Love Bullet: Yurikuma Arash (Yuri/Lily Bear Storm)

[Kim]

So I just watched the first ep and gggggggg it was so great. If you're a subscriber to Funimation you can watch it there, otherwise there are Other Ways.

I watched the ep with Kit and here are my frantic excited thoughts.

Ginko and Lulu are so adorable and their little onomatopoeia are great. guriguriguriguri

There's a YURI COURT led by three bear boys named Life Sexy, Life Cool, and Life Beauty and they had to declare Yuri Approved before Ginko and Lulu could "eat" the protagonist.

This took the form of a lily sprouting from the protagonist's chest and them licking up the nectar and licking the stamen. The licking the stamen thing I could kinda do without cuz it feels very hetero for a yuri series, and the context of the scene could be improved in terms of consent, but the licking up her nectar was such a good fucking metaphor for cunnilingus. I kinda hope that there's outright lewd stuff instead of just super lewd metaphors tho.

The plot is weird and has a lot of stuff that isn't explained yet but it's super fun and I highly recommend it.

---------- Post added at 11:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------

Okay so spoilery but this is a REALLY GOOD analysis post of possible interpretations of the first episode and possible routes the series could follow (http://thequietreviewer.com/2015/01/08/your-guide-to-interpreting-yuri-kuma-arashi-episode-1/)

---------- Post added at 11:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ----------

Here is someone pointing out some of the visual inspiration for Yurikuma (https://twitter.com/ABCBTom/status/553377442509770754)

[Solid Snake]

I demand that you watch the episode again with me.

[Kim]

yeah im down for that. today/tomorrow work for you? if not, just let me know when.

[Solid Snake]

Tomorrow. It shall happen tomorrow and it shall be glorious.

Also Pocheros: You and me and half of NPF are doing simultaneous Queen playthroughs some time this weekend.

[pochercoaster]

I need to watch this show.

Snake: I work weekends. Plus I'll play that game when I want :P

[Solid Snake]

I need to watch this show.

Snake: I work weekends. Plus I'll play that game when I want :P

*sobs* I thought it'd be fun to play it togetherrrrrr

Well you can still watch the anime with Kim and I tonight.

[pochercoaster]

*sobs* I thought it'd be fun to play it togetherrrrrr

Well you can still watch the anime with Kim and I tonight.

I work tonight >_> sorry :/

[Solid Snake]

STOP WORKING SO HARD, POCH

[Kim]

Caught up on Yurikuma with my GF and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA it's SO GOOD. The fanservice is great, I'm noticing a few consistencies that are helping me guess as the meaning behind some things, and there've been some really good twists. Also we already have an explanation for the Invisible Storm which makes A LOT OF SENSE.

[synkr0nized]

with my GF

At first I was gonna joke, "Does your wife-to-be know?" and then I realized that implies monogamy within an engagement that already involves more than two people. So consider that book out of date.



So either you or Snake (or both) should convince me in five sentences or less why I should watch this. I haven't clicked your spoilers or the links, in case there are enjoyable reveals/things to figure out on my own.

[Solid Snake]

I've only watched the first episode, actually. I need to watch the other(s).

[Kim]

Now that I'm caught up we should totally watch the next two together. I'll make sure the subtitles are decent this time.

As for synk, Ikuhara has worked on Sailor Moon and he created Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum. His stories deal a lot with adolescence, but in a deeper way than just, "Well they're in high school." So far, Yurikuma seems to be about not just romance but sexual awakening, as well as stuff like being ostracized from social circles. It's got some great character designs, stellar music, and despite being about some heavy themes it seems to always make sure that it's just plain fun to watch as well. If that sounds like your cup of tea, give it a look.

Last but not least, here is someone's summing up of an interview with Ikuhara and Morishima Akiko (http://softkakumei.tumblr.com/post/108899102728/im-skimming-through-the-starting-guide-the).

Some of my favorite bits

+ Ikuhara notes that by working in the yuri genre, there are lots of things that he can only pretend to understand. To a point he considers that unavoidable with this subject matter, but he thought early on that the project needed someone with credentials people could have undying faith in: “Someone that would make people say, ‘With such a godlike person working on this, I have no choice but to follow along with it!’” He thinks some things may inevitably be a “little off” with him handling it, but believes Morishima’s involvement should keep the soul of the work intact.

+ Ikuhara decided after Penguindrum that his next work would be a “love story,” but he finds heterosexual romances to be played-out in general. Once you decide, “Okay, this is a love story between a girl and a boy,” it’s a struggle to find an angle that hasn’t been done before and doesn’t wander into the realm of cliche.

+ Ikuhara likes to start his shows by having the mangaka he works with inspire him, rather than the other way around. He gave Morishima an explanation for the show concept that was just a single page long, and asked her to build designs from there. She would press him for more details about the characters, and he would just reply, “Who knows?” to her questions. She started making little gag comics in the margins of her design sheets to try to get a better feel for the characters, which inspired Ikuhara as he began solidifying the characters’ identities.

+ They mention the bears were chosen as the motif because they are deadly (Ikuhara: “If we just wanted something cute, it might as well have been dogs.”). Bears introduce a life-or-death element to the narrative and that builds into the sexual angle. Ikuhara vaguely alludes to the idea of the sexual being directly connected to death.

+ notables from the other staff: the production meetings on this show run unbelievably long (and this is coming from ppl who worked on Penguindrum). The show can be unclear to even the staff, so it’s incredibly difficult for the people at the top to explain what’s required on a production level, and meetings stretch on forever as a result.

Comments about the high ratio of women on staff again. “Just like on Penguindrum, the staff acts like mothers and older sisters to Ikuhara.”

[Kim]

yurikuma got added to hulu so that's a convenient legal way for us to watch it together

[Solid Snake]

Let me know if you want to watch a couple episodes tonight.

[Kim]

Caught up on gay bears so I can watch with you whenevs Snake.