| Very soon tonight airs the first episode of a new Ikuhara Kunihiko's show called Yuri Kuma Arashi. Considering the information we already have from the manga, the official yurikuma website as well as from the director's previous works, I believe it's the right time to start the speculation, predictions, and even post possible symbolism explanations. At the very least, it's the perfect time to point out the key symbols of the series, i.e. what is there to be especially aware of while watching the show. I'll do this by writing my own understanding of the show I've got so far and highlighting with bold the key aspects, their relationships as well as their possible explanations. Some of them will be references to Ikuhara-sensei's previous works such as the Penguindrum or Utena so expect mild spoilers. Please, keep in mind that everything you read below is pure speculation based on my own analysis. Read more at http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=765897#5yRDOV1E8UxH1ERG.99 |
| They are lesbians, that's literally all there's to it. |
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Paulo27 said: They are lesbians, that's literally all there's to it. They are bear lesbians! |
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Paulo27 said: They are lesbians, that's literally all there's to it. Ikuhara shows usually have a lot of underlying themes to them. So it probably won't just be yuri. |
| lesbian bears is the theme of the show duh |
Solkiskey said: but until then, it's just yuriPaulo27 said: They are lesbians, that's literally all there's to it. Ikuhara shows usually have a lot of underlying themes to them. So it probably won't just be yuri. |
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gedata said: Solkiskey said: but until then, it's just yuriIkuhara shows usually have a lot of underlying themes to them. So it probably won't just be yuri. You probably didn't watch it, if you think that. |
| Okay, well I think that the OP was hoping that people would take this thread seriously. But my experience is that it takes a couple of episodes before there will be some more detailed discussion after the true fans emerge. The OP might want to make a second attempt after a week or two has gone by. I'll throw out my two bits' worth. Wikipedia is usually a good starting point when talking about the genre of a manga or an anime series. Right now, both the English version and the Japanese version say that it is Yuri. Of course, that would be referring to the manga. Before getting into finer details of the symbolism (which I think is a great idea) the blatant picture that is being pushed is of lilies. And of course, the lily flower is the symbol for Yuri. In Japanese, the word for the lily flower and the word for Yuri are the same. This appears likely to be truth in advertising. Another starting point for discussion is the detailed Wikipedia article on the Yuri genre of novels, manga and anime series here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_%28genre%29 The nice thing about that Wikipedia article is that they provide some definitions, deal with issues such as semantic drift, give a nice history and finally give lists of specific examples of manga and anime series which are Yuri. They also make a useful distinction between "Central Element Yuri" and "Secondary-Element Yuri". Notably, Yuri kuma Arashi is not on either of those lists. So either it should be added, or else maybe somebody believes it is not really Yuri. The OP mentioned the official yurikuma website, which I assume is here: http://yurikuma.jp/ It would be great if the OP could point to one or two sentences from the official website which clearly support the idea that Yurikuma really is Yuri. My general experience from looking at many official websites is that they never specifically state what the genre is. Other sources such as magazine articles and reviews will, but they might be misinformed.  ( I'm not an expert on flowers, but those look like lilies to me. ) |
okanaganJan 6, 2015 12:23 AM
| The Humans are a race that consider companionship between the same sex to be a spectacle of purity The Bears are a race that embrace their sexuality and are brutally honest with themselves The Invisible Storm is a threat to the sanctity of the Humans' purity |
Volt1993 said: The Humans are a race that consider companionship between the same sex to be a spectacle of purity The Bears are a race that embrace their sexuality and are brutally honest with themselves The Invisible Storm is a threat to the sanctity of the Humans' purity Exactly, it's about lesbians, and that's all there is to it. The symbolism is obvious (Lily is "Yuri" in Japanese, the severed lilies represent lovers being held apart, etc.), and the themes aren't particularly deep. |
| This series will definately have a deep meaning. As usual Ikuhara uses lots of symbolism throughout the episode and taking the main topic into account; yuri, it will most probably try to give a message about that topic. What I consider the most important symbols of the series are obviously the lily flower, it probably represents the pureness of the girl's who live at the human side of the wall. Then are the bears, it probably represents a kind of freedom of accepting themselves even as their sexuality differs from the "humans at the other side" and embracing it. That's why the jury asked them "Do you wish to remain invisible, or eat girls?" that question would probably be: "Do you wish to remain in the closet, or embrace your sexuality and go for it". And finally one of the most important symbols: The Wall of Extinction. What the wall does is separate the bears and the humans, bears are the part of society that is openly gay, the humans are the conservative part of society that are heterosexual and reject the "bears". The name, Wall of Extinction, probably refers to the fact that if they left the "hungry bears" interacting with humans, the "pure humans" would get "eaten" and little by little humanity would get close to extinction. I'm still not completely sure about what the Invisible Storm may mean though... I'm still thinking about it lol |
| i think it might turn out to be that the bears in the first ep might be good guys who got hungry and ended up eating a human / bear hybrid. which would be funny and would classify has a mind blown broken and WTF moment for us all. |
| There was a fairly comprehensive review (written in Japanese) that came out just yesterday in Japan on "Ahusa's Anime and Game Reviews", which is here: http://blog.livedoor.jp/ahusahum/archives/20056516.html An issue that it raises has to do with the names of the twelve main characters, as listed on this page of the official website for the TV series: http://yurikuma.jp/chara.html Leaving out the three strange characters which seem to be bears, five of the female character have "yuri" somewhere in their name and four of them don't. The reviewer simply wonders whether this difference means anything and does not offer any guesses. I saw another review here: http://www.excite.co.jp/News/reviewmov/20150106/E1420484841083.html . . . but it appears to be a straightforward synopsis of the episode, followed by some comparison with Utena and Penguindrum as well as differences from the manga. It doesn't seem to probe into the possible meaning. |
| I feel sad and shallow for wanting this show to just be about Yuri.. but I know it's going to evolve it something deep and meaningful. Like bear dicks. Oh dear god, don't let it be bear dicks. |
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Oddyeus said: Volt1993 said: The Humans are a race that consider companionship between the same sex to be a spectacle of purity The Bears are a race that embrace their sexuality and are brutally honest with themselves The Invisible Storm is a threat to the sanctity of the Humans' purity Exactly, it's about lesbians, and that's all there is to it. The symbolism is obvious (Lily is "Yuri" in Japanese, the severed lilies represent lovers being held apart, etc.), and the themes aren't particularly deep. It's one episode, though. How can anyone judge how "deep" the story will be at this point? DarkSageRK said: The only scene in the episode that was sexual in nature was very heteronormative, with the two kumas (in female form) licking the pistil of a flower -- a clear stand-in for the male member. There really wasn't even any subtext that one could point to as being yuri focused. I think you guys jumped the gun on judging this one. I think it could either represent male or female, honestly. A flower is a euphemism for a vagina after all. |
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
| The first episode lacked the sort of plot structure that I would have preferred in a TV show, but damn am I glad that there is a show that can spark any sort of interesting discussion on MAL forums. Some things I'm looking out for in future episodes: -Why does Kureha only have a mother (in the photograph), and where is she? Kureha's anger towards bears seems related to her mother's absence. -Kureha and Sumiko meet in secluded areas, so I guess in the human world, lesbian love is something you must keep a secret aka 'remain invisible.' -In the OP: the teacher and Mitsuko (the president) are seen pouring honey, a sort of bait for bears. What kind of people do they represent in hetero-normative society? |
| If anybody is interested in serious fiction literature about romantic and sexual love been a woman and a bear, you should probably have a look at the novel "Bear" (1976) by Marian Engel. Wikipedia says: "It is a tale of erotic love between a librarian and a bear. Engel won the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction in 1976 for the novel." For details, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Engel For safety, I should add that I don't suggest anybody trying this in real life.  |
okanaganJan 7, 2015 4:13 PM
| this is my thoughts after 1 episode. obviously its too early to know anything for sure. on the surface the show is about lesbian love. its hard not to read the symbolism as what it seems - the flowers, and licking honey have fairly clear connotations. having watched penguindrum a few weeks ago and being completely blown away, i would be surprised if this is all the show is. one little exchange caught my eye. "It's not her fault for being invisible. To the bears, we're just weak prey. We have to always stay in the herd. Right, the mood of the herd is what's most important." I'm no expert on japanese culture, but from what i've gathered this is a society that does not place much value on individualism, or standing out from the crowd. I've read (in my limited reading on the subject) that 'creating a scene' or drawing attention to yourself is frowned upon as it can make others uncomfortable or interfere with their school/work (decreasing productivity). I think you could read the lesbian theme of the show as a symbol in and of itself, as a representation of what it means to stand out in the crowd. When you think about the way much of western culture operates (ie. celebrating individualism, and recognizing that each person is unique in their own way), and the way ikuhara seems to be trying to explain this idea to his audience, to me that message is very powerful. I could be completely off though. Definitely looking forward to the next episode. |
| So lesbian bears disguising themselves as humans to eat humans, and by eating I mean lesbian bear-human orgies? The whole episode is like a bad joke taken too far. Then again I don't really like the director's other works. |
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| As I just posted to ep1 thread, after watching the first episode, thinking and writing it all down, I'm finally able to fix all the explanations. I certainly guessed right a number of ideas, which is awesome considering it happened before I even watched a single episode. But it seems that the question of purpose for homosexuals is unlikely to be raised and answered. The show is focused more on finding the true love and discovering your sexuality in a world where this is more or less a taboo. Anyways, here's the reference to another blog post of mine. http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=766387 And now I'm ready to go improve my Japanese and German skills while watching episode 2 ^^ Let's see, perhaps I'll have to rewrite everything from scratch again afterwards, haha. |
| It's a story about orphans, and adoption. |
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kirby_422 said: It's a story about orphans, and adoption. I don't think so. The transparency/invisibility is simply a part of Ikuhara's metaphorical language. It holds a meaning of "uselessness", "lacking love", "not outstanding". Kureha and Sumika were different from the mass, they did stand out, they fell in love as opposed to just allowed friendship - that's the reason their tears are a treat, delicious like honey. Love makes them stand out and causes them to be in the center of attention - in the center of the invisible storm. Penguindrum is a different series, it was also about love, but that was the series about lacking parental love. Yuri Kuma Arashi is about discovering one's sexuality, about lacking love because it is prohibited by the laws of society. |
| Or are the bears men? That would (kind of) make sense too. |
lalomartins said: Except the judges are dude bears. And by bears, none of them really look like it in terms of the gay male community kind of bear. Too confusing for me.Or are the bears men? That would (kind of) make sense too. |
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| I wonder how everyone interpret the relationship between Kureha and her mother, since this is a world without man, Kureha can't be "born" in the traditional biological sense, and given that Ginko has the same or similar necklace her mother had, and she is obviously obsessed with Kureha, maybe there is a connection between them in the past? It may also be interesting if Kureha is a spiritual successor of her mother and what Ginko and others who are also obsessed with Kureha are just looking for a figure to satisfy their oppressed need. Just a guess, we don't have much information right now. I think for this kind of show that utilities heavy doses of symbolism and metaphor it's better to figure out the relationship between each characters before making judgment on the underlying message or the theme of the show. I got a taste of what's like to be completely wrong when I first watched Penguindrum when most of the time Ikuhara was just toying with us, hiding characters' true identity and only revealed necessary information at the last moment, basically trolling but in a good way. If it is directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky I would definitely give my 100% effort to figure out how high he is, but for Ikuhara? I just take him with a gain of salt, enjoy the journey rather than actively looking beneath the surface when everything is in the dark now, for all we know right now, he is probably just masturbating. |
| came to mostly point - rather than properly analyse - some potential cues and symbolism used in the series that are mostly unadressed elsewhere: - ginko's mentions kureha's "delicious smell", as well as mitsuoko's: bears are noted by their sense of smell, but apparently not all lilies possess odour, and those that do are at the lowest end of pleasantness (from human perspective at least). kureha and other specially bear-attractive girls may share some sort of chacteristic, pleasant/socially acceptable or not - or possibly only perceived by bears; - cut lilies may represent castration and/or fear of it, to varying degrees of figurativeness; - the ominous, (still-under-construction) wall of severance immediately recalls shingeki no kyojin and other general metaphors regarding protection of "humanity", but it's also reminiscent of darker than black: a story in which a global scale random phenomenom creates persecuted individuals who are kept secret/invisible from the masses and features a main character composed of opposite personalities; - magical girl-like transformation sequences featuring "ave maria", and lilies blooming among roses (... bara... bears?); - and escher-esque art contrasting lilies and birds (grounded and free?). up to 4th ep, that's it |
| Prior to Yuri Kuma Arashi's airing, Soulelle posted a lengthy but incorrect post that dealt with speculation on the series' themes and objectives. While the original post is inaccessible now, I fortunately had a copy on hand, and having just finished the series myself, I'd like to look at a few things. Very soon tonight airs the first episode of a new Ikuhara Kunihiko's show called Yuri Kuma Arashi. Considering the information we already have from the manga, the official yurikuma website as well as from the director's previous works, I believe it's the right time to start the speculation, predictions, and even post possible symbolism explanations. At the very least, it's the perfect time to point out the key symbols of the series, i.e. what is there to be especially aware of while watching the show. I'll do this by writing my own understanding of the show I've got so far and highlighting with bold the key aspects, their relationships as well as their possible explanations. Some of them will be references to Ikuhara-sensei's previous works such as the Penguindrum or Utena so expect mild spoilers. Please, keep in mind that everything you read below is pure speculation based on my own analysis. It's actually not the case that the theme of a series can be predicted before even the first episode has aired. Attempting to determine the theme in this manner is meaningless, since without an understanding of where the series is headed, there is no way to determine what the intended messages were. While thematic elements from an author's previous work may be applicable, the author would not have likely created a new work to reiterate identical themes from a previous work, and so, it is actually inappropriate to start "analysis" of the symbols. However, because Soulelle did decide to push forwards, let's see what else from their speculation failed to become reality. Bears came from a small planet Kumalia (Swahili for "mammals") which had exploded into "sperm particles" and penetrated the "eggshell" of the planet Earth. This was when the animal instincts of mammals awoke to become their Survival Strategy, i.e. the means to never become extinct. Unlike other mammals however, humanity developed further by separating themselves from other bears- the ability to control our animal instincts is what essentially makes us humans. This is how The Wall of Extinction/Separation was created. The hungry for sex, lewd and dirty "bears" lose their mind and attempt to eat as many humans as possible. The latter, however, try to stay transparent, pure, platonic, shooting the bears one by one. It's quite obvious that in reality one cannot survive without the other. And this is something a person has to learn while growing. It's one reason - why males have the instincts to fertilize as many females as possible - why females try to find the best partner to safely grow with him as many children as possible - why it creates a natural conflict between the two And yet it's only the unity of the two sides that allows for our survival as species, i.e. prevents from our extinction. Thankfully, this was not the case for Yuri Kuma Arashi: this visual metaphor is completely irrelevant and unsuited for describing what ended up occurring. Before we proceed further, Kumalia is actually Swahili for "finished" or "thorough". Not that this matters, since "mammals" as a symbol isn't actually used anywhere in Yuri Kuma Arashi. The series is most definitely not about reproduction, or evolution: Soulelle definitely does not understand evolutionary theory and fitness. The gap between bears and humans, similarly, is not about Freudian concepts of instinct versus reasoning. Evidently, the individual who wrote this has not studied the fundamentals of Darwin's Theory of Evolution and the principles of fitness in an evolutionary sense. Animal populations are regulated by factors such as carrying capacity and predator-prey dynamics: while humans lack a natural predator, we are not immune to environment factors. Our populations are further regulated by factors such as economics and biological factors. In short, the systems proposed in Soulelle's speculation are too simplistic, and incorrect representations of real world systems to hold any worth towards discussing Yuri Kuma Arashi. Lesbian Bears is where homosexuality comes into play. Suddenly there are females on the bear side. And apparently they disrupt the natural balance and thus must be put to Court of Extinction/Separation, otherwise known as "Yuri trial", blamed for humanity extinction, i.e. for "eating too much". And THIS IS THE CENTRAL CONFLICT, THE THEME of the series: "Ikuhara-sensei raises the question how should the society treat Yuri." Should it bash homosexuality (Life Cool) or accept it as an existing norm of nature (Life Beauty)? God only knows how Ikuhara-the-Life-Sexy will answer this question. It seems he intentionally introduces the parental lack theme from Penguindrum to YKA. I think what he might suggest is that thereis sometimes so much animosity between humans and bears that their children (and thus human survival) are actually who struggle because of that. Be it a mother murdered by a bear (rape?), or parents arrested for crimes (Year 1995 accident in Penguindrum), or a sadistic dad (Tokikago Yuri is in Penguindrum), or whatever other reason there is, kids left alone could benefit from having a family, who loves and cares for them. I think Ikuhara-sensei sees homosexual pairs as those who can't have children on their own, but who nevertheless want to share and give their love to the world and who could adopt the kids thrown away into the children broiler. Yuri Kuma Arashi is not about familial dynamics, either, not is it about using abstract imagery to represent social conflicts. Ikuhara is not leaving the viewers with an open question of how yuri ought to be presented: he has a very specific message to convey, and so, it is disingenuous to suppose that Ikuhara would deliberately refrain from presenting the viewers with a complete picture. Speculation has its limits, and it is clear that Soulelle does not understand family structures in humans, either. So it seems, the director wants to give purpose for lesbian bears existence, which is beneficial to humanity in the eyes of the irritated society. In addition, I think he intends to approve Yuri as a genre that definitely lacks love by the society (even in contrast to BL by the way) so I do expect the yuri genre deconstruction with all its tropes like "catholic all-girls school" etc. The conclusions simply do not follow. The bears and humans in Yuri Kuma Arashi simply represent different sides of a conflict on the social acceptance of same-sex relationships. Soulelle claims that yuri is an unloved genre, but this is not the case, given the number of works out there. It is also clear that Soulelle does not understand what a deconstruction is: Yuri Kuma Arashi does not deconstruct the genre, but rather, presents a specific take on it. soulelle said: As I just posted to ep1 thread, after watching the first episode, thinking and writing it all down, I'm finally able to fix all the explanations. I certainly guessed right a number of ideas, which is awesome considering it happened before I even watched a single episode. You didn't "guess anything right", Soulelle. It's ludicrous to say that you have a full picture of an entire anime just after one episode. The actual themes of the show, are covered in this exceptionally insightful and detailed review. |
SereneCertaintyAug 30, 2019 7:03 AM
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