History Manga / AnoKoNiKisuToShirayuriWo

[[redirect:Manga/AnoKoNiKissToShirayuriWo]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ak1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The first four pairings of the series: [[{{Tsundere}} Ayaka]] and [[TheTease Yurine]], [[GenkiGirl Izumi]] and [[PerpetualFrowner Chiharu]], [[SugarAndIcePersonality Towako]] and [[FieryRedHead Yukina]], [[InsecureLoveInterest Mizuki]] and [[TheComicallySerious Moe.]]]]

Shiramine Ayaka is perfect. Beautiful, brilliant, kind and a hard worker: she is the model student of [[OneGenderSchool Seiran]] [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Academy]], and her sole ambition when she arrives in the high-school section is to remain her perfect self. But to her shock, another girl named Kurosawa Yurine steals the top seat from her effortlessly--[[BrilliantButLazy literally effortlessly]].

At first Ayaka is only mildly annoyed, but after she shows her trademark kindness to the aloof Yurine, the latter falls head-over-heels for her and starts clinging to her at every occasion. After which Ayaka becomes obsessed with taking back her title of top student, while desperately trying not to fall for her new rival, who shows her no end of affection and sees Ayaka as the girl who can make her feel "normal".

[[WellThisIsNotThatTrope Well, this is not that story.]]

…Okay, it ''is'', but while the above summary is the starting point, it quickly becomes only a part of an ensemble story, where the character focus and points of view regularly change. Outside of the two protagonists, the story follows other girls of Seiran academy (more or less directly connected to Ayaka or Yurine), whether they are couples or have one-sided feelings -- most chapters are actually focused on these characters, with Ayaka and/or Yurine being in a supporting role.

Starting from volume 2, the structure pretty much becomes "one volume = one couple", meaning that each volume can almost be read independently, with Ayaka and Yurine's story arc serving as a sort of connecting thread between those self-contained arcs. The tone switches between humoristic and melancholic, but remains light and sweet. No {{gayngst}} or earth-shattering drama here. Although some of the dialogue can get strangely gloomy at times.

''Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo'' (''"A Kiss and a White Lily for Her"''; officially ''"Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl"''), or ''[[PortmanteauSeriesNickname AnoKiss]]'' for short, is a [[YuriGenre girls' romance series]] by Canno, originally a doujin artist from the circle "Hyper Kettle Yesterday" (which also include the artists Kawauchi and Nega). It is published in the Monthly Comic Alive since November 2013 − making it one the very few yuri series published in a mainstream magazine.

In 2015, some of Canno's doujin works from 2012 and 2013 were released in a volume titled ''Cider to Nakimushi'', full with [[ArtEvolution an updated art]], in collaboration with the magazine Yuri Hime.

Compare ''Manga/ComprehensiveTovarisch'' by Arata Iri, which has a similar premise, but is much more hectic.

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!! ''Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo'' contains examples of:

* AllThereInTheManual: Some extra material is available only if you live in Japan and follow the author closely. There are also exclusive bonus short stories in every volume.
* AlmostKiss: When Mizuki puts a strand of Moe's hair to her lips in chapter 4, two bystanding girls mistake that for a kiss. It's not, though the symbolic is probably there.
* ArtEvolution: It starts to become noticeable around volume 3. The overall shadow/reflection work becomes a bit more detailed and the facial features more rounded compared to the early chapters.
* BigDamnKiss: In chapter 20, [[spoiler:Mizuki asks Moe to live together - i.e. the closest possible thing to a marriage proposal - which is followed by three full pages of the two kissing each other under romantic fireworks.]] Quite intense for a series where actual kisses are few and far between.
* CastFullOfGay: Yurine and her sister love Ayaka, Ayaka struggles very hard to not love Yurine, Moe and Mizuki love each other, so do Yukina and Towako, Chiharu loves Maya, Izumi loves Chiharu, Kaoru has a heavily implied crush on Yurine and Itsuki has apparently loved Sawa since before grade school. The only odd one out is Ai, who doesn't seem romantically involved with any girl. Yet.
* CastHerd: Characters are usually focused on by groups of 2 or 3 − Ayaka and Yurine; Moe and Mizuki; Ai, Chiharu and Maya (later Izumi); Yukina, Towako and Yurine; Kaoru, Kohagi and Momiji; Sawa and Itsuki.
* ChuckingChalk: Yurine's introduction has her sleeping on her desk with the teacher yelling at her. She wakes her up with a precise chalk shot on the head and makes her solve a very hard math problem at the blackboard. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Yurine wakes up, solves the problem effortlessly, and goes back to sleep.]]
* DownplayedTrope: A general writing trait − when this series uses a trope, it tends to use it ''moderately''. Not always, but often. It's part of what gives it such a quiet atmosphere at times.
* FingerSuckHealing: Used by Yurine when Ayaka gets a paper cut. She is dead embarrassed and protests, [[{{Tsundere}} but lets her do it anyway]].
* FlowersOfRomance: White lilies, what else? You're gonna see them quite often, one way or another. Yukina and Towako's arc focuses on [[SomethingAboutARose roses]] instead.
* GratuitousEnglish: Sometimes an english word will be splashed on a panel, with no rhyme or reason.
* HairContrastDuo:
** Yurine is a short-haired BrilliantButLazy blonde, while Ayaka is a hard-working overachiever with a dark RapunzelHair.
** Mizuki is an insecure and shy girl with black BoyishShortHair while Moe is TheComicallySerious but deep down a FieryRedHead.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Most chapter titles are rather obscure or metaphorical, and often seemingly unrelated to the events of said chapters. ''Seemingly'' being the key word.
* ImplausibleHairColor: Most characters have dark or brown hair, but Yurine and Izumi are blonde and Towako is platinum, which isn't awfully common in Japan to say the least.
* InvisibleParents: Ayaka's mother is seen briefly once in a flashback (although faceless), but otherwise the girls' parents are never seen, even when they are at home.
* LastNameBasis: Both Ayaka and Yurine call each other by their last name with a "-san" honorific. While Ayaka obviously wants (but fails) to "keep her distance" with her "enemy", Yurine seems to make a point of saying "Shiramine-san" as often as possible.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This is no ''Manga/OnePiece'' of course, but by volume 5, there are 15 recurring characters (16 if you count Sumire in the extras), most of them having their own arcs. If fact, you could say there isn't really a "main character" − even Ayaka and Yurine are only focused on sporadically.
* LoveTriangle: The series has two, though neither are played for drama.
** Chiharu has feelings for her Senpai Maya and Izumi has feelings for her Senpai Chiharu, but after Maya graduates and Izumi enters high school, Chiharu hangs out more often with the latter. In the second Drama CD [[spoiler:Chiharu eventually reciprocates Izumi's feelings]], although it's unclear whether the [=CDs=] are in the same continuity as the manga. The volume 2 omake seems to indicate this is the case, though.
** Yurine and her sister are both in love with Ayaka, and Ayaka clearly has unadmitted feelings for Yurine... which becomes a Love Square when Kaoru is introduced and shown to have crush on Yurine.
* MomentKiller: Mizuki totally ruins Ayaka's first attempt to exert some control over her relationship with Yurine.
* MotherlySidePlait: In the chapter 18 extra, a character named Kokoro has a braid on her shoulder. She is described as being "family-oriented".
* NoodleIncident: Some accident involving the uniform's long skirt apparently made it forbidden for the students to come to Seiran by bicycle. Izumi couldn't care less though.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: In chapter 2, Mizuki finds Ayaka [[AlmostKiss visibly about to kiss Yurine]], leaving her to find a lame excuse about how this was all an accident. The problem is that it ''was'' what it looked like (she wanted to "get back" at Yurine when the latter was getting total control over her).
* {{Omake}}: Every chapter is followed by a one-page extra, usually involving two girls seen in the background during said chapter. Said characters don't directly intervene in the story proper − with the exception of Kaoru, who is introduced in the chapter 6 extra and gets ADayInTheLimelight in chapter 18-19.
* OneGenderSchool: Seiran Academy is girls-only.
* OppositesAttract:
** Ayaka and Yurine strangely mix this with BirdsOfAFeather, as they are both top students and Yurine wants Ayaka to try and best her, but their characters couldn't be more different. Ayaka has a kind and graceful façade hiding an aggressive and occasionally hypocritical personality; Yurine is usually cold and indifferent, but can switch to TheTease and become oddly joyful in the presence of Ayaka, who is annoyed yet can't reject her.
** Mizuki and Moe play this in a different way, with Mizuki being shy and hesitant while Moe is often a bit blunt and forceful. Both know very well how the other works, though.
* RedOniBlueOni: Pretty much all the pairings so far have some variation of this dichotomy, one side being more passionate, irritable, lively or extravert (Ayaka, Moe, Izumi, Yukina, Sawa) while the other is colder, shier, more introvert or more composed (Yurine, Mizuki, Chiharu, Towako, Itsuki). And deliberately or not, the "blue oni" girl is always the taller one. Despite that though, no two couples quite ressemble each other in their interactions.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: While some of the girls' feelings are explicitly romantic, others rather skirt the line between outright love and this. The romantic aspect remains relatively subdued, all in all (although it becomes somewhat more explicit as the story goes on): the stories are more focused on what bonds the characters together and what they don't want to lose, than the romantic side of the relationships.
* SacredFirstKiss: Yurine gives hers to Ayaka without any warning at the end of chapter 1, much to the latter's shock.
* SenpaiKouhai: Ai and Chiharu's relationship with Maya, whom Ai sees as a CoolBigSis. Chiharu, however, rather acts as [[CloudCuckooLander Maya]]'s mom despite being 2 years younger.
* SeriousBusiness: The arcs' drama usually centers around things that seem relatively mundane from an outside perspective (a senior leaving the school, a track race performance, a rose garden…), but are extremely important to the girls, as it's an integral part of their bond.
* ShowDontTell: Sort of. The series is rather minimalistic in its narration, and interestingly the girls rarely directly ''say'' that they love each other (not in conventional ways, at least), they just demonstrate it through acts and gestures.
* SickeninglySweethearts: Whether it's true or not, this is apparently how Ayaka views Mizuki's private interactions with her girlfriend. [[ItMakesSenseInContext When asked to imitate Moe to cheer Mizuki up]] in chapter 16, Ayaka puts a lot of… ''sugar'' in her performance.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Izumi is the most frequent victim, but it occasionally happens to Ai or Yurine. Of course, since the cast is all-female, it's kind of inevitable…
* SproutingEars: Happens mostly to Yurine, who occasionally grows dog ears and a tail when Ayaka is around.
* SubvertedTrope: While the series seems to feature every yuri trope imaginable, it also likes to turn them on their head a wee bit.
** The OneeSama type (Ayaka) turns out to be quite agressive, egocentric and hypocritical, while the lonely newcoming girl who falls in LoveAtFirstSight with her (Yurine) turns out to be a genius and a very forward [[TheTease tease]].
** The TomboyAndGirlyGirl duo (Mizuki and Moe) is the opposite of what it looks, with the "tomboy" being shy and insecure while the longer-haired cute girl clearly wears the pants and has [[StalkerWithACrush rather dubious hobbies]]. Also, [[https://twitter.com/_canno/status/681476238087618561 one likes romantic movies, the other would like "something with more explosions".]]
** SenpaiKohai relationships? [[StraightMan Chiharu]] has to deal with her slightly incompetent senpai Maya (whom she likes) and her rather rude kouhai Izumi (who likes her).
* SupportingProtagonist: A peculiar (and often criticized) aspect of the series is its structure, which alternates between brief focuses on the two main characters and longer arcs where they mostly stay in the background. Particularly pronounced in volume 2, which is entirely focused on Chiharu's party. It's less the case in volume 3, where they play a bigger part (especially Yurine), but the arc is still mostly about Yukina and Towako. Same with volume 4, mostly focused on Mizuki and Moe. The obvious downside of this is that Ayaka's character arc pretty much stagnates outside of a couple of chapters.
* ThemeNaming: The two main characters are named Shiramine (shira meaning "white") and Kurosawa (kuro meaning "black"), which highlights their contrasting personalities--although ironically, despite their names Ayaka is black-haired while Yurine is blonde. Their names also have the exact same number of syllables, with the first name written in Hiragana. And if you push even further (but it might be coincidental there), Ayaka has a last name ending in [ine] and a first name with two [a]; Yurine has a last name ending with two [a] and a first name ending in [ine]. So you could say their very names highlight their dynamic (see OppositesAttract above).
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Played with in the case of Mizuki and Moe. Mizuki cut her hair [[InvokedTrope to give this effect when she is seen with Moe]], but the latter is actually much more assertive and shameless, while Mizuki is quite shy and easily embarrassed.
* UnsoundEffect: Used and abused by the author at every occasion.
* ValentinesDayEpisode: Chapter 15.5 follows the Valentine's day of all the main couples. It notably has Ayaka trying to bake the best damn chocolate she can, to not lose to Yurine. The latter, having entirely anticipated that, gives her… chocolate bought in a shop, making Ayaka's efforts totally pointless. She ''can'' be a bit of a {{Troll}} when she wants.
* VisualPun: ''Possibly'' in chapter 3. When Ayaka tells her that her almost kissing Yurine was [[BlatantLies totally an accident]], Mizuki's only reaction is to silently [[http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/a_kiss_and_a_white_lily_ch03#5 close the closet's door]] and leave.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Due to Ayaka's character when not at school, she and Mizuki are often taking shots at each other. Nevertheless, Mizuki cares a great deal about Ayaka's well-being, while Ayaka encourages Mizuki to be more confident in her relationship with Moe.
* WallOfBlather: What does Yurine do when she is asked to read an English text but forgot her textbook? Well, she just recites the entire text that she has memorized in one casual reading when she was bored, putting this trope in effect. A variant is also sometimes used out of bubbles, when one character complains longly to herself but the other doesn't care.
* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Seiran Academy is located... ''somewhere'' in Japan.

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…Okay, it ''is'', but while the above summary is the starting point, it quickly becomes only a part of an ensemble story, where the character focus and point of views regularly change. Outside of the two protagonists, the story follows other girls of Seiran academy (more or less directly connected to Ayaka or Yurine), whether they are couples or have one-sided feelings -- most chapters are actually focused on these characters, with Ayaka and/or Yurine being in a supporting role.

Starting from volume 2, the structure pretty much becomes "one volume = one couple", meaning that each volume can almost be read independently, with Ayaka and Yurine's story arc serving as a sort of connecting thread between those self-contained arcs. The tone switches between humoristic and melancholic, but remains light and sweet. No {{gayngst}} or earth-shattering drama here.

…Okay, it ''is'', but while the above summary is the starting point, it quickly becomes only a part of an ensemble story, where the character focus and point of views regularly change. Outside of the two protagonists, the story follows other girls of Seiran academy (more or less directly connected to Ayaka or Yurine), whether they are couples or have one-sided feelings: these character arcs usually focus on the girls' worries about losing something precious that emotionally binds them to their partner -- most chapters are actually focused on these characters, with Ayaka and/or Yurine being in a supporting role.

Starting from volume 2, the structure more or less becomes "one volume = one arc", meaning that each volume can almost be read independently (almost). The tone switches between humoristic and melancholic, but remains light and sweet. No {{gayngst}} or earth-shattering drama here.

Starting from volume 2, the structure is more or less "one volume = one arc", meaning that each volume can almost be read independently (almost). The tone switches between humoristic and melancholic, but remains light and sweet. No {{gayngst}} or earth-shattering drama here.

…Okay, it ''is'', but while the above summary is the starting point, it quickly becomes only a part of an ensemble story, where the character focus and point of views regularly change. Outside of the two protagonists, the story follows other girls of Seiran academy (more or less directly connected to Ayaka or Yurine), whether they are couples or have one-sided feelings: these character arcs usually focus on the girls' worries about losing something precious that emotionally binds them to their partner -- most chapters are actually focused on these characters, with Ayaka and/or Yurine being in a supporting role. The tone switches between humoristic and melancholic, but remains light and sweet. No {{gayngst}} or earth-shattering drama here.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This is no ''Manga/OnePiece'' of course, but many readers are annoyed by Canno's tendency to frequently introduce new characters instead of focusing on the already established ones. By volume 5, there are 15 recurring characters (16 if you count Sumire in the extras), most of them having their own arcs.

* SecondYearProtagonist: Averted at first, as Ayaka and Yurine are in first year, but they turn second year in chapter 11. However, Seiran regroups middle and high school, so Ayaka isn't exactly new to it--Yurine is though.