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Jan 22, 2015 9:30 PM

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I have never been so confused since the "Jupiter - Beyond the Infinite" part of "2001: A Space Odyssey". Dropped. At least until I watch Utena and Penguindrum...
"People die when they are killed" - Emiya Shirou
Jan 23, 2015 7:16 AM

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Sejin said:
jasque said:
But that way she's fighting against growing up, isn't she?
I mean, Utena never gave up her determination and that was the point that lead her to leaving ohtori at the end of the series so it would be kinda different this time.


I...don't think so? I mean, part of growing up is recognizing what reality is and realizing that you can't just ignore it, but at the same time, another part of growing up is coming to a better understanding of yourself, and how you fit in (or don't) with said reality. "I don't fit in with the world, so screw the world" is definitely childish, but there are other ways to go about resolving something like that that are more grounded. On the other hand, if reality is really terrible, why should you just accept it as is? Why shouldn't you reject it, or seek to do something to change it? Again, there are various ways to go about this, so I tend to think that what determines how grown up a person is in this vein is how they handle such conflicts.


That's right... But maybe shooting the poor bears isn't the answer, and she'll have to learn to love them instead of hating.
Jan 23, 2015 8:26 AM
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From what I understand in this episode, I believe that the practice of Exclusion in the Invisible Storm is a critique on society's way of pushing women to never travel alone at night to stay safe. The mentioning of the Crusades in the classroom further pushed the idea that, along with the fact that the only male in the show is a glamorized judge, society tends to push its awful views on others, and that anyone who doesn't follow society's rules is cast out and pushed away. The girls who are attacked by bears are not only shown as the victims in the show, but also as the cause of their own demise. It is believed by characters that because they traveled alone, they deserved what was coming to them. This is a critique of how people sometimes shame victims of rape. This idea is further defended by the fact that the term "eat" in Japan is sometimes used as slang for sex.
Jan 23, 2015 9:54 AM

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With the episode today the situation becomes clearer ...
COOL ...
now beginning to understand more, although still puzzled about the meaning of the court ...
KIRA KIRA ...
However I realized that between the good and bad, there is little difference ....
Now that's SEXY ...
Drawings excellent ....
SHABA-DA-BU!
Jan 23, 2015 11:51 AM

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Best anime of the Season with Jojo and Cross ange

Jan 23, 2015 1:17 PM

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soulelle said:
This is so good, I can't even!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18997164/shooock-kumashock.mp3
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18997164/kumashock.mp3

A lot has been explained or otherwise confirmed in this episode. And it was absolutely fabulous,
Sabaki no toki ga kita, gau gau!
Sore ga sekshy!!
YURI, SHOOOOOUNIIIIIN!!!!!


Notification tone GET! :-D
Jan 23, 2015 2:10 PM

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Also I find it interesting that in transformation sequence, at the end you have both bear hands turn into human ones, and then Kureha reaching out to them.

This might confirm the theory about perception of sexuality being the perception of "bears". And that if the perception of separation/severance is eventually overcome, bears and humans would be the same, with perceptions of bears being literally monsters created via perception warped by homophobia. .
AhenshihaelJan 23, 2015 2:14 PM
Jan 23, 2015 3:12 PM

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CookingPriest said:
Also I find it interesting that in transformation sequence, at the end you have both bear hands turn into human ones, and then Kureha reaching out to them.

This might confirm the theory about perception of sexuality being the perception of "bears". And that if the perception of separation/severance is eventually overcome, bears and humans would be the same, with perceptions of bears being literally monsters created via perception warped by homophobia. .


Could be, but I don't think there will ever be a fully defining moment but I could be wrong. I think this is just going to be one of those shows that if you don't interpret it that way, it is not going to make as much sense.

Another good episode, looks like Kureha might be "opening her eyes" to her sexuality as previously she has struggled to admit she loved (in the romantic way) another girl, namely Izu.
Jan 23, 2015 4:00 PM

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CookingPriest said:
Also I find it interesting that in transformation sequence, at the end you have both bear hands turn into human ones, and then Kureha reaching out to them.

This might confirm the theory about perception of sexuality being the perception of "bears". And that if the perception of separation/severance is eventually overcome, bears and humans would be the same, with perceptions of bears being literally monsters created via perception warped by homophobia. .


Following this logic, the narration about the planet that explodes with its fragments that landed in Earth giving birth to bears is nothing but a homophobic statement, right? Like, bears being creatures from another planet, isn't it pretty much the same of saying that lesbian women is a species apart from "homo sapiens"?

shawnofthedeadz said:
Another good episode, looks like Kureha might be "opening her eyes" to her sexuality as previously she has struggled to admit she loved (in the romantic way) another girl, namely Izu.


I think she has already opened herself but isn't fully aware about what the bears exactly are. If not that, then she might represent "class s" characters.
surfboard_Jan 23, 2015 4:04 PM
Jan 23, 2015 4:57 PM

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surfboard_ said:
CookingPriest said:
Also I find it interesting that in transformation sequence, at the end you have both bear hands turn into human ones, and then Kureha reaching out to them.

This might confirm the theory about perception of sexuality being the perception of "bears". And that if the perception of separation/severance is eventually overcome, bears and humans would be the same, with perceptions of bears being literally monsters created via perception warped by homophobia. .


Following this logic, the narration about the planet that explodes with its fragments that landed in Earth giving birth to bears is nothing but a homophobic statement, right? Like, bears being creatures from another planet, isn't it pretty much the same of saying that lesbian women is a species apart from "homo sapiens"?

shawnofthedeadz said:
Another good episode, looks like Kureha might be "opening her eyes" to her sexuality as previously she has struggled to admit she loved (in the romantic way) another girl, namely Izu.


I think she has already opened herself but isn't fully aware about what the bears exactly are. If not that, then she might represent "class s" characters.
As I said before, the comet explosion is most likely the sexual revolution while wall of severance is the homophobic backslash.

I'd say the SCHOOL, and the invisible storm, represents the "Class S" - They begin as lilies and then "grow out" into doves(straight).

Kureha wants nothing but BE a lily and plant lilies. The lily garden is essentially her declaration of her sexuality.
Jan 24, 2015 1:11 AM

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jasque said:
Sejin said:


I...don't think so? I mean, part of growing up is recognizing what reality is and realizing that you can't just ignore it, but at the same time, another part of growing up is coming to a better understanding of yourself, and how you fit in (or don't) with said reality. "I don't fit in with the world, so screw the world" is definitely childish, but there are other ways to go about resolving something like that that are more grounded. On the other hand, if reality is really terrible, why should you just accept it as is? Why shouldn't you reject it, or seek to do something to change it? Again, there are various ways to go about this, so I tend to think that what determines how grown up a person is in this vein is how they handle such conflicts.


That's right... But maybe shooting the poor bears isn't the answer, and she'll have to learn to love them instead of hating.


I wasn't thinking that she'd shoot them. What I meant was that it could mean that she's resisting being forced into conforming to either of the two categories simply because someone says that's what she has to do. In the show's terms, it could mean that she's resisting being forcing into either being a lily or being a bear. That doesn't automatically mean she'd shoot the bears.

Also, I came across this great overview of an interview with Ikuhara, Morishima (the woman who's creating the manga), and some of the staff on the show. It's not fully translated, but several of the main points have been summarized.
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Jan 24, 2015 7:23 AM

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Best Episode. Most of things make a lot of senses now.
That is Sexy. Shabadadoo...
Jan 24, 2015 1:02 PM

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Fans of Yurikuma noticed that many locations in the story are extremely closely
modeled on actual places in the Tokyo area. The "school" is actually the Hibiya
Library and Museum which is located in the Chiyoda District of Tokyo. It is, in
fact, in the the shape of an equilateral triangle (three equal sides), just like in
the anime. Many details of its architecture have been closely reproduced.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%AF%94%E8%B0%B7%E5%9B%B3%E6%9B%B8%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E9%A4%A8
http://anitabi.net/blog/2014/11/yurikuma.html
http://kamode.exblog.jp/23307959
https://twitter.com/qqbb5at9k/status/533286809728335873
Jan 24, 2015 4:13 PM

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I think the trick is going to be that everyone is a bear except Kureha and her little girlfriend. yes.
~ ビーせんぱい
We stand in awe of that which cannot be seen, and we respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained.
Jan 25, 2015 2:43 AM

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BTW, I was wondering if we should take the official English title in consideration for our crazy interpretation theories. “Love Bullet” — how does that fit?
Jan 25, 2015 6:42 AM

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@okanagan, interesting stuff you find, lol. Thanks for that.

lalomartins said:
BTW, I was wondering if we should take the official English title in consideration for our crazy interpretation theories. “Love Bullet” — how does that fit?

I don't really know but the name.. it reminds me of Cupid. Kureha with her shotgun as Cupid? Maybe she will revolutionize the world as in removing the Surveillance Barrier and peacefully connecting the world where she lives in and the outside world with the bears. She will make both sides "love" each other, rather than hate.
Wikipedia tells me Cupid is often shown as being the son of the Roman love goddess, Venus. And you know, Kureha has a mother with some major backstory to be revealed? Also from Wikipedia, there is, amusingly, a tale about Cupid and bees and honey. But I didn't really read much into the Cupid myth...
Just some thoughts without clear ties. :P
PabilsagJan 25, 2015 6:50 AM
Jan 25, 2015 11:24 AM

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LOVE BULLET

Okay, so what about "Love Bullet"? I'll leave it up to other people to speculate
about what was going inside Ikuhara's mind when he came up with these words.
From what I have seen so far, Ikuhara has not given an official explanation. But
what interested me was to see what various Japanese-language sources are
saying about the words "Love Bullet".

Okay, first of all please leave aside the topic of the "Official English Title". The
most exciting thing is surely to try to see the meaning of Yurikuma through the
eyes of Japanese viewers. On the other hand, it is certainly a legitimate question
to analyze the associations made by English-speaking fans. But I won't do that.

A key point is that "LOVE BULLET" (always indicated in all capital letters) is
an official thing associated with the production company. The official logo, in
whatever version you find it, always, always, always includes the words
"LOVE BULLET". As well, it always includes the words "YURIKUMA ARASHI".
In between, it always includes a symbol that clearly represents a bullet fired
from a gun. But that is the logo. A separate issue is the title.

In terms of the official title, it appears that there are three officially-approved
options:

ユリ熊嵐
ユリくまあらし
LOVE BULLET→YURIKUMA ARASHI

My first guess was that "LOVE BULLET→YURIKUMA ARASHI" is kind of like a
"subtitle". However, nobody ever calls it that. Also, please note that they always
use the arrow symbol (→) in between. In Japanese-language discussions, there
are very, very few exceptions. They don't use a colon. In some cases, they just
leave a space.

In English-language sources, they most often write the full title as "Love Bullet:
Yuri Kuma Arashi", with the upper and lower case as indicated. Less often it is
written "Love Bullet: Yurikuma Arashi". But I can't find any official indication
that either of these is the "official English title". In any case, I will guess the
English-language title is not of primary interest to hardcore fans here.

Okay, so what do Japanese-speaking fans think about the words "LOVE BULLET"?

It is being mentioned fairly often. Clearly, people feel curious or bothered by its
significance, such as the author of this August 25th review article in Dengeki
magazine who frankly admitted:
タイトルロゴにある「LOVE BULLET」という文字が気になるところ……
Taitoru rogo ni aru "LOVE BULLET" to iu moji ga ki ni naru tokoro……
"I feel puzzled by the words "LOVE BULLET" which appear in the title logo."
http://gs.dengeki.com/news/11233/

One thing that is being repeated many, many times is the meaning of the words
"LOVE BULLET". Ordinary fans are uniformly interpreting it as:

愛の弾丸
ai no dangan

愛 = love
の = of .. (okay, well, not quite)
弾丸 = bullet

So they'll write something on a blog like "LOVE BULLET=愛の弾丸", but they are
not adding any additional speculation or discussion, in most cases.

The phrase "愛の弾丸" can be fairly translated as "the bullet of love". To get a
bit more pedantic, this is saying that love (as a thing, a noun) has a bullet
somehow associated with it. 愛の弾丸 is the bullet which is associated with love.

Here are a couple of examples of real-life cases of "LOVE BULLET=愛の弾丸":
http://2log.sc/r/2ch.sc/morningcoffee/1409044613/-99--50
http://helloprot.blog.jp/archives/11900996.html
http://hayabusa3.2ch.sc/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1409044613/

For an English speaker to look at the words "LOVE BULLET", "LOVE" is an
adjective that modifies the noun "BULLET". In Japanese, 愛の弾丸 does not
mean "a loving bullet" or "an affectionate bullet". "Loving" and "affectionate"
would be adjectives. So we might have a psychologically-different concept of
"LOVE BULLET" than Japanese fans do. (...or maybe not...)

As well, at least some Japanese fans might have very specific associations with
the phrase 愛の弾丸. There is a song titled sometimes as "Ai no Dangan" and
sometimes as "愛の弾丸". I don't know who originally sang it, but you can
find versions by "Berryz" (a.k.a. Berryz Koubou / Berryz工房 / Berryz Kobo ).
It's easy to find them on YouTube.

There was just one person who took the 銀 kanji from Ginko's name, which
literally means "silver", and combined it with the word "BULLET" to make the
phrase 銀の弾丸 which means "a silver bullet". That was as far as the analysis
went. See here:
http://pool09.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-15.html

A few Japanese fans may make the association with an electromechanical device
which is called a 愛の弾丸. It isn't always called a 愛の弾丸, but quite often it
is. In any case, it has the shape of a prolate spheroid, is typically made of plastic
and has a small but powerful electric motor inside. The axle of the electric motor
is attached to an offset heavy metal weight. The plastic is pink, most often. I
don't know how else to describe it.
okanaganJan 25, 2015 11:38 AM
Jan 25, 2015 11:35 AM

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I'm pretty sure it means nothing at all and its just there to fit Japan's fascination with flashy words, pop and cuteness.
Jan 25, 2015 11:47 AM

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okanagan said:
(a veritable treatise)


I wish MAL had a “like” button so we could appropriately react to comments like this without spamming the thread with “wow” replies.
Jan 25, 2015 1:18 PM

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lalomartins said:
okanagan said:
(a veritable treatise)


I wish MAL had a “like” button so we could appropriately react to comments like this without spamming the thread with “wow” replies.


This.

Also, being a native English speaker, I just wanted to add my two cents on understanding or interpretations of the "Love Bullet" part of the show's title. When I see the phrase "Love Bullet", the more immediate thought that comes to mind is that it's a "bullet of love". This actually sort of includes the "loving bullet" interpretation as well. "Love Bullet" is reasonably specific, but still vague enough to leave some room for interpretation as to what that actually means in the context of the show. I don't make any distinction between a "love bullet" being a "bullet of love" or a "loving bullet". In my mind, all three mean the same thing. I guess you could go into incredibly specific nit-picky semantics, but to me that doesn't make sense given the nature of the show (vague and abstract).

My guess at this point is that it has something to do with the development that Kureha will undergo over the course of the show in terms of what decision that development will lead her to make. It could also have something to do with the fact that she always brings her gun with her when going to confront the bears on the school rooftop, but that's incredibly speculative on my part at this point.
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Jan 25, 2015 2:42 PM
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surfboard_ said:
I'm pretty sure it means nothing at all and its just there to fit Japan's fascination with flashy words, pop and cuteness.


No, it will end up meaning something. Kureha being able to shoot a bear is a metaphor about her love. That is why she practice shooting them, why she continues to be called to the roof top to shoot a bear, and why she continues to miss (except when aided by the love of the one bear).

It's a metaphor, just like invisible was a metaphor (of not be the nail that sticks out), and invisible storm was a metaphor (for the hammer pounding that nail back down (which in Japan usually is a form of social ostracization. Ultimately I think the "love bullet" will be when Kureha is finally able to let go of loved ones who have died (in this case both her mother and her classmate). The love bullet will be what allows her to free herself from her grief (while maintaining the love she had).
Jan 25, 2015 3:03 PM
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That's it. Dropped.
Jan 26, 2015 2:09 AM

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Sejin said:
but that's incredibly speculative on my part at this point.

Jan 26, 2015 6:26 AM

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In the past few hours, they have tweeted out two extremely weird-looking preview
images from Episode 4:
(Be warned that these are spoilers, and you should not look at these images while
you are eating for fear of choking. Or at least a spit take.)
https://twitter.com/yurikuma_anime/status/559648714889768961
https://twitter.com/animate_tv/status/559667070711779328
Also, today they published a 3-page article in Animate.TV which has more images:
www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1422265474&p=1
www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1422265474&p=2 ← Five images are here.
www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1422265474&p=3

Episode 4 will air on TOKYO MX starting one hour from now.
okanaganJan 26, 2015 6:35 AM
Jan 26, 2015 6:35 AM

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okanagan said:
In the past few hours, they have tweeted out two extremely weird-looking preview
images from Episode 4:
(Be warned that these are spoilers, and you should not look at these images while
you are eating for fear of choking. Or at least a spit take.)
https://twitter.com/yurikuma_anime/status/559648714889768961
https://twitter.com/animate_tv/status/559667070711779328

This is probably in response to people who thought they were starting to understand the show. Ikuhara: “HAHAHAHAHA think again” *wears trollface mask”
Jan 26, 2015 6:51 AM

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Through the official website, the series producers have released some information
about Episode 4. So I guess the expectation is that fans in Japan are supposed to
read this in advance of viewing the episode. I guess it will help them to know what
is going on. Here is an abbreviated summary of what they announced:


40 minutes to go before Episode 4 airs in Tokyo.
Jan 26, 2015 1:13 PM
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It's amazing how this show outdoes itself every week. The soundtrack and how it's applied to every scene is simply perfect. The random "The lily opens!" line cracked me up. Never change, you little eccentric show.

The Exclusion Ceremony scene gave me chills with how the selection of the people the students wanted to exclude from their group/society was executed so matter-of-factly and with so much precision as they metaphorically float above the clouds like birds (reinforcing the bears vs birds imagery) in order to hunt down everyone who doesn't fit the mold. A healthy dose of victim-shaming, too, with how Sumika was deemed to have brought her demise upon herself.

Since Eriko, the girl leading the Exclusion Ceremony, was introduced as "Yuri", she's probably another bear in disguse (or in the making?) aka lesbian in the closet and, considering her rant against people differing from the majority, she's probably supposed to represent the homophobes with suppressed homosexual tendencies (the religious preachers who rally against homosexuality and get outed in a same-sex scandal themselves later on comes to mind).

I feel like the same applies to Mitsuko to some extent (notice how quickly she corrects Kureha on saying that Konomi, the girl/bear she killed last week, is not her girlfriend but rather only a friend whereas the opposite is probably the case judging from their intimate interactions during the last episode).

Also, thinking about her comment about how being friends with someone requires one to be inferior to the other, I suspect it also alludes to Ginko and Lulu's relationship a bit. After all, Lulu's attraction to Ginko seems fairly one-sided at this point plus she wears maid attire in bear form while Ginko wears a crown. Their uneven status might prove to be problematic in the future.
Jan 27, 2015 8:43 PM

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I just don't even know O_O
[/quote]
Jan 28, 2015 5:32 AM
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i wish they wouldn't reuse so many scenes from the past episodes
Jan 28, 2015 9:06 AM

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when you told the girls not to go anywhere without their friends, they don't listen, quite realistic :)

still not sure the "eating" is what we really think it is...
Jan 28, 2015 11:46 PM

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New: LILY DARKUUU!!!!


Jan 29, 2015 3:21 PM

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I'm really enjoying this.

I have no idea where it's going to go.... excellent.

The atmosphere and symbolism are great PLUS yurilove and bears.
Jan 29, 2015 10:09 PM

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datboishagg said:
i wish they wouldn't reuse so many scenes from the past episodes

Not as bad as Utena.
added the fourth most popular anime onto this site
Feb 22, 2015 10:40 PM

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Was the scene from the end of episode one where Yurizono saw the other two bear/girls eating Sumika a lie?
Mar 31, 2015 12:44 AM

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For some reason I really enjoyed this episode...

No idea what I am really watching but it's entertaining.

Lots of talk of love in this episode. Which I enjoyed. Again not sure why.
Mar 31, 2015 8:31 AM
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G_Spark233 said:
For some reason I really enjoyed this episode...

No idea what I am really watching but it's entertaining.

Lots of talk of love in this episode. Which I enjoyed. Again not sure why.


You watching the dub? Really dug Caitlin Glass' performance as Mitsuko Yurizono on the roof. Still put off by the voice chosen for Lulu, but the delivery is spot-on.
Mar 15, 2016 3:56 PM

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isn't love bullet a kind of sex toy?
Sep 20, 2016 11:27 AM

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Just when I thought this show had started ot make snece... NOPE
Jun 13, 2019 6:35 PM
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Another brilliant episode. Really hammers in the idea that the student must conform to being "phantoms" and only "friends". Sumika had it coming because she accepted her feelings, and now Kureha is in trouble for the same thing.
Jul 16, 2021 3:10 PM
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When you begin to understand all those metaphors, the show starts to make more sense.

Also, Kuma Shock!

SerafosJan 2, 10:34 PM
Sep 16, 2023 9:14 PM
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I have really stron feeling about this anime, is like super weird but I LOVE IT, its amazing i swear, i have no idea how this anime can be so... good
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