Archive for the Yuri Anime Category


Project A-ko 2, 3, and 4 Blu-Rays

February 19th, 2025

A Blu-ray cover, a girl with a lot of red hair, in a yello tank top over white -t-shirt runs full speed, while a little girl in pink dress with a flower in her blond hair hangs on. A cool beauty with long blue hair and a glowering man with purple hair in the background.by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

In the wake of the success of the original Project A-ko film, A.P.P.P. released three sequels, all of which now have Blu-Ray releases from Discotek. All three—running for around 50 minutes compared to the original’s 80—felt a little too scant to review individually, so I’ve opted to combine my thoughts here (much like their previous DVD release from Central Park Media, subtitled Love & Robots).

Project A-ko 2: Plot of Daitokuji Financial Group

Three weeks have passed since the end of the first movie. The defeated alien ship remains perilously perched upon the military command tower at the center of Graviton City, but now it’s been converted to a glitzy shopping mall and recreation center. Of course, this is cover for Captain Napolipolita and her henchwoman D to raise funds for repairs, after which they intend to fulfill their original mission of returning the lost alien Princess C-ko to her home planet.

But this time, the villain is the military industrial complex, in the form of B-ko’s weapon’s dealer mogul father Hikari Daitokuji (or, as I like to call him, Phoney Stark). He sees the alien ship as a goldmine of advanced technology he’d like to steal and exploit for his own ambitions, and so the Plot of the Subtitle are his machinations trying to hoodwink the defense force into doing the dirty work for him. (Notably, he’s been stealing mecha designs from B-ko.)

Meanwhile, our main trio are simply looking forward to a summer break of fun. They end up obstructing both the aliens and B-ko’s father’s schemes, mostly by blowing everything up. Graviton City is left a smoldering ruin again, but life goes on.

All of the elements of the first film are here. The A-ko/B-ko/C-ko triumvirate continue their schtick. There’s a decent amount of mecha and exploding shit. Surprisingly, the non-mecha fanservice is relatively tame; I found the fully-animated scene of A-ko changing into a bathing suit without exposing herself particularly funny, as if it were an intentional troll to those seeking more cheap thrills. Honestly, the funniest bit was how the Alpha Cygnans painted C-ko’s face on the front of their ship, goofy open-mouth grin and all.

The extras are notably sparser than those for the first film (no extra documentaries or feature commentaries this go ‘round). The only unique bonus are screenshots from the PC-88 casino game collection tied to the film, which included several scenes lifted from the film but drawn in that classic 8-bit style.

Overall – 6

Project A-ko 2: Plot of Daitokuji Financial Group Blu-ray available on Amazon and Crunchyroll

 

A red-haired girl in a red dress and a blue-haired girl in hakama and gi glower at each other over their shoulders. Behind and above a gaping blonde with a flower in her hair and a boy in black.Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody

This film is based around Spring Break, and every girl in Graviton High School is thinking about romance. A-ko becomes obsessed with a dress she can’t afford, and starts working at a fast food restaurant to save up. B-ko is still using her posse to stalk her, and of course the two are still fighting before school every day. C-ko is starting to feel neglected by A-ko, 

All of this is thrown out of whack when C-ko runs into the street and is nearly run over by a hunky-yet-gormless guy named Kei. A-ko falls for him immediately, followed by B-ko, while the whole time, Kei has caught feelings for C-ko. So much for the Yuri.

Hijinks ensue, which culminates with a destructive showdown in the fancy hotel atop the yet-again-renovated alien ship, which is now a theme park. As the chaos expands, the commander of the defense force decides to neglect his duties this time (off screen, no less), so a group of under-cover protective public works employees mobilize, which turns into a cavalcade of mecha and sentai winks. They even included a cameo by BaBe, the idol duo who sing the film’s theme song “Get A Chance!” (The English Version plays over the credits, the lyrics of which are basically inscrutable.)

In the end, everyone’s heart gets broken. Kei confesses his love to C-ko, who harshly rejects him, while A-ko and B-ko see their fantasies shatter along with the floor of the hotel. Everything resets back to the status quo again. Hooray.

This one definitely feels like a step up from the previous film, but having the central conflict shift to center on Kei was honestly a bit deflating even if, as the trivia notes say, this would have been expected by the audience at the time. I know that the joke is that his cool surface image is actually the result of being too shy to talk, but it’s not quiet a strong enough joke to hang an entire plot on. I also wish more came out of the extensive mobilization scene; having Graviton City secretly be a hotbed of superheroes and super robots could have been used more for the comedy besides “look, an off-model reference!”

As with the previous release, the bonuses are relatively slim, though the trivia section is always a fun treat. I did notice one omission, though, which led me down a bit of a rabbit hole. In the film, we see a brief segment of a porn flick, where a girl with short blue hair (and no clothes) is about to, uh, impose herself on a red-haired girl. The scene is interrupted by the mobilization call (somehow within the movie!) by a girl with orange pigtails. Turns out, these three are the animated versions of an idol group Lemon Angels, a multimedia project that was an offshoot of the Cream Lemon hentai series, much like what Project A-ko began as. Seems like an odd thing to leave out from the otherwise exhaustive trivia notes, especially since they are even explicitly credited.

Overall – 7

Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody is available on Blu-ray from Crunchyroll and Amazon.

 

Red haired girl in a school uniform, blue-haired girl in black dress and cowering little blonde girl with a flower in hair are backed by a mecha that looks like the redhead, a pair embracing in wedding clothes of a guy with brown hair and a teal-haired girl.

Project A-ko 4: Final

The aptly-titled fourth film of the mainline series is about two impending threats: a new alien invasion, foretold by ancient inscriptions found in Iraq, alongside the teacher Miss Ayumi’s engagement to…Kei??!?!

Out of all of the sequels, this one has the strongest set-up for farce. Phoney Stark is back as the facilitator of the omiai between Miss Ayumi and Kei. Since he is basically in charge of the military, he orders them to protect the bride and groom from terrorist threats (read: B-ko, who is back on a rampage to steal Kei for herself). This provides cover for the defense force to mobilize against a massive alien fleet that is approaching earth (circumventing the cowardice of the commander who bailed in the previous film).

A-ko is, for her part, is also trying to wreck the wedding, again leaving C-ko feeling abandoned; in fact, her crybaby friend begins to fear that A-ko and B-ko’s love of fighting is going to turn into feisty romance, leaving her alone. When it turns out the fleet is helmed by C-ko’s long-lost mother, C-ko decides willingly to leave. (We are led to believe that Ayumi is tied to the aliens, but that turns out to be a fakeout.) A-ko and B-ko fail to take her back, only for C-ko to unceremoniously show up at A-ko’s door the next day, having changed her mind on leaving. C-ko asks A-ko not to fight B-ko anymore, to which A-ko happily agrees.

To be honest, this one might be my favorite of the bunch. Seeing A-ko and B-kos fights become so regular that even their friends see it as just another ordinary morning got a good chuckle out of me. C-ko getting Yuri-goggles was a fun twist that I wish the movie leaned more into. Still, the plot AGAIN is centered around Kei, who is even less charismatic here than in the previous film.

The extras here match what we saw in the previous releases. Would you know that there are a lot of Lupin cameos??

Overall – 7

Project A-ko 4: Final Blu-ray is available on Amazon and Crunchyroll.

 

All in all, none of these films reach the heights that the first film did, and in some cases detract from it (*cough* Kei *cough*). That said, if you wanted to see more bubble-era OVA hijinks chock full of parody, none of these are an awful time.

 

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, as well as the writer for the blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.





Acro Trip, Streaming on Crunchyroll

October 16th, 2024

Against a blue sky, magical girls and the evil they oppose are laid out in a way that makes it impossible to recognize which is the protagonist. Date Chizuko has been moved around a lot in her young life. When he finds herself living with her grandfather in his typical little town, Chizuko is convinced she won’t find anything interesting here…until she sees a magical girl, Berry Blossom, defeat a bad guy. Completely besotted by Berry Blossom and her skills, Chizuko thinks that maybe there’s a reason to stay here, after all, in Acro Trip, streaming on Crunchyroll.

The bad guy, Chrome of the Fossa Magna (not quite as hilarious as Kekko Kamen’s foe, Toenail of Satan, but another amusing use of anatomy) happens to live with Chizuko’s grandpa too. And so, Chrome uses his one real skill – manipulative sales – to convince Chizuko to sign on with him, so she can fight Berry Blossom herself! Yeah, this is like less skeezy Gushing Over Magical Girls…which is fine with me. I don’t need skeezy in my stupid.

The animation is very shoujo magical girl. Chrome, whose hair seems ripped from the page of Yu-Gi-Oh, is a bad guy full of pathos and incompetence. The story isn’t about to take itself seriously…except for Chizuko’s obsession with Berry Blossom, which is overplayed with an obsessive seriousness that kills the otherwise goofy vibe for me. When Berry Blossom is recovering from an injury at her house, Chizuko manages to be creepy, weird and kinda of dumb all at the same time. And, yes, I did say “at her house” because despite the fact that this is a sizable town, every one seems to end up at Chizuko’s grandpa’s house somehow. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying.

Anyway, “creepy obsession portrayed to look kind of cute and harmless” is not my favorite iteration of Yuri, but I won’t pretend it doesn’t fall under the big Umbrella o’Yuri for many.

Magical girls are all the rage this season as Bands were last. Get those boots and gloves on, put the ribbons in your hair and get ready to use magic, because we got a LOT of magical girls to talk about. And what the heck, why not?

Ratings:

Art – 5 Nothing amazing, but fine
Story – 6 Not sure if it’s going to something eventually or nothing forever. Either way is fine.
Characters – Silly and lazily developed
Service – 5 Chizuko’s crush is definitely on the servicey side
Yuri – 3 See above

Overall – 6, I guess.

A friend said that after one episode it was their favorite series of the season and I’m going to agree to disagree, but you might as well give it a watch.





Girls Band Cry, Guest Review by Cryssoberyl

October 9th, 2024
Pictured: On a blood red background, four girls spin in magical-girl power moves, color streaming from their instruments.There’s a show called Shirobako, which began airing exactly ten years ago today, as it happens. A love letter to its own industry, it’s an anime about making anime. In that show, there is a conflict between the cast about the place of 3D computer-generated imagery in anime, with many of the senior animators dead-set against its then-nascent creep into the industry. “2D anime is about hand-crafted animation, unlike 3D!” says one. “3D animation is a waste of time. There’s no flavor or style to it,” says another. I have always been in complete agreement with those characters. So when I learned that there was a 3DCG show called Girls Band Cry that was blowing up in Japan, I was unhappy. I felt like a popular 3DCG show would only accelerate its rise in anime.
 
In short, I didn’t want to like this show. I didn’t want to watch this show. But my partner Zefiris, always the more reasonable of us two, wanted to give it a chance – and well, we can add this onto the large and ever-growing pile of wonderful experiences I would not have had without her intervention. Thank you for everything and for this, dearest.
 
Those animators were wrong, and I was wrong. At least about Girls Band Cry.
 
This is both an odd show for Toei to have made, and a completely unsurprising show. Odd, because Toei is known primarily for safely commercial, mainstream, primarily children’s animation. Unsurprising, because Toei has become one of the most routine and extensive users of 3DCG in their shows; Precure ending sequences have for many years been tech demos of what 3DCG can do, at least in terms of expressiveness and fluidity in dance sequences. In short, Toei has been building their in-house 3DCG muscles for a long time, and it’s clear the company felt that it was time to show them off. The result is one of the most carefully and masterfully crafted shows you may ever see, with a staggering amount of polish and uncountable small flourishes of attention and care. This is never more true than during the show’s frequent band performance scenes, which may just be some of the most visually and cinematographically impressive scenes of that kind that anime has ever produced.
 
What Toei has done here, though, is not only to have made a great show. It is just possible they have shown us a blueprint of what the future of anime might look like. One of the most interesting parts of GBC is when it chooses to use, not 3DCG, but conventional 2D animation. This happens frequently, and at both high- and low-budget moments. Some of the most important and climactic scenes of the show are in 2D, but it is also used for many quick and simple moments when making and choreographing another 3DCG model clearly would’ve been more work. The show leverages both formats to cover, contrast, and enhance the weaknesses and strengths of the other. If this is a blend that will be adopted to a greater extent in the future, we can only be hopeful that it shines the same way as in GBC.
 
All of this is to say, the show is a clinic of technical excellence – but so far this is all just an anatomy lesson. We have yet to speak of the soul of the show, of the writing and the characters, and just as much care, thought, and effort went into crafting that spirit as did the body for it to live in.
 
The cast of GBC, and their relationships, are by turns beautifully, hideously, startlingly human. Let’s not pretend they aren’t cute anime girls, they certainly are, but they are also a diverse and thoughtfully-written group of complex, flawed, self-contradictory, self-destructive young people. The soul of the disillusioned counterculture rocker abides deeply within them, manifesting in a myriad of flavors: Nina’s adamantly inflexible self-righteousness and anger at the world for constantly disappointing her idealism; Momoka’s wounded cynicism and trust issues, still moving forward but only in a kind of bleak inertia at times; Subaru’s awareness and dislike of her own two-faced facade, though she is in fact healthier in her relationship with herself and her problems than most of the others; Tomo’s deeply antisocial perfectionist nature at odds with a desperate desire to be heard, included, and valued.
 
Finally, there is the contrasting spice to the rest of the cast, Rupa. The only true adult in the band, in a maturity sense if not an age sense, the tragedy in Rupa’s past dwarfs all the other girls’ first world problems, but her whimsy and gentle kindness is of one of those extraordinary people who were able to emerge from hardship with their wisdom and empathy tempered by the experience, to be a blessing to all who encounter them.
 
The cautious friendships between these girls, all hurting in their own ways, tentatively reaching out despite their fears of more pain and disappointment, are all the more endearing, all the more believable for their frequent clashes. The arc of this group of young women is of groping slowly toward greater understanding and greater unity, with their resonating feelings of hesitance and fear leading ultimately to an intense trust and comradery that might otherwise be impossible. There are many funny, cheerful, and feel-good moments that are all the stronger and better for the struggles betwixt.
 
And in fact, the moments when the choice of 3DCG shines the most is not in its sumptuously-wrought performances, but in these moments, the emotionally intense interchanges between characters. There is a subtlety and intimacy to the interplay of the body language at these times that 2D simply cannot replicate, and it adds so much to the effectiveness of emotional scenes. I won’t spoil, but there are many movements, touches, and gestures that you will remember later as defining moments of the show.
 
The only real weak point in this glorious mélange is that the show makes liberal use of stock “girl band drama” tropes to drive its greater ambitions. There are times, more than once, when you may roll your eyes at another “X is threatening to quit the band!” moment, or feel yourself benumbed at “will they cancel the event?!” furor. But if this is an anatomy lesson, think of these moments as the bones of the show, supporting the meat. This unassuming scaffolding is what makes the great performances, the growth of the band, and the wonderful, ugly, beautiful character moments possible.
 
But yuri, you ask? Well…in the classic sense of the word, this is a very yuri show, one that is centered on deeply emotional, consequential relationships between women. But if you are asking about romance specifically, the picture must largely be one of your own making. Nina and Momoka have a particular scene that would be easy to read in an explicitly romantic way but (as often happens with such moments in anime), the show never follows up on that moment or invites the participating characters to reflect on what it meant, leaving the viewer to fend for themselves. Of more interest to me is Tomo and Rupa, who come into the show with an established relationship of deep trust, intimacy, and mutual care which is so beautiful to see. Again nothing is ever confirmed, but it is worth noting, Rupa is more than once shown to be incredibly popular with the female fans…
 
Well, I better stop here. I haven’t even mentioned the music itself! Which is its own galaxy of interest and execution that could be talked about! Go watch the show!
 
Ratings:
 
Art – Honestly? 10. For sheer craft and the success of that craft, nothing more could reasonably be asked.
Story – 7, the show frequently resorts to the tried-and-true “band drama” playbook, but it’s all in service of the,
Characters – For me 10, a frequently irritatingly human, always supremely lovable cast of prickly young women and their relationships.
Service – 1, there are a vanishingly few number of scenes and shots that could be taken this way.
Yuri – 3, there are two couples here if you want them, but you must do the mental legwork yourself. Rupa’s a ladykiller though, that much is certain.
 
Overall – 10, an amazing achievement and its success is richly deserved.
 
Girls Band Cry is, finally and at length, available for purchase on the Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), and for free on Hoopla if you are fortunate enough to be a member of a library within the Hoopla network (unlike my local library). If this distribution seems odd, you aren’t alone in thinking so; this is not the first Toei work to have a confusing and difficult path to the West, and probably won’t be the last. But it’s here now. Take advantage of it.




Whisper Me A Love Song Anime

April 15th, 2024

An image of two girls sitting in a classroom. One holds a guitar and faces us, the other leans her head into her hands as she listens admiringly.

Anyone who knows me know I adore the manga Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, by Takeshima Eku. I feverishly told Kodansha USA about it and was absolutely over the moon when they licensed it. Volume 1-8 are available in English and I heartily recommend them. Let me tell you why as I discuss the anime Whisper Me A Love Song, based upon this manga, which is now streaming now on HIDIVE.

When first-year high schooler Himari hears upperclassman Yori sing at the welcome event for new students, she falls in love at first sight. Or so she says, when she finally has a chance to speak to Yori-sempai, but what she meant was that she fell for Yori’s singing. Himari is so cute, though, that Yori is starting to have some feelings for the girl.

This love story is absolutely charming. I have repeatedly said for many volumes worth, that this is a manga I could easily suggest for a tween reader and possibly younger if they were, like I was at 10 or 11, regularly reading over my age group. I was actually very pleased when this manga was given a 13+ age rating, because there is nothing objectionable in this story of two young women navigating their feelings and lives, and the lives and stories of the people around them. If anything, it is just too sweet and darling.

The anime premiered on HIDIVE this past week to much anticipation. (As we saw, in Japan it was given one of the largest marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen for a Yuri anime.) Would the animation be good? How would the voice acting be? Would Himari be incredibly adorable and would Yori occasionally be so cool no one could possibly resist? Happily, all things are as they should be. Takeshima-sensei’s art tends toward cute and favors head shots, so the art is more than up to snuff. Voice acting is on point, with both Seto Asami as Yori and Shimano Hana as Himari doing a bang-up job.

Added points for them *actually* playing us the song* performed by the SS Girls, that changes Himari’s life. It’s the one limitation of the manga – this is a story so deeply tied up with the idea of music and we cannot hear what is sung on the pages of a comic. I’m very pleased with the addition of the actual music for this series.

I am biased here, as I have been reading this series since April 2019 when it debuted in Comic Yuri Hime magazine. It has gotten better, with the addition of some new characters, including one who appears in the opening credits here, somewhat surprisingly. A season of 13 episodes doesn’t see like it will get far enough to introduce Shiho (and certainly cannot get in to her story, as it does not develop until the Battle of the Bands, which we are reading now, in English.) My bias aside, Whisper Me a Love Song is a lovely, sweet Yuri school romance unencumbered by societal pressures or labels, which is totally worth watching.

Ratings:

Art – A decent 8
Story – Utterly darling 9
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

Whisper Me A Love Song is a charming Yuri romance. You should watch it.





Whisper Me A Love Song Anime Campaigns in Tokyo & Kyoto, Guest Post by Roxie

April 12th, 2024

Tomorrow, the anime for Whisper Me A Love Song / Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau (ささやくように恋を唄う) debuts on Japanese TV and streaming on HIDIVE. Our intrepid  Correspondent Roxie is in Japan right now and has found any number of adorable promotional campaigns and items for sale. She’s graciously traipsed all over to grab us pictures of the largest Yuri anime marketing campaign I have ever seen. Settle in for the utter cuteness of Takeshima Eku’s charming first love story. Take it away, Roxie!

***

We came to Japan for the cherry blossoms, and were rewarded with a big surprise campaign of Whisper Me A Love Song, or known as Sasakoi over here.

Our first surprise was reported by a friend who saw the trailer being advertised on the Yunika Vision screen in Shinjuku on the Alpen Tower. Sadly, we never caught it again after April 1st during our tight schedule…

The second surprise was at Animate HQ in Ikebukuro with an entire staircase wall level dedicated to Sasakoi. Lots of cute large panels for us to take in.

Large banner advertising Whisper Me A Love Song" Yuri anime at Ikebukuro Animate.

 


 


 

Participating Gratte Cafes, found at Animate stores across various cities, has included a Sasakoi drink and cookie campaign. You can pick any design for the drink, where they will print them onto the thick cream. They look rather stunning and sharp to our surprise.

 A purchase of either allows you to add ¥500 for a coaster of 7 options! Because of luck being a factor for getting these gacha coasters, it took us roughly 10 tries to collect them all! The green tea lattes were the sweetest, with coffee being the least, and the milk tea as in-between. I’m sadly sick of green tea lattes now.


 

 

If you don’t want to drink your sugar, feel free to pick one of the cute cookies instead. Since I can’t eat cute faces, I cannot give any commentary on how it tastes.

 


 

Melonbooks did have a poster for the latest volume at various stores.

 

 

All three chain shops offered add-on goods to the manga volumes. Animate edition offered a cute illustration card for their 9th volume. Melonbooks went all out and offered a unique clear file for each specific volume purchased. Gamers are also offering individualized illustration cards for each volume as well.

 

Not to be outdone by Ikebukuro, Akihabara gave us the chance encounter of seeing the book and anime advertised on multiple pillars in a prime spot in front of Atre at the Electric town exit.

 

Our journey still continues to Kyoto where there is a special collab event with Eiden Railways and limited merch goods. The girls are dressed in cute train station hats and outfit as can badges and acrylic stands. The station master apologized that they were all sold out! Being in Kyoto, there is also a yukata edition for the main pair as a tapestry and clear file folders. Eiden even has a small image of the girls in front of the train!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animate Kyoto also collaborated the event with some yukata acrylics, canvas, and pass holders. There was only the latter two left, but we got to admire the shikishi board at least.

 

 

 

Compared to other recent yuri animes of the last year, this has been an amazing push the higher ups have put into this campaign. We hope you’re excited for this series’ anime adaptation!