It feels kind of weird to be writing a review about a single episode, but if any series deserves such a thing, it’s probably Yuru Yuri. Until a fourth season (hopefully) arrives, this is all we have right now (not true, we also have Mini Yuri :P), so let’s just enjoy it, while we can~

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Length: 1 Episode

Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Yuri

Synopsis: Yuru Yuri, is an OVA to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Yuru Yuri franchise.

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I feel like I can put whatever as the score for the story, because it simply has never really mattered in this series. But I might as well amuse you anyway. In this tenth anniversary OVA, Yuru Yuri, (pronounced Yuru Yuri Ten), the girls basically celebrate by throwing themselves a party, and all sorts of strange hijinks ensue.

I never really thought about it too much, but it’s the Matthew McConaughey in Dazed in Confused effect. I’m getting older, but these Yuru Yuri girls stay the same age. I for one would love to see them in college or as working adults, but I’m rambling again, so back to this OVA. 😀

Planning a party doesn’t sound like it should be too much fun, but Yuru Yuri is one of those anime that can make almost anything seem entertaining, and sure enough, baking cookies, setting up decorations, cosplaying, and playing weird games are a lot more entertaining than what they sound.

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“Akari still lacks presence, Chinatsu is still gay for Yui, Yui is still as serious as ever, Kyouko is still best girl, Ayano is still a tsundere who secretly likes Kyouko, and Chitose still has those Ayano x Kyouko yuri delusions.“

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Storywise, this OVA doesn’t do anything too wild, it’s just cute girls doing cute things, but with a heavy dose of that Yuru Yuri comedic charm that never seems to get old. I’m more than okay with this, and all along, all I wanted was to see these girls again, and I’m probably not the only one who wanted that.

After the credits, Kyouko suggests they do something fun, so hopefully that means this isn’t the last time we see Akarin and the girls on our screens. Cross your fingers!

Almost all of the series mainstays are back, with the notable exceptions being Chizuru, Rise, Nana, Kaede, and Mari. At least all of the most important characters play major roles, so there’s no complaining from me.

Pretty much everyone is just how we remember them. Akari still lacks presence, Chinatsu is still gay for Yui, Yui is still as serious as ever, Kyouko is still best girl, Ayano is still a tsundere who secretly likes Kyouko, and Chitose still has those Ayano x Kyouko yuri delusions. I loved how Lay-duce managed to fit all of that in this OVA, so even if this is somehow your first time watching a Yuru Yuri anime, I think you should still be able to get the gist of what these characters are like.

And something amazing happened in this OVA. Believe it or not, Akari actually was the star, and it was really great to see. She’s been the Rodney Dangerfield of this series, but it was so nice to see her get the respect that she so rightly deserves. Now that that’s happened, I won’t mind too much if she just goes back to being a punchline. Sorry, Akarin… 😛

It’s in the title of the anime, so what about the yuri? Well, Chinatsu is still crazy about Yui, and despite all of the love and affection she put into the cookies she made for Yui, they’re still terrifyingly bad. But it’s the thought that counts, right? She fantasizes about how Yui would react, and of course, it’s gay as hell.

Sakurako and Himawari still resemble an old married couple, and they argue just as much as ever, but I’ve always loved their little lover’s quarrels, so bicker some more, girls. It’s adorable. And in the PV, we saw an indirect kiss between Ayano and Kyouko, but it’s Chitose’s delusions that provide the bulk of the yuri scenes between these two. I enjoy seeing Ayano as a tsundere, but will she ever be up front with Kyouko? I sure hope so~

There were no actual kisses in Yuru Yuri, (actually, Chinatsu shares one with Yui in her delusions) so let’s reminisce and rewatch Chitose’s kissing rampage from the first season for the hundredth time! But since I couldn’t find the subbed version of the scene, I had to settle for a German fandub. Sorry… 😀

All in all, the girls are every bit as entertaining as I remember them, and given the limited time the creators had to work with, I’m happy that the girls put their best foot forward.

Again, Yuru Yuri has switched studios, going from TYO Animations to Lay-duce, who was responsible for one of Namori’s previous anime contributions (as character designer), Release the Spyce. The character designs remind me of the good ol’ Doga Kobo days, and compared to how they looked in the anime produced by TYO, I think the characters look cuter and more like how they did before the first studio change.

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Sound-wise, if there’s a difference between this OVA and the previous seasons of Yuru Yuri, I didn’t notice it. The music is still not important, and since there isn’t any sudden change in voice actors or anything, the major difference here is the OP and ED. When I say “ED”, I really mean the song that plays during the end credits (which last about three minutes and forty seconds), so while there’s no new animation during this, at least the song is there. Anyway, this is classic Yuru Yuri, and if you’re familiar with pretty much any cute girls doing cute things anime, you know what to expect here.

Yuri Yuri, probably isn’t my favorite installment in the franchise, but it’s only one episode, so it’s not really fair to judge it against previous seasons. But what I can say is that I came away very satisfied by what this OVA had to offer. Those lovable characters are back, the comedy is still as enjoyable as before, all of the character quirks make a return, and the girls are still as gay as ever. What’s not to like? Hopefully this was just an appetizer, so come on and give us more already.

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