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"

~Just kidding Just slipped out...~

Yuyushiki sat on my PTW list for a considerable amount of time.
Why?
Well i hate to judge a show by its cover, but when i'm looking for possible anime to watch: the cover, blurb and some words from strangers are all i generally have for investigating...

Yuyushiki is a prime example of an anime that can't be fully expressed by words. At a glance, many will be deterred from the relentlessly rehashed premise of "a bunch a schoolgirls being schoolgirls" - combine this with a cartoon-esque animation style and a vibrant colour scheme, and yeah, you've got pretty much every Slice of ... Life ever...

In terms of competition, Yuyushiki has to stand out above the rest with something unique, to really get credit where credit is due - and its because of this formulaic-looking layout that not enough people will get around to appreciating it - so consider yourself one of the lucky 30,000 who managed to stumble upon this genuinely entertaining franchise!

Onto the analysis...
I'm not going to lie to you, Yuyushiki is exactly what it advertises. It's a deadly simple slice of life concept - and so SoL haters: you've been warned!
I've always thought of Yuyushiki as a really refreshing take on life. By nature it's charming, and due to its frequent comedy outbursts - it's upbeat, entertaining, and will make you laugh - at least, it did for me...

Something great about it, is the way it accurately represents mindless real life thought processes and procrastination. While these are often wrongly deemed as insignificant, seeing the often chaotic and random nature of our minds presented in such a lighthearted manor, is really comforting. The spontaneity of the trio's actions actually adds some anticipation as to "what are they gonna do next?" (a seldom achieved attribute by a pure SoL)
Even though we can all be perfectly aware that no major plot-shaping events take place; Yuyushiki brings about a great casual, care-free atmosphere, making it easy to watch, and surprisingly addictive.

What is it that has people coming back for more?
Alike most anime of the genre, Yuyushiki is character, as opposed to plot-based - now that's not to imply that they all have breathtaking back stories - because they don't, and yet their design is quite something to behold. It seems that Geneon knew what they were doing when they pieced the visible trio together... We've got
Yukari - the lovable airhead,
Yui - the more cynical subject to embarassment,
and Yuzuko - the spontaneous one...

Simple, right? And it's this beautiful simplicity that makes the characters so relatable, and likable.

To you those may be just random names, but due to the realism in the chaos of the trio's conversations that make up the body of the show... To me, i feel like i know them personally, without having their life stories relayed...

The conversations that go on all seem true to life.
They're always well integrated into the situation to flow seamlessly together.
The best part is their intimate nature - no i don't mean intimacy...
Yuyushiki incorporates a lot of charming details, and often uses verbal disclosure to add small, intimate, fragments to each character's portfolio - and so you get to know them, on a similar rate as to how they get to know each other.

The combinations of these methods... realistic characters, realistically crazy thought processes, and realistic converse, and dedicated SoL approach - makes Yuyushiki very relatable, enjoyable and relaxing. From this (on top of character attachment) - the show strives to entertain, and does so with ease!

I found that Yuyushiki wields an intimately charming method of life documenting, that i haven't seen since K-ON (which i adored). I've got to stick to an 8 for this one, as i would still have liked to see more character depth, and some sort of conclusion.
But i digress... If you're a SoL fan, or looking for something PLEASANT, and carefree to watch after a long day's work - Yuyushiki is for you!
(P.S. That's a lot of "u" sounds)

~Juuuust kidding Just slipped out...~
~Juuust kidding Just slipped out..~
~Just kidding Just slipped out~
~Just kidding Just slipped out!~
~JUST KIDDING JUST SLIPPED OUT!~

Work days can be exhausting. Solution? A light-hearted anime to help you unwind!

Unfortunately, this isn't the right anime for me. It consists of three friends bantering and goofing off, which would be fine if they were witty and interesting individuals, but alas! they are dull as wallpaper. Their bantering is downright banal - in fact, the high point for me was the pun "mochi-vated". And I'm a person who LIKES banter!

The characters were: a normal, straight-laced kid; her two lesbian best friends who want to fondle her; and a big-busted teacher, who her friends also want to fondle. I am pro-LGBT, and it's annoying to ... see lesbian characters used purely as fanservice/objects of comedy. I wish the creators had used more quirky, unusual, bizarre, and even grotesque characters.

[In Secret Code: Ja sam zapravo odgledala samo dve epizode, ali ovi jebeni birokrati brisu moje komentare o serijama zatosto "nisam dovoljno odgledala za pisanje". Moram negde da priznam da sam samo odgledala dve (citav sat ovoga!), pa cu da napisem ovde i mozda ce neko da koristi Gugl Prevodilac. U ovakvim serijama, cak i jedna epizoda ti kaze sve sto trebas da znas.]