Yuru Yuri♪♪

The girls of the Amusement Club return in Yuru Yuri♪♪, finding new ways to make passing time even more enjoyable. Their members consist of the always energetic Kyouko Toshinou; calm and sensible Yui Funami; polite but often overlooked Akari Akaza; and Chinatsu Yoshikawa, who stumbled upon the others while looking for the Tea Ceremony Club. Together they are the Amusement Club, which has the deceptively simple task of keeping its members entertained.

Along with the Student Council and the odd family member, they strive to enjoy their youth to the fullest. Whether it's a trip to a hot spring or finishing overdue homework, their lives are never dull, and they will always find an excuse to spend time together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Toshinou, Kyouko Main

Ootsubo, Yuka Japanese

Akaza, Akari Main

Mikami, Shiori Japanese

Funami, Yui Main

Tsuda, Minami Japanese

Yoshikawa, Chinatsu Main

Ookubo, Rumi Japanese

Sugiura, Ayano Supporting

Fujita, Saki Japanese

Oomuro, Sakurako Supporting

Katou, Emiri Japanese

Ikeda, Chitose Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Furutani, Himawari Supporting

Mimori, Suzuko Japanese

Matsumoto, Rise Supporting

Gotou, Saori Japanese

Akaza, Akane Supporting

Horie, Yui Japanese

Kamata, Hajime Producer

Yoshizawa, Takashi Producer

Oono, Ryousuke Producer

Oota, Masahiko Director, Script, Storyboard

Reviews

Jul 16, 2012

Morbyllan

Recommended

- Updated after completing the anime.
Yuru Yuri is a light-hearted and pleasant to watch slice-of-life filled with moe and comedy. Like the anime's very name makes it obvious, this anime also "kinda" foccuses on the relationships between the characters, which are all girls (and thus, "yuri"). It isn't anything as serious as you would see in other romance-orientated shoujo-ai anime like Strawberry Panic, but it isn't used for ecchi fanservice either, like you could see in Queen's Blade or many anime similar to it.

The "yuriness" in Yuru Yuri is meant for moe, cuteness, and comedy purposes, and I've got to say, it works very ... well. This said, I reckon that even people who would feel disgusted by seeing such relationships (GirlxGirl) should be, in theory, able to watch Yuru Yuri.

It's 2nd season, Yuru Yuri ♪♪, does an extraordinary job keeping up with the 'main four', allowing us to have our share of Toshinou Kyouko, but while focusing quite much more on it's other characters too, which didn't have so many moments in the spotlight as they're having now (especially Sakurako and Himawari).

But something I'm fairly sure about, is that if you are not into moe or comedy, you'll absolutely hate Yuru Yuri. Why? Simple, it's just because this is exactly what this anime excels at, and you shouldn't be expecting much else while watching it.

Story
8/10
The story is very simple, but works really well for this anime. It's what you could expect from a simple moe slice-of-life: The everyday school life of the protagonists. The little twist in this one (emphasis on "little") is that they've created an "unregistered" club in the abandoned tea club room, the "Amusement Club", where they, well, do fun things, because fun things are fun. This deserves an 8 in my opinion because it's to be expected, and like in many other animes, this simple story works very well.

Art
8/10
Even if it's not stunningly eye-candy like Fate/Zero, Kara no Kyoukai or Guilty Crown, neither unique and twisted like Bakemonogatari or Madoka Magica, the art reflects the nature and objective of the anime: Cuteness. It is simple and cute, and fits just perfectly. Anything more complicated would have ruined it, in my opinion.

Sound
8/10
I was already an fan of the first opening and endings, but they managed to improve it even further. Both songs are fun, energetic and kinda catchy, so I guess this also fits very well. I'm kinda exigent when it comes to the openings and endings, especially when they show us them before the anime actually begins even in the first episode, for it gives us an "first impression". The opening became easily one of my favorites, and the background music and sound effects for the rest of the anime are just refined and well made. Even if I tried to, I'm unable to find anything to complain about in them.

Character
9/10
Everyone already knows the standard character typos: The Tsundere, the Bookworm, the Genki Girl, and so-so... But good luck trying to fit every Yuru Yuri character into a "preset personality". The anime presents us with funny and likeable characters, with very unique personalities that I hadn't seen anywhere else before. A few examples are the "main character" with no presence that is pretty much invisible, the Student Council President that whispers so softly she looks mute and only the mad scientist, explosion-addict chemistry teacher is able to translate what she says, and also, the two meganekkos that nosebleed/drool when they remove their glasses and fantasize about yuri. They're very innovative, and most importantly: Loveable. Perhaps I'm the wrong person to talk about this, but I just adore every single character in this anime.

Enjoyment
10/10
This. Enjoyment is what I weight more heavily when giving out my score. If I really enjoy an anime, it doesn't matter how crappy the art or sound may be (unless they're SO bad that they actually ruin the enjoyment), it may be able to score just fine. And Yuru Yuri is no exception: I'm just unable not to love it. I feel very well, in peace, while watching it, and every second spent watching is a second well-spent. This is the kind of anime I'll never feel bored watching or wishing for the episode to be over quickly (if you're watching something while thinking "Damn, isn't this over yet? I need to do something else.", then you're not enjoying it.), and I always actually want to watch more once it's over. And thus, a 10 in enjoyment.

Overall
10/10
Even if the Story may be a bit "common", and the art, simple, all the rest this anime has to offer counterbalances it's little imperfections. I couldn't wish for Yuru Yuri to give me anything else, except longer seasons, perhaps, for these short, 12-episode-long ones always leave me wanting for more. I already loved the first season, it's true, but they managed to somehow even improve every single aspect they could in the 2nd, and I found myself unable to rate it anything but a masterpiece.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 13, 2013

garrett1502

Mixed Feelings

Honestly, it breaks my heart to give this show a 6. I loved season one, but this one felt a bit disappointing. The jokes felt very...insubstantial. There were a few good "hahaha, her hair ate it" moments but other than that it's not very funny.

The characters are awesome, but I gave "Character" a 7 because no new characters were introduced, and no existing characters were developed further. This lead to the writers not having very many jokes that weren't already made in the first season.

My final gripe about this is that there was an episode that attempted to be serious and emotional. Why on earth ... would anybody do that in an anime that is supposed to be almost entirely comedy? I'm not talking about a 5-minute segment, either; there was literally a whole episode that was rarely light-hearted in any sense.

Sorry, Yuru Yuri. You're a good series but sometimes you just need a little more.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 28, 2014

3dnanoo94

Not Recommended

Yuru Yuri ♪♪ is an amazing anime which all anime studios need to take notes from. It's about the normal lives of schoolgirls trying to enjoy themselves in their tea-club. Each character has her own personality and her own unique traits, which helps enhances the series as it goes on. Yuru Yuri generally does not have a story, it only shows us episodes of lesbian (yuri) girls who are not fully aware of their sexual affiliation, which is the core of the comedy aspect in this, almost, rom-com.

Characters:

The clumsy, ignored, and plain Akari. She's the absolutely normal girl every shoujo has, albeit a little clumsy ... and awkward. Her lack of presence is the cause of her distress.
The selfish, easygoing, and perverted Kyoko. She's a famous mangaka, and her class' highest scorer even though she's a slouch. Her gluttony and laziness are her most shinning traits.
The lustful yet calm, and cute Chinatsu. She's the best at making tea and the worst at drawing.
The nice, mature, and independent Yui. She lives in an apartment by herself, and is often found at the center of the four main characters mentioned above.
Then, there are the secondary characters: The vexed but shy Ayano. The wet-dreaming, nose-bleeding Chitose. The jealous, and dumb Sakurako. The big-breasted and lady-like Himawari. The mute student council president, Rise. And Nana, the science teacher whose inventions are all explosive.

Relationships:

The relationships are linear and obvious: Akari is ignored by everyone. Kyoko loves Chinatsu, and often crashes at Yui's apartment. Chinatsu adores and looks up to Yui, and is constantly avoiding Kyoko. Yui is the one keeping Kyoko away from Chinatsu, and having them all at her apartment every now and then. Ayano secretly loves Kyoko but pretends she doesn't tolerate her. Chitose is Ayano's best friend, and the one encouraging and advising Ayano. She day-dreams a lot about intimate scenes between Kyoko and Ayano whenever she removes her glasses, and that causes her nose to bleed. Sakurako is extremely jealous of Himawari's big breasts. She always fights with her throughout the two seasons, but appears to be heavily dependent on her.

Analysis:

The music is slightly above-par, and is catchy and enjoyable. The animation and design are amazing. And the final episode would account for all the rest, meaning: You can watch the last episode without losing much content. It was really good.

The anime is truly fantastic because of what it teaches us about the art of making anime. It serves to be as the perfect model of what NOT to do in an anime. Here is a huge list:

*The characters are heavily contrasted, and that does not reflect any social reality.
*The relationships feel like they were planned or written by a robot: They're linear.
*Each character has a list of habits and traits that aren't shared with anyone, and that is neither the case in Japan, nor in anywhere else. It doesn't feel real at all.
*Each joke is thoroughly and excessively explained in a way that would make it pointless.
*Everything can be expected from the start of each event, so there's not much to anticipate.
*Each character tries hard to be a full representation of her characteristics.
*Everything is commented on. There seems to be no understanding between any character without speech.
*No imagination or thinking is left to the watcher. Every reference or notion has to be pointed at.
*Responses are forced and unnatural. So are the reactions. No flexibility.
*Repetition. All events are similar, and all reactions and responses feel like they're repeated.
*Full exploitation of the relationships between these characters, and all characters' characteristics.
*No character development whatsoever. The episodic nature of the anime makes it closer to a cartoon than an anime.
*No story elements or moral. The series' main and only goal is entertainment.
*Typical characters, typical scenarios, and predictable events.
*The children are unrealistic, and overtly frank in an awkward way, which makes one wonder if the developers ever saw children in their lives.

And with these notes, which are so easy to notice, most anime studios can start making good anime devoid of all these cliches. The only thing this piece-of-garbage anime is ever good for is showing us how horrible an anime could be, with looking and sounding as beautiful as the budget allows.

We all know that anime does not have to be realistic, but characters do, and so should relationships, reactions, and traits. It's alright to exaggerate or bend reality a little, but doing so without limits makes the anime unwatchable. The story, the setting, or the events can be unrealistic, and that's alright, but the characters should be relatable so that the watcher can relate himself to the anime, and have a worthy experience. This is a key in arts, and so should it be in anime, even if anime is more about entertainment.

Overall:

There is not much to be gained from watching Yuru Yuri. Both seasons are mediocre at most and extremely boring. The experience is dull; we don't get any idea about the Japanese culture, nor are we entertained, which is ironic, because that seems to be the main objective of the anime. No new types of characters, no new or even inspired events, and most certainly, no originality.

If there was anything worth anyone’s time in the whole series (24 episodes), it is the last episode, which was, by a whole deal, better than the rest.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) kuuderes_shadow - Sep 10, 2012	191 replies	by thi45 »» Mar 2, 3:37 PM
	Poll: Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Elite60 - Sep 3, 2012	111 replies	by Kingdom_64 »» Jan 27, 5:10 AM
	Poll: Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Yumekichi11 - Aug 20, 2012	139 replies	by Kingdom_64 »» Jan 26, 11:52 PM
	Poll: Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) robokai - Aug 13, 2012	149 replies	by Kingdom_64 »» Jan 26, 11:14 PM
	Poll: Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Yumekichi11 - Jul 23, 2012	88 replies	by Kingdom_64 »» Jan 26, 2:10 PM