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Magical Girl Madoka Magica 9 – A Rare Misstep, but Since it Involves Yuri, I’ll Allow It

After last week’s intense reveals and Sayaka’s quick spiral into despair, we were treated to an episode that was decidedly more relaxed in its pacing. The reveals came calmly this time instead of as big hits, with Kyubey finally explaining his motivations to Madoka and Kyoko rediscovering herself in the face of Sayaka’s transformation. As usual, the pacing was spot on, and the development of Kyoko’s character was handled wonderfully, but the way the climax played out left a bad taste in my mouth, ending an otherwise good episode on such a sour note that this may be the worst episode in the show so far.

It’s not that Kyoko’s sacrifice was too predictable. It was predictable, but that in itself is not a problem, as the show wasn’t playing it as a twist. Nor was her decision to do it unbelievable. The show did a fine job of turning villain into heroine through bits of character development in the past 3 episodes. Her wistful comment this episode about why she became a magical girl to begin with – and how Sayaka reminded her of that – had impact. It was just as clear to her as it was to us, the audience, that she was Sayaka’s foil, and seeing that girl’s downfall made her regret the loss of her innocence. Her desire to find redemption by saving Sayaka felt genuine.

Rather, the trouble was that what should have been a crowning moment of glory turned not to be, due to the poorly directed action of the climax. The necessary sense of danger and urgency just wasn’t there. I was ready to believe that Kyoko would give her life in this battle, but it should have been done under a truly dire situation, when no other option presented itself. Though the battle did a good enough job of showing Sayaka as dominating over Kyoko, there was no immediate sense of danger at her moment of sacrifice. It could have been a dramatic, powerful moment, capping off Kyoko’s journey for redemption with a truly selfless and needed sacrifice. Instead, we got a bit of yuri subtext which (though pretty damn cool) framed her death as one out of romantic love for Sayaka rather than of out of a desire to redeem herself for her crimes by aiding Sayaka. As I mentioned above, the latter was very well developed over the past few episodes. The former was jarring and, more importantly, unnecessary for justifying her sacrifice. There was a perfectly good reason to have Kyoko sacrifice her life! Why not use it!?

First of all, HAWT. Second of all, was that really necessary?

As for Kyubey’s reveal of his origin, I don’t like it, but I’ll allow it. I’m wary of stories using science fiction mumbo jumbo – especially “fancy” things like quantum mechanics, chaos theory, or, in this case, thermodynamics – to explain its fantasy. It’s just magic; by watching this show, we’ve already accepted a certain level of suspense of disbelief, and trying to rationalize it further just takes away from the mystique. And, as was the case here, when the science is wrong, it flat out sounds stupid.

To be fair, the science wasn’t completely wrong. Kyubey was conflating entropy (loss of usable energy) with the actual loss of energy (which is impossible), but perhaps he was simplifying things to explain to a middle schooler. Even so, the time scale he’s talking about – the point at which the universe will be so dominated by entropy that energy might as well not exist – is just too damn long to care about. Even if Kyubey’s race is as old as the universe, the time it would take for this to happen is several orders of magnitude longer than that. It’s a bit ridiculous to accept that his race thinks in that long a time scale.

Looking very predator there, Kyubey.

Of course, Kyubey’s race is supposed to be unfathomable to us. Their inability to have emotion, I thought was good enough to explain his manipulative and disattached personality up to now. I don’t think the show was trying to use it as an excuse to forgive him for his actions, because it doesn’t. He’s still a psychopath. It merely served as an explanation of his reasoning, which will help us understand his moves in the future.

For example, his manipulation of Kyoko to kill her and Sayaka at the same time. His giving Kyoko false hope was a really clever move to set up the situation to force Madoka to become a magical girl. The kind of cold and calculated move fitting for such a villain. Given that he’s the villain, of course, it’s also probably a good idea to take what he says with a grain of salt. He might not state outright lies, but there are ways to lie without doing that.

"Are you human!?" "No. And neither are you." Fucking badass.

So with 3 out of our 5 heroines disposed of, all of the pieces are in place. Walpurgis night looms ahead, which will be a challenge too much for Homura to handle alone, and the only possible source of help being Madoka. This should remind you of Madoka’s dream in the very first episode, in which Homura was shown fighting alone against… something, with Kyubey telling Madoka she could help her by becoming a magical girl. Was that dream indeed a glimpse into her future? I didn’t like that conjecture from the beginning, and I still don’t, but it seems quite likely to come true. But excepting the little misstep at the climax of this episode, this show has proven that it can execute on its story very well, regardless of its contents. After all, 2 very early conjectures came true in the previous episode in a truly awesome way. And when the show finally got around to character development the last few episodes, it has done it incredibly well. We’re entering the final act now. Madoka is still not a magical girl. I wait anxiously to see what comes.

Going out with a smile, that's so typical, Kyoko. You and your sugary voice will be missed ;_;


12 Days of Christmas – Day 3 – Cell Phone Batteries

Posted by Author | 12 Days of Christmas, Anime Review, Manga Review, Nameless, akko, girl friends, high school, manga, mari, shoujo-ai, yuri | Thursday 16 December 2010 5:19 am

I rarely, if ever, read manga.  However, there is one type of genre that forces me to break this unofficial rule of mine, and that is shoujo-ai/yuri. So for this 12 days of Christmas thing, I thought that I would talk about one of my favorites from this genre, Girl Friends, especially considering that it only ended a couple of months ago (There are spoilers, but I tried to avoid talking about anything too specific).

Now I know some of you must of read that introduction, and then your eyes, as if by some unseen force, were drawn to the word yuri with only one thing in mind. Unfortunately, this post isn’t going to do anything to relieve you of your fix, but suffice it to say that some of the chapters in this series probably would. Instead, Girl Friends truly shines by depicting the relationship of Mari and Akko, from its inception to its angst filled middle to its ultimately satisfying end. The one thing that I love about this manga, when compared to many of its counterparts in this genre, is that neither of these characters has much experience with love when the story starts, nor do they have any idea about what their ultimate preference in gender will be.

Thus, the story is able to combine two coming of age/revelation stories into one. Of course, the standard manga romance issues still arise, and the transitioning of their friendship into one of a romantic nature is chock full of misunderstandings, moping, blushing, and near  misses. However, considering that most teenagers have trouble expressing their feelings, and the fact that this duo needed to overcome a pretty big social norm, I don’t really have a problem with what many may perceive as trolling by the mangaka.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have some drawbacks, especially for the male readers among you. While I wouldn’t say that the series relies on an appreciation for women’s fashion and beauty, many of the character’s conversations seemingly end up focusing on, and educating the reader about, the finer points of women’s fashion and the torture that is dieting. Additionally, the manga probably has far too many characters for its own good. It often seemed that the story drifted away from its main purpose to focus on some of these characters, and while they did provide context for what Mari and Akko were going through, it occasionally crossed the line into annoying.

Then there was one of the things that made this series unique, but also endlessly frustrating. The story utilizes train of thought storytelling(or as Keima would say, an inner voice) as a way for us to understand what Mari and Akko are thinking, but the only problem is that we never get to hear both of their thoughts at the same time. While this concept is endearing, in that it lets the reader identify with the character’s feelings, I almost always found my self, especially in the later chapters, only wanting to know what the other was thinking, which was frustrating to say the least.

So if you haven’t put Girl Friends on your list of things to do over the holiday, I’d recommend it. As for the cell phone batteries part, suffice it to say that one was part of a very good and well-rounded, yet understated ending that I won’t forget anytime soon.


12 Days of Christmas – Day 1 – Saki

Posted by Author | 12 Days of Christmas, Anime Review, Manga Review, Raphael, Saki, mahjong, manga, moe, ritz kobayashi, yuri | Tuesday 14 December 2010 2:00 pm

For the fourth year in a row, the authors of Borderline Hikikomori will write a series of twelve posts for the “Twelve Days of Anime” project. Each day, from today up until Christmas, one of us will share an anime- or manga-related moment or event from 2010 that we found special. Today, I’ll be kicking things off with a post on the Saki manga reaching its national tournament arc. Fair warning: excessive fanboying is involved. Enjoy this, and enjoy the rest of the posts in the series!

In September last year, the anime adaptation of Saki ended on a cliffhanger; we essentially got an extended preview of the series’ national tournament. We saw new characters, new special moves, and, of course, the same Yu-Gi-Oh!-esque tile effects. And then we received an on-screen message that said ‘we’re just getting started, yay~’ and things finished. The wait for the nationals was frustrating. It was made more frustrating by the fact that the Saki anime had gone far ahead of the manga by the time it finished. There were delays to the manga, too, before a series of set-up chapters. The wait stretched out further. And then, finally, earlier this year, the nationals began.

Before that, though, the characters introduced in the first part of the manga – the members of the teams Kiyosumi fought against in the qualifiers – were fleshed out further. The relationships between the various schools’ team members were some of what made the series so much fun (the yuri undertones helped as well, of course), and it was great to see them looked at in greater depth. Particularly lovely were the more subtle friendships that’d developed between characters; you got a sense that the girls had found a sense of belonging outside of their school groups, and that they’d really built solid friendships. It was especially nice to see Koromo, one of the series’ foremost woobies, come into her own and find her place. I also really loved how this was carried over into the nationals, with all the other teams going together to Tokyo to support Kiyosumi High and then Yuuki vowing to do the rest of the girls from Nagano proud when their prefecture was openly called weak.

Speaking of Yuuki, I can confidently say that she irritated me to no end for the vast majority of the qualifiers arc. Sure, she was funny, but her constant hyperactivity was tiring. More than that, the fact that she would melt into a babbling mess whenever things went awry in her matches (and they often did) was facepalm-worthy. It really didn’t help that she was voiced by Rie Kugimiya in the adaptation, either. But, lo and behold, character development happened! The boundless energy was still there come nationals time, but she was able to control it. When things didn’t go to plan, too, Yuuki didn’t break down. She gathered herself and moved on, and continued playing in a style that could definitely be called badass (though it remains to be seen how she’ll deal with the latest thing that’s been thrown at her). And I’ll admit, her turning up to her match wearing a cape and a serious expression was both hilarious and awesome.

The Monster from Kagoshima

No post about Saki would be complete without talk of the ridiculous/ridiculously cheesy/ridiculously entertaining mahjong-related special abilities, and the nationals has offered up a host of new characters and powers. We’re only really one match in, and we’ve already met another of the series’ “monsters”, Eisui Girls’ Komaki Jindai, who is largely a mediocre player… until she goes to sleep during her games and becomes ridiculously strong. Playing against her and Yuuki are the stoic Shiromi from Miyamori High – whose bizarre ability is becoming immensely and very noticeably worried when she has a good hand and then playing better because of her nerves - and Himematsu High’s poor Suzu, who has all the information she needs on her competitors but is struggling nonetheless. Earlier on, we were also treated to a demonstration the skills of Himematsu’s team captain, Hiroe; a match between her and Kiyosumi captain Hisa promises to be a treat. As well as this, we had some fantastic moments pre-nationals with unwittingly goofy ojou-sama Touka finally getting the chance to reveal her talents.

The ‘we’re just getting started, yay~’ note seems like an even more pertinent way to finish off Saki for 2010, with the national tournament in full swing at last. I can’t wait to get to know the new crop of characters better in the coming year – one thing I love about Ritz Kobayashi is her ability to manage an extremely large cast extremely well – and, of course, I can’t wait for more weirdly engrossing games of mahjong to be played.


Kiddy GiRL-AND – Returning Memories

Posted by Author | Anime, Anime Review, Kiddy Girl-and, Manga Review, yuri | Friday 19 March 2010 5:44 am
Oh yeah~ more Q-Feuille X Ascour kissing~ It took long enough to get Q-Feuille’s memories back. I’ve been annoyed at her ever since she was brainwashed and was getting very tired of her saying ‘onii-sama’. Good thing that’s over with. Q-Feuille’s memories weren’t the only ones to return, Ascouer also got her memories back…with a kiss from [...]

Kiddy GiRL-AND – Exposition!

Posted by Author | Anime, Anime Review, Kiddy Girl-and, Manga Review, yuri | Tuesday 9 February 2010 5:42 am
Okay, the first part was was 100% LOLWTF!? with that whole school setting and DELICIOUS SCHOOL UNIFORM Q-FEULLEI, I had to make sure I was watching the correct episode [15]. ~_~ But the second part had some juicy exposition. I wondered just what were Q-Feulle, Ascouer and D-Air. Can’t be sure abou Q-Feuille and D-Air, but [...]

Trap, Reverse Trap and Yuri Trap

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, Maria+holic, trap, yuri | Tuesday 20 January 2009 8:44 am

I was ambivalent about picking up Maria+Holic but Kabitzin’s animated gifs were just too enticing. The main hook, for me, was the contrast between Mariya’s sweet facade and his grin o’ evil mischief in the second gif. Totali was nearly trapped too. LOL

My initial reluctance originated along the lines of: ‘Oh dear, an OtoBoku clone?’ But that was just me being lazy. OtoBoku has the protagonist as the cross-dresser, he collects his harem who are in on his secret. Yuri anime this was not. Except for the brief period when Takako realized she was falling for Mizuho but hadn’t found out that she was a he yet.

I always find my suspension of disbelief sorely tested by shows like I! My! Me! Strawberry Eggs. Grown men do not convincing traps make. OtoBoku or Happiness was just more plausible, given the whole late teens thing. Or if it’s a really pretty boy like Genshiken’s Kousaka. Reverse traps, on the other hand, like Ouran’s Haruhi or ‘I Still Can’t Believe that’s Mizuki Nana‘ Touma present no difficulty for believing that the rest of the cast have been reverse trapped and really believe the girl is a guy.

Maria+Holic’s protagonist is not the cross-dresser and pretty much decided she is a lesbian; she bemoans how Mariya is a big obstacle in her quest for her fated yuri lover as well as how stunningly cute Mariya is despite being a boy. Despite the rather unconventional (if tentative) heterosexual pairing of Kanako with Mariya, I’d call this awesome yuri anime yuri based on Kanako’s self-professed preference.

Final note. I’ve used the terminology from a decidedly hetero perspective. ‘Trap’ refers to a male who appears to be a very attractive woman to other males. ‘Reverse trap’ just switches the genders around. As such, Mariya, in relation to Kanako, should be called a ‘yuri trap’? Better suggestions please?

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Ueda Kana as Fukuzawa Yumi is yuriliciously uke

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, maria-sama ga miteru IV, oneesama, yuri | Thursday 8 January 2009 8:05 am

Am I the only one to think that Yumi’s intro lines for the OP of the fourth season of Maria-sama ga Miteru contained a hint of her kansai accent? Perhaps it’s because I’ve read Erica’s notes on the 18th MariMite novel where the author, Konno Oyuki, has Yumi say something in Kansai ben and then wonder why she did that. It’s a glorious and generous nod from the creator of the MariMite universe; Ueda Kana richly deserves such acknowledgment as she has well-and-truly made Yumi’s role her own.

I never took much notice of the voice acting credits before I watched MariMite. Sure, I admired Megumi Hayashibara for her roles as Lina Inverse, Rei Ayanami and Faye Valentine. But that was about it. Perhaps there were several factors that had already captured my full attention for the MariMite cast’s voice acting. The rich possibilities for yuri tangents and fan service. The Oneesama element. The complex and lovingly crafted characterizations. Nonetheless the series still stands out for some outstanding voice performances.

Megumi Toyoguchi is outstanding as Satou Sei, playful, angry, tender, in pain, reassuring. Hasekura Rei is probably Shizu-sama’s most masculine-female voice role. Naba-sama, on the other hand, captures Torii Eriko’s odd mix of whismical kookiness and perfectionism. Ikezawa Haruna’s Shimazu Yoshino presents little bursts of explosive impulsiveness and sheer willfulness. Shinohara Emi’s Mizuno Youko is Formidably Steady as She Goes, The Strong One - though her expressiveness in showing concern for Sei in the Forest of Thorns arc probably did a lot to boost Sei x Youko slashers. LOL

I even enjoy the performances of two voice actresses whom I’m not big fans of; Noto Mamiko’s Quiet Girl Toudou Shimako is played with the flashes of incisiveness and steel that define the character; Kugimiya Rie’s twintailed tsundere Matsudaira Touko mix of tsun and dere as well as transition to and fro either state felt layered and subtle. And it sure helps that she doesn’t resort to violence in the first instance. If at all. Ogasawara Sachiko is arguably Itou Miki’s Best Role - she’s simply inimitable with her casual elegance and haughtiness (my Favourite Role of hers is different though).

I’ve always been quite fond of the characters played by Ueda Kana, particularly when they’ve got a bit of Dirty Old Man in them, such as Yagami Hayate (vs. her harem particularly Signum or, more accurately, Signum’s boobs lol), Tohsaka Rin (vs. Saber which came through somewhat even though the anime neutered the game perspective on their um relationship), Kohaku is oh so cutely evil PLUS sleeping with her mistress Akiha is part of her job description (also the Most Oomph arc of the game).

But Fukuzawa Yumi is both my Favourite and Best Ueda Kana Role. For anyone who’s ever felt plain, uninteresting, slightly below average, Ueda’s Yumi really evokes the sympathy needed for one to empathize with a character. Which is important for the anime to work since the story’s basic structure, as Erica has put it so nicely, is about a Commoner, an Ordinary Person being thrust into the Deep End of an Extraordinary Situation with Life Changing Consequences. While some might find Yumi’s ‘much ado about nothing’ angsting about her relationship with Sachiko too melodramatic, I’m inclined to forgive her - after all, what else does a teenage girl with a huge crush but no family, financial, health problems have to focus on as the centre of her concerns?

I’ve always wondered why I’ve always held Ueda’s Yumi in the highest regard. Though I personally enjoy MariMite more than Nanoha, Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime etc, it doesn’t fully explain why Yumi gets joint Favourite and Best Roles billing ahead of Hayate, Rin, Kohaku etc. It sort of came to me, not really like an ephiphany but a slow creeping feeling, kind of like how Yumi slowly realizes that Sachiko has just committed her to the lead role in the Yamayurikai’s school festival play. Yumi’s ‘Eeeh!?’ and sigh in response to Sachiko’s oblique, Over The Horizon attack wasn’t just the usual soeur-type subordination; it was a self-recognition of utter defeat beyond the tactical and operational, all the way up to the strategic and policy levels. And, later, she utterly falls for Sachiko’s Charm Offensive when she gets steam-rollered into switching her role’s gender (wait, was it the other way around?). Even when she talks Touko out of her Drama Club doramaz, it’s her ‘defenceless’ look that gets out her kouhai’s dere-dere. Yumi-chan is just so full of love and good-natured haplessness and the way Ueda Kana brings it out has been an utter delight.

Having said all that, my Favourite Chara in MariMite is, of course, Sei. The sky is blue, after all. LOL

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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A certain series diluted, spliced and distilled

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, To Aru Majutsu no Index, to aru kakagu no railgun, yuri | Wednesday 31 December 2008 12:23 pm

Now that we’ve had the Biri Biri arc that Railgun fans have been clamouring for, I’m left with the ever so slight but undeniable taste of disappointment. Keiri’s contention that the characters were diluted went some way to explain my funk.

Kuroko (aka ‘Desu-no chan’ LOL), in particular, felt incomplete, unwhole. Thinking back, it wasn’t so much that she was diluted but that a facet of her personality was very deliberately and surgically spliced off - the crazy yuri jealousy which was the source of so much merriment when I was reading A Certain Scientific Railgun. Manga Kuroko’s jealousy is definitely one of her charm points, she just isn’t the same without it.

At least we got some of her perviness back. Washi eloquently described how the Index poster in Megami 105 distilled all his favourite things about the Index anime. Another big reason why the aforementioned poster is Good, for me, is because who’s not there: Touma. Which is why I suppose I prefer the Railgun manga so much more -he’s just an occasional cameo supporting chara.

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Strike Witches, The Steven Den Beste Cut

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, oneesama, strike witches, yuri | Friday 19 December 2008 9:51 am

If you want to give yourself a chance to see the whole rest of the series, skip 5 and 7. Come back and watch them later.

Thus spake SDB. I’m here to report that, having done so, I enjoyed this series very much. With SDB’s speculative explanation, even the ending made sense. And an unexpected positive externality was that I actually managed to enjoy Ep 5 and 7 too!

The Boobs Groping and the Panties Stealing episodes were terribly placed as they disrupted the momentum of the story. But after shuffling the episode order, both were actually kinda fun. I liked Ep 5 mainly because it was Shirley-centric. She’s a fun character and I would have liked to see more of her.

Ep 7 brought back bad memories of that terrible episode in Mai HiME that was built around a similar theme. Initially when I saw Erica with her headgear, I stared becoming a bit uncomfortable with how Nazi the design was. And that got me thinking about how the series might be glorifying or making excuses for the WWII German-Japanese alliance with the ‘Karlsland’ trio of Minna, Gertrude, Erica and the ‘Fuso’ pair of Mio and Yoshika being the most prominent of the cast. BUT as the episode ended with everyone realizing that Erica was wearing Francesca’s panties and the view zooming onto aforementioned striped panties, I realized that the pantlessness had effectively emptied out any politics and utterly neutralized any possibility of political correctness being able to raise its head.

Overall, the story was ok. The ending could have used more exposition/explanation. But I really liked all the characters (except Perine) as well as most of the pairings (except Perine x Lynne). Favourite scene was Minna’s hysterical order to Gertrude to shoot down the Neuroi that had attacked Mio and then breaking down in tears, calling out Mio’s name. Savoured every drop of that yurilicious Tanaka Rie-voiced outburst. MIO X MINNA FTW!

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Mai Otome 0 S.ifr 3

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, mai otome, oneesama, series review, yuri | Sunday 14 December 2008 2:30 am

Things got a bit emo in the second episode but I’ve been won over by the surprisingly (for SUNRISE, that is) ending. Most important for me was how much respect I gained for Sifr; in contrast, I could never feel very much for Arika or Nina. What a fantastic diatribe she delivered to the Columns! ‘I will not die for your convenience!’ is going to be a favourite anime line of mine for a while to come. This, in turn, put a definitive end to Lena’s funk so she can go and kick some serious ass for great justice.

I also liked how the fanservicey elements like Elliot’s yuri lust for Rena was integral to how the plot unfolded. Those feelings were the cracks through which Lena’s belief in Sifr reached her, causing her to realize that her original mission was strategically sensible but morally wrong. Erstin’s sacrifice also saved Arika from Nina and the latter’s eventual recovery but Elliot had a higher impact facotr probably due to her screen time relative to the total screen time of the series.

BTW Doremi did a great job but I think they fluffed the line about ‘Mama Rena’. My own understanding was that the presents were for Rena’s mama - an attempt by Elliot to make a good impression on her hoped-for mother-in-law. LOL And the silly ED sequence didn’t hurt either.


Despite her initial appearance in Ep 2 in her red bikini, Sakura didn’t really register in my memory. However Kyoko’s terrorized reaction to her appearance was pure winnage. Some imoutos terrorize their oneesamas by dint of their forceful personality but the very best examples are those who manage to also draw on a sort of social blackmail where every word, expression and glance reminds the senior and elder that they are not living up to the demands of that higher social status.

So Sakura, like Mai, is a member of the Sun Kingdom royalty that serves as an Otome. But for Artai? And for Nagi’s ancestor? Lovely how Yukana plays Sakura with a tsun-tsun flourish and I wonder how else she’s related to the rest of the Otome cast.

I’m actually looking forward to more from this particular iteration of the Mai Otome franchise.

ADD: Gai’s Zaku eye was also a plus point. But the off-handed way that Lena shrugged him as a mere nuisance reinforces my belief that people called Gai are morons.

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Per Ardua ads Braccarum

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, doujin, oneesama, slowpoke.jpg, strike witches, yuri | Friday 28 November 2008 4:11 am

It’s all been said already but I’m still going to say it: The Strike Witches’ logistics side seriously need to indent them some pants. And the crotch shots were pure orz multipliers.

Oddly enough, I still decided to give this series a go because two of my favourite doujin artists/circles, chanomi and tamago no oheya, seem to have picked up on a heart of yuri-tinged comedy gold underneath all the awful fanservicey elements.

I’ve only seen the first four episodes. So far I’m really liking Mio’s HOHOHO and Minna’s Latent Tanaka Rie Evilness as well as the chara interaction but I’m not sure if it’ll be worth my while to continue. Perhaps I need to go wash to bring out my inner evil.

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Pushing this Zaku’s buttons

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, ga-rei zero, yuri | Saturday 15 November 2008 5:34 am

Given how Stripey and I like to discuss anime, we often skirmish to get the other to pick up a series he wasn’t otherwise going to watch. The shima-shima tanuki can claim a victory for the fall season WRT Ga-Rei Zero.

Stripey: Pick up leh. Exciting story, good chara design, supernatural battle!
Zyl: I got bike prejudice. Aroduc says it’s slowing down too.

Stripey: Shocking twist at the end of Ep 1.
Zyl: *suspicious* Oooooh no, not your KimiNozo Ep 2 trick again.

Stripey: It’s by asread. You liked SHUFFLE!, right?
Zyl: *sceptical* But Minami Ke Okawari wasn’t that good.

Stripey: *sigh* Got yuri between two main characters.
Zyl: Ga-rei release. Byakuei, eat up all the yuri.

P.S. I’m also kinda getting the feeling that Kiri-chan has the hots for Chairwoman Jinguuji. GG!

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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Yuri satifising this Fall season

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Manga Review, To Aru Majutsu no Index, kannagi, oneesama, yuri | Monday 20 October 2008 2:48 pm

I’ve heard that there have been possible sightings of yuri in Mouryou no Hako - looking forward to it if there is.

Thus far the third episode of Kannagi (thanks for the heads up, totali!) had some faux yuri fan service to tease us loser fanboys and provide inspiration for lots of doujinshi. It wasn’t really ‘yuri’ but I lapped it all up anyway - thus, ’satisfising’ - being satisfied with an outcome that is sub-optimal.

To Aru Majutsu no Index, which I have picked up in accordance with Mentar’s invocation of the Shizu-sama Doctrine, seems more promising in the yuri aspect. We have a certain Shirai Kuroko is very touchy-feely with Misaki Mikoto (who gave me and Stripey ‘Tokiha Mai’ vibes) and the way the former calls the latter ‘oneesama’ sounds like it’s more than just a case of akogare. The gattai of the Yuri x Oneesama categories just has such great synergy. Ahaha~hearts;

Even so, I just don’t see a Kuroko x Mikoto pairing happening. Firstly, although Mikoto doesn’t go out of her way to rebuff Kuroko’s attentions, she doesn’t seem all too keen either - thus Kuroko’s affections are likely to be one-sided and unlikely to be reciprocated. And her embarrassed reaction to Kuroko’s observation, that coming to Touma’s block was an awfully long detour back to her dorm, seems to suggest she may have developed a crush on him. Well, he is the main character after all. And thus it’s not an optimal reading on the yuri series meter which, ideally, should have a yuri couple as the leads. Haven’t seen one of those in a while…

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

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