Ep 10 and I finally took to Kureha, yay! Better late than never, I suppose.[ It was that scene by the end where she told bear!Lulu that they were not friends, that next time she would shoot her just so Lulu would steer clear from this world. Then Kureha's smile as she said to herself that it was the right thing to do... perhaps not too original but still it got to me.]
As for Lulu, she is awesome, simple as that.

Grrr arrgh! Edit because spoilers. I'm awfully sorry for having forgotten to use them before.

Last edited by malna (03-17-2015 03:40:42 PM)

I can definitely see the Utena stuff here. I knew it as of last episode; after all...

The Door of Night
The Door of Friends


I have a theory, based on the story book. With a *ahem* creative change...

isagiyoku nugisuteru hadaka ni naru
juu wo mau bara no youni
tatoe futari hanarebanare ni natte mo
watashi wa sekai wo kaeru

    Bravely strip down to nothing at all,
    Like a rose spinning free.
    Even if the two of us are ever severed,
    I will change the world.

Episode 11

Somehow I get the feeling Ikuhara, after getting flak from people about Mawaru Penguindrum went ahead and said OK FINE I'LL MAKE A NORMAL ANIME. I'LL MAKE AN ANIME ABOUT BEARS AND LESBIANS AND THEN YOU'LL SEE. YOU'LL ALL SEE I CAN MAKE NORMAL ANIME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. FUCK YOU ALL.

[Is anyone really THAT surprised Lulu dies sacrificing herself for Ginko, especially after that opening? All joking aside, it did make me tear up. Lulu really is #bestbear]

Can't wait for the finale!

[Yeah, Lulu's sacrifice was pretty much a given. A shame as she was the closest to an interesting character. And by the looks of it Ginko herself is gearing up for a grand final sacrifice, at least if she take phantom!Mitsuko's words that a bear who lets go of their desire is done for. And speaking of Mitsuko, I'm sure it's completely unrelated but I cannot help but think of Sono Shion whenever she appears. In Sono's very, very whacky and disturbing movies (that incidentally make Yuri Kuma look ever so tame), there is very often a highly messed up character who goes by the name of 'Mitsuko' and whose role is to ignite everyone else's instincts even if it is at the expense of common decency.
All that chanting, red background and black sllhouttes really reminded me of Anthy's fate at the hands of the angry mob.
]

Might anyone have a video of the [ million swords-style exclusion scene ] from ep 11, or the exclusion ceremonies in general? I want to show them to a friend to prove a point before my friend group actually becomes the goddamn Invisible Storm. ><;

I finished the last episodes and I have many thoughts.

[- I guess Kureha, Ginko, Lula and Lula's brother are in heaven.

- So Sumika was a goddess all this times? That make think maybe all what happen was like a test make by Sumika to see if Kureha and Ginko can end together.

-Kureha and Ginko are kinda cute but I don't really like the fact Ginko wanted Sumika die and since bears can be see as rapist that make me a bit incomfortable.

-I found the judgebears dick to accept Kureha's wish. She was just a goddam kid who doesn't even know what pride is. She was clearly too young to make an important decision. ]

Ahh I really enjoyed that! It was a great ending imo.

[I had wanted Kureha and Ginko together all along. Kureha was really adorable as a bear.  I'm glad they got together in the end.

Sumika! I wasn't crazy about her throughout the series (I found her boring) but I liked her as Kumalia. I kept thinking "what about Kureha's feelings for Sumika?" so it was good that her storyline was wrapped up this way. They couldn't have done it better, imo.

MIRUN!! He was my favorite bear even though he was only in one episode, so I was really excited to see him and Lulu together again, and it was sweet when he gave her the kiss. That was my favorite part of the episode actually.]

All in all the show had some flaws and I didn't like it as much as Penguindrum, but I did enjoy it. It could have used some more episodes to really flesh out the story.  Still, I'm going to miss it. It was one of my favorite shows of the season. I hope Ikuhara makes more anime soon.

Last edited by HonorableShadow (03-30-2015 02:27:06 PM)

I do like the show but something really annoying me

[
I really don't like how Ginko's and Lula's motivation suddenly change. In earlier episodes they talk about how they want eat girls and especially Kureha. Heck, it has an episode that end with them revealing to Kureha  they are bears and they are going to eat her....and then in the next episode they are at Kureha's house and that like the scene never happened and now Ginko's motivation is her love for Kureha. That's like as if in the middle of the black rose saga Mikage suddenly stop brainwashing students and turn into a nice guy who try saving students from Akio. WTF]

Finale:

[Oh wow, can't believe I got it right and Kureha did become a bear herself. Sumika!Kumalia was way too Madoka for my taste, when she descended from the sky with those wings and billowy dress.

All and all I liked the ending much better than I thought I would, having Kureha turn into a bear was an interesting turn but I wonder if it doesn't sort of defeat the whole point. If the idea is that humans and bears can love each other then having Kureha turn into a bear pretty much goes to show that only love between bears can be recognized.

But I really loved the Promise Kiss sequence, for a series with yuri in the actual title this sure did a lot of teasing before actually showing a kiss.

I also liked how one of the Invisible Storm girls befriends the defective bear cyborg at the end.
]

Eh... The finale felt WAY too on the nose to me. I enjoyed the series enough, but [Kureha turning into a bear kind of causes the whole transcendental love theme to come to a grinding halt. It's even more damning when Ikuhara had successfully executed this theme in the past almost flawlessly with Utena and Anthy.]

I just watched the first episode of yuri kuma arashi XDDDDD

and I'm laughing for no apparent reason and all I think is:
IKUHARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA what have you done


by the way that school layout, being red and has round staircase etc, sooooooooo Utena XD

Just finished watching. Thought is was slightly weaker than Penguindrum but did some things better. I just hope we don't have to wait another 4 years for a new Ikuhara series.