(L+CR) Yuri Kuma Arashi

[revive4563]

btw as for Revolutionary Girl Utena, it has a lot of metaphors as you know.
And there is a theory that Utena is Anthy's ideal another personality.
Some hints are there about that. In other words, main plot of RGU is not Yuri, IMO.
So, Yuri Kuma Arashi is the thing like this director's self parody.

Hint1:First ending -

Hint2:Pink hair - Mikage (the black rose arc) and Utena.

Hint3:Final episode - No need to mention.

And many more.

[EroKing]

[risingstar3110]

This is frustrating, as so far Lulu's back story chapter has been much better than the rest of the anime. I means is there even a need to spend a whole chapter flashback on Ginko history? We already knew most of it

[risingstar3110]

Btw, it's kinda funny how in this anime, the promise kiss was the ultimate ending, and is only rewarded for those who believe in love. Kinda very platonic, idealistic romance


Meanwhile "kisses" were used in Penguindrum as perishable, pathetic, and worthless unless the two is tied by the Fruit of Fate (or commit their fate/ destiny to each other):

Spoiler for Sanetoshi and Himari conversation in Ep 20:

...when Himari talked with Sanetoshi about her love toward Shouma. And how if they don't actually commit their fate toward each other, then kisses alone (assumed romantic love) is dispensable, and will only turn her empty. Sanetoshi meanswhile tried to persuade Himari to do it anyway for her own fun/pleasure where Himari was swayed a bit.

[novalysis]

Prediction: Kureha transcends, and becomes the new Lady Kumalia.

Of all the characters, Lulu feels the most humanized and fleshed out. And the most minor of the three. The curse of the best girl strikes again!

[Jan-Poo]

I've tried to look back at the first episodes now that I understand more of the whole situation. Here I checked the various symbols that appear during the "yuri approval sequence"



From top-left to bottom-right

TREAT: A honey pot, the symbol of the promised kiss
MEMORY: This is the only symbol I don't recognize, it may have something to do with Kureha's amnesia
JUSTICE: The symbol of the severance court
BULLET: Straightforward symbol of the bullets used to kill bears
RIFLE: Same way, symbol of the weapons used to kill bears
FOREST: This probably refers to the forest world in Reia's story.
STAR: The shape is the same as Reia's pendant. This might also refer to the Kumaria's meteor shower incident
JUDGE: Symbol of the mallet used by Life Sexy during trials
MOON: This probably refers to the moon world in Reia's story. Interestingly enough, the moon has a crown.
KUMARIA: Kumaria's holy symbol
TRAP: Bear Trap symbol
WARNING: This refers to the bear warning signals seen in episode 1
WALL: Wall of severance's pattern
BOX: Symbol of the red drawers in the principal's office
SCHOOL: Arashigaoka Academy's symbol
INCOMING: Symbol of the mobile phone usually seen when the severance court calls Kureha.
DOOR: Pattern seen on the door in front of the lily's garden
YURIKAMOME?: Or maybe "Yurikanome" or "Yurikahome", it's hard to tell. It's the bird symbol usually associated with the principal and the invisible storm.

[Cao Ni Ma]

The "memory" symbol is Kureha's music box.

[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Cao Ni Ma

The "memory" symbol is Kureha's music box.

Oh right, I didn't recognize it. The music box also has that crowned moon symbol and a star and moon on its lid.

[Stark700]

Well damn, I don't think

Spoiler:

forgiveness is part of Kureha's daily vocabulary anymore D:

[Kitsu Breaker]

I am sure that every episode was awesome
great to know that Yuriika had sex with Kureha and mother and the tomboy, so rare see mature woman with this relationship

[The Green One]

Spoiler for Today's episode:

Things are starting to get tense as several awful truths come out as Yurika launches into her endgame. Yes she was a bear and yes it was painfully obvious. Still some interesting insights were seen into her as I had been wondering what she felt about Kureha and why she was tormenting her like this. Yurika hates Kureha for taking Reia's love away from her and yet in a twisted way loves her for holding Reia's love inside of her. More of the show's "We hated you, yet we loved you." A nice touch. Nice to see Ginko confirmed to not have killed Reia though she no doubt feels responsible in a way. Lulu may have just got Ginko shot, but the truth about Sumika had to come out at some point and it was certainly going to get ugly one way or another. Quite a tense cliffhanger indeed. Still we've still got four more episodes left, so while this feels like a finale, there's still more to go and Yurika still needs to be dealt with. Still wonder how this is going to be turned around now that the betrayal is out in the open. Can't tell if that prinicpal was a guy or not, hasn't been the first manly looking girl who talks like a guy in anime before.

[Benigmatica]

Spoiler for Episode 8:

Damn, so Yurika ate Reia out of jealousy huh? Personally, her master's words shouldn't take it seriously!

Meanwhile, I'm curious on what Lulu said to Kureha. Damn that cliffhanger!

[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Kitsu Breaker

I am sure that every episode was awesome
great to know that Yuriika had sex with Kureha and mother and the tomboy, so rare see mature woman with this relationship

Wow your yuri-goggles are awesome!


Anyway in the end the purple bear really was Eureka and Ginko actually received the pendant from a willing Reia which was indeed eaten by Eureka who was jealous (though it seemed she had already decided to eat her anyway at that point).

I guess I've been unnecessarily skeptical about the hints.

Still a lot of strange things in this episode. The former principal totally looks like a woman and wore high heel shoes (they made sure we couldn't possibly miss that) and yet Eureka refers to "him" as "kare" which is an unambiguous male pronoun.

Is it possible that in this "human" world it's not like males do not exist, but rather that they completely look like women?

Eureka declared to be jealous of Reia's love for her daughter Kureha, but wait... where did this baby come from? Isn't there a husband in the picture? How do these "yuri" reproduce anyway? Parthenogenesis?

Now I wonder what was this crime that was revealed to Kureha. It would make sense if it was the fact that Ginko just let Sumika being eaten (she really showed to be very jealous of her in episode 1), but then again there's the fact that Ginko declared to be a crimibear even before.

Cutting the audio right at the end was very cruel anyway.


I think it is important to note that Eureka said that Reia's "love" was not the same as her "love". I think this pretty much settles that Reia wasn't gay for Eureka and that Sumika and Kureha had the same kind of relationship. It also reinforces the interpretation that only bears' "love" is sexual in nature.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

I think this pretty much settles that Reia wasn't gay for Eureka and that Sumika and Kureha had the same kind of relationship.

I disagree. Whatever happened between Yurika and Reia, it has nothing to do with the relationship between Sumika and Kureha. Besides, Sumika and Kureha are described as lovers in the series' website. That's the only relationship with that status, so I think it's fairly certain they were more than friends, and the feeling was mutual.

[The Green One]

We'll find out what Lulu said soon enough, the thunder drowned it out simply because it's not time to reveal that information yet.

[GDiddy]

Hopefully Lulu spilled some tea on what really happened to Reia and Ginko....

[Benigmatica]

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

Eureka declared to be jealous of Reia's love for her daughter Kureha, but wait... where did this baby come from? Isn't there a husband in the picture? How do these "yuri" reproduce anyway? Parthenogenesis?

I think Yuri Kuma Arashi's world have some sort of cloning technology to reproduce the human race. After all, who wants to defend humanity if there's not enough man- or womanpower to exclude those bears.

[The Green One]

Makes you wonder if Kureha will become a bear at the end of the series. Apparently it's possible to go from bear to human, the other way around is probably possible too. The human world doesn't seem to have anything left for her. Other than the deceased Sumika and Reia, every human character either hates, scorns, or plots her harm or some combination of all of the above. It'd be a funny irony if she was the one doing the Kuma Shocks wouldn't it?

Still as bad as things look now Ginko will undoubtedly survive even if badly wounded by this, Lulu and Ginko will likely have to be the ones to save Kureha when Yurika finally reveals herself as her mother's murderer and tries to eat her. I can't think of any other way Kureha will forgive Ginko at this point.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by The Green One

I can't think of any other way Kureha will forgive Ginko at this point.

That's a good guess. Let me complete the thought. Ginko saves Kureha but sacrifices her life in the process, finally understanding the real nature of true love in her last moment. Kureha forgives her and Ginko dies redeemed. Afterwards, Kureha leaves for the other side of the wall with Lulu...

Yep, that sounds a lot like Ikuhara to me.

[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Benigmatica

I think Yuri Kuma Arashi's world have some sort of cloning technology to reproduce the human race. After all, who wants to defend humanity if there's not enough man- or womanpower to exclude those bears.

After a few considerations I think that the former principal is indeed meant to be a man, but... follow my reasoning.

I think that you can consider what you see in this anime as if it was something that you would see in a theater and more specifically a Takarazuka theater (of which Ikuhara is notoriously a fan).

Now there are some things in theatrical performances that are usually left to the imagination of the spectators. You normally don't have special effects and you don't have CGI and stuff like that. You also can't do stuff like making real animals play on the stage, right?

So well if the play is about anthropomorphic bears, what you would usually see would be human actors with some kind of props that would help you recognize them as "bears". Not quite full costumes, that would be awkward. More likely people wearing distinctive giant bear paws and ears. You know what I mean, right?

Well now if it was a Takarazuka play, then all actors would be women, and women would play the part of men too. You would most likely recognize that they are women, but you will pretend that they are men as the story requires. Now if you were familiar with Takarazuka you'll know that it is very flamboyant and so the outlook of the actors take a very high prominence over consistence.
A woman playing the part of a man while wearing conspicuous female shoes? That's totally not out of the question in Takarazuka.

Now I know that a point could be made that we do have male characters in this show. But perhaps the "all female" crew restriction applies to the human world only. And I think that if you accept that this show is following theatrical play conventions there are a lot of things that suddenly make more sense.