#Himeko Momokino

[stella-so-sly93]

Decided to get me the Citrus art book as a special birthday gift to myself. All the text is in German, which bugs me a little bit (might try to get a English version later) but overall, I love this art book so much already.

Here are few illustrations:

This group pic is so cute.

This marriage two page panel is just as beautiful (if not more) in this bigger art book print.

[hikikomoriheadphonegirl]

[j-fashion-wearer-otd]

Himeko Momokino from Citrus wears Lolita. Thank you! https://citrus.fandom.com/wiki/Himeko_Momokino

She has been added to the queue!

[digitaldump827]

Personajes: 

Yuzu: Antes de Matsuri realmente sentía mucha empatía con Yuzu, quien se comportaba como probablemente cualquiera de su edad en una situación similar lo hubiera hecho, confundida, cambiando de idea a cada momento e incluso pensando que cualquier acto de abuso es amor. Pero toda acción que comete con el problema de Matsuri es realmente tonta, mientras que en la noche de navidad aunque me parece muy buena acción el no haberle seguido el juego a Mei, no creo que exista realmente una razón narrativa detrás de esto, cada vez que confronta a Mei por esto cambia de idea del porqué actuó como actuó, lo que solo me hace pensar que fue una acción que se tomo, de nuevo solo para alargar la historia

Momokino Himeko: Fuera de los problemas que causa durante los primeros episodios del anime, este es como un estilo de personaje clásico del anime, extravagante. 
Aunque no hay una evolución como tal, realmente me empieza agradar durante los últimos episodios.

Sara: Simplemente me parece un personaje aburrido, que realmente no aporta nada, y hasta a veces me parece molesta.

Matsuri: ¿Qué puedo decir? ademas que solo sirve de relleno, es desesperante, odiosa, hace cosas que solo complican la trama principal y no le tengo nada de empatía 

Harumi: Teamomiamor 

Mei: Lo más triste de Mei es que es potencial desperdiciado, y para nuestra desgracia, es quien lleva la trama del anime, todo se centra en lo que hace y lo que es, y si de un momento a otro el personaje decae por ende el anime también.
Literalmente se le deja de dar importancia o tiempo de pantalla en 3 episodios y se nota como la narrativa empeora.

[damnitsme]

Matsuri: I have come up with a three step plan to get Mei to marry you.

Yuzu: Okay, I'm listening.

Matsuri: Step one, get her to play truth or dare.

Himeko: Oh God, stop.

Matsuri: Step two, wait until she picks dare.

Harumi: Matsuri, no.

Matsuri: Step three, dare her to marry you.

Yuzu: *running out of the room shouting* It could work!

[jolyneswife-anime-reviews]

Citrus anime review

Spoilers for citrus and tw for stepcest, non consensual touching, a teacher being engaged to a minor, cheating  and sexualisation of queer women (this anime is definitely not worth watching)

“I felt bitter to the people around me and I closed off my heart. And a heart that lets nothing in will become empty before you realize it,”- Mei Aihara

Disclaimer: I have watched all the episodes out so far, and I despise this anime with a passion. I tried very hard to like it, but I just couldn't because of several very irritating aspects of it. This WILL be somewhat of a rant because of this.

Genre: Yuri, romance, high school, fanservice

Where I watched it: Funimation

Characterisation: 7/10 (Let's start with the things that the series did well on. I quite liked the cast, and the characters themselves were reasonably well designed- the ideas behind personalities, mannerisms and backstories were good, but I felt like in most cases, characters were lacking when it came to complexity and development. They didn’t change much or show many different sides as the series went on, they stayed very much the same for the most part, except from Matsuri, who grew to accept Mei after realizing that love wasn’t a competition or simple, and recognising the good things about her. Harumin was my favourite character, personally- she was funny and light hearted, as well as being the kind of best friend every girl needs. I also adored her more “public school” mannerisms compared to those of the prim and proper private school girls. Yuzu was also quite a good protagonist- she was an outsider in that upstanding school, where the things she considered normal and fun were seen as improper. As well as that, she was kind, as well as being determined- when she put her mind to something, she achieved it, which is shown by the improvement in her grades and and effort she put into making a cake from scratch for Christmas. However, when it comes to more emotional and complex matters, Yuzu is so clueless that it’s almost irritating. If I’m being honest, Mei just felt a bit like the overused serious character with a tragic backstory, which, I have to admit, was reasonably well developed. She herself wasn’t very developed as a character, her personality lacking depth and complexity.)

Setting: 7.5/10 (The setting is another thing that the show executes quite well, despite it being pretty basic. I love the idea of Yuzu, this extroverted and somewhat rebellious state school student, arriving in a luxurious private school and being completely out of place. Yuzu and Mei’s bedroom also has a nice design, with half of it clearly belonging to Mei and the other to Yuzu; the furniture reflects the girls’ interests and lifestyles. The idea of taking a school trip towards the end was a good one too, and it provided an opportunity to introduce new characters as well as a much needed change of scenery, with exciting new things to explore and incorporate into the plot.) 

Art style: 8/10 (Probably the only noteworthy high of this series. The way the characters are drawn, as well as the colour pallets chosen and the attention to details, is astonishing. Outfits are also modelled to suit characters and their personalities, which added to that appeal. Settings are drawn with a similar care and in a picturesque way.)

_ Ranting starts here_

Plot: 2/10 (I found this anime while searching for anime with wlw relationships, and I was really excited to watch it- it was the first time I had encountered an anime where the protagonists were both queer girls. What really stings is that on the surface and after watching the opening theme, it seemed like a good anime which portrays a relationship the way straight ones are often portrayed- with care and adding complexity. However, this isn’t really the case at all. As well as lacking development and not being dynamic, the plot also fails to develop Yuzu and Mei’s relationship on a deeper level, with things like quality time spent together or deep, honest conversations. On top of that, after first meeting Mei at her new school, Yuzu discovers that she’s the daughter of her mother’s new partner, which makes them step-sisters. This made me incredibly uncomfortable, because they referred to each other as sisters but often made romantic advances, sometimes hesitating but ultimately deciding to date regardless of the fact that they’re step-sisters. This was a difficult, sensitive topic and needed to be handled properly, which the series totally failed at doing. Also, when Matsuri entered the picture and admitted to her own romantic feelings for Yuzu, she too referred to her as a “big sister”- personally, I’m really uncomfortable with the way the series romanticised this particular type of relationship. Another problem I have with the plot is that when Mei and Yuzu made advances, it was sometimes non consensual, but still presented in a romantic and rose tinted way, which was disturbing to see. Lastly, I hated that their relationship was presented in such an overly sexualised manner- sometimes, they either didn’t interact much or made out intensely. It feels like their relationship was created more for the sake of fan service than to make something romantic. Sexualising women is already very common in many anime, but queer women experience a lot of sexualisation based on the fact that some men fetishize wlw relationships, so the fact that these two queer minors were portrayed in such a sexual light sometimes was annoying. I don’t mind “spicier” scenes, but, in my opinion, to make a romance anime good, these need to be coupled with a complex and deep relationship, and scenes of the characters bonding and growing close in other ways. Citrus simply didn’t have enough of that, so it just felt like a way to sexualise wlw relationships for the sake of fanservice rather than good representation. Another terrible aspect of the anime was the relationship between Mei and that teacher at the start of the series. The two were engaged, despite Mei being a minor, which is horrifying to think about. Not only is it illegal, it’s disgusting. Later on, Mei claims that didn’t enjoy being kissed by him, and doesn’t seem too affected by the end of their relationship after she finds out he cheated she doesn’t seem too bothered, which implies Mei was unhappy in that relationship. Apart from that, the show did a poor job at actually addressing this theme or expanding on why it was happening and the potential impact on Mei’s life, as well as neglecting to paint it as something harmful that should be condemned. The whole thing just kind of dies out as the focus shifts to Yuzu and Mei, which is an unrealistic and harmful way to portray such damaging relationships.)

Addictiveness: 3/10 (There was nothing about the series which kept me hooked, mostly because it felt like there was no actual plot, and the episodes felt monotonous. You also do not become invested enough in the characters due to the poor development to care about what happens next. There were a few twists, but overall it was not engaging.)

Comfort: 4/10 (This anime deals with several topics I’m not comfortable with, with an unhealthy relationship being just the tip of the iceberg. This, along with the lack of light and joyous, yet gripping moments, is why I gave it a low rating. The only things which comes close to saving it are Sarah’s wholesome outlook on life and her selflessness in prioritizing Yuzu’s happiness over her own when she realizes they both like the same girl, and Yuzu’s ride-or-die friendship with Harumin, which is a friendship all viewers would probably want.)

Originality: 5/10 (Nothing in this series really struck me as original or innovative, apart from maybe the idea of Yuzu coming from a completely different background to the new prestigious private school one, and what that means for her when she starts attending that school and becomes legally related to the director.)

Consistency: 5/10 (The quality of the anime seemed OK for the first part of the first episode, but it soon took a nosedive. It stayed consistently low throughout the rest of the series, being bumped up a little by the introduction of Harumin and later of Sarah and Mina, two very different twins with a realistic relationship as sisters. Sarah’s perspective on her sexuality is refreshing and simple after Yuzu’s own confusing love life and her complex relationship with Mei. She simply loves who she loves, and that’s all there is to it.)

Philosophy: 4/10 (The anime, and its characters, lack depth of thought, so it’s not surprising that it gives viewers nothing really substantial to think about.)

The plot

Yuzu Aihara just transferred to a new school after moving house due to her mom getting a new partner, who’s away due to work a lot. Yuzu is optimistic, relaxed and extroverted. She loves fashion and fun, and she really wants a boyfriend. As soon as she enters the new, prestigious all girls school, she realises she is somewhat out of place. Everything about her outfit violates the uniform rules, and she is told that having her phone on her is forbidden. After Yuzu refuses to hand it over, the student council president, Mei Aihara, unexpectedly feels her up until she finds the phone, before confiscating it and leaving Yuzu flustered. Throughout the day, Yuzu tries to make friends with other students, but they’re all very reserved. She then meets Harumin, another girl who transferred in high school; Harumin explains that thing are different at this school, as all the girls have been taught to “mind their ps and qs”. She and Yuzu quickly become close friends. When Yuzu returned home that day, she found Mei there, and made an astonishing discovery- the girl was now her step sister: she was the daughter of the man her mother had married. The two girls start their life of co habitation, learning more about each other and developing increasingly strong feelings for each other, despite their circumstances. Both are confused, and their relationship is rocky and unhealthy throughout the show. After a while the two get to know each other a bit better and they realise that they are faced with an extremely complex situation, one where the wrong choice seems to be the “most tempting”. 

[hiyuki]

Yuzu Aihara ♡ Mei Aihara | Citrus | シトラス ▫ Official Art

[sircasticpierce]

𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚒: 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐'𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.

𝚈𝚞𝚣𝚞: *𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎* *𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗*

𝙼𝚎𝚒: *𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍* *𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗*

𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚒: *𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚘* *𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜*

𝙷𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚔𝚘: *𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎* 𝚄𝚑𝚑𝚑-

*𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙷𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚔𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎* *𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚌𝚑*

𝚈𝚞𝚣𝚞: 𝙷𝙸𝙼𝙴𝙺𝙾 𝙽𝙾!

𝙷𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚔𝚘: 𝙸-𝙸 𝙳𝙸𝙳𝙽𝚃 𝚂𝙰𝚈 𝙰𝙽𝚈𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶!

𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚒: 𝚆𝙴 𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶.

𝙷𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚔𝚘: 𝙸𝙼 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝙽𝚈𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶, 𝚈𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙽𝙴𝙴𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙿 𝚁 𝙰 𝚈 *𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎* *𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜*

𝙼𝚎𝚒: *𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎* *𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍* 𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝙸 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕-

𝚈𝚞𝚣𝚞: 𝙼𝙴𝙸!

[erensjwife]

Sara-Chan dropping facts

Citrus, 2018

[arknights-incorrect]

Sora towards Texas reminds me a little of Himeko from Citrus with how Himeko acts towards Mei

[imdcathsmeow]

Imagine if Yuzu/Harumin took a pic of gyaru MeiBae and sent it to Himeko

Instant gay knock out

[stella-so-sly93]

Yuzu wanting to hear Mei tell her that she loves her and Mei's attempt to say being interrupted by Matsuri's outburst upon being told that Mei is in a arranged marriage and hasn't told Yuzu is just chillingly ironic.

I don't blame Matsuri for getting so upset either. Matsuri really cares about Yuzu and obviously doesn't wanna see her get hurt and neither does Mei. This volume just gets so intensely sad in terms of Mei being torn between what's expected of her and what her heart wants.

[hikikomoriheadphonegirl]

[yuzukahachimir]

Very important post

Look at this,look the diference between Momokino`s eyebrows and Yuzu´s eyebrows.

While Momokino`s eyebrows can cover a hole in a wall the Yuzu`s everbrows can´t do that XD.

[damnitsme]

Yuzu, yelling across the room: Okogi!

Mei: Aihara!

Yuzu: OKOGI.

Mei: AIHARA.

Yuzu: OKOGI!!!

Mei: AIHARA!!!

Himeko: Wait, why are they both shouting their own last names?

Matsuri, without looking up from her her phone: They're fighting over which one to use when they get married.

[animeponcho]