More shoujo-ai than yuri, and it's a high school comedy manga, with hijinks aplenty. But 'Failed Princesses' is cute, and contains good messages about empathy, breaking BS social cliques, finding out who your real friends are, trying new things, not judging people, standing up for what you believe in, and basically calling people out on their shit. And looking pretty while doing it.
Yeah, it might not be completely groundbreaking - cuteness and appearances still matter to the characters - and it doesn't look as though that mentality will change further down the line (or at least, not significantly in the face of a wider sexist culture). But there is a parody element to 'Failed Princesses'. I adore that it's also about otaku culture, and the mangaka seems to know and love a lot about it. The character development is clear and done well, in my opinion; even if not in the "cuteness in girls doesn't matter, WTF is wrong with you?" department.'Failed Princesses, Vol. 1' - an opposites-attract manga that will tickle your funny bone, and make you think of yuri and shoujo-ai titles like 'Girl Friends' by Milk Morinaga (there are some similarities). Recommended for light and fluffy fun.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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