Yuri Kuma Arashi Episode 2 – All About Jealousy

Oh damn, I got the hour wrong. I thought this was going to be airing in 45 minutes, rather than 75 minutes ago.

Well, time to get started. Last episode was very Ikuhara. I think the main theme, and what “The Silent Storm” is about is gossip, giving those who stand out the bad eye. Sumika is probably gone, and it’s just Kureha and the girl-eating, girl-loving bears. Let’s see how it goes. And no, taking notes for this show isn’t wise, but I’m going to do it anyway.

Thoughts and Notes:

Screenshot album.

1) Just Bear Things:

1) “Bears eat people, it’s what we do!” – Again, preordained destinies, of obeying our inner natures.

2) It makes sense, you come to a “Keep Out!” sign, you don’t pay attention, and you learn things you weren’t meant to, shocking bear things. Beary shocking things.

Yuri Kuma Arashi Episode 1 – Setting the Scene, Eating it Up

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

So, the new Ikuhara show, eh? Should be full of symbolism, and a story where one can’t tell where the symbolic ends and the real world going ons begin. I thought of Mawaru Penguindrum a while back, and thought how my brain would’ve fried had I tried taking notes for it.

Well, I’m not sure if the notes will be “per scene” or “per moment of interest” here, but there will be notes. Now just to hope my brain won’t melt, as I need it.

Thoughts and Notes:

Screenshot album part 1, screenshot album part 2.

1) “Yuri! Yuri Bears Everywhere!”:

1) “I’ll never back down on love.” And here we already have our narrative conflict. “How far will you go for love? How far before you’ll break down, how much of a price are you willing to pay?”

Winter 2015 Anime Season Preview and Expectations

Fall 2014 is over, and I’ve barely watched any series, roughly 7. But enough with that, the season that just ended was apparently pretty great, but we need to look ahead! Winter 2015 begins officially tomorrow, with Tsukimonogatari’s release. Most everything else begins on January 4th, which is next Sunday. This season is a bit sparse, but continuations (Shirobako, Parasyte) and returning shows (Durarara!!, JoJo) pick up some of the slack.

As always, in these posts I cover shows I plan to follow, or have thoughts on why I will not follow them, or considered following and decided not to. As always, I try to strike a balance between giving you enough information on the show, and telling you why I think it is or isn’t worth watching. Shows ordered by day, and by expectation within the day, since I might pick or not pick a show up based on how busy that day is. That’s only sensible.

Most of the information about the shows can be had from RandomCuriosity’s page, the helpful Neregate Chart, and what I’ve happened to see on various sites, such as The Cart Driver. Check them out if you want more information, or information on shows I didn’t cover (such as follow-ups to shows I don’t watch).

Sunday:

Junketsu no Maria / Maria the Virgin Witch – The Hundred Years’ War. Maria decides to stop the war by summoning a succubus and incubus to sleep the armies’ commander into a happy stupor. Heaven intervenes and decrees Maria will lose her powers if she were to lose her virginity. Manga-based. I am often tired of “non-humor gags” that proliferate through anime, but I actually laugh at many such gags when they appear. Speculative pick of the season for me. Of special note is the director behind the show is Taniguchi Goro, knows as the director behind Code Geass and Planetes. Not exactly known for comedy, but a solid pick.
Interest Rating: 1.5/3. I’m not a huge fan of anime comedies, but I do enjoy them when they work. It seems the combination of humor and comedy might work out for me. Hope springs eternal.
Airing Date: January 11th. Preview.