Feb4

Yuri Kuma Arashi – 05

By , posted under ANIME, Yuri Kuma Arashi

YuriKuma 5-02

….ain’t nothin’ like moving in buddies!

Keep your friends close and your yuri closer.

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I Want to Have You All to Myself

YuriKuma 5-01

Before the Wall

Well, I don’t think Ikuhara is done plummeting down the rabbit hole, and I for one am perfectly fine with that. We knew that Ginko had some past dealings with Kureha. I had initially thought they were much more in their recent past rather than the 11 years that History was able to give us the briefest of glimpses on.

YuriKuma 5-03YuriKuma 5-05YuriKuma 5-04YuriKuma 5-06

We are starting to see some images of the past, and some connections that we didn’t think of previously.  Ginko had passed over into “human” culture, we knew this, and had met with Kureha. But how does this connect to both Reia and to Yuri-ka-sensei as far as the pendent is concerned. There is an awful lot of past left in the past at this juncture, and given Ginko’s passive confession of a crime, I wouldn’t think I’m alone in thinking something suspicious.  If we take the relationships at their confessed value, and if I take yuri to be the chaste form of romantic friendship, then I’m guessing that something hasn’t passed on from mother to daughter. And that value is one shared by Sensei. Why else would she be encouraging Kureha to let go of that very tense grip of the past? It is healthy to move on, but at this junction, “death” has another meaning.

Would you like dinner first, or a bath, or….

YuriKuma 5-eating

But just as we have some double dealing when it comes do “death” we are also walking the same path with “eating”. I don’t think it a very hard proposition to acknowledge that Kureha’s favorite foods comes from the past she shared with Ginko, but it is rather hard to swallow why Kureha doesn’t remember her. I’m getting a feeling that “invisible” is also taking some great strides in meaning as well. Did Kureha turn her back on Ginko’s past love? Does this tie into the crime that Ginko spoke of?

YuriKuma 5-08

“I won’t give up on my love……For the Yuri Stores Prices!”

I’m going way out on a limb here, for me that’s a par for the course with this show. But the shopping scene, what with the very obvious signage, felt like a branded identity. It feels like the story is trying to tell us that the concept of yuri is just like any other commodity, and it’s in easy reach. Perhaps the flood of manga on the shelves, and in turn the flood of anime on the airwaves is part of this phenom, perhaps not. But “don’t eat the meat…you’ll turn into a bear” certainly didn’t leave these initial feelings of mine very complete. Is this store just a cigar? Is the meat? What sort of relationship is being shopped for here, and does Ginko have a wandering stomach?

YuriKuma 5-gohan

Well, that’s the meal part taken care of….next is…

YuriKuma 5-bath

…a bath…

At this point, both Ginko and Kureha share a mental state, one of obsession. This might have a great deal to do with the Promised Kiss, and that would put the burden on Ginko to overcome, much like Lulu’s brother, as there is parallel there to be explored. Neither can forget a past love, and both are missing out on something else. For Ginko, it might be Lulu, and for Kureha, it could be the chance to move forward.

The Invisible Storm, in Stealth Mode

YuriKuma 5-07

Is this HydraLily? Take off one head and more grow in it’s place?

Wow. Mean Girls. In a Human Shock turn of events, Kaoru stages just the longest, probably most unnecessary prank. Well, that would seem so, at it’s face, but Kureha wasn’t the real target was she? The building of the new lily patch, the birthday presents (making Kureha both recall and then forget Sumika’s letter?), and the general friendly atmosphere after being shunned for so long was just the honey….I don’t know why, but I’m liking Kaoru as a character, that was mighty shrewd on her part.

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~SHO-OOOOOOOCK~ KUMA…..

YuriKuma 5-trap

YuriKuma 5-caught

….nope…

Final Thoughts

I feel that I’m getting some sort of grip on the nuances of the show. This episode, at least to my mind, played with and at times luxuriated in some rank hypocrisy. Barring that, it did illustrate the double meanings of some of the Arc Word. We’ve seen them play around with “dead” and “eating”, and now “invisible” is up for the taking. Only invisible until we want to see you, and when we see you….But at the end of the day, I feel that despite the flood of symbolism and possible word play, the character’s motivations are what carries the story. I’ve felt that Ginko has stepped out of that silent role she used to occupy rather well, at least in her own mind. She’s daring. I hope she doesn’t pay to steep a price for it…

YuriKuma 5-018

Well, I guess Homura is free now….

About

All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
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17 Responses to “Yuri Kuma Arashi – 05”

  1. Di Gi Kazune says:
    February 5, 2015 at 1:39 am
    POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAI BEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRUUUU!

    Also Hadaka Apr0ns are perfectly fine too.

    Reply
  2. BlackBriar says:
    February 5, 2015 at 3:20 pm
    POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments

    The legendary “naked apron” trick! How daring!! In the anime world, a sure sign of a last resort to please an intended. Ginko and Lulu must be desperate.

    Having Kureha interact with Ginko all those years back and not remembering her (in bear form a couple episodes back) now is as tropey as the forgotten childhood promise schtick.

    Wow, the ending caught me off guard. I’ve gotten so used to the thought of Ginko and Lulu having plot armor thick as adamantium (forgive the Wolverine reference) that it never crossed my mind they could actually fall into harm’s way. That oversized bear trap is a nasty predicament to get ensnared with. Total overkill.

    Reply
    • skylion says:
      February 5, 2015 at 4:22 pm
      POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments

      I’m not quite sure if they are venturing into the trope, as you say. This feels, as I said, too darn much past in the past, as if Kureha is engaged in selective memory in an effort to keep her memories of Sumika pure…

      Well, plenty of characters have adamantium these days…But, Kaoru seems like an over-kill kinda character…

      Reply
  3. Overcooled says:
    February 6, 2015 at 6:34 pm
    POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments

    I thought the yuri store was just a throwaway reference (because literally everything in this show is either lily or bear-themed) but that’s a cool way to see it repping yuri as a commodity.

    I’m confused why Ginko couldn’t eat beef but she’s fine with cup noodles. Not such a strict “invisible humans only” rule now, is it?

    I can’t see Ginko dying now. Not until Kureha remembers her. I’m in denial until I actually see her die. And even then, death isn’t even certain in a surreal show like this!

    Reply
    • BlackBriar says:
      February 6, 2015 at 6:49 pm
      POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments

      Ginko getting injured can pass but dying doesn’t feel like an option. She and Lulu have been so OP all this time that you honestly can’t imagine them getting taken out.

      Reply
    • skylion says:
      February 6, 2015 at 8:43 pm
      POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments

      I’ve taken to looking at Ikuhara in a certain way. Storytelling is a tool for communication, that is certain, but I think he likes to make you think about how you’re being communicated to. So, on one hand the Yuri Store can be throw away. And I don’t think you’ll lose anything in the basic story if you do. But, I took it this way. And…I could be sooooo wrong.

      But I’m stuck watching the show this way for now.

      Reply

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