Yuyushiki

There's something inexplicable about Yuyushiki that makes it a difficult sell. Frankly, the premise of "three girls goofing off" is about as original as "three guys walk into a bar". Furthermore, a considerable number of the jokes are patently unfunny, and the characters will probably find themselves laughing more often than the audience will. On paper, Yuyushiki sounds like every other largely forgettable 4-koma slice of life adaptation out there. So what makes Yuyushiki stand out in a veritable sea of similarly themed shows? Quite a lot, actually.

To start, good character dynamics are paramount in these plotless slice of life shows, and in that respect, ... Yuyushiki delivers in spades. Yuzuko is a somewhat typical, perpetually ebullient character, and is often the instigator of Yuyushiki's humorous situations, while Yukari is more of an airhead and quick to get caught up in Yuzuko's antics. Yui, the tsukkomi to Yuzuko and Yukari's boke, is the more serious of the three, and generally the one to keep the conversations somewhat grounded. Respectively, none of the girls really stand out from the ilk of their genre, but the sum of their personalities constitute a very natural and thoroughly entertaining rapport with one another.

The bulk of Yuyushiki is dedicated to the frankly inane conversations among these three friends. The way their conversations veer wildly, often at the whims of Yuzuko, from one nonsensical topic to the next is always surprisingly natural. They change their cadence in an attempt to make one another laugh, pull innocuous little pranks on each other, and repeat meaningless phrases until they become funny; all typical things that most kids would be guilty of, but it's more in the way that Yuyushiki portrays them that makes it special. An illogical joke suddenly becomes infectiously hilarious when all three girls, even the comparably stern Yui, burst into unwarranted and uncontrollable laugher. Heck, even something as commonplace as the word "potato" is enough to set them off.

Despite all the goofiness, Yuyushiki is perhaps at its best when the girls exhibit moments of genuine introspection. Lurches in the girls' conversation frequently lead to surprisingly serious topics, ranging from their plans for the future to their thoughts on death. These moments serve as subtle yet invaluable reminders that the girls are more than mere comedic devices, adding more depth to these small understated moments. Of course, it isn't long until the show shifts back to its pervasive silliness, but these fleeting moments are particularly memorable nonetheless. All of this conversational inanity and brief stints of sincerity culminate as an experience that is surprisingly realistic and easy to relate to. There's something particularly endearing about the way Yuyushiki effortlessly draws you into its lackadaisical atmosphere; it's simply a delight to spend time with these characters.

With that said, Yuyushiki's sense of humor certainly won't appeal to everyone. A large portion of the jokes simply aren't funny, as the emphasis is often on the absurd journey it took to get to the punchline rather than the actual destination. In fact, many of the jokes don't even have a punchline - which in the context of Yuyushiki's jocular gait could even be seen as the punchline - so those looking for a more traditional joke/punchline structure might be left dissatisfied. However, for those able to embrace the unusual comedic stylings of Yuyushiki, they will be rewarded with a truly unique and charming experience.

Yuyushiki pulls through with formal excellence as well. Every little detail contributes to the joke. The colorful palette lends itself well to the genial atmosphere, and the animation, while unassuming, reveals marked craftsmanship upon close examination. Great care was taken into making small gestures and slight cues in body language as fluid and authentic as possible. Simple jokes are often elevated by a unique framing of the shot or a perfectly timed change in perspective. In many ways, Yuyushiki's production values are inextricably linked with the actual content of the show, but it does so in a very unobtrusive manner that can be easy to miss providing one isn't looking for it; ideal for this type of show, really.

In closing, Yuyushiki takes a simple premise and adds its own signature flair. It's easy to forget you're watching a show that is essentially about nothing when the experience is as fun as Yuyushiki is. With a wonderfully laid-back mood, some of the best character dynamics in recent memory, and topnotch production values, Yuyushiki is a show that is head and shoulders above most of the genre. Give it a chance! You won't regret your time spent goofing off with the cast of Yuyushiki.

..."potato"

Yuyushiki is like the main course for a comedy slice of fun. When you have breakfast, you're ready for the day. After lunch, you feel good and ready to tackle the afternoon. Then, there's the dinner as main course as Yuyushiki where it will complete your day with a good dose of laughter and fun. Indeed, the fun never stops with three adorable girls. This show only has less than 8000 people watching according to statistics at the time this review was completed. Let's try to raise that a bit higher, shall we?

The anime series is based off of a 4-panel manga written by Komata ... Mikami. The details for the show is rather simple. You see that promotional poster with those three adorable girls? Yup, Yuyushiki is what the series is all about – three girls who are members of the Data Processing Club. They have fun in their lives and I'm glad alive to see them in this show.

At first, I wasn't too keen on checking out Yuyushiki. In fact, the show wasn't even on my radar until I saw this trailer a week before it aired. In that very trailer, there were three girls, Yuzuko Nonohara, Yui Ichii, and Yukari Hinata. I'm not a big fan of slice of life series especially involving Chinese cartoons with girls doing cute things. However, when I watched that trailer, I noticed this strange sense of nostologia that bought me back to when I was in school. In fact, this show is more than just about cute girls doing cute things. It's about enjoying the life at school with your friends and making the most of it. There's no battle shounen sequences, gory violence, or shock fan service. Rather, it's adorable in its own way and that's something I am thankful for.

The show is a little different from what I usually watch. I'm not sure exactly the right word to describe but adorable is definitely one of them. The show has this feeling of charming magnet that hooks you more and more. For the main characters, this is focused on the activities the girls do in their everyday lives. Indeed, we have three main characters who are girls. In fact, the majority of this show is made up of girls. Their names seems to be some sort of parody or reference to the title, Yuyushiki as all their names begin with the two letter “Yu”. Together, the girls forms a club known as the Data Processing Club. The club itself isn't any special but the girls sure takes their names to make the most about their school lives. Among the cast, there's Yukari and Yuzuko. The duo makes up the majority of the awkwardness but of course fun part of the series. Their fun gags often comes into the opposite of Yui who seems to be more of a serious person. The trio seems to be best friends and makes the most of their time in the club doing random things on the Internet. Oh wait, I thought girls aren't usually into this type of stuff. The stuff they do “research” on the web also seems to be random and for little purpose. It doesn't really matter though since the show is random in its own right.

There's many fun gags and later on implied yuri vibes. In fact, most of this seems to be aimed at Yui, the cool chick of the trio. It's hard to tell if they're really serious or not considering the show itself is marked by comedy. However, it's quite amusing to watch as Yui often acts indifferent or even at times perplexed during various situations. Yui herself also seems to be one of the major points in the episodes as her figure seems more dominant with her eye features and gestures. As the target of Yukari and Yuzuko's teases, she has to endure most of it through her ways. They all end well and good though as the trio are friends anyways.

Throughout the series, I also noticed that there's a lack of adolescence dominance. The show is entirely dominated by the younger casts. In fact, one of the only teachers who gets screen time in the show is Matsumomo (Oka-san). Among other cast members who gets screen time are Chiho, Fumi, and Kei. They seem to be more in the backgrounds though as the the majority of the series is dominated by the three Yu's.

Yuyushiki follows a slice of life format so don't expect any sort of significant story building. What you should expect though are the everyday antics that are employed in each episode as we see personally though the eyes of the Data Processing Club and what they do. Although lacking a true purpose, the show sometimes raises eyebrows related to questions related to 'death'. It creates a strange tension on whether if the show has any sort of purpose beyond just random fun. Whatever the case though, it sure achieved curiosity; a good well job done at creating that to say the least.

The dialogues of this series might not be so memorable but watching the girls talk about their daily lives sparkles a smiles to my face. This could have different results for everyone but sometimes, it does drag out quite a bit. It seems to be repetitive and some of the jokes gets old. Additionally, the amount of yuri vibes gets stronger and stronger later on in particular with our adorable Yui. Her reactions is always predicable though as given her more straight out personality. But perhaps a problem of this show is the dragged out conversations. It's rather difficult to watch a random show such as this with it being length of 22 minutes each week for some people. Also, some of the jokes makes no sense. For me though, it's enjoyable but I'm not sure about others. Needless to say, the pace and randomness of this show might not be an appeal for everyone.

As for artwork, Yuyushiki adapts a lighthearted dose of comedy. The characters' designs are obviously designed to look adorable. Their moe eyes features reflects on the cuteness of the main characters. The backgrounds of the school and other areas are simple and straight to the point. In fact, some of the backgrounds are designed to reflect that silliness with cartoonish patterns and aesthetics.

The soundtrack is also simple. Both the OP and ED songs shows our main trio doing fun activities while making various silly poses in silly outfits. The voices of the characters showers the fun that the characters have. In fact, most of them are hardly ever angry or emotional. Rather, their laughter brings joy and that puts a smile on my face as well.

All in all, Yuyushiki is not just adorable but a show to relax and enjoy for viewers of all ages. Don't take it seriously. The show doesn't so there should be no reason to. What I do advise to do is watch Yuyushiki and think back when you had random fun with your friends at school. Maybe it won't be about randomly searching for stuff on the Internet, but it definitely brings back some nostologia at least for me. The series should be a crime to be this cute and adorable at many cases. At other times though, it does feel a bit more dragged out. Regardless though, this show was an enjoyable ride and I think one to at least give a shot at. It's not just cute, it's Yuyushiki.

Yuyushiki is a feel good show and a half. At the same time I really started to get into this I was listening to a ton of David Bowie when I thought up of a weird analogy: Yuyushiki is to Slice of Life what Scary Monsters is to David Bowie's 70's career. It's a perfect combination of all the best elements with a fresh execution put into a neat package. Granted, I put Scary Monsters as the greatest Bowie album of all time but I don't put Yuyushiki as the greatest Slice of Life of all time, and Slice of Life Anime is no David ... Bowie in itself.

... Where was I? Oh, yeah. Yuyushiki was just something I eagerly anticipated and enjoyed each and every week. It felt familiar. It felt like Azumanga Daioh, it felt like Lucky Star, it felt like Hidamari Sketch, it felt like K-ON! and it felt like Yuru Yuri all at the same time. It was like a beautiful homage to Slice of Life Anime, and yet it felt like a new experience. Some will call this blatantly ripping them off, but it feels like it aspires to pay tribute to the genre in mimicking the humour, atmosphere and slight boredom of the aforementioned Slice of Life's.

Story:
I uh... what should I say... it's a typical Slice of Life situation... I guess I'll give it 6/10.

Art:
A lot of people were bothered by the art, but not me. I thought it looked nice and had plenty of nice colour and personality. To me a real sight for sore eyes it is.
9/10

Sound:
The sound gives the nice subtle touches to the atmosphere. Love the opening and ending songs,. I absolutely adore Minami Tsuda's voice, especially her singing voice.
9/10

Character:
Character is the most important part of a Slice of Life, and Yuyushiki has plenty of that. Yui Ichii feels a lot like another character Tsuda voices, Yui Funami, only she feels a little softer and easier to crack than Yui Funami. Yuzuko and Yukari perfectly compliment this character in their goofy antics, and together all three lead girls really feel like they have a real genuine and fun friendship.
9/10

Enjoyment:
Much like any quality Slice of Life. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you'll love the atmosphere and sometimes you feel a content boredom watching it. All in all, just simple fun.
9/10

So that's all I have to say about Yuyushiki. It's everything Slice of Life Anime is. If that's your bag, then this is worth a go. If it's not your thing... perhaps you should stay away.

Overall: 9/10