Yayoi

Partners on the force and something a little closer than the average work partnership, two female police officers patrol the city and handle their duties in Yayoi, a one-episode OVA that came out of Comiket 53 in 1997 — back when doujin creators were selling VHS tapes at convention booths, which gives this a specific kind of underground charm that's hard to replicate. The draw here is mostly the craft behind it. Shinda Mane, who built a reputation as both a mangaka and character designer in eroge circles, brings a distinctive visual style that fans of his work will recognize immediately. The yuri framing between the two leads is the main focus, set against a light law enforcement backdrop that keeps things grounded without taking itself too seriously. It's a short, self-contained piece — one episode, adapted from his Union of the Snake doujinshi — so there's no slow build or ongoing story to follow. You get in, you see what Shinda Mane was doing with these characters he clearly had affection for, and that's the experience. If you've spent time with older titles like Cream Lemon or Bible Black and appreciate late-90s aesthetic sensibilities in this genre, Yayoi fits comfortably in that space. It's a historical curiosity as much as anything — a snapshot of what doujin adult animation looked like when it was being traded on physical media at conventions. Worth a look if that era of fan-produced work interests you.