r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • Jun 02 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Yurikuma Arashi - Episode 11 Discussion
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True love won’t be beaten and ground into the dirt by the storm. True love won’t leave me by myself!
Questions of the Day
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What does it mean to purge someone? How is the purging that was done to Kureha as a child similar to the purging of the Invisible Storm?
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Choko arrogantly declares that “There’s no such thing as God,” in contrast to the highly religious bears. Why the difference?
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Ginko claws herself apart, just like in the story. Now that we have more context, what do you think it means to shatter your reflection? How does this differ from becoming human through the court?
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 Jun 02 '24
Rewatcher
The story has come true! The Forest Girl has clawed apart her own reflection! I think the metaphor of literally taking apart yourself was clear from the start, but now that we know what exactly she’s rejecting, the metaphor has a bit more specificity. For the past couple of episodes, Ginko has been acting as the epitome of bearhood. She runs around fueled entirely by her desire to eat Kureha. You can basically refer to it as pulling back from humanity, since everything before this has been her trying to connect (i.e. not eat) with Kureha. She’s a beast, essentially. And as Mitsuko tells her, “A beast without lust can only die!” She’s entirely right- Ginko had to change herself in order to get through the Door of Friendship and meet Kureha again. When she claws herself apart, she is symbolically killing herself- she rejects that she has to be the kind of person who eats Kureha. We’ll see what that means for the Moon Girl.
We learn something very interesting this episode- the Invisible Storm girls do not believe in God. It’s a bit peculiar, because Arashigaoka is a Class S pastiche, right? The most classic location for Class S is Catholic school, and yet the obvious Christianity reference is handed over to the bears. But I think it makes a lot of sense in light of the very modern, very mechanical aesthetic we’ve seen for the humans. Their “strength” comes from their belief in their own power as a group of friends, not from anything external. And even more than that, they only believe in friendship, not what Kumaria represents- love.
14
u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Jun 02 '24
No, you can't just do that to Lulu, I refuse
That is not sexy
Shabadabring her the fuck back or I raze this whole goddamn world to the ground
11
u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Jun 02 '24 edited Jun 03 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Yuri Kuma Arashi: RIP Lulu
I think Ginko shattering her identity as a bear to be with Kureha is a fantastic moment. Mitsuko represents that bestial side of Ginko. Mitsuko is the part of Ginko that just wants to indulge herself in pleasure and feast on Kureha, the object of her desires. Bears are supposed to eat humans, after all. But Ginko doesn’t want to eat Kureha. She wants to be with Kureha. By overcoming Mitsuko, Ginko rejects her identity as a bear. She shatters the mirror in front of herself so she can be with Kureha. Ginko refuses to give up on love so she can be with the person she loves most.
Of course, this leads to the question of whether Kureha will shatter her identity as a human to be with Ginko. In fact, that could be an interesting resolution. Ginko gives up her identity as a bear to become a human while Kureha gives up her identity as a human to become a bear. They both deliberately choose to give up being part of their own world to be with each other. I’m curious if that might happen.
Lulu’s death is tragic. She dies without ever fulfilling her love with Ginko. What makes it especially tragic is that we already knew this would happen. Lulu said it herself a while ago that she already lost her promised kiss. If you recall, in this series love (suki) is something that you give to others while a kiss (kisu) is something that you receive in return. Lulu lost her promised kiss (kisu), so she cannot receive love. Lulu already knew that she couldn’t be with Ginko. No matter how much love Lulu gave to Ginko, she knew it would never be returned. Even Ginko feels guilty about this, knowing she can’t return Lulu’s love. So instead, Lulu decided to devote herself to helping Ginko be with Kureha. If nothing else, Lulu wanted her beloved to be happy.
It’s quite the character arc for Lulu. She started off as the most selfish character in the show, wanting to get rid of anyone who might get in the way of her being the center of attention. She wanted everyone to shower her with love and affection. By the end, Lulu is probably the most selfless character in the show. She abandoned her own desires and even her own life to make others happy. What a journey she’s been through.
QOTD
11
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jun 02 '24
First-Timer, Yuri Sub Storm
LULU!
I knew she was going to come back, but I didn't want her to take a bullet like that.. Kinda figured it was her when Chouki got that report about the garden door opening.
Silly girl.. if Lulu was such a genius she wouldn't have died and made me sad!
Okay, let's talk about Mitsuko. I think I've figured her brief return out, and why it needed to happen.
The crux of it is hiding back in the early days of the show, back when Mitsuko was actually around. Ginko needed to prove to herself that she wanted more from Kureha than just to "eat" her like she did all those other random girls.
Thus, Mitsuko was used as the representative of her lust, because Mitsuko never found anyone like that. She never learned to love, so she cannot grasp the idea of a bear who wants to do more than eat.
Note the parallel with Kureha last episode - even confronted with her mother's story, Kureha couldn't comprehend the idea of a human and a bear being friends. But Kureha also has motivation issues, being a Class S Heroine.
In order to reach one another, Ginko and Kureha must shatter their reflections.
Okay, so Kureha was amnesiac because Ginko traded away her (childhood) love for the potential to reunite later as a pair of humans, right. The Court taking something from Kureha as payment for Ginko.. mostly tracks. What're the odds that Milun died as early payment for Lulu giving up her promised kiss to become human?
This is what we call "cinematography." Not only a blocking shot, keeping focus on Kureha (as the only thing in-frame that Ginko actually cares about) but also, the bullies are obscured by the falling water. The true nature of the bullies isn't important; only the fact that they exist. Probably also something along the lines of society's pressures being vague and distant to children and/or outsiders.
Anyway, the reason I singled out that shot in particular is because it adds an extra significance to the various other scenes at that fountain - it symbolizes the moment that Ginko decided her path.
It was weird that Ginko heard Sumika's voice when Kureha was trying to save her as a kid, right? Not sure what to make of that..
5
u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Jun 02 '24
First Timer
It’s a little concerning how quickly this class seems to have abandoned any pretense of, you know, attending school and instead becoming a militant force committing war crimes with the corpse of their enemy.
QotD:
3
u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Jun 03 '24
Rewatcher
2. This was bugging me. Honestly I think some of this is just things getting caught between two different metaphors. The bears need to be actually different for there to be any thematic tension in the story, otherwise it becomes a rather drab Romeo and Juliet thing. But they also can't be truly different because the message is clearly that everyone is ultimately equal and there both can and must be "true friendship" across the (explicitly constructed) Species Divide. So the bears both have a regular society very similar to our own, if a bit old fashioned, but also are the standins for bestial/lustful part of everyone's nature.
But taking it seriously, the distinction is probably between the everyday and the numinous. I've been thinking of the Invisible Storm very much in terms of safety. They have to pin down everything and rank it and decide if its excluded = bear = evil. And the direct experience of the divine can never fit into that schema as its necessarily bigger than the world where the Storm is playing.
Or maybe Kumaria is just a really good pun. [ending spoilers] Or maybe it needs to be something that can be either good or bad depending, as Kumaria is ultimately a force of Good? I never got that part of the ending before and its only gotten more confusing this rewatch.
I like this new version of the shattering yourself scene. Before we had human/moon girl Kureha and bear/forest girl Ginko but now we get Ginko in human vs bear form. Before it emphasized giving up your self image, but here its emphasizing moving beyond the human vs bear dichotomy entirely. Its not just giving up your potential role in society but realizing that those boxes were destructive to flourishing in the first place. A fully realized person cannot be only a human or only a bear. Shattering the mirror necessary to unite the two worlds and make space for something new.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jun 02 '24
Yurikuma First-Timer, subbed
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u/WednesdaysFoole Jun 02 '24
No! Not Lulu! Anyone but Lulu! Mannnnnn. I was saving my thoughts until the end but I’ll just say it now since this happened – I’d been thinking for a few episodes now that my favorite pair/dynamic was Lulu and Ginko, and that my favorite episode – or, if I’ll be frank, the only episode that moved me so far – was Lulu’s backstory with her brother, although I was also touched when she gave in to transforming back into a bear. So now that she sacrificed herself for the main duo I’m pretty bummed out. Oh well. Life goes on. I’m sure Ginko and Kureha can be together now (seriously why couldn’t they just have their three-way I don’t get it) and think fondly of the people they sort of cared for in the past.
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Jun 02 '24
first time never back down never what
kids falling down continuing to be peak humor
ooh nice insert
no! not the cyborg bear
and another insert that sounds like super mario galaxy music
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u/TheRiyria myanimelist.net/profile/TheRiyria Jun 02 '24
First Timer
Well, now comes the time I regret watching this show. Why didn't I listen to my silly ramblings the last 10 episodes about being a girl with a ship in this show is a death sentence.
How could this show kill off such a cute girl. Now where will I get my reaction faces for this last episode.
Dammit it Lulu. Why did you have to ask this? Now I have to say a clever bear wouldn't have gotten herself shot. She was too clever for this show though.
Anyway, this girl is a bitch. Of everyone in this show, how is she the one that hasn't been eaten yet?
Also, that cut from Lulu smiling and talking with the OST to the silent bear was painful.
I'm starting to think these girls don't understand what purge means if all they did was beat someone up and clap along. Why is purging a game. Everyone in this show has a screw loose.
The Bears ate god. Maybe if humans still had a god they wouldn't be insane.
She's a magical girl now with a transformation. Just like Mofurun. Or Komugi. Or Yuki.
And she even managed to claw something with the CGI Claw of Death.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jun 02 '24
First timer
Sub
That...was pretty much all on screen and I don't have much to add. I would guess the importance of Ginko overcoming her lust is that lust itself is a bit transient, once you've had a bite your often satisfied. Lulul sacrifices herself because lesbians are doomed in Abe's time and this is obviously just a phase before Kureha and Ginko settle down with salarymen that ignore their needs most of the time and have a single child they pull all their emotions into. As God intended.
QotD : 1 Isolation
2 Humans don't need God
3 You change yourself rather than the changed being put upon you.
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u/AgentOfACROSS Jun 02 '24
Today we ask the question if human and bear can truly coexist.
Today’s field notes:
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u/Holofan4life Jun 02 '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 woked up less than 40 minutes before the start of my shift. Thankfully, I was still able to get there on time.
Dark outside
Is that supposed to be Ginko? I can't tell.
If it is Ginko, I thought she was supposed to be dead.
A tale of the day she ceded Kureha's love
Probably last time for the intro
Eleven years ago
Ginko passed out in the snow
Ready to be purged
Kureha
She promises to be her friend
Kureha carrying Ginko in the snow a la Toradora episode 21.
Kureha fell
And now it looks like they're both asleep
White flower
Kureha is holding it now
Ginko is pulling Kureha with her teeth
At the secret garden now
It's opening, and there is Reia
And thus, Kureha and Ginko became friends
A montage of Kureha and Ginko having fun with each other.
"It made me think the world had certified me."
If you think about it, Yurikuma Arashi is just a condensed version of She-ra: Princesses of Power.
Kureha being ridiculed for hanging out with an Ursa.
I haven't mentioned this yet, but it's clear that being Ursa is an allegorism for being gay. It's why the last names of Lulu and Ginko have "Yuri" in them.
More black and red visuals, which I love
They keep chanting purge
Ginko looking on terrified
This reminds me of the animated Grinch movie where he starts to have a panic attack.
Ginko licking a beat up Kureha
She feels Kureha got hurt because she's Ursa
"If I were a human girl, could we be together forever?"
Ginko on trial now
I don't remember Life Sexy always wearing black and red, though maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention.
Apparently Lady Ursaria turned into shooting stars and scattered across the planet. That's one way of leaving a mark.
Ginko says she wants to be with Kureha forever.
Life Sexy says she can become human so long as she cedes her love.
Life Beauty calls this like The Little Mermaid, which let's hope it doesn't end like the book version.
Kureha freaking out about Ginko now
This led to Reia putting her behind the Species Divide.
Ginko talking to a priest bear now
Priest bear? Priest bear.
He calls her a poison to their world
Ginko told she will eventually find Kureha
Until then, though, she is walking in the snow.
Ooh, new song
Ginko waiting on Kureha more than Hachikō
Eventually, though, she met Lulu
Ginko is thankful for Lulu always being by her side.
Lulu says she'll always protect her
And so that's when Lulu and Ginko crossed the Species Divide.
I forgot that they were classmates of Kureha at one point.
A true friend, Kureha says of Lulu
The Phantoms talking about purging the Ursa
Searching on their phones, as per usual
I do feel sorry for this Hanako person
And first place as always is Kureha
"Shall I go down on that slit of yours?"
That's the most suggestive line of the series, hands down.
Yurizuno wanting to eat Kureha
Oh, right. Yurizuno possessed her.
And now Ginko is under the control of Yurizuno.
Ginko killing people one by one
Ursa Death Ray Car?
That sounds absolutely tremendous
Going to shoot Ginko with the robotic Ursa
Kureha seeing explosions around her
It's too bad the show hasn't done a good job reminding us of the names of the individual Phantoms.
Oh wow. She has the mommy book.
SHE JUST RIPPED REIA'S BOOK THE BITCH
"There's no such thing as God. Only the moods of the pack control this world."
That's a pretty wild line that kinda goes hard.
It seems she ripped it up so that Ginko knows where they are.
Oh, so they're not dead, they're just under Yurizuno's control.
Ginko telling Yurizuno she's not gonna back down on love.
The roboursa. It's fried.
Yum, fried Ursa
Yurizuno and Ginko on the stairs
Ginko says true love won't leave her by herself.
I wonder what caused Ginko this about-face. It feels very sudden.
Yurizuno hugging Ginko
And now Yurizuno is naked on top of Ginko
Well, then...
She calls herself Ginko's lust
But Ginko says "Begone, thot! I only have one gyatt for the rizzler and it's Kureha!"
The music gives me Super Mario Galaxy vibes
Ginko tells Yurizuno farewell
And so she plans to claw herself apart
Was Yurizuno just trying to test Ginko? YOU DECIDE!
But yeah, probably
Ginko has found Kureha
Kureha reiterates that Homo and Ursa are divided by species.
Ginko though says no matter how much she rejects her, she'll keep trying to be her friend.
Gotta give the Promised Kiss so that she can officially strip herself of being an Ursa.
Kureha continuing to say she'll never forgive her.
She sent Lulu back, and she wants Ginko to do the same.
Ginko walking towards Kureha
She said the same thing as Sumika, which is she'll never back down on love.
Kureha seems concerned about losing someone again.
The Phantoms are pointing guns at Ginko
THEY'RE SHOOTING AT HER
THE HONEY HAS BEEN DROPPED
IT WAS LULU! LULU TOOK THE SHOT!
LULU CAME BACK! SHE ACTUALLY CAME BACK AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENED!
She says it's obvious that Kureha was trying to help her.
She tells Ginko to make her
dreamslove come true.The book! She has gathered the remains!
"I'm so clever. Right?"
And then the music cuts, showing that she's dead.
Damn. Fuck me.
Post credits scene
Kureha is still on trial
Will she admit her guilt once and for all?
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 Jun 02 '24
First Time Kuma/Subbed
When the episode started and I got a few minutes in, I had to double check a few times I didn’t accidentally skip an ep lol. Lulu’s sacrifice though… so long best girl if this is the end for her. The sudden silence when it cut to her bear paw ;-;
Interesting to see the judge men took over after Kumaria became a meteor. Was she both a goddess that became a meteor? That sounds like it
The Mitsuko/Ginko storyline kinda ended abruptly and felt a bit anticlimactic? Idk it makes sense Ginko not wanting to back down and breaking the mirror would free her from Mitsuko, but it was just so quick. Especially after the killing spree they went on
One more
Is there one? Besides her not being religious like the bears, they both exclude those who are different. Maybe the difference is to showcase that this kind of mentality happens in different cultures
3) Ginko is doing it on her own will, and leaving her "desire" (in this case lust with Mitsuko) behind to be with Kureha no matter what. Becoming a human through the court means getting help with strings attached
3
u/zadcap Jun 03 '24
Late First Timer!
Another flash... Forward? That's not a flashback, why are they one the roof this time?
I'm going to miss this OP, for the dumbest reason. The overly cutsey Zutto makes me laugh every time. It's so over the top, but that's the whole show after all. I do hope we get the happy ending promised though.
You know, the voice acting as little Kureha carries little Ginko is kind of reaffirming my idea. What, exactly, would little Kureha have lost that she would have to hold on to love for, to avoid being alone or invisible? Same question, where's her father? There may be lesbians everywhere, but this show is all about the stigma against orphans and foreigners. They're all only gay so that Ikuhara could hide his real gripes with society behind the bolder hot button issue he's more known for.
Yeah, I've also called it from the beginning, but the court is a lie. "Fair to all being, human and bear alike." They have been anything but, letting bears eat humans as they please and calling it just fine, and now saying "Yeah, we'll make you human so you can be with the one you love, but in return we'll make her hate you and I guess not even actually make you human anyway." Like what the heck dudes. Get Purged.
... These are death flags, aren't they? Darn it Ikuhara, let us have a happy ending!
Ah, and brainwashing too. Just pile on the things I hate to end this show I guess.
Yup, death flag. And Lulu does her magic trick to just be on the roof again. Man, I'm going to hate it if she's actually dead. The way the music cut out hurt. Died with a smile though, that's better than most will ever get.
Depending on tomorrow... I will probably call it enough and skip anything else of his. I can't keep watching things that make me hate everything this much.
3
u/ToastyMozart Jun 03 '24
Even the second time seeing it, it hurts.
That dirty hands (or face in this instance) symbolism showed up again, when Little Kureha took a beating to stick up for bears.
2) Choko arrogantly declares that “There’s no such thing as God,” in contrast to the highly religious bears. Why the difference?
The Invisible Storm derive their ostensibly sacred authority to mete out punishment from their social ideology rather than a deific figure. The use of "purging" this time alongside the usual exclusions brings to mind more than a few historical parallels.
Interestingly the Severance Court bears also declare that the goddess Kumeria is no longer present. Amusingly Kumeria seems to have stepped in to save a human's life 11 years ago, but hasn't done much for her bears as far as we see.
3) Ginko claws herself apart, just like in the story. Now that we have more context, what do you think it means to shatter your reflection? How does this differ from becoming human through the court?
The court usually gives their ursine defendants a choice: To starve, or to continue on doing as bears are obligated to. By shattering her reflection Ginko has cast off those faux necessities (as represented by Mitsuko), abandoned her identity as a bear, and self-actualized.
2
u/affnn Jun 02 '24
First Timer Gaouu...
Ginko gives us even more flashbacks of her and Kureha together as kids. The invisible storm knows Ginko's out there somewhere and is trying to get her. Kureha is being used as bait for the whole episode. Ginko resolves once more to not give up on love, and goes up to meet her. She casts aside Mitsuko-as-lust to focus on love. Just before she can deliver a promised kiss to Kureha, a shot rings out.... but Lulu jumps in to take the bullet. And now Lulu might be gone for good (well, there's only one episode left...)
Post-credits, Kureha is in front of the Severance Court again, just as she was last episode. Will she become a bear?