#yuri anime review

[halcyon-hyacinth]

Lycoris Recoil: A Gripping Gun Girl Anime Full of Heart

INTRO

I first watched Lycoris Recoil in 2023, a year after it originally aired. 

I couldn’t get past the first episode. I don’t remember why exactly, but thinking about it now I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for it. It’s not like the show is super intense, but I just couldn’t get into it. The cheery nature of one of the protagonists, Chisato, made me think it’d be a bit too fluffy and moe for my taste. (Of course, I later found that I was dead wrong, on both counts). 

I tried again in mid 2024 and binged it over the course of a few days. I was HOOKED. Yuri pilled, you could say. Lycoris Recoil is a well-written and fun show as a whole, but the compelling character dynamics—specifically between Chisato and Takina is what made me fall in love with the story. 

THE STORY

Lycoris Recoil follows a group called Lycoris, who are orphaned teenage girls tasked by the Japanese government to uphold public safety… with guns and bullets. Within the first few minutes of the first episode, you see a montage of these highly trained assassins disguised in high school uniforms covertly taking out potential domestic terrorist threats.

It fucking rocks. 

We are first introduced to Takina Inoue, who is on a mission to recover a batch of stolen illegal weaponry. One of her fellow Lycoris is taken hostage by the villains, and rather than wait for backup or follow orders from HQ, she elects to pick up a machine gun and take them all out. 

Thankfully, the Lycoris taken hostage is unhurt. But that doesn’t stop Takina from being reprimanded by her peers and the higher ups. She’s docked and reassigned to LycoReco Cafe with the top Lycoris as her new partner—Chisato Nishikigi. 

THE CHARACTERS

Takina starts out from a point of wanting to get back to HQ at any cost. She is fully invested in the mission of the Lycoris, and doesn’t have a sense of purpose outside of it. It’s not until she meets Chisato that she’s confronted with the possibility of her life meaning more than that. Chisato challenges her sense of self and encourages her to connect with others. As her first real friend, Chisato shows Takina how to have fun, and they grow closer over the duration of the show. 

Without spoiling too much about Chisato’s backstory and her major personal conflict that takes over the latter half of the show, what I can say is that there’s more to her than meets the eye. She initially comes off as a positivity-oriented, unserious person who wants to enjoy herself first and foremost. But there’s a reason she substitutes real bullets for rubber ones. She deeply values the lives of others, and refuses to kill even though her profession demands otherwise. 

Over the course of the show, Chisato helps Takina open up to the world. Takina, a normally serious and stoic person, begins to smile and laugh more often. She no longer simply humors Chisato’s antics, she delights in them. However their relationship isn’t entirely one-sided—Takina is also Chisato’s first friend. Her newfound presence in Chisato’s life washes away the feelings of loneliness Chisato has suffered from her entire life due to her status as Lycoris’ prodigy. She has also struggled to form meaningful connections with those her own age due to her bluntness and steadfast adherence to her ideals, which clash with those of the top brass. 

THE PLOT

In the first five episodes, we are introduced to the world and its players. The supporting cast is absolutely incredible. They have unique personalities and their own goals within the scope of the story. I really don’t want to spoil the plot and what happens, but I will say that episode five’s major reveal regarding Chisato’s backstory turns everything on its head and raises the stakes in a really exciting way—even if you don’t see the full picture yet. 

Chisato will be forced to reckon with her ideology on a personal and professional level. She clashes with Takina and Mika (her mentor and father) about her life choices. She clashes against Majima, who seeks to expose the truth of the Lycoris to the world. Meanwhile, Takina will be forced to choose between returning to Lycoris HQ or Chisato.

There’s cool gun fights, and a pretty awesome final battle. There’s a slowburn strangers to friends to lovers arc that’s pretty much all but confirmed between Chisato and Takina. Chisato also has two divorced dads whose complicated relationship causes the central conflict in the show. If you’re looking for a fun yuri anime, that's an action-packed romp with emotionally compelling themes and characters, this show is for you. 

CONCLUSION

“There are things you can gain after losing something.”

This direct quote from the show applies to both Chisato and Takina, and what they eventually become to one another. The season finale is satisfying on a character and story level, but open to further exploration (which is great, because more content is on the way!) I won’t say more than that simply because I think the show is in its best form when experienced blind. I hope you’ll give it a chance (or even a second chance) like I did. It’s well worth the experience. 

[alexissara]

Kakegurui Twin Season 1 Quick Review

Kakeguri Twin is hornier then my normal anime affair but by far not the horinest thing I have ever engaged. The show is simple it's Jojo but with thirsty lesbians gambling and also there is 1 guy character who is a villain. It's a prequel to the main series which I have no interest at all in watching but this show itself is utterly loaded with sapphic goodies that are very clear and explicit. However, both characters who have explicitly sapphic desire are also not openly requited by the objects of their affection. One is a very horny and jealous sub and the other is a sweet and shy girl who wants to be our main characters Princess. The two parallel each other as new characters who are in love with one of the main shakers and movers of the worlds. Contrasted by how they are treated by their beloveds and their desires for what they want their relationship to look like with their respective woman.

Mary Saotome is our main character and the woman Tsuzura Hanatemari loves. She is such a fun protagonist, it's like what if an Enemy Stand User in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure was the hero of a story. Each gambling battle is intense and a clash between different forms of cheating. Her wit, arrogance and flaws all bring her into the light of being a very fun character. Tsuzura is in contrast a very subdued character who doesn't take up a lot of spotlight. The two work both as a couple with an evolving relationship built on Mary trying to make Tsuzura see herself as an equal to herself and both their growth as people. The series if only 6 episodes so far so there isn't a ton there to watch but in the six episodes both grow a lot as does their relationship from Childhood friends to truly trusting partners in gambling crime.

Kakegurui Twin has an amazing opening theme with an amazing presentation. The show in general is a visual and audio delight clearly produced with the upmost affection and care to detail. Everything is really amazing and makes a show about throwing some dice, fucking with cards and mind games into something delightful to see. It does get horny sometimes and these are teen anime girls with big boobs and all of that stuff. However, it also let's it's characters get really ugly with really expressive faces and in-depth animation that overtakes any fan service or cheese cake for me.

This is clearly a show that wants to say something about relationships, kindness, structures of powers, and more. It's wildly fascinating to see it handle all these themes at least decently within the six episodes. Things could easily go down hill but I'm all in, ready to hedge my bets on this silly little gambling anime as being a top tier show and a solid Yuri series.

[lgbtpopcult]

Best WLW animated shows 2023

Harley Quinn

The Owl House

I'm in Love with the Villainess

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

Rwby

Disenchantment

Yuri is my Job

[itslilacokay]

i got possessed and digitally drew another school doodle

[yurimother]

'I'm in Love with the Villainess' Anime - Episode 1 Review

An astounding and hilarious first outing for the series with the power to revolutionize Yuri

We are finally here, the long-awaited and much anticipated first episode of Platinum Vision’s I’m in Love with the Villainess anime aired on Tokyo MX and is streaming everywhere outside of Asia with a plethora of dubbing options, including English, on day one on Crunchyroll.

The first outing covers most of the events of the light novel’s first chapter, or the first three chapters of the manga, at a rapid but steady and not overwhelming pace. At this rate, the anime should be able to cover much of the series’ first arc, or the first two out of five books, in a single cour. Perhaps a bit less, depending on which of the story’s various adventures it elects to include. This is an exciting possibility, to be sure, as the story is a character-driven, socially mindful, and expertly written and, despite its fantasy setting, an exceptionally relevant tale of romance, socio-economic inequality, and of course, queerness.

While the first arc of Villainess is a triumph, it would be a shame not to see at least some of the developments from the extra chapters that lead into the second story, like (spoilers for the end of volume 2) Rae and Claire’s wedding and their adopted twin daughters May and Aleah. If we are lucky, perhaps they will appear in the final episode or, dare to dream, a second season (end of spoilers).

Now, onto the show itself. For those who, for whatever reason, have not read Inori’s masterpiece, I’m in Love with the Villainess follows Rae Taylor. A salary worker who dies and is reincarnated as the protagonist of her favorite otome game, Revolution. However, Rae has no interest in any of the game world’s three eligible royal bachelors and has eyes only for the game villainess Claire François. Armed with exceptionally magical ability, Rae sets out determined to secure a happy ending for her beloved Claire against the coming revolution and perhaps win her heart in the process.

Now, the opening of I’m in Love with the Villainess is the series' weakest moment in all mediums, which, considering episode one’s outstanding quality, only highlights just how superb the Yuri masterpiece is as a whole. Even with its need to establish the setting, characters, and premise of the series, the premiere managed to be an excellent introduction and set the bar high with lots of laughs, entertainment, and service between our two leads.

I watched the Japanese audio, and Yu Serizawa and Karin Nanami are fantastic in these roles, with Serizawa playing up Rae’s teasing adoration and borderline masochism at full blast, and Nanami explicitly giving voice to Claire’s arrogance and frustration. She even manages to deliver a perfect Ojou-style laugh to seal the character’s elite status and lean into the show’s use of otome tropes. And having the leads sing the excellent opening and ending themes is just icing on the cake.

Speaking of tropes, while Ironi’s original work is a genre-defying masterpiece that broke the Yuri mold, it is never afraid to play with the genre’s iconography and its otome game setting. Every other scene had another allusion, including to the book’s cover. As always, I am likely overeager to see connections, however intentional they may be, but the academy’s halls harken to otome staples, the bells and strings of the first scene's soundtrack conjured blistering memories of Strawberry Panic (perhaps a sacrilegious comparison to make but I digress), and even an areal shot of the campus was another check mark on my “Scenic Yuri” theory.

Now, as mentioned, I’m in Love with the Villainess has to establish the groundwork here, and narratively, these are the weakest moments, often direct exposition, with a few exceptions like Rae’s conversation with her roommate Mash about maintaining Claire’s attention. The narration is at least accompanied by relevant and creative, if perhaps limited, animation. But to their credit, these moments are succinct, existing only as long as they have to in order to provide the necessary information and get out of the way for what matters most: the characters.

Rae and Claire are front and center from the very get-go, and there is little time wasted in showcasing Rae’s intense bottom energy or establishing Claire’s elitism and bewildered anger towards Rae’s excitement in the face of Claire’s carefully calculated cruelty. It is a montage of silly and fun competitions between the two that had me laughing and smiling all the way through, as the Yuri was present in full force, and gives glimpses at the mutual obsession the women have for each other that will soon blossom into a wonderful romance.

These early story beats have a light tone and focus on the bullying, teasing, and rivalry between Rae and Claire, a dynamic that previously and understandably made a subset of readers somewhat uncomfortable. However, assuming the anime unfolds in a similar manner to the manga and light novels, the narrative will explore meatier, heavier subject matter and a far deeper lesbian romance, all without losing its sense of fun and adventure. The next episode or two will be incredibly telling - as the source material is perhaps the most profound and forthright depictions of LGBTQ identity in Yuri, and that all starts with a pivotal conversation that, if it is included, will be coming up shortly.

Overall, I am incredibly excited for this series. The first episode is everything I had hoped for out of an adaptation of one of my favorite works of all time, save the animation, which is average at best. While there is a lot more to see, and we will have to wait to know if I’m in Love with the Villainess lives up to its incredible potential and source material, I am extremely hopeful. We have one of the funniest, most thoughtful, and queerest works of Yuri transformed into a stunning anime project unlike anything that has come before and offers the chance at not just a new Yuri “gateway” but to continue the work of its source material in revolutionizing the genre.

Ratings: Story – 8 Characters – 10 Art – 5 LGBTQ – We shall see… Sexual Content – 3 Final – 8

I'm in Love with the Villainess is streaming on Crunchyroll with English sub/dub.

Review made possible by Avery Riehl and the rest of the YuriMother Patrons. Support YuriMother on Patreon for early access, exclusive article, and more: patreon.com/yurimother

[ebi-hime]

Posting this goofy tiktok I made a couple of days ago cause it amused me...

What negative Steam reviews tend to look like on VNs, feat. the gravedigger from It gets so lonely here 🙏

[haysey-draws]

Ann's Reviews are BACK!

As always you can find ALL my comic's for FREE on my Paidtreon and collected under the collection tab.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Fall 2023 Anime Overview: I'm in Love with the Villainess

Premise: Rae is reincarnated as the heroine of her favorite dating sim. But she has no interest in romancing any of the boys- she's head over heels for Claire Francois, the villainess of the game. Claire is horrified to find the major target of her bullying suddenly enjoys it, often pleading "step on me harder". But Rae isn't just here to flirt with Claire- she has a plan to save her beloved from a horrible fate.

I'm allowed to have a problematic gay fave. In fact, I would call it my right as a lesbian. And I enjoy I'm in Love with a Villainess a lot, despite some bumps in the road. It's tropey as all get out and a story that shows signs of having an inexperienced author, but it has real heart to it, it's full of joy, and connects with me in surprising way.

I'll try not to ramble too much, since I'm planning on writing a longer article on this series-- so keep your eyes peeled.

I'm in Love with the Villainess might not always be polished or expertly crafted, but it is very fun and entertaining. Rae ignoring all the male love interests to stan for her mean girl fave is ultra relatable to me, and her gremlin energy is off the charts. Claire is also a super fun character-- if you love ridiculous ojou-sama characters, she is max ojou sama. But she's also hiding a lot of insecurity and of course, a secret soft side-- her character arc over the course of the series is really satisfying.

However, Rae's pushiness might be a sticking point for some. Her worst moments are mostly contained to episode 2 where she does inexcusable things like ogling Claire while she's changing (against Claire's wishes) after having wriggled her way into a position as her maid (against Claire's wishes, though Rae does have secret noble reasons for that one). This is her worst moment and she calms down a bit from there as the story starts to find itself. Her pushiness remains, but gets a bit less uncomfortable as it becomes clear Claire likes her too.

This pushiness clashes a bit with a really interesting thing ILTV does--which is engage bluntly and honestly with homophobia and stereotypes. There's a great moment in episode three where the series. Rae is asked point blank if she's gay, she responds yes. When Claire moves away from her in response, it's pointed out to her that's a form of homophobia, and it's pointed out how screwed up it is to believe anyone who's gay is automatically going to creep on every girl they see. Rae also gently corrects someone who gives her the common "she just happened to be a woman, you're just falling in love with the person right? Your love just transcends gender?" line, (which is a common line that's used to avoid talking about queerness directly in manga and anime) with "no, I'm a lesbian, I only fall in love with women."

And yes, homophobes got big mad at this scene. How dare a yuri anime be gay! I'm in Love with the Villainess does not let homophobic yuri fans feel safe.

It's really refreshing to see a silly isekai series directly engage with stereotypes and lesbian issues like this, and it was a very pleasant surprise when I read the novels.

However, this message is a little muddled by the fact Rae did harass Claire, so Claire has every right to feel uncomfortable around her. The show does acknowledge this. The story makes it clear it knows Claire has a right to distrust Rae and it's her responding badly specifically to Rae saying she's gay is the problem. But it's still very weird to simultaneously have a "gay people aren't automatically predators!!!" coupled with "well also our gay main character does commit a little sexual harassment sometimes".

(Some of this weirdness could have been rectified if the story had character besides Claire act badly to Rae saying she was gay, and have them get the lecture, since the point was supposed to be that gay people don't hit on every member of the same gender they meet...but again, that point falls flat if the lecture recipient is Claire, since Rae has already been hitting on her).

I don't really begrudge the author this- Inori was obviously just engaging in the unfortunately typical anime tropes, but also decided to also use her story to passionately educate about and defend gay people and couldn't quite reconcile the dissonance. However, it is very "have your cake and eat it too".

But ILTV does do a very interesting thing with the common anime trope of the overly demonstrative lesbian character who does wacky hijinks and declares her love in a "funny" way. Rae reveals she's so used to being treated badly and rejected by friends and crushes for being gay that she treats her feelings as big joke as a defense mechanism. Because she’s so used to being rejected for her sexuality, she’s given up on earnestly pursuing Claire from the beginning. She doesn’t think she has a shot and she doesn’t want to risk being rejected. However, if she’s loud and obnoxious about her love for Claire, the inevitable rejection doesn’t hurt so much.

She makes it so Claire’s rejecting her for being a weirdo, not because she’s gay. If it's a joke, then when everyone laughs at it and dismisses it, it doesn’t hurt…and she can still be honest about and open about being gay. She can fool even herself and stay around Claire without any of that heartbreak and awkwardness that destroyed relationships the other times she confessed her love.

Rae's arc throughout the show is overcoming her assumption that Claire would be happier with a man and there's no point in earnestly courting her. She's so used to being degraded, she thinks it's impossible she could give Claire a good life and impossible that her real feelings will be accepted.

It doesn't excuse Rae's actions, but it does make her a very interesting character, and one that's meaningful to me as a lesbian. It adds surprising depth to a usually tired trope.

There's also some other interesting aspects of the anime, like how Rae simps for Claire but doesn't simp for her classism. She often gently challenges her on it, and the "commoner uprising" plot, while pretty weirdly paced and (temporarily) resolved, does treat the commoners sympathetically. Considering how other kinds of isekai regularly excuse shit like buying slaves, it's nice to see one that very much sympathizes with marginalized.

Though the commoner uprising plot does lead us to the other huge caveat with the anime- incest. Yeesh. There's a plot twist where it's revealed that side characters are in an incestuous relationship, and they're treated as tragic and sympathetic, they have a love that cannot be accepted, etc. The anime makes this worse by having Rae say "homosexuality isn't the only kind of forbidden love", which (unintentionally?) equates queerness and incest, which is something homophobes often do too. (The novels aren't innocent either, Rae laments "Why can't people be free to love who they want" at one point in a way that less explicitly equates the two things). However I was able to stand this because it's mainly executed as a plot twist. We don't get any details about the character's relationships, we barely see them even stand next to each other, and they're out of the plot fairly quickly. I can absolutely see this being a deal breaker for someone less numb to anime bullshit through.

And finally, a character comes in who acts fairly manipulative and skeezy towards Rae herself, though the drama she does stoke is great stuff.

So yes, I mean it when I say it has problems! But I find the fun shenanigans, blatant lesbian wish fulfillment, honest advocation for queer people, and the joy and earnestness of the series worth it enough I can grit my teeth through it all. It should also be noted that Inori, the author, is a trans lesbian, and that's another big reason why this is so special to many people-- it's a lot easier to forgive a new author for some uneven writing when she has a stake in telling queer stories.

The anime is obviously one that doesn't have a lot of resources (and I missed some of Rae's interior monologue, which gets more into what a nerd girl she is) but it does a decent job with what it had (though I would have liked it to condense or cut some of the magic duels and Rae doing harassment to focus more on the stories strengths, but alas). I have my fingers crossed for a second season, but the yuri don't tend to get those, so I'm not holding my breath.

Is ILTV's pacing sometimes weird? Yes, the commoner uprising doesn't get as much attention as it should. Is it sometimes clumsy? Oh yes. Do I still get a joy like no other when Rae kicks aside the screen prompting her to choose a male interest to yell for Claire instead, or when she fantasizes about herself and Claire being warriors together? Hell yes.

ILTV is often silly, often flawed, but you know what, queer people get to have our silly, flawed, but still occasionally touching stories as well. Straight people have has a monopoly on it too long. It's not a series for everyone, but it's a series that spoke to some struggling queer people regardless, and it's a series that makes me smile, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

[ecargmura]

Whisper Me A Love Song Episode 11 Review - The Walking Contradiction

After a six-month delay, Whisper Me A Love Song has returned with its final two episodes! Man, it’s a good thing that I write episode reviews for this show because if I just jumped into Episode 11 and forgot what Episode 10 was about, I’d be confused as heck. Glad I wrote a review of the previous episode which helped me get my brain rolling again.

So yeah, episode 11 is just Himari trying to mend Shiho and Aki’s relationship as she feels as if she overstepped her boundaries. Shiho and Aki finally manage to talk and Aki learns of Shiho’s crush on her, which makes her conflicted.

I get why Shiho acts the way she does. She’s a prideful individual. She has the mindset of being vulnerable equates to losing. That’s why she never admits things are her fault and blames others for not noticing her feelings. It does get complicated, but Shiho is a walking contradiction. What she says and does doesn’t equate to what she really wants. She only shows her rather vulnerable side to Himari. Despite her complexities, she’s become my absolute favorite character in this story.

I think my only issue with this episode is that the YoriHima moments are very scarce as the episode more focuses on Shiho and Himari and not the actual canon pairs. While the YoriHima parts are super cute, but it does make it feel a little out of place, especially given that Himari is trying to help Shiho with her love problems. Don’t get me wrong. I am rooting for Shiho and Aki to get together, yet Shiho’s so bad at communicating that it does get a little frustrating. Despite that, Shiho is still really interesting because she’s such a prideful person. Though, I can’t fault Shiho as Aki is pretty oblivious in general.

Also, if you are a Sasakoi fan, please let me know if Hajime and Momoka will be a thing because I can sense tension and chemistry between these two, but Momoka was Kyou’s ex. That’s also another thing—the anime focuses a lot on relationships between other characters that the canon pairs feel sidelined. Like, Momoka and Kyou were girlfriends, yet we never see them interact in flashbacks as it was more of a tell and not show sort of thing.

Also, what is with this anime and its tendency to drown out the featured song with thoughts? They did it in Episode 6 and now this one. If you’re supposed to be a band anime, LET PEOPLE LISTEN TO THE SONG FIRST AND THEN THE THOUGHTS CAN BE DROWNED OUT! This is how songs get stuck in your head! Like, I don’t remember anything about Sunny Spot because the whole sequence was drowned out by Yori’s thoughts. However, I remember Meritocracy and the song is stuck in my head because there are less thoughts drowning out the song. I don’t even  remember what the song featured in this episode was because it was drowned out towards the end.

But yeah, this was a good buildup for the finale in a way. I can’t wait to see what will happen during SSGirls’s stint. Will Aki finally realize her feelings for Shiho or will she still be dense as heck?

[ratical-crazed-sock-gremlin]

I've finished the anime Yuri on ice.

MAPPA!! GIVE US ANOTHER SEASON, AND MY LIFE,! IS YOURS!!

Genuinely peak BL fiction. 10/10.

All the characters are lovable and the humor is top notch.

[the-anime-void]

I cannot talk enough about how much I simply adore this series!

[pinkarachnia]

Not even an anime review

I’m just thinking about these lesbians again. Still going to use the tag though.

So I watched the contrapoints video about twilight and it’s got me thinking about Sweet Blue Flowers again. Specifically, I’m fixated on this one scene, where “prince of the school” character Yasuko Sugimoto is at home with her family and her older sister calls her a bisexual and Sugimoto, clearly offended, gets up and leaves to go to her room.

I’ve been stewing on this after having some time to think on the contrapoints video because of its discussion of typical heteronormative gender roles in relationships, and because of what this accusation means for Sugimoto and what her sister is actually accusing her of.

For those who haven’t watched the anime or read the manga, Sugimoto is a character with a complex internal struggle going on. At her all-girls school she’s occupying the role of the handsome girl acting as the kind of male surrogate and she’s fawned over by a lot of her schoolmates who frequently vie for her attention and affection. She embraces this role and will often flirt back, and at one point in the plot pursues a relationship with one of the main characters, Fumi Manjoume. The bisexual scene happens when she introduces Fumi to her family as her girlfriend.

It’s more complicated because throughout this plot, it’s revealed that Sugimoto has long been yearning for a relationship with Masanori Kagami, a male teacher at her school who is engaged to another of her sisters (not the one who calls her bi). Sugimoto does not broadcast this information about herself and largely keeps it hidden. It’s the fact that she keeps this relationship hidden when juxtaposed with how she projects herself in public that I find fascinating and it’s key to why she’s so offended at being called bisexual.

Sugimoto is confronted by the two sides of her that are in conflict; her confident, dominant and masculine Prince persona who maintains a kind of position of power through her popularity and reputation, and the side of her who yearns for someone unattainable for whom she wants to be seen as a woman and a potential lover.

In her dynamic with Kagami, Sugimoto isn’t in the position of power; she doesn’t get to choose her partner like she does when she’s at school, she’s the one who wants to be chosen. And it’s clear that her feelings for Kagami are hurting her - with his wedding looming and no apparent changes to their dynamic, it seems highly unlikely that her feelings are going to be reciprocated, but even when she starts a relationship with Manjoume, those feelings don’t go away.

I think it’s because she holds onto these feelings despite how they’re clearly bad for her that makes this Sugimoto feel like the more authentic one. It makes the face she wears at school feel like an act, like she’s performing a role, and in considering why she would play this character it seems like it can only be for herself. It doesn’t seem like anyone else really benefits from it, unless all her fans getting to have a crush on her counts as a benefit.

I receive:

Catharsis from emulating a position of power

Your love and attention

A girlfriend

You receive:

A crush on me

So when she’s told she’s bisexual it’s a bit more than an “I know what you are” moment. From the sister’s perspective it might just mean “I know you like/d that guy though”, but for Sugimoto it challenges her perception of herself. If she was a lesbian then she would only be her confident self, beloved by all, but the bisexual Sugimoto is hiding and wounded and masking her grief.

I don’t know whether I think this conflict bleeds into Sugimoto’s perception of the masculine and feminine self and I feel like it might be unfair to chalk all this up to internalised misogyny, but it’s a possibility. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the version of herself she’s proud of is the one that displays her more masculine traits, gets cast to play men in the school play, and romances women, where the side she rejects wants to be perceived as a woman by an adult man. It’s entirely possible that she hides this because she’s just embarrassed to be the one doing the yearning and not because she’s embarrassed to be acting in the kind of role typically assigned to women in heteronormative romance dynamics, but I think it could be either or both.

I think that’s more or less all my thoughts out of my system. If you took the time to read it then cool, thanks! I don’t think I’m saying anything too groundbreaking or deeply insightful here but I needed to eject this from my brain so I can be normal again.

Next I’ll write a real review I promise.

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the Day Pride Month New Anime: Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou.

Alt title: I'm in Love with the Villainess

Status: Not yet aired

Rei Oohashi, an everyday office worker, awakens in the body of Revolution, the main character from her favorite otome game. She is delighted when Claire Francois, the story's major adversary, is the first person to welcome her. Rei is now determined to fall in love with Claire rather than the game's male leads. But how will this fresh romance be received by her evil ladylove?

[saibas-yuri-review]

Yuri haul! The last one is wrapped... exciting!! Can't wait to write my review on this series, but first, I have a pretty scathing review on a certain oneoff coming up. Stay tuned!

[paulisweeabootrash]

More physical media going out of print, including two that really shock me -- Cardcaptor Sakura and Toradora. We're increasingly at the mercy of whether licensing keeps getting renewed and whether the declining number of streaming services feel like keeping a show online if we ever want to rewatch something.