crystal.rowe - 2015-04-20 17:09:59

Yuri Kuma Arashi. I’m going to be flat out honest, I utterly loathe this show for the sheer fact that I’ve fallen in love with it. Now I must caution you all, this show will alienate you if you haven’t seen Ikuhara’s previous works like Penguindrum or Utena so upon viewing this as a first title his style can be rather overbearing. But, back to the topic at hand, there are some anime out there that can only be described as otherworldly and Yuri Kuma is just that. Today I will be reviewing the anime Yuri Kuma Arashi so without further ado KUMA SHOCK.

Yuri Kuma Arashi is produced by studio Silver Link who created the best Fate in the franchise Fate Illya, and also created Strike the Blood… Yeah they done fucked up. It was constructed by Kunihiko Ikuhara who is the mastermind behind Penguindrum and Utena. It is a psychological fantasy seinen that consists of 12 episodes.

The story
Yuri Kuma Arashi is set in a futuristic world where an asteroid titled Kumaria explodes in space, and as the fragments rain down from the sky, this causes the bears from all over the earth like Yogi Bear to all initiate an attack on humanity. As a result a huge wall of extinction erects between the two societies to bring peace, kinda like Attack on Titan and the Berlin Wall. One day, academy student Kureha who despises bears is with her lover Sumika as the bear sirens sound. Bears are attacking the human world, and questions begin to arise, mysteries start to appear, and the yuri will yurinate all over your brain.

To begin, this anime is highly niche and isn't for everyone, especially those who take things at face value and consider Aldnoah.Zero a masterpiece. Before watching this anime I'd recommend seeing a past Ikuhara work like Mawaru Penguindrum or Utena so that you are familiar with Ikuhara's surrealist style of storytelling.

If you take the story at face value what you perceive initially is just women and bears rubbing their carpets together in harmonious motion while symbolism is being thrown, but Yuri Kuma is a more deeper anime commenting on religion, love and about conformity to the general public. 

Yuri Kuma Arashi’s theme of homosexuality is often seen as face value rather than anything deeper, and I can’t blame the average anime watcher for only seeing sex because of how yuri is portrayed in the medium with animes like Sakura Dick. But the homosexuality is utilized as a method to convey a commentary on how people identify the gay vs straight argument, only in this anime it’s taken to the extreme with its themes. The bears being represented as corrupted for having homoerotic feelings while the females represent a type of religious purity that looks down upon those who have the qualities of the bear which is shown through an abstract method of storytelling. Despite the name, Yuri Kuma Arashi after its first 3 episodes lacks in yuri which is honestly a pro allowing the yuri to be perceived as more symbolic rather than fan service to the naked eye due to the non overbearingness of it. Funny thing is, the people who shun this anime for the nudity and it's sexual themes are the same people who will turn around and state that Elfen Lied is beautiful FOR THE SAME REASON. The homosexuality nods at biblical concepts stating that being with another person of the same gender is a sin, which is amplified to the extreme in the sense that being with the same gender or in this case have bearlike behaviors will cause you to be excluded and shunned by society paralleling to Puritan age customs like the Scarlet Letter only on a grander scale. Other interpretations on the work see the student body as a religion based government and the main characters as radicals.

This brings me to the symbolism, which at times can be highly forced to the point where it gets jammed down your throat like abstinence in high school. Ikuhara is a crazy motherfucker renowned for his symbolism within his fiction and this show is no exception. The show is like a puzzle piece, waiting to be solved by you the viewer and succeeds at being an interactive experience along the way. There is symbolism plastered everywhere, in the gardens, heck even the wall is symbolic, everything in this show is a physical representation of a theme, concept and ideal.

A gripe with the show I had was its pacing, specifically within its first 3 episodes which were repetitive in nature allowing little to no variation and was at times slower than deaf person using a Bop-it toy. Also, those first 3 episodes were extremely jarring and indecipherable which definitely hurt the series and in that regard very difficult to follow its themes. But luckily it improves upon the initial flaws and becomes more approachable to the audience.

Finally, a comment about the atmosphere and the world provided by the show. The atmosphere is uncanny and it works hand and hand with the show’s perplexing storytelling. As for the world, surprisingly I have varied opinions. On one hand, the world expands on a grander scale with the edition of the Kuma Kingdom, but on the flipside the human world seems to only consist of a school and Kureha’s house which is sad considering how the anime could have exploited its eccentric foundation to become something better. 

The conclusion to the show is very hit or miss depending on how a person interprets what happened, all I have to say though is the ending is satisfying. Every loose end of the story comes together and wraps up with a nice little bow.

Now it’s time to move on to the characters.

The Characters
Yuri Kuma Arashi struggled in the beginning with characterization, but towards the conclusion it repairs these issues and the characters differentiate themselves from others. However, this doesn't stop it from being weakest component of the show, and as a result of their symbolic meanings the characters halt in characterization

Kureha's initially is portrayed as having blind hate towards bears, desiring to witness their destruction. But as the series progresses you learn through backstory on the reasons why she despises bears, and how she became the person she is in the anime. She represents individualism as she acts outside of what society considers normal which causes her character to be shunned by others showing a great deal of growth as she copes with society rejecting her. Though her character I feel her character lacks depth.

Ginko is a bear who appears to have her own agenda, and though unrelatable and bland in the beginning, she results in being unique and relatable. Seeing her on her endeavors on screen is hilarious, and watching her grow from her experiences and develop as a character truly fashions her as a well written character. She gets proper backstory, and as witnessed sticks insanely to her motivations being revealed as a determined character. 

Lulu is also a bear that follows Ginko on her journey and along the way provides for some zany humor. She’s highly outgoing, and is portrayed as the genki archetype. Receiving some backstory she’s not the most developed character but by the end is characterized properly.

The rest of the characters arguably aren’t characterized conventionally which to a certain extent is true and can be perceived as a flaw. But the fact of the matter is each character holds a purpose in the plot, mostly a symbolic purpose. Some characters represent desire, others have a more religious purpose, but in conclusion they all hold some sort of purpose. Though I do agree that the characters are the weakest part seeing how anyone outside the general cast have a lack of characterization.

The Art/Animation
Yuri Kuma Arashi's art can be described in 3 words, abstract as fuck. The use of color to convey symbolism and to show importance on certain elements within shots is astounding, and adds to the surrealist nature of the story. From the school's color of period blood red, to the lush forests of booger color green, the colorization is on point. The character designs for the humans are somewhat bland but as for the bears, they all look eccentric and really eye catching like an ISIS member at a Protestant Church. But though bland, the facial expressions on the characters are constructed extremely well emphasizing the emotions each character feels. Lighting is something this show nails, with high key and low key lighting occurring at the right time generate some wallpaper-esque gorgeous scenes. But, where the flaw lies within its magical art is the horrendous looking CGI in some areas, especially the bear claw which looks worse than a girl who is depressed about Zayn Malik leaving One Direction.

The animation however is very inconsistent, with some areas appearing to be smooth but in other areas looks like Microsoft PowerPoint which is a real shame considering that this is a psychological anime. The movements in the background characters are minimal to the point where it seems lazy. But, there are two sides to one coin as Clinton showed us, where one side the animation is ugly, but on the other side it sparkles and improves over the course of the show. All and all though, the art is presented in a unique fashion while the animation though lazy in the beginning slowly begins to improve by the end. But shall I make note that I appreciated the nods to Penguindrum, Utena and even The Shining, because incorporating those references were cool.

The Sound
The ost of Yuri Kuma Arashi can be described with 2 words, ominous and unique. This is an unusual show, and the music highlights its unconventional nature by being extremely different from ordinary soundtracks. There are a sufficient amount of songs ranging from slow music for the passive melancholic scenes to swiftly paced haunting music accompanying intense scenes, the music is composed brilliantly, and is reminiscent of sci if horror esque soundtracks. It also in some instances creates clever hyperboles, playing intense music over an event that is presented in a non serious way is genius. The opening and ending themes fit the show with the opening being slow yet gets you immersed upon watching it. As for the voice acting, ughhhhhh, it's varied. On one side Ginko and Kureha's voice actresses represent the characters wonderfully, presenting emotions and confidence. On the other hand, you have the voice actress of Sumika and other characters who sound more annoying than North Korea watching the Interview or just standard.

In conclusion Yuri Kuma is a very niche show that I’d only recommend to 2 types of people.
A person familiar with a work of Ikuhara’s and has seen either Penguindrum or Utena.
A person who can look beyond the sexual aspects of the show and see the deeper underlying meanings rather than what’s at face value. Yuri Kuma Arashi is not good anime as a piece of social commentary as well as entertainment and I believe that this anime is a cult classic. 

pouros.marcus - 2015-04-10 01:04:06

Yuri Kuma Arashi is an anime from the mind of Utena creator Ikuni or Kunihiko Ikuhara and animated by Silver Link. The world of Yuri Kuma has two main species, the bears and the humans who are seperated by the Wall of Severance. The story follows Kureha Tsubaki, a girl who is excluded by her peers at her all girl school to the extent that she is seen as evil. The only exception is her friend Sumika who is simply the "moe-est" girl there is. One day, two new transfer students arrive named Ginko Yurishiro and Lulu Yurigasaki who, plot twist, turn out to be bears. This would be a spoiler if Lulu didn't say so at they're first appearance. Ginko and Lulu seem to be targeting Kureha for her "delicious smell" and soon enough start eating girls. One day Sumika is supposedly eaten by a bear which brings Kureha to depression. The rest of the show follows Kureha as she struggles being excluded by the rest of her classmates and how she interacts with the rest of the characters, especially Ginko and Lulu.

Story

The story is not the greatest ever but it is nice. It is full of plot twists, both obvious and unpredictable. The ending is satisfying for what it is and you might even tear a little as it gives a feeling of closure to all of the characters.

Characters

The characters in Yuri Kuma are certainly very interesting themselves. The show mostly focuses on the main character Kureha and gives so much development to her. Kureha is not the most original character but with as much focus as she gets, there is no way you can say she was a completely generic or completely two dimensional character. Her motivations are relatable and an interesting n=enough character to follow. Ginko (my personal favorite) is the quieter character who is both caring to those around her and determined to accomplish her goals unless her goals conscientiously hurt those around she cares about. Lulu is the more upbeat and cheerful of the characters who does everything she can to help her beloved Ginko, even if she get hurts in the end. There are several other characters that you will love and hate for all the right reasons.

Animation

The animation is done by Silver Link and to be honest it is not the best. I cannot say I am disappointed as I am not to familiar with Silver Link's work with few exceptions and the animation in those were not top notch either. The animation is pretty smooth and the art style is cute. The show will often use the same segments of animation for large chunks of the show and will be repeated in several episodes.

Dub

The show falls into Funimation's broadcast dubs and so far it is okay. Though I like to watch dubs, I prefer the Japanese to the English. English dubs have yet to get moe characters sounding like moe characters yet, perhaps with few exceptions. 

Music

The music of this show fits it perfectly. The opening and ending songs are very enjoyable and fit the tone of the show well as this moe yuri. In the course of the show the songs did not stick out that much but perhaps after listening to the soundtrack I plan to watch the show again pay more attention to these songs.

Final

In the end, Yuri Kuma Arashi is an enjoyable show if you are looking for something cute and will pull a few heart strings.

bkoss - 2015-04-07 03:11:55

You still are confused even after it ends. At least with Pengwingdrum you know what was happening and something was connected to another this show really didn't have those connections i felt lost for the most part. While i did enjoy it it was very confusing and twelve episodes didn't really help explain much.

prosacco.sheila - 2015-03-31 10:05:59

Yuri Kuma Arashi acts as the third major project to come outof the insane visionary Kunihiko Ikuhara, whose previous works includeRevolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum. If you’ve seen one of thosetwo shows, you know what you are getting yourself into. For those who haven’t,good luck.

The first thing to note is about how Yuri Kuma Arashi presents its story.It starts off confusing and weird – even for Ikuhara standards. This is becauseit juggles different stories at the same time, and only intertwines them lateron in the show. Furthermore, there is not real moment that grips people intowatching. The show however does not meander off on tangents, and so consistentlydevelops its story and themes. However, the first few episode are quite slow inthat they don’t seem to progress the main story very much.  

If you only take the story at face value, and give up on tryingto think about any of the symbolism, you will end up missing many parts of thestory. You will end up experiencing an absurd and stupid story that makes nosense and weird fanservice. 

A SFW example of the unbearable use of fanservice.

That said, the symbolism in the show starts offrandom and seemingly added without rhyme or reason. There’s no way any of thiswill be able to be connected to form a coherent story… right? Strangely enough,by the end of the show, I found the story strangely straightforward for anIkuhara show. Some symbols were explained very clearly, where others were leftvague.

The animation of the show is very unique. The art style and useof colour are both extremely well done and very unique. The directing andframing of each scene is also meticulously crafted to help convey meaning,which is also very good. It’s all Ikuhara’s trademark style and it is what hedoes better than anyone else. 

Ikuhara's famous spiral staircase returns once again. This time aligned to the right side of the frame. How mysterious.

However the actual movement within the scenesseem just normal. Aside from the last episode, there are no scenes that seemimpressive from a technical standpoint (coming from a person whose onlyknowledge about animation comes from Shirobako).  Many scenes are composed of still frames, andthere isn’t a whole lot of movement, even in scenes that are meant to be intense. The animation quality is consistent though, which is definitely a plus. 

The music from the show is quite well chosen. There are onlya few scenes that stand out, however all the pieces composed complement theirscenes well. There’s a choir piece that is often repeated throughout the show,which attempts to add emotional weight to many scenes. 

Speaking about emotional weight, I found myself disconnectedfrom the world Ikuhara presented, and as such was unable to connect with any ofthe characters. The show constantly felt like a parody of itself, with “KumaShock!” and “That’s the sexy way” being just two of many comedic lines you willhear. While this definitely made the show more entertaining and amusing, whenthe show followed the normal Ikuhara structure of having the show turn seriousmidway through, I found that those amusing moments didn’t really add much tothe show.   

The characters of the show serve their purpose in the main narrative, however they are very difficult to connect to, and as a result, makes the impact of the show much less. The main character’sbackstories are all thoroughly explored, but there are many side characterswhich do not get fleshed out at all. Compared to Penguindrum, where each characterwas related in some way or another, the characters in Yuri Kuma are so absurdthat it is very difficult to feel close to them. Consequently, the heaviermoments of the show lack the impact they could have had. The characters hardlychanged throughout the show either, and there weren't enough scenes spent withthe main characters to truly feel a sense of connection with them. Thecharacters all felt like mouthpieces for the ideas of the story. While this itselfis fine as it lends greater emphasis on theme exploration, I felt it did makethe characters stale to watch.

Despite all this flaws I point out, Yuri Kuma Arashi isstill a great show. Its ideas are diverse and unique, furthermore they areexplored in an accessible and creative way. The show oozes with so many greatideas, and many of them are explored thoroughly. As a commentary, the showworks fantastically. However, as a piece of entertainment, it lacksaccessibility. I personally love Ikuhara’s unique style, and love Yuri KumaArashi as a result.

Obligatory Kuma Shock! How shocking...

If you liked Yuri Kuma Arashi, you will definitely enjoy literally anything else done by Ikuhara. Aside from that, there is also things done by Studio Shaft like the Monogatari franchise. This is because Shaft's style was heavily influenced by Ikuhara. 

aimee08 - 2015-03-31 00:39:07

This show was a wild ride in terms of my expectations, possibly because those expectations dates back so far, but we’ll get to that later. What you do need to know is that the final result is an excellent show with a lot to say, but not too much. Mawaru Penguindrum used to be one of my favorite anime series, and it’s an odd feeling to say that Yuri Kuma Arashi has replaced it. The shows are so entwined that I have a hard time talking about YKA completely divorced from MP, but I’ll try to make sure this review can mean something to those that haven’t seen Penguindrum.

I have to be honest and say that the first three episodes are somewhat meandering and pointless. I won’t say nothing happens, but I do feel confident saying that nothing happens that couldn’t have been squeezed into one so we can get to the good stuff much quicker. Thankfully though, if you can stick it out until episode four, the reward is immediate. The show makes an astronomical leap in quality of storytelling with an adorable and heartbreaking episode dedicated to the backstory of one of our three mains, and the quality stays consistently high from that point on.

I’ll admit, those three sluggish intro episodes had me a bit worried that Ikuhara was disappearing up his own ass, as if after he’d successfully left so many loose ends in Penguindrum, he didn’t feel like he needed to make sense anymore, but thankfully that turned out to not be the case. In fact, that ended up being one of Yuri Kuma Arashi’s strongest aspects: like Mawaru Penguindrum, it had a point to make, but was much more efficient about getting there. The point is clearly made by the time the show ends, and the metaphors employed to do it are a lot less opaque, so interpreting them doesn’t feel so much like guesswork. There’s a lot of heavy symbolism to be had everywhere you look, but Yuri Kuma Arashi doesn’t deny you understanding or enjoyment of the show as a whole if some of it drifts over your head.

The animation and art direction are both stunning. In addition to Penguindrum, the backgrounds seem to be taking cues from Puella Magi Madoka Magica as well. There’s a great deal of contrast in the visuals, lots of solid black next to bright colors and stark white. The character designs are on the simplistic side but still packed with personality (a nice touch: almost all the background characters are drawn in their entirety with a surprising amount of variety among them).

I’m not much of a music junkie; it usually takes me a couple viewings of a show to really start picking out details of the OST, but the opening and ending themes are both excellent, even if after some episodes the ending theme seems almost punishingly upbeat.

The show is on the fanservice-y side, moreso than Penguindrum. If that bothers you, you’ll probably be turned off, but if you can power through it, you’re more than rewarded for your time in terms of story, characters, and themes.

Those themes are arguably more important to Yuri Kuma Arashi than its plot, as there are a few anomalies in traditional narrative structure, like the fact that the show goes through at least four different antagonists in twelve episodes. But it’s not much of a hiccup, because the fight isn’t against the antagonist; it’s against the system, which is conveyed exceptionally well.

***
Note: As someone who followed Mawaru Penguindrum from week to week while it was airing, and then to the mysterious “Penguinbear” teaser site that sprang up almost immediately after, I admitted that it’s difficult to divorce this show from Mawaru Penguindrum, for the reason that Yuri Kuma Arashi is what “Penguinbear” eventually became. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that was disappointed that we didn’t end up getting a shared/expanded universe, as was seemingly implied by the teaser site (concept art for Mawaru Penguindrum characters was visible in at least one of the images), as well as the name of the teaser (there are exactly 0 penguins to be found in Yuri Kuma Arashi). But those things disappoint me in a broader sense, and I can silence that enough to very enthusiastically say that what we got of Yuri Kuma Arashi is excellent.

pdicki - 2015-03-23 04:03:49

Yuri Kuma Arashi is one of the most amazing animes I have ever had the chance of experiencing. I say experience, instead of watch, because it managed to ingulf me entirely. Everything, from beginning to end, is made to make you ponder the meaning behind it. The story begins slow, but as it builds up, you realize that there is a story within the one you're watching, and that even the miniscule happenings were meant to build up to something bigger. This is not a show you watch if you want everything spelled out for you. This is something you watch if you like to contemplate the symbolism, whilst also enjoying a very heart wrenching story of forbidden love and desire at its core. 

rrobel - 2015-03-02 15:32:02

It starts off rather confusing, and disturbing. However, if you make the mistake of dropping it early on, you would miss out on the chance of such a clever show. As the show continues, it becomes nearly entrancing, with clever symbolism, occasional humor to break the tension, and endless plot twists. An incredible show so far. I really recommend to give it a chance of watching it to at least episode four or five. 

damore.chesley - 2015-02-04 09:26:33

During the first few episodes I was just thinking to myself: "For real?" The innuendo was so obvious that it was ridicuolus, but that's also what made it fun.
   Yuri kuma arashi didn't seem to have a very well thought-out story in the beginning, so I thought this'd just be some half-assed comedy, but I was wrong. After deciding to stick with it, to give it a chance, the story got better and convinced me that this was worth watching. I'm not entirely clear about the plot since I've just watched 5 episodes thus far, but here's what I can tell thus far: The baseline for everything is the conflict between bears and humans, but it's nothing more to it than that for now. Without revealing too much it seems the main plot is the exluding of Kureha, and how her self-proclaimed "protectors" try to beat the group exluding her. 

maggio.trey - 2015-01-31 21:05:07

 HELL YEAH YURI BEARS also amazing ost and character design

gbogisich - 2015-01-11 06:04:16

This was pretty odd even for Anime. I thought the bear thing was just a wall building back drop but nope, people getting eaten... by something that looks like care bears gone rouge. A lot of stuff in the first episode made no sense even from pseudo reality context but I'm going to stick with it a bit more and see if it's going anywhere with a actual story. The art was a odd mix of very quality and very cartoon mid range, but I kind of liked the to tone range and the abstract word it created.