Category Archives: Final Thoughts

Anime Spring Season 2019: Final Thoughts

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2019 spring anime season final thoughts

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our Final Thoughts of the 2019 spring anime season that just came to an end~

Since Carole & Tuesday is heading into its second cour, it’s not on the list this time, so we’ll have to wait until the summer Final Thoughts post to wax poetically about it. With that out of the way, let’s do this.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu • 7.5/10
Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

hitoribocchi
Our review should be coming in the near future, so I don’t want to say too much about this one, other than it was quite a pleasant surprise. Despite her crippling social anxiety and lack of social skills, Bocchi was absolutely adorable, and you couldn’t help but root for her and her quest to befriend the entire class. I think it would’ve been a little too convenient if she actually did that, so I’m glad that she was happy with the handful of friends that she did make, and those friends were pretty good characters, too.

The comedy mostly focused on the eccentricities of these girls, but they had the charisma to pull it off and help make this a pretty funny show. As you might be able to tell from my avatar (Tomoko~), I have a special place in my heart for characters like Bocchi, so even though she’d never believe it, she was really charismatic and it was surprisingly enjoyable to watch her inch closer to the person that she wants to be. There wasn’t a lot of yuri subtext, though, that’s okay, because even without it, this was an enjoyable experience, and I hope we somehow get a second season~

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Anime Winter Season 2019: Final Thoughts

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2019 winter anime season final thoughts

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our Final Thoughts of the 2019 winter anime season that just came to an end~

Endro~! • 7/10
Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Slice of Life

endro~! anime
Ever since we heard of Namori’s involvement with Endro~!, yuri fans were hoping we’d get a little something something from this show, and now that it’s finished, I can confidently say that it does indeed have a little bit of subtext. Not a ton, but it’s probably somewhere in the 3 range in our patented YuriReviews rating system. It’s definitely less than that other anime that got some help from Namori, Release the Spyce, but it’s better than nothing. 😛

There aren’t enough cute girls doing cute things anime that have a fantasy setting, so this is a nice, little treat we have on our hands. I would have liked the show to play up the fantasy a little more though, because it did it in the goofiest of ways. Quests are ridiculous, tropes are numerous, and this ended up being quite a bit of fun, so I wanted more of that type of stuff. It’s nothing exceptional, yet I think fans of the genre will still enjoy Endro~!‘s brand of humor, and I also think they’ll take a liking to these characters. Yusha, Seiran, Mei, and Fai ended up being quite charming, even though they’re definitely fitting very snugly into established character types. Despite her showing a little bit of interest in Yusha, Rona was definitely my least favorite character, and I honestly, I’m glad she didn’t play a bigger role. While I’m at it, Mao was someone I wanted to see more of, since she’s so cute and funny (and she kind of reminds me of Satania from Gabriel DropOut). Anyway, they’re all very cute (Mao, Rona, and Chibi included), and together, they form a pretty solid cast of characters.

Overall, I think Endro~! was a slight upgrade over Release the Spyce (not a very impressive feat, I know), and fans of cute girls doing cute things stand a good chance of being entertained by what this anime has to offer. It’s super cute and colorful, and even though it doesn’t have as much subtext as fans would prefer, it’s still an entertaining little show that I wouldn’t mind seeing get a second season.

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Anime Fall Season 2018: Final Thoughts

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anime fall season 2018 final thoughts

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our Final Thoughts of the 2018 fall anime season that just came to an end~

Bloom Into You • 9.5/10
Length: 13 Episodes • Genre: School, Yuri

bloom into you
Now, as the last of what I like to call the Big Three (namely Citrus, Asagao to Kase-san., and Bloom Into You) has come to an end, I first just want to state how very satisfied I am with what 2018 offered to us yuri fans. It’s quite hard to tell which of the Big Three was best, seeing that they all depicted the yuri in very different ways, but what I can say for sure is that the community made it very vocal that we liked all three.

Now Bloom Into You—as the last to come to an end—has a very special place in my heart for not only bringing the content of its manga onto the big screen, but also for delivering so much more. It’s hard to put into words what this adaptation did to me and probably the majority of the community. In short, it was some top-notch adaptation that I simply couldn’t be happier with.

Well, my review will soon follow, of course, but please be a little patient. During this time of the year, we have quite a lot of posts scheduled.

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Anime Summer Season 2018: Final Thoughts

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anime summer season 2018 final thoughts

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our Final Thoughts of the summer anime season that just came to an end~

Happy Sugar Life • 6/10
Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Drama, Horror

happy sugar life anime
Trust me on this one, don’t go into this only for the yuri. If an age gap of about ten years—with the younger one not even being old enough to understand how to use a vacuum cleaner—doesn’t already scare you away, maybe the yandere part will. The “yuri” aside, the horror, or rather, psychological aspects of this show made it hard for me to watch more than one episode at a time.

Happy Sugar Life constantly hits you with more twisted people, all with their own understanding of what makes life bearable, and all in one way or another seemingly just tools to make Satou and so many other people they encounter suffer beyond what they can take. Now, add Satou to this equation, with her own twisted personality, and you’re constantly hit with both drama and trauma, to the point that you get paranoid that every new character that gets introduced must be crazy in some way. And you wouldn’t even be wrong about that!

So, yeah, if you’re into these dark and twisted psychological kind of shows, this is surely something you will enjoy. However, personally, as much as I can enjoy shows like this, Happy Sugar Life might have crossed a certain line a few times too much, and at some point, some characters rather came off as laughable and ridiculous instead of scary and dangerous. Also, the yuri part was just not my cup of tea.

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Anime Spring Season 2018: Final Thoughts

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2018 spring anime final thoughts

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our Final Thoughts of the spring anime season that just came to an end~

Amanchu! Advance • 7.5/10
Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

amanchu advance
Everything’s better down where it’s wetter. The first season of Amanchu! was a sweet and easygoing anime that was easy to like, and I found this second season to be nearly as enjoyable. Futaba is much better acquainted with the world of diving, yet there’s still a lot for her to learn and experience—both in and out of the water—so it’s a good thing that she has people like Hikari and the rest of the gang there to help her every step of the way~

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Anime Winter Season 2018: Final Thoughts

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2018 winter anime

It’s that time of the year again, so enjoy our First Impressions of the winter anime season that just came to an end~

Citrus • 9/10
Studio: Passione • Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Drama, Romance, School, Yuri

citrus yuri anime
In case you missed our numerous posts about this show, let me simply repeat myself: This anime was probably how many of us imagined the manga coming to life. The perfect voice acting and fluid animation surely proved that after seasons of low budget yuri shows and having to live with mostly yuri subtext in general, the slightly longer wait for this one was definitely worth it.

Even people who didn’t enjoy the manga came to appreciate what the anime version had to offer, and I absolutely see why. While the drama level might be as high as in the manga and while Mei might still seem like a cold-hearted idiot, the anime provided us with a slightly different view, and that was much needed. Kisses suddenly don’t seem random anymore, and you can see a purpose behind them that is not only to look good or reach the required yuri-level in each and every chapter/episode.

Well, it of course also comes with the drawbacks of sometimes being too fast-paced, lacking in animation quality, at times, and, of course, not being able to match the amazing art style of the manga. But all in all, this was a very, very worthy anime adaptation that many of us came to love. WE NEED A SECOND SEASON!

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Anime Fall Season 2017: Final Thoughts

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2017 fall anime

Don’t get angry with us, but neither of us finished the most recent Love Live! season yet, so bear with us, we’ll get there eventually. And since Konohana Kitan was a last-minute addition, it’s not included on the list, but it’ll probably get a review in the near future.

Anyway, enjoy our First Impressions of the fall anime season that just came to an end~

Girls’ Last Tour • 8/10
Length: 12 Episodes • Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life

girls' last tour anime
Out of the handful of shows that I picked up this season, this one turned out to be the most pleasant surprise. Whenever I see the “slice of life” tag attached to an anime, my expectations are already tempered, as I more or less have an idea of what to expect. Girls’ Last Tour has all the traits that I’ve come to enjoy from the genre, but it throws viewers a curveball in the form of a post-apocalyptic setting.

I gladly welcome any setting in this genre that isn’t a classroom, yet despite the dreary atmosphere, this never really felt too depressing. That can mostly be attributed to Yuu and Chi, whose chemistry together is perfect and I’d say that there’s just enough comedy and lighthearted moments to counterbalance the gloominess. Somehow, this turned out to be a really charming affair, and out of all of the shows I watched this year, this was probably the most easygoing and watchable one for me.

There isn’t that much to the story, though, it is intriguing how the world turned into this barren wasteland that’s devoid of life. War is hell, and by the end, the minor philosophical undertones add a little depth to the story, making this far from your average “cute girls doing cute things” anime. You’re probably wondering if there are any hints of yuri in this one, and sadly, the answer is not really. However, in my opinion, it’s still one of the better anime of the season, and out of all the shows that we’ve given scores of 8 to this season, this is probably my favorite~

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