Monday, December 26, 2011

Anime of Interest to Yuri Fans in 2011

To make a decent-sized list possible, I had to use series that aren't really necessarily yuri, but are of interest to us- a problem that I will not have with my manga list. As Erica pointed out, the pickings this year are really freaking slim. But there's still some good stuff out there. I'm just listing everything I've tried that has come out this year alphabetically.

A Channel made me fall asleep. Not kidding. That's why I never made it past episode 2.

Fate/Zero wins the Most Delicious Subtext award for Saber's suit and her knightliness towards Irisviel, which some may have noticed I like.

Edit @ 9:23 pm: Whoops, accidentally didn't include the following title earlier.
Ga-Rei-Zero on DVD and Blu Ray: A solid pick for the action fan who likes yuri subtext, dubious though it may be. Just make sure to have tissues on hand at the end.

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere: Malga and Margot win the Best (well, only) Canon Couple of the Year Award. The series that they're in is a piece of crap. Even with a yuri couple in it, I cannot fault anyone for skipping or dropping it. And Malga and Margot don't get very much screen time. (To be fair, Horizon is crammed with characters and most of them don't get any more screen time than Malga and Margot.) But after coolly taking down a flying battle mech in episode 10, Malga and Margot had the only yuri kiss of the year (in front of a sunset, to boot), and it was tender and had actual love behind it. (Fujieda Miyabi likes them too.)

Hourou Musuko is a brilliant coming-of-age series. No magic, no fights, just a cast of likeable people- lgbt (Nitori, Takatsuki, Yuki, Momo, Mako, etc) and not- interacting realistically. This series wins the Show Most Likely To Filter Out People Who Don't Actually Care About LGBT People award. Not to say that not getting into it means that you don't care about lgbt people. But if you meet a non-lgbt person who likes this show, chances are better that they would care about lgbt rights than, say, your average non-lgbt person enjoying the lgbt elements in Kashimashi.


K-ON! on DVD and Blu Ray: Mugi, and a lot of people like slashing the characters.

Koihime Musou seasons 1-3 on DVD: It has a lot of yuri characters. There's a cute canon couple, but they can't really compete for the Best Canon Yuri Couple award because the third (and probably last) Koihime Musou season aired in 2010. I'm not a Sousou fan, but I did like that she outright said that she "only takes women to bed" in that scene with the doctor. How often are yuri characters that plainspoken about being gay, without an "I hate men, icky men are brutes" qualifier, a la Sakura from Kämpfer? Sousou doesn't have anything against men, she just doesn't want to sleep with them. Whatever faults Koihime Musou has, it did that bit right.

Last Exile -Ginkyoku no Fam-: I tried an episode. Aside from the awful opening scene, it was fun, but I didn't stick with it because I was already content with what I was watching at the time.

Mawaru Penguindrum was gripping, intelligent, and frequently poignant to watch, but unlike its older sister Utena, I can't recommend it for its yuri.

Morita-san ha Mukuchi: A cute little show that had some non-obnoxius yuri. The way that Mayu's classmate Yamamoto handled being confessed to by a girl who had one-sided feelings her was nice. If there's one thing that I would be willing to watch another season of this series for, it would be Yamamoto herself admitting that she's gay, which happens later in the manga.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is my Top Yuri Anime of the Year pick. The plot was driven by yuri (won't spoil how), and it was excellent. It doesn't hurt that [spoiler] was an incredible badass in her quest to [spoiler spoiler spoiler]. I expected this series to be kind of lame, but was surprised like almost everyone else by how gripping it became. (Side note: I've shown some anime over the years to my utterly non-otaku dad, like Miyazaki's films, Grave of the Fireflies, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kannazuki no Miko, and Utena- just to share titles that I like and de-mystify my hobby. I showed him Madoka Magica. He was initially intrigued by the crazy visuals, and thought that it was "a terrific show" after I showed him the last episode. Madoka's core base may be hardcore otaku, but it clearly can appeal to people who wouldn't know SHAFT from Gainax and don't know what it's deconstructing.) I was also amused by how similar you-know-who is to a certain character from KnM. I'm looking forward to seeing the alternate direction that the upcoming Madoka Magica movies take.

Revolutionary Girl Utena easily wins Best English-Language Release on DVD or Blu Ray. A yuri classic and one of the best shows ever ever ever, re-released with remastered visuals and audio.

Sengoku Otome had yuri in it.


Sound of the Sky (Sora no Woto) on DVD: As a yuri fan, I had to make soup from stones to see anything in this series. And episode 8 was awful. But as a slice-of-life/war story hybrid with pretty music, it's still enjoyable for me.

Yuruyuri: May it herald other, better Yuri Hime adaptations.


Agree, or have differing opinions? Feel free to share!

16 comments:

A Day Without Me said...

I'm excited all over again about the fact that I am FINALLY going to be able to watch the second half of Fate/Zero.

The fact that YuruYuri is getting a second season, and I know things like Hourou Musuko or Un-Go never will is fairly distressing.

Katherine Hanson said...

@A Day Without Me- Yeah. *sigh* (I've heard that Un-Go gets better after the first ep, but never got around to watching more because- as with the new Last Exile series- I was already happy with what I had lined up to watch for the fall.)

At least we can look forward to the second season of Fate/Zero (and the Saki spin-off) this spring. XD Hope you enjoy catching up on it!

FurrySaint said...

Your comment about Hourou Musuko filtering people works with the manga as well. (I haven't seen the anime yet, since I want to read more of the manga first.) I got about 2/3 of the way through the first English volume and was HOOKED. And really, I didn't expect to be. I loaned it to my friend who liked Kashimashi and he didn't care for it. XD

Katherine Hanson said...

@FurrySaint- lol Wow, that's an unexpectedly apt anecdote.

When you do get to the anime, I'm sure you'll love it also. It really does the manga justice.

shezaei_neko said...

I have to thank you for giving so good and interesting comments on Puella Magi Madoka Magica that made me watch it right away. I watched 8 episodes in 1 day and I really liked it, so I thank you for this recommendation. ^_^

Katherine Hanson said...

@shezaei_neko- My pleasure! I'm glad you found something new you like.

Sheldor said...

I'm having "Well, when you put it that way" feelings. It's not so bad when you line them all up like that. Madoka is basically hands down the anime of the year and that had some very serious Yuri levels. That's really awesome when you think about it. Fate Zero, Last Exile, these are satisfying.

Could I make a request? If you ever end up watching the original Last Exile can you let me know. I can't trust my own reactions to certain things. I want to know if I'm crazy.

Have you been wearing your Utena ring?

Oh and Happy New Year! Thanks for your hard work!

Katherine Hanson said...

@Sheldor- Thanks! Happy New Year to you too! :D

Yes...I'm loving the ring. <3

I've watched the original Last Exile...but years ago. ^^; What were you confused about?

Sheldor said...

Oh great! I was just curious what you thought about Tatiana and Alister?

Katherine Hanson said...

@Sheldor- I saw them as best friends with potential for more. They had some moments that made me go "Hmmm" (and that eau de butch-femme between them), but nothing that made me go "OMG OMG! Ship ship ship!" What about you?

Sheldor said...

Well they got me into Yuri actually. It wasn't so much that I shipped them so intently but I was drawn to them and I couldn't get the feeling out of my head that they should be together. The Yuri fangirl in me was roused you could say. So I said, "Wait, wouldn't there be an entire genre about this?" and then I found Aoi Hana etc. Yeah so I'm just really partial to them for that reason and wondered your opinion on them.

Do you have/would you ever consider getting a MAL account? I'd love to check out all the things you've watched an ratings :)

Katherine Hanson said...

@Sheldor- Oh! Wow, so the new season of Last Exile must have been a must-watch for you since Tatiana and Alister are in it also. (Your story reminds me of this article, which you've probably already seen if you read Afterellen: http://www.afterellen.com/tv/does-lesbian-subtext-still-matter)

I don't have an MAL account. I don't think I'll open one because the idea of thinking back over everything I've watched at this point and trying to give it a number is... @__@ (Sounds weird coming from a reviewer, I know.) "I'd love to check out all the things you've watched an ratings" <- I'm flattered, though!

Sheldor said...

Dude I lost my sh*t when I saw them! They are so married it’s not funny.

Yep, that’s definitely me projecting there - I agree with that article you linked that projecting is fine as long as you don’t get hung up on unrealistic expectations. Easier said than done. I’d argue though that it’s rather easy to tell the difference between true lesbian/Yuri subtext which is by design and therefore should bear a weight of responsibility to the viewer - compared to a series where you’re given opportunity to inject a little subtext for fun. As long as you learn the distinction you can keep it fun and safe and avoid those telltale crushing blows of disappointment.

I must find that Times article on fanfiction, I’m a fanfiction aficionado!

“I’m flattered, though!” - Of course, you have excellent taste! MAL isn’t for everyone but I love the structure of it all. Makes me feel like all the time I spend/waste watching anime and reading manga has a purpose… or something lol.

Thanks for your time answering my off-topic question, I appreciate it!

Katherine Hanson said...

@Sheldor- No prob! Yeah, I can see the appeal of MAL for people who join it from that point of view.

"They are so married it’s not funny." <- Hoho?

"Easier said than done." Indeed. >_>;

"I’d argue though that it’s rather easy to tell the difference between true lesbian/Yuri subtext which is by design and therefore should bear a weight of responsibility to the viewer - compared to a series where you’re given opportunity to inject a little subtext for fun. As long as you learn the distinction you can keep it fun and safe and avoid those telltale crushing blows of disappointment." I agree with that also.

A Times article on fanfic? Sounds interesting. I used to read it a lot (Younger Katherine scouring the internet: "Huh, Lemon. What does that mean? *reads* ... o_o"), but now I'm pickier. (Same story as just about every person who's read fanfic, I'm sure.) A friend once showed me how making the computer read angsty, horribly written fanfic out loud makes it really funny. (Or maybe we just have a twisted sense of humor. Admittedly, I myself have written fanfic that I never want to see the light of day.) Just putting that out there.

Sheldor said...

"Hoho?" - Well... *shuffles feet* I think so. I could build a case for them. I have the screen shots.

Haha, I probably sounded alot more analytical than I really am. I still get my heart broken from time to time from investing too heavily into the wrong ship. I'm a sorry sight when that happens. Damn my shipper heart!

You read fanfiction too? This is joyous news! The problem with growing up with fanfiction is that inevitably (or hopefully, rather) your standards develop with age. This is problematic as the general quality of fanfiction rigidly doesn't. My friend aptly put it once that fanfiction is all about mastering how to find what you're looking for. I'm a freakin' computer when it comes to filtering fanfiction. I can scan a page and without a seed of doubt know that there's nothing on it worth my time and swiftly move onto the next. These are skills you must develop if you plan on reading fanfiction past the age of 14. It's really sad though. I remember the days when I could spend a session actually, you know - reading fanfiction, now most my time is spent weeding out the crap. You can still find gems, and when you love fanfiction like me you know that finding an amazing fic is worth all the wait and the torture you had to wade through to get to it. That's the fun of it all. Plus, I'm a shipper, fanfiction is my bread and butter.

Oh god... don't ever get me started on fanfiction. This was much longer, I had to deleted entire paragraphs as they were barely relevant and just me reminiscing at your expense haha.

"A friend once showed me how making the computer read angsty, horribly written fanfic out loud makes it really funny." - That's classic! I need to find a way to dispurse fanfiction related tension. I may just borrow that one.

"Admittedly, I myself have written fanfic that I never want to see the light of day." - Comrade. That's all I'll say on the subject...

Katherine Hanson said...

@Sheldor- "I have the screen shots." Haha, I'm sure you do. (*glances at my own folders for certain pairings* *coughs*)

"I still get my heart broken from time to time from investing too heavily into the wrong ship." *nods sympathetically*

"These are skills you must develop if you plan on reading fanfiction past the age of 14." This. Oh my goodness, so much garbage out there. But as you said, the gems are worth it.