Archive for the Yuri Anime Category


Yuri Anime: Blood+

November 21st, 2005

I never reviewed the original Blood manga? What was I thinking? I’ll add it to the list…

In any case, the fall ’05 anime season offers us yet another version of this chick with sword vampire series. I could be wrong about this, because I’m not checking or anything, but I believe the original Blood was a game, that spawned a much-too short animated movie, followed by an exceptionally grim manga, which I will review at some point. Now there’s a new manga and a shiny new anime…which the subject of today’s review.

The Saya of the new Blood is a really likeabale gal, quite the opposite of cold, heartless Saya from the movie and the first manga. This Saya has a father and two brothers, all adopted, but very normal and affectionate in an entirely appropriate way. She also comes with a best friend, Kaori, to snuggle with, pictured above. Unfortunately Kaori’s participation in this series is short lived, as Saya has to become the semi-vampiric killer of giant mutant bats.

I pretty much assumed that this was the end of Yuri goggle goodness in this series, but previews of episode seven offer us glimpses of Min, Saya’s new roommate who will be completely gaga blushy over her. So, yay for yuri fans – a reason to keep watching. Which is good, because the plot kind of stalled out over the last few episodes while we killed Saya’s father a few times.

I don’t even want to conjecture about whether this is a good anime, because damned little has actually happened, but I’m still watching, for what that’s worth to ya. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – Studio IG
Characters – Schoolgirl with Sword, Vampires, Mutant Bats and Ordinary People Wearing Red Shirts
Story – Not So Far
Music – Pretty
Yuri – Goggles

Overall – Catch me again at the end and I’ll let you know.





Yuri Anime: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s

November 17th, 2005

Every time I watch an anime like Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s, I’m torn.

On the one hand, it is a reasonably enjoyable boy’s version of a magical girl anime, but on the other hand it’s the kind of things that loli fetishists like. It’s not really cute or sweet – in fact it’s a bit grim and dark, which I quite like – and the fight scenes are okay. But if I were a bottom feeder who couldn’t admit that I’d never sleep with an actual adult female…I’d probably say the same things.

Which is why I’m torn. I feel dirty even enjoying this series marginally. The yuckiest thing is the girls’ new henshin. While I don’t mind nude transformation scenes, I *do* mind these. They are not as utterly repusive as the Ultimate Girl henshin, but they are definitely squicky.

Other than that, A’s is actually better than the original Lyrical Nanoha series. For one thing, there’s a plot.

In a nutshell:

An evil book, which creates fake guardian soldiers to protect it and gather power for it, tries to find a new master who will supply it with power, so it can destroy things. Once it has destroyed everything, it moves through space and time and does it all over again. The guardians this time are a tough chick, a smart chick and a goth kid….and the new master-to-be is a likeable disabled girl Hayate, who happens to befriend Nanoha’s friend Suzuka. So you *know* we’re going to have to “believe in” all of them at the end, so the book can either be destroyed or turned good, or something. Let’s face it – we’ll have to all be friends at the end. I’ve got money down that the fake guardians don’t totally disappear, even, because you just *know* Hayate will use the book’s power to give them real life.

Yuri fans will like the fact that Fate and Nanoha are not only reunited in this series, but get to live together – they even have some touching huggy scenes. Personally, I’m watching Signum, because I find practically non-verbal fightin’ adult women with swords more appealing than kids. ^_^

There’s alot more weapons and fighters in this series. Less monsters, more people = good story, in this case.

Ratings –

Art – 8
Character – 7
Story – 6
Yuri – 3
Music – 5

Overall – 6

The best characters this time around, IMHO, are Fate’s and Nanoha’s weapons themselves. Bardiche and Raising Heart have developed strong personalities – and I quite like them. They seem so eager to beat the crap out of the bad guys. ^_^





Yuri Anime: Kaleido Star "New Wings Extra Stage"

November 15th, 2005

I have a total love-hate relationship with Kaleido Star. I hate about 90% of it, but the other 10% I honestly adore.

I had begun watching the original animation when it came out on TV, but quickly began to loathe it. Anyway, I did a few reviews of the first series back in January 2004. Once when I said there wasn’t any yuri, really…and the next entry when I slapped myself silly for saying that.

I found the men oddly horrible. Like there was a coded message that girls need to lose them all if they want to be happy. Maybe it wasn’t so coded, I don’t know. All I know is that Carlos and Yuri and that goopy-eyed Ken made we want to spit. And I am *so* not a man-hating kind of gal. I hate people based on their individual idiocies, never on the basis of sex, color, creed, etc. However, I don’t like circuses much, and cannot abide Cirque du Soleil, so this series wasn’t really my cup of tea, but…

…gods, were the relationships between the women dynamic! Sora and Layla were electric together, and Mia and Anna made a cute couple – even Sora and Rosetta had vibe which didn’t bug me too much.

I never even bothered writing up the second season, because I felt that it committed all the same exact sins over again – same horrible male characters, the same unecessary emotional torture…and not nearly enough tricks, which were the best bit of the show.

The thing that made the first season bearable, and in the end wonderful, was the energy between Sora and Layla. Animated as it was, it was breathtaking. The tricks they did were absurd, sublime and brought tears to my eyes. So I skipped the middle of each season, watched the last half dozen episodes and forgot I hated the series.

Some while went by before I could bring myself to watch the OVA New Wings Extra Stage. I went back and watched the last episode of the second season, to get back into the swing of things, and found myself with a handful of tissues pressed against my face, as the Sora’s Tenshi no Waza started. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. A great big kiss to whoever came up with the idea. I wish you’d do a real circus.

So, I *finally* checked out what is referred to as Episode 52. And it was actually not bad at all….

Rosetta is pegged by the Fool of the Stage to be the next star. True to her belief in a stage without conflict, Sora encourages Rosetta to step up as the Princess, while she herself steps back to play the Prince. Leon, another one of the vile male characters, pulls the stick out of his butt to be the fool who will win the princess. But the real Fool and Rosetta are confronted with a memory – this might be their real story! Okay, whatever. It’s only an OVA, we really don’t go anywhere with this.

The predictable Yuri does show up – this time in the couple of May and Rosetta. I’d forgotten that it was May who forced Rosetta to take part in Swan Lake – and now she’s the caretaker whose pushing Rosetta to become a star. It’s kind of sweet in a weird way.

What was totally different in this OVA was the unsubtlety of the fanservice. Of course the original two season had fanservice – but it was all done with at least some subtlety. Not so the OVA. In this we watch crotches and breasts for about 1/3 of the screen time. It was a little startling, since the series is targeted (at least in the US) to a younger female audience. I guess they know they won’t be bring this episode over here. Or not…I don’t know and really don’t care. :-)

The animation on all Kaleido Star episodes are pretty good – this one has maybe slightly better than usual animation. And the music is much the same as any other j-popish OP/EP theme. “Tattoo Kiss” is a nice enough song.

A new Kaleido Star OVA is in production, btw – this one is called Layla Hamilton Monogatari, so I’m already stoked. Layla was my favorite character. But I bet we end up following a young Layla, when I’d much prefer the older sexy one, myself.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 4
Music – 6

Overall – 7

If you are a huge Kaleido Star fan, its a must-see. Otherwise, its a fun, fanservicey, colorful killer of time. :-)





Yuri Anime: Autumn 2005 Season

November 5th, 2005

It’s that time again – the new anime season has arrived. We’re a few weeks into it, so I thought I’d give a few quick overviews of what I’m watching and why I think it has yuri potental:

Aria – I went over it only yesterday, but here’s the short version. Beautful girls practice piloting gondolas on a terraformed Mars. Many fun things happen in which the girls are either beautiful or cute. Yuri potential: Watch Akira and Alicia, and Akari and Alice.

Jigoku Shoujo – Hell Girl, Ai Enma, comes armed with big eyes, Noto Mamiko’s (Shimako in Marimite) voice and a retinue of three: gorgeous woman, pretty boy, old man. People with grudges can condemn their tormentors to hell, but will also have to go there when they die. Yuri potential: None at the moment, but on the principal that this anime has basically ripped off Vampire Princess Miyu, I’ll bet it does, eventually.

Mai Otome – A fantasy riff using the character’s from last year’s Mai Hime. Different heroine, completely different world, same lesbian couples. Shizuru is even cooler this time than before. Yuri potential: Practically anyone, but keep your eyes closely on Shizuru and Natsuki, Chie and anyone she comes in contact with, and maybe even Arika and Nina. Otomes can’t be with guys – poor Akane is doomed…again.

Blood+ – Different from both movie and manga, this Saya is a decent kid just trying to figure out who she is. Tragedy is sure to follow her. Lots of violence, not as much blood as you’d expect. Pretty excellent graphics and an overall cool factor, if only we could lose the goth “Look! I’m in a vampire anime” guy. Yuri potential: Saya’s best friend Kaori and she are *very* snuggly in the first episode. Kaori will probably be left behind, but you never know.

Not much, I know, but perhaps other things will pop up. Keep an eye out for Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl this winter, too.  ^_^





Yuri Anime: Aria

November 4th, 2005

Aria the anime is well underway and there are some excellent things about it – and also some less excellent things. But it is *definitely* worth watching.

As I’ve mentioned in my various reviews, Aria as a manga is not about anything in particular, it’s just about being in the moment. The storyline is always that, around an given corner an adventure, or a moment of breathtaking beauty can be waiting for you to discover it.

Aria the anime is more about the people and less about the place. In the manga the canals of Neo-Venezia are narrow, echoing the real Venice, while in the anime, the girls ply their gondolas on broad seas and wide rivers, rather than claustrophobic canals. The advantage is, of course, that wide stretches of blue are way easier to animate than crowded populated areas. :-) It’s pleasant enough to see, and easy on the eyes, but sort of makes the point of gondolas seems silly – who needs tours of nothing?

The focus on the characters in the anime is different from the manga – but its a nice difference. We’re introduced to a new character, a young girl named Ai, to explian the letters that Akari is always writing. And we’re introduced to Alice very early on in the series. Alice’s personality is “niced” a bit. In the manga she remained grumpy way longer – but I suppose a short anime wouldn’t have time for two grumpy characters, and Akira is overwhelming. She totally wins on grumpy.

They’ve simplified the characters a bit – Akari is always simple, Aika survives as the most complex, but Akira and Alicia are rendered a bit, to be one-line machines. Here’s hoping we get to see them fluffed up a bit. Alicia *does* get moments of uber-cool which are lovely and serve to notch up the yuri a tad. But the voice acting is good and Minogawa Junko is perfect as Akira.

The number one thing about this anime that makes it worth watching is the art. Clean, favoring pastels and a hand-done water colour looks, it’s not *quite* as sublime as Yokohama Shopping Log, but it’s in the same general region of your brain. The “ahhhh” region. And the music fits the art perfectly.

In terms of Yuri, well, it’s mostly Yuri goggles, but really, you just cannot see Akira and Alicia together without seeing the vibe between them. And Aika’s open admiration and desire to snuggle with Alicia, (which Akari and Aika both call “rabu-rabu”, lovey-dovey) isn’t played down at all. In fact, it’s quite open. Aika’s all bummed because she wanted to sleep with Alicia, but had to settle for Akari. So it’s not like we see Alicia leaving Akira naked in bed or anything….but you know she did and got back to Aria Company before the girls woke up, which is why Akira asks, “When did you get here?” when she arrives. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Music – 7
Yuri – 4

Overall – 8

As I say, definitely worth watching. No mecha, no rape, just nice.