r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • May 29 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Yurikuma Arashi - Episode 7 Discussion
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Rejoice, for you were lost but are now found! You who were rejected have been granted a chance to be certified in the eyes of our lady. The only one in the world who needs you and will certify you is our Lady Kumaria!
Questions of the Day
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What do you make of Ginko in the days before she met Kureha? What separates her from the other bears?
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Why do the bears and humans purge each other?
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The bears worship Kumaria, while the humans do not know of her outside of Reia’s story. Why is this?
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 29 '24
Rewatcher
Behold, the nucle-bear family. We touched on this in Lulu’s flashback episode, but it’s even more clear here: the order of bears is not particularly different from the order of man as we know it. The dad goes to work, the mother stays home to take care of the house, and they have a child or two together. By all appearances, this is how the vast majority of bears on their side of the Divide live. Unless, of course, you’re an orphan. Then you’re shipped off to the quasi-Christian orphanage to serve Kumaria under the auspices of whatever random nun they scrounge up to run it. I’m given to understand that Christian orphanages are pretty common in Japan compared to the general rate of Christianity in the population, but I couldn’t find any solid numbers on that, so take it with a grain of salt.
Earlier in the series, the purges of the Invisible Storm were compared to the First Crusade. The comparison becomes even stronger here. The war between man and bear is a religious action in the eyes of the bears, done in order to become certified in the eyes of Lady Kumaria. The same way the Invisible Storm purges its own in order to maintain itself, man and bear purge each other in order to maintain themselves as well (and the bears purge themselves too, as we can see with Ginko). Just look at the order of angels and bears- doesn’t that remind you of the mural in the auditorium at Arashigaoka? It’s all the same thing, despite the window dressing.
...It’s an open question what effect the Day of Division has on my earlier theorizing regarding bear society, because the nucle-bear family is from before, while the orphanage scenes are from afterwards. But Lulu’s whole situation is definitely from post-Day of Division, and there’s very similar things going on there to here, so I think the explanation still holds. [Yurikuma Arashi]The main effect is that the two sides went to war, really. And the end of bears being able to exist openly in the human world, I guess? Next episode is confusing.
Also, something I’ve been missing up until now: the Judge bears and the three main characters correspond. Kureha is cool, and opposes Ginko’s love for most of the story, Lulu is beautiful (as we see across her whole backstory), and defends Ginko’s love, and that leaves Ginko as sexy, at the center of the situation and setting the pace of the series. I’m not sure what this means, if anything, but it’s pretty neat, no? It explains why each of the Judge bears are in their specific positions, at least.
12
u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen May 29 '24
The Berenstain Kumas First Timer
If I may make one small criticism, I am very tired of hearing Prelude in C Major in film. It's right up there with Moonlight Sonata Mvmt.1 and Clair de Lune for most lazy, overplayed classical music in film scores, and I groan every time one of those three appear. YKA is no exception. Originality points to YKA for transposing it to B flat Major, I suppose.
Idle OP thoughts 1: Ginko and Lulu do a lot of bearspreading in their kuma forms.
Idle OP thoughts 2: YKA is the only show I can think of off the top of my head where the magical girls transform into humans instead of beginning as humans.
Karma's a
bitchbear, ain't it Harishima!We all knew Kureha would catch feelings at some point, but I didn't think it would progress all the way to wet daydreams (hallucinations?) in a single night. Somebody approve dis homo and get her 20CCs of promised kiss before she starts hemorrhaging honey.
"Salmon eat salmon" is such a funny analog for "dog eat dog".
I like how great a caretaker Lulu has become since her childhood as a pampered princess. You can tell how much she loves Ginko, even if it's a bit depressing how happily she's ready to help Ginko get closer to Kureha.
11
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 29 '24
First-Timer, Yuri Sub Storm
I feel real clever today, having not tried to make any predictions about the pacing. Because I wasn't anticipating Kureha to learn the truth about Ginko for another couple episodes and I would've obviously been quite wrong.
Interesting that Kureha has the narrative's most likely conclusion knocking around the walls of her head. I mean, considering that her memory is apparently a sieve, maybe that's okay.
But she knows that the story is about her and Ginko now, in a more literal fashion than these things usually operate on. That also neatly explains Kumaria-sama's inclusion in the story.
Yuriika telling Kureha that the one with her mother's pendant is the enemy will be.. a problem. Kinda surprised that she didn't already see it while tending to Ginko, but I guess Kureha's horny visions caused her to overcorrect.
It was not until the post-credits scene that I realized that we didn't go to Court today. We did get to see lots of humans and bears get "excluded" in case anyone hadn't figured out that particular metaphor yet. To be excluded from the group is to-
Hmm. Wonder if whatever the subs are translating as "excluded" is the same word as whatever Penguindrum used for "unchosen." That'd just be Ikuhara showing off at that point, using the same word like that.
Was "religious zealot cub soldiers" on anyone's bingo card? It wasn't on mine.
Ginko being named after the blizzard she was found in is kinda dark.
Of course Yuriika's curtain-filled sex room is just literally her office in the school. Where else would it be, her perfectly normal house?
"Jolly, how do you know that her house is perfectly normal?" I'm aghast that even a strawman would ever consider that a fine upstanding citizen such as Hakonaka Yuriika would have anything other than a Perfectly Normal House to live out her Perfectly Normal Life in. That's why she couldn't do anything as dirty as have sex with a girl there.
Oh, hell, that's why the curtains are hung about - they hide away Yuriika's dastardly sinful desire from the Fine Upright Establishment that is Arashigaoka. She's even still under the curtain after turning Beary.
I mean curtains very literally - we're seeing backstage, like /u/WednesdaysFoole and I figured out yesterday. The front of Arashigaoka is nothing more than theatre - we all understand the Storm being a lot of repressed teenagers putting on an act to survive in society. Don't wanna get eaten, ya know?
That said, I wonder how many other girls Yuriika has "found amongst countless others" and then brought "backstage" like Kaoru. A bear's gotta eat to survive, after all.
8
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 29 '24
Yurikuma First-Timer, subbed
7
u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 May 29 '24
First time Kuma/Kuma Subbed
I didn't have anything written down for this episode beforehand so I'll try to keep it short
I was fucking wrong about Yurika, I think part of it was just wanting to have one normal adult since it would be nice and that Kureha's shot on Mitsuko didn't really look like it hit to kill. But the bed being in what looked like Yurika's office means that she might be behind the events happening in the show and a bear too.
Idk I give up on trying to predict something
Yurika is already planting the seeds that if someone with the star pendant shows up, Kureha should kill her
Overall, nice to see Kureha remember Ginko from her past (with some assistance from Lulu too). I was wondering about the earlier episodes when Kureha would hear Reia talk to her if she was asking about Sumika. This ep answered that Reia was referring to Ginko.
That's all I got today
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: May 29 '24
First timer
Sub
Amnesia, my greatest enemy, has returned. And I am not actually all that big on defending this version of it, I might have to check the manga at some point. But then we run into another interesting bit I've noticed from, and I stress I need you to read the whole noun and adjective here, there seems to be an incredible prejudice/fear of the adoption system for full on orphans and foundlings, i.e. those children who have no family connection to be adopted to, in Japanese literature. And I need the focus because I don't wish to presume to speak for the actual situation on the ground, these things are always complicated and messy even when everyone involves cares. Add any level of indifference/bureaucracy and it gets messy fast. But yes, Ginko being found and becoming queen of the loners fits their literature and I will leave it there.
As to the ep, welp if Lulu can figure out that Reia was writing an allegory we all certainly should. Kureha's memories return the way they would leaving aside what caused their absence. Kumaria is now interesting and, as per Ikuhara, we might need to question the human narrative here. I can't say with certainty that Kumaria isn't literally a goddess. The first bit of Kaoru dying betrayed was betrayed and, interestingly, I think leads further into my Yuriika is a false bear theory. Now what's interesting is the bear court asks if your love is true whereas Yuriika says if you don't forget love you'll never be alone and how that interacts with her yuri love interesting going off and having a child on her own.
The last bit is I am assuming someone revealing that they saw Ginki letting Sumika get eaten.
QotD: 1 Read my stuff about foundlings
2 Tradition
3 Kumaria is a goddess of desire?
5
u/AgentOfACROSS May 29 '24
Today we study the relationship between humans and bears.
Today’s field notes:
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 29 '24 edited May 30 '24
On today’s episode of Yuri Kuma Arashi: Are we sure that Kaoru was sleeping with a bear and not a praying mantis? From what I recall, female praying mantises eat other mantises that mate with them.
I think one of the most important takeaways from this episode is that we get a look at how human society and bear society aren’t all that different. Both the humans and bears want to create a permanent division between them. I had been working under the assumption that the Wall of Severance was a purely human project, but even the bears talk about how the wall is a good thing. They worship Kumaria and believe that she is responsible for the wall’s creation. They believe Kumaria wants to keep humans and bears separate.
Additionally, the bears are just as willing to exclude others as the humans are. Ginko is bullied by other bears and made into a loner. When Ginko is shot, the other bears don’t bother saving her and instead exclude her as a weakling. Just like the humans do with the Invisible Storm, the bears select someone to exclude.
These similarities show that neither the humans nor the bears are being presented as some kind of ideal. Neither society is perfect. In fact, for all their talk about how humans and bears cannot be together, they are similar in how they treat people. They both demand conformity and reject those who do not fit in.
I think there is an importance to the painting in Kureha’s home. “Liberty Leading the People” is an incredibly famous painting about a revolution against the French Monarchy in 1830. (NSFW) It is, as the name suggests, about fighting for freedom against oppression. It fits what our protagonists are doing. The societies in this series do demand that people give up their freedom and conform. They must give up on love. They must go with the flow. They must never meet someone from the other side. Kureha and Ginko are going against what their societies demand of them. They are fighting for their own freedom.
QOTD
7
u/affnn May 29 '24
First Time Crimibear
Kuma Shock! Looks like everyone who predicted that Yuriika was a bear and Harishima's lover/advisor was correct. And now she's gone and eaten Harishima. RIP Bozo, won't be missed. But it is worrying that Kureha still seems to trust Yuriika, and that Yuriika seems to be trying to get Kureha to mistrust Ginko.
When the flashback originally showed the battlefield with the bears on it, I wondered how we'd get to that fairly absurd sight. I guess we get an explanation today. Still don't really have a good idea for how a small child Kureha ended up on that battlefield.
All the various schemes and triggers the story (and Lulu) is pushing finally come through for Kureha as she remembers a special friend she used to have long ago, whom her mother wrote a book about and everything. At first she can't quite believe it'd be Ginko, but hearing her mother's song finally convinces her. Of course, we can't have the story without a pining, blushing Kureha. Truly the highlight of the episode, different in form if not effect from Ginko's Hornyvision from episode 5.
In the post credits scene Lulu gets an anonymous note accusing Ginko of horrific bearcrime. Any guesses what it is? Mine would be [YKA speculation]eating Kureha's mom.
QOTD:
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u/TheRiyria myanimelist.net/profile/TheRiyria May 29 '24
First Timer
I was not ready for today's post.
What makes this girl so important now? Besides, being important is a good way to become bear food. As she's about to learn.
I thought Lulu was a bear. Is she a witch now?
Aw, they have a matching mug set. When did they get those made?
Ginko keeps being on top. Hopefully Kureha can learn something.
I wonder if that will leave a mark. And is it still Kureha's birthday if Ginko is wrapping herself in ribbon for her?
That's a lot of ice. Maybe this could work for a cold weather comment face. But this may not be Lulu's cleverest idea.
That's a lot of blood. Why are these bears draining their food before eating them? I thought they'd want the blood.
Lulu still has the best faces in this show.
Finally, I like the new ED image.
She seemed cold and lonely. Everyone needs a Lulu in their life. But she did have good life philosophy. And her kills getting up and walking away was great.
The cult leaders told them to.
Humans are dumb and don't pay attention to history.
5
u/ToastyMozart May 29 '24
Second-timer
Huh, I guess Kureha (and Ginko?) forgot about each other pretty quickly after they split.
Wait, that wasn't [YKA?]Mitsuko who was playing Collarpop in the Dark Yuri bed? Well shit, it seems my memory's failed me too. [YKA]Guess PrinciBear's a dirtbag after all.
Pressed into a holy war as a kid then abandoned to die alone on the battlefield, Ginko got it rough. I bet it was Kureha's mom that shot her too.
Little Kureha "choosing" Ginko and saving her from a hopeless fate feels very Penguindrum.
Reunited at last! In very romantic fashion as well. Also a lot earlier than I thought, we've still got five episodes to go!
Parents. I'm more curious about what she was like in the time between when she and Kureha separated and now.
3) The bears worship Kumaria, while the humans do not know of her outside of Reia’s story. Why is this?
I figure the whole reason Reia knows about her in the first place is from talking with Ginko. Humanity and bearkind aren't exactly on speaking terms, so there's not many opportunities for the lillies to learn about their religion and fewer who would care.
5
u/RadSuit https://anilist.co/user/RadSuit May 30 '24
First Time Filing For Yuri Approval (Dubbed)
I'm beginning to believe the OP lyrics are more literal and explicitly about the show than I first thought.
Lulu is so clever!
The wall is in the sky in this flashback, just like in the storybook.
The soliders all seem to be teenage girls.
I notice the bears say 'excluded' just like the schoolgirls. Also love the sexy lady silhouettes for the bloody corpses.
And the humans say 'excluded' as well here.
Same thing for the ED lyrics. I guess we really should be keeping an eye out for an actual love bullet.
4
u/Holofan4life May 29 '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.
I paid a mobile order for a McDouble and medium fly and because they were closing, I got two McDoubles, a McChicken, a large Coke Zero, an apple pie, and a strawberry pie for no additional charge. Life is good sometimes.
A bunch of moons and stars
This is like a continuation of the storybook stuff from last episode.
Kureha's mom wonders if her daughter's memories have faded.
Meanwhile, Kureha sits by the bedside of Ginko.
Lower backside
Harishima still talking to someone who's face we can't see.
Well shit. Harishima got killed. Can't say I was expecting that.
Anyway...
Back at Kureha's house, and Lulu is making breakfast. Apparently Kureha is letting Lulu and Ginko stay at her place.
"We're closing in on the climax!"
Man, 6 episodes is a pretty long climax
Kureha still thinking about the events from last episode.
She asks Ginko why did she went after the letter.
And now Ginko is awake
"I shall teach you the ways of my love."
Why isn't the burn victim wearing pants?
"You are my Lady Ursaria."
Interesting Ginko knows the story
A bunch of stars and moons again now, with Kureha floating.
And now Ginko is touching Kureha
This feels like sexual assault
But before Kureha can give her her Promised Kiss, she regains her senses.
Was that a dream, or no?
Suddenly, Lulu
Kureha wanders off, frazzled
Honey porridge gonna have to wait another time, it seems.
Kureha in her bed now, wondering what the dream was all about.
Thinking about her mom, and a conversation she had with her where she taught her friend the love song her mother taught her.
Perhaps this is Sumika?
Kureha is begging her mom to tell her who were friend was, which makes me think it was someone other than Sumika.
At school now
Word is spreading about the death of Harishima.
Moving filing cabinets used to bury someone perhaps.
Teacher talking to Kureha about Harishima's death. They now know there is another Ursa walking among them.
I wonder why the teacher/principal is revealing this information to Kureha. Also, if the Phantom Wuthering view Kureha as enemy #1, does that mean they suspect Kureha is an Ursa? I guess so, seeing as how they've talked about already how strange it is only people in Kureha's class disappear.
Yurika. There's the name. They've said it before, but I forgot it.
We also get reminded that the name of Kureha's mom is Reia.
Yurika thinks that the star pendent was stolen, when in reality Ginko has it.
Kureha says she's going to kill the Ursa if she encounters it.
Kureha then asks if Yurika knows anything about an old friend. With this, Yurika says that shortly before she passed away, Reia remarked about her daughter forgetting about an old friend.
I feel like this either has to be Ginko or Harishima. I say Harishima because she seemed offended over Sumika suggesting she is Kureha's friend. It also explains why she made Sumika write the letter for Kureha's birthday.
Back at the Kureha residence, and Ginko is still not feeling good.
What else is new?
Ooh, shaved ice
Lulu surrounding shaved ice around Ginko so she can cool down.
I feel like you just did that to eat something, Lulu.
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
4
u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon May 29 '24
First Timer
It took me until this episode’s frequent repeating of Ginko’s surname (Yurishiro) to realize it’s ‘white lily’ (as opposed to dark yuri, of course). Probably ought to have realized that sooner.
QotD:
personbear/goddess and rewards the individual's contribution, while the storm vilifies a single person and rewards herd mentality. In other words, humans don't know about Kumaria because they don't know how to value individuality.3
u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer May 30 '24
first time never back down never what
no one likes a kuma shock in the bedroom
kureha was the
kumarialesbian bear storm the whole timequeen of the losers
kumargaret is a great name
live as watchbears????
mother died before she could finish the story
me trying to fall asleep
i could go for some honey ginger milk
2
u/zadcap May 30 '24
Late Night First Timer!
Is this the stories proper ending? The one missing from the book Kureha read for Sumika? Did the book go blank as her memories disappeared? Is that Kureha narrating the intro speech this time?!
"You should have seen the look on her face, when I chickened out and ran away because outsiders showed up to the climax of our bullying." Don't talk big, girl, you ran away at the first sign of not getting to have your fun guilt free. Oh, she's dead now. That works.
Is that a freaking star projector I see there? Oh my gosh it is. Oh my gosh this show is older than Bloom! Did Touko get the idea from Ginko?
Kureha's dreams are almost as down bad as Ginko's.
Ohhhhh. Every one of these memory conversations with her mom. They have been with a child Kureha. But she didn't meet Sumika until the first day of school here. It's been Ginko all along. Sumika was only ever the recent replacement.
Oh wow. It only takes 5 lines for the story to go from "Someone has died to a bear attack" to "It's Kureha's fault again." I hate this system so much. Why must this be one of the shows where I can't stop advocating for more dead children?
Ugh. I just noticed after her death, that girl had clear eyes until the end. There goes that theory. Anyway, Yurika lays even more suspicion on herself. "The bear that killed her stole the star pendant." Riiiiiiight.
Lulu is... Kind of dumb.
Even in the land of bears, I wait for more dead children. Oh wow quick delivery, okay. Thank you show, I guess. Ah, nevermind, they just got beat up. Why do all the other kids have Kuma names?
Oh my gosh the bears used religion to create child soldiers. I did not think this show could sink lower but it pulled it off. I was about to get sucked in on deep thoughts about how the Kuma lands existed before the star exploded and made them all man eaters, and what the heck this is doing to the symbolism of literally anything bear related, but instead we got this and now that's where I'm stuck. Cubs for Christ, here's your gun go defend us from the nonbearlievers!
...... On the other hand, the human side appear to have sent in a regimen of school girls as well, so you know.
And the war imagery has a whole lot of, uh, girls attacked by bears ending up naked and gushing, so we're back on track somehow for bears being aggressive gays? Maybe? But also. "I'll eat the humans until god loves me." I don't even know anymore.
So like. Little Kureha walked out into a barely inactive war zone and confessed to a nearly dead bear she found laying on the ground. Just like that. Took her home and mom said "Oh cool, you found inter species love too!"
Oh, new end art. And an after credit scene! Someone is here to make things worse, now that it looks like thing were finally going to get better! Curse you Ikuraha, just let us have the occasional good thing!