Archive for the Bee Train Category


Yuri Anime: Bee Train does it again

June 28th, 2004

Bee Train, best known for their work on Noir and the .hack universe, have once again brought us thinly veiled yuri subtext with many hints of a cool storyline, uber-competent female characters in a mysterious setting, none of which will be explained or resolved to anyone’s satisfaction in their newest series, Madlax. ^_^

Let’s just recap today, for those readers who do not remember, or have not yet discovered the Bee Train tendency towards Yuri.

In Noir we follow the violent experiences of amnesiac assassin Kirika and cool assassin Mirielle, as they track down their respective pasts and the occult/medieval/conspiracy/quasi-religious organization that binds them together. In the process thereof, we see Kirika and Mirielle open up to one another so far as to use whole sentences from time to time, never actually kill each other, with tantalizing bits of nudity, bed-sharing and affection shown in ways that only a fan could love. :-) A letter, written by Kirika to Mirielle towards the end of the series, beginning, “My beloved Mirielle” is marginally more overt. In a panel at Anime Expo 2002 (which I moderated, so I KNOW they said this, it’s not third-hand info) the Bee Train team discussed the potential relationship between Kirika and Mirielle stating simply that it was there if you wanted it to be, and if you didn’t, it wasn’t. So there you go. Whatever you want to see is the truth.

.hack/sign showed us the burgeoning affection of two young people in the virtual “The World” (the mainstay vitural universe/game that ties all the .hack stories together. Tsukasa, played by a female, but male in “The World,” has been trapped and is becoming, (or has always been) schizoid. Subaru, played by a wheelchair-bound woman, is powerful in “The World” by nature of her experience and skill, more than having any actual *power.* Subaru and Tsukasa bond, and perhaps, start to fall in love. In the final moments of the show, in fact, during the final credits, the two women who play the characters meet in the real, non-virtual world, in what is actually a touching scene. It’s certainly hopeful, at any rate.

Less satisfying was the ending of Avenger, Bee Train’s last series where nothing is resolved…nothing explained, either and the entire story really didn’t make any sense, since everyone was gonna die, anyway. The “yuri” in Avenger reads way more like a mother-daughter relationship, IMHO, but hey, remember, whatever you want to see, *is* the truth with the ole’ Bee Train crew.

Which brings me to the newest series, Madlax. Tomorrow I will review this series in irritating detail for your enjoyment. ^_^ In the meantime, run out and watch all of Noir and the last ten minutes of .hack/sign, so you get the feel for Bee Train Yuri. ^_^





Four Quick Anime Yuri Updates

February 1st, 2004

Mezzo:
I’ve been seeing some noise on the Japanese Yuri sites about this anime that follows the OVA Mezzo Forte. At episode 4 I can’t say I’ve seen it, but there’s still the possibility of Yuri. Mikura is certainly admired strongly by Asami, the girl she rescues in the first episode, but I think any real anything will come from the rival she hasn’t yet met and will next episode. Cute girls with guns. Possible Yuri. Keep your eyes peeled.

 

 

Tokyo Underground:
I can only assume that the Yuri mentioned in this series exists in the manga, ’cause it sure ain’t in the anime. The second episode for this series was the single most predictable thing I’ve ever watched, ever. Chelsea Rorec is cool…but if she’s in love with Ruri-sama, then she hides it well. It reads more like a “devoted servant to her master” kind of relationship than anything else.

 

 

Kaleido Star
What a challenge, watching a raw episode of anime…with no sound. But I just did it. Very intruiging…what were they talking about? Who can tell!

I was watching the most recent episode of this series because its silly and kind of fun, not because it has any great merit. I was also thinkng that, now that Layla’s not performing, there’s not a whole lot o’ yuri…since the second 13 episodes was more about her and Sora than anything.

Well, at the climax of Ep. 43, there is a sweet romantic scene between Mr. Policeman and his girlfriend, Kate. It’s cute, and goofy and anyone who’s ever been in love will be smiling, just because. Ken, the boy who’se gaga over Sora turns and looks at her longingly as she watches Police-san and Kate, but more importantly, behind Sora are Anna and Mia, staring into each other’s eyes and smiling. Awwwww…. we’ve always known they’re a pair, we just don’t get to see it often, so that was kinda nice.

It’s not that Anna and Mia are hidden as a couple, it’s just that they aren’t really major characters. We’ve seen ’em sleeping together, and now this, but we’re never going, I’m sorry to say, see them kiss or probably even touch…it’s just not that kind of show. Nonetheless, it was one more Anna/Mia moment to add to the yuri pile.

Avenger:
I guess some people probably thought that the relationship between Layla and Nei was yuri-ish, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say two things here: 1) The Russians will win gold in Olympic figure skating and; 2) What Layla and Nei had was really a mother/daughter thing, not a love affair. Of course, we’ll never *really* know about Layla and Nei, since Bee Train once again didn’t really explain anything of importance by the time Avenger ended. How Nei and Layla met, why Layla cared, what will happen afterwards, how they will all avoid death as the moon crashes into Mars…nah, we’ll never know about any of that. Check back in a few weeks, though, to find out about the figure skating results.