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" Yuru Yuri " ゆるゆりwhat exactly is yuru yuri?
well if we want specifics, we'd have to breakdown the title..
now my japanese is not the greatest and I'm very novice, though I will try my best.
well established parody of the yuri genre and cute girls doing cute things sub-genre from at the time still up and coming manga artist, namori.
who has now gone on to work on multiple anime as a character designer, illustrations, end cards, and plenty of anthology works of popular titles.
works such as monogatari, nisekoi, onimai, nagatoro.. the list goes on.
containing over 200 chapters with no real end in sight after publications of almost 20 years, 40 anime episodes, 2 movies, multiple spin-offs set in its universe, a rumored 4th season, and multiple collaborations with other franchises
including an appearance in a psp fighting game
though this amount of content never rose to bring the series into the mainstream other series inspired or similar to it have gotten, series like k-on and lucky star for older examples.
it's now unfortunately forgotten amongst the majority of new mainstream anime seasonal watchers/manga readers.
though this could easily get traced to the series never getting an english license for neither the anime or manga, even today.
of course this doesn't mean it doesn't have a strong community attached to it
I believe at one point the official english title was "Happy-Go Lily" before the series got stuck in licensing hell but sadly years ago it lost its licensning and even some really cute plushies got cancelled... sigh
∘₊✧─────────────────────────────────────────────✧₊∘like the title implies it's very laid back and easy to follow along.
you won't be getting this action extravaganza, and for most it won't be a life changing experience.. though for some like me you just might.
it starts by introducing us to 3/4 of the main cast, opening up with akari finally enrolling into middle school with her long time friends kyouko & yui
welcoming her into the club that they had founded a year prior, known as the amusement club.
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with a long road ahead of them for their school life, this story takes the reader on a trip both through their minds and experiences to make for quite the chaotic manga about blooming love & newly found friendship.
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she may not be the face you think of when you think of yuru yuri, but she steals the show with her bundle of love, charm & chaos.despite her quirks, she's very intelligent always scoring high on her test, though this doesn't prevent her overly lazy nature wanting others to do her homework for her.
It's possible that her personality works as some sort of defense mechanism from her childhood, we are shown glimpses of her younger years where she relied on her friends emotionally and constantly broke down crying, potentially feeling like an emotional burden. though this could just be my interpretation.
~~the anime supports this further with anime original canon material, I highly suggest watching it for the full yuru yuri experience.~~
she is quite the skilled doujin & manga artist, and because of this she at times allows her crazy imagination to run free and often shows the fantasies she makes up in her head with her actions.
~~the love of my lif- the best character in the series.~~
in a series full of characters with endless quirks, she manages to stand out by... being normal.kyouko toshino's childhood best friend.
while kyouko holds the group together, I believe yui is the foundation to that. constantly keeping the group, ~~mainly kyouko~~ in check & being the responsible one in most situations.
as shown in flashbacks, she's very protective of her friends and was often bullied for her boyish appearance & personality.
outside of her relationship with kyouko, she is probably the most simplistic character in the series, one that most viewers can easily relate to in her balancing of her relationships and responsibilities. ~~her simplicity makes her perfect~~
despite her simple appearance, she's arguably the most iconic character in the show.
this may be due to her pure yet silly nature.
~~and also the anime elevating her gags x10~~
currently rivals kyouko as the protagonist of the story, unfortunately we still don't have a clear answer on who it actually is.she gets very insecure about her lack of presence, started by the group in the first chapter when they had forgotten she was there.
to match her simple appearance, her personality is also left simple. but worry not, she somehow still manages to be a unique character despite of that.
~~I know this makes no sense, but trust me it does when you read it.~~
she's a kind hearted girl who just loves spending time with her friends and seeing them as happy as they can be.
introduced not long after akari's welcoming ceremony, she's shown to have an interest in making tea.right away kyouko is shown an interest in her as she resembles the magical girl, "mirakurun".
joining the amusement club from nothing short of forcefulness, she immediately falls head over heels for yui. one could argue she's obsessed in an unhealthy amount, but this makes for some funny gags throughout the story. ~~though I personally prefer her and akari.~~
she has a low patience in dealing with kyoukos nonsense, but at times is understanding and quite caring, even sometimes submissive to it.
∘₊✧─────────────────────────────────────────────✧₊∘like all long running series, the art will naturally change over time.
it's only expected as an artist will constantly change their styles based on moods or environment,
and this series in specific goes through three major art style changes through the current 200 chapters.
and as with all art your preference will be up to you, I personally love all three equally.
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∘₊✧─────────────────────────────────────────────✧₊∘first off it's at times unapologetically horny, characters are perverted, they fetishize and fantasize over one another and have plenty of lewder moments that may make some uncomfortable.
if you have problems with girls being horny and or fan-service in anime-
then this probably won't be your thing.
you could really try to look past it, and believe me there are people who simply hate the ecchi aspects of the series while being a ride or die fan...
but I think it's a crucial part of its identity that would take away from what it is.
there's however plenty of people I would recommend this to.
people who enjoy slice of life, cute anime girls, not up to interpretation lesbians, or comedy.
characters while at first glance can just be seen as nothing but personalities bouncing off the walls for endless gags, I think there's quite a lot of depth to them. side characters especially get a lot of time to shine with chapters straying away from the main cast enough to share a bit of the spotlight.
you truly get to see them grow with one another, sure they probably won't make you cry but if you get attached to them like I have there's a chance you may here and there from joy.
the art remains gorgeous and really dynamic throughout even with the changes it goes through. namori is constantly showing her sense of style with chapter covers, or even just the simple outfits they wear in addition to their school uniforms in the story.
unfortunately since it's a manga you can't have music to listen to right from the book, but with the anime adaptations I think there's some great soundtracks that serve well being played in the background while you read to help set the mood of the series.
overall I give yuru yuri a perfect score it's the perfect manga for me, and hopefully my review helps someone enjoy it just as much as I have 45 out of 48 users liked this review
