Archive for the Yuri Anime Category


Yuri Anime: Sailor Moon Stars Limited Edition, Part 1, Disk 1 (English)

December 24th, 2019

While at AnimeNYC, I took the opportunity to indulge myself a bit and buy myself a few presents. The Bloom Into You Premium Box Set (for which I believe one more review is due, since I watched the dub) was the first of my early holiday gifts to self and the Sailor Moon Stars Limited Edition was the second. Viz had a lovely booth set up and I was able to get the Limited Edition Blu-Ray Combo Pack for Part 1 and Part 2 and a neat little box for them, as well as the infamously misprinted booklet (I’ve already asked for my copy of the fixed version ^_^) and a pile of fetching art cards. Additionally, the set comes with a decorative box for both halves of the season and was handed over in one of Viz’s colorful Sailor Moon tote bags, this one purple with the silhouette of Eternal Sailor Moon on one side and her locket on the other. All very satisfying.

And so, for the first time in a number of years, I sat down to watch the first six episodes of Sailor Moon Stars Part 1, Disk 1, the fifth and final season, in its first-ever official western release.

As soon as the first notes of either the OP or ED start up, I get teary. In part because they are both deeply depressing songs. ^_^ Go ahead, look at the lyrics, see what I mean.

This first disk covers the best part of the Stars season, in my opinion, as Neherenia is freed from her prison and vows revenge against the White Moon Princess. This is not theg ood part…the good part is that we spend a lot of this arc with the Senshi. First we see Hotaru  growing up (at an accelerated rate) with Michiru, Haruka and Setsuna and later, Saturn gets a non-dying role protecting Chibi-Usa. I also very much enjoy the scenes where the Outers inspire the Inners to be even better at what they do. If I had been writing the series, it is quite likely I would have spent half the arc with this kind of thing.

Sailor Moon is able to save Mamoru and the other Senshi and, by extension, the Earth, once again. With two disks to go, we will finally be getting the Three Lights/Starlights and I know that most folks are poised to finally see them. I’m fairly alone in not liking them, for reasons we will discuss when we get there.

Right now, I just want to wallow a bit at how frickin’ gay Haruka and Michiru are in these six episodes. The gloves were off, clearly, as Michiru teases the heck out of her butchy partner. I rejoiced at how touchy they are, as well. Watching this disk, it boggles the mind that anyone ever insisted that they were not lovers, or if they were, Haruka had to be a man. But then, I suppose if the *.*gaters weren’t obsessed with Star Wars or whatever, we’d be having that argument all over again today. Instead, we get to smile and nod at Michiru when she tells Haruka that she could stare like this all day as she looks at her lover. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 4 In my memory, I thought this was some of the best art in the series. I was wrong.
Story – Despite being a reprise, it was not boring. Short, sharp and some of the best character writing so far
Characters – 9 I love the interaction between the Outers and Inners.
Yuri – 9
Service – 5 someone really had a thing for upskirting Jupiter

Overall – 8

My interest in this series effectively ends here, with just a few moments sprinkled through the story, but we still will have a lot to talk about including, eventually, my thoughts about the Starlights and what exists of the plot and how to rewrite it to make sense.





Yuri Anime: Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA (English), Guest Review by Eric P.

December 18th, 2019

Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday here on Okazu. Thanks to our Okazu Patrons, we welcome back Guest Reviewer Eric P who is going to take a look at the Section 23 release of Kase-san and Morning Glories. Take it away Eric!

Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA, the high school love story between shy Yamada and her athlete girlfriend Kase, seemed to be a fairly big deal when it came out, with much love and acclaim. So, whichever western publisher would license this title, one would expect them to be well aware of its beloved status and treat its release accordingly, including a high-quality English audio track should they produce one. Kase-San was picked up by Sentai Filmworks/Section 23 , who seemed very much aware of the OVA’s importance.

Yamada’s voice is provided by Bryn Apprill, who also did Historia from Attack on Titan. Upon first listen it seems her voice gives Yamada a stereotypically cute/shy sound, but then I switch back and forth between the English and Japanese audio, and realize it was meant to be reflective of the original seiyuu. Some may still criticize it for trying a little too hard to stay faithful in that regard, and the moments where Yamada shrieks may be a bit much for those that find English shrieks being higher-pitched than the original Japanese bothersome. Yet these are just stressing nitpicks on my part, because by no means is it bad acting and Bryn still fitted the character. Her voice is most soothing when she narrates, and there’s something about the way she says “I think this might be a big deal” as she waits for Kase to come to her house that I felt was well-captured.

The one lead voice guaranteed not to give mixed feelings is Kase-san herself, portrayed by Morgan Berry, who also did Tokaku from Riddle Story of Devil and Dragon Panther from Cutie Honey Universe. While not the exact sound match-up to the original seiyuu like Yamada, she provides a fitting tomboy-type voice that emanates coolness within the movie’s first few moments. But when it comes to Yamada and their progressing relationship, she near-perfectly conveys vulnerable flustering and stumbling, countering her coolness with realistic adorableness.

The only other stand-out character is Yamada’s friend, Mikawa, voiced by Apphia Yu, who also did Tamako Arai from Barakamon. She gives Mikawa a suitable vibe of someone who is gearing up to be the life of the party, and all other additional/background voices making up the OVA’s overall mix come together as a natural-sounding whole. In the end, it is apparent the ADR cast and crew of Sentai poured their loving efforts into honoring this title. Even if one watches it in English just one time, the dub further serves its purpose in helping free the viewers’ eyes a bit and better take in the artistry that compliments the mutually lovely story.

The story itself is admittedly nothing groundbreaking. But even as a simple young romance tale, it is easy to recognize what made this OVA resonate so much is that it did everything it did well, with the right mix of direction, writing, art, music, what-have-you. It says just about everything it needs to say in a single self-contained hour, whether one has read or will read the manga or not. And because it also happens to be a same-sex love story, the focus relationship is depicted in such a casual, sweet and honest way without any “mandatory” sleazy stereotypes to bog it down. Yes, as I wrote the previous sentence I am thinking about that other OVA director Takuya Sato happened to do later that tried passing itself off as a spiritual follow-up to Kase-San. In a way it strangely makes me all the more appreciative that something like Kase-san and Morning Glories exists, and anyone could appreciate everything it offers any time they choose to sit down for one simple hour of pleasantness.

Ratings:

Dub—9.5
Blu-Ray—7*
OVA Overall—10

*Although a Sentai title, it is not yet available on HIDIVE as of this review posting. And Sentai’s basic blu-ray does not come with any bonus features outside the promo trailers and English dub. I would have thought Kase-San would have earned a Premium release of some kind, and nowhere on the disc will one find the Pony Canyon music video that started everything, which was surprising and curious enough on its own. Regardless, it is still worth owning if you are an English dub fan or are at least open to them. Or if you have not yet bought the original Amazon Japan release, then Sentai’s domestic blu-ray is still a more economical purchase to help add this to any Yuri collector’s library.

Erica here: Thank you very much, Eric for this look at the US release of this OVA! At less than $20 on Amazon, it might not be a premium release, but it’s worth every penny. ^_^

 




Yuri Anime: Bloom Into You Premium Box Set, Disk 2 (English)

December 16th, 2019

Bloom Into You Premium Box Set ends as it began, with shockingly good visuals and voice acting that elevates the story beyond the original manga.

Disk 2 might appear anti-climactic for those of us watching for Sayaka, but it is in these final episodes that the seeds of the rest of the story are sown. We are there to witness, you might say, the moment when Yuu’s promise turns into a lie. She might not know it yet, but we can see the moment she falls in love.

The DVD “extras” are basic. Clean beginning and endings for your Anime Music Videos (seriously, that’s why those are there, it’s a relic from “back in the day”) and promo material for other Sentai properties are the only content extras.

BUT, in order to do a complete review, (and to do a test run for the family get-together next week,) I made Rei’s cheesecake recipe. I wasn’t sure we had a springform pan and ultimately, we ended up throwing the one we had out, because it was degrading and made the cake taste weird. It might well have come with this house for all we know. ^_^;

The recipe was straightforward enough. It calls for cake flour, which gave the cake a lighter profile than the thicker cheesecakes I’m used to, which I actually liked. It wasn’t very sweet, which I also liked and the lemon functioned the same way sour cream does on Hungarian cheesecake, to cut the sweetness…and give it flavor.

Even packed down, the crust was really loose and crumbly. We’ll have to compact it a lot more next time, since we did not use cookies, we used graham crumb and it was super crumbly and dry. (Although, overnight in the fridge firmed it up considerably.)

The instructions say to leave the cake in the oven until completely cool, but this really overcooked it. Next time, we’ll take it out at half an hour. It’s going to crack no matter what. You could use a bain-marie to keep it moist but does *anyone* really care if the cheesecake cracks? Seriously. Eat the damn cake.

The flavor was very good. As I said, it had a slightly cakier texture, which meant it wasn’t as cloying or rich. It’s a really pretty good recipe as cheesecakes go. I gave half to cake to neighbors with a cautionary “It’s a 6.5/7 on a scale of 10.”  I don’t bake, so for my first cheesecake ever, it was pretty successful. I’ll try again next week with some small changes. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 1
Yuri – 3

Overall – 9

Bloom Into You Premium Blu-Ray Box Set, is a feast for any Yuri fan. With dessert.





Yuri Anime: Bloom Into You Premium Box Set, Disk 1 (English)

December 10th, 2019

Welp, I’m convinced. For once in my entire life, I feel completely justified in buying a premium box set Blu-Ray edition of anything. Sentai Filmworks’ Bloom Into You Premium Box Set was totally worth the money I paid for it.

Bloom Into You is based on the manga of the same name by Nakatani Nio, which is available in English from Seven Seas. The story follows first-year highschooler Koito Yuu as she becomes involved in Student Council activities and involved in an intense, and sometimes confusing, relationship with the Student Council President, Nanami Touko.

Yuu becomes interested in Touko initially over a perceived shared inability/unwillingness/lack of desire in regards to romance, but almost immediately Touko confesses that she has fallen in love with Yuu. How Yuu feels about Touko is the main part of the story, but by no means is it the only thing going on.  Council Vice President Sayaka has her own feelings about Touko to deal with.

You may remember I spoke to the fine folks at Sentai Filmworks at AnimeNYC 2019. We had a terrific conversation and while I was there, I bought this for myself as a present. When Bloom Into You anime streamed on HIDIVE last winter, I subscribed just to be able to watch it. And generally, I found it to be worth it, with a few small exceptions. Those exceptions became relevant once again…as they have, very unusually, been addressed.

It was inexplicable to me that the animation for the scene in which Touko confesses to Yuu be so seriously lacking. This moment, which comes early on, is one of two key scenes of the entire first disk. For it to have been so flat and lifeless was intolerable. Imagine my surprise then, when that scene was done beautifully for this disk. I was beginning to think I had imagined it, but an episode or two later, when Yuu reminisces about the moment, the flashback was not corrected and it was, as I had remembered, cheaply done. It was gratifying to see both the scene fixed and that my memory in this regard was not wrong. ^_^

The higher definition visuals also mean the backgrounds look breathtakingly detailed and if the character animation had not been improved it would have made them look just that much worse. There are still scenes that distinctly look like the B-Team did the art, sometimes, merely an angle or a part of a scene, and it can be a little bit disconcerting. But overall the art is much improved. So that all gets a big thumbs up from me.

The second change of note was the eyes. We spend a *lot* of time in hyper close-up in anime these days, which is really just a waste, since eyes are rarely animated that well. In this anime in particular I remember bitching about the eyes being so oddly drawn. That too has been corrected for the Blu-ray. We still spend way too much time staring at eyeballs, but at least they look better.

Disk 1 contains episodes 1-9 of this 13 episode series, in dub and sub. I have not yet watched the dub, but plan on doing so for Disk 2. Disk 1 contains the episode where Miyako tags Sayaka, she confides in the older woman and we get insight into the VP of the Student Council. I wanted to watch that in original, before I gave the American VA a chance. ^_^

But what really makes this set stand out are the physical extras.

To begin with, the box the set comes in is nice enough, although I have always felt that on their own collector’s boxes are not worth a jacked up price. What sets this set apart is that it has a pleasant assortment of physical extras. The physical extras include a booklet of storyboards for the OP and ED, an attractive booklet of key animation scenes, character references, interviews with staff and cast. It’s a book I actually want to read. Extras include some double-sided art cards, the script for the Student Council Play and Yuu’s older sister’s cheesecake recipe, which I will be making this year for my wife’s family Christmas get-together, in the interest of a complete review. I’ll let you know how it goes. ^_^ Both the recipe and the DVD come in an inner box with series art.

Ratings:

Art – 9 Visibly better when its better!
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 3 especially towards the end as Touko is more aggressive physically
Yuri – 9

Overall – 9

A really nice variety of physical extras, sub and dub of an anime series that improves upon the manga in a number of ways and a better visual experience over the streaming version, all of which justify putting this set on your wish list!





Yuri Anime: Fragtime (English)

November 19th, 2019

The two most-hated posts here on Okazu are, to-date, my reviews for Candy Boy and Mariaholic. In both cases, my reviews say something like, “sexual harassment and assault against women is gross and if you find it entertaining, you are a terrible person.”

I am prepared for today’s review to join those ranks because sexual assault as entertainment is gross and if you enjoy it, you are a terrible person.

Fragtime, animated by Tear Studio, directed by Takuya Satō, produced by Terada Yusuke, is based on a manga by Sato that ran on Akita Shoten’s Manga Cross website from 2013-2014. The OVA premiered in North America by Pony Canyon at AnimeNYC 2019, with guest Producer Terada and voice actress Ito Miku, who played lead Moritani Mizusu.

The Fragtime OVA has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks and the manga has been licensed by Seven Seas.

Moritani Misuzu (played by Ito-san) is a high school student who has the ability to stop time for three minutes. She stops time in order to look at classmate Murakami Haruka’s (played by Miyamoto Yume) underwear, only to find that Murakami is not affected by the time stoppage. In response to learning that Moritani likes Murakami, Murakami agrees to go out with her…as long as Moritani does whatever she wants. By this, she means that Moritani will stop time only at her request.  As the film progresses, we learn that both girls have problems relating to people around them and, as they become closer, they work through those problems. Moritani gains confidence and stops running away from human contact, however, this causes her to lose her ability to stop time. But, as the end of the film approaches, it is clear that this is not a tragedy, and marks a new beginning for both Moritani and Murakami.

The overall plot of Fragtime is not bad, and both acting and animation are adequate. The overwhelming problem with Fragtime is the super-creepy male gaziness of it. (Learn about Male Gaze here and here.) Obsession with women’s underwear is centered as more important than the girls’ narratives. Moritani commits sexual assault because she “likes’ Murakami. Murakami is manipulative and exploitative, Moritani is manipulated and exploited. All of this – every last unhealthy, over-sexualized, underwear-obsessive thing in the story is presented to us as either an expression of “like” or as comedy. The sound of juicy male laughter as Moritani buys a pair of underwear just like Murakami’s made me so upset I stood and almost left.  And again, in response to Murakami threatening to break up after misunderstanding why Moritani stops time not by her command, (which Moritani had done to save a friend from mockery) Moritani does not tell her why she stopped time, but instead lifts up her skirt to show the matching underwear. As if that is, in any way, a meaningful act. Or something a woman might do. This time when there was laughter I came close to tears, as a woman’s humiliation is presented as a comedic beat.

The behavior of the lead characters makes no sense. Yes, they both have emotional issues, but nothing they do is sensible. Their behaviors do not fit their pathologies. Their behavior does fit the desire of men to endlessly stare up women’s skirts in the most grotesque way.

When the anime began, the crowd was slightly less big than for the Kase-san premier, occupying just over half the room. No one left at the first upskirt, as we mostly knew that that was inevitable. Apparently I was not the only one who hoped it would improve, because with every subsequent underwear scene, people got up and left. The audience was hovering around half-way filling the room when it ended.

Questions were…not good. It was clear that most people lined up to ask questions without a question in mind. When they got to the mic, it was apparent no real question had come to them. The translators struggled to make sense of the unformed ideas to which they were being subjected.

Most damning was the relative silence of the audience as they left the room. After Kase-san, there was a buzz of conversation as people stood around and talked about how good it was. After Fragtime, there was…nothing. People just left. Fragtime was especially disappointing as Pony Canyon attempted to sell this as another sweet love story, a worthy successor to Kase-san, when it is the opposite. Where Kase-san is a lovely female-gaze story about two nice kids, this is a creepy male gaze story about two broken kids.

Let me be clear – women do not upskirt other women as an expression of “like”. Every woman understands that it is a violation of her privacy and is a form of sexual assault. Women may upskirt themselves as a form of sex work. And, yes, abusive women act abusively. Moritani presumed Murakami could not consent and did it anyway. That is an assault. This was not cute, nor fun nor, gods help us, funny. It is not an expression of like. Almost every scene that involves the time-stoppage is a scene in which someone is humiliated, mostly (although not completely) without any consent.

Because I feel so strongly about the fact that Fragtime is not just an unpleasant depiction of two young women in love, but is actually objectionable, I am going to do something I have never done: No dissent will be tolerated. Do not attempt to defend upskirting or endless humiliating underwear shots (or otherwise whine that I was mean in this post.) Your input in that regard is not welcome. Should you feel that you can discuss Fragtime for other qualities (there were some brief decent moments) please feel free. Under no circumstances will I put up with any defense of upskirting. It is a repulsive act and ought to be subject to jail time.

To sum up, Fragtime is a really shitty premise wrapped around the dark kernel of a completely different story that the creator didn’t want to write.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 2
Characters – 4 but had they been treated with any respect they could have been better
Service – 10 all creepy service
Yuri – 6

Overall – 2 I was hoping it’d at least be a 5, but…nope.

There are two things that really upset me in this life. Exploitation of children and sexual harassment and assault of anyone. This series had both, but did not deal with either. It didn’t discuss anything important and presented the assault as comedy.

I am very sorry for Sentai and Seven Seas, but I cannot and will not endorse Fragtime, it will not go up on the Yuricon Store. It won’t affect their sales, but it I won’t be assisting anyone to buy it. I won’t be linking to it, or reviewing it further upon release.

Chika Anzai plays Kobayashi Yukari, the only other character with more than dialogue in passing and the Kase-san voice actresses have cameos. The best part of the entire premiere was the MC, whose name I missed, who was fabulous. When it came time for questions, she said of Ito-san, “No personal questions, please, I am her mother.” I think I’m the only one who laughed.