#kureha tsubaki

[keterok]

Merry Christmas, Grr-grr~

[animefeminist]

Becoming Monstrous: Yurikuma Arashi and transmisogyny in the school system

Content Warning: Discussion of queer/transphobia (including slurs), online and workplace harassment, grooming, systemic violence

Spoilers for Yurikuma Arashi, referenced spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica

“This is the nature of systems: the moment you reject them, you are forced to realize that they’re the very ground you’re standing on.” -Ikuhara Kunihiko

Two bears are presented with a choice: will you be invisible, or will you eat humans? They look like teddy bears, and they are on trial. wo girl bears–two lesbian girls–Ginko and Lily, standing before three male judges deciding whether or not they should have the right to exist. In order to have their love approved, they declare: they will eat humans. They transform, taking on human form as they don hypersexualized bear girl outfits, and they enter the world of the school.

Yurikuma Arashi places this strange set-piece towards the middle of its first three episodes. It exemplifies the show’s style, told as it is in enigmatic parables. Ostensibly, Yurikuma is about a human girl named Kureha seeking answers about the deaths of her mother and girlfriend while getting into a love triangle involving the two bears who have infiltrated her school disguised as humans.

However, everything in Yurikuma Arashi is more symbol than literal representation, and I have often mulled over its meaning as I’ve navigated entering the teaching profession as a nonbinary Chinese person. Like the bears, I’ve often asked myself: what do I sacrifice to be allowed to exist within the school?

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[lazycranberrydoodles]

girls in YOUR area want to eat you!!!

[lacevalentines]

♡ See you next bear! ♡

[shining-seal]

🌸🐻 Yuri Kuma Arashi 🐻🌸

[witchofanguish]

[randomlonelymusician]

Anime lesbians that not enough people are talking about

Suruga Kanbaru (Monogatari Series)

The entire Monogatari series is quite problematic and very hard to get into, which is why not enough people talk about Kanbaru. But to my experience, at least, she's one of the more accurately written lesbian characters I've seen. She's someone who's felt isolation because of her sexuality, and who's felt that heartbreak of falling in love with a close friend. She has a discomfort with her sexuality (which I found more clear in the novels), but once she opens up to someone about it, she really talks about it. Her sexuality also isn't rigid, and she explores new avenues of it. To me, she just felt like a very real older teen girl trying to figure out herself.

Momoko Sudo (O Maidens in your Savage Season)

I feel as O Maidens as a whole isn't talked about as much as it should be, and Momoko is talked about even less. Momoko's character really captures the experience of having these feelings that don't match what you're being told is normal or what you see around you. And because of this, she can't put words to it. She's part of a literature club and reads a lot of romance, but she's never represented in any of it. I love Momoko because she feels like a real young teen girl trying to put words to all of these feelings she's having.

Kureha Tsubaki (Yurikuma Arashi)

Yurikuma Arashi is often overlooked due to its presentation (which actually ties into the commentary it's giving), and is the least appreciated of Ikuhara's works. But despite the show being quite messy, I can't help but love Kureha. The show as a whole represents how lesbian women are viewed and portrayed in Japanese society and media, and Kureha's character represents internalized homophobia, and the fear of being "openly gay". The whole series is fantastical in nature, but Kureha's feelings and story remain very true to many people's experiences, including my own.

~~~

I just wanted to share a few characters I connected with and I don't see being talked about enough. I wholeheartedly recommend checking out Yurikuma Arashi and O Maidens in your Savage Season, as they're excellent shows. As for Monogatari... I'd tread lightly and look at the content warnings! But it's still a great series.

General note: Yes, Monogatari is a horribly problematic series. It has a lot that I seriously do not like, but if you're able to get through the bad there's a whole lot of good, such as Kanbaru. So warning!

[pepernoott]

[hakonohanayome]

Yurikuma Arashi - Morishima Akiko

[your-blorbos-are-queer]

kureha tsubaki from yurikuma arashi is lesbian (canon)

submitted by anonymous

[faneliacosplay]

The fifth costume I finished this year was Kureha (Magical Girl-Bear) from YuriKuma Arashi!🐻💕💕 While this was a somewhat simple costume that I had started in summer 2021, she ended up on the back burner for over a year because I just couldn’t decide on which chiffons to go with for her Overskirt! On a personal note, this series + character mean a lot to me, because they helped me accept that I was a lesbian as well as stopped me from hating myself because of my sexual orientation. Representation matters y’all!🏳️‍🌈 BEAR SHOCK!!✨

[potnialabyrinthoio95]

Non ho visto quest'anime, ma questo articolo mi ha invogliato a vederlo.

I didn't watch this anime, but this article has enticed me to watch it.

Becoming Monstrous: Yurikuma Arashi and transmisogyny in the school system

Content Warning: Discussion of queer/transphobia (including slurs), online and workplace harassment, grooming, systemic violence

Spoilers for Yurikuma Arashi, referenced spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica

“This is the nature of systems: the moment you reject them, you are forced to realize that they’re the very ground you’re standing on.” -Ikuhara Kunihiko

Two bears are presented with a choice: will you be invisible, or will you eat humans? They look like teddy bears, and they are on trial. wo girl bears–two lesbian girls–Ginko and Lily, standing before three male judges deciding whether or not they should have the right to exist. In order to have their love approved, they declare: they will eat humans. They transform, taking on human form as they don hypersexualized bear girl outfits, and they enter the world of the school.

Yurikuma Arashi places this strange set-piece towards the middle of its first three episodes. It exemplifies the show’s style, told as it is in enigmatic parables. Ostensibly, Yurikuma is about a human girl named Kureha seeking answers about the deaths of her mother and girlfriend while getting into a love triangle involving the two bears who have infiltrated her school disguised as humans.

However, everything in Yurikuma Arashi is more symbol than literal representation, and I have often mulled over its meaning as I’ve navigated entering the teaching profession as a nonbinary Chinese person. Like the bears, I’ve often asked myself: what do I sacrifice to be allowed to exist within the school?

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[puellamagishowdown]

Round 2 Has Finished!

Hey, no tiebreakers this time!

Not much to say this time. Most of the results were what I expected but I do have some questions about others (please feel free to answer said questions).

If you would like to see the percentages and some commentary, continue reading. If not, I will see you soon for round 3.

Ayame Mikuri (51.9%) vs Miyuri Yukari

Pia Undo vs Tsubasa Hanekawa (75.2%) - I know nothing about Divine Gate, but I do think Pia's outfit is quite cute. A little sad she lost.

Toyo vs Madoka Kaname (84.3%)

Livia Medeiros (50.7%) vs Rena Minami - ... Really? Alright then.

Sana Futaba (78.3%) vs Asahi Miura

Kaede Akino (56.8%) vs Sudachi Suwa

Mikoto Sena (51.7%) vs Hotaru Yura

Saki Asami vs Mikage Yakumo (82.6%)

Sasara Minagi vs Amaryllis (81.1%) - This was a much larger gap than I expected. Is her story that good or do people mostly just like the design better?

Ren Isuzu (76.3%) vs Kokoro Awane

Kuro vs Nanaka Tokiwa (70.9%)

Kagari Hinata vs Alina Gray (85.7%)

Mikura Komachi vs Yu (76.9%) - Please, I am begging someone to tell me why Yu. Why is she so popular? It can't be because she's a serial killer, other serial killer magical girls have lost this already.

Himena Aika (62.5%) vs Sayuki Fumino

Ashley Taylor (70.7%) vs Meiyui Chun

Mel Anna (77.1%) vs Ryoko Natsu

Hazuki Yusa  vs Eternal Sakura (71.2%)

Mayu Kozue (53.4%) vs Kako Natsume

Rui Mizuki vs Kanoko Yachiyo (64.8%) - Aw man, the resident chuunibyou lost...

Masara Kagami vs Juri Oba (57.3%)

Kyoko Sakura (88.8%) vs Tsubaki Mikoto

Riz Hawkwood (75.4%) vs Kanna Hijiri

Chiharu Hiroe vs Mito Aino (59.2%)

Corbeau vs Tsuruno Yui (70.4%)

Yuma Chitose vs Mitama Yakumo (77.6%)

Yuna Kureha (66.2%) vs Riko Chiaki

Ayaka Mariko (74.6%) vs Meguru Hibiki

Momoko Togame vs Ui Tamaki (52.1%) - This was a little closer than I expected.

Ao Kasane (52.7%) vs Suruga Kanbaru - For a while, I really thought Suruga was going to win this.

Gunhild vs Homura Akemi (85.2%)

Sae Kirino vs Nagisa Momoe (74.3%)

Iroha Tamaki vs Yachiyo Nanami (62%) - It feels early to have two major characters face off, but the RNG willed it. And it wasn't that close.

Seika Kumi vs Nayuta Satomi (52.6%)

Karin Misono (56.7%) vs Kanae Yukino

Konoha Shizumi (68.9%) vs Shigure Miyabi

Oriko Mikuni (76.9%) vs Lapin

Olga vs Mifuyu Azusa (59.5%)

Felicia Mitsuki vs Mami Tomoe (72.2%) - Even against another major side character like Felicia, Mami has dominated. All hail Mami.

Rika Ayano vs Sayaka Miki (66.3%)

Mitsuru Inami vs Ikumi Makino (69.5%)

Kirika Kure (63%) vs Konomi Haruna

[vandalizedai]

SOUND VOLTEX OFFICIAL YURI MASTERPOST:

Compilation of (most) of the small instances of Girls Love/yuri/lesbianism in SDVX. This is by no means a full detailed list of all yuri occurences in game (at least for Kononana in which there are many scenes which I still have to go through translation, for others these scenes are small and not much known!) The ship names are by their english name only, as I'm not fully aware of the japanese ship names.

Konoha x Nana (Kononana):

Relationship status: canonically a couple

Konoha official profile: "It seems that she is attracted to Nana, as occasionally they can be seen together on campus."

Valentine's Day event 2019: "No wonder the students are restless! In the corner of the classroom, there's a black cat girl and a vampire girl being all lovey-dovey, you know?! Talk about a youthful romance! Gyahahaha!"

"This year's confession is very unique! "Ah… I was looking for you. Do you accept this?" With a shy smile she held out her gift. Yes, today is Valentine's Day, the day in which you tell your loved ones about your feelings. Just the two of us in a classroom, we pledge our hearts to each other."

Fluorine x Flowry (Fluoflow)

Relationship status: mutual love (not yet to be confirmed as a couple)

Fluorine official profile: "She went undercover to find out what was going on in the Ludwigian State, but she fell in love with the voice of the diva, learning about the truth in the lyrics of her songs, so she helped in her escape."

Flowry official profile: "They are very close and always think dearly of each other."

Hiyuki-chan x Ondine Shifika Chiha (Onyuki)

Relationship status: one sided love (implied liking from Ondine's part, not much is known about Ondine in general, but their relationship is very yuri)

Ondine official profile: "When she met Hiyuki, she witnessed the ephemeral beauty of glittering ice formed from the water droplets she controls. 'For the first time, tears came out from my eyes… Realizing that it is okay for me to exist.'"

Ortlinde=NBLG=Valkyria x Satan-P*L-Iblis (Satanlinde)

Satan-P*L-Iblis (which I will personally refer to with it/they pronouns) has canonically an unknown gender identity, implied to be out of the binary. nblw can still be yuri.

Relationship status: one sided love from Satan's part, they seem to know each other for a very long time.

Satan official profile: "It seems to have taken a liking to the silver-haired Valkyrie since her days as a human." Honorable mentions: Mystérieux Rouge x Cinema Storia: They seem to be together in a lot of jacket art, in their profiles it is mentioned that they spend a lot of time together. Ms. DD x Sherry F. Arresters: They are coworkers and are always together because of that, Sherry seems to be the only person who knows of DD's true self rather than the flirtarious front she puts on for work.

Kureha x Tsubaki x Mitsuruko: Old ship based on the fact that the three of them are very close friends and were always together in older official artwork.

[witchofanguish]

↓ not having sex, did you pay attention at all

It's suggestive, but that's all it is. We see what gay sex looks like on the lily side of the Species Divide in this very episode, it's hidden away behind curtains and fog. They're not not gay, but they're still tied to their position as lilies.

[randomlonelymusician]

LGBTQ+ Anime Tournament Round 1