Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai

Mahiru Kouzuki, a skilled artist, gives up on her passion after her elementary school classmates ridicule her colorful jellyfish mural. Several years later, upon encountering an unexpected admirer in Kano Yamanouchi—a former idol with a troubled past—Mahiru decides to pursue her childhood dreams once more.

Tasked with designing the mascot for Kano's new music project, JELEE, Mahiru enlists the help of her childhood friend and professional streamer Kiui Watase to make JELEE's first music video. Together with Kim Anouk Mei Takanashi, a pianist and fan of Kano's work as an idol, the girls aim to turn JELEE into a global hit. However, if they want to succeed in this ambitious endeavor, they will first have to free themselves from the shackles of their pasts.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yamanouchi, Kano Main

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Kouzuki, Mahiru Main

Itou, Miku Japanese

Watase, Kiui Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Takanashi, Kim Anouk Mei Main

Shimabukuro, Miyuri Japanese

Baba, Shizue Supporting

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

JELEE-chan Supporting

Honami Supporting

Shiina, Hekiru Japanese

Koharu Supporting

Seto, Asami Japanese

Hayakawa, Mion Supporting

Anzai, Chika Japanese

Setou, Mero Supporting

Okasaki, Miho Japanese

Saitou, Shingo Producer

Suzuki, Renta Producer

Takeshita, Ryouhei Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kimura, Eriko Sound Director

Reviews

Apr 20, 2024

ZeroMajor12

Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

I find it weird how this anime is not getting a lot of attention, despite the idea that the anime has a pretty vague premise, so any form of hype for this original work is pretty mild, but after seeing an amazing job they did with Oshi no Ko and looking at this one, I had to try and figure out if it was worth the shot. Sure, I got a bit iffy with the title but after a few episodes, I seriously want people to watch this anime. It's one of the anime where the staff did a stellar job in almost all of ... the core aspects of a good show, writing, tone, narrative, visuals, and characters.

I think one of the difficult parts of making an original anime is that you need to have a strong first impression and provide something worth watching so viewers can stick around and watch till the end. It takes a lot to make a good first episode and certainly is not easy to do. The atmosphere the anime is going for is urban, vibrant, and lively, further amplified by the setting of Japan's most popular nightlife area, Shibuya. The staff working on this does a great job of portraying that along with establishing characters that make sense to the setting they made, it's not random arbitrary characters that are meant to repeat one-liners and quips every time they take screen time, they are characters that are made in mind with the atmosphere and act accordingly to what they should be in the circumstances the writers established in. You wouldn't want absent-minded characters just speaking cutesy things in a supposed rekindling talent plot, right? You wouldn't also want an extremely positive character that just gets a bit sad for a few minutes and then gets happy like nothing happens, right?

I don't think I have to say this out loud, but it's pretty obvious that the visuals are lock-on tight when the production is from Doga Kobo and it has continued to deliver in this case. There's less of that moe fanservice and the facial features of the characters are more natural to look at unless you're not okay with different colored hairs, but even then, I think it's almost impossible for Doga Kobo to disappoint in terms of character designs and visuals.

One of the best parts that the anime is doing is that it establishes characters with an internal conflict and they all are trying to improve themselves, just like how the synopsis said. The anime understands characters need to have a starting point in their life and they all need to strive to make that jump, it's practically an anime that shows the journey of cute teenage girls rekindling their lost talents, but looking at how the staff has managed to produce it, I'd say there's a solid chance for it to be a great original anime, joining into the GOATs of original anime.

My case is that you should try to watch it. It may be vague, yes. But the staff did a great job with what they managed to establish in a few episodes and going forward, I can see in a positive light that it will get better from there.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 18, 2024

KirbyOfCrime

Recommended

Preliminary (7/12 eps)

The "cute girls doing cute things" genre has long been saturated with mediocre cash-grabs and uninspired moe bait. But every once in a while, a show comes around that takes everything boring and overplayed about this genre and throws it out the window.

YoruKura is that show.

Instead of a group of lazily designed moe blobs with a few traits that vaguely resemble a personality, YoruKura features a main cast of four girls with multi-faceted personalities and personal struggles that range from entertaining to painfully relatable, and each one serves their respective purpose perfectly.

Character writing:

The protagonist and deuteragonist (or co-protagonists, depending on your perspective) are also the ... two most likeable and interesting characters in the show.
Yamanouchi Kano, creator of the JELEE group and former idol, is an absolute joy every time she's on screen, being the outgoing and over-excitable leader needed to kick her friends in gear and get them to push themselves instead of doubting their abilities. Her personal struggle with feeling aimless and trying to find what she wants in life is also the most grounded and realistic personal story I've seen in anime in a long time.
Her new partner, Kouzuki Mahiru, JELEE's artist who takes the moniker "Yoru" (night), is an equally interesting character in her own right. Her struggle with demotivation and negative feedback is painfully relatable for anyone who has previously undertaken an artistic endeavour, and the show handles it beautifully. Her dynamic with the other characters, especially Kano, acts as the emotional centre of the story, and is incredibly enjoyable to watch.
Watase Kiwi, professional VTuber and animator for JELEE, is another great character who only gets more interesting every episode. A very real and heartfelt look at the consequences of social and anxiety and feeling like an outcast, Kiwi's story is one that resonates well with anyone who has ever wanted to just lock themselves away and hope the world forgets about them.
Takanashi Kim Anouk Mei, idol super fan and JELEE composer, is the only one of the main cast I'm not entirely sold on. Her backstory and inner conflict over feeling disappointed by her former idol is an interesting one, but certain aspects of her behaviour make her the most acquired taste of the group. Regardless, she's still a character with enough depth and likeability that you can't help but root for her.

9/10

Art/Animation:

YoruKura is a treat for the eyes. Doga Kobo proves once again that they can produce some visually beautiful work when taking on a passion project, and every frame of YoruKura looks to be filled with all they love they can give it.
The character designs are fantastic, each character's look reflecting their personality perfectly. Kano in particular has a stellar design, her outfit being exceptional enough to perfectly convey the casual and tomboyish attitude she carries herself with, while not being so out there that it breaks suspension of disbelief.
The show makes great use of it's colour palette, the art feeling striking and visually engaging in pretty much every scene.
The atmosphere is consistently on point, especially with regards to night scenes, having the cool and soothing feeling that every night owl knows and loves. When it wants you to feel calm and relaxed, you feel it. When it wants you to be emotionally invested, you feel it. When it wants you to laugh, you feel it. The art direction consistently matches the tone and vibe of the scene so well that it's a joy to watch.

9/10

Story:

The overarching story is about our ragtag group of talented misfit girls putting their talents to the test to perfect their passion project, the music & animation group JELEE. Each girl has their own individual reason to want JELEE to be the best it can be, and their personal motivations and struggles are tackled one at a time as they slowly learn to navigate their online presence. This is interspersed with side-stories about the girls lives and the people around them, each of which is both fun to watch and important to the characterisation of our main girls and their acquaintances. It's not groundbreaking or nobel literature prize winning, but it's a fresh and enjoyable take on a formula that's long since been exhausted by less talented writers.
The slowly developing relationships between the girls is also a delight to watch, the four of them growing from a haphazard mix of eccentrics to a close knit group of friends in a way that feels both natural and entertaining.

8/10

Overall rating: 8/10. As only 7 episodes have been released so far, we've yet to truly see everything this show has to offer, so a 9/10 would feel premature. But as it stands, it's well on it's way to being one of the best titles the CGDCT genre has seen

TLDR: The characters are great, the art is great, the story is great, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with an interest in slice of life.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 21, 2024

denkisoda

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

YoruKura is a harmless, cute, and easily digestible anime. I liked the theme and vibe for sure, but was disappointed by the screenplay of first three episodes.

YoruKura chose a topic that belongs to this era: the dual identity in virtual and real world. The main characters, who were not happy with their mundane life, acquired new identities through the internet as creators. "If I become someone different, will I get a chance to shine?" This is a topic with so much to explore, yet the first three episodes told the stories of four characters at a surprisingly fast pace that merely scratch the surface. As ... a viewer, I barely had enough time to get to know the characters yet, but was forced to experience their roller-coaster emotion journey: discontent for unremarkable life - emotional for intensified conflict - upbeat for friendship and bright future; and all of these happened within 20 minutes.

Admittedly, it is an energetic and chic “cute girls doing cute things" anime, much like Shibuya at night. Perhaps it’s a representation this era - everything is light and airy, from interpersonal relationships to conflicts. Audiences wouldn’t mind.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Is anyone listening to the behind the scenes after episode discussions with the seiyuu? WatchTillTandava - Jun 10	3 replies	by akatsukinoluna »» 2 hours ago
	Poll: Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 8	104 replies	by Vivid_Rabbit_ »» 11 hours ago
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