Maria-sama ga Miteru , often shortened to Marimite (マリみて), is a Japanese light novel series written by Oyuki Konno with illustrations by Reine Hibiki. Originally written as a short story in 1997, Shueisha published 37 light novel volumes from April 1998 to April 2012. The story focuses on a group of teenage girls attending the Catholic Lillian Girls' Academy in Tokyo, Japan. Its storyline largely revolves around the lives and close relationships of the school's student council known as the Yamayuri Council.
The first volume of Maria-sama ga Miteru, published in Japan by Shueisha on April 24, 1998
The first manga volume, illustrated by Satoru Nagasawa
Yuri , also known by the wasei-eigo construction girls' love , is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters. While lesbian relationships are a commonly associated theme, the genre is also inclusive of works depicting emotional and spiritual relationships between women that are not necessarily romantic or sexual in nature. Yuri is most commonly associated with anime and manga, though the term has also been used to describe video games, light novels, and literature.
An example of yuri-inspired artwork. Works depicting intimate relationships between school classmates are common in the yuri genre.
A white lily, the de facto symbol of the yuri genre
Writer Nobuko Yoshiya, whose works in the Class S genre significantly influenced yuri
Cosplayers dressed as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon
