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Feb 9, 2015 7:03 PM

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mwsmws22 said:

Black lilies means "Love", "Curse", sometimes it also symbolizes "Death".
Feb 9, 2015 7:14 PM

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juventus95 said:

Homophobia is complex. I think you're just looking at it from 'black' and 'white' point of view. There are gay people with internalized homophobia. Gay people were taught and told many times that heterosexuality is the only right way, and their love is sinful. Not all of them buy into that, but some feel ashamed, some experience mental distress, etc. There are some who deny their sexual orientation, try to confirm to society. They even go as far to discriminate against other gays and want gays purged (except themselves). Not too long ago, people found out several homophobic politicians have gay lovers.

Karol is that type of person. She dresses differently compared to others, but she's so eager to join the Invisible Storm and conform to the majority. And she has some kind of intimacy with another girl in a secluded room. I believe nobody in the school really thinks she's gay since she's so against it.


Hmm, You are right of course. It's possible she is a case of one who has no shame in her own homosexual acts but still acts out against others. Though that would just make her a hypocritical bitch. Those kinds of people do exist though. Honestly I think this would just be solved if they fleshed out her character better, they make the bullies appear to be so 1-dimensional.

Still, that doesn't really answer my point, being why they considered Kureha evil before she even did anything the least bit homosexual. Unless helping someone find a hairpin is considered homosexual now. Different from the norm? Yes, that was portrayed. Homosexual? No. As I said too, I don't think Sumika and Kureha were even lovers, as Sumika said in the letter, "The person standing in front of you is your new friend.", they were just friends sharing a similar hobby that was looked down upon by the Invisible Storm, like how bullies look down on groups of outcasts who are into things they view as stupid or worthless(hence why they call Kureha's love(Flowerbed) worthless and superficial. At the beginning of the first episode, Kureha and Sumika stated that they could be alone and experience their love together in privacy. To me, after this episode, that is them saying, "It's okay, the bullies are elsewhere, we can do what we like now", that being taking care of the flower bed.
Feb 9, 2015 7:16 PM

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Very interesting insight on Kureha's and Ginko's past
Feb 9, 2015 7:20 PM

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CookingPriest said:
scruffykiwi said:


The invisible storm is NOTHING to do with homophobia and this episode pretty much confirms it. Kureha was up for being the one excluded from the group long before there was any relationship between her and Sumika. Her 'crime' as observed by the group was not to ignore Sumika and instead help her, ie to 'stand out from the crowd'.


So in short it was forming a relationship with Sumika.

Yes it is about homophobia, this episode proves it. THey suspected her as "gay" and they bullied her for that and for not backing down on her love and becoming invisible(dove/straight) You have a problem with that?


The problem I have with this being all about homophobia is not that I don't think homophobia is a problem (it is especially in Japan), but just that there is no evidence for this in the show. The Invisible storm seems to pick on people simply because they stand out, they 'cannot read the mood' as is often repeated in their selection scenes. All Kureha did was go to the aid of a girl she did not know unlike all the others who were simply watching because they 'didn't want to get involved' with someone doing something slightly out of the norm.

Japan in particular has a very strong social contract and THAT is what I think this show is all about. Making it about homophobia makes it much smaller.
scruffykiwiFeb 9, 2015 7:29 PM
Feb 9, 2015 8:00 PM

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And the mirror thing could be simple symbolism for risking your own image for the sake of your love.
Kinda like Sumika did to try to protect Kureha on the evil-search by targetting herself:
Feb 9, 2015 8:07 PM
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juventus95 said:
Homophobia is complex.


No, it really isn't. Hatred isn't complex. Calling it complex gives it more dignity than it deserves.

juventus95 said:
There are gay people with internalized homophobia.


This is very true, it explains the bizarre, yet unarguable connection between fascism and homosexuality. I am a firm believer in normalizing Homosexuality specifically for this reason: suppressing it creates horrific reactions. Better to let people be honest, open, and free.

juventus95 said:
Gay people were taught and told many times that heterosexuality is the only right way, and their love is sinful.


I have to stop you there. That is a Christian view of homosexuality, it does not apply to most of the rest of the world (and even in Christianity this is due to the general distrust of ANY physical relationship, which is why procreation is the only legitimate reason to have sex). But this is not true of Japan. Japanese Samurai were often homosexuals, and there was little stigma against them. In Japan it isn't homosexuality per se that is wrong, but supporting the needs of the family.

juventus95 said:
Karol is that type of person. She dresses differently compared to others, but she's so eager to join the Invisible Storm and conform to the majority.


In this case I think you put the cart before the horse. Kaoru doesn't conform to the majority, she controls the majority. In this case she would be more like those "conservative" politicians who say one thing to gain power, but do the opposite behind close doors.

But I think this is a misreading of Kaoru. Her lover (the principal) is the one controlling things here. Removing homosexuality from the discussion, a teacher (not to mention the Principal) sleeping with a student (regardless of gender) is wrong. It's exploitative regardless of the sexual orientation. And in this case it seems clear that the Principal sent Kaoru to "destroy" Kureha. Considering that Kaoru is still a minor, one can definitely argue that she is still the innocent here.

This is where the "homophobic" interpretation breaks down. The one "authority" figure we have been shown, the only person who could actually be "homophobic", isn't acting like one. She is using her authority to exploit the girls under her control. Unless one wants to normalize pedophilia, the Principal, again regardless of her orientation, is evil.
Feb 9, 2015 8:57 PM

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Kureha seems prepared to warm up to Ginko.

I like where this is going.
Feb 9, 2015 9:55 PM

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Ah, I liked this episode! The visuals for the story of The Moon Girl and the Forest Girls were just lovely. I think the end of that story really reinforced the idea of bringing harm onto yourself just for the sake of love. I think its pretty indisputable that Moon Girl=Kureha and Forest Girl=Ginko. One thing that really interested me about the story was Kumalia. Kumalia's the meteorite that caused all the bears to eat people, no? In that version of Kumalia, it could only affect the bears, but in this version of Kumalia, she had authority over both humans and bears. Additionally, this version of Kumalia seems to have made, or at least upholds the wall of severance, while in what we know to be reality, it is humanity that keeps up the wall of severance. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, but perhaps this means the wall of severance is more than just a human construction? Perhaps it will be revealed the bears had a part in making it as well, or perhaps some greater force, even! I'm still not sure about any of that, but just some food for thought.
I wonder who this lover of whats-her-face the mean girl is. I know many other people have mentioned this before, but it still interests me that every single female we've seen in this show seems to be a lesbian. Makes me think this show's primary concern isn't lesbian acceptance, as everyone, pure hero or villain, is a lesbian.
Also, the subs I use finally translated the OP and ED! Love the lyrics. They're very fairy-tailish, and romantic. Perfectly befitting to the show itself.
Feb 9, 2015 10:12 PM

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So...a lot of stuff got teased/revealed this episode.

We know that Kureha's mom is now even MORE involved in the story. With her little children's book being a metaphor for Kureha's current situation, while also basically being her mother's documented history in book form.

We also know that in the past, it was most likely Kureha's mom as the moon girl, and the headmistress/principal lady was the forest girl (bear). She's also probably the one pulling the strings, and it also looked like her body was the naked body talking with Kaoru. Further proof that it's Yurika, is because the only person who could know that Ginko is a bear, is someone who knows about Kureha's mom and her pendant, being worn by Ginko.

This also raises a bunch of questions now. Since Ginko has the pendant...how did she get it? In the story, Kureha's mom drops the pendant and it's picked up by the bear. Now, before the bear is able to break the wall and give the pendant back, Kureha's mom is eaten by a bear and the story ends. We also know that in the picture of Kureha and her mom, (with her mom wearing the pendant) the full picture actually has Ginko in it. So Ginko met them before her mom died. Actually, Ginko met them BEFORE mom lost her pendant.

So...who was the bear that Kureha's mom was trying to have a promised kiss with? Was it the principal? Or was it another bear, and the principal ate mom? Was Ginko a criminal bear before she crossed the wall because she witnessed Kureha's mom being eaten and just watched; just like she's a criminal bear for watching Sumiko? Did someone leave the pendant with the body? Did Ginko steal it? The bear who picked up the pendant when Kureha's mom dropped it couldn't have been Ginko, because she was still a child then, which is why she loves Kureha.

If headmaster Yurika is the one pulling the strings...why? If she didn't kill Kureha's mom, and is genuinely upset that she lost her chance to love the mom, then why would she go out of her way to absolutely destroy Kureha? What is her true objective?

Also who is this Kumalia goddess? It seems like she was a real entity during Kureha's mothers time. Did she die when planet Kumalia blew up? Because now it seems like Life Sexy and the other bears were repeating a lot of what the goddess said in the book. So perhaps the Life Bears and the Yuri Court took the place of the Kumalia goddess?

Still definitely more questions than answers so far.
Feb 9, 2015 10:19 PM

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I wonder how Sumika knew Ginko and Lulu would be Kureha's friends?

Could she be Kamilia-sama?? The one that brought the Moon girl and Forest girl together in the book?

Those girls from the Invisible storm will never understand Kureha and Ginko's love.

Poor Flowerbed TwT
Feb 9, 2015 11:36 PM

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I've given up on understanding the meaning/symbolism. The one thing I'm reasonably sure Ikuhara intends with this show is for us to only understand what it was about in retrospect, after it's over (or possibly during the last episode if he's feeling generous). It's probably going to be more fun this way; just relax, enjoy the ride, and then once it's finished and we had our “aha” moment, rewatch.

mwsmws22 said:

But if we're getting to that level of visual metaphor, this is not the place where humans and bears meet — it's where they part. Or maybe even where you decide which one you are.
Feb 10, 2015 12:48 AM

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I am more and more confused about everything...

...maybe lily flower, bear, storm are symbols of different ideal, different way to handle things, so you might play the role of a human in certain situation, but can also play the role of a bear in another situation/occasion,
And you might be a victim of the "transparent storm", but also a creater of the storm, in different situation...
Feb 10, 2015 2:29 PM

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I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was Yurizono who told Kaoru that Ginko and Lulu are bears. It might be her. It might be the principal. It might be someone else entirely, who we're not expecting.

Yangbojian said:
I am more and more confused about everything...

...maybe lily flower, bear, storm are symbols of different ideal, different way to handle things, so you might play the role of a human in certain situation, but can also play the role of a bear in another situation/occasion,
And you might be a victim of the "transparent storm", but also a creater of the storm, in different situation...


I'm inclined to agree with this. The show has shown a number of examples of dealing with societal expectations and roles, as well as the malleability of how we can present ourselves and of how that affects how we're perceived by others.

Keten said:
Also, I am not even sure Kureha and Sumika were even in a relationship like that in the first place


Umm...


Not to mention all the food-metaphor talk in the first episode.

juventus95 said:
Homophobia is complex. I think you're just looking at it from 'black' and 'white' point of view. There are gay people with internalized homophobia. Gay people were taught and told many times that heterosexuality is the only right way, and their love is sinful. Not all of them buy into that, but some feel ashamed, some experience mental distress, etc. There are some who deny their sexual orientation, try to confirm to society. They even go as far to discriminate against other gays and want gays purged (except themselves). Not too long ago, people found out several homophobic politicians have gay lovers.

Karol is that type of person. She dresses differently compared to others, but she's so eager to join the Invisible Storm and conform to the majority. And she has some kind of intimacy with another girl in a secluded room. I believe nobody in the school really thinks she's gay since she's so against it.


Yes, thank you so much! This, this, this!

At this point I'm honestly not really sure where I stand on how much I think the show is or isn't about homophobia (at least in part), but I couldn't agree more with your "people are complex" point. A lot of the talk in this thread seems like it doesn't recognize the complexity inherent in people being people and is painting all sorts of things in broad, simplistic strokes.

AnimeFan500 said:
I wonder how Sumika knew Ginko and Lulu would be Kureha's friends?


I don't think she did. I think the actual intent of the letter was that Kaoru would be the one standing in front of Kureha when she read it, which fits with the bargain that Sumika and Kaoru had arranged between themselves. It was just that, given what Ginko had just done for her, Kureha looked at Ginko and Lulu in a new light, making Sumika's words in the letter take on a different meaning than what Sumika expected or intended.

@Takuan_Soho: I responded to a number of your comments, and it got kinda long, so for the sake of organization and trying to limit clutter in the thread, I spoiler-tagged what I quoted from you and my responses:

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Feb 10, 2015 3:17 PM

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CookingPriest said:
So as thought the Invisible Storm represents the herd mentality of society perceiving Class-S relationships of homosexuality as "special friendship" that you grow out of, while actual bonafide homosexual love is harassed and bullied against.

I am guessing the teacher is the person whose face was not shown and she is manipulating the invisible storm group to hide her own preferences(and most likely killed Kureha's mother to hide her own preferences).

Also this confirms the idea of Sumika being part of the invisible girls but at the same time someone who wanted to come out but got peer pressured into conforming thus dying.


The tale told also was interesting. Still did not fully wrap my head around it.


I get those symbolisms but what do the presence of the Bears and The wall symbolize?
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Feb 10, 2015 3:36 PM

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Sejin said:

Umm...


Not to mention all the food-metaphor talk in the first episode.


What does that prove? They were naked in a bed together looking at a picture book. Yes, in our world that's considered sexual and homoerotic but the world of Yuri Kuma Arashi is quite clearly very different.

There is a blurred line between Friend and Lover in the world of the show. Look how Lulu acts towards Ginko. Lulu clearly established that she is Ginko's friend and only follows her because she wants Ginko to fulfill her goal in her place, yet she constantly asks her if she wants to nibble on her, rubs her face against her ass and showers with her and stuff. They never show Sumika and Kureha kiss or have implied sex like they did with the Invisible Storm leader and the mystery woman.

Also, I want to point out that Ginko licked Kureha's cheek and she pretty much acted as if it was a somewhat normal thing to do. Even when Ginko knocked her onto her back and was from our perspective, seducing her, Kureha acted as if what was happening to her was completely fine. If she was truly in legitimate LOVE with Sumika, shouldn't Ginko's advances make her much more uncomfortable and angry?

My guess is that the reason Friend and Lover are so interchangeable in this show is because Ikuhara wanted to get across that True Love is when you love someone for who they are and not who they pretend to be and that True Love can be applied to lovers, friends and family the same way(Hence showing Lulu's backdrop with her brother, Sumika and Kureha's friendship and the lovers of the Leader and the Mystery woman).

To be Invisible is to give up on love, to change yourself to fit in with the crowd. Your friendships are not genuine, they are fake. Thus metaphorically speaking, you are alone. To be true to yourself and not give up on love means any friends you do get would be true friends, thus you are not alone. At least I think that's what he's trying to get across. This is what I am getting from the show anyway and I think it's rather interesting.
Feb 10, 2015 5:13 PM

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abyss333 said:
CookingPriest said:
So as thought the Invisible Storm represents the herd mentality of society perceiving Class-S relationships of homosexuality as "special friendship" that you grow out of, while actual bonafide homosexual love is harassed and bullied against.

I am guessing the teacher is the person whose face was not shown and she is manipulating the invisible storm group to hide her own preferences(and most likely killed Kureha's mother to hide her own preferences).

Also this confirms the idea of Sumika being part of the invisible girls but at the same time someone who wanted to come out but got peer pressured into conforming thus dying.


The tale told also was interesting. Still did not fully wrap my head around it.


I get those symbolisms but what do the presence of the Bears and The wall symbolize?


Wall is separation between repression of self(conform to society's rules, sexual preferences, societal norms, etc) and freedom of self(you want something you do it, you love someone you seek them out, you hate someone you attack them, etc), essentially two polar extremes of human self.

Bears in that extent would be unrepresented expression of self, be it negative or positive aspects of it.

A lot of people think that it represents Kureha's own struggle in perceiving the world and is the result of the traumatic experience she suffered regarding her mother's death. That is supported by the symbolis surrounding Kureha's house and the fact that the world lore seems to coincide with story Kureha's mother was writing.
Feb 10, 2015 6:50 PM

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it's more than obvious that ginko ate kureha's mom how else could she have that pendant?, and not only that but she even watched quietly while kureha's friend was being eaten, if kureha finds out.....she'll shoot ginko without thinking it twice -_-
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Feb 10, 2015 7:12 PM

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Poor Kureha. Someone should tell those girls that birthday parties were meant to be fun.
Feb 10, 2015 7:43 PM

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SoonaxUchiha02 said:
it's more than obvious that ginko ate kureha's mom how else could she have that pendant?, and not only that but she even watched quietly while kureha's friend was being eaten, if kureha finds out.....she'll shoot ginko without thinking it twice -_-


There are TWO pendants. One is in the music box. But yes she would be rightly pissed if she knew that Ginko did nothing to prevent her lovers death.
Feb 10, 2015 8:00 PM

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That was a good episode.
I thought the class was going to burn her alive for a minute. Scary.
Feb 10, 2015 8:03 PM
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I still have some faith in Ginko despite what's been shown in the last scene. Ginko said to Lulu she was a criminal bear before they crossed the wall, so maybe she wanted to save Sumika but she was late? If Ginko actually let Sumika die, then Ginko's and Kureha's relationship may turn out to be something like "I'm gonna love you until you hate me." :D
Feb 10, 2015 8:07 PM
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scruffykiwi said:
There are TWO pendants. One is in the music box. But yes she would be rightly pissed if she knew that Ginko did nothing to prevent her lovers death.


True, but that is where atonement comes into play. Ginko knows that she failed, which is why she calls herself a criminal, not once, but probably twice (my guess was that she was too late to save Kureha's mother and Sumika either time). So in this regard the show is about redemption. In willing to burn herself to save Sumika's memento, Ginko has made a great step towards being forgiven.

This is why I can't see the "male bear council" as being evil. They were the ones who both warned, and gave, Ginko about the chance for redemption.
Feb 10, 2015 8:18 PM

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SoonaxUchiha02 said:
it's more than obvious that ginko ate kureha's mom how else could she have that pendant?, and not only that but she even watched quietly while kureha's friend was being eaten, if kureha finds out.....she'll shoot ginko without thinking it twice -_-


Its more likely that Ginko did not prevent the mother's death, just like Sumika's. That would fit the pattern of repetition.
juventus95 said:
I still have some faith in Ginko despite what's been shown in the last scene. Ginko said to Lulu she was a criminal bear before they crossed the wall, so maybe she wanted to save Sumika but she was late? If Ginko actually let Sumika die, then Ginko's and Kureha's relationship may turn out to be something like "I'm gonna love you until you hate me." :D


The scene with Ginko happened way before Sumika's death. I am thinking she was referring to not preventing the Kureha mother's death.

Which would mean that she would know WHO killed her.

And if it is the principal and she saw Ginko then, she WOULD know she is a bear, so it would explain how garter-girl knew Ginko is a bear too(if the principal is the one she is secretly sleeping with).

As for whole "I want you for myself" - i am beginning to think a lot of that is Ginko's self-loathing from not preventing those two deaths.
Feb 10, 2015 11:27 PM
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Takuan_Soho said:
scruffykiwi said:
There are TWO pendants. One is in the music box. But yes she would be rightly pissed if she knew that Ginko did nothing to prevent her lovers death.


True, but that is where atonement comes into play. Ginko knows that she failed, which is why she calls herself a criminal, not once, but probably twice (my guess was that she was too late to save Kureha's mother and Sumika either time). So in this regard the show is about redemption. In willing to burn herself to save Sumika's memento, Ginko has made a great step towards being forgiven.

This is why I can't see the "male bear council" as being evil. They were the ones who both warned, and gave, Ginko about the chance for redemption.


That makes sense. She risks herself to save Sumika's letter. She could have let the letter burn and taken Kureha away from danger. It looks like she's willing to sacrifice herself at that moment.
Feb 11, 2015 12:37 AM
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Given how this show make a point of reversing every expectation, I'm thinking we're all wrong about why Ginko is a Crimibear.

After all, is it not natural for a bear to eat a human? Why then would a bear be labeled a criminal for watching another bear eat?

I'm thinking Ginko is perhaps a Crimibear for resenting the bears that took Kureha's loved ones away, even though by bear standards what they were doing was perfectly normal.

It would be interesting if these two cases were also court approved. We could have Ginko secretly despising the court for allowing this, while at the same time making use of the same traditions to get revenge for Kureha's sake. It would work well with eh idea that the court (which seemingly IS the severance barrier) is the final obstacle that needs to be overcome.

To put it another way, you have the severance court on the Bear's side playing a role similar to the Invisible storm on the human's side. Both are bad aspects of their societies that keept eh status quo form changing. We're only seeing the court as a good thing for now because Lulu and Ginko are abusing it.
XerainFeb 11, 2015 12:44 AM
Feb 11, 2015 1:31 AM

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I think i actually understood some parts of this ep, i think.

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Feb 11, 2015 2:57 AM

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Wow, this was millions times better than episode 5. It ended way too fast.

I'm excited for next episode. Things are starting to clear up!

Feb 11, 2015 3:07 AM

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Uh, yeah.. We were just reading . . .. . .Yeah, right...



So, are Kureha and Sumika friends or lovers? .Here are some relevant scenes:

Under the blanket together, in front of the fireplace:
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/anico_bin/imgs/a/5/a531cf6f.jpg
Together on the bed, feet sticking out of comforter:
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/anico_bin/imgs/e/4/e4bdeba8.jpg
Together on the bed, reading the story book together:
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/anico_bin/imgs/f/8/f8420335.jpg

Even before the series first aired, there was background information about each
character posted on the official website. Probably many of you would prefer not
to know all of these things, but instead figure them out on your own. However,
what it says is . . .

I believe that, in the entire history of "Central-element Yuri" broadcast TV
anime series, there is no previous case when two sympathetically-presented
main characters ever got past first base.

"Bad girls" might be seen doing "bad things". A "bad girl" might be seen doing
"bad things" to a "good girl". There might be some background characters doing
some stuff. I am ruling out OVAs and so on that weren't actually broadcast on
TV.

Given that Ikuhara surely knows this, there is no way that Kureha and Sumika
actually "did it". Right? They are both good girls. We fell in love with both of
them in Episode 1 because of their purity. I mean, there's no way. Right?

- - - - - - - -

You can't see her wearing her iPhone earphones under that white bonnet, but
Kureha tweeted that the OP extended version (length = 04:25) is now available
for download on iTunes for only 250 Yen. (Sorry, but I couldn't find a webpage
written in English, and I have never downloaded iTunes songs myself before.)
https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/tvanime-yuri-xiong-lan-opuningutema/id961500551

Or else you can wait for Feb 25th when the same song goes on sale as a CD,
along with three other tracks, such as the no-vocal version of the extended OP.
It looks like you can order it on this English-language webpage here. Ordering
outside of Japan should not be a problem, since I purchased from them recently.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00QPIMT96/axive-22
Feb 11, 2015 7:32 AM

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Hmm, perhaps they are a couple then. Thing is, I have difficulty catching on to it because of how personal space is treated in this world. Like I said, Ginko puts Kureha on her back and licks her face yet Kureha seemed perfectly okay with it despite being so against her even entering her house before. Also, they use the word "Friend" a bit too often as well. They could just mean they are both friends AND lovers though.

It doesn't help when they use love in relation to the flowerbed as well so I assumed when Kureha and Sumika say they love each other, it implied a true connection through their love, that being the flowerbed, Kureha's personal hobby that made her different from everyone else, thus Sumika liked her for her, not for who she was pretending to be, a true friendship. The world is already so over the top and weird with everything it does that it's hard to differentiate between when they are saying something in a metaphorical sense and a literal sense.

Of course, them being in love works too in this sense but I thought the line of friend and lover was purposely blurred to imply that it doesn't matter if you are a friend or a lover, if you don't like each other for who they are, then it's not legitimate. Hence why the Invisible Storm don't experience true love because they only like those who join the crowd and aren't true to themselves.

I still stand by my Invisible Storm interpretation though. I don't think it has to do with Homophobia per say and more so just bullies picking on those who are different. I could be wrong though and I need more fleshing out on the Invisible Storm before I can confirm.
KetenFeb 11, 2015 7:36 AM
Feb 11, 2015 9:01 AM

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Keten said:
Hmm, perhaps they are a couple then. Thing is, I have difficulty catching on to it because of how personal space is treated in this world. Like I said, Ginko puts Kureha on her back and licks her face yet Kureha seemed perfectly okay with it despite being so against her even entering her house before. Also, they use the word "Friend" a bit too often as well. They could just mean they are both friends AND lovers though.

face licking was Ginko's delusion.

Kureha pretty much backed the fuck away when that happened in reality.


It doesn't help when they use love in relation to the flowerbed as well so I assumed when Kureha and Sumika say they love each other, it implied a true connection through their love, that being the flowerbed, Kureha's personal hobby that made her different from everyone else, thus Sumika liked her for her, not for who she was pretending to be, a true friendship. The world is already so over the top and weird with everything it does that it's hard to differentiate between when they are saying something in a metaphorical sense and a literal sense.

Flower bed is representation of the sexuality. The fact that it is lillies(jp: Yuri) says it all.

I still stand by my Invisible Storm interpretation though. I don't think it has to do with Homophobia per say and more so just bullies picking on those who are different. I could be wrong though and I need more fleshing out on the Invisible Storm before I can confirm.

homosexuality IS different so they ARE being homophobic. It is just not all they are bullying.
Feb 11, 2015 10:56 AM

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CookingPriest said:

Kureha pretty much backed the fuck away when that happened in reality.


Wait... what? So that never happened? But then the one girl knocked on the door and they had that showdown and Ginko and Lulu jumped out the window and in a later episode it showed that the window was indeed broken. How do you know that was all in her head?


Flower bed is representation of the sexuality. The fact that it is lillies(jp: Yuri) says it all.


Hmm, I suppose I can see that. Then with them trying to protect the flowerbed, it would be them trying to protect their own sexuality.


homosexuality IS different so they ARE being homophobic. It is just not all they are bullying.


How is it different? The only males in this show are bears. Doesn't that mean there cannot possibly be straight couples within the walls? So you are either a lesbian or completely asexual? I dunno, this part still confuses me.
Feb 11, 2015 11:26 AM

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Keten said:
CookingPriest said:

Kureha pretty much backed the fuck away when that happened in reality.


Wait... what? So that never happened? But then the one girl knocked on the door and they had that showdown and Ginko and Lulu jumped out the window and in a later episode it showed that the window was indeed broken. How do you know that was all in her head?


Flower bed is representation of the sexuality. The fact that it is lillies(jp: Yuri) says it all.


Hmm, I suppose I can see that. Then with them trying to protect the flowerbed, it would be them trying to protect their own sexuality.


homosexuality IS different so they ARE being homophobic. It is just not all they are bullying.


How is it different? The only males in this show are bears. Doesn't that mean there cannot possibly be straight couples within the walls? So you are either a lesbian or completely asexual? I dunno, this part still confuses me.

I thought you were talking about this episode. My bad. That case I'd write off to shock - note that even after they run off Kureha is still standing there trying to comprehend wtf.

Which would explain why the IS is there to prevent the lilies from growing and blooming.

I take the school as "reprogramming" facility.

There's visual representation of lilies turning into doves behind the principal in the talk scene few episodes back and principal, associated with dove imagery is clearly manipulating/controlling the invisible storm.

The way I see it, the school is the place where visible girls go to become invisible. Which fits with preconceived perception of yuri and class s In japan I talked about in ep threads few weeks back.
AhenshihaelFeb 11, 2015 11:30 AM
Feb 11, 2015 11:49 AM

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CookingPriest said:

I take the school as "reprogramming" facility.


Not gonna lie. That just completely changed my outlook on the show completely. That was the final puzzle piece I needed. Thank you for that.
Feb 11, 2015 12:55 PM

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3302
This just gets deeper and deeper.

Very good ep. I am still trying to grasp the point of the story the mom wrote. Does it apply to her and the teacher, to Kureha and Ginko? I guess I have to wait.
Feb 11, 2015 5:02 PM
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CookingPriest said:
Which would explain why the IS is there to prevent the lilies from growing and blooming.

I take the school as "reprogramming" facility.

There's visual representation of lilies turning into doves behind the principal in the talk scene few episodes back and principal, associated with dove imagery is clearly manipulating/controlling the invisible storm.

The way I see it, the school is the place where visible girls go to become invisible. Which fits with preconceived perception of yuri and class s In japan I talked about in ep threads few weeks back.


This is one of those theories that one hopes is true, but unfortunately probably won't be. Or to paraphrase Thomas Huxley: "the great tragedy: the slaying of a beautiful theory by an ugly fact.

The problem with the theory is that this show is too focused on Kureha for it to be true. The flower garden was attacked because someone told Kaoru how important it would be to Kureha (because of her mom), the same someone told Kaoru that Ginko was a bear but this same someone let the other bear eat Sumika and did nothing about it.

Everything in this show is about someone trying to destroy Kureha. Now while this could still be a metaphor about homosexual love, in regards to this being a "reprogramming facility", it would mean that everything was created solely to reprogram Kureha. I doubt that is the point. We are not dealing with society, but with a single individual attacking another single individual.

And we all know who that "same someone" is.

Now again, this doesn't mean that the show isn't about homosexuality, it very well could be, however I don't think this show is about society, except maybe in an indirect way these norms cause harm to individuals. The enemy seems too personally involved for it to be about society in general. My guess is that the enemy either wants to break Kureha for revenge (against the mother) or because, like most of the bears so far, because she wants to possess Kureha exclusively, and what better way than to destroy what she loves.
Takuan_SohoFeb 11, 2015 5:14 PM
Feb 11, 2015 5:45 PM

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Another great episode. :)

I really agree with Keten though, the "bad guys" are much too one-dimensional... I want them or just Kaoru to be more fleshed out. But as it is right now, it seems like Kaoru is just a puppet of some higher power. It would be way too obvious if the main antagonist (assuming it is the one who slept with Kaoru) is Yuriika though, I hope it's not where this will go and we will get a shock at the end. xD
I also think that Kaoru is just a hypocrite, just like everyone else in the Invisible Storm.

By the way, you know of what this episode reminded me? Of the witch-hunt, which was also a theme picked up in Utena. A mass of people with candles ("torches") burning the lily garden to create a stake-like place... I think that's a fitting parallel. Just like the women in medieval times (or even before), everyone who differs from the norm is basically labelled as a "witch" and everyone who is less accepting of "groupthink" is blamed for problems unrelated to them... so they are hunted down by the population and later burned to death on a stake.
PabilsagFeb 11, 2015 5:52 PM
Feb 11, 2015 6:46 PM
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Pabilsag said:
Just like the women in medieval times (or even before), everyone who differs from the norm is basically labelled as a "witch" and everyone who is less accepting of "groupthink" is blamed for problems unrelated to them... so they are hunted down by the population and later burned to death on a stake.


Recent research on this has really disproved a lot of what we thought happened with witches. First, most of the witch hunts occurred after medieval times (they started at the extreme end and then continued through the Renaissance), they were extremely rare before. And even during this period (roughly 1450-1650) we are talking about 20-40,000 cases throughout all of Europe (which may seem like a lot, but that averages only 100-200 a year in a time when execution for any crime was extremely common).

Second, while women were roughly 70% of the witches executed, they don't seem to have been particularly targeted because of their gender. Many of the accusers were women (which sort of fits this episode), but there was no real pattern to the accusations. The theory that witches were "midwives" targeted by doctors is completely false (midwives actually were more likely to be on the prosecuting side).

Third, most witches who were targeted were not targeted because they "were outside the norm". There really is no "stereotype" witch. They came from all segments of society. Some were outsiders, but an equal number were insiders. Many were the result of long running grudges, but many were also "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when a craze got going (we have those today, so it we shouldn't feel so superior over it happening in the past).

Fourth, the Inquisition almost never burnt witches. Indeed the Spanish Inquisition stopped witch hunts (the two crazes in Spain were both stopped relatively quickly by the Grand Inquisitor). The confusion about this lies with the difference between the "Inquisition" (and even here there were different ones in different countries) and the legal process known as "an inquisition" (related to this show, Joan of Arc was convicted by "an inquisition", it had no standing (and indeed its findings were immediately challenged) and it should be noted that Joan was not found guilty of being a witch, she was executed for breaking her oath).

One common thing about witch hunts were that a large % occurred in borderlands, where a strong central authority had broken down (the border between France/Germany/Italy/Spain). In short they happened when a local leader/prosecutor went on a rampage and the central authority couldn't stop it fast enough. The worse witch hunts occurred when the central leader themselves believed in witches, but this was seldom religiously inspired: for example James I was convinced that his political enemies used witchcraft in an attempt to kill his wife.

The common image of "witch hunts" was pretty much invented out of whole cloth by a early 19th century French plagiarist. His writings were accepted as fact by Historians in the early 20th century. It was only in the 1970s that people actually looked at the records from that time period and discovered that it never happened. The same is true about the famous Malleus Maleficarum. While it was written by a hack in the late 15th century, it never had the influence that was later ascribed to it (indeed for the most part it led to a reduction in trials because it was so over the top that it convinced people that witches didn't exist).
Feb 12, 2015 4:02 AM

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Sejin said:
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was Yurizono who told Kaoru that Ginko and Lulu are bears. It might be her. It might be the principal. It might be someone else entirely, who we're not expecting.

Yangbojian said:
I am more and more confused about everything...

...maybe lily flower, bear, storm are symbols of different ideal, different way to handle things, so you might play the role of a human in certain situation, but can also play the role of a bear in another situation/occasion,
And you might be a victim of the "transparent storm", but also a creater of the storm, in different situation...


I'm inclined to agree with this. The show has shown a number of examples of dealing with societal expectations and roles, as well as the malleability of how we can present ourselves and of how that affects how we're perceived by others.

Keten said:
Also, I am not even sure Kureha and Sumika were even in a relationship like that in the first place


Umm...


Not to mention all the food-metaphor talk in the first episode.

juventus95 said:
Homophobia is complex. I think you're just looking at it from 'black' and 'white' point of view. There are gay people with internalized homophobia. Gay people were taught and told many times that heterosexuality is the only right way, and their love is sinful. Not all of them buy into that, but some feel ashamed, some experience mental distress, etc. There are some who deny their sexual orientation, try to confirm to society. They even go as far to discriminate against other gays and want gays purged (except themselves). Not too long ago, people found out several homophobic politicians have gay lovers.

Karol is that type of person. She dresses differently compared to others, but she's so eager to join the Invisible Storm and conform to the majority. And she has some kind of intimacy with another girl in a secluded room. I believe nobody in the school really thinks she's gay since she's so against it.


Yes, thank you so much! This, this, this!

At this point I'm honestly not really sure where I stand on how much I think the show is or isn't about homophobia (at least in part), but I couldn't agree more with your "people are complex" point. A lot of the talk in this thread seems like it doesn't recognize the complexity inherent in people being people and is painting all sorts of things in broad, simplistic strokes.

AnimeFan500 said:
I wonder how Sumika knew Ginko and Lulu would be Kureha's friends?


I don't think she did. I think the actual intent of the letter was that Kaoru would be the one standing in front of Kureha when she read it, which fits with the bargain that Sumika and Kaoru had arranged between themselves. It was just that, given what Ginko had just done for her, Kureha looked at Ginko and Lulu in a new light, making Sumika's words in the letter take on a different meaning than what Sumika expected or intended.

@Takuan_Soho: I responded to a number of your comments, and it got kinda long, so for the sake of organization and trying to limit clutter in the thread, I spoiler-tagged what I quoted from you and my responses:




Kaoru and all dem other invisible bitches can get tenta-raped to death for all I care, fuckin bitches. I was hella scared for Kureha and ya Group-think hella scary seeing how dem other bitches thought that shit they did at the flower bed on Kureha's birthday was ok to do. If they actually thought for themselves maybe they could see there was something HELLA wrong with that fuckin picture. I'm starting to like Ginko more and more........also has anybody in that world ever thought of going to the Kuma world and just decide to live there instead? How can one be straight in a world devoid completely of men anyway? So basically the invisible bitches as long as they stay in the closet and in appearance be asexual as one person has mentioned due to sans the bear-judges no men exist in this world then they koo with society even when they put up this whole front that it's not only wrong but immoral.(A bunch of fucking hypocritical thirsty-ass bitches).

Seriously, why can't all of them just have a massive endless orgy regardless if they are bear or human cuz it's a given that they all hella horny af.) Also has anybody ever mentioned the possibility of some girls being futa? I mean that would at least take care of the fact on how exactly are they able to reproduce and shit. Oh and one last thing, if its normal for two chicks to cuddle wth each other in the nude while reading a book or forcing yourself on a chick and don't even bat an eyelash, I guess in this world it would also be aight if chicks also just show up to school naked and no one will think nothing of it. Real talk tho, dem invisible bitches hella fucked up, are hypocrites, and dgaf about being true to themselves as long as they get to "fit in".....fake-ass, shady-ass, weak-ass bitches each and every one of em, the shit that comes out of em is more genuine and true than they'll ever fuckin be.
1L0can0Feb 12, 2015 4:15 AM
Korrvo said:
I like lolis.

I don't like them sexually.

It's hard to not like lolis, their cuteness pander to the same emotions that naturally makes us fathers.

But it's hard to get off to anything that doesn't have any adult women characteristics like large tits, ass, and thighs.




http://imgur.com/qgjKHGn

Feb 12, 2015 8:48 AM

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Dec 2009
2905
I don't intend to get involved in the indepth discussion this time around.
However, as intelligent yet bizarre as this show has been, i'm definitely glad that it's becoming more intelligible in it's analogies, and that the plot seems to be moving in a positive direction. Because it was getting pretty dark despite the sexiness.

I'm anxious to see where this will all end up. I'm finally watching it for content instead of as that show of the season that's just crazy.
❀桜舞う空〜                   Cute is Power.           🔗CosmoGenesis Project
“You cannot know what you do not know.”
“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
“A truth seeker has no patience for BS.”

I seek only to improve myself and others.
Feb 12, 2015 9:13 AM

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7621
Episode that keeps his usual clarity in the narrative, a good but a little more mysterious and indecipherable would be just as well.
Plot that progresses in a linear, no problem in following it.
The drawings are really fabulous, combined with a good color design to complete a quality overall provision of Silver Link envy of studies animated feature much more famous.
Funny comic parts included in the story.

I think even the headmistress is up to something behind the scenes
Feb 12, 2015 1:14 PM

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XenocrisiFeb 13, 2015 4:40 AM
Feb 12, 2015 7:28 PM

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1917
It looks like there will be some very, very good news for gay equality rights in
Japan in terms of marriage being legalized between non-heterosexual couples!

But the bad news is that it will only apply in the very, very, very small Shibuya
neighborhood of Tokyo!

Shibuya Ward plans vote on same-sex marriage

A Tokyo ward has taken a major step toward realizing the dreams
of Japan’s same-sex couples by proposing to issue certificates that
recognize such relationships as “equivalent to marriage.”

Shibuya Ward pledged the measure as part of a draft statute
Thursday to boost gender equality and strengthen human rights for
sexual minorities.

The statute will be presented to the municipal assembly in early
March. If passed, it will take force on April 1, with the certificates
appearing sometime in fiscal 2015, said ward official Shigeru Saito.


See here for the full news story:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/12/national/same-sex-couples-to-get-recognition-under-plan-by-shibuya-ward

Same-sex marriage has been legal in my country for nearly ten years now. We
were the fourth country in the world to do so and the first country outside of
Europe.
okanaganFeb 12, 2015 7:42 PM
Feb 12, 2015 10:30 PM

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57
More Yuri Kuma !! this is getting more exciting as i keep watching it
Feb 13, 2015 4:44 AM

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15061
I Really want to know who disliked this episode and why. This ep was exciting as hell. But hey all have their own genre. Can i know why?
Feb 13, 2015 8:55 AM

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13633
hard to understand but I think I like where this is going.

at first i though the letter is forged by Harishima but after seeing the last part Harishima just used the situation so that Kureha would be in despair. Then after Ginko saved the letter we saw that letter could implicate many explanations depending on the situation at the same time you read it. yah still very confusing...
matias067Feb 13, 2015 9:28 AM


Feb 13, 2015 9:27 AM
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26
CookingPriest said:
The way I see it, the school is the place where visible girls go to become invisible. Which fits with preconceived perception of yuri and class s In japan I talked about in ep threads few weeks back.

Yeah, that makes sense. Usually after graduating university, Japanese people are expected to give up their individuality (all the way up to conforming in terms of outward appearance) to join the work force. This process begins already in the last year of university studies where students are expected to go job hunting. So school can easily be seen as a place where they're being prepared for that invisible, conformist life.
Feb 13, 2015 12:01 PM

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57
[quote=juventus95]
Karol is that type of person. She dresses differently compared to others, but she's so eager to join the Invisible Storm and conform to the majority. And she has some kind of intimacy with another girl in a secluded room. I believe nobody in the school really thinks she's gay since she's so against it.

So Karol is the Ted Haggard of Arashigaoka Academy.

Interesting.
Feb 14, 2015 8:02 AM

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Oct 2012
1917
Xenocrisi said:
I really want to know who disliked this episode and why.


I guess I'm interested too. But 92% of people here are voting either that they
"liked it" or "loved it". That is an extremely high percentage compared to most
MAL discussions.

What really puzzles me is why this series appears to be extremely unpopular in
Japan. This is based on the very small numbers of pre-orders of the Blu-rays and
the DVDs. For Volume 1, the Blu-ray "Amazon Stalker points" are at 901 which is
very low.

Analyzing from the top down, Ikuhara is a legendary Yuri director, having done
"Revolutionary Girl Utena". After six episodes, "Yurikuma" is clearly the most
significant Central-element Yuri since "Aoi Hana" at the end of 2009. I'm not
saying that every Yuri-lover would like "Yurikuma" more, since the style and
story structure will not appeal to everybody. But clearly "Yurikuma" is extremely
important in the history of the Yuri genre and the word "masterpiece" might not
be an overstatement.

Analyzing it "from the bottom up", this is flawless work. This is no surprise at
all, since it is lovingly created by Ikuhara and I suspect that he held out for a
sufficient budget to animate it properly before agreeing to take on the project.
I just can't see anything wrong anywhere, even after rewatching every episode.
It must be very expensive to execute everything so well. There are no apparent
places where Ikuhara skimped on quality to save money. Normally, I can spot
a few flaws somewhere in any series if I stare at it for long enough.

Japanese-language sources are calling it "incomprehensible". Is that why? I am
thinking of that Feb 2nd article in "DMM News" with the title itself actually calling
Yurikuma "the most incomprehensible anime of this cour". Ikuhara tweeted out
the link to the article, so maybe he takes it with a sense of humor.

There are fans in Japan who are talking about Yurikuma. Just not enough of them.

- - - - - - - - - -

Pleakley said:
So Karol is the Ted Haggard of Arashigaoka Academy.


An excellent analogy. But I had to Google "Ted Haggard" and read the Wikipedia
article about him to see why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Haggard
okanaganFeb 14, 2015 8:08 AM
Feb 14, 2015 8:43 AM

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36
^
I would say it's so unpopular because of its genre. I don't think that Yuri has a big fanbase. I, myself, am not a common Yuri fan, I watch every genre if the specific anime catches my interest. My only reason I needed to watch this was: Ikuhara. lol. And it's great so far. The people who dislike YKA probably dislike it because of its Ikuhara'ness (or: seeming randomness xD).

Mawaru Penguindrum, for example, is so popular because its fresh animations and its themes are more appealing to the crowd. Shoujo Kakumei Utena is less popular because of its "old" animations and themes. And YKA is kind of an extreme niche anime, whereas Penguindrum is a more "anime-like"/common looking anime. Utena is something inbetween. (I wouldn't call Utena Yuri though, it just has Juri and incalculable characters)

Also, I don't know when YKA was called "incomprehensible" but imo after watching 3-5 episodes and some thinking everybody should get most major themes of YKA.
PabilsagFeb 14, 2015 8:49 AM
Feb 14, 2015 8:56 AM

Offline
Feb 2014
337
okanagan said:
Analyzing it "from the bottom up", this is flawless work. This is no surprise at
all, since it is lovingly created by Ikuhara and I suspect that he held out for a
sufficient budget to animate it properly before agreeing to take on the project.
I just can't see anything wrong anywhere, even after rewatching every episode.
It must be very expensive to execute everything so well. There are no apparent
places where Ikuhara skimped on quality to save money. Normally, I can spot
a few flaws somewhere in any series if I stare at it for long enough.

Japanese-language sources are calling it "incomprehensible". Is that why? I am
thinking of that Feb 2nd article in "DMM News" with the title itself actually calling
Yurikuma "the most incomprehensible anime of this cour". Ikuhara tweeted out
the link to the article, so maybe he takes it with a sense of humor.


I think that if we really like or hate something, we'll only stop to seriuosly question it if someone else point it out so we can see its flaws or quality. I think that a lot of people started to like Yuri Kuma when they went after reviews. While I don't think its a masterpiece, I'm really enjoying it, but couldn't absorb much of it to myself.
I believe that shows like Yuri Kuma require some time to be appreciated or acknowledged because it requires more than what you see to grasp it, and it can become an issue if you watch it on the Television. We can't recap scenes or dialogues (you can look up for it afterwards, but I think that the most important moment is when you watch for the first time, it leaves its mark and impact) and sometimes you aren't in the mood to contemplate it, so you just rely on what you see and try not to think twice.
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