Unrequited Love: The Yuri Element in Mahou Shoujo

Hello, everyone. My codename is DJ Rhythm and I am addressing you on behalf of DJ Melody. Melody has alot of exams to keep up with and I had to tear her away- I mean, "persuade" her to study for her important finals. She can be quite a handful sometimes, but she promised to study as long as I wrote up a post today. I frankly don't understand her concern with these silly things, yet I am obligated to keep my end of the bargain.

Now, let's see, the reason why I am here. Ah, yes! Mahou shoujo! Mahou shoujo is a very interesting genre that seems to incorporate a good many other genres to it. Some of them unusual to mahou shoujo, such as in Magic Knight Rayearth's use of mecha. Others not so unusual such as hentai anime La Blue Girl (I'm not enjoying those looks you're giving me). Yet, in between all those is something that's quite in tuned with the shoujo genre itself and not just mahou shoujo. Namely yuri along with some yaoi.

Yuri, for those who are unfamiliar with the genre, literally means "lily" and is a sub-genre of shoujo anime that explores a love relationship between two girls (yaoi is the same thing, only with boys). While yuri is not as popular a genre as yaoi is in the States (heaven only knows why), it is still very compelling notheless. The yuri theme always seems to put more drama into the plot of most mahou shoujo anime, yet not too many of them seem to end very happily; as is a common convention with yuri.
For mahou shoujo, from what I've noticed, it sometimes involves a friend very taken with another, yet the main the other is either too innocent, dull, or stoic to notice or return her affections; as is the case with Mew Mint and Mew Zakuro. Sometimes it's an established relationship yet somehow it ends rather tragically; as in Sailor Uranus' and Sailor Neptune's case (hint: watch the StarS season). Rarely is there a mahou shoujo where the main character is actually involved with another girl (I say "rarely" only because I've yet to see one and there might be one that I haven't seen).

At this point, I must take my leave. I have exams as well, so I must study and rest. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to express them down below. Please be well.

*~*DJ Rhythm*~*