Girls’ Love (GL), also known as Yuri, has steadily grown from a niche subgenre into a thriving and diverse category of storytelling. Once confined to quiet corners of manga and underground publications, GL themes have now burst into the mainstream with a bang, captivating audiences through anime, webtoons, films, and TV shows across the globe. But how did we get here?

Let’s take a journey through time to explore how GL narratives have evolved, from their early symbolic expressions to the raw, emotional, and complex stories we see today.

The Quiet Beginnings: Symbolism and Subtext (Pre-1970s)

In the early days of storytelling, direct depictions of same-gender love, especially between women, were rare. When they did appear, they were often hidden beneath layers of metaphor and subtext. Classic literature and early cinema would hint at romantic tension between female characters, but rarely confirm it.

Take, for instance, 19th and early 20th-century works like The Well of Loneliness or Carmilla. Though not GL in the modern sense, these stories explored themes of female intimacy that resonated with readers seeking representation. At the time, censorship and societal stigma made overt lesbian relationships taboo, so writers had to get creative.

Takemiya Keiko (Kaze to Ki no Uta, one of the pioneers of shoujo and early GL/BL themes):

“What we were doing was revolutionary writing emotions that had no place in the world we lived in. But we believed they deserved to be seen.”

Takemiya’s work laid the foundation for many modern yuri stories, even though her narratives often leaned toward BL; she helped challenge gender and love norms early on.

These stories were often tinged with tragedy, portraying same-sex love as something forbidden or doomed. It was subtle. It was coded. But it was there.

The Shojo Revolution: Enter the “Class S” Era (1970s–1980s)

Japan played a pivotal role in the evolution of GL, and it all started with Class S literature. These were stories written by women, for women, featuring deep emotional bonds often bordering on romantic between schoolgirls. These relationships were typically portrayed as temporary phases before the girls grew up and entered heterosexual marriages.

One of the most notable examples was The Rose of Versailles (1972), a shojo manga that challenged gender norms and touched on same-gender love through the gender-bending character Oscar. Though not strictly GL, it cracked open the door for more complex explorations of female identity and same-gender relationships.

📚 Rica Takashima (Rica ‘tte Kanji!?):

“I wanted to create a story where being a lesbian wasn’t about suffering—it was about living.”

Her autobiographical manga was among the first to portray lesbian life in Japan in a cheerful, everyday light, breaking away from melodrama and tragedy.

Soon after, the 1980s brought works like Shiroi Heya no Futari (1971) by Ryoko Yamagishi, widely considered the first Yuri manga. It told the story of two girls at a French boarding school and leaned heavily into melodrama and tragedy. Still, it marked the beginning of GL as a genre with a name and identity.

Blossoming Visibility: The Rise of Yuri (1990s–2000s)

By the 1990s, the term “Yuri” began to gain traction. Publishers started recognizing a growing audience for stories that centered women’s relationships, not just emotionally, but romantically and sexually as well.

Anime like Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) challenged conventions by blending fairy tale aesthetics with radical feminist undertones and sapphic undertones. Utena and Anthy’s relationship was layered, symbolic, and emotionally charged. It wasn’t simple or sanitized, and it wasn’t just about romantic fluff.

During the 2000s, we began to see more overt depictions of romantic relationships between women. Maria-sama ga Miteru (2004), also known as Maria Watches Over Us, softened things a bit. It focused on elegant, idealized schoolgirl relationships rooted in emotional connection and mentorship. While still hesitant to label these relationships explicitly as romantic, it created a space where viewers could project and interpret freely.

🎨 Merryweather (Sapphic webtoon creator – Winter Moon, Clinic of Horrors):

“GL doesn’t need to be boxed into romance only. Queer women can fight dragons, solve crimes, or rule kingdoms too. We deserve those stories.”

This quote captures the push to expand GL beyond typical genres, encouraging diverse and imaginative representation.

Simultaneously, manga started to diversify. Works like Strawberry Panic and Girl Friends catered to readers who wanted something more direct and romantic, while still wrapped in the aesthetic of idealized high school love.

Breaking Stereotypes: A Shift to Realism (2010s)

The 2010s marked a turning point. GL media began breaking away from fantasy and idealization, leaning instead into realism, emotional nuance, and identity. Characters were no longer confined to the trope of tragic endings or “phases” of experimentation. Stories started addressing actual relationships, identity struggles, and societal pressure.

Titles like Citrus sparked conversations both positive and critical about consent, power dynamics, and authenticity in GL media. Meanwhile, Bloom Into You (2018) took a more introspective route, exploring what it means to not understand your own feelings and how love can evolve in unexpected ways.

What made Bloom Into You stand out was its refusal to rush romance. It embraced the slow burn. It allowed space for characters to grow, question, and reflect. This was a story not just about love, but about self-discovery.

Nakatani Nio (Bloom Into You):

“Love is not always about knowing what you want. Sometimes, it’s about discovering who you are in the presence of someone who sees you clearly.”

This quote reflects the introspective tone of Bloom Into You, which focuses on identity, self-discovery, and the uncertainty of emotions.

Meanwhile, webtoons and indie comics began flourishing. Platforms like Lezhin, Tapas, and Webtoon gave creators more freedom to tell authentic GL stories, often with a strong focus on diversity, mental health, and real-life dynamics.

Global Stage: GL Goes Mainstream (2020s–Present)

Fast forward to today, and we’re in a new era. GL has gone global. And not just in anime and manga. Korean BL and GL webtoons have exploded in popularity, and countries like Thailand and the Philippines are producing live-action GL dramas that resonate worldwide.

Take Lily Fever (2015), one of South Korea’s earliest attempts at a GL web drama. While short and slightly chaotic, it was a breath of fresh air for queer representation in conservative media.

More recently, Thai series like Gap: The Series (2022) have boldly stepped into the spotlight. With charismatic leads, romantic tension, and genuine chemistry, Gap proved that there’s a huge market for women-loving-women stories with high production value and a loyal fan base.

Kristen King (Gap: The Series writer):

“We wanted to tell a story where love between women wasn’t treated like a phase or a secret—it was just love. Bold, complicated, and beautiful.”

Kristen King’s writing helped normalize sapphic love in Thai mainstream media, opening doors for future queer storytelling in the region.

Meanwhile, Western media is catching up. Shows like The Owl House, Atypical, and First Kill have incorporated queer female characters and relationships in a way that feels natural, celebrated, and most importantly not tragic.

Streaming platforms have also helped diversify GL storytelling. Creators are less beholden to traditional gatekeepers, which means more representation, more voices, and more authentic stories.

Themes That Have Evolved Along the Way

As GL themes evolved, so did the themes they explored. Here are some key shifts:

• From Subtext to Explicit Romance: No more guessing games, many modern GL stories are proudly and openly romantic.
• From Idealization to Reality: Characters now deal with real-world issues like homophobia, coming out, and internalized fear.
• From Tragedy to Joy: Not every GL story has to end in heartbreak. We’re seeing more happy endings and healthy relationships.
• From Youth to Adulthood: While high school romances are still popular, there’s growing interest in stories about adult women, workplace relationships, and long-term love.

The Road Ahead: More Than Just a Trend

GL is no longer a hidden gem, it’s a powerful, vital part of modern storytelling. The journey from tragic symbolism to heartfelt, multi-layered love stories reflects broader social shifts in how we understand identity, love, and representation.

But there’s still room to grow. More intersectionality. More diverse cultural perspectives. More stories that move beyond the romance genre into action, horror, fantasy, and beyond—because queer women exist in every kind of story.

The evolution of GL themes isn’t just about visibility, it’s about possibility.

Conclusion

From whispered confessions in school corridors to proud declarations of love on screen, GL has come a long way. As creators continue to break barriers and fans demand more authenticity, the future of GL storytelling looks brighter than ever.

So, whether you’re diving into your first Yuri manga or binge-watching your favorite GL drama, know this: you’re part of a growing global wave that’s reshaping how we tell stories about love, identity, and connection.

And honestly? It’s about time.