When I first ran into this show, I didn’t think much of it and just jumped in because both Keiichi Okabe and Emi Evans were doing the soundtrack, so all I was hoping for was some good ass music even if everything else was unenjoyable, as I am not the biggest fan of the Mahou Shoujo genre. What I got was a proper deconstruction of the Mahou Shoujo genre, far surpassing Madoka, and ironically being more reminiscent of Bokurano than Madoka itself.

I’m not going to be splitting it the usual way, instead, I’m going to do it by quarters. They each represent 3 episodes each, as the show is 12 episodes. Dividing it this way makes sense, as the elements of this show are too tied together and differ quite a bit depending on which quarter. Respectively, Shirayuri (1-3), Freesia (4-6), Shiragiku (7-9), Edelweiss (10-12), and Higanbana (Conclusion). There will not be explicit spoilers throughout this review, but if you want a completely blind experience, stop at Freesia, then read Higanbana. This naming scheme is weird, I know, but it makes sense. To the review:

Shirayuri

The first episode introduces itself as a typical Mahou Shoujo, with light SoL scenes about the Hero Club with interactions between the main characters, and while entertaining, not enough to grip you. This is fixed, however, when almost immediately after, the world freezes, the world-building blocks set in, and you’re treated to the actual visual aesthetic of the show.

For this first quarter, the show goes at a constant pace of interactions in the club, building character (for both them and the show), and then fighting in the Jukai (Sea of Trees). This is almost incomparable to its “predecessor,” Madoka, as there the twist is shown in this first quarter, here the “twist,” if you can even call it that, is revealed much later, after the show has grounded itself and so have the characters, so its impact is much less shock-value meant to put off the viewer into believing it as a deconstruction, but rather a logical consequence for the characters’ abilities which is rarely seen in a Mahou Shoujo. Don’t get me wrong, I love Madoka and for a good while it was one of my favorites, but its execution at the beginning is rather flawed upon rewatch. The setup just isn’t here as it would be in both Bokurano and YuYuYu.

Ironically, even though I want to praise YuYuYu for being the Bokurano of Mahou Shoujo, the beginning section of Bokurano is much more reminiscent of Madoka, but Bokurano is still far different from both as its twist is “confirmed” in its middle section while at the beginning all you are given is tons of speculation.

While this section can be considered boring by some, and likely where a lot of people decided to drop this show in its initial airing, I found a lot of enjoyment in it. The character interactions got a giggle out of me every once in a while and looking hard enough, there was a lot to be found in terms of unanswered questions (which I won’t be mentioning because of spoilers). The soundtrack holds up extremely well already, having some true bangers just in the first episode like:

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Freesia

In the second quarter, the viewer is finally introduced into the plot, and a new power-up ability is also introduced to the characters known as “Mankai” or “Blooming.” There’s not too much to go into yet.

This section is probably one of my favorites. While the first episode of this quarter can be a bit reminiscent of the earlier episodes and be a bore-fest to some, it's also where it starts to drop some time bombs that are going to take some episodes to blow up. Initially, these details will absolutely make you confused or intrigued, but the characters and the world around them will constantly tell themselves, and in effect the viewer, that “everything is fine” and “there’s nothing to worry about.” This is further contributed by the pull-back to SoL even after the sequence of events. Of course, this is a move that is completely on-purpose by the show, once again demonstrating that it IS a Mahou Shoujo and nothing more. I love this sort of illusion and it shows just how well-crafted and thought out the show was. From a surface-level perspective, there truly is nothing for you to worry about.

As for comparing this to Madoka or Bokurano, Madoka was basically running with its plot here so there’s nothing much to say. As for Bokurano, this is where it really starts to get similar. Yuuki Yuuna takes longer than Bokurano does, but it finally kicks in and that sense of comradery is almost the exact same. The people in the crew each have different roles for the morale and or general thought process, and it's seen big here.

One of the highlights of these episodes is the visual aesthetic taking on a darker tone but still keeping the characters “light.” The soundtrack, however, gets somber. While we are treated to some absolute bangers while in the Jukai, like:

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While the outside, real-life tracks are depressing, not as upbeat, for example:

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As a side note, the OP lyrics start to take meaning.

Shiragiku

The SoL is back again, but not for long. We are quickly thrown back into reality and the consequences have finally become clear.

Being the rising climax, this is where I praise it the most. The mysteries are revealed and it's such a satisfying experience, and it got me truly in love with the world they were living in. The themes truly shine here, where the “main” franchise theme is hinted/teased at, while their past, present, and future realities are finally settling in for the main characters. It’s very hard for me to talk about anything in this part without spoilers, but what I will say is that it will be surprising no matter how much you paid attention, but this is not shock-value, as it makes SENSE with everything you’ve seen so far. The difference being, the show purposely goes out of its way to make you think it's NOT going to go this way. During this, we are treated to this gem:

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While their situation can’t be derived as realistic by any means, through the lens of deconstructing the genre, their situation is definitely of a Mahou Shoujo, but a twisted version of it. No longer does it fall into the same tropes, it subverts them while also still being a Mahou Shoujo at heart, as clearly seen at the end of this quarter. This is where I think Madoka failed, as Madoka did not subvert common tropes but instead used them as plot devices for propelling its themes, and through its middle portion could not be seen as a Mahou Shoujo in any sense of the word except its name.

Bokurano has the most similarities here, as after the reveals, the reaction of the characters and their next actions are very much in-line with each other. The situation they find themselves is also just about the same, if not the exact same. It sticks with the fact that it is still a MECHA show, with a focus on the characters, while ALSO subverting the tropes of said genre. Bokurano also deals with “inevitability,” which is seen heavily in this section of YuYuYu, but in a different light which obviously is because the genres they are trying to subvert are different.

Edelweiss

A most important character arc, and the show’s ending.

The climax of the show is, to put it simply, epic as fuck. Not only is there more info revealed, more world-building, and most importantly the introduction of lore to the series, the characters, and the plot also ramp up accordingly. And, on top of that, the final fight is emotional and full of sakuga. I’m not going to show any of it here, because I would much rather you experience it fully blind yourselves. What I will post, however, is by far the best version of the ending, which is extremely fitting:

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The finale, while using what came before it stunningly and finishing things off nicely, ends a tiny bit sour at least for me. It was predictable, which in of itself is not a bad trait, but in the way they did it here, there are a few things which, while explained in later entries, feel a bit asspull-y from a stand-alone perspective. I do like how the anime still is brimming with subtlety and it's obvious that just from the last episode alone there will be another entry and more to come, but I cannot get over how they portrayed the consequences of the characters. It seems almost against the deconstructive nature of the show and instead falls back on the Mahou Shoujo trope wagon a bit too much.

One thing I can say is that I felt the same way about the Madoka ending. From a stand-alone perspective, ignoring Rebellion and the in-between manga, the show ends on an unsatisfying note and ignores what they were trying to do from the beginning. It ends as a Mahou Shoujo when it should end as a broken Mahou Shoujo. Of course, this issue is fixed with both of them having sequels, and while I don’t think Rebellion is the best movie of all-time, I greatly enjoyed what they went for and that it made sense overall. I have yet to watch the second season of YuYuYu as I am reading side-materials, so we’ll have to wait and see for that review.

Higanbana

Overall, I can safely say that YuYuYu is much deeper than what meets the eye. Regardless of what I mentioned here, there are many other factors you could also look into that will give you new perspectives on the show. For example, Japanese flower language, or Hanakotoba. Make sure that you start researching AFTER you watch it, as if you do before/while watching, you may very well spoil yourself.

There’s something for everyone here, and while the community tends to overstate Madoka, I think YuYuYu is much more noob-friendly. Even in its construction (and deconstruction) of a Mahou Shoujo, it’s simple but complex, and all it takes is your interest to find something that will hook you to just this anime or even the franchise, either that be the characters and their interactions, the worldbuilding, the plot, the soundtrack, and its integration, or even the tiny details that might pique your interest. Give it a shot.

As for starting it, I HIGHLY recommend you read/watch WaSuYu alongside YuYuYu as it gives some perspective you wouldn’t normally get watching it after YuYuYu. It was originally intended to be this way, after all, however, the order I will be presenting is my own as while the LN published during airing, the anime came out years later, though the contents are the same (if not better).

YuYuYu episodes 1-3
WaSuYu chapters 1-4 or watch movies 1-2, episodes 1-4
YuYuYu episodes 4-7
WaSuYu chapters 5-7
YuYuYu episode 8
WaSuYu chapter 8 or watch movie 3, episodes 5-6
YuYuYu episodes 9-12
WaSuYu Extra Chapter

Anime will only take you so far if you do get invested, so there’s a release order guide down below:

Thank you for reading.