Yuri Is My Job! Volumes 10, 11 and 12 Review

Content warning: these volumes, and by extension this review, discuss themes of sexual violence and homophobia.

Café Liebe is experiencing a boost in business and the staff are now all getting along better than ever before. But when former staff member Yoko makes a return to the café and tries to reconnect with Nene, painful memories and unresolved conflict resurfaces. Meanwhile, Kanoko, now in a relationship with Sumika, tries to find ways to express her hidden feelings for Hime to Sumika, who’s shut down all conversation about Hime. Kanoko’s solution is to reach out to someone who could end up ruining the café atmosphere all over again…

Yuri is My Job! started its manga run in 2016, with its first (and so far only) anime series in 2023, but as of 2024, the manga series is still going strong, with thirteen volumes out now in Japan and English volumes not far behind at twelve volumes. This yuri has been a very interesting ride and one that continues to evolve with each passing volume. Unlike other series of its ilk (and other romance series) where the main couple may have got together by now (or at least have some ship-teasing between them) Yuri is My Job! is more interesting in exploring the complex lives of its characters, the roles they play in the café reflecting their real lives, how multifaceted communication can be and the dangers of when it’s weaponized for selfish reasons. Whilst this does mean an extremely slow burn for the main couple Hime and Yano (who are noticeably pushed aside in these volumes aside from a few scenes and bonus chapters – that’s my main criticism for these volumes, sadly) it does allow for the other cast to shine and make the series feel more rewarding with each new volume.

Volume 10 spends the first half in a throwback to the past, where Sumika, Nene and Yoko worked together in the café and the conflict that arose from it. If you’ve watched the anime, you’ll have seen one side of it; where Sumika was pushed aside when Nene and Yoko decided to make their personal lives overshadow their characters’ lives and create a toxic working atmosphere, only to leave Nene heartbroken. Now we finally get Nene’s point of view; she’s a lesbian who’s had no luck in love, and working at Café Liebe is the same when she develops a crush on Sumika but assumes she’s heterosexual. In comes in Yoko, who plants ideas in Nene’s head to make Sumika ‘jealous’ by going out with her, pushing their fraternising to the forefront of the café in hopes of making Sumika realise her true feelings. Of course, we know that didn’t work out because all Sumika could see was two lesbians making their relationship everyone’s problem.

Before this, Nene was very much a side character stuck in the kitchen, but she shines in both this and the next volume. She starts off as lovesick girl who is manipulated into entering a relationship. Yoko’s whispering in her ear – saying that Sumiko’s anger is out of repressed love – so Nene is completely blind to the hurt she’s causing. Even when the facts don’t line up with Yoko’s warped point of view, Nene continues to push, and hopes the situation works in her favour (either Sumiko breaks and dates her, or she gets to keep Yoko as her girlfriend). But in the end she ends up losing both: Yoko leaves to take another job and sees no fun in continuing the affair, and Sumiko because all she saw was a colleague/friend willing to ignore her sadness for the sake of her girlfriend. The Yoko and Nene arc ends when the pair meet up in present day, which leads to a special night in the hotel, and Nene finally realises the truth. Yoko may have been using her, but she was also using Yoko, wanting to bury herself in a lesbian affair, to have dates and be treated as ‘loved’ at the cost of an actual, mutually positive relationship. Yoko is just playing a part; she’s not actually emotionally investing in Nene and merely sees their affair as a way to hurt others and have ‘fun’ as she puts it. The breakdown Nene has in front of Sumiko brings the years of emotions to the forefront and you want to just hug her. The pair also have a heart to heart in Volume 11 that I won’t spoil but is such a satisfying read, considering the years’ long struggle these two have had. A reader may think that this whole thing could’ve been resolved if Nene just confessed her feelings to Sumiko early on but we don’t live in a perfect world where queer people can be comfortable expressing themselves without constant fear of being hurt, emotionally and even physically. So, you can see where Nene’s downfall began and feel sorry that someone took advantage of her like that.

The main arc of these three volumes running in parallel, however, revolves around Kanoko, entering probably the series’ darkest arc so far. Previously, she told Sumiko that she’s in love with Hime, but has no plans to confess. Instead she says she’s content to simply live her life next to her, with Hime’s planning to marry a rich man and Kanoko somehow being her live-in maid. This revelation is sort of horrifying because it’s clear that Kanoko doesn’t really see Hime as a person, someone who will grow, change, evolve, or have a life outside of Kanoko. Granted, Hime is still gung-ho on marrying a rich man, but when Hime confesses to the kiss between her and Yano, Kanoko breaks down and refuses to acknowledge it, whilst having no outlet for her feelings, so she spirals. So, what does Kanoko do? Sadly, she goes for the worst possible route ever: ask Yoko for advice. As we’ve already seen Yoko’s cruelty in action by the time Kanoko makes the call, for the audience it’s like watching a car accident in slow motion, but with horrifying results that leads into an explosive Volume 12, the first volume in the series with an actual content warning for ‘sexual violence’.

I’m not going to go into details as to what happens due to spoilers, but I will say this: if you’re worried about the graphic nature of the violence, most of it is implied but there are some panels that will make you uncomfortable. There is non-consensual touching, and a lot of extreme emotions, with Yoko trying to pressure Kanoko to express emotions she isn’t ready to face (or at least not ready with someone as manipulative as Yoko). There are also some extremely well framed, uncomfortable shots of Yoko; stripping and dominating Kanoko. In any other medium this could easily be painted in a ‘sexy’ way that some storytellers/mangaka use, but the angle and the framing – despite Yoko being very provocative and curvaceous – just looks intimidating and forceful. Miman did a fantastic job here to have Yoko be the perpetrator, the person VERY in the wrong here, not someone to ogle at.

The end result is a very precarious situation now for Sumiko and Kanoko, the latter traumatised and emotionally broken, the former not knowing the right thing to say or do, but also wanting to be there for someone they care about. The volume ends with Kanoko about to start a very personal story revolving Hime and Kanoko’s resolve to never confess her feelings, which is surely going to be very cathartic for the readers and the characters.

The series continues to be translated by Diana Taylor, who does an incredible job of not just translating the emotionally charged series but also the extremely detailed author notes, the extra chapters and pages highlighting the continued café lore.

Yuri is My Job! is a series I can wholeheartedly recommend. It constantly pushes the characters in new and dynamic directions, exploring its themes in mature and complex ways whilst also not being afraid to let other characters shine and revisit past mistakes we THINK are concluded but are revealed in a whole new light. I would love to see Hime and Yano come back into the limelight very soon and get their overdue relationship development, but the other character development here gives readers so much to dig into and uncover in the meantime.