AnimeSuki Forums

M.I.P. · 2007-06-06, 08:39

In My Hime, we had Shizuru and Natsuki and that was pretty subtle until very near the end when it was all brought out in the open. Despite this it still remained somewhat unclear whether it was a two way thing or a one way thing.

In My Otome, I'm informed that yuri pairing were much more common with very little subtlety at all. In fact it appears as though the story was engineered in such a way that Yuri pairings were bound to happen. I can't say more as my distaste for Otome prevented me from getting past the first episode.

In My Miko(as I have taken to reffering to My Hime

estiny), we have the main character either involved in a lesbian relationship or desirous of one with another, although it seems to be implied that she and the other in question were in the habit of kissing one another without any sexual connotations either way this counts as Yuri fanservice.

My question here is do you think Yuri is a key theme of the franchise or is it merely Sunrise pandering to the fans. Do you applaud this display of unorthodox relationships or do you think it's simply a case of satisfying adolescant fantasies.

overthere! · 2007-06-06, 14:40

I think the main audience of Mai Hime/Otome are teenage boys. It's probably a marketting strategy to keep these boys hooked onto the anime and empty out more pockets.

The Yuri theme wasn't dominant in the original Mai Hime (except we knew there was something going on between Natsuki & Shizuru). However, I agree with what you said about the amount of yuri they threw it near the end of Mai Hime, continue the pattern with Mai Otome. Because of that, I didnt take Mai Otome as seriously as Mai Hime. I knew that there was probably going to be a lot of fan service (*cough* Mai Otome Zwei #2). However, the series are still enjoyable whether or not there are subtle yuri themes.

AthenAltena · 2007-06-06, 19:16

My answers respectively are:

Yes and no.

It's definitely becoming a theme, but I don't think it's a bad thing. There are het parings to balance it out, but Sunrise knows it audience and seem to have thought that the ShizNat was acceptable, so they're branching out. I personally love the fact that they are even including it.

Kleo Scanti · 2007-06-06, 23:28

Well, there is no "yuri" in Mai series, to be precise. "Yuri" is lesbian hentai, and here we don't see even a single normally depicted kiss.

Yes, there are more lesbian motives (mostly fanservice) in MO than in MH, but, again, it's all a subtext (if we don't count evil-evil Tomoe, whose action wasn't shown either). In what I read about the Destiny I didn't notice that Mayo is a lesbian, however, it's difficult to judge by reading the description and not the novel itself.

No, I don't think it's bad. There is nothing unusual in lesbian relationships in an all-girls school. Also, as it was already mentioned, there are het couples who show their affection "in public" much more. Those who strongly dislike GL anime just can stay away from it. And I personally like those "unorthodox relationships".

M.I.P. · 2007-06-07, 07:30

It's a lot easier to write yuri than lesbian and seeing as you get what I'm saying there's little confusion. Anyway wouldn't you say it's one thing to go from having one lesbian attraction to having such sentiments being absolutely guaranteed and increasing in number.

twisted-pisces · 2007-06-07, 20:04

I love yuri ^^ either way you get no complaints from me ^^

Mirri · 2007-06-08, 21:07

Well, the first question is definitely yes by all means, but the second one is a little more complicated. I think, that if a person likes yuri/shoujo-ai/whatever it's called in this context, then they'd like the increase. However, even if they like it, there is still the group of people that thinks that when it gets to this level of Fan Service (Otome & Otome Zwei), it's just too far. It's fine in the extras, and honestly, I don't care if they have spinoffs to pursue these options, but I think that once it reaches this point of fanservice:story time, it's just too much. In saying this, I do realize that Mai-Otome was a spin off. However, it had a story as well. A story that would not have been nearly as weak as it was if the fan service had been cut down on, even a little.

So... my say is, yes, and yes for the yuri crowd, no for the people watching it for the story. I want more in this franchise that is greater than or equal to Mai-HiME in story content, and at that point, I don't care if there are no male characters at all and it's ALL yuri, it's about the story to me.

Matrim · 2007-06-09, 17:56

Quote:

"Yuri" is lesbian hentai...

No, it's not, the term yuri covers all sorts of lesbian relationships in anime or manga from implied ones to outright porn.

Anyway, as far as I am concerned, the more yuri the merrier, but it should be complimented with some interesting plot or characters. Not like in Mai Otome where yuri fanservice was just a cheap way to disguise the silly plot and the retarded new characters. After all, if you are not going to care about your story's flaws at all in the name of fanservice, you should just make a pure ecchi or hentai series and not tease the viewers with glimmers of a plot and promises for exciting future plot developments, only to disappoint them again and again.

Kleo Scanti · 2007-06-10, 14:57

Quote:

No, it's not, the term yuri covers all sorts of lesbian relationships in anime or manga from implied ones to outright porn.

Depends on a language.

Your definition is Japanese, Western (English) is here. As long as we are speaking English here... But seriously, it doesn't really matter.

Fate21 · 2009-07-20, 08:58

After all, they're making this as hetero+yuri anime so people who don't like yuri will not really yuck. But i watch this because of yuri

KongZilla · 2009-07-20, 09:00

I don't mind yuri at all. Its something that's common in the anime/manga world. But I have to admit that ShizNat is the most talked about yuri couple in the franchise.

Fate21 · 2009-07-20, 09:02

Because ShizNat is the most obvious relationship and they're kissing on the lips too LOL

KongZilla · 2009-07-20, 09:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fate21

Because ShizNat is the most obvious relationship and they're kissing on the lips too LOL

True! ^_^

A friend of mine feel that its becoming too overrated. An example is that if we look for Mai-Hime related videos on YouTube or Mai-Hime fanfic on FanFiction.net, most of them would be ShizNat related.

solarknight123 · 2009-07-20, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mai Tokiha

True! ^_^

A friend of mine feel that its becoming too overrated. An example is that if we look for Mai-Hime related videos on YouTube or Mai-Hime fanfic on FanFiction.net, most of them would be ShizNat related.

Yeah I feel that way too. Once I was a big ShizNat fan, but later on I began to see way too much of it and got tired of it. Every time I go on fanfic.net and look in the mai-hime section i see nothing but ShizNats. One would think that the series is all about them.

KongZilla · 2009-07-20, 21:48

There are people who believe ShizNat is the reason why Mai-Hime/Otome is being made. I'm not against ShizNat or anything but feel the same way as those who feel that its becoming too overrated.

P.S. Its rare to look for fanfics about Mai Tokiha, which is why I'm collaborating with MightySpirit to write my first fanfic about her! ^_^

There are still a good amount of Mai X Tate videos on YouTube though, and I'm really thanful for that! ^_^

solarknight123 · 2009-07-20, 21:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mai Tokiha

There are people who believe ShizNat is the reason why Mai-Hime/Otome is being made. I'm not against ShizNat or anything but feel the same way as those who feel that its becoming too overrated.

Yeah, that's why I fear that if sunrise actually made a Mai series filled with ShizNat, it'll be annoying now.

KongZilla · 2009-07-20, 21:58

There is a reason why Sunrise went a different path in the manga version of Mai-Hime you know

The two are still together in the manga version of Mai-Otome (its heavily implied)

Oro Lilium · 2009-07-24, 13:50

Well...

Hmm, I never thought that it was really such a big deal. I mean if the manga were any indication than yes, you would expect some yuri.

I totally think that it is the fans that are pushing the yuri more. We all know what it is like to click on a fanfic site and get spammed with [SHIZNAT OMG] but the show isn't really that bad or heavy handed with it!

I honestly think that in Mai-Otome the creators were just giving the fans something they REALLY freaking wanted, who would want to end up like the Evangelion director and end up getting death threats until they made a new movie?

The OVA's are WHOLE other story on the other hand...

KongZilla · 2009-07-24, 18:32

We all know that ShizNat is the most popular and talked about couple in the franchise. In some cases there are fans who said ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is being made or ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is popular. I can see that since most of the fanfictions I read on FanFiction.Net. I am not complaining. But like Lilium mentioned in his post its the fans that are pushing the yuri more.

lone_wolf · 2009-07-24, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mai Tokiha

We all know that ShizNat is the most popular and talked about couple in the franchise. In some cases there are fans who said ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is being made or ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is popular. I can see that since most of the fanfictions I read on FanFiction.Net. I am not complaining. But like Lilium mentioned in his post its the fans that are pushing the yuri more.

That's the misconception of the newbie fans that arrived after 2006....even I can say that the fandom went downhill from that point.

ANd yes fanfiction is to blame for all the tiring misconceptions. One odd fact is that these newbie ShizNat fans (most of them) became fans of the pairing before ever laying eyes on the actual series. They are more or less enamored by the misinterpretations of the pairings and fail to see the details behind the series. (This had prompted me to create a NAtsuki FAQ sheet in attempt to dispel all these misconception. Translated everything from guide books, artbooks and even the official data from novels)

I myself am a ShizNat fan...or rather a NatsuShizu fan (SHizuru is just part of the package) and I'm one of the originals from when the series first aired in 2004 so I understand the loathing behind the pairing as it stemmed out of control when it got to the hands of all these uneducated newbies. And when I mention uneducated, I'm simply referring to the fact that they don't know most of the intricate details of the series.

And most of them were not around when Animesuki first opened it's doors to this Mai Hime forum section. In fact this is the 2nd incarnation of the Mai Hime section since the original along with other series threads were hacked back in 2005.

What they don't understand is that Sunrise is specifically a "Shonen" based production company and specifically caters to the "male" demographic while throwing in a miniscule amount of "girls love" in the latter years.

In fact if you ever head to the Sunrise offices in Tokyo, pick up one of their pamphlets that share the history of the shows that they produced and you'll find that every single series that they have adapted to anime is of the Shonen/Seinen genre. Just the sheer blatancy that Mai HIme was spoofed off of a Sentai show should have given them the hint but we live in a generation of young people who don't take anime as serious as us old fogies who pioneered the movement to the western hemisphere back in the early 90s.

Anyhow, You can also pick up this booklet at a TAF (Tokyo Anime Fair) which is held once a year at the Tokyo Bigsite Convention hall. Well...at least it was there the last time I attended which was in 08.

--Lone Wolf
一匹狼

2007-06-06, 08:39	Link #1
M.I.P. May contain nuts. Join Date: Mar 2007	Is Yuri becoming a predominant theme in the My-Hime franchise and is this a bad thing In My Hime, we had Shizuru and Natsuki and that was pretty subtle until very near the end when it was all brought out in the open. Despite this it still remained somewhat unclear whether it was a two way thing or a one way thing. In My Otome, I'm informed that yuri pairing were much more common with very little subtlety at all. In fact it appears as though the story was engineered in such a way that Yuri pairings were bound to happen. I can't say more as my distaste for Otome prevented me from getting past the first episode. In My Miko(as I have taken to reffering to My Himeestiny), we have the main character either involved in a lesbian relationship or desirous of one with another, although it seems to be implied that she and the other in question were in the habit of kissing one another without any sexual connotations either way this counts as Yuri fanservice. My question here is do you think Yuri is a key theme of the franchise or is it merely Sunrise pandering to the fans. Do you applaud this display of unorthodox relationships or do you think it's simply a case of satisfying adolescant fantasies. __________________

2007-06-06, 23:28	Link #4
Kleo Scanti Urd Fangirl Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Europe	Well, there is no "yuri" in Mai series, to be precise. "Yuri" is lesbian hentai, and here we don't see even a single normally depicted kiss. Yes, there are more lesbian motives (mostly fanservice) in MO than in MH, but, again, it's all a subtext (if we don't count evil-evil Tomoe, whose action wasn't shown either). In what I read about the Destiny I didn't notice that Mayo is a lesbian, however, it's difficult to judge by reading the description and not the novel itself. No, I don't think it's bad. There is nothing unusual in lesbian relationships in an all-girls school. Also, as it was already mentioned, there are het couples who show their affection "in public" much more. Those who strongly dislike GL anime just can stay away from it. And I personally like those "unorthodox relationships". __________________ ~Shadow Deviant~ ~World of Elegance~ ~Anime-journal~

2007-06-07, 07:30	Link #5
M.I.P. May contain nuts. Join Date: Mar 2007	It's a lot easier to write yuri than lesbian and seeing as you get what I'm saying there's little confusion. Anyway wouldn't you say it's one thing to go from having one lesbian attraction to having such sentiments being absolutely guaranteed and increasing in number. __________________

2007-06-06, 14:40	Link #2
overthere! Member Join Date: Jun 2007	I think the main audience of Mai Hime/Otome are teenage boys. It's probably a marketting strategy to keep these boys hooked onto the anime and empty out more pockets. The Yuri theme wasn't dominant in the original Mai Hime (except we knew there was something going on between Natsuki & Shizuru). However, I agree with what you said about the amount of yuri they threw it near the end of Mai Hime, continue the pattern with Mai Otome. Because of that, I didnt take Mai Otome as seriously as Mai Hime. I knew that there was probably going to be a lot of fan service (cough Mai Otome Zwei #2). However, the series are still enjoyable whether or not there are subtle yuri themes.

2007-06-06, 19:16	Link #3
AthenAltena Sister of the Forks Join Date: May 2006	My answers respectively are: Yes and no. It's definitely becoming a theme, but I don't think it's a bad thing. There are het parings to balance it out, but Sunrise knows it audience and seem to have thought that the ShizNat was acceptable, so they're branching out. I personally love the fact that they are even including it.

2007-06-07, 20:04	Link #6
twisted-pisces Shadow girl Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada	I love yuri ^^ either way you get no complaints from me ^^

2007-06-08, 21:07	Link #7
Mirri Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Buffalo, New York Age: 34	Well, the first question is definitely yes by all means, but the second one is a little more complicated. I think, that if a person likes yuri/shoujo-ai/whatever it's called in this context, then they'd like the increase. However, even if they like it, there is still the group of people that thinks that when it gets to this level of Fan Service (Otome & Otome Zwei), it's just too far. It's fine in the extras, and honestly, I don't care if they have spinoffs to pursue these options, but I think that once it reaches this point of fanservice:story time, it's just too much. In saying this, I do realize that Mai-Otome was a spin off. However, it had a story as well. A story that would not have been nearly as weak as it was if the fan service had been cut down on, even a little. So... my say is, yes, and yes for the yuri crowd, no for the people watching it for the story. I want more in this franchise that is greater than or equal to Mai-HiME in story content, and at that point, I don't care if there are no male characters at all and it's ALL yuri, it's about the story to me.

2009-07-20, 08:58	Link #10
Fate21 Kiyu~ Join Date: May 2009 Location: In Heaven, I hope Age: 32	After all, they're making this as hetero+yuri anime so people who don't like yuri will not really yuck. But i watch this because of yuri

2009-07-20, 09:00	Link #11
KongZilla Sugar_Prayer <333 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Living on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific	I don't mind yuri at all. Its something that's common in the anime/manga world. But I have to admit that ShizNat is the most talked about yuri couple in the franchise.

2009-07-20, 09:02	Link #12
Fate21 Kiyu~ Join Date: May 2009 Location: In Heaven, I hope Age: 32	Because ShizNat is the most obvious relationship and they're kissing on the lips too LOL

2009-07-20, 21:48	Link #15
KongZilla Sugar_Prayer <333 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Living on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific	There are people who believe ShizNat is the reason why Mai-Hime/Otome is being made. I'm not against ShizNat or anything but feel the same way as those who feel that its becoming too overrated. P.S. Its rare to look for fanfics about Mai Tokiha, which is why I'm collaborating with MightySpirit to write my first fanfic about her! ^_^ There are still a good amount of Mai X Tate videos on YouTube though, and I'm really thanful for that! ^_^

2009-07-20, 21:58	Link #17
KongZilla Sugar_Prayer <333 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Living on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific	There is a reason why Sunrise went a different path in the manga version of Mai-Hime you know The two are still together in the manga version of Mai-Otome (its heavily implied)

2009-07-24, 13:50	Link #18
Oro Lilium Flower Child Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: I live in the sunlight*	Well... Hmm, I never thought that it was really such a big deal. I mean if the manga were any indication than yes, you would expect some yuri. I totally think that it is the fans that are pushing the yuri more. We all know what it is like to click on a fanfic site and get spammed with [SHIZNAT OMG] but the show isn't really that bad or heavy handed with it! I honestly think that in Mai-Otome the creators were just giving the fans something they REALLY freaking wanted, who would want to end up like the Evangelion director and end up getting death threats until they made a new movie? The OVA's are WHOLE other story on the other hand...

2009-07-24, 18:32	Link #19
KongZilla Sugar_Prayer <333 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Living on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific	We all know that ShizNat is the most popular and talked about couple in the franchise. In some cases there are fans who said ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is being made or ShizNat is the reason why the franchise is popular. I can see that since most of the fanfictions I read on FanFiction.Net. I am not complaining. But like Lilium mentioned in his post its the fans that are pushing the yuri more.