(L) Kumamiko - Girl Meets Bear

[Peanutbutter]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

From someone on /a/:

Damn.

Forgot to add this on my previous, but Yoshio, imo, is one of the most scheming manipulators (well, Machi mostly, and to some extent, Hibiko) that I ever seen. His dialogue was always on the point, to achieve the objective that he desired. (Maybe he already saw Machi at the small temple at the roof, and pretended not to see it, but rather prep-talk/psycho her into doing what he felt needed to be done.)

His physical abuse of Machi (i.e stripping) was funny the first time, but not the second one.

Maybe it's true. The mountain gods planned all these.

[BWTraveller]

My biggest problem with Yoshio is he clearly doesn't realize what he's doing. No matter how much Machi screams "no!", he still believes that she's just shy but really wants to do it, so in his mind he's trying to encourage her when really he's bullying her into doing what he wants. The worst abusers, bullies and manipulators have no clue that's what they're doing because they're too blind to realize that the other person's crying and screaming.
For that matter, I also felt like for a brief part the episode was trying to convey a message that was a little too strong, that even if she doesn't want to do it the girl should go and risk humiliation and traumatization because everyone wants her to. Not a cool line. It's one thing if she'd volunteered herself to help everyone, because then it'd be her following through on her chosen path despite the risk of being hurt to help those she loves; here instead everyone decided, repeatedly, that she'd be placed in positions that she's uncomfortable with for their own sakes. She didn't want to do any of this and, honestly, there are other ways that the town could try to increase tourism and revenue, but they all decided to throw everyone's fate on her shoulders and just ride it out in the background. They threw her to the lions. It doesn't matter that the lions turned out to be kittens, they didn't know or care and the result is their chosen sacrifice reverting to the mentality of a three-year-old. I'm sorry, but a great portion of the town deserves to have all their businesses go belly-up for their part in this poor girl's torment.

[zztop]

Originally Posted by bastek66

Mangaka also hates the ending and wrote about it on his tumblr but later deleted. What does it say?

Reddit user translated the mangaka's tweet.

アニメについて*About the anime
くまみこアニメ最終回観ました
I watched the last episode of Kuma Miko.
アニメスタッフの皆様お疲れ様でした
I would like to thank everyone in the anime staff.
たくさんの苦難があったかと思われます
I'm sure there was much difficulty in making this anime
私自身アニメの威力というものを身にしみて感じました
I've personally learnt the hard way about the power of anime
最後まで頑張ってくださりありがとうございました
I give my heartfelt gratitude to all who did their best till the very end.

私は脚本をチェックするのは断りました
I have rejected requests to do script checks
プロだから、お任せしました
and left the script to the scriptwriters' discretion, because they are professional.
なのでこんなことをいう資格はないですが
As such, even though I don't have the qualification to say this, but
ないので原作ファンとして感想を言わせて貰えれば
If you let me say my thoughts as a fan of the original work (manga),
よしおのあの発言は、酷いなあ
What Yoshio said (in the final episode) was fu***d up.
と思っています
That's my thought on the matter.

宜しくお願いします
Thank you for reading.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

There is a theory doing the rounds that the only reason the show ended the way it did, was because Sendai wanted to be promoted as a tourism hotspot by the anime. This neccesitates many re-writes that move events into Sendai, and culminating in the Idol event that was entirely made up to give Sendai a bigger screen presence. The fact that Sendai has nothing to do with the Bear Village, but was shoe-horned in, is a possible reason it became what it is.

If only the entire Idol arc was a bad dream, like it was suppose to be in the original, it would make sense why she thinks she was being stoned. But by physically getting her to the city for the sequence, the joke was ruined and Sendai doomed the show.

[SuitUp]

I gues they still could do a Dallas in the ovas and reveal the entirety of the last arc was a dream I certainly hope so

[Marcus H.]

If only the entire Idol arc was a bad dream, like it was suppose to be in the original, it would make sense why she thinks she was being stoned. But by physically getting her to the city for the sequence, the joke was ruined and Sendai doomed the show.

So Sendai is the place where girls can be idols with the risk of being pelted with stones?
So much for getting a positive image from the show.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

So Sendai is the place where girls can be idols with the risk of being pelted with stones?
So much for getting a positive image from the show.

Basically, this anime failed because everyone end up unhappy. The viewers, the studio, and Sendai too.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

Basically, this anime failed because everyone end up unhappy. The viewers, the studio, and Sendai too.

You know ... it kind of makes you wonder whether or no the anime staff knew the writing was on the wall and so made some of the earlier eps a commentary of sorts on what happens.

Remember Yoshio getting funding from the old lady who made him include commercials for their store in the commercial about the village as a condition? Maybe a similar thing happened with Sendai?

Whether it was so or no one can at least say that just as the commercial in that ep was a disaster so was the ending choices of the series....

[Hamster]

See, this is what happens when ShindoL makes a slice-of-life anime.

[jdennis007]

It seems like Machi wound up broken at the end of the series from the way she was talking.

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by jdennis007

It seems like Machi wound up broken at the end of the series from the way she was talking.

Indeed. That seems to be rather widely viewed as one of the worst aspects of the series. Especially since while they show her acting like a three-year-old and clearly demonstrating how far she's regressed they keep playing that upbeat closing song, as if they wanted us to feel happy and excited to see a fourteen-year-old mentally broken to the point that she probably can't survive without the people who have given up trying to help her.

[scififan]

Maji constantly feel the negativity from strangers. Is it her imagination or her psychic power?

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by scififan

Maji constantly feel the negativity from strangers. Is it her imagination or her psychic power?

I'm sure it's her imagination. Did you see those other "idols"? They made her look like a cultured city girl in comparison, so they'd never be thinking "that hick is bringing us down". Not to mention they showed what seems to be legitimate concern for her. And most of all, everyone in the audience was enthusiastically cheering at the end of her performance, and I doubt you could express such enthusiasm and enjoyment of her performance while also thinking "she has no business being on the stage, find me a rock to throw at her". So no, she's not psychic. She just automatically assumes that people are going to look down their noses at her and when they don't her mind "corrects" things and convinces her that they were really crueler than anyone in the show would ever be. More than anything else, she needs someone going with her who actually pays attention, and reassures her that they were watching and the people did not think anything of the sort about her. Maybe even bring a hidden camera or two so that later she could scan through and get a better look.

Of course this is all assuming that this is a psychological delusion. I hope that's the case, but to be honest it's hard to believe that even she'd hallucinate to that extent. I kind of wonder whether the mountain gods are messing with her perception to scare her away from the city and keep their miko in the mountains.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

I'm sure it's her imagination... I hope that's the case, but to be honest it's hard to believe that even she'd hallucinate to that extent.

As someone who has had to care for a close family member who suffered from anxiety disorder, I can honestly say you don't have the first clue as to how easy it is for someone with the condition to succumb to a "psychological delusion", as you've put it.

The brain gets caught in a negative feedback loop. And the loop can be frustratingly self-reinforcing, so much so that it becomes impossible to untangle without medication and psychiatric counselling.

I think I was one of the few contributors to this thread, if any, who highlighted the discomfort in seeing Machi's social anxiety made a butt of jokes. It's disheartening therefore to see how terribly the issue was treated in the closing episodes of what was otherwise one of my favourites series of the season.

[Haddery]

Thought this article was interesting from Rocket News 24 Bear attacks, disappointing anime ending causing concerns about Japanese animal park event

[DragoonKain3]

I thought it couldn't get worse with the rapey stuff on the loli... damn was I wrong.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by zztop

よしおのあの発言は、酷いなあ
What Yoshio said (in the final episode) was fu***d up.

Context-wise goes, the language is not that strong. It's more of it, "I thought that Yoshio's statements were terrible." I guess the idea still gets across though.


Oh, and someone already mentioned the Wiki and Tweeter, but he also erased Kumamiko from his works on his Facebook page.

[Magewolf]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

As someone who has had to care for a close family member who suffered from anxiety disorder, I can honestly say you don't have the first clue as to how easy it is for someone with the condition to succumb to a "psychological delusion", as you've put it.

The brain gets caught in a negative feedback loop. And the loop can be frustratingly self-reinforcing, so much so that it becomes impossible to untangle without medication and psychiatric counselling.

I think I was one of the few contributors to this thread, if any, who highlighted the discomfort in seeing Machi's social anxiety made a butt of jokes. It's disheartening therefore to see how terribly the issue was treated in the closing episodes of what was otherwise one of my favourites series of the season.

While that is true there also seems to be real gods running around the show. Yoshio also says that he had rocks thrown at him as well. So it looks like there might be some effort to keep that family in the village

[Haddery]

Originally Posted by Magewolf

While that is true there also seems to be real gods running around the show. Yoshio also says that he had rocks thrown at him as well. So it looks like there might be some effort to keep that family in the village

The rock incident happened while he was in Sapporo, going by the dialogue in the last episode it was more of a noodle incident that occurred to Yoshio because he was being himself (the restaurant owner was "Gee I wonder why someone would do that ")

[FateAnomaly]

There is definitely real gods in the show. Otherwise how could there be an intelligent, talking, internet surfing bear in the village. I also think Machi is cursed to remain in the village at least until the next miko takes over.