@Stephanie
Thought about that, tried, gained girl friends. but didn't get overly close to any of them. I still do things alone .

Then maybe you didn't love them.. They're just your GF for peer pressure or some circumstances..

I, myself, am an introvert, sometimes I prefer to do things alone too..
But not all the time. That;ll drive you lonely..

I do stuffs alone because I enjoy it, but when I need the feel of companionship, I call people.. n_n

I'm looking for someone who can stand her ground in intellectual discussions. Girls like that are hard to find now, ne? I fall in love with one's intellect. Thats just me of course

It doesn't have to be a relationship just between intimate lovers to feel love, ya know..

No man's an island, as they said, having 2 closefriends is a blessing already in life..

If ever, if not then doesn't matter, you are afraid of not being reciprocated.. Hey, I have to say, rejection is one of the biggest factors of growth..

The brave may not live forever, but cautious the doesn't live at all

Well ,.....look Stephanie ..I really hate lesbian including Sei two years ago when she was with shiyori (I forgot her name) .I'm with you about that matter..I really hate her act in the past but now she is better from before I mean she has cured from that illness...About shimako I don't think she is like that at all she is considering sei and noriko as sisters and supporters as the same time....don't forget That their school is full of girls there is no men as a result there should be a sort of sister love , don't you think??

And don't judge them all.....about the relationship between yumi and sachiko I guess in future may come to that thing (lesbian) I see their love is abnormal.

@Amane-san
Ok, yes ma'am.. n_n

Shimako, if you haven't read the novels, she's more headstrong there and a bit more of a fighter than in the anime..

Also, when Rosa Canina came to the Rose Mansion (They were fighting for the Rosa Gigantea position) I've read that Shimako was bitter at her the whole time and in while the anime, Shimako was still being kind..

Yeah, despite being in pressure, she still brings herself in a delicate manner..
She's the most mature of the en boutons..

Tell me, besides the art and drawing of Shimako, what was is it that really drew you to her?

maybe its because of that kind of love that I like marimite. Finally, I've been given a break from those mindless ero-love boobfests.

Shimako didn't really catch my attention. i tend to follow the Rei-Yoshino relationship as it is more fascinating.

"^____^ In fact , I rarely see a beautiful girls in the anime they all look ugly not all of them but often.. and their aspects is discusting ....As a girl I see so many handsome men in the anime , so it doesn't a shock for me to see handsome man.....Also I like the curly and light brown hair as shimako has...The animation desing it's attractive and awesome it's in high quality animation.....and the last reason when i saw her at first in that image i saw her in a school uniform so I figure out that she is a student in school...I like the animes that talks about schools especially schools of girls because I'm a girl and I missing my friends, school and studing in there. So I thinks that why I tend to shimako.

WOOT..did i just hear that u see only ugly women??? Excuse my rudeness...but that is most definitely a wrong statement and i must deny that. Reasons..well..just see any harem and i think u ll be convinced.

Neway...Yes..Orew otoko desu~..BTW..am i the only guy here??

in my veiw , I think to see a good girls is rarely nowdays except marimite .....The boys have a a big roles in the all animes they're awesome and handsome....

Or may be coz I'm a girl I saw the girls like that.

I'd heard of Marimite ages ago, probably when I first became interested in yuri, but I hadn't investigated further. Anyway, when I did finally watch it I was instantly drawn in. The whole aesthetic of the series, the great characters, everything about it just made me love it instantly, and it's now probably my favourite anime series. I can't really describe exactly how, but Marimite touches me in a way no anime I've ever seen before has. It's undeniably romantic, but the love in it is so subtle and beautifully handled that it's always realistic without being cynical, and idealistic without being syrupy. It also perfectly captures all the insecurities, doubts and misunderstandings that come along with being a teenager, in my view.

On a side note, Marimite has made me pretty convinced I'm bi. About four years ago I had a bit of a 'crush' on a friend who's a few years older than me. I really admired her and looked up to her, and there was one occasion where I felt a bit of physical attraction towards her, though it did seem to pass. At the time, I put it down to a bit of curiosity. These days I'm not really sure whether to say I'm bi or straight, since I'm obsessed with yuri and I do sometimes find myself very curious about being in a lesbian relationship (usually on a fairly romantic rather than sexual level, it must be said.) I dunno... I don't think I should label myself until I have a little more 'experience' to go by, and I am currently in a happy relationship with a guy, so there's no rush to find out if I really am.

Yup, don't label yourself.. Just do what you think comes naturally..
As for 'looking up to' your friend, kind of actually pretty normal,

However, if in the future, you do find out you're bi, and you want to
Resist it and be straight, the best advice is don't resist it..

The more you resist something, the more it persist..
I've been resisting since I was 4 (Yeah, I know so young) but what I got out of it was liking women more and hating men.. Well, probably the reason as well is all the men in our family cheats, are violent and have mistresses..

My mom and my dad works to earn a living, they go to work the same time, and go home the same time.. Yet when they get home, my dad just becomes a couch potato ordering my mom around while my mom do all the house chores..

I thought, wtf, how lazy.. He's dirty, he's a jerk, and he's lazy.. What do women see in men? They're not even showy..


Anyway, going back at your topic, don't resist it, but don't play fire with it either..

Just what animes have you been watching? In anime, EVERYBODY is either pretty, beautiful, cute or handsome...unless they were purposely drawn to be ugly for jokes...:heh:

Also, about your "I hate lesbians" comment and how Sei was "cured from that illness" and saying that you "see their love is abnormal". I think those are some pretty rude comments to say, especially on the Marimite thread where some people like to look past the sisterly relationship of the characters into something more. Sorry if I sounded harsh, but I thought that was uncalled for. Love is love and it shouldn't be bounded by our "rules" of society. There is no such thing as abnormal love. It's comments like these that create so much uncertainty and unconfidence and why many people are afraid to come out of the closet.

Anyway, back to the original topic, Marimite hasn't really made a big impact of my life besides giving me another series to be interested in, but in general all yuri series (subtext or whatnot) has made me more open about homosexuality and has made me undecided about my sexuality, but I'm openminded either way. I'll figure out my sexuality when I fall in love with someone :D

I remember my Phil. Literature teacher speaking about how gays and lesbians started when one of my classmates asked if Shakespeare was gay..

It was during the medival era.. Where churches were being built by friars and society started having their set of norms..

Society dictated the men should be a "macho" image (rough, strong, etc.), while women should be delicate, beautiful, etc.

As you know, each person is born with their own set of personalities, and when others couldn't meet the standards of the society, that's when it all started..

Well...I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude I'm only saying my real opinion in mindless way hhhhhhhhh..........I know love is love and every body fall in love with somebody including sisters or brothers or friends whether between females or between males...........when i say it's abnormal love I mean maybe their love will grow up to be a (lesbian love)....please Excuse my rudeness....I'm sorry....

hehehe.. yap when you fall in love. you wouldnt care about anything except for that person i guess.. hehehe

See.....I think there should be some sort of limited actions between two girls....Do you think that I really will treat my lovers as my boyfriend??....I'm agree with you when you said I wouldn't care about anything but that gonna be true with my boyfriend coz I'm a girl.

:) Don't be sad hhhhhhh I'm only clear up the things ^^.

Well, anyway to make things better, we all just have different beliefs and values on how we view things..

Actually, yes, I do agree that having a girl to girl relationship isn't totally accepted by society, that's the cold hard fact.. But as long as you don't do anything physical with them, then it's ok.. Religously speaking..

Ok, topic drop..

Anyway, let's hear more how MariMite relates to you and why you like it.. :)

Well I'm one of those who see shoujo ai in this and. I like this series because I think the way the relationhips can be seen as very deep and loving though not nessercarily sexual (although I see it that way^.^) I can also relate to Rei (although I'm a guy) because I'm soft, caring, dependant on my friends and easily hurt, but have a hard exterior and style so people don't see me for who I really am. (Sadly though I don't have a Yoshino:( ;P )

Also shoujo ai in general along with marimite has made me much more open minded and totally accepting about homosexuality and this led to ---> me doubting my own sexuality..

Zomg.. You do know girly men are more around these days..
(Actually, don't you know women these days prefer girly men? XD )

Cause it means you're flexible and stuff, not prideful and just following the silly "macho" image..

So don't put on some mask or hard exterior for people to see you, as 3rd OVA did say.. "Just act how you are, because that's where you're best" from Sachiko to Yumi.. n_n

We can never fulfill other's expectation.. It just make ourselves misreable.. You weren't born for them, right?

Anyway, about your sexuality, don't put labels into it.. Just act naturally..
Sometimes men adore other men, and women adore other women for looks, body structure, position, power, etc.. That's completely normal..

But, if you do find out you are, don't resist it, don't put fire in it either.. n_n