REVIEW: ‘The Whole of Humanity Has Gone Yuri Except for Me’

The Whole of Humanity Has Gone Yuri Except for Me is a yuri manga written and illustrated by Hiroki Haruse. Haruse is a manga artist perhaps best known for his work on the manga adaptation of Allison and the IDOLY PRIDE webcomic which is currently ongoing. The creative team responsible for bringing this volume to print, thanks to Yen Press includes translation by Eleanor Summers and lettering by Erin Hickman. At nearly four hundred pages, this manga seems to be a complete series collecting two volumes in one giving readers a taste of what the mangaka brings to the table.

Starting off slow and picking up steam, the narrative touches upon normalcy and the exceptions that we have for ourselves and the options available when we learn that we have agency and choice. Marika is a normal high school girl who is perfectly content with her “normal life.” She figures she’ll finish school, get married, start a family, and all the beats of a normal life. One day upon leaving home she stumbles upon two girls kissing and finds herself in a world that revolves around girls. She now exists in a world where only women exist.

For what it’s worth, The Whole of Humanity Has Gone Yuri Except for Me will pleasantly surprise some readers with its science-fiction depth: secret labs, parallel universes, and unfulfilled legacies through families. Its cutesy cover and art will throw off some readers and delight others. I found myself intrigued by the story and laughing at all the adjustments that the main character had to suffer through like seeing female yakuza in the streets, a gender-swapped kid sibling that nearly steals the spotlight, and the gentle teasing of cherished friends at school. Throw in one of my favorite tropes, Fake Dating, and you have a fun start with this premise.

Toward the second half, I understood where the narrative was going and while I did feel the story was slightly rushed, I was invested enough to read towards the end. I would have loved to read more about this new world of women that Marika finds herself in; however, I won’t say that I was not entertained and engaged while reading.

Haruse’s artwork nails the cute girl aesthetic and through his art, readers will see an interesting cast of characters that we sadly don’t get enough of in a manga with such a thought-provoking premise. I will say that the mangaka really delivered on the visual parts of the story: dramatizing emotional scenes with certain angles, sound effects, lighting, and more. There are also plenty of heavily detailed locations like abandoned buildings where clues are found that look superb on the page. The artist also knows how to play up the tensions of the narrative with funny little moments, like all the chibi character reactions throughout the manga.

It is important to consider that while Yuri, Yaoi, and other manga with and centering  LGBTQ characters are not in any way new, it was certainly not always easy to find in my early days of reading manga. Much of it was not marketed well and given the love it deserves. Nowadays, I’m elated to see manga of these genres front in center displayed in bookstores for Pride Month and in libraries. As someone who has been reading more and more yuri and wlw-centered content, I’m happy to see this manga among others in this more modern age of yuri.

This manga takes up the challenge of working with the science fiction, romance and comedy genres and while it does not hit the landing perfectly it does make for an interesting read for yuri lovers.

The Whole of Humanity Has Gone Yuri Except for Me is available wherever books are sold now.