Strawberry Panic! (Girls' School in Full Bloom) -- Yes. This manga/anime/entertainment package comes with its own exclamation mark AND a subtitle. I mean, if you're going to title a work, you ought to do it right.
The original run of Strawberry Panic! first appeared in Dengeki G's Magazine in 2003 and the series took a good six months to build momentum and gather a following. Writer Sakurako Kimino and artists Chitose Maki and Namuchi Takumi focused their collections of illustrated short stories on a group of teenage girls attending three affiliated all-girl schools on Astraea Hill. Yuri content forms the basis of the storytelling throughout the entire run, often to varying degrees of explicitness. Two of the main characters, Nagisa Aoi of St Miator's Girls' Academy and Hikari Konohana of St. Spica's Girls' Institute, attract the greatest number of admirers and jealous competitors during their time on Astraea Hill (therefore, most of the plot lines revolve around them). However, some of the more minor characters are given their own story arcs and private dramas that are played out for readers as well.
I will be honest -- providing an overview of the plot line is a daunting task. There are main plots, subplots, sub-subplots, and so forth. Not to mention each school has four main girls in addition to various recurring characters, all with their own complicated histories. But try, I will.
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Strawberry Panic! revolves around the romantic infatuations and the scholastic lives of adolescents attending three interconnected all-girl schools that happen to share a campus and dormitory (Strawberry Dorms). The schools include St. Miator's Girls' Academy (the oldest school, known for upholding Japanese traditions), St. Spica's Girls' Institute (known for advancing women's independence), and St. Lulim's Girls' School (the newest school, known for its relaxed teaching styles and its general freedom with knowledge).
Nagisa Aoi
Nagisa Aoi is a new transfer student entering her fourth year at St. Miator. As she wanders the campus on her first day, she accidentally stumbles downs a hill and becomes lost and disoriented. It is at this moment she meets an older student, Shizuma Hanazono, who happens to be Astraea Hill's Etoile. The Etoile acts as a representative between the different schools and is given specific responsibilities and ceremonial powers that she must fulfill. Both girls are overwhelmed by their attraction to one another to the point where Nagisa faints after Shizuma kisses her on the forehead. Shortly afterward in the infirmary, Nagisa meets Tamao Suzumi, her future roommate and the one girl who will pine after Nagisa no matter the circumstances.
Nagisa Aoi and Shizuma Hanazono
The series charts Nagisa's path as she negotiates the internal politics of each campus and befriends various girls across Astraea Hill. Strawberry Panic! encompasses the relationships the characters build with one another, climaxing after two girls court and eventually commit to one another.
Depending on the media outlet, the depiction of the girls' relationships are laced with more or less explicit fan service -- the anime adaptation depicts more sexually-charged imagery than the manga while the light novels focus more intently on emotional connections. In addition, Strawberry Panic! has spawned numerous other entertainment media products including audio CDs, a visual novel released on PlayStation 2, and an Internet radio show. So yes, whatever your taste is when it comes to yuri content, literally every media outlet is covered.
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It seems as though the reception of Strawberry Panic! is quite mixed. I find that I'm a bit torn about the series as well. At times, it's quite poignant with its narrative -- I can think of one instance where Shizuma and her friend/student council president, Miyuki Rokujō, discuss the issue of Shizuma's fast-approaching graduation and the pressures to "straighten out" once finished with school. It seems that the girls are aware same-sex relationships are protected within the walls of their academies, but most of the girls are locked into arranged marriages even before graduation. There's a moment where Shizuma's concerns are hinted at and there's this potential for greater discussion that never quite takes place.
As for problematic aspects, well, I would have to rank the rape attempts on Hikari high up on that list. She is attracted to Amane Ohtori, an older student in the running to become the next Etoile once Shizuma graduates. Two girls at St. Spica, Kaname Kenjō and Momomi Kiyashiki, are plotting to take the Etoile position for themselves and, so, they target Amane through Hikari. I believe Kaname's actual logic throughout the attempted rapes are: "If I rape Hikari, she will love me and Amane will be heartbroken. Therefore, Amane will be out of the running for Etoile and I will have ALL the power." Hrrm. Problematic.
Anyhow, I am babbling now, aren't I? I ought to show you the first episode so you can decide for yourself whether Strawberry Panic! is a hit or miss in your yuri library:
It seems that the series is more of a yuri parody than a legit depiction of lesbian life. I mean, it's fun to watch the towering, surreal, almost ridiculous plot lines sometimes -- it's the ol' "shut the brain off and absorb" mentality. But hey, I'm still new to the scene and it was the second anime I ever watched that revolved around the lives of queer girls, so I've got to stay true to those roots. But definitely, I expect this series to ignite strong reactions for better or worse in its viewers, so take it as it comes, I'd advise.
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