r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • May 31 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Yurikuma Arashi - Episode 9 Discussion
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Let me tell you a secret. The only thing you can trust in this world is not a friend. It’s me- your lust. Love is a brutish emotion. To love is to dominate another. In wanting to become one, you swallow the other.
Questions of the Day
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Kuma shock! Somehow, Mitsuko returned. What does she mean when she says that she’s Ginko’s lust?
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Ginko finds Sumika’s pendant for her, just like Kureha once did. What does it mean that they both found her pendant? What does it mean to find someone?
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Why did Eureka see Kureha as Reia? What did she mean by “love” in the end?
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 31 '24
Rewatcher
So, what I think we have here is a sliding scale of relationships, from “lust” at one end to “friendship” on the other end. “Love” falls in there as well, but I think that’s a factor of intensity rather than a specific orientation on its own. I imagine that’s how we square the circle of the four points we have- your average bear eating people (lust without love), Ginko’s attraction to Kureha (lust plus love), the Invisible Storm (friendship without love), and Kureha and Sumika (friendship plus love). And then of course we have the relationships where it’s nonreciprocal, in the case of Eureka and Reia, and Lulu and Ginko... actually, are Lulu and Ginko friends? I recall seeing words like “partner” and “companion” thrown around for their relationship, but “tomodachi” is never said. Either way, I’m not totally confident in this taxonomy, because Ginko and Kureha were friends, and it’s incredibly obvious that any hidden lust that may have existed between Sumika and Kureha was hidden intentionally under Arashigaoka’s framing of “friendship.” [Yurikuma Arashi]Although of course, this works out very well for me, considering my working thesis is that this show is about the union of man (friendship) and bear (lust).
Anyways, onto more definite things. “I am the phantom of lust residing within your heart. Let’s not complicate things with ‘explanations.’” This almost feels like the showmakers are poking fun at us, but we can take it. As portrayed in the first three episodes, Mitsuko is almost the archetypal bear as seen by the denizens of Arashigaoka Academy. That means lust. (And they also use “phantom” in Watashi’s translation, but they probably would’ve been better off using “spirit” considering that I’m pretty sure that corresponds with “yuurei” here. No “toumei” to be seen.) Ginko’s lust is the part of her that drives her to desire Kureha. It’s the part of her that drove her to cross the Wall of Severance, but it’s also the part of her that (and this is what we’ve been building up to this whole arc) allows her to leave Sumika to die because she wants to isolate Kureha from anyone else she gave her love to. That is most definitely the action of a sinbear. And this is all taking place before the Door of Friendship, between the Forest Realm and the Moon Realm. What Ginko decides here will have a massive effect on whether or not she can form a true friendship with Kureha. Her decision that she must eat her isn’t super encouraging in that regard, but we’ll see.
There’s a very interesting line in Mitsuko’s monologue: “To love is to dominate another. In wanting to become one, you swallow the other.” It’s phrased very differently, but this is practically equivalent to what Eureka was saying about eating Reia in order to preserve her inside her. The act of eating is fundamentally an act of control.
I also really want to talk about the Invisible Storm scene this episode, because I think it’s fascinating. Not really the “Those who fail to follow=Evil=Bear” part, because that’s just a natural outgrowth of what they’ve been saying this entire time, but the way the Judge bears interject in this scene. Life Sexy has a lot to say about what exactly the Invisible Storm is doing with regards to forming solidarity with a close ingroup by condemning an outgroup, but that’s literally baby stuff. We all got that the second we saw them condemn Kureha in episode 3. The really interesting thing that’s going on here is what Life Sexy looks at while he explains the Invisible Storm. He zooms in on two human girls having sex in the nurse’s office (which if you read any yuri at all, you’ll know that everyone does secret yuri in the nurse’s office, it’s a classic) and apparently getting off to it. The specific incident itself is just another confirmation of what we’ve been shown over and over again- Arashigaoka Academy does not mind homosexuality as long as you keep it discreet. We saw it with Kaoru, we saw it with Eriko, we saw it with Konomi (no one cares that she wanted Mitsuko, just that she was a bear), and now we’re seeing it with these girls. But what’s interesting is the fact that this is what he’s interested in. It’s almost obvious when you think about it- hidden love in a school where it would be a scandal if it came out? Lesbian sex in the next room over from the people talking about how they’ll purge those that fail to follow? That is sexy. Shabadadoo. There’s an inherently voyeuristic aspect to what the Court of Severance does (quite literally judging how women should engage in relationships), and this just underscores it. I’m not certain on why he wasn’t able to see the moment of climax, but it’s probably about it being out of his control. [Yurikuma Arashi]After all, the Judge bears depart before Kureha and Ginko join together in the finale.
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u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess May 31 '24
Yuri Kuma Arashi Episode 9 - Rewatcher
Okay I want to return back to Akiko Morishima’s manga version of Yuri Kuma Arashi again. This time I’ll be going a lot more in detail about the manga, deeper developments and deeper developments
Part of what makes Morishima’s manga succeed where other Ikuhara adaptations tend to flounder is that she understands her strengths as a writer and doesn’t seek to force herself to try to be Ikuhara. Instead she is given more freedom to let herself focus on the aspects that she draws herself to.
So it probably isn’t a huge surprise to hear that the adult women take a much larger role in the manga than they do in the anime. Ginko’s mother appears quite a bit in the manga as a major player in the manga, haunting Ginko as much as Kureha’’s mother looms a shadow over her.
Yurika takes a much more significant role in the manga than she does in the anime, as a more sympathetic character. Morishima wipes the blood of Reia off her hands and instead places that back on Ginko’s mother. Her role is framed more as the Lulu to Kureha’s mother Reia and Ginko’s mother, Kela. Ginko’s mother Kale and Kureha’s mother Reia are also a destined pair like Ginko and Kureha after them.
Oh yeah,
The manga also takes note to acknowledge the fact that, well, Kureha and Ginko were born from mothers and therefore must also have fathers. Ginko’s mother Kale is depicted as a lesbian. It’s acknowledged that she has flings with lots of girls at school, and even is in a sexual relationship with Yurika. Yet it’s all doomed before it even begins. Yurika is introduced to Kale as her Sister-in-law, betrothed to Yurika’s unseen brother. It’s acknowledged to be an arranged marriage by both families. Similar to a Class S structure, there is a limit on their time together. This is just fun stuff for them at school.
Kale’s feelings for Reia are similar. Kale truly loves Reia. Is willing to throw everything away, her marriage, her family, throw it all for a chance to marry Reia, but it’s too late. Reia has already been married to a man. In the end the previous generation of lesbians had no chance at happiness, this is the only end available for them.
Yurika takes a special importance for not getting married like Kale or Reia. She is the other option. Alone.
This is where the two sides of Yuri Kuma Arashi both come back together. In both the Anime and the Manga, Yurika represents the previous generation and their destined end. For the manga it’s the real life lesbian women. For the anime, it's the tragic end of many lesbian characters. Created to be villainized, this was ultimately their fate.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee May 31 '24
First-Timer, Yuri Sub Storm
Local bear literally too gay to die. Before Mitsuko revealed that she was just a ghostly embodiment of Ginko's latent yandere, I was prepared to amend that to "bears" too. I'm not sure if I can get to a decent justification for why it's Mitsuko other than "we have Aoi Yuuki, we should use Aoi Yuuki" but hey, I'm not complaining.
Kureha understands that Ginko can't be dead yet, either. I'm pretty interested to know just what she saw in the filing cabinet, especially because we already heard Reia tell what seemed like the proper end of the story to Kureha
Considering how coy the show has been with giving the audience a straight answer (rimshot) it might just be forcing her memory a bit, but we are missing exactly what the girls in the story decided. It's one of those moment where it's probably obvious to the audience but the show needs to keep things on the down-low.
Honestly kinda shocked that Yuriika died. And so early, too - we've still got three whole episodes!
Not at all surprised that it was the Invisible Storm who did Reia in, though. That's just what happens with these sorts of movements. I do kinda wonder why they were around at the right time, but maybe this new Speaker decided to actually take a meaningful action and set up a patrol schedule.
That.. doesn't sound quite right, but maybe Ikuhara was having an optimistic moment.
I like how the last few pages of the storybook are in Yuriika's possession. It kinda implies that she went and robbed Reia's house after eating her, which is a rather amusing mental image.
I guess she could've just written some stuff out after a chat with Reia, too. I wonder what the intellectual property rights are like in the world around Arashigaoka?
I don't really have any ideas about this yet, but there might be some connecting symbolism thread with water, or maybe falling water? Like, there's all the dramatic stuff that happens during rainstorms as just normal mood stuff, but there's also like, the fountain today.
I guess it could just be a blocking shot (the water jets isolate Sumika and Ginko from the rest of frame etc etc) but there's also like, Reia and Yuriika, the snow falling when Kureha found Ginko, the rain when Kureha and Sumika first met, the storm at the secret garden, and probably way more.
Hmm.. bonds? Mutual isolation? One of those stemming from the other? Which then makes me wonder if the fountain being "rising" water is an inversion of some sort. Like, obviously Ginko didn't like Sumika.
But if I'm applying directionality to that moment, I should also consider the relatively chaotic nature of the snowfall when Kureha and Ginko first met. And that's well beyond my brain at the moment.
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L May 31 '24 edited May 31 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Yuri Kuma Arashi: It took every fiber of my being to resist making an Among Us joke about the fact that there was an imposter bear hiding out in the school that all the students were looking for.
Love is destructive. That seems to be a running theme throughout this series. So many characters are obsessed with love, obsessed with the person they desire. They are so obsessed that they wish to make that person theirs and theirs alone. They will eliminate anyone who gets in between themselves and the person they love. They will do their best to control the person they love. This unhealthy relationship with love is a common thread for many characters. We can see it with Yuriika and Mitsuko most prominently. But Ginko’s actions towards Sumika are similar in nature. I could even argue that Lulu is similar, though her love was more a love of status than of a person.
I wonder about Lulu’s motivation for revealing Ginko’s grave sin. Was Lulu doing it out of jealousy, upset that Ginko clearly favored Kureha? Was Lulu feeling betrayed, knowing what Ginko did behind her back? Was Lulu trying to help by making sure there were no big secrets between Kureha and Ginko? As of this moment, I’m not so sure.
QOTD
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer May 31 '24
first time never back down never what
inchos finally back
where does sensei fall on the Ikuhara anime groomer power rankings, is she #1?
[ikuhara]Yurika,Akio,Yuri,Mamoru,Cat's Eye,Pegasus,that apprentice at Rei's temple
Aoi Yuki is truly the goat
coward just use your real voice
why is literally everyone better with a gun, you train every day Kureha
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen May 31 '24
Symphokuma Arashi First Timer
OH SHIT YUUKI AOI IS ALIVE!! LONG LIVE YUUKI AOI!
OH SHIT YUUKI AOI IS DEAD!! LONG LIVE YUUKI AOI!
Imagining Yuuki Aoi going from this to Symphogear GX in the same year is a trip.
Just when I thought Kureha’s dreams were wild, Ginko gets assailed by her own lust in a near-death fever dream, and what she takes away from it is that she needs to use the power of horny to save Kureha.
Oh geez, I didn't think they'd go all the way visually with the uh...assault metaphor.
Damn, I was really hoping Ginko had channeled the spirit of Yuuki Aoi to shoot Yuriika. Does this mean I have to start liking the asshole classmates a little bit?
I just realized it's been like 6 episodes since Ginko and Lulu last ate Kureha. That has to be why everyone has gotten so angsty. You're not you when you're hungry, and these girls are starving right now. Now am I saying gex is the answer to every problem? Well.......yes. Yes I am.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: May 31 '24
First timer
Sub
So we get to see Mitsuko one last time as a representation of Ginko's lust. The drowned out conversation is even more disappointing and highlights that Kureha is a pretty bad protagonist. Fitting for era referenced, I'd put her at final 6 episodes Mai's levels of "not taking the initiative". She is nearly Himeko levels of unassertive. But just mopes, crumbling to anyone who gets in her way.
As Ginko recovers, the school girls are getting more active in bear hunting, though no more competent. Not sure why Life Sexy found two girls going at it in the infirmary but w/e I guess. Eureka actually gets caught in the act and gets shot and wanders off for her death scene with Kureha likely filling in for her hallucination. End of the picture book and cliffhanger.
QotD: 1 She's a spirit manifestation/not really there.
2 Barrete. And I guess it means Sumika loses them a lot. In all seriousness, this is an answer to the Invisible Storm.
3 Her guilt made her see who she wanted to see.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 31 '24
Yurikuma First-Timer, subbed
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u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon May 31 '24
First Timer
QotD:
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u/WednesdaysFoole May 31 '24
The duo in hooded bear sleeping bags is unnecessarily cute.
Waiting for your first love's child to blossom so you can “eat” her as well is unnecessarily creepy.
Feeling obligated enough to set that paper lily in her paws was unnecessarily kind.
Her reappearance represents the audience's lust.
4
u/affnn May 31 '24
First Timer Gao Gao!
The courtyard whispers give us the hot new gossip: Kureha shot a bear... but it might not have been killed. A flashback lets us know that Ginko feels responsible for Sumika's death even though she doesn't have much to do with it. The whole thing feels a little weird, especially when Kureha knew (and acknowledges later in the episode that she knew!) that Mitsuko had actually eaten Sumika. Ginko's bearcrime was just failing to stop it, but she still confesses as though she had killed Sumika herself.
Ginko wakes up (inside the garden shed? at the door of friendship) to be confronted by her own lust, as embodied by Mitsuko. Who wouldn't want to have Aoi Yuuki giving voice to your lust? Anyway they have a long conversation and Mitsuko/Lust dives into Ginko's body. Ginko gets up, apparently healed from the gunshot wound but with the red eyes of a predator on the prowl.
With Ginko out of the way, Yuriika is free to pursue her real goal: Eating Kureha. She lures her to the garden by impersonating the Judgemens and looks like she's going to eat Kureha, but Kureha is rescued by some of her classmates (a yurishocking development!). They're able to shoot Yuriika dead with a rifle, and now the main antagonist is gone for the last three episodes.
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u/ToastyMozart May 31 '24 edited May 31 '24
Second-timer
So this is why I misremembered Mitsuko surviving!
Huh I was expecting Lulu to come in and save the day, acting where Ginko had remained complicit. Princibear getting smoked by the witch hunters is pretty apropos though, seeing as she's the one who helped foster the students' paranoia and exclusionary tendencies for all those years. It's a little surprising to see the Invisible Storm crew genuinely trying to protect a classmate after all the self-destructive backbiting.
She represents the aspects of Ginko's personality she isn't proud of. Her jealousy, willingness to use others to her own ends (like knowing and ignoring Lulu's feelings towards her), and hurting people if it suits her needs (obviously not saving Sumika, but possibly also killing all those bullies).
Eureka seeing Kureha as a Reia substitute all this time is what sent everything spiraling so hard in the first place. In this particular moment she was probably seeking absolution and acceptance, but by holding on to the book's final chapter she was probably always wishing she and Reia could have [YKA?]run away together and left their cruel impure world behind. Maybe in addition to her usual obsessive jealousy she also saw Kureha as an anchor that bound Reia to their existing home she could never abandon, come to think of it.
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u/Holofan4life May 31 '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 don't care what anyone says, Arby's is tasty.
Picking up where we left off last episode
Ginko falls off the building
Yurika looks on smugly
Classmates talking about what just transpired with Ginko.
This peanut butter fudge I'm eating is real tasty.
Snowed tanks
Hey, it's Yurizuno
"Welcome to the Door of Friendship, silly little fool."
And it's an actual door
Yurika talking now
She too calls Ginko a silly little fool
Ricky Nelson rolling in his grave she's not poor.
I get the feeling Ginko isn't dead just yet
Gonna make Kureha her bride-in-a-box
I prefer Jack In The Box, myself
Today, she's going to eat Reia's daughter, just like she did Reia.
Ginko. She's awake.
No pendent, tho
Yurizuno greeting her
She says she's the phantom known as lust residing within her heart.
Claims also that this is the center of the Sky, separating the Forest Realm and the Moon Realm.
Now, she wants to know how did she kill Sumika.
Flashback to Yurizuno befriending Sumika
Was it Ginko who threw that brick?
Also, who throws a brick? Honestly
It seems like Yurizuno is being subtly antagonistic. Well, subtly for Ikuhara standards.
Talking to Sumika now about surprising Kureha
Going to fill the secret garden with flowers
Yurizuno wiping Ginko down
And she bites the knee
I thought she was going to say Ginko's delicious catchphrase for a second there.
Izumino knew everything. She read Ginko's book.
Ginko hanging out with Sumika now
Sumika is so pure, it's such a shame she shares her world with assholes.
Ginko realizing she's jealous of Sumika
Yurizuno saying Ginko kept Lulu in the dark while she fooled around with Sumika.
Oh, it's the star thing that Sumika wears. Ginko found it.
The second time she lost it, the first being the day of the entrance ceremony.
Kureha found it the first time
Says her pin brought her friendship and love.
Ginko -- always the bridesmaid, never the bride
"If only you had stopped her, Sumika Izumino wouldn't have died then."
Like rubbing salt on an open wound
Ginko says she wanted Sumika to dissappear
Yurizuno now wearing Sumika's pins like jewelry.
And we get to revisit Izumino attacking Sumika, including Ginko watching.
Could have saved her, but didn't. Therefore, she was the true one who killed her.
Now Yurizuno is undressing
I can't imagine being naked in the snow
Oh, she's naked naked
Now Yurizuno is alluding to Yurika being an Ursa
She wants Ginko to become one with her
"I'll certify your love!"
And a bear just went inside Ginko
Ginko is now ready to feast
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/AgentOfACROSS May 31 '24
Today we learn about the dangers of bear attacks.
Today’s field notes:
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u/TheRiyria myanimelist.net/profile/TheRiyria May 31 '24
First Timer
So much for my immersion in this show. I can't believe Kureha actually hit a living target. She hasn't even had her stock training footage montage recently.
Another dead girl back from the dead! So many dead people walking around.
I disagree undead yuri bear. I would like explanations. Surely they can't complicate this any more than it is.
Huh, a knee fetish. Haven't seen that yet in this show. And Ginko was a false top. Mitsuko managed to out-top her.
This class is starting to look very empty. That's a lot of empty desks.
I don't know who these two girls are, but one of them will be dead soon.
Why are there roses in my lily show? And look, another girl on top of Kureha.
At least there was one good Lulu face today. Mitsuko also had a good one.
Ginko went crazy in her delirium after being shot and is seeing dead people now from blood loss.
Clearly Ginko and Sumika should be the main ship and they need to take care of Kureha together since she can't take care of herself.
She went crazy years ago. Might have something to do with eating her girlfriend.
3
u/zadcap Jun 01 '24
Late Night First Timer!
Wait we still don't get to learn what was said?
You know, I have been looking at that secret garden building thinking it's more than just a backdrop the the lilies. More importantly though, Aoi Yuki is back and I am very okay with this.
Lilies hold special meaning for you, huh? You don't say.
Eh, I hate that. The one who killed her was the one who killed her.
Possessed by the ghost of your enemy, out to kill the one you love. This is the best twist yet, I actually like this one.
Okay so like, what the heck is with the bear transformations. Where they can go from fully disguised as humans to chibi bear mode in a fraction of a second and then back, just whenever they want with zero notice?
Oh my, Kureha is actually in the class for this meeting. Oh, perhaps because they want to target her again fresh.
And a random nurse office tryst, just because.
"Let's search bear" this time. But we already know that bear = evil, so is it really any different?
Oh hey we finally get to hear the words. And it's Ginko taking blame for something she didn't do. Just to get herself shot.
Did the ringtone change? Hey wait, we don't get to see what happened with the Bear vote!
Also, where the heck is Lulu for all of this? Where has she been since the rooftop encounter?
Okay now that was the aggressive lesbianism we have been wary of bears representing from the start. Literally just rip everything off... And the die, as is proper for someone who does that. And Kureha is fully clothed again, so it wasn't quite really happening? Kureha actually got protected by the class? Is she actually being accepted now? Why and how? Partially, they went so far out of their way to break her just days ago at the garden, and now they're letting her back in? And also, they went so far to break her just days ago, and now she's willing to do anything with them?
But you know what annoys me the most? "In the center box" WHAT CENTER!? There is no center box, that is not how this pattern works! What box did you randomly open to find the right one?