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| Yuri Kuma Arashi entertained me every week this past winter anime season and the ending was very satisfying. It was a nice touch to see Kureha becoming a bear instead and finding out that Sumika was basically Kumaria-sama wow. xD Seeing Lulu and her younger brother again was really cute. :D Although I do wonder who was that girl at the end with the black hair and green eyes saying 'I found you.' to that 'gesu' bear. That's the only thing that's bugging me. xD Overall, really enjoyed Yuri Kuma Arashi; great symbolism and meaning behind the series. 8/10 |
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| Honestly, I'm not too big of a gay rights activist. Don't get me wrong because I'm more than accepting of the homosexual community and their lifestyle and I also think it's pretty fucked up that even in the year 2015 gay couples still can't legally marry here in Australia. But at the same time I'm not the type to go out to gay rights protests and call out people for making gay slurs on the Internet. One of my other fears going into the show was 'Can Ikuhara capture lightning in a bottle yet again?'. I mean if he just did Sailor Moon, Utena and Penguindrum and retired afterwards that's already a fantastic resume as is. So what more can he do?. Instead of moving on to focus on other themes like he did with Penguindrum, he also decided it was worth revisiting the topic of homosexuality. Considering the heavy focus on homosexuality in his previous works it begs the question 'Is there anything more for him to say?' But Ikuhara found a way. Oh boy did he find a way. Yuri Kuma Arashi is a triumph in every sense of the word and the ending was the most perfect way to cap it all off. The series is very respectful towards homosexuals but at the same time it acknowledges the darker side of the community. And much like real life, the cycle of hatred will still keep going even if it doesn't make logical sense. Homophobia is not just going to magically disappear one day in a puff of smoke because there are certain people who will still cling to their ideals no matter what and will never listen to reason. But try as they may society cannot stop two people from loving each other. And ultimately, that's all that matters. 10 OUT OF 10 BRAVO IKUHARA! |
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| I'm really glad to see Lulu at the end :( |
| Straightforward summary of what I feel: >The plot has very high potential of expanding. >Narrative is barely acceptable. For me, the narrative downgrades the enjoyment value. >Most symbols are good and are deep in their meaning, but some don't work well. >I don't know why some people find this a surprise ending. I actually expected that this could probably happen. It's a nice ending though. Overall: Objective rating = 7.5 for 'great'; Subjective rating = 6.5 People see good symbols, and call them ingenious. Then symbols which don't work well appear, and people look for excuses e.g. the show defies logic so it's natural. Not. |
| All hail Great Firewall of China. |
| That was good. I didn't expect that Kureha would be a bear. 7/10 |
| The world shall know the truth soon. |
| I didn't expect Kureha to wish to be a bear, didn't expect Sumika to be Kumaria either (maybe I just don't see these things). I'd say the ending was satisfying, although I'm sad Lulu died (she in, in my point of view, still dead). Well, at least she's together with Mirun now.. |
| Loved the ending, it was beautiful and yet sad, but DAT KISS, it was worth the wait :) 8/10 |
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| loved the end. now i dont ever have to watch a second of this ever again. |
| M.P.D.S./F.O.A.D. |
| Oh my god, that was so fucking beautiful and perfect. I... I can't |
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| Great series! Ikuhara is a great director. Takuan_Soho said: Best part for me was the ending. The haters continue to hate finding new reasons, and the one girl just quietly stands up and leaves them, going to find the left over and discarded bear. Wonderful scene there. Change will not come in mass, it is about converting people one by one, a spark that becomes a flame and later a inferno. The change has started. I loved the ending part with the girl and Konomi as well. It was really emotional. Nice way you put it. :) Also, I liked how Kureha became a bear/human-bear herself at the end. She isn't limited by labels anymore, she is who she is and was able to find her true love. I think this episode showed the construction site background much more than earlier episodes. But what does it mean? Does it show that the world/humanity is changing/evolving non-stop? Or does it show an industrialized world where only the healthier, stronger, faster people will "survive"? And in contrast to that, there are people like Kureha who fight for the "weaker"/less accepted people of society. Or maybe it shows the plain-colored construction plan and rules of society where right in the middle of it lives a colorfully mixed humanity? What do you people think?^^ |
PabilsagMar 31, 2015 8:01 AM
| YURI APPROVED. I am so beyond happy with this anime * u * 9/10 Loses a point for the way they append their sentences, because that just pisses me off so much. |
LemonMar 31, 2015 8:49 AM
| I like the idea of the series and it was artsy as always from Ikuhara. Hope to see more anime from him in the future although it won't be commercial success |
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badwolf45f said: Loved the ending gizter13 said: loved the end. I didn't really love it. That part with the twin-tailed girl and the technobear was quite touching, but the whole Kureha-Ginko stuff was (somewhat) the carbon-copy of Utena's ending. I shall use spoiler tag here. In YKA we got (almost) the same: after the promised kiss, the invisible storm and whatever, both of them disappear, leaving that small-minded world (= school) behind, where the nonames continue their lives, and not accepting those who are different (bear/lesbo). Sounds good in paper, but the "I've seen this before" feeling was quite strong here, so as the full idealized "love solves everything" part which made the climax even more forced. |
JunchiMar 31, 2015 9:20 AM
Use your brain before using your keyboard!  |
Grungehamster said: Junchi said: I didn't really love it. That part with the twin-tailed girl and the technobear was quite touching, but the whole Kureha-Ginko stuff was (somewhat) the carbon-copy of Utena's ending. I definitely share the criticism that Ikuhara retreaded a lot of ground I felt was already well covered in Utena (and to a lesser extent Penguindrum) because he's basically got one overarching message: that pain and suffering and cruelty cannot be eliminated, but through mutual acceptance AKA love AKA self-sacrifice on behalf of another you can mitigate the pain and move past it. In Utena it was toxic interpersonal relationships. In Penguindrum it was the uncaring nature of society at large which grinds down individuality. In YKA it is the harassment and alienation of your peers, due to either cliquishness or fear of the deviant. I could see giving the Utena movie a 3/10 because it fails to really develop its own voice and message to any degree because it has too much plot to blast through and just assumes you'll get it and enjoy the visuals. But this was very well executed, just didn't seem to be pushing the envelop as much as his other two shows did. it is not retreading the ground. It is exploring similar temes. A lot of Utena dealt with misogyny and sexism. A lot of YKA deals with homophobia Both have common spots - society. And all Ikuhara works focus on perception of reality. |
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Junchi said: badwolf45f said: Loved the ending gizter13 said: loved the end. I didn't really love it. That part with the twin-tailed girl and the technobear was quite touching, but the whole Kureha-Ginko stuff was (somewhat) the carbon-copy of Utena's ending. I shall use spoiler tag here. In YKA we got (almost) the same: after the promised kiss, the invisible storm and whatever, both of them disappear, leaving that small-minded world (= school) behind, where the nonames continue their lives, and not accepting those who are different (bear/lesbo). Sounds good in paper, but the "I've seen this before" feeling was quite strong here, so as the full idealized "love solves everything" part which made the climax even more forced. i think you missed my joke. ;) |
| M.P.D.S./F.O.A.D. |
| I must say that this was my favourite anime of the season. This was my first Ikuhara show and it impressed me. An all-around well-made anime. The ideas it presented and the way it presented them entertained me every week. 7.8/10 |
Kikoman589Jul 15, 2015 4:55 PM
| The statement below is true. The statement above is false. |
mwsmws22 said: The Court of Severance is just our mind’s inner debate over right and wrong. Good point! mwsmws22 said: I love that Kureha wishes to become a bear. She realized that the only way to receive a promise kiss, was for herself to change, not forcing it upon Ginko. Hadn't Ginko embraced the same wish though? And, as we were shown, basically bear and human societies are both pretty terrible, so I don't really get how becoming a bear is more wise and less selfish. They - Kureha and Ginko - both desired to "crash themselves" and yet somehow it's Ginko who is a "winner". Well, to be entirely blunt, I haven't felt much Deep Love between those two. Kureha has our good old amnesia and Ginko is basically a killer (if we assume that Sumika was a human girl and not Kumaria-sama). "Ah, we hang out when we were 5 and our mom forced her weird shipping fantasy on us two, so LET'S DESTINY, that must be TRUE LOVE!!!". Psh, give me a break. The only one who knew of love there was Lulu, but of course she doesn't deserve to be loved back romantically. I do understand that the point of the show was to deliver its strong symbols rather than to create a logical and believable picture though. Kureha and Ginko are walking symbols of the titular Lily and Bear. But I wish the characters were a bit more alive, and the chemistry easier to sense. *** Btw, what interests me most - the majority of metaphors were very easy to figure out, but what did Prince Milne mean by saying that instead of asking Lulu for a kiss he could just kiss her himself? To kiss means to share love, but wasn't it what he'd been trying to do all along while returning the honey pot? |
StarryKiteMar 31, 2015 12:06 PM
| We have to keep our dreams alive. Something to look forward to. |
| Ended pretty much how people predicted it, but at least most of the questions were answered especially Kumalia's identity. And they could conveniently shelf the whole issue of Ginka being an accomplice to Sumika's murder, but hey, she wasn't (oh God I actually forgot the main character's name...) the TRUE love of the protagonist so who cares? At least it's over. While it's definitely applaudable when a show has a message and social commentary, it should not forget that the narrative must hold up to a degree as well. Yuri Kuma is the perfect example of how much entertainment value is lost when the characters and the plot are used as a means to an end and not developed enough. I honestly couldn't care about any of the girls, maybe with the exception of Lulu who at least had some funny and nice moments, hell I can't even recall the main girl's name. And I hope I never have to hear her VA again, what a lifeless performance. There was a terrible over-reliance on dramatic clichés which served no purpose apart from creating artificial tension to keep up the interest the other parts of the show failed to do. 3/10, the ED song was pretty nice. |
| So Ginko & Kureha get killed and everyone lives happily ever after in the afterlife.. The series as a whole is pretty entertaining. But I found the chemistry between the leading ladies too forced though. Kureha x Sumika pairing seems most natural and real to me. |
| My old Japan blog which I'm never going to finish: https://ramenshojo.wordpress.com/2016/08/07/day-6-nakano-broadway-harmonica-street-zauo-restaurant/ |
| I love happy endings :) 9/10 for the yuri love :) |
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StarryKite said: mwsmws22 said: I love that Kureha wishes to become a bear. She realized that the only way to receive a promise kiss, was for herself to change, not forcing it upon Ginko. Hadn't Ginko embraced the same wish though? And, as we were shown, basically bear and human societies are both pretty terrible, so I don't really get how becoming a bear is more wise and less selfish. They - Kureha and Ginko - both desired to "crash themselves" and yet somehow it's Ginko who is a "winner". The difference with Ginko is that she wished for herself to change, Kureha didn't. Instead Kureha wished for Ginko to change and let human society's hatred of bears come before her love. Ginko's wish was selfless and unhindered by any social boundaries. |
| Nice Ending The Promises Kiss |
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PetitFours said: If you are talking about the finale, then you should watch Utena, they have essentially the exact same ending.I understood Mawaru Penguindrum but not this. |
| I was very worried at the beginning that a lot of things still wouldn't make sense at the end, but everything's been neatly resolved. The ending was fantastic and had some great things to say, which aren't limited to issues surrounding female homosexuality and societal views. Instead of trying to change the one you love, change for the one you love. Dare to break your self image. Accept yourself. If even only one person is inspired to break away from the norm, then there is hope for greater change. (That's what I got from it, anyway). I need to watch Ikuhara's other shows now. But jeez, now I'm tired from all the symbolism and metaphors. The anime I usually watch doesn't make my brain work this hard, haha. |
| Loved the ending. Loved this anime. I've said before that Kureha was my least favorite character... I take it back. I love her a lot and I'm sad it was at the finale that I realized it. I'm definitely going to make some time for a thorough marathon just to catch things I know I missed. I'm also hoping it gets some sort of BD/DVD release. Great season. Good job, Ikuhara! 9/10 |
reeeb said: The first 3 episodes are certainly a lot more abstract and fast paced than the rest. They probably felt that they were "overdoing it", or just did that in order to impress the viewers (I think the first court session caught everyone by surprise once we saw what came after YURI APPROVED). Fact is, from episode 4 and on we see more acessible material and the death of the somewhat subtle images we treat as "symbolism" material. Its indeed a decline but it doesn't compromise the substantial material.Well, it started great, but I think the anime lost itself in the middle episodes. I found it a bit forced sometimes, maybe trying to be a "new Penguindrum". But the final episodes closed it well. |
| A strong ending to a strong show. Actually, I didn't watch Utena or Penguindrum and without the episode reviews at ANN, and also a bit the episode discussion threads here, the symbolism would have been going way over my head. But I'm glad I had that guidance so I could enjoy the show this much. |
| The final, unlike the rest of the story, is somewhat difficult to interpret, but not quite cryptic in its meaning. Narrative that reveals the secrets of the past, but I think a longer series would be the best choice, but still maintaining the quality always high as seen in this TV series. Drawings and animations really beautiful to see, soundtrack that looks good even her. Overall my rating is 8/10! Takuan_Soho said: Best part for me was the ending. The haters continue to hate finding new reasons, and the one girl just quietly stands up and leaves them, going to find the left over and discarded bear. Wonderful scene there. Change will not come in mass, it is about converting people one by one, a spark that becomes a flame and later a inferno. The change has started. Nice that Lulu got her love back as well. Nice happy ending. This. |
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| This is just FABULOUS.... Yuri Approved Ending.... Dat Kiss.... Finale - 5+/5 Series - 8/10 |
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| well this is the first show in a long time (or ever) to mess with my head and make me go "wtf is even going on?" so they both die and live on in kumaria's heavenly whateverplace as yuri approved. they didn't back down on their love to the end. ofc the whole show is a big fat metaphor, so you could say they only died in the eyes of society if you count the guns as finger points of exclusion. those excluders, especially the leader, shoulda died tho. i wanted them to die. agreeing with yuri or not, even if it's just excluding, it's still twisted and deranged to witch hunt for them. though then again, another one woulda just popped up after doing the same thing :< shabadadu. |
GenesisAriaApr 1, 2015 5:38 PM
❀桜舞う空〜 Cute is Power. 🔗CosmoGenesis Project “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” “A truth seeker has no patience for BS.” I seek only to improve myself and others. |
| final verdict from me is 8/10 :3 that kiss scene got me so fangirly >.< The show is definitely a masterpiece, the symbolism is really interesting as well. Though shows with alot of those symbolism arent really my type to focus on. This one is still great because it has that kuma shock and OP which smells like yuri everywhere xD |
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Hito420 said: one thins i wont say annoyed me by found myself talking to my monitor doing was in this kind of weird and fantasy yuri show that is not set on a normal world, u have to get your logic out of the way. |
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| mm Kureha is actually hot as a semi-bear. I don't do very good with a lot of symbolism, but it was entertaining most of the time.. 7/10 Now I want a show about lesbian seagulls. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Beautiful ending to a fantastic series!! 10/10 |
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| What a sweet ending, just thinking about it gives me happy feelings inside. |
| Powered by yuri. Needless to say, I finish all anime I start, no matter my initial opinion, no matter how bad it gets, I WILL FINISH IT! http://www.anime-planet.com/users/zunderdog24  |
| Now that I think about it there wasn't one male human in this anime. 7/10 |
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RediceRyan said: that's what happens in girls' schools. (where yuri is most likely to happen, and where it would be a prominent issue)Now that I think about it there wasn't one male human in this anime. 7/10 |
GenesisAriaApr 2, 2015 4:31 PM
| ❀桜舞う空〜 Cute is Power. 🔗CosmoGenesis Project “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” “A truth seeker has no patience for BS.” I seek only to improve myself and others. |
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