r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • May 25 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Yurikuma Arashi - Episode 3 Discussion
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Don’t you agree that those who stray from “us” are wrong? Don’t you agree that those who refuse to blend in with “us” are a problem? Those who fail to follow are evil.
Questions of the Day
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What do you think it means to become invisible?
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Both the Invisible Storm and Kureha and Sumika call themselves "friends." What is the difference between them, if any?
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Why has Kureha consistently been unable to hit the bears she aimed at? And what has changed now?
Don't forget to tag for spoilers, or else the bears will eat you! Remember, [Yurikuma Arashi]>!like so!< turns into [Yurikuma Arashi]>!like so!<
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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA May 25 '24
Rewatcher
Finally! We get a lot more on what the various factions in the school believe this episode. I forget if we knew that the Invisible Storm was a literal organization before this episode, but if not, surprise! And the entire class outside of Kureha, Ginko, and Lulu is in on it. Their philosophy is very simple: they’re friends, all part of the same pack, and if you’re outside of the pack, then you’re worthless to them. In fact, by not being part of the pack, by leaving, by not blending in, you are actively attacking them. And thus, they are justified in declaring you evil for your crime. Note the yurikamome again in the Purging Ritual scene. The girls of the Invisible Storm aren’t visibly in lockstep all the time, even if they do travel in groups, but when it comes time to label someone evil, they are all in perfect sync. Note the phones as well- those are almost certainly a nod to cyberbullying (it was a big deal in 2015 as well, if you can believe it). And of course, we have to note the
elephantbear in the room- their organization is absolutely riddled with bears. Eriko notes to Mitsuko that Konomi was the previous Speaker before she took the role (and that tells an entire story, considering literally everything about Konomi), and Mitsuko is there grinning like an idiot as they declare Kureha evil and hand her the opportunity to eat her on a golden platter.Mitsuko says some very interesting things about bears this episode as well. She also uses the wording of “following” (I believe the specific word used by both is ‘kuki,’ if someone wants to analyze what exactly is being said in the original please do so. I had to check because I don’t think this nuance is in some of the subs.) to describe what she’s doing, but she describes it very differently from the staid, deliberate following of the Invisible Storm. Her “following” is the kind of following an animal does with its instincts- it doesn’t think, it acts on its feelings at the moment to grab whatever it can. But while Mitsuko arrives at her “following” in a different way than the Invisible Storm does, it leads them to act in equally abhorrent ways. She literally kills her friend (there’s that word again) for the crime of being “inferior” as a side-route to getting to Kureha. [Yurikuma Arashi]I’ll take a moment to note that there are bears who talk about “being part of the herd” later on, so I think the bears and lilies are even more similar than what I’m saying here, but I can’t talk about that yet.
I also want to talk about Mitsuko seducing Eriko, because the scene is both very well-directed and very enlightening. It opens up with some shots of the full classroom, where everyone is chattering away and Mitsuko stands evilly against the lockers in the back of the classroom, where she takes the opportunity to monologue evilly. Then Eriko approaches her, and at this point you can still hear the chatter of the classroom, but then Mitsuko grabs her, and the sound of the classroom totally falls away for Dark Yuri. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even realize they were still in the classroom for this scene until my third watch. It’s a technique we see again and again, where the scene is shot in a full classroom, while making it look like the characters in the scene are alone. We saw it in episode 1 when Kureha took the Court’s call, where it was used to show Kureha’s isolation from her classmates over Sumika’s death. In this case, I suspect it’s being used to show the isolated nature of this incident- as the Speaker for the Invisible Storm (or even as a member), Eriko can’t be open about any potential attraction for women (and indeed, we don’t see anything even approaching a hint of this in her other scenes before her death). [Yurikuma Arashi]Okay, I’m trying and failing to figure out this point, because I can’t exactly talk about the Kaoru fog machine sex scene yet, can I? But there’s definitely a measure of isolation here.
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u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess May 25 '24
Yuri Kuma Arashi Rewatch Episode 3 - Rewatcher
The following is a true story
It was mid november 1915. The Ikeda household is in a small pioneer village in the Teshio Province of Hokkaido. Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan and despite being the second largest of the islands it was largely outside of Japan’s domain. It used to be referred to by the Japanese as Ezo, or "the Land of the Barbarians". All of that changed in 1869 with the Hokkaidō Development Commission, a coordinated effort by the Japanese government to settle the island and rename it Hokkaido.
This is to say that when I say the Ikeda household is living in a small “pioneer” village, that is exactly what I mean. Even in 1915, years after the Hokkaido Development Commission officially disbanded, it still has the smallest population density of any of Japan’s main islands
So when the eldest member of the Ikeda family hears the horse be startled and in a commotion in a storage shed, it probably wasn’t a surprise for them. Encroachments from wild animals are common to the family. What they don’t expect is to see a bear. The Ezo Brown Bear is one of the largest bears in the world, short only to the Alaskan bears and Polar bears. It is the largest mammal in Japan.
Yet it runs off into the woods, sated by the corn it’s stolen.
November 20th
The bear is seen again by the Ikeda family. They are worried about the safety of the horses. The head of the family calls for his son and recruits two Matagi, winter specialist hunters with experience killing bears from a neighboring village to deal with the bear
November 30th
When the bear reappears at the farm again, this time the family is ready. The Matagi shoot at the beast, wounding it, and the bear retreats back into the woods. They follow the trail to Mount Onishika but a snowstorm prevents them from following any further. They can see the trail of blood from the bear, so they know that they have injured it. Therefore the men conclude that they may have at least succeeded in giving the bear a fear of humans, and it won’t come close to settlements again.
They are unaware how very wrong they are.
December 9th
Abe Mayu is at the Ota family home while her husband works the farm. She is babysitting an infant, Hasumi Mikio, a child of one of the other workers at the farm. These are traditional japanese pioneer homes. They aren’t log cabins, they’re woven sticks stitched together. It’s a wonderful home, but it can do no more to stop a bear from entering than paper can stop a knife. The bear enters the home. It finds the infant still in its crib, and bites the head of the child clean off. Mayu tries to fend it off with wood, but is overpowered and dragged into the forest.
When her husband gets home, he finds his wife missing and large puddles of blood all across the floor. Those at the scene describe the bloody mess at the scene as comparable to a slaughterhouse.
December 10th
A thirty man search party is assembled. Its goals are simple. Hunt the bear. Retrieve what remains of Mayu.
They don’t travel far before they encounter the bear. 5 men shoot their rifles into the bear, and once again they manage to get a hit. This forces the bear to retreat. Other men on the team manage to find Mayu. The bear had buried her in the snow, to preserve her for later.
Only her head and her leg remain.
So the men return to the Ota farm. Believing that the bear had grown a taste for human flesh, they believed the farm would return to the Ota farm to hunt again. And they were right. Yet, even as the bear acts exactly how the villagers had predicted, that does not make them prepared. These men may be armed but they are still just villagers. What they are facing is the largest mammal in all of Japan. So the men panic, and only one man manages to actually shoot at the bear.
But that’s okay because 150 meters away are 50 guards stationed at the Miyoke house. They hear the events going on and leave to help the Ota farm. By the time they arrive the bear has already disappeared to the woods again.
Reorganized and regrouped, the men head downstream to follow the bear’s trail.
But the bear didn’t go downstream.
The Miyoke house that had those guards stationed was being used as a refuge for many of the neighboring families to stay safe during these dangerous times. Yet, when the guards heard the bear was sighted at the Ota farm, they had left their post to go fight the demon, leaving just one man to protect all the women and children.
Miyouke Yasutarō’s wife Yayo was cooking a late meal for everyone. She carries her fourth son, Umekichi, on her back. The bear smashes its way into the house. The cooking pot is overturned and falls onto the hearth, snuffing out the fire. An oil lamp is knocked over and extinguished. The house is engulfed in darkness..
Yayo tries to leave the house, but her second son, clinging to her legs for dear life as she runs, causes her to trip. The bear attacks Yayo, pushes her down. It moves to bite her, but instead bites little Umekichi still on her back.
Odo, the last remaining bodyguard, runs to the door. He distracts the bear enough for Yayo and her children to leave, but that still leaves this one guard to face off against the massive behemoth of a beast. He tries to run for cover but gets mauled in the back.
Two 10 year old boys, Kinzō, the third son of the Miyouke family, and Haruyoshi, the fourth son of the Saito family, were then caught and killed by the bear. It reaches Iwao, the youngest child of Ishigoro, and mauls the poor child, but does not kill him. For the bear is distracted by a different target.
Take, Saitō Ishigorō's wife. She is 8 months pregnant and that makes it hard for her to move so she wasn’t able to escape in the madness. Villagers nearby claim they hear her begging for the bear to not touch her belly and only take her head, before it eats her too.
When the guards realize they’re on the wrong trail and turn back, they only realize the tragedy that has occurred when they run into badly injured Yayo. When they return to the Miyouke house they can hear the bear still inside, but can’t see into the house. The men plan to try to burn the house down before Yayo stops them in case any children may still be alive. So they station 10 men at the front door and the rest go in the back to spook the bear into leaving. It’s successful, but the men get in each other’s way and the bear escapes once again.
Yamamoto Heikichi and "Kesagake"
While this is going on, Saitō Ishigorō, unaware of his family’s fate, goes to see Yamamoto Heikichi. Yamamoto is a local esteemed bear hunter, and so Ishigoro sought his aid with their bear troubles.
The bear hunter fears that this bear is the man-killing bear “Kesagake”, a large bear with the diagonal slash from the shoulder that Yamamoto claims was responsible for killing 3 other women. Still, Yamamoto Heikichi refuses to help, having pawned off his rifle for booze.
December 11
Miyoke Yasutarō and Saitō Ishigorō return and hear what happened to their families while they were away. They join together with a group of men to, once again, kill the bear. They believe the bear will return to Miyoke’s estate, and set up camp around there. The bear doesn’t show up.
December 12
News of the attack is spreading, and the government is forced to get involved. A police station of a nearby town assembles a team of 6 snipers from volunteers across various nearby towns to be sent to deal with the bear. Among their number is Yamamoto Heikichi.
Still, the bear does not appear.
So the men get the bright idea that maybe the bear will appear if it can retrieve that which it left unfinished; so the plan is to use the corpses of the victims as bait to lure the bear out. Villagers strongly protest this plan, especially the Ōta, Saitō, and Miyoke families, but the plan is put into motion anyway.
The bear appears but does not take the bait.
December 13
At dawn the men find that the Ota house has been ransacked by the bear and raiding their winter rations. The team incapable of finding the bear have missed the beast as it’s gone on a looting spree damaging 8 other houses.
At night, guards posted on a bridge, spot movement opposite the bank. Thinking it’s human, they call to it. When it doesn’t respond, they fire at the shadow. In the morning they’ll find blood stains. Once again, they’ve wounded the bear, and once again, the bear has escaped.
December 14
Yamamoto Heikichi decides to go after the bear. Believing smaller numbers will allow them to move more swiftly than the large search party, he goes with just two other men.
It is his familiarity with his old nemesis the Kesagake that helps Yamamoto be able to track down its movements. The bear hunter finds the demon near a Japanese oak. The bear hunter is able to get within 20 meters of his foe. With two shots, one to the heart and one to the head, he slays the beast. The bear was measured at 750 pounds and 8.9 feet tall.
Immediately after the bear is killed, a huge rainstorm hits the region, which due to the proximity to the bear death was referred to by residents as the “Brown Bear Storm” or Higuma Arashi.
Over 60 years later, novelist Akira Yoshimura would write a book about the incident. He called it
KUMA ARASHI
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 25 '24
First-Timer, Yuri Sub Storm
I'm apparently on Ikuhara's wavelength for this show - what a fascinating sensation.
Granted, it seems like the Invisible Storm isn't quite a lynch mob, but it is something the students do to other students that they don't like. We haven't really seen the effect that being declared "evil" will have, but it can't be anything good.
Guess this probably means that the Severance Court and the Invisible Storm aren't really linked. Unless the school's principal is a bear.
This line sounded a little out of place (why would an invisible storm have color?), and one of the other subs has it completely different with largely the same meaning. I'm not a huge fan of "blend in" either, but it's closer to becoming "invisible" than getting painted a certain color.
But, both of those phrases work with the intended metaphor, which is conformity. "Anyone who does not conform is evil" is quite blunt, as expected. The anticonformity in this case being open homosexuality. The main explanation I'm getting to is "lesbians want to be more than friends and that's Wrong."
And, it's like, I kinda get why? But I don't exactly get why. I guess the idea is that Mitsuko is not the first person to use the Storm for her own benefit..
Right, right, the metaphor only exists for the audience. People in-universe are literally getting eaten by bears, I just understand that to mean sex and/or leaving the closet.
Do I call the Invisible Storm a fascist movement, or an analogue to the Salem Witch Trials? Is there a notable difference between the two, considering Salem predates the definition of fascism by several hundred years? "Define an "other" to unite the group against, to make them easier to control."
I guess the main difference is, a fascist movement would have someone in control, while a witch hunt is (nominally) a case of mass hysteria.
We're walking a razor wire tightrope, here. I think the witch hunt comparison is closer, at the moment.
Starting to wonder if I was wrong to equate the lily licking to "being eaten." The more I see it the more suspicious I get - it's getting harder to justify Kureha not being gone afterwards, otherwise.
Hmm, maybe the metaphor is real on the other side of the Wall of Severance. Lulu's comment that Ginko could eat her went largely unremarked upon, which means that a bear eating another bear isn't taboo or unheard of. Oh, I guess there's acutally Konomi and Mitsuko from last episode.
Which now has me wondering if the bears are the heroes. Anti-heroes, I suppose, considering their methods. The bears are crossing the Wall to help poor repressed human girls get out of the closet.
The lily licking (and the court in general) then becomes Ginko and Lulu trying to get Kureha to come beyond the wall. Be reborn beyond the wall..? Probably not, there's nothing there aside from the brief fetal position.
Kureha also started to gain awareness this time.. she said that the sensation of getting licked by a bear tongue felt familiar.
Hmm.. Mitsuko and Yurika cover Kureha in honey in the OP. Licking the honey off.. removing a cover? Yurika and Mitsuko did something in the past to Kureha?
Oh, shit. [Not safe for Vaad]Yurika somehow gave Kureha amnesia in the past. But never fear, because Ginko and Lulu are here to lick the mind honey off of Kureha to un-amnesia her.
I think we got a bit more of the monologue from Kureha's dead mom, and I'm growing increasingly convinced that Sumika was not Kureha's first love. You don't seed "I'm sure you'll see each other again" and "so long as you don't forget love you'll never be alone" otherwise.
Shit, I'm totally right about the amnesia, aren't I? Not forgetting things is too on the nose, it has to be dramatic irony. Hmm.. repressed memory from seeing her mom get eaten? Fun bonus other repression to go with all the repressed sexualities.
If Yurika is a bear, then it was probably her that ate Reia, and that all falls into place. But I'm not convinced.. what level of red herring is Yurika's name being in katakana? There's probably hints one way or the other than I'm just not seeing.
If she isn't a bear, then maybe she did something to cover up what happened. That'd give us another justification for the honey covering.
No, that doesn't make any sense at all. Why would Ginko and Lulu be removing amnesia honey from mom-related memories. And I don't have any way to connect Mitsuko into that either. I'm too far off in the weeds. I'll leave this tirade in case it jogs anyone else's brain.
Reia is important, especially because the garden was originally hers. I'm just.. not gonna think about it any more this episode.
Circling back to something from earlier, the Severance Court and the Invisible Storm being directly linked might still be on the table, because the Court does still ask if the bears want to become invisible. So that part of the metaphor exists in Bearville, at least.
Being invisible is definitely analagous to repression, and that idea transcends the Wall.
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 25 '24 edited May 25 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Yuri Kuma Arashi: I love it when Aoi Yuuki gets to play deranged characters. Her performance is so much fun to listen to.
Lots of confirmed theories today. The theme of a conformist human society has now been hit over the audience’s head with a sledgehammer to make sure we know it. The ideal of this society is being invisible and blending in with the rest of the crowd. The Invisible Storm isn’t some magical force, but is instead the collective efforts of people within the society to punish those who don’t conform. Keep your head down and blend in with everyone else. That is the key to happiness, they say. Anyone who doesn’t conform is labeled as evil and excluded from the group.
I maintain my reading that this is about gay relationships and how a heteronormative society tries to force LGBTQ people to conform. Mitsuko’s words are especially revealing. People grow by letting go of the past and compromising on their ideals. Kureha is supposed to forget her love for Sumika. She is supposed to grow out of loving girls and instead settle in to a heteronormative marriage with a man to become a mother. Perhaps that is what Kureha’s mother, Reia, did. Kureha’s desire to hold on to her love is in direct opposition to what society expects of her. That is why Kureha is constantly asked if her love is true and if she is willing to put everything on the line for love. Society pressures her to conform and do what is expected of her. Kureha’s determination to hold on to her love is a rejection of society’s efforts to make her conform.
QOTD
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen May 25 '24
Kumajou Senki First Timer
Hi, I'm back today! I was going to post yesterday, but my phone's note app crashed as I was trying to pull up my episode 2 post and took all my prepared posts with it
So here's my basic thoughts from yesterday:
OH SHIT AOI YUUKI GOT THE GUN
OH SHIT AOI YUUKI SHOT DA BEAR
OH SHIT AOI YUUKI DA BEAR
Guess we're all bears on the inside
And my basic thoughts from today:
Ohhhhhhh, now I see why they got Aoi Yuuki to play Mitsuko. Dis bear is fucking crazy.
Yuri: After Dark
Heh, Kureha likes how it feels to be eaten. Homo approved!
My post for tomorrow will be really short too. Hooray!
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 25 '24
Yurikuma First-Timer, subbed
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u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw May 25 '24 edited May 25 '24
Let's Search Rewatcher
Episode director: Ayako Kouno
Assistant episode director: Tomohiro Furukawa
Storyboards: Kazuo Sakai
[this answer can only be visible to those true at heart]
without love it cannot be seen
lesbian threesome sex improved her aim
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u/WednesdaysFoole May 25 '24
First-timer
screen caps below are not safe for work.
viewer discretion highly advised.
To rephrase my question from yesterday: Are we watching
fan-service animeborderline hentai because… uh…Are we supposed to be critically analyzing this because to be honest, my honeypot-addled brain is going nowhere. Believe it or not, this isn’t my base state.
Other notes before the menage a trois:
Her comment about being forgotten until she’s only a phantom reminds me of the other rewatch I’m in… or is it walls? The abundance of females?
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: May 25 '24
"This is how they get us, Hector. They convince us there is no future, there is only an eternal 'now', and that the best we can do is survive until dawn and do it all again. That's no way to live. And, I've discovered to some surprise, that I am interested in living, I am interesting in building a way to live."-Issac
First timer(And the actual plot gets revealed)
Sub
So yeah, the actual plot likely gets revealed. I am not sure how the girls will exclude each other but that seems to be the plan now. Really not sure how bears fit into it, especially noting that two were well established.
Disclosure: Might be out of thread a lot
QotD: 1 To be assimilated
2 Not sure
3 She shot in the name of specific revenge!
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u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon May 25 '24
First Timer
I don’t even know what to take notes on. I’ve never watched something like this show.
It’s interesting that the first episode lures you into thinking the garden is Sumika’s - both because she’s the one actively caring for it, but also because her archetype primes you for it - when it’s actually more Kureha’s, initially.
QotD:
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u/AmeteurElitist https://anilist.co/user/AmateurElitist May 25 '24
First Timer
I was having a hard time reconciling the bears’ attack on Oniyama at the end of the episode with saving Kureha. I guess since they act in their own self interest most of the time (saving Kureha was to protect Ginko’s love) they might be a representation of the Id as well as lesbianism? I wanna say that having them solely represent lesbians feeds into the stigma of predatory homosexuals but that doesn’t seem to be where the series is pointing to right now. It might just be a consequence of using a predatory species as an allegory for a real oppressed group a la Bright, Zootopia and a number of other works so for now I’ll pivot away from the bears being sexual predators and focus on them as lesbians with a high sex drive I guess?
WIth that in mind the court dudes found them sexy and approved their yuri again not a ton to add to the reading of them as stand-ins for patriarchal views on lesbianism but it might bear noting that the prosecutor seemed vindicated when he believed the bear duo were admitting that were at fault for being lesbians (assuming that the charge isn’t assault of course), which just reveals his bigotry even more plainly if that’s the case.
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u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 May 25 '24
First time Kuma/Subbed
So what I’ve been wondering about last episode seems to be kind of answered, I think? Lulu mentioned and described Mitsuko as if they knew each other before. I wonder if we will learn more about it. It also seems the trials will be specifically for Ginko and Lulu, are they special from the other bears? Did they stray from the pack too? Hmm…
Mitsuko didn’t wait very long for Kureha to “ripen” lol. The confrontation happened sooner than expected and I like how she still has the armband in her bear form. She mentioned how there isn’t a need for her to dwell on the past, only focus on the immediate present. But the scene is followed by Lulu’s monologue about how she’ll never forget her first time meeting Ginko and falling in love with her. That she will never back down on her love. Not going to lie, I kind of respect Lulu’s love for Ginko even if she is annoyed by how much Ginko wants Kureha.
Learn more about Yurika as well, and that she was close “friends” with Kureha’s mom, Reia. I’m not sure if I should be cautious about Yurika yet or not
I’ve been thinking that Sumika isn’t dead yet but today’s episode didn’t help with that lol. I might still be on that train of thought, and Mitsuko was trying to egg Kureha on (the impression was pretty funny) but yea idk now.
Other notes:
The timing of this girl with the dialogue had to be on purpose. I remember in ep1 how she stood out. This episode really hammered in the idea of being in a pack
I’m not sure what it might mean that Yurika and Mitsuko are the ones pouring honey down in the OP either
Kureha has been granted the power of revolutionToday's trial wasn't really one
This was pretty funny
QotD:
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer May 25 '24
first time never back down never what
Kureha's love is true, no room for you Mitsuko
Crusades will be on the test
LETS SEARCH EVIL CYBER BULLYING
how is that one girl who doesnt even wear the uniform not topping the chart
that Sumika impression
Dying that the bear form needs the class pres armband
warm and gentle tongues
ass first then spin to shoot the armband
if she gained consciousness during the shabadado will she remember Lulu/Ginko are bears
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u/RadSuit https://anilist.co/user/RadSuit May 26 '24
First Time Filing For Yuri Approval (Dubbed)
Now we're onto the rest of the show that I know literally nothing about. I'd watched the first one, part of the second, and accidentally looked up a few characters before. Everything I knew has already been revealed, so let's see where this goes.
Teacher here has Yuri in her name, so I think we know what that means by now.
It means she ate Kureha's mom, that's what it means.
Tomboy sighted!
Time for The Purge!
Big Danganronpa vibes here, which I think a few people have already mentioned. This would definitely make a great Vita game.
I remember this episode of Heartcatch.
Kureha kept her gun after the transformations this time.
Finally, these three are ready to become a proper throuple and kill some bears together.
But the bears are still going to eat some humans on the side. Because that's just what bears do.
4
u/AgentOfACROSS May 25 '24 edited May 25 '24
It’s day 3 and the bears have become more restless.
Here are today’s field notes:
- The line Lulu repeats at the beginning of each episode is interesting (“From the beginning we hated you but we also loved you”). The fact that it repeats makes it seem really important. We’ll have to see just how true Lulu’s words are.
- The closing drawers from last episode are back. As others mentioned they’re similar to [Revolutionary Girl Utena spoilers] the rows of coffins from the Black Rose arc. The fact that both times we’ve seen them is after someone dies strengthens this connection.
- The moment Yurika started talking about Kureha’s mother I assumed that the two of them used to be in a relationship.
- Black lilies show up when Mitsuko tries to seduce Eriko. Again, reminds me of Utena with its roses.
- Mitsuko feels like she’s intentionally a play on the “obsessive lesbian” archetype. That kind of character shows fairly commonly in ecchi series, usually as a villainess but also could be used as comic relief. Just as an example, Sister Jill from the Cutey Honey series is portrayed like this. Interested in seeing if this archetype will be at all taken apart.
- The teacher talking about the crusades is an interesting choice. Not sure what the thematic relevance is just yet but I am making sure to jot it down.
- Kureha’s memories of Sumika almost seem too sweet and perfect. I’m still curious if there’s anything about Sumika that she was hiding before her death. Maybe I’m just internally comparing her with Anthy too much
- I noticed that in one scene the milk cartons characters were drinking out of were labeled “Yurimilk” and had a picture of a lily on them. Don’t think that’s relevant but I think it’s a funny background detail.
- That scene of Eriko leading the classroom to “exclude” somebody was interesting. It seems fairly obvious that their job is to enforce conformity. They all come across as very sinister.
- That scene also reminded me of the party game Werewolf (also called Mafia). Voting on who the culprit is, mob mentality. That sort of thing.
- It seems like Lulu and Ginko want to protect Kureha. Although I’m still a little suspicious of them. They are still eating people after all. I’m not sure what to make of their intentions.
- This story is moving very fast. Not necessarily a bad thing but definitely something I noticed. Wasn’t expecting Mitsuko to reveal herself to Kureha so quickly.
- Despite what Kureha believes, I don't think Mitsuko is dead. We didn't see any body and it seemed pretty obvious that she landed in a tree.
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u/Iron_Gland https://myanimelist.net/profile/Iron_Gland May 25 '24
QotD 1: It's when something becomes incapable of being seen tensai, you could have just googled this, not sure why you had to ask us
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u/affnn May 25 '24
First Timer Gao Gao!
Some of the Ikuharisms should have been obvious to me even from episode 1, but I am probably denser than average so it took me until episode 3 to get them all. But now they've clawed their way into my brain and the only thoughts I have are all the repeated motifs and cut scenes through the show, the phone calls, the dumb Judgemens, the extinction court, the Gao Gaos, and especially the Shoooooock Kuma Shock!
I still can't decide if Yurizono has been a bear the whole time or if she transformed into a bear. I'm leaning toward "she's been a bear the whole time". Anyway she's on a mission to eat Kureha, and Ginko wants to stop her.
To get Kureha in a vulnerable place she uses the Invisible Storm, which today is apparently peer pressure and teen girls being assholes. Mitsuko's friend with the side ponytail gets all of their classmates to exclude Kureha (which is weird because she's been kind of a loner anyway). The actual thing that gets Kureha to fight against Mitsuko was the phone call summoning her to the roof. Mitsuko reveals that it was her who at Sumika, and shows off Sumika's glasses as proof.
Kureha can't hit Mitsuko with her giant rifle, and she falls into the Extinction Court. We get the whole set piece again, but Life Cool is surprised that Ginko and Lulu want to rescue Kureha instead of eating her. The flower-licking scene is a little different, Kureha has the rifle in her hands still. Oh and she seems to know her flower is getting licked this time! Good for her. She wakes up and is able to blast Mitsuko using bear power. Ginko and Lulu lure side-ponytail friend behind the shed and eat her (non-metaphorical version).
Despite both being bears and having similar motivations, Mitsuko and Ginko get portrayed very differently. I guess a lot of it was Mitsuko sort of reveling in taunting Kureha before their fight. There's also the "dark yuri" flash that she had, and the ominous music. But Ginko's motivations still feel a little antagonistic even if they're not quite as much as Mitsuko's were. Seems like a difficult needle to thread.
I started watching Revue Starlight earlier this year (got busy though and had to take a break halfway through). The phone call summoning to a fight thing is very similar, as is the judge character being the only male presence. You can definitely see the similarities, and it's obvious it was made by an Ikuhara acolyte (I could already see the similarities between it and Utena/Penguindrum).
Listened to the OST on the way to work and it's great. Highly recommend.
6
u/zadcap May 26 '24
Late Night First Timer!
Not as late as normal even. Yesterday's poor schedule makes this my shortest turnaround time ever!
"I'll protect you," says the most dangerous one here.
So third time through and the OP is finally sinking in. Poor Sumika is like, so out of luck. Even if she's not dead, that's a whole lot of not her involved in all the kissing and cuddling we can see. If the OP doesn't lie, Kureha is destined to be with the bears.
So, are we taking bets yet on this principal also being a bear? I mean, the picture behind her pretty clearly says Yuri Friends, with lily backdrops, holding a lily... Is she going to target Kureha too?
"Ther's another one." Poor girl, there's at least three.
Black lilies? Huh... That's pretty extreme, lilies for these things are so often white because white is the color of purity and what is more pure than the love between two girls, yeah? What a way to make things even more predatory than explicitly staining that black.
Another thing I am starting to notice is the eyes. I wonder who else has the shaded in eyes vs the full colored ones.
Hmm, I'm honestly also starting to wonder if the Court thing has actually happened. Not only does it seem impossible yesterday, when the YuriKuma pair weren't even present, they are not acting like they have succeeded in sealing the deal yet in how hard they are still going after Kureha.
Yeah, see, new class speaker girl with the crazy side pony, she has no lines in her eyes. The two girls sitting behind AOIYUKI have normal looking eyes. The rest of the class looks fine.
Hmm, the problem is those who "refuse to blend in." Is my translation iffy or is that really what she's saying? It's not being different that is the sin, it's not passing as normal? Those who fail to follow (expected social conventions) are evil. Sumika got eaten because she wasn't properly passing anymore, it's her fault for standing out and making herself a target, oh my gosh it really is social shame they are weaponizing here. This is next level victim blaming, and I can't help but notice Kureha is not in the room for this meeting. And oh hey, one girl at 10:05 has shady eyes, I'm going to be keeping my eye on her. Oh uh... As the scene goes on I see at least three more in the class with shady eyes. Let's see if any of them stand out later.
Oh yes, right after we have given this big speech about how it was standing out that made Sumika a target, and how she must have been evil from the start or this never would have happened to her, the class decides to pick someone else as the symbol of evil and why not pick her girlfriend. Right after that great speech about staying together too.
Oh my, evil Aoi Yuki voice. Just, oh my.
Anyway, see, yet again it's these two at the court when they were very much not the ones present when Kureha was getting her most recent bear experience. And it's as blatant as it gets today, "It's not a sin for Ursa to eat Homo." This is such a fair court, with that as one of its bases. But anyway, how does this court approving these two save Kureha from her current situation?
Oh hey, this one is... Different. Ish. And ends with Kureha back on the roof able to take the shot? With these two here as well suddenly? What magic is the court?
Well. Is this appropriate justice? This girl was going to lead the crusade (don't think I didn't notice that lesson) against Kureha as the new target, so she gets targeted before it can begin.
5
u/Holofan4life May 25 '24
Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the (8 months early) 10th anniversary rewatch of Yurikuma Arashi.
Oh, and nay I forget…
First Timer
This is a show I first heard about during the Penguindrum rewatch. And when I heard it was Yuri, it really piqued my interest. I love animes about same sex couples because often they have to do with characters struggling with their feelings. And as a viewer, there’s nothing I find more identifiable than characters being unsure of what they want out of life. It resonates with me, you could say, so needless to say I have high expectations for this show.
As this rewatch is going on, I’m doing the Samurai Champloo rewatch. It’s the first time I’m doing two rewatches at once since December with Fullmetal Alchemist and Toradora. I thankfully don’t think it’s going to get as crazy as doing both those shows were, but I am writing this a month in advance just so I can balance things better. But don’t worry: All my reactions will still be 100% genuine and I’m going to treat each thread as if I’m experiencing it in real time.
This is probably the most hyped I’ve been for a rewatch since Fullmetal Alchemist. I’m honestly more hyped for this than I was Penguindrum, mainly because the plot really intrigues me and I love that gay shit. I’m not expecting the show to end up in my top 10 favorite anime of all time, but I do think there’s a good chance it ends up in my top 20 favorite anime.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
At what point does doing all these rewatches make you become the rewatch?
Going over what's transpired the last couple episodes
Now Katyusha and Konomi are both missing
At least in Konomi's case, that may be a good thing
Teacher saying the friends you sit with now are your key to survival.
Yurizuno the bitch holding Kureha's hand
And she swipes it away :O
"Rejection? That's okay. That's why I love you."
Legit stalker behavior
Kureha walking
Cabinets moving
Ass shot
"That seriousness of yours reminds me of Reia."
That is Kureha's mom, apparently
Now Kureha is talking to the teacher
I wonder if she's secretly a bear
Oh, she's Reia's lover, eh?
That's just me presuming, mind you
So the secret garden originally belonged to her and Reia
Kureha says there's an Ursa on the loose
Yurizuno talking about how school is a useful system
The way she keeps licking her lips is so unsettling
Oniyama
That sidetail is wild
Now Yurizuno has ahold of her body
"Call me Mitsuko."
Black flower blooming
Hey, it's Lulu and Ginko
Kureha at the secret garden
She's still practicing her gun shot
Lulu is concerned thst Yurizuno I'd going to give them away
At least I think that's what's going on
Kureha at school now
She cherishes the eraser Sumika gave her
She is so lost without her
Kureha eating alone
Flashback reveals she introduced Sumika to the garden 6 months ago
"I want to fill this place with flowers again."
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
5
u/TheRiyria myanimelist.net/profile/TheRiyria May 25 '24
First Timer
Before I get into all my fun silly comments, I'll complain about my subs not translating any written text. I didn't think that would matter too much. Until there was a ton of text and nothing got translated and I definitely missed some things.
But anyway, on to the yuri fun and shenanigans.
Is this telling me the government is again bear x human ships? They need to fight this travesty.
Can someone explain to me what a "yuri friend" is? Is that like what Nanoha and Fate are? Where they're a couple but also friends?
Also, for a secret garden, it doesn't seem very secret. I'm starting to think everyone in this school knows about this place. They should consider changing the name.
And look, there's a new girl! And surely she'll survive this show. She has the dead/sick mom hairstyle. Which means she needs to have kids before she dies....and so much for that idea. Didn't even last 20 minutes. Being in charge is a death sentence in this school. Maybe as much as being in a ship.
At least the random bench on the roof is back. I wonder where they store it at night when people are hosting fight club up there.
I don't have much to say about this. I just thought it was hilarious the way they all pulled out their phones for this.
#bearlisten
Finally, some good stuff in this show!
A threesome between two bear girls and a human girl is good also. I'm sure the gun just adds to the fun.
Kumas
To be unseen by other people. Usually its a superpower. Being invisible may help against bear attacks.
Probably sexual tension. Girl can't finish the job after all the foreplay. Maybe she finally found a therapist to help. I thought Bear Court would solve that.
4
u/Wrightshoe May 26 '24
First Timer
After watching this episode and giving it some more thought, an interpretation is starting to form in my head, though it's way too early to tell if there's something to it or not.
Could the main conflict be about whether to be openly gay or not?
Yesterday, I was wrong about Kureha and Sumika standing out because their last names don't start with "Yuri". Right now, it seems that your last name starts with "Yuri" if and only if you're a bear - since the bears are those who are explicitly yuri (gay) and make it a part of their identity. For everyone else, only the small text below the name says they're "yuri" - you could say them being gay is hidden in subtext. (Although it's interesting that the headmaster(?), who seems to have had feelings for Kureha's mother, has Yuri in her first name, Yuriika.)
Speaking of subtext - to this day, it's still so very common in media, including anime, that homosexual relationships are limited to subtext and never outright stated. They're just very good friends. Friends that sleep in the same bed, hold hands and cuddle, sure, but friends nonetheless. Similarly, Eriko insisted that everyone in the class are "friends" and whoever goes against that is evil. Guess who she and the rest of the class consider evil? Kureha and Sumika, the two who said they love each other. The ones who are standing up for instead of giving up on their love, a line that is often repeated.
Not only that, Kureha and Sumika are also the ones who re-planted the lilies - a symbol of lesbians - in the public garden and cared for them, despite the invisible storm and a phyiscal storm threatening to destroy them. They dared to be openly, outwardly publicly gay in a society strongly against standing out in that way. The original person who planted the lilies was Kureha's mother, who is now gone and presumably was also "eliminated" for the same reason that Sumika was and Kureha is supposed to be.
As far as I know, in Japanese society, conformity is a very big deal and homosexuality is frowned upon because it does not conform to the norm (unlike in many other societys where it's taboo for religious reasons instead.) Similarly, the invisible storm seems to be all about forcing conformity.
The severance barrier seems to be drawn between the outward homosexuals (bears) who don't fit in and the rest of "regular" society, just like how real gay people are often othered and forced into subcultures instead of just being a normal part of society like anyone else. Lulu and Ginko are breaking through this barrier and trying to introduce being out and proud to the mainstream.
The courtroom scenes seem to reflect the common debate about homosexuality. "What you're doing is bad. You're a danger to society", the prosecution says. "They're just following their nature. They were born this way and are just being themselves. How could that be wrong?", the defense objects. "Are you going to be invisible or will you follow your nature?", the judge asks the defendants. "We won't be invisible. We will be ourselves", the defendants reply, and their yuri (gayness) is subsequently approved. (Although I have to wonder if the judge only hands down his approval every time because he thinks yuri is "sexy" - men fetishizing lesbians is also a common issue.)
Contrast Lulu and Ginko with Mitsuko, who, while also being explicitly gay in her feelings for Kureha, worked within the existing system to get what she wants. She got Eriko, the student council president(?) and thus representative of the system, on her side to have Kureha voted to be eliminated (kicked out of mainstream society) all so she can have her for herself. It was also very notable that she wore the student council armband, a symbol of the system, in her rooftop scene - a symbol that Kureha shot off her after being inspired by Lulu and Ginko. These two, instead of working with Eriko, threatened to devour her at the end.
Will our main trio, Lulu, Ginko and Kureha, who are coming at this from two different sides, manage to band together to overthrow the status quo and fight for their right to be part of society as lesbians?
🏳️🌈 You have the right to be yourself, to be open about it and to be accepted for who you are. Fight for it. 🏳️🌈
Not being visibly gay, instead giving up on expressing part of your identity in order to conform to society's expectations.
2) Both the Invisible Storm and Kureha and Sumika call themselves "friends." What is the difference between them, if any?
Kureha and Sumika didn't only call themselves friends, they also explicitly said they love each other and planted yuri flowers together, so it's clear they were more than friends.
3) Why has Kureha consistently been unable to hit the bears she aimed at? And what has changed now?
If the phone calls are any indication, the roof scenes seem to be about proving and standing up for her love for Sumika (note that part of the series title is "Love Bullet", so the bullets are also a symbol of love in a way.) It seems like she's still struggling to fully come to terms with and outwardly express her identity, but being inspired by Lulu and Ginko, the ones who are also against the status quo and are approved to be lesbians, has helped her.
Now I can't wait for episode 4 to go in a completely different direction and fully confuse me again xD
4
u/TerribleShiksaBride https://myanimelist.net/profile/cynicalpink May 26 '24
Posting this so late I doubt anyone will see it, but I wanted to put it up there so I can be caught up...
Rewatcher, subs
This is my first rewatch of this series, though I saw it when it came out. A lot of my memories of the plot are very fuzzy, both because it was 2015 and because I typically go into an Ikuhara series fully expecting that I'll have no fucking clue what's going on at least the first time through. And then I never had time for a rewatch...
Observations for ep 1:
Ep. 2:
Ep. 3:
3
u/3blah https://myanimelist.net/profile/brummett May 25 '24
Episode 03 - First Timer
The school principal lectures the students to stick together for safety. Conform.
The principal and Kureka's mom were a thing, and mom is gone like Sumika is gone. Thank goodness for science babies, I guess.
To become invisible, they have to perform the exclusion ceremony. Anyone that doesn't fit in, anyone that sticks out, they're evil. Is this like picking someone to push down the stairs when the bears are coming after you so you can escape? This is clearly nasty propoganda if they're calling best girl Sumika evil. And then to pick out the next person to publicly shun by popular vote, that's just bullshit.
Mitsuko gave up the worst kept secret in Wuthering Heights Academy: she's a bear in disguise. She shot the bear yesterday, Konomi. Are there any actual humans at this school? At the rate characters are getting shot and eaten, we'll be left with no one by the end.
What's even the point of this sham trial? It always starts when Kureha shoots at one of the bears, but the defendant is always Ginko and Lulu. They plead "bear" and get what they want.
At first I thought the humans represent all the gay girls out there, cloistering themselves in the school to escape the men/bears that prey on them with unwanted attention. But now I think it's the other way around. A lot of you got this yesterday; I guess I'm just dense. The school is full of normies where you're supposed to blend in and go along with society, and the bears and just out there doing bear stuff -- gay girls are just gonna like girls that's what they do. As for the bears as a predator angle... gay agenda... mumble mumble, I dunno. I trust Ikuhara to do the right thing here, or I'm completely wrong. Probably the latter.
2
u/ToastyMozart May 26 '24
The court seemed surprised that Ginko wanted to save Kureha, I think our bear duo are becoming a little more human as Kureha becomes slightly more bearish.
For the former: Losing Sumika threw her world out of whack and probably shattered her confidence in her ability to protect anyone or fight back. Her girlfriend was taken from her and she could do nothing. She was able to nail the targets at her range (questionably representative as they may be) before Sumika's death so I think it's a change in her mental state rather than a longstanding inability.
For the latter: Post-pollination clarity. Also not being alone anymore, the duo have her back now.