Mom / Yoshidamaru Yu
• Rose Quartz / Kurogane Kenn
• My Femme Fatale / Matsuzaki Natsumi
• First Grown-up Love / Ito Hachi
• Working with an Angel / Morinaga Milk
December 22, 2021
This anthology was all over the place. Most of the stories were mediocre, but a few were just really horrible - "Coward Queen" and "My Femme Fatale" were upsetting to say the least. Still, there were some cute stories. I really enjoyed "Mama x Mom", a story about two roommates raising a kid together. Overall, I thought the biggest problem was that most of the stories tried to tell us too much all at once, instead of settling for a simpler slice of life focus.
December 22, 2021
This is the worst yuri manga I’ve ever read. I knew it was going to be awful when rape & incest were brought up. I’ve seen this manga being recommended on a few different sites so I thought I would give it a go. Let me save you the time & tell you to read something else.
November 5, 2021
I liked the first two stories and the ones with animals the most.. obviously the one with cats and a bookstore. I do prefer longer stories/series but it was nice to finally finish this volume.
September 2, 2023
kinda boring tbh.
May 23, 2025
it’s an anthology it’s not gonna be good sorry yall
October 23, 2025
"I like boobs that look heavy"
June 26, 2024
Una recopilación de historias sobre mujeres trabajadoras enamoradas de otras mujeres. Algunas son tiernas, otras son graciosas y hay un par un poco picantonas.
May 19, 2021
WOMEN
March 2, 2022
2.5 rounded to 3.
CW: rape
The majority of these stories were either cute or neutral, but then there were a couple where they referenced or glorified incest/rape porn, as well as other non-consensual relationships…
If you are someone who enjoyed these particular stories, please seek counseling. If you are someone who enjoys writing or facilitating this type of content, kindly cut yourself off from all humans forever and always.
That being said, a lot of the stories were super wholesome and sweet, so I’ll still likely try the second volume in hopes that it doesn’t have the same negative elements as the first.
[EDIT: I found out the author of said stories is Yoshimura Kana, who is a MALE creator “specializing” in yuri and violence. Gross, but not surprising.]
CW: rape
The majority of these stories were either cute or neutral, but then there were a couple where they referenced or glorified incest/rape porn, as well as other non-consensual relationships…
If you are someone who enjoyed these particular stories, please seek counseling. If you are someone who enjoys writing or facilitating this type of content, kindly cut yourself off from all humans forever and always.
That being said, a lot of the stories were super wholesome and sweet, so I’ll still likely try the second volume in hopes that it doesn’t have the same negative elements as the first.
[EDIT: I found out the author of said stories is Yoshimura Kana, who is a MALE creator “specializing” in yuri and violence. Gross, but not surprising.]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2020
This is a nice way to sample work from the various manga creators. Since this is for older teens, most of these short stories are simple and not too racy - but there are a few panels featuring characters undressed.
My main complaint is that this felt more like a series of teaser chapters than actual complete short stories. Maybe they get continued in the other volumes of the anthology?
My main complaint is that this felt more like a series of teaser chapters than actual complete short stories. Maybe they get continued in the other volumes of the anthology?
October 31, 2020
4.5☆
It tackles real issues in a fun , delightful and concise way. It is a sapphic fluffy read and I recommend it. Toodles!
It tackles real issues in a fun , delightful and concise way. It is a sapphic fluffy read and I recommend it. Toodles!
March 1, 2021
Good mix of stories.
April 21, 2025
I LOVE LESBIANS!
December 23, 2025
After being dissapointed with the first Eclair anthology I thought maybe Syrup would be better. I've actually had this one on my shelf for years and finally read it. On the good news there's only like one yucky collar tug story. I hve a hard time saying "problematic" becuause like thats different to everyone. But yeah I'll get to that in a minute.
I will say I do like that this anthology was about adult women, so no weird age gaps. Also I do prefer GL between adult women.
However the stories are pretty mediorce or just way too short for me to understand what the story was. And alot of them the "couple" isn't even a couple, like one has feelings or something but nothing really happens. It's just confusing.
I'm gonna do a quick review of each
1 AM at the laundromat- 2/5 this first chapter kinda sets the tone for the entire anthology, way too short. Idk I wasn't into it.
Daily Smile- 3/5 cute but i wish there was more, i liked the set up it was cute. But it kinda just ends abruptly.
Coward Queen- 0/5 yeah just go ahead and skip this one. I will say the problem wasn't that the characters were adult film actresses, it was how the topic was handled. Like did it have anythin meaningful to say about the industry, no. The characters were just actresses because ooh its hot ig yucko. It was just really gross... Also their filming incest stuff t-t. And I really do not understand what the point of the story was??? It ends on a joke??? I really don't get it. It was just... yeah... skip it.
My Girl- 1/5 another one I just didn't get. It's about two coworkers who are actually room mates and ig theyre in some dom sub relationship? But the MC's inner thouguhts made it seem like they weren't dating? Idk what the point of this one was also. It's just kinda there.
The Cram School Teachers- 1/5 this one was just boring. Extended scenes of the teachers explaining stuff to their students, students go are u and the other teacher dating. Dude if I wanted to read "Our Teachers are Dating" I would lol.
Night Flight- 3/5 similar to daily smile i wish there was more, at least this one actually ends on the two getting into a realtionship yay! Also i don't wanna like get on stories for having problematic elements too much, it's fiction. But there's a flashback where one girl kisses the other and she's like asleep? but the other girl is like nah i knew its okay. Stuff like that happens in another story, where a character does something without consent but the other girl is like yeah i knew it's ok. AGAIN irl, not okay. But in fiction it's a fantasy ig, but yeah if you're grossed out by that it's completely understandable.
Promise- 3/5 again wanted more. I liked the small town girls wanting to escape to the big city and living happily. It's kinda a queer fantasy that resonated me as a queer person. But yeah just felt super crammed.
The Florist and the Wednesday Night Lady- 4/5 i like this one alot what can i say. Probably the first story I really got into. It uses the short length well but I do wish they actually got together? I think they do I can't tell. But yeah it was a nice story
The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp- 5/5 I actually recognized the mangaka's name so I was excited for this one, it's probably my favorite. I think this story has the best use of short length, it feels satisfying. It's pretty simple but it's cute.
Mama x Mom- 3/5 another example of the couple who's not actually a couple, idk I think this one feels the most like it should be a longer piece. Two woman raising a baby together would be cute as a full series.
Rose Quartz- 4/5 ARTIST YURI. Idk if its the translation or just the writing but this one had some kinda weird writing idk how to describe. I thinK i just liked this one cuz they were artists. I'd also want a full series of this! They go to a con in wedding outfits lol.
My Femme Fatale- 1/5 ehh yeah its not as bad as coward queen but it's yeh.... okay so a woman with large boobs, and the mc is like why do u dress like that and show off ur tits. Her only character is she dresses revealing t-t and the mc is like you should cover up becuse of guys. This could be commentary on that issue but it's like nah she's a pevert also she works at a strip club now. Idk... I almost saw what they were going with for that character being comfortable with her body but ehh i just felt like it didn't stick the landing. ALSO ANOTHER THEY AREN'T ACTUALLY A COUPLE
First Grown Up Love- 5/5 for the art style so cute, it was so cozy. My second favorite. It was another very simple and sweet story but I enjoyed it.
Working with an Angel- okay speaking of the weird consent thing here it is again. Okay so one of the girls was taking picture of the other in secret, when she reveals this the other girl is okay with this. EHHHH? AGAIN IRL HELL NO. This would almost be my 3rd favorite volume but that weird bit kinda made me go huh. That aside I liked the manager x talent relationship I would again love to see this series of a manager helping her girlfriend become a famous idol.
All in all yeah it's probably not worth buying, if you don't like more adult or taboo stories def skip this one.
I will say I do like that this anthology was about adult women, so no weird age gaps. Also I do prefer GL between adult women.
However the stories are pretty mediorce or just way too short for me to understand what the story was. And alot of them the "couple" isn't even a couple, like one has feelings or something but nothing really happens. It's just confusing.
I'm gonna do a quick review of each
1 AM at the laundromat- 2/5 this first chapter kinda sets the tone for the entire anthology, way too short. Idk I wasn't into it.
Daily Smile- 3/5 cute but i wish there was more, i liked the set up it was cute. But it kinda just ends abruptly.
Coward Queen- 0/5 yeah just go ahead and skip this one. I will say the problem wasn't that the characters were adult film actresses, it was how the topic was handled. Like did it have anythin meaningful to say about the industry, no. The characters were just actresses because ooh its hot ig yucko. It was just really gross... Also their filming incest stuff t-t. And I really do not understand what the point of the story was??? It ends on a joke??? I really don't get it. It was just... yeah... skip it.
My Girl- 1/5 another one I just didn't get. It's about two coworkers who are actually room mates and ig theyre in some dom sub relationship? But the MC's inner thouguhts made it seem like they weren't dating? Idk what the point of this one was also. It's just kinda there.
The Cram School Teachers- 1/5 this one was just boring. Extended scenes of the teachers explaining stuff to their students, students go are u and the other teacher dating. Dude if I wanted to read "Our Teachers are Dating" I would lol.
Night Flight- 3/5 similar to daily smile i wish there was more, at least this one actually ends on the two getting into a realtionship yay! Also i don't wanna like get on stories for having problematic elements too much, it's fiction. But there's a flashback where one girl kisses the other and she's like asleep? but the other girl is like nah i knew its okay. Stuff like that happens in another story, where a character does something without consent but the other girl is like yeah i knew it's ok. AGAIN irl, not okay. But in fiction it's a fantasy ig, but yeah if you're grossed out by that it's completely understandable.
Promise- 3/5 again wanted more. I liked the small town girls wanting to escape to the big city and living happily. It's kinda a queer fantasy that resonated me as a queer person. But yeah just felt super crammed.
The Florist and the Wednesday Night Lady- 4/5 i like this one alot what can i say. Probably the first story I really got into. It uses the short length well but I do wish they actually got together? I think they do I can't tell. But yeah it was a nice story
The Abandoned Cat and the Lamp- 5/5 I actually recognized the mangaka's name so I was excited for this one, it's probably my favorite. I think this story has the best use of short length, it feels satisfying. It's pretty simple but it's cute.
Mama x Mom- 3/5 another example of the couple who's not actually a couple, idk I think this one feels the most like it should be a longer piece. Two woman raising a baby together would be cute as a full series.
Rose Quartz- 4/5 ARTIST YURI. Idk if its the translation or just the writing but this one had some kinda weird writing idk how to describe. I thinK i just liked this one cuz they were artists. I'd also want a full series of this! They go to a con in wedding outfits lol.
My Femme Fatale- 1/5 ehh yeah its not as bad as coward queen but it's yeh.... okay so a woman with large boobs, and the mc is like why do u dress like that and show off ur tits. Her only character is she dresses revealing t-t and the mc is like you should cover up becuse of guys. This could be commentary on that issue but it's like nah she's a pevert also she works at a strip club now. Idk... I almost saw what they were going with for that character being comfortable with her body but ehh i just felt like it didn't stick the landing. ALSO ANOTHER THEY AREN'T ACTUALLY A COUPLE
First Grown Up Love- 5/5 for the art style so cute, it was so cozy. My second favorite. It was another very simple and sweet story but I enjoyed it.
Working with an Angel- okay speaking of the weird consent thing here it is again. Okay so one of the girls was taking picture of the other in secret, when she reveals this the other girl is okay with this. EHHHH? AGAIN IRL HELL NO. This would almost be my 3rd favorite volume but that weird bit kinda made me go huh. That aside I liked the manager x talent relationship I would again love to see this series of a manager helping her girlfriend become a famous idol.
All in all yeah it's probably not worth buying, if you don't like more adult or taboo stories def skip this one.
August 21, 2020
Mostly picked this up for Milk Morinaga's short, I just love her art (Girl Friends Vol. 1 was a gem, and actually what got me into the yuri as a teen), and I'll support her whenever I can! (Looks like she's going to be in the next collection in this series too! Check out Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Vol. 2 when it comes out December 2020~!
Syrup, volume 1, is a collection of tiny short stories featuring relationships between adult women. They're pretty good. I was entertained by each one, some making me smile, some even making me tear up. The art in each story is fantastic, and the authors of each short are known for their other yuri creations, though only a handfull are creators of English translated works. Authors such as Yukiko, of Futaribeya, Vol. 1 A Room for Two 1 ; Kodama Naoko, of I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up and NTR - Netsuzou Trap Vol. 1; Yoshimura Kana of Murciélago 01; Ohi Pikachi of soon to be published 'Our Teachers Are Dating! Vol. 1'; Ito Hachi of Kindred Spirits on the Roof: The Complete Collection; and of course Milk Morinaga of Girl Friends Vol. 1 and Secret of the Princess, and more. A few creators have even appeared in a previously published yuri anthology called Éclair: Anata ni Hibiku Yuri Anthology, such as Yoshimura Kana, Shuninta Amano, and Ito Hachi.
It's really great that these manga artists and creators get to have this sort of soptlight on their work, as a little teaser for what they can truly bring to the table in a fully published work. It's even better that we get the opportunity, here in the West, to even read these short stories. Usually they're published in comic magazines in Japan, sometimes combined into anthologies, but mostly we never get to see these. Milk Morinaga is one of the first yuri artists that kind of started this phenomenom, and I'm truly thankful for the opportunity to read these stories by such lesser known creators. And again, some of the creators in Syrup haven't had anything else published in English, and I hope that one day they too have that opportunity c:
Syrup, volume 1, is a collection of tiny short stories featuring relationships between adult women. They're pretty good. I was entertained by each one, some making me smile, some even making me tear up. The art in each story is fantastic, and the authors of each short are known for their other yuri creations, though only a handfull are creators of English translated works. Authors such as Yukiko, of Futaribeya, Vol. 1 A Room for Two 1 ; Kodama Naoko, of I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up and NTR - Netsuzou Trap Vol. 1; Yoshimura Kana of Murciélago 01; Ohi Pikachi of soon to be published 'Our Teachers Are Dating! Vol. 1'; Ito Hachi of Kindred Spirits on the Roof: The Complete Collection; and of course Milk Morinaga of Girl Friends Vol. 1 and Secret of the Princess, and more. A few creators have even appeared in a previously published yuri anthology called Éclair: Anata ni Hibiku Yuri Anthology, such as Yoshimura Kana, Shuninta Amano, and Ito Hachi.
It's really great that these manga artists and creators get to have this sort of soptlight on their work, as a little teaser for what they can truly bring to the table in a fully published work. It's even better that we get the opportunity, here in the West, to even read these short stories. Usually they're published in comic magazines in Japan, sometimes combined into anthologies, but mostly we never get to see these. Milk Morinaga is one of the first yuri artists that kind of started this phenomenom, and I'm truly thankful for the opportunity to read these stories by such lesser known creators. And again, some of the creators in Syrup haven't had anything else published in English, and I hope that one day they too have that opportunity c:
September 23, 2020
First and foremost, the nudity and sexual nature in some of these stories took me by surprise. I'm still not sure how I feel about it... maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if there had been any prior warning? Between looking at the book on two different sites AND the back of the manga itself, I didn't see any warnings... and the first introduction to it is in the story that I hate *THE* most, which uh, isn't really helping matters.
There are one or two stories that kind of miss the mark; they're not entirely bad but they might have a rushed ending, the story just doesn't feel fully realized or the characters never really come alive off the page, etc etc etc. Most of the stories are delightful, some downright AMAZING and those are the ones I will read over and over again...
...but there's one story that almost made me stop reading before I'd even really began. The 3rd chapter is by the author of Murcielago. If you've never heard of that series, good for you. If you have... you'll probably get an idea of what kind of story this person created. It's sexual and needlessly taboo for ~*~edgy~*~ points. To say I hated it is an understatement. If you wanna make edgy shit then whatever it's not the hill I'm gonna die on but why was it included in this novel??? That chapter feels like icky fetish shit when the rest of the anthology, even with its nudity/sexual scenes, feels wholesome. Such an odd and unfortunate choice to include it in here.
Overall I may be giving this a lukewarm review but as I said some of these stories I love! For those alone I'll be holding onto this to read and read again. I have to say though, when judging the anthology in its entirety, it simply doesn't hold a flame to 'Whenever Our Eyes Meet...', another anthology series that deals with wlw relationships in adulthood. If you're on a budget and have to pick between the two, I would 110% recommend that one instead!
There are one or two stories that kind of miss the mark; they're not entirely bad but they might have a rushed ending, the story just doesn't feel fully realized or the characters never really come alive off the page, etc etc etc. Most of the stories are delightful, some downright AMAZING and those are the ones I will read over and over again...
...but there's one story that almost made me stop reading before I'd even really began. The 3rd chapter is by the author of Murcielago. If you've never heard of that series, good for you. If you have... you'll probably get an idea of what kind of story this person created. It's sexual and needlessly taboo for ~*~edgy~*~ points. To say I hated it is an understatement. If you wanna make edgy shit then whatever it's not the hill I'm gonna die on but why was it included in this novel??? That chapter feels like icky fetish shit when the rest of the anthology, even with its nudity/sexual scenes, feels wholesome. Such an odd and unfortunate choice to include it in here.
Overall I may be giving this a lukewarm review but as I said some of these stories I love! For those alone I'll be holding onto this to read and read again. I have to say though, when judging the anthology in its entirety, it simply doesn't hold a flame to 'Whenever Our Eyes Meet...', another anthology series that deals with wlw relationships in adulthood. If you're on a budget and have to pick between the two, I would 110% recommend that one instead!
June 24, 2020
I’d give this two and a half stars, rounded down because there simply aren’t enough good stories and a couple that I really could have done without.
The one with the convenience store clerk was a lot of fun and there was a lot of sweetness to the story about a woman who wishes she could have been a cat (also it has cats, easy win). Some of the others are simply okay, but the ratios are not great.
Unfortunately, a lot end because they ran out of pages - the best anthology stories can manage a complete narrative in their space and too many of these just run up against their page count with the grace of a car hitting a brick wall.
There‘s no getting around the fact that a good yuri anthology is a rare and precious beast. This one is certainly more adult than the Eclair series, by design, but it’s far from perfect. It takes the ‘adult = boobies’ approach to things moreso than ‘adult = older women’.
Make no mistake, that’s totally fine if that’s your jam, but I much preferred the ‘Whenever Our Eyes Meet’ anthology about working age women, which tempered the sex with something a little more heartfelt. That’s not always the case here.
As an aside, that cover by Fly is probably my favorite thing about the whole volume.
The one with the convenience store clerk was a lot of fun and there was a lot of sweetness to the story about a woman who wishes she could have been a cat (also it has cats, easy win). Some of the others are simply okay, but the ratios are not great.
Unfortunately, a lot end because they ran out of pages - the best anthology stories can manage a complete narrative in their space and too many of these just run up against their page count with the grace of a car hitting a brick wall.
There‘s no getting around the fact that a good yuri anthology is a rare and precious beast. This one is certainly more adult than the Eclair series, by design, but it’s far from perfect. It takes the ‘adult = boobies’ approach to things moreso than ‘adult = older women’.
Make no mistake, that’s totally fine if that’s your jam, but I much preferred the ‘Whenever Our Eyes Meet’ anthology about working age women, which tempered the sex with something a little more heartfelt. That’s not always the case here.
As an aside, that cover by Fly is probably my favorite thing about the whole volume.
May 6, 2025
I read this anthology years ago in an attempt to get into yuri -- an attempt that unfortunately didn't work, because I wasn't really into anthologies at the time and found all of the stories too short and underdeveloped to really hook me. However, I've found that in the last year or so anthologies have grown on me greatly, so I wanted to revisit the Syrup series -- and I am both surprised and delighted to discover how much I actually enjoy this anthology.
Each story is still super short, but none of them feel cramped or stifled. Each one feels right for the length, in that same way you get the best, most impactful short story when you're forced to cut it down again and again to meet the word count. Each story works, flows, and has just enough detail and depth to give us a quick snapshot of this specific couple's relationship. It's surprisingly enjoyable, and an anthology I can see myself revisiting and using as reference to find other yuri series in the future. So it took five years, but the original purpose of reading this series has actually been achieved!
Each story is still super short, but none of them feel cramped or stifled. Each one feels right for the length, in that same way you get the best, most impactful short story when you're forced to cut it down again and again to meet the word count. Each story works, flows, and has just enough detail and depth to give us a quick snapshot of this specific couple's relationship. It's surprisingly enjoyable, and an anthology I can see myself revisiting and using as reference to find other yuri series in the future. So it took five years, but the original purpose of reading this series has actually been achieved!
December 30, 2025
I could round this up to a 3.5 ⭐️ read. Some of the stories were too much of a slice of life vs romance and in that slice it was just a tease of a story, leaving me unsatisfied, while there were other story I would have given this entire thing 4-4.5 stars if they were all like them as they were complete stories in such a short page count. And I’m not even referring to lake of HEA as some I really enjoyed were left at the unrequited love stage but the story was a satisfying one that conveyed the emotions.
I specifically enjoyed the following stories the most an would have rated the anthology higher if they all were like them: Promise (this was a good slice of life glimpse of a couples life); The florist and the Wednesday night lady (a good unrequited yearning); Mama & Mom (another good childhood unrequited yearning); Rose Quartz (for a HEA)
I also enjoyed the fact that they were all adult romances.
I specifically enjoyed the following stories the most an would have rated the anthology higher if they all were like them: Promise (this was a good slice of life glimpse of a couples life); The florist and the Wednesday night lady (a good unrequited yearning); Mama & Mom (another good childhood unrequited yearning); Rose Quartz (for a HEA)
I also enjoyed the fact that they were all adult romances.
September 1, 2023
This was a fun little yuri manga anthology about working adults. What a breath of fresh air to read about working women in their 20’s, predominantly their 30’s. I am a little sad, however, whenever I get attached to an art style, a story, characters, and realize it’s a one-shot and I’ll likely never see more of them. But that’s also the beauty of it. It’s fleeting, just a glimpse into these lives, a hint of what could be or what was.
These little bite size stories aren’t necessarily my go-to in most circumstances, but they are quite nice and almost feel like prompts. Even now, they’re pushing me toward writing more of my yuri book I’ve been writing for a few years now.
I hope that someday, I see more (and hopefully longer) works by these same mangaka.
These little bite size stories aren’t necessarily my go-to in most circumstances, but they are quite nice and almost feel like prompts. Even now, they’re pushing me toward writing more of my yuri book I’ve been writing for a few years now.
I hope that someday, I see more (and hopefully longer) works by these same mangaka.
April 27, 2024
It was cute, but like with a lot of short story collections, there were stronger titles than others. The one with the teachers was really cute, and I remember as a student being really nosy about my teachers when their private lives bled into their jobs. The cat one was also cute, but it felt a little rushed and not very thought-out in places. The porn star one was more than a little sketchy. The convenience store story was very cute though. I’m not going to go into any more than that, except to say that it is hard to tell a full story within this medium as a short story, and while quite a few of them showed the problems and pitfalls of trying, there were a few that genuinely succeeded (the teacher one especially, they didn’t even talk to each other in it and I ship them).
July 2, 2022
Ack! First time I’m giving 2 stars to an anthology in a while. I feel like this might just be a case of my own personal tastes; these stories are all cute, fluffy, low-conflict contemporary pieces. Just not really my cup of tea, though I did go “awww” once or twice. While it is not inherently a point against things to be short, it definitely was in this case. The art was generally really nice to look at, though, with a wide range of styles amongst the artists, so that’s a definite plus.
EDIT: OH NO just reread one section and there is just straight up fetishized incest in it, oh no. I totally didn’t register that the first time I read it because I was bored and not paying attention.
EDIT: OH NO just reread one section and there is just straight up fetishized incest in it, oh no. I totally didn’t register that the first time I read it because I was bored and not paying attention.
October 28, 2021
I absolutely love that this is a collection revolving around the lives of older women instead of girls in school. The stories range from sweet and cute to a bit more intense. Honestly, it would've been five stars, but there was just one story that confused me and made me a tad uncomfortable. To each their own. Otherwise, there were a few stories I felt ended before they properly made sense, but I can understand the attempts that were made.
Recommend for people looking for adult people in love.
That being said, I don't think I'll be buying the second volume.
Recommend for people looking for adult people in love.
That being said, I don't think I'll be buying the second volume.
January 20, 2023
Loved the idea of it, but it was much less satisfactory than I would've thought. There were so many stories that none of them were really long enough to have a plot or characters I cared about. (The Mama & Mommy one was the best, imo.) A lot of them were really shallow. So apparently an anthology like this is simply not my thing! Maybe if there were fewer stories so they could be longer, I would enjoy it more.
I already have the second volume out from the library, so I'll attempt to read it, but I'll probably dnf if I feel just as detached from those stories as I did from these.
I already have the second volume out from the library, so I'll attempt to read it, but I'll probably dnf if I feel just as detached from those stories as I did from these.
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