Spoiler Warning!
This anime review is brought to you by the many persistent YuriReviews readers who spammed me about this anime long enough for me to finally start watching it. Thanks, I really needed that. 😛
Story: 7.5/10 and Characters: 10/10
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru is yet another of the numerous Magical Girls anime that so many people love, yet, it’s a little different than most of its kind.
The story starts out with the introduction of the “Hero Club”, a school club consisting of 4 girls that dedicate their time to helping out others. However, their clubs’ purpose suddenly changes when they get caught in a ray of light that transports them into what seems to be another dimension. There, they have to fight the 12 Vertex, creatures that threaten the world by attacking the Shinju (Tree of Life) that is necessary to keep our world intact.
In order to fight these creatures they get divine powers granted from the Shinju (their god) that only a selected few can use. To be completely honest, I still don’t get in what kind of world this anime takes place. They often pray to the Shinju, which appears to be their god. Though, the anime doesn’t really explain all of this too well, so I guess you need some background knowledge from the Light Novels this anime is based on to really understand what is going on.
Still, let’s not be bothered by this and move on to the characters. We are introduced to 5 “Heroes”, Yuuna, Mimori, Fu, Itsuki, and later on also Karin, who initially joins the club to check whether the girls are doing their job properly. As I said many times before, it doesn’t happen too often that I really find the whole cast of a show enjoyable, though YuYuYu, as fans call it, delivers exactly what I want to see when it comes to the characters and their relations.
I loved all 5 girls, and I especially loved the way they all interacted with each other. It’s not about the different kinds of character this time. Despite the fact that they all have different and interesting personalities, the reason for this rating to be so high is rather how fantastically well these girls work out with each other. Their friendship comes off as strong, and it’s not just thanks to how they interact and protect each other during battles. The girls act like total dorks around each other, and I think that this is one of the most charming aspects of the whole anime.
I really enjoyed watching their relationships, which made the few really peaceful and fun episodes the most enjoyable ones of the whole anime for me. Though, and I think that this needs to be said, Mimori was my favorite girl~
As mentioned above, YuYuYu is a magical girl show that doesn’t really fit in with most of its kind. Many people compared it to the Madoka series and I can definitely see why. It shows the genre from a very dark and tragic perspective, shocking most of its viewers when the truth is finally revealed.
This already makes it sound a lot like Madoka Magica, though it’s definitely not as dark and devastating, which I found fortunate, since I couldn’t handle another story like that. However, I really enjoyed the main problem, their struggling and especially how all the events eventually influenced the girls mentally as well. To sum it up, the story isn’t explained completely, making it a little hard for those of us who haven’t read the Light Novels to understand what exactly is going on.
There are even a few explanations missing, especially when it comes to Togo’s backstory, and I found that immensely unsatisfying. However, despite the fact that some story parts are missing, I enjoyed watching this show a lot. The cast is simply awesome and I’d watch any show if it just had a set of characters like these.
Music: 7/10 and Animation: 7.5/10
Nothing outstanding in both categories. The music is decent, fitting in all situations, but just not remarkable enough to stand out in any kind of way. The same goes for the animation. It looks good, there’s no doubt about it, but that’s it.
Yuri: 4/10 – Obvious Yuri Subtext
Mimori x Yuuki is a pairing I’ll probably follow for a looong time from now on. They were absolutely amazing together and they kind of reminded me of Homura and Madoka a lot. If the anime couldn’t convince you of the awesomeness of this pairing, let me help you out a little by showing you a scene that happens in the official visual novel.
Now, all we can do now, is wait for some awesome artists to pick up this pairing!
Total Enjoyment: 8/10
I don’t know just how many people had to force me to watch YuYuYu, but I was basically confronted with this on the blog, on Twitter and even offline by certain friends. But now that I have finally watched it, was it all worth it? Yes it definitely was and I thank all the people who were persistent enough to bug me as much as they did!
Well, it is certainly not the masterpiece that some people made me think it is, but it was definitely one of the greatest shows the past season had to offer, and that is a big achievement!
YuriReviews and More 
Haha her reaction is really hilarious 😀 That alone makes me want to give this show a try 😛
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i forgot all about this anime, it has been on my list for a while now. well, i now what i'm watching next.
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An english patch for the VN was released a few days ago, you can find it easily with a little bit of google-fu. It's pretty much all sol fluff and cute Yuki/Togo moments so I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're a fan of the pairing. Also according to Togo's va, Togo's feelings for Yuki go beyond friendship and they make that pretty clear in the VN (and the manga, so I've heard).
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Review KITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~
Not explaining things properly is completely a trap to lure one in to buy the non-anime merchandise. I have already fallen for this trap :3
@Top Comment
“You're welcome ” -from the Persistent Yuri fans
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What did you think of the last two episodes ??
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Hadn't gotten around to watching this title yet but because of this article, I binge-watched it, and I loved it. Now I'm gonna need the visual novel for more yuri!
Thank you to everyone who got Lena to watch this show! =D
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As much as want you to watch it, I know you'd regret it 😛
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Good choice 😉
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Well, I think I've already seen the best scene between the two, so I'm not sure whether I need that visual novel, but thanks for the information~
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I knew you'd eventually leave some words as well 😛
I also think you've been the most persistent one of all of them, take this as a compliment 😀
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I liked the really carefree episodes the most, but damn, those last episodes were really great too.
I especially loved the scene when Togo reads for Yuuna in the last episode. (For spoiler reasons I can't say any more :P)
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Haha, it's a chain reaction.
People got me to watch it and now I get other people to watch it too.
Nice 😛
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I have? xD
I didn't notice~
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That scene was undoubtedly great~ not to mention the Karin focus in the 11th episode ;3 gotta luv that part.
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yay you finally got around to watching it, glad you liked it. also the shipping is strong with yuna and togo especially in the visual novel still waiting for either more fanart or doujins to appear with them together
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Agreed~
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Let's hope for both~
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Hoping to the sequel 🙂
I'm still do not understand why in the last episode, there is a scene Yuuna unconscious for a moment
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She sacrificed herself for the others. Well, you could say she lost all her senses, just like the girls always lost one of theirs when they went into a fierce battle mode.
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Eto…. i dont know how to explain in english, i have bad conversation 😦
Maybe you will know when you try to rewatch episode 12 start in minutes 20:40 when Yuuna fighting with Fuu-senpai on the stage. She have unconscious. I think Yuuna still have side-effect from the last battle, but i dont know what and why.
sorry for bad conversation :'(
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Hmmm, I understand what you're saying, so don't worry about your english.
Though, the part that I don't understand is what exactly you want to know, since the I think it was pretty obvious that Yuuna just did everything to save the others:P
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hahaha i dont understand too :v
But yesterday I read an article about Yuyuyu. This say Takahiro Planning Sequel “Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru”?
You can see at this link http://jurnalotaku.com/2015/01/29/takahiro-sedang-merencanakan-sekuel-yuuki-yuuna-wa-yuusha-de-aru/ (in Indonesian language, sorry I can find article in english). Maybe you will understand what i mean 🙂
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One of four anime in my aniblogging career I've written a 2-part review for. Also one of my favorite anime of all time. Nuff said.
YunaTogo 4 evah!
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Well, I don't understand anything, but a second season does sound freaking great! 😛
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Agree! YunaTogo is the best thing ever!
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A second season? Here's a touched up version I made with my own knowledge of malay which is similar to indonesian: ( I mostly stole and touched up google translate's version but here)=
“Takahiro Planning a Sequel of Yuyuyu?”
(the brackets and parenthesis are my own notes, Beware SPOILERS)
The Mahou shoujo series that ended quite “satisfyingly” between periods of 'despair' (BIG SPOILER FOR THE LAST FEW EPISODES HAHA) that exists and is quite popular because of it, Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru reportedly being planned for a sequel made by the creator, Takahiro who likes to kill the characters we like.
In an interview that was published in the anime magazine in Japan, there are some things that indicated by Takahiro that he intends to make a sequel Yuyuyu. There are still many [people] who Takahiro still wants to tell about in this series, especially regarding some other characters like Itsuki and Karin. (He wants more character development expansion I suppose, since the light novel does this for elementary school Togo-san)
And of course there are still some secrets that have not been answered in the anime, such as when the last episode where Yuuna almost fainted, remember? Takahiro said that it is in fact a mystery that has not been resolved by Takahiro. (*this is technically a mystery b/c it was left ambiguous to whether coma state of Yuna was the Yuusha System consequence or something else…)
Regarding the setting of his own world also said that from the beginning they have prepared a concept and background of what happened in the series, such as the Taisha’s tendency to conceal the facts about Yuusha System (THE LOSS OF BODY PART FUNCTIONALITY!), Tougou’s family who knew the secret, their feelings and other things.
They also still want to uncover what really happened to the (broken) world in which Yuuna and her friends live. [Like the] Vertex and etc. It is interesting that there is a fan who expressed his/her theory on the Internet that Takahiro see almost accurately with what they are actually doing.
(apparently someone on the ‘net has presented a theory that almost closely matches in with what the development team is doing; I have yet to confirm this ;p )
Takahiro also want to thank the fans for their support which makes Yuyuyu as one of the most popular series last season, with a very nice BD (bluray/dvd) sales made Yuyuyu as a best-selling series. Thanks to that he can bring the prospect of a sequel to this level. Maybe if they got more support, sequels and other stories can be displayed later? -article ends here-
So it seems that there's a chance we may very well get more Yuyuyu merchandise or another anime series to explain the still very-many unexplained things in the Yuyuyu universe in the future should there be further support for Takahiro's development team for the future.
Obviously, we all want more. hahaha~ :3
Btw, here's a bonus “aftermath” picture (dunno if this is canon or not) and the original JPN site where this article was translated from.
http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-29804.html
http://blog-imgs-64.fc2.com/y/a/r/yaraon/B8a0u-rCQAARjMk.jpg
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Niiiiiice~
Thanks a lot for the translation, I can officially get my hopes up now 😛
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Oh, I just realized that the “almost fainting” part may be referring to the school play in ep12.
Btw, here's a English PDF for the “Sonoko After” short chapter which is a bonus post-main story episode.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LightNovels/comments/2ueiwt/disc_yuuki_yuuna_wa_yuusha_de_aru_sequel_sonoko/
After reading the bonus story, I really think we may get another anime in the future. I just hope it doesn't take long. Even now I'm desperate enough that I've even recommended the Yuki Yuna anime to a fellow anime fan I know ;p
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big thanks to Ibara Miko for the translation
Im very hope to the Yuyuyu's squel, hope for more tragedy, more sadness and more tears. Lol just kidding 🙂
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22ndMarch: It's Yuna's birthday today~!
https://twitter.com/mitcher_meier/status/579201350556200960/photo/1
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I just finished it and it was amazing. I loved yuna and togo's relationship. Eh, I didn't really care that much about the other characters, except when Karen goee bad ass. If a season 2 gets made it better have yuna and togo.
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More Yuna x Togo means a higher enjoyment in general, so I agree~
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Another video just released about the 2nd VN bonus game included with the 6th BD/ (DVD?) Yuki Yuna Anime Volume has been released.
Starring Terui Haruka (Yuna's seiyuu) playing the 2nd VN this time~
Once again Terui Haruka, seemingly infected with Yuna's super-energeticness & super positivity, struggles to explain things while laughing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tX6R8d5Kc&feature=youtu.be
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Additionally, the 2nd game is called “Yuki Yuna wa Yusha de Aru S”
I don't know if you already know but, to explain abit of confusion on the setting, but Yuna & co.'s home setting is in the far future on Japan's big island of Shikoku where Udon is the most well-known dish (in our reality too).
imo, I think yuyuyu is more drastic than madoka tho.
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Here;s part 2 to Haruka Terui's playthru of “S”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgCZyTJYqSQ
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Did I have that conversation about what is more dramatic, Yuyuyu or Madoka with you?
Or wait… was it actually about Kannazuki no Miko and Madoka?
Ah damn, I can't remember. Anyway, I'll just not interfere with your statement and accept it, before there'll be another huge argument 😛
Also, it's nice to see this show or game being so popular~
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That argument was totally not me xd although Madoka never became a burning passion of mine…
All I've ever said about Yuyuyu + madoka is how they are somewhat similar in concept (big diff: yuyuyu=hyper-focused on characters than plot), as one of my many previous pesterings with others to get you to watch the Yuki Yuna anime :3
It's a video show by the seiyuus for Yuki Yuna.This video happened to be one with Haruka Terui showing a preview of one of the 10 new short stories in “Yuki Yuna S.”
There's also a radio show of Yuki Yuna's seiyuus talking~
I did notice something interesting recently, when I reread Sonogo no Sonoko (post-Yuyuyu omake LN story), to quote the translated pdf, an inner thought by Sonoko about Yuna's condition after talking with Togo-san: “(But every time I look at Yu~yu, I feel abit strange. I wonder what that is. It feels like something's not right~)”
I only noticed this after reading the omake a 3rd time, makes me wonder what's next in the “Yusha de Aru” series. I'll be able to find out more in the 2nd Vn when I finally get it in mail this summer (vol 6 BD/DVD has just released recently)
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It feels like something is not right? This rather sounds like she's sensing that something horrible is going to happen.
But you could also interpret it as a yuriish line if you wanted to do that 😛
Also, sorry for getting things mixed up. I only know for certain that you are the main reason why I watched Yuyuyu, I'm still grateful 😉
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A yuri-ish line huh…I would have to check out the original JPN to start inferring from that xd
No problems here~ ;p
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I've rewatched episode 12 of Yuyuyu after reading the first part of this speculation article on episode 12's ending: https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/2qgskv/spoilers_yuuki_yuuna_wa_yuusha_de_aru_ending/
And I've come to the conclusion/speculation as well that Yuki Yuna is more tragic an anime than I thought, everyone but Yuna got off the hero responsibilities?! I feel that that may be what the next Yusha animation or sequel would be elaboraitng about :XD:
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Talking about how tragic it is again?
Oh wait, now I think I'm messing things up again.
I had that kind of talk with you already… hopefully 😛
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I have as bad as memory as a fish xP so I dunno(?), I don't think I've actually mentioned how tragic it is tho (Ithink?).
More Importantly:P
Here's something interesting on Yuki Yuna news tho: a new manga series starting up in Dengeki Gmagazine later this year called “Wakaba Nogi wa Yusha de Aru” (Wakaba Nogi is a Hero). And some other mysterious/speculative announcements about the future of the series on this link below
http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/06/12-1/yuki-yuna-is-a-hero-gets-new-manga-radio-show-character-song
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It seems they are working really hard on it huh?
So does this mean we'll also possibly see more of it on screen in the future?
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Quite Possibly yes :3
We'll have to wait and see what those additional 3 announcements are tho, hopefully 2nd animation tease 😀
;p
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IT'S FINALLY HERE (teaserimgonlyxp)
I guess from the url, the series is gonna be called “Yusha de Aru” in general work reference.
And She Looks Older!!! Highschool time jump?!?!
Just one weird thing about this teaser is that it calls itself an….Illust Novel? ^^' (イラストノベル) Illustration Novel? Huh? Is that the same as a Light Novel ? eh? Then again the LN of Washio Sumi is also described as an “Illust. Novel” in the comments, so I guess Illust Novel is just the Y̶u̶k̶i̶Y̶u̶n̶a̶ Yusha de Aru (is A Hero) synonym of Light novel!
Previous news said this was a manga, but I'm having confusions on this now. maybe we get BOTH? that's what was done for Washio Sumi anyway.
Still I'm excited for this~!!!! xD
Teaser Site HERE!!! ^x^'
Dengeki News Post
The original Tweet about this new series: the tweet about the teaser!!!!
P.S. “Nearly” done with the large compile post on recent VN news, but…it's not done yet (need to add in just ONE REALLY important component to the draft) but do you want me to let you check it first? The important component does not need to be added until the actual posting. Heck, I'll just send it ok? I don't think I have much to be corrected grammar-wise but you're the decider ^^'
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Also, according to Yuki Yuna lore, we're all dead in one month 😀
Date of Vertex Attack: July 30th, 2015
Guess I'm not gonna make the comiket alive huh? X_X
https://twitter.com/Game8910/status/615659447923421184
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Oh, and here's another bonus epilogue which is also prologue to the new work,Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru., Translation.
http://pastebin.com/mvYSk5YL
Wakaba Nogi is Sonoko Nogi's ancestor it seems…..
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Wait wait, now slow down a bit 😛
I'm still not convinced. I don't really see where you get the info that this is going to be an anime.
And if this is going to be an anime, is it going to be about other characters? The girl on the website you posted doesn't look familiar 😛
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??I never said it was an anime did I? o-o? It's a LN release 😮
new chara btw: http://gs.dengeki.com/news/38789/
updated site: http://yushadearu.jp/
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Finally got around to watch it, and I can't help but feel I would have enjoyed It more without the magical girl parts and just as a slice of life drama.
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