Citrus Vol 1-5 Review

I almost didn’t pick up Citrus by Saburouta, as the description on the back gave me the impression that this series would be more heavy then the fluffy yuri romances that I’ve enjoyed in the past. But I decided to give it a chance anyway, and I didn’t regret it.

Yuzu is a flashy and out-going high school girl whose mother gets remarried to a man who has a daughter the same age, named Mei. Mei is the cool and collected student council president and the two initially butt heads, but, as Yuzu discovers more about Mei and helps her to work through some of her struggles, she starts to develop romantic feelings for her new step-sister.

The almost incest, but not really, set-up with the two leads being step-sisters, is what initially made me weary of picking this series up. This kind of set-up is not something that I’m really a fan of, but in this case it does serve the function of throwing our two leads together (and having them living under the same roof lends itself to some saucy situations). While there is some melodrama surrounding how being step-sisters makes their love taboo, the series is overall a lot more fun then I was expecting.

Yuzu is an amusing and likeable main character. She is open and honest with herself and, most importantly, she is a woman of action who doesn’t back down from a fight. On the other hand, Mei’s more withdrawn and brooding personality makes her less easy to relate to initially. As we learn more about her struggles, however, she becomes more sympathetic and I’ve enjoyed seeing Mei grow as the series goes on. Yuzu helps Mei to stand up for herself and learn to communicate better with her family. I really like how the two characters are helping each other to grow and I’ve found their romance, with all it’s ups and downs, to be very engaging.

The art work in this series is lovely and expressive. The lines are crisp and the characters have distinct and attractive designs. I hope we get more of this artist’s work licensed in English in the future.

Overall, I have really been enjoying this series. If you’re looking for a romance that’s both dramatic and fun, then I’d recommend checking this series out.

Final Grade: A-

For more information on Citrus, check out Seven Seas Entertainment’s website: http://www.gomanga.com/books/citrus/511