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Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure Spoiler-Filled Review

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is an original magical girl series directed by Koji Ogawa. It is produced by Toei Animation (which uses the “Izumi Todo” pen name for studio’s producers as series creator), a studio founded in January 1948. It’s known for over 240 anime, including Cutie Honey, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Smile PreCure!, and Sailor Moon Crystal. Ryunosuke Kingetsu is the show’s head writer. As a warning, this review will discuss murder, death, trauma, attempted murder, psychological manipulation, and other mature themes.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the sixty-eighth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on March 3, 2024. On PCM it says this was posted on Mar. 4.

This series has an intriguing story. A girl named Sora Harewataru (voiced by Arkia Sekine) travels to Skyland’s main city to watch the birthday of Ellee, the Kingdom’s only princess. In an effort to escape her captors from the Underg Empire, she and Ellee (voiced by Aoi Koga) end up in Sorashido City, within Japan. While there, she comes across Mashiro Nijigaoka (voiced by Ai Kakuma). Later on, she meets Mashiro’s grandmother, Yoyo (voiced by Tomoko Shiota), a non-human animal named Tsubasa Yuunagi (voiced by Ayumu Murase) which can transform into a Puni bird, and a young adult woman named Ageha Hijiri (voiced by Ayaka Nanase). All of them work together to stop the Underg Empire’s evil deeds, and planned kidnapping of Ellee, even if it puts their lives into jeopardy.

Originally, I hadn’t planned to review this series. The series isn’t as environmentally focused as Tokyo Mew Mew New, nor a dark fantasy like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a comedy such as Tweeny Witches, or a magical fantasy like Little Witch Academia. I changed my mind after reading an Anime News Network chat-log stating that the series “breaks the mold” by introducing the first boy in the Pretty Cure franchise, and an Anime Feminist article by Cy Catwell, which described the series as enjoyable, upbeat, feminine-targeted, and “incredibly empowering.”

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is more than a magical girl series where Sora transforms into Cure Sky, Mashiro into Cure Prism, and Tsubasa into Cure Wing. Sora has some of the strongest character development of any character in the entire series. She goes from someone who claims she is a hero to the reality, with many bumps around the way. She is only rivaled by what Tsubasa goes through, who is a species of bird, and can’t fly, causing his fellow bird peers to make fun of him.

Like other magical girl series, there is yuri subtext, specifically between Sora and Mashiro. In fact, both of them have a combo attack against any Ranborgs summoned by Kabaton (voiced by Yasuhro Mamiya), a general of the Underg Empire. As the series goes forward, their connection with one another gets stronger. It interlinks with camaraderie between the PreCures. For instance, Sora and Mashiro reassure Tsubase, increasing his self-confidence, helping him face his fears and insecurities.

One of the more interesting twists is the reveal that the grandmother of Mashiro, Yoyo, is from Skyland. She helps out the protagonists by connecting a magic mirror back to Skyland, and later, an inter-dimensional tunnel, with the right materials. She is a wise, guiding force, for the characters, and is often aware of more than what she reveals.

While Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure has characteristics typical in the magical girl genre, including transformations, friendship, heroic elements, youth, and femininity, this series is more than that. There are no heterosexual relationships. Rather, there’s the aforementioned yuri subtext and a focus on friendship, with the creation of a found/chosen family among the protagonists. Unlike Sailor Moon, two characters buck the idea of the PreCures as princesses: Sora and Tsubasa. Both appear to be more down-and-out fighters, not royalty. Mashiro is the closest to being a princess-like apart from Ellee (an actual Princess).

Uniquely, Sora sees one of the key generals in Skyland, Captain Shalala (voiced by Saiga Mitsuki), as her rolemodel-of-sorts, rather than a king or prince. Just as significant is the fact Tsubasa is a part of the team, showing that the magic-based and gentle power of magical girls isn’t just for girls. Instead it makes clear that men can fight without punching or having lots of physical training. In fact, the latter is done by Sora but not anyone else.

There’s some parallels between Tsubasa and Steven Universe, in that both do things seen as “girly” and “feminine.” However, the latter develops it more than the former. Steven uses his mother’s shield (with a rose in the center), his power for self-defense, rather than offense, and often cries, to name a few elements. Despite these differences, Tsubasa is a relatively well-developed character, as much as any other protagonist in this series.

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is more than a series focused on heroism, which uses sky as a main motif and features characters with their own signature power moves. For one, it is novel that Sora spares Kabaton life after he fails his Earth mission for the Underg Empire. As a result, he lives a new non-evil life in Sorashido City.

Sora is just as compelling. She makes up with a fellow guard that she trains alongside in Skyland, showing she has become more of a hero. She wants to fight evil and cares about those around her. Of course, this is not unique to Sora. Other protagonists act similarly, including those in other magical girl series. For instance, the Sailor Scouts in Sailor Moon often go out of their way to protect others, especially if those people are near and dear to them.

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure shares the message that any obstacle can be overcome, even if it seems insurmountable. Something similar is communicated in Ippon Again!, except the latter series primarily states that hard work can lead to good results. The former is different, as it is more about the value of teamwork and friendship. Of course, this is present in Ippon Again!, but fights are more one-on-one, while those in Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure often feature multiple heroes fighting at once.

The Skyland arc is one of the more gripping plotlines. Sora becomes a member of the Azure Guards and fights against the villainous Battamonda (voiced by KENN / Ken’ichirō Ōhashi), along with other defenders of the city. This arc indicates that near-impossible challenges can be met. Mashiro and Sora use all of their magical girl energy to stop a bomb from destroying the capital of Skyland. This two-episode arc is short-lived. It ends in the fifteenth episode, setting the stage for a return to Sorashido City. The King and Queen are incapacitated by a curse-of-sorts. Captain Shala presumably sacrifices herself to save the city.

In the next two episodes are some of the series’ strongest. This arc features protagonists returning to Japan and the grandmother, Yoyo, finding a way to heal the King and Queen. They work together to cheer up Elle and Battamonda follows them, declaring he will stop them no matter what. As was the case in episodes before this, there are huge battles, but everything is always rebuilt afterward. There is also a nice bonding scene, in another episode, between Sora and Mashiro during a relay race, bringing them closer together.

There was some controversy about the sixteenth episode of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure. Some claimed that one of the banners used had a Japanese imperialist origin. Whether that is the case or not, it pales in comparison to what happened with Oshi No Ko (which is returning with a second season this year). There were even complaints about a subset of that series fandom harassing the mother of professional wrestler Hana Kimura. She previously said that she doesn’t want to blame anyone and praised the series for raising “important issues” but wondered if anyone gave it “the proper consideration before releasing it out into the world.”

Apart from that, the camaraderie between the characters, the aforementioned yuri subtext between Sora and Mashiro, and the value of self-love are important series themes. When the heroes are pinned down, they use all the strength they can to beat the villains, even if they are facing stronger monsters. This is the case in the eighteenth and nineteenth episodes. In those episodes, Ageha Hijiri goes from being an 18-year-old woman who teaches at a nursery school to a magical girl named Cure Butterfly. She becomes an integral part of the PreCure team. The new opening in the nineteenth episode features her in a much more prominent place.

One of the best parts of the eighteenth and nineteenth episodes of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is the fact that Ageha is not some refugee from a magical land (as is the case for Sora and Tsubasa). She’s an ordinary person in more ways than one. Having a character who is passionate about primary school education is great. Many magical girls are teenagers, so they aren’t necessarily thinking of their future careers. That sets Ageha apart.

Surely, Mashiro is also an “ordinary person,” but Ageha is different. She cares about the students of her nursery class. She defends them, and the school, after she transforms into Cure Butterfly. By the nineteenth episode, she has settled in with everyone. She even works with Tsubasa, who’s worried about her, to develop a joint attack named “PreCure! Titanic Rainbow.” This magic spell involves one person using a paintbrush, turning a being into rainbow, and then using it against an enemy, if I understand it correctly. Basically, it is “death by bird butt,” to put it simply. It’s even more powerful than Mashiro and Sora’s joint spell, named “Updraft Shining.”

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure harps on a theme expressed in episodes of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Cleopatra in Space, and in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Viewers are told that overwork is bad and that breaks are good. This series goes even further: it makes clear that no one should take on everything by themselves, but should share the burden with others. By the end of the nineteenth episode, Tsubasa, Mashiro, Sora, and Ageha all divide up the house duties, embodying elements of a cooperative housing situation.

Ageha’s overwork and over-dedication are the result of her determination to give back to everyone. The series depicts the former as something people shouldn’t not strive for. Fitting with the anti-overwork message, collaboration is emphasized. This is not unique to this series. It is present in many magical girl and superhero series, especially when characters in those series are part of a team. Coming back to Ageha, I am reminded of the twenty-eighth episode. In that episode, it’s revealed that Ageha knows a well-known model (Maria Saotome), and a well-known model and designer (Kaguya Saotome). Both are her sisters. A divorce separated them and they took different paths. The episode ends with each sister agreeing to do their best and bring a smile to faces of other people, whether in the fashion world or within the classroom.

Ageha isn’t the only one who struggles in Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure. Throughout the series, Mashiro often works on picture book illustration and writing. In the twentieth episode, she has writer’s bloc and is unable to come up with a “good” original story. She believes she is borrowing from too many other stories. A mother reading to their daughter inspires her. Although there is an obligatory fight scene in this episode, with a monster summoned by an annoyed Battamonda, she still submits her drawing in time for the town’s picture book contest. Even though she doesn’t win, she dedicates herself to drawing again, which comes up later in the series.

Otherwise, some characters use their knowledge to assist their fellow team members. In the twenty-first episode, Tsubasa defeats Battamonda’s summoned monster because he knows that clouds are made of “tiny bits of water and ice.” He is helped by the other PreCures, who use their magical attacks, including a joint attack with Ageha. At the episode’s end, Yoyo gives him a book and Mirror Pad to help him learn more. In a later episode, Tsubasa connects with Shoko Amauno who knows about airplanes and flying. He uses it to help defeat the summoned monster. The former episode made me think back to a middle school science class I look which included a lesson about different cloud types. I probably still have the handouts from that class!

One of the most heartbreaking Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure episodes follows. Battamonda tricks Sora. He claims that she planted the dark hatred in his heart. Captain Shalala is inside the monster he summoned. He manipulates the monster to attack her. Other PreCures save her, but don’t purify the monster after he claims that Undergu energy is keeping her alive. The monster-of-sorts, and Battamonda, disappear. He declares he will continue to play with them until their hearts are “in pieces.” The latter happens with Sora. After she says she “doesn’t want to fight anymore,” her mirage pen disappears, so she can’t transform! In this way, Battamonda is one of the worst villains in the entire series. He engaged in psychological warfare against Sora because he tried to make her feel afraid / hopeless / less confident without physically hurting her.

The twenty-third episode brings this full circle. Sora returns to Skyland, believing she has lost everything, since she can’t access her powers. While her parents respect her decision, her brother does not. Her friends are worried about her. Yoyo says that she doesn’t know how people move forward when their dreams are shattered. Her friends Ageha and Tsubasa are unable to get her out of her funk. Instead, she thinks about the good times she had with Mashiro and that running away isn’t what a hero does. While reading Mashiro’s letter, and blushing, a new mirage pen appears (a product of her feelings for Mashiro?). Her father tells her that a dream isn’t a one-time thing, but can come back repeatedly. Almost like Superman descending from the sky, she comes back with force, and does an amazing Sky Punch.

Unsurprisingly, Battamonda is annoyed. The Mirror Pad collects the right amount of energy before their purification. After Sora does her combo attack with Mashiro, known as PreCure! Updraft Shining, the Captain is released from the monster-of-sorts. She is weak and recovers. The yuri subtext here is strong. Sora and Mashiro hug one another, with Mashiro calling Sora a “hero girl.” Mashiro gives Sora back her hero journal. Sora says she will get stronger so that Battamonda, who’s on the run, won’t hurt her anymore. After this high-stakes action, it is no surprise that they somewhat relax in the next episode after healing the King and Queen with the potion they have collected, and become famous in Skyland.

Ellee is ominously described as a “child of destiny.” She appeared out of nowhere, then the King and Queen adopted her. Ageha predicts, in the twenty-fifth episode of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure, that Ellee will get her own magical powers. They first manifest themselves in her being able to talk to animals. These powers come in handy when fighting a monster summoned by Minoton, another villain of the week, as you could call them. This comes up again in the twenty-ninth episode. Ellee bonds with a stuffed animal, in contrast to Sora, who’s terrified out of her mind (she dislikes the animal as it is kowai rather than kawaii), until she learns the animal can talk because it is magic.

This mixes with episodes which have comedic moments or lessons. At the end of the twenty-sixth episode, Mashiro’s parents arrive and spend time at the cooperative house-of-sorts she is living in. They have “I Love Mashiro” shirts with them. This embarrasses her, but they only stay a short time before flying back overseas. In another episode, all the PreCures are pulled inside the mirror pad. After Ellee accidentally activates “hidden wild lessons” mode, they go through lessons of sorts. Somehow, they get back just in time for the fireworks. The “obligatory” beach episode, episode thirty, is a bit laid-back. Even so, it includes scary parts: Sora almost drowns while fighting Minoton’s summoned monster. In the end, they all have fun time and eat a meal at a beach restaurant.

This series never criticizes the beauty myth or beauty industry. On the other hand, Ageha could have been a model like her sisters, but chooses to be a nursery school teacher. As such, this series bucks the usual storyline, where she would become a model. It echoes how Fuuka Miyazawa, protagonist of the The Aquatope on the White Sand, chooses to leave her idol life behind and work at an aquarium in Okinawa. At the same time, Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is less girly than Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure, which is much more centered on makeup. The focus on makeup being part of magical transformation is not new, but its central to this franchise.

The thirty-ninth episode is a turning point. It marks the introduction of Skearhead (voiced by Mitsuru Miyamoto). He claims to be ruler of the Undergu Empire, working on behalf of Empress Underg (voiced by Takako Honda). He kidnaps Ellee, to the shock of her friends, but, somehow, she escapes and new PreCure emerges: Cure Majesty. She saves her friends. He withdraws, saying he will remember the name “Cure Majesty.” They all are glad that Ellee is ok. In the end, Sora resolves they need to get stronger to defend Ellee from new enemies. This mixes with superb animation throughout, which is often rad and tip-top.

In the next few Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure episodes, Ellee comes into her own. The fact she is Cure Majesty becomes apparent, even though she can’t transform at will at first. Skearhead tries to eliminate her, with Minoton reborn with Undergu energy. He wants all the PreCures to disappear. Whether she gives off vibes from the beginning of Steven Universe or not, her friends are more than happy to help her, as the first toddler PreCure in the franchise. Aoi Koga does a great job voicing all her iterations! Coming back to the character, she leads the way to an ancient ruins where they come across the Majestic Chroniclon, giving them all a super saiyan power boost, and they beat back the dark energy.

Mashiro attempts again to become a picture book author in the thirty-fourth episode. Battamonda, living in the human world as “Monda,” in a terrible apartment, next door to Kabaton, tries to “discourage” Mashiro. He claims he is an art student and tries to gain her confidence. However, this does the exact opposite. Mashiro felt down after reading her story at the local library and some kids called it “boring.” Later, she thanks him for his words and which surprised him. This was the first time someone cheered him on. At the same time, Skearhead makes more appearances, even as the heroes beat him back with the Majestic Chroniclon‘s powers.

Episode thirty-five is one better Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure episodes. It centers around Tamaki Shinomiya, a student who also attends Sorashida Academy. She requests Sora be their special coach. Tamaki is injured and can’t throw before the next tournament. This puts the team in jeopardy because she’s their ace. This episode isn’t notable because Skearhead appears, Tamaki learning that Sora is a PreCure, Sora carrying Tamaki in a bridal carry, nor a baseball pitch defeating a conjured monster. Rather, Sora finds a friend who connects with her, even though she isn’t a hero with magical powers. Secondly, the episode realistically shows the time of Tamaki’s recovery. As a side note, the baseball club loves Sora. The yuri subtext is as strong as when people cheered for Marika Kato when she entered the academy in an episode of Bodacious Space Pirates.

Skearhead gets more dangerous, threatening kids in a nursery school in the thirty-sixth episode. He arrogantly declares, in the episode afterward, that only he needs to know why he is targeting the PreCures. In the process, Tsubasa and Ageha fight alongside one another. Ageha cheers up a sad kid (Takeru) who wants to stay at nursery school. She meets the nursery school teacher who gave her confidence all those years ago. That teacher happens to be Takeru’s mother! Ageha and Mashiro also reflect on when their friendship began. They learn that their favorite tree was chopped down and made into a swing that everyone can use. In the second of these two episodes, the monster fight seems unnecessary and obligatory. This is an issue with some, but not all, episodes in this series.

The PreCures continue to take risks. They meet a “flightless” dragon tribe with Tsubasa’s help, while Skearhead harasses them, even turning a bell into a monster. In the latter case, Ellee watches a television special about weddings with Aegeha, Sora, and Mashiro. Afterward, she’s determined to marry Tsubasa. While he agrees to “play wedding” with her, Ellee is serious about it, and Tsubasa has a nightmare about the marriage. She even holds his book hostage in response and declares she hates him. The episode ends positively. Tsubasa vows to be Ellee’s knight and protect her forever. She sees the other PreCures as her friends forever. She doesn’t think she is married to anyone. This makes clear that the “marriage” was only a method to ensure she would be friends with Tsubasa forever. On some level, this episode shows the problems with child marriages.

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure‘s forty-first episode shakes everything apart. It begins with Mashiro struggling to come up with a theme for a writing contest. Monda acts nice, claiming that power is only for the ones who succeed. She tries to cheer him up and says she likes fallen leaves. Later, Skearhead calls Monda worthless, saying he doesn’t deserve to exist, and she defends him. But she is not the one shaken: rather it is Sora. She confronts Skearhead who says the “one they love” wants them to attack the PreCures. She isn’t sure what he means. While Monda’s words about fallen leaves echo in his mind while the words of Skearhead echo in hers.

This leads to the next episode. Tsubasa researches how to generate a specific type of energy, specifically having in mind a protective shield around Skyland (this foreshadows what happens in a later episode). Sora begins to have feelings of self-doubt. She puts on a strong front to the Captain, but wants to figure out these feelings by herself. Her friends say they will be there for her, supporting her where necessary. It’s revealed that Skearhead knows about Tsubasa’s research, implying there is a mole providing information to him. Sora continues to hesitate to fight. This clears up when she talks to Skearhead, explaining why she stopped fighting, saying that PreCures are fighting on behalf of the “one they love.”

Skearhead retreats but is unfazed. Typically, he declares that “thinking and worrying creates self-doubt in battle” and threatens to destroy the city. In response, she asks if he ever hesitates or worries when he is fighting for someone. She demands an answer from him as to why he is hurting others and making everyone suffer. He says she doesn’t need to know why. Instead, in his mind, she needs to “disappear.” He calls her naive, saying her beliefs will result in the city’s destruction. Sora doesn’t give up. She doesn’t care if she is naive. She uses her Sky Punch to purify the energy he’s gathered. Before he can talk, he’s shaken by her power and cowardly flees. Sora later tells her friends what he told her. She remains committed to learning why he is hurting people.

These serious Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure episodes are mixed with fun ones, like the Halloween-themed thirty-ninth episode. Battamonda dresses up as “Cure Pumpkin” and claims he is a PreCure. He wants to make the PreCures look bad, but his plan is an utter failure. He runs away, ashamed and apologized, while all the PreCures get candy. In some ways, the episode sets the stage for the forty-third one. In that episode, Monda agrees with Mashiro, who tells him that she decides her own worth. He attacks Skearhead, who believes that those without power are “worthless.”

In addition, he gives Mashiro back her transformer-pen. She is able to, with help of her fellow PreCures, fight back against Monda. He was turned into a monster-of-sorts by Skearhead. Although they almost lose, Mashiro uses one of her spells to make Monda’s heart “shine.” A combo attack by the PreCures allows them to purify him. He is forgiven by Sora. He apologizes to Mashiro for ripping her notebook. It almost seems he is on the road to becoming a better person/being.

In the series final arc, more about the “far past” comes to the forefront. Empress Underg tells the PreCures, in the forty-fourth episode, that the Skyland castle was built on “tears of sadness.” She wants revenge for what happened in the past. In an almost Steven Universe-esque manner, Sora proposes they talk with her, but she challenges them instead. Their massive attack fails. Their strength is no match for her, and they fall down, transforming back into their usual selves. The Empress blames everything on Ellee, who is shocked to hear this slander. In response, she freezes time thanks to the Majestic Chroniclon.

Ellee, Sora, and Mashiro travel back three hundred years into the past. They meet Princess Elleelain of Skyland. Sora and Mashiro are unable to transform. They do what they can to fight the Ramborgs. Sora remembers the classic stories. As the Empress declares, fighting only brings tears. This episode of Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure makes one thing clear: Ellee is the reincarnation of Cure Noble. This is continued in the forty-fifth episode. Cheer Noble is cheered on, condemning the Emperor of the Underg Empire for attacking against defenseless Puni birds. The Empress, a being born from the sea of Undergu energy, says that strength isn’t “everything,” standing against Skearhead’s conceptions.

What I found fascinating is that the male characters are the ones who promote the idea that strength is “everything.” This is one of the feminist messages of this series. Even the Empress tries to stop the fighting, but her father won’t listen. Her effort is successful and supported by Cure Noble (who says that fighting brings only tears), and the present-day PreCures (Sora, Mashiro, and Ellee). This is scuttled by Skearhead. He uses the meeting between Cure Noble, the Empress, and Emperor of Underg Empire as a trap/distraction to attack the city. Rightly enraged, Cure Noble goes on the attack and accidentally hurts the Empress. Even so, they achieve peace, but Skearhead is unhappy.

These events have reverberations in the present: the Empress is hardened and refuses to consider peace. Instead, she plans to wipe them out. The PreCures beat her. Skearhead whisks her away before they have a chance to talk to her. This plotline is interrupted by the forty-sixth Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure episode. It centers around ways to cheer-up everyone in Skyland’s main city. They have a celebration which resembles Christmas. That episode is one of the only ones without a villain battle. It includes nice Sora/Mashiro moments, with both pledging to protect the world together.

The audience learns about what really happened at the same time as the PreCures. This includes the revelation, in episode forty-seven, that Ellee is a manifestation of Morning Star, otherwise known as Princess Ellee-Lain. She tells them that she put her power in the Majestic Chroniclon. She informs them that good relations between Skyland and the Underg Empire suddenly ended, without warning. Fading away, she tells them that the world’s fate is in their hands. Hilariously, while Ellee remains as a teenage girl most of the time, she goes back to becoming a little kid when she gets hungry.

Skearhead is crafty. He claims that he would lay down his life for the Empress. On the other hand, he traps two PreCures in a bubble. He intends on draining their power and attacking the city. Skearhead disappears into nothingness after Ellee (as Cure Majesty) attacks him. He claims this is his “last lesson” to the Empress. Understandably, she is horrified. Sora tells her the truth: if she had talked to them, it wouldn’t have come to this. The Empress claims that Cure Noble attacked her father and ended the relations between her country in Skyland. Conveniently, Skearhead isn’t there, so no one can get to the truth and question her story’s validity.

The story that the Empress tells gives the audience a window into her perspective. She believes that Skearhead saved her and says she has lost everything. She claims she has nothing left due to the reported “death” of Skearhead at Ellee’s hand. Echoing Cassandra’s wildly-powerful moonstone powers in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, she calls forth all the Undergu energy, and tries to destroy the entire city. The PreCures do what they can to stop her. Some citizens are evacuated. Even former villains, like Kabaton, Minoton, and Battamonda, reappear. They are now on the side of the PreCures.

At first, it seems like the PreCures have made a breakthrough. She goes back to her normal form after they tell her that strength isn’t everything. Mashiro and Sora do their PreCure Updraft Shining combo attack to purify her. Before she can say anything, Skearhead, like a unhinged groundhog, pops out of nowhere. He stabs her through the body with a spear. This action is either attempted reginicide [killing of a queen] or, more specifically, attempted tyrannicide since the Empress is effectively a tyrant.

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure‘s penultimate episode raises the stakes. Like a light bulb flickering on in a dark closet, the Empress remembers something she’d forgotten: Skearhead killed her father. He replaced her actual memory with a false one. To cover his tracks, he created the memory that Cure Noble betrayed her. This ensured that her body and mind would be tied to Undergu energy. He reveals his true form to the PreCures: an incarnation of Undergu energy named Darkhead. He psychologically damages the Empress even more, declaring that he doesn’t love her at all. This causes her to realize that everything she believed has been a lie. This is all part of the series’ feminist themes.

This all leads to one of the best series sequences. The PreCures travel to the Underg Empire to save the Empress. Along the way, PreCures continue peeling off to fight the Ramborgs. By the end, only Sora and Mashiro are left. They confront Darkhead who only saw the Empress as an effective “vessel” believing that a “hero’s light” was inside her. He sees Sora as a better vessel. He uses the sea of Undergu energy to turn her into Dark Sky! While this energy flow is poisonous to PreCures, she fights him regardless. Through her determination, she beats him, with the help of Mashiro. She is able to purge him from her body permanently.

Although Skearhead / Darkhead is gone (in a sense) and the Empress is healed, as a side effect, their battle is not over. Before they begin, they bond with the Empress. Sora defines a hero for her: a person fighting no matter what stands in their way and believing that your convictions are right. She admits that she isn’t great or naive enough to call herself a hero. Her friends have always supported her. The PreCures prepare themselves to fight, and win against, an evil snake beast known as Daijurg (another form of Skearhead / Darkhead).

In the Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure series finale, the Empress rejects Daijurg/Darkhead/Skearhead. They all de-transform since they have been transformed too long. Sora raises their spirits, declaring that the ability to be a PreCure is infinite, and inside them. In effect, she says that everyone has infinite possibility. Somehow, they are able to defeat the snake monster on Earth and purify it. Everything ends happily. The Empress declares that they will have a lasting peace in Skyland. Kabaton, Minoton, and Battamonda join her.

A fissure appears: Ellee, Tsubasa and Sora prepare to go back to their world (Skyland). Mashiro stays behind on Earth. They say their goodbyes. The most emotional moment is between Mashiro and Sora. She even jokes about how many times they held hands and says she loves Mashiro’s smile. In response, Mashiro calls her cool and strong. This break doesn’t last long. The next morning, Ellee, Tsubasa, and Sora come back so they can eat breakfast together. The series ends with Mashiro making a picture book featuring all of them, and herself. It’s akin to Rapunzel’s journal in Tangled. In a post-credits scene, Cure Wonderful, from the currently airing Pretty Cure series, Wonderful PreCure!, makes her debut.

This series is better than the decent adult PreCure, entitled Power of Hope: PreCure Full Bloom, a clear nostalgia trip. Its longer than Delicious Party Pretty Cure, the previous series in the Pretty Cure / PreCure franchise. That series had forty-five episodes. After this series ended, Wonderful PreCure! replaced it in the same time slot on All-Nippon News Network. Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure could have been longer. In a weird and unfortunate coincidence, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure had more episodes, including the film as one episode. That is despite the fact that final season had its final series order cut from thirty-six episodes down to twenty-one, resulting in a total episode count of sixty.

If the series received another ten episodes, it could have involved a corrupted Cure Sky becoming Dark Sky as a cliffhanger, possibly turning against her fellow PreCures. She could become a fallen magical girl of sorts. The latter led to fanart of Dark Sky and Cure Prism together, sometimes in very compromising positions. In the series, as it stands presently, the day is saved, arguably, by lesbian love between Sora and Mashiro. Additional episodes could have canonized this yuri subtext. To my knowledge, there aren’t any canon lesbian characters in the PreCure franchise. There’s only subtext which fans recognize from time to time.

Whether there is wasted potential or not, the writers clearly wanted to quickly wrap up the series. This allowed the series to set the stage for Wonderful PreCure!, the next PreCure series. Although I enjoyed the series conclusion, since it tied up loose ends, I don’t understand why all the PreCures couldn’t have lived together in the human world. Perhaps some fanfiction writers will imagine these possibilities, and others, adding to the over 180 fics for the series on AO3.

The show’s crew and cast are talented. Series director Koji Ogawa worked on other Pretty Cure and magical girl series, along with Chaos Dragon and Dragon Ball Super. Ryunosuke Kingetsu was head writer for Ninja Nonsense and Futakoi Alternative and a writer on Märchen Mädchen. Series character designer Atsushi Saitō, worked on Clannad, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Healer Girl, Is the Order a Rabbit?, K-On!, and Love Live! Superstar!!. The fact that I enjoyed watching most of these aforementioned series made me like this series more.

Voice actors for the show’s four protagonists are just as experienced. Akira Sekine voiced Princess Charlotte, a protagonist of Princess Principal, along with characters in Asobi Asobase, Assault Lily Bouquet, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, and Birdie Wing. Ai Kakuma voiced Hazuki Kudo in Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Ilia Coral in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, and Natsu Umehara in Ippon Again!. She will voice Kaori Tachibana in Whisper Me a Love Song in April and Yuri Shibasaki in The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today in July.

Ayumu Murase and Ayaka Nanase, who voice two other protagonists, are also seasoned voice actors. Murase voices Kento Yamada in Skip and Loafer and Hachi in My Roommate is a Cat. Nanase voices Mary Read in Fena: Pirate Princess and Noa Shiragiku in Tsurune. Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure voice actors Aoi Koga, Tomoko Shiota, Yasuhro Mamiya, and Saiga Mitsuki are known for their roles in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, The Demon Girl Next Door, Asteroid in Love, Princess Principal: Crown Handler, Yurikuma Arashi, Ouran High School Host Club, Maria Watches Over Us, Spy × Family, and Stars Align.

Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and, hopefully has a DVD or Blu-ray physical release in the U.S.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story Season 2 Spoiler-Filled Review

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story is an original (wild) golf anime directed by Takayuki Inagaki, with Yōsuke Kuroda as the series writer. The series is produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Filmworks. The first cour/season of Birdie Wing aired from April to June 2022, and the second season/cour aired from April 2023 to June 2023.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-eighth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 2, 2023.

The first season of this off-the-wall anime centered on Eve (voiced by Kito Akari), a spunky teenage girl from the slums of Nafrece who illegally golfs for money, and a rich Japanese girl named Aoi Amawashi (voiced by Asami Seto), who matches her determination and skill. That season showed that this anime is more than a sports story, which are common these days, with wild underground golf games against organized crime bosses obsessed with solving issues through golf.

Diversity is central to Birdie Wing. Heavy issues like undocumented immigration, corrupt urban renewal, political corruption, and racial injustice are brought to the forefront. Unsurprisingly, yuri subtext is abound in this anime, primarily between Eve and Aoi, especially during their golf games against one another, or together.

The second season picks up where the first one left off, with magical girl-esque golf drives by Eve and Aoi, and continued ridiculousness. This series is more mature than many Western animations. It is even more intense and relatable than the previous season, with Eve remaining at a prestigious Japanese golf academy in the first part of the season. It does this while flaunting rules of the sports genre, mixed with well-placed comedic moments.

Surely, there are terrible women in Birdie Wing, but others are more relatable. In many ways, this series makes the elitist sport of golf interesting to watch. The series goes above and beyond other sports anime focused on girls. The plot and characters remain compelling. The talented crew and cast allow the series to excel. This season went a different direction than I had anticipated in my season one review: that Aoi would lose her privileges, that Eve would become a subservient golf supersoldier doing the bidding of the golf-obsessed Mafia, and that Eve would remain in Japan.

In fact, Aoi never lost her life of privilege while Eve did not remain in Japan. It is heavily implied that she has romantic feelings toward Aoi and vice versa. The first few episodes of the second season show Aoi making mistakes. But Eve did not kiss her since promised to only do so if Aoi did well. On the other hand, Eve’s repressed memories began to come back when she did one of her golf power moves, revealing her true identity.

Unlike season one of Birdie Wing, the physical toll of playing golf, at this intense level, is a major theme. At the beginning of the season, Aoi gets a headache and her playing suffers, with Eve filling in for her. Aoi collapses because of the stress she is under. Predictably, Eve declares she will “kill” her opponents in golf. Otherwise, there is a connection between the condition of Aoi’s father, and her condition, with the latter a result of overwork.

I liked how the series seemed to imply that Eve and Aoi were half-sisters, then demolished this idea with an absurdly complex web of relationships between the show’s characters. It turns out that Leo Millafoden (voiced by Shūichi Ikeda) taught Eve golf at request of Eve’s real father, Kazuhika Hodoka (voiced by Kousuke Toriumi). The latter was in a relationship with Eleanor Burton (voiced by Yuko Minaguchi). He later married Aoi’s mother, Seira Amawashi (voiced by Yūko Kaida), after she was pregnant with a baby from another man: Reiya Amuro (voiced by Tōru Furuya). Reiya later became a coach of the golf academy which Aoi and Eve attended.

In an intriguing twist, it is revealed that Eve doesn’t remember her past because of amnesia. A cruise liner crashed, killing her mother and father, and countless others. When she woke up from the accident, she didn’t remember anything, not even her name. So, there wasn’t any human experimentation, as I had thought before. Instead, she grew up in the slums. Klein Clare (voiced by Sayaka Kinoshita), Lily Lipman (voiced by Akira Sekine), and others in Nafrece take her in and raise her.

The arc in the first few episodes of Birdie Wing‘s season 2, with Aoi and Eve playing together, ends abruptly. Seira incorrectly believes that Eve is “bad news”. She plans to expel Eve from the country, in an effort to “protect” Aoi, in a decision based on faulty information “proving” Eve is tied to the Mafia. The “deportation” of Eve, as some fans termed it online, results. She is pressured to quit school, kidnapped, and brought to an airport, then told to leave Japan “or else”.

The definition of deportation in U.S. law is simple. It refers to the removal of a foreigner from a country. In legal terms, such foreigners have a presence which is “deemed inconsistent with the public welfare and without any punishment…imposed or contemplated”. In contrast, expulsion is removal of a person or people, by a governmental act/dictate/declaration, from a territory against their will. A successful expulsion is deportation.

Eve wasn’t pushed out of Japan by a government official or agency. As such, it is either forced migration, forced displacement, or forced relocation. Even those terms don’t fit, since the latter applies to people persecuted for one reason or another. On the other hand, what happened to Eve is likely is a form of displacement, which can be caused by conflicts, disasters, development, criminal organizations, political entities, and conflicts.

Moreover, it is accurate to say Eve was displaced, but not deported, as no government official forced her on a plane. Eve left the country of her own free will, although the driver threatened her with violence. This analysis is further confirmed by looking at definitions of “deportation,” “expulsion,” “immigration,” “immigrant,” “emigrant,” “emigration,” “alien,” and “illegal alien” in the Third Pocket Edition of Black’s Law Dictionary which I have on hand.

By these definitions, Eve would be an “alien”, and technically an “illegal alien”. She has a passport, but a fraudulent one. It is, ultimately, questionable whether she was deported or expelled, as there isn’t enough evidence to say definitively that she was compelled to leave.

Eve’s return to Nafrece results in a big reunion. She meets Vipere (voiced by Kaori Nazuka), who she calls the “snake lady”, along with her partner-of-sorts, and visits her parents’ grave. In a possible commentary on reality of the golf world, she gets sponsored by the Burton family, thanks to former pro golfer Alan Harvey (voiced by Shigeru Ushiyama), allowing her to achieve her goals. She uses her golf skills to destroy her opponents and re-firm support of the Burtons, which may have Mafia connections, in her.

The self-made and ever-changing golf course of Mafia boss Catherine (voiced by Umeka Shouji) reappears with gusto, in a callback to the first season of Birdie Wing. In order to win against Catherine’s golfer, Remelda (voiced by Marina Inoue), and possible lover, the caddy of Eve, Ichina Saotome (voiced by Saki Fujita) joins her. In a leap of faith, she even quits school, at the request of Eve, so that she can offer the best advice possible. The savvy well-versed and knowledgeable caddy of Aoi, Amane Shinjō (voiced by Ami Koshimizu) does the same, in a parallel to Ichina’s actions.

In many ways, Ichina brings realism to the situation. She realizes the danger in going against Catherine, through her golfer, Remelda, on a golf course that uses an absurd amount of power and energy. Even a hydroelectric dam overflows so the course can move with incredible speed. Ichina is rightly terrified after Catherine threatens Eve with a gun. She puts her hands up in fear. Eve is used to her life being in danger and easily shrugs off the threat. At first, Ichina seems like one of the only people in this series who is above the absurdity. As such, she doesn’t recognize what Eve sees: that the course is a place filled with “money and greed”. Nor could she ever do golf shots which have a ball skip across the water to get to its target!

Eve’s victories are paralleled by what Aoi was doing, although there are entire episodes of Birdie Wing‘s season 2 where Aoi barely appeared! I liked that Aoi had her skill on the decline when Eve isn’t there, but builds herself back up. The connection between Eve and Aoi remains, even if they aren’t directly talking to one another.

Time and again, Eve doesn’t waste any time deeming women as “bellissime“, including Remelda, who she plays during the second season, and likely others as well. She even didn’t mind when Ichina seemed to have a crush on her, with Ichina declaring that she’d be Eve’s caddy “for life”. She may even have some feelings for Aisha Khambatta, who faces Eve later in the second season. Assisted by Leo, Aisha is a person that Eve describes as “incredibly dangerous”.

The focus on found and chosen family is a big part of Birdie Wing‘s story, especially for Eve. Once back in Nafrece, she happily greets Klein, Lilly, and their adopted daughters. Thanks to the actions by Vipere, in season one, they all have legal status in Nafrece! As for Aoi, she has a chosen family as well, represented by assistance from her father, and her loyal caddy, Amane.

Although Seira later supports Aoi, she outs herself as a terrible parent when Aoi travels to a contest where plays Eve, and perhaps golf, for the “last” time. She forced/strong armed Amane to becoming the caddy of Aoi in the first place! Later, Amane decides to stay with Aoi, as her caddy. She does so even though she is no longer forced to do so, as an act of her own free will, indicating her power as a character. She may even have a crush, to some extent, on Aoi.

Birdie Wing is even more compelling when Aoi does her own golf power moves. She calls them Shining Shots, like Eve with her “rainbow bullet”, “blue bullet”, and so on. The absurdity of Aoi winning because of rain, over her opponent, Shikishima, in a game the announcer declares will go down in Japanese women’s golf history, says more about the series than anything else.

The final episodes of the second season push Aoi and Eve to the brink, but especially Eve. She begins to suffer from the physical demands of golf, more than ever before, especially after she does her rainbow burst, combining the styles of Leo and her father. This is the “terrible price” she plays for this form of golf. This makes clear that neither Eve nor Aoi are invincible. They are as fallible as the rest of us, even if they don’t want to show “weakness” on camera.

This reminded me of similar themes in Carmen Sandiego. Although Carmen appears to have strength and energy to do everything, this is only based on her own training. She has a terrible wipe out in the episode “The Stockholm Syndrome Caper”. It causes her almost life-threatening injuries that she has to recover from. Kim Possible in the series of the same name is similar. She is a cheerleader and uses her skills to fight villains and “save” the world. She is not invincible either.

More than any other character in Birdie Wing, apart from Aoi, Eve is a lesbian icon. She only has eyes for other girls and never for any men, whatsoever. Not even Sumire Heanna in Love Live! Superstar!!, Mari Ohara in Love Live! Sunshine!!, or Nijika Ijichi in Bocchi the Rock! compare to Eve, in the slightest.

Eve might only be rivaled by badass huntress Yang Xiao Long in RWBY. Yang can go super saiyan if she wants and is deeply in love with catgirl Blake Belladonna. Hime Shiraki in Yuri Is My Job! or Anisphia “Anis” Wynn Palettia in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady are other “rivals”.

The final episodes of Birdie Wing‘s second season are some of the strongest. Eve’s body can’t sustain the pressure from her intense golf. She even gets acupuncture from Allen Harvey so she can use her Rainbow Burst without grievously hurting herself. Aoi perfects her golf and apologizes for letting everyone down.

The various health issues Aoi experiences don’t stop her. She suffers from an awful genetic disease (Tuberous Sclerosis Complex). There are nice montages of both engaged in physical training to make their bodies stronger. They prepare for their match at the Bandai Namaco British Women’s Open the following year.

It is powerful for the final episodes of Birdie Wing to center a Black woman, Juha Hamilail (voiced by Yuu Asakawa). She previously had been hinted in the show’s opening sequence. In the next-to-last episode, she comes into her own. She plans to take the British Open for herself, putting her face-to-face with Eve and Aoi. Eve expresses the annoyance of yuri fans who may see Juha as a hindrance and believe Juha should get out of the way.

On the one hand, it seems strange, and possibly racially tinged, that the obstacle which impedes the protagonists is represented by a Black woman. Even so, she is not an evil character. Rather, she is out for herself. She believes that the unexpected always happens in golf, making it fun. She expressed this directly in the 24th episode, to her caddy, Karen Lapana (voiced by Shizuka Itou). Juha is a strong and gorgeous final boss, of sorts, making the series that much more dramatic.

The latter is like how Aoi feels. She enjoys playing golf with Eve, even though she can barely hold it together. This fallibility is clear when she collapses in the same episode, causing Even to shake her and cry. Not long after, she falls once again. She asks a higher power to give her one more chance to fulfill her promise to Eve.

The role of the two other caddies, Amane and Ichina, come to a fore in the next-to-last episode. For instance, Ichina gives Eve advice on how to get birdies and keep pace with Aoi. Amane helps prop up Aoi, who is faltering. Eve and Aoi express their feelings, in their own way, to another, seeing the golf skills each of them can do. This is something that Juha recognizes, remaining jealous that each of them has a rival which drives them to improve.

Birdie Wing, is, as well-known yuri reviewer Erica Friedman put it, “the shounest anime about women’s sports ever made”. As such, Eve, Aoi, nor none of the other characters goes the route of golf shown in The Phantom of the Open, or in various other golf manga and anime over the years. There are so many of the latter that “Golf in anime and manga” is a Wikipedia category!

The final episode shows Friedman to be right. Even after Aoi collapses and is taken off the field, Juha keeps swinging her golf clubs. Eve, for her part, openly defends Aoi. Eve visits Aoi in the hospital. To make this even more absurd, she declares their game is still on even though Aoi isn’t actively playing her! One of the best parts of the episode is the surprise twist: Aoi cuts her hair and serves as Eve’s caddy. Even though they don’t win, thanks to sneaky and corrupt shenanigans by Karen, they still go out with a bang. Eve even uses Aoi’s golf clubs. She has a new golf move, which combines her skills with Aoi’s golf strike. It is named the Shining Rainbow Burst. Of course, her human body can’t take all the strain and Juha ends up winning.

In more ways than one, Karen acts like a Karen: she slyly leaks to the media. She received the damning information, from Remelda, “proving” that Eve has Mafia connections. Although this rumor is false (as Eve no longer has such connections), it leads to an investigation. Her professional license is suspended for three years by the golf association! Juha shows a bit of a backbone, for the first time. She doesn’t approve of these slimy tactics against Eve. Strangely, she doesn’t fire Karen. She lets Karen be her caddy for the rest of the game. After all, she didn’t even a bat an eye, and kept playing at full speed after Aoi collapsed. Unsurprisingly, neither Karen nor Remelda faces any consequences for their actions.

The final episode of Birdie Wing ends strongly. In the first time skip, set three years later, Eve begins training with her caddy, Ichina, at a golf course in Japan. This happens after Ichina says she won’t be a caddy for anyone else because she is Eve’s personal caddy. Then, there is yet another time skip, with Eve and Aoi finally facing one another during a golf tournament. It appears that the affliction Aoi suffered from is cured and their scores are close. There is even a great scene showing all of Eve’s sisters, from her adopted family, all grown up, and are now teens. The series closes positively, with Eve doing her Rainbow Bullet golf strike and viewers can see the bullet going through the sky, as the credits continue to roll.

Although there, sadly, wasn’t a kiss between Eve and Aoi, the series was filled with gay subtext. While some may call it yuri-bait, it is more charitable to describe it as yuri subtext. In any case, the show was a fun ride. It wrapped up far too quickly, with many time jumps. Despite this, the ending of the series makes clear that the game between Aoi and Eve continues forever. There is the implication that they won’t be apart and may even play again.

The ending could have been stronger, but I don’t detest it. There is enough space and possible storyline, especially during the two aforementioned time skips, that a third season or even an OVA could expand upon. Such a season, or OVA, could focus on Eve and Aoi, or the growing closeness between the two caddies, Amane and Ichina, shown in the final episode. There is fan support for another season, or OVA. It remains to be seen if executives think the same.

There are other praiseworthy elements of Birdie Wing. The music complements the action. It accompanies the strong, flowing animation. The two highly skilled series composers, Kōtarō Nakagawa and Hironori Anazawa, make the series that much better. The former composed music for Gosick and Chivalry of a Failed Knight, while the latter composed music for Scarlet Nexus.

Birdie Wing is nothing like any currently airing series produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, or those by Sunrise. Such series are supernatural action, mecha, or military science fiction. Bandai Namco Pictures is known for Gintama, Brave Beats, and Aikatsu!. Another division of the same company, Sunrise (also called Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.), is recognized for other series. This includes Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Love Live! Superstar!!, Love Live! Sunshine!!, Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Tiger & Bunny, Dirty Pair, and Cowboy Bebop.

The series director, Takayuki Inagaki, worked on Fuuka, KanColle, Kokoro Library, Princess Tutu, and R.O.D. the TV. Yōsuke Kuroda, main writer for Birdie Wing, worked on Kokoro Library as well. He served as a head writer for Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and Madlax.

The voice cast are just as seasoned and have often voiced queer characters. Akari Kito, who voices Eve, voiced magical girl Momo Chiyoda in The Demon Girl Next Door, Kanata Konoe in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Touko Usagihara in Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, and Sakura Adachi in Adachi and Shimamura. Asami Seto, voice of Aoi, previously voiced Yoshino Takatsuki in Wandering Son, Charlotte Scherzen in Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, Fena Houtman in Fena: Pirate Princess, and Nene Saionji in Yuri Is My Job!

Seto is scheduled to voice Yori Asanagi in Whisper Me a Love Song in January 2024. M.A.O. (voice of Kaoruko Iijima) will voice Kohaku in Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror. The latter is a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff which recently premiered on Crunchyroll. The voice actor of Amane (Ami Koshimizu) voiced Yang Xiao Long in RWBY: Ice Queendom, Elda in Otaku Elf, Maria in Management of a Novice Alchemist, and Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon Crystal. All these characters are directly or indirectly queer.

Akira Sekine, voice of Lily, previously voiced Sora/Cure Sky in Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure and Princess Charlotte in Princess Principal. Saki Fujita, who voices Ichina, previously lent her voice to school president Mitsuki Sonoda in Sakura Trick. Sonoda had a huge crush on Haruka Takayama. Other voice actors are known for their roles in Maria Watches Over Us, Yurikuma Arashi, D4DJ, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, YuruYuri, Strawberry Panic!, and Sweet Blue Flowers.

Birdie Wing will likely not be continued. Similar themes were likely added to the video game associated with the series. The connection to Madlax, since it is in the same universe, will remain a topic of ongoing fan speculation. I will always remember this anime fondly. It may be some time before another anime can shoot me right through, as Eve says to her opponents, like this one.

All 25 episodes of Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story can be streamed on Crunchyroll. The second season can also be purchased on Prime Video or on the Microsoft Store.

Yuri Is My Job! Spoiler-Filled Review

Yuri Is My Job!, also known as Schwestern in Liebe! or Watashi no Yuri wa Oshigoto Desu!, is a yuri comedic anime based on an ongoing manga by Miman. 12 volumes of the manga have been printed, 11 of which have been translated into English. Passione and Studio Lings produced this series. It is directed by Hijiri Sanpei.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-seventh article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on Jun. 28, 2023.

The plot of this series is in line with many yuri manga: a high school girl named Hime Shiraki (voiced by Yui Ogura) cares about her outward image as a sweet and helpful person. In actuality, she is very self-centered. One day, she trips and accidentally injures the manager of Cafe Liebe, Mai Koshiba (voiced by Yukari Tamura). She is guilted into covering shifts at the cafe to keep her image alive. As such, Hime works at an establishment where waitresses pretend they are students at an all-girls boarding school. Each has their own persona. She is drawn to another waitress, Mitsuki Yano (voiced by Sumire Uesaka) who gives her devotion and love. In private, Yano seems to hate her, hence the title of the anime, “yuri is my job!”

The fakery that the waitresses exemplify is shown though characters like Sumika Chibana (voiced by Makoto Koichi). She is calm and collected as a waitress but a gyaru outside work. Kanoko Mamiya (voiced by Minami Tanaka) contrasts this. A shy girl, she is Hime’s good friend and knows Hime’s true personality. She occasionally helps Hime during their work in the cafe. This fakery is also depicted through Hime, Mai, and Yano, each in a different way.

Show director Hijiri Sanpei is known, in part, as assistant director, storyboarder, and unit director of Citrus, a problematic anime due to sexual assault, non-consensual conduct, and toxicity between the two female protagonists. Apart from a few scenes, and some fan service of Yano, this does not translate over into Yuri Is My Job! In fact, the series has more allusions to other anime. For instance, the first episode alludes to Maria Watches Over Us. The latter series is said to be sweet, witty, unique, difficult, romantic, and have strong characters.

Yuri Is My Job! has similarities in terms of appealing animation, drama, and emotional scenes. The homoerotic themes are also treated respectfully, especially when paired with self-acceptance and self-discovery. Another series that Yuri Is My Job! may be referencing is a classic 2006 anime, Strawberry Panic! It is in the Class S genre, which focuses on romantic or close relationships between girls. While Strawberry Panic! is a romantic yuri based on illustrated short stories, and set at an all-girls school, Yuri Is My Job! takes place primarily at a cafe inside a high school.

The first episode pulls in the viewer, with a poppy and bubbly opening sequence, providing viewers with a sense of the characters. As noted earlier, yuri themes are there from the get-go, in terms of Hime’s attraction to Yano, and an in-canon book entitled A Maiden’s Heart, which resembles the plot of Maria Watches Over Us. This includes an older “sister” (Yano) putting a cross, on a necklace, around the neck of their younger “sister” (Hime). Adding to the confusion, Sumika appears to flirt with Yano.

At first, Hime appears to be a “gold-digger” only out for herself. As the story goes on, she becomes a more sympathetic character. This is clear from the close friendship between Kanoko and Hime. The latter even results in Kanoko working at the cafe after she follows Hime there. It is easy to be drawn to Hime’s side when Yano is harsh against her, especially since Yano can see through Hime’s cuteness facade.

Kanoko’s character seems unhelpful, possessive, and annoying in earlier episodes. However, her character grows over the course of Yuri Is My Job!. For one, she supports Hime unconditionally. She even wonders why Hime cares about Yano. Kanoko’s character might be lampooning the oft-trope, especially in yuri anime (and elsewhere), of the “deranged” cuckoo lesbian who has unrequited love for another woman. She may even be a yandere character.

I liked how the backstory of Hime and Yano provided insights into both characters. From that, it is easy to see both of their perspectives and how each of them could see the other as a “traitor”. This all comes to a head when it is revealed, in the fourth episode, that Yano at the cafe is the same as the one she met when she was a young schoolgirl, when they played piano together. Over time, they get over their differences and clear up their misunderstanding.

Fundamentally, Yuri is My Job! has one theme throughout: miscommunication. Characters have different ways of seeing the world. Yano is coded as autistic. Hime is driven by being approved by everyone, thanks to her facade of being “cute”. All the while, there is commentary about the yuri and class-s genres, with this series exploring expectations built into existing social interactions.

The 5th and 6th episodes of Yuri is My Job! focus on Yano and Hime being drawn to each other. They also criticize ship wars among yuri fans. In the sixth episode, some “fans” claim that Yano forced Hime to be her “sister”. As rumors continue swirling, some even see Yano as a villain. Hime and Yano end up embracing one another in a very emotional scene, leading everyone to believe they are on better terms. In the process, Hime begins catching feelings for Yano. All of this reminds me of a song in The Proud Family about beating rumors, although only tangentially.

Sumika has an even more prominent role, after she learns, at the end of the sixth episode, that Kanoko is obsessed with Hime. As would be expected, Kanoko becomes suspicious of Sumika. She declares that no one will get in her way, even deeming Sumika “dangerous”. While they begin to connect, this smashes apart when Sumika states that Kanoko must drop Hime or the cafe will fall apart.

Sumika’s statement, cheered on by those who dislike Kanoko, seems harsh. However, it is rooted within interesting in-canon history. First of all, the person Sumika loved, Nene, was taken away by then-waitress Youko Gotou (voiced by Shizuka Itō), who she deems a seductress. Sumika is right to warn Kanoko that if she is too possessive, then Hime will dislike her. Even so, she is still interfering in their lives, almost as bad as the meddler in the 2015 comedy-drama film of the same name. Sumika’s thought that romance will destroy the whole cafe is naive. For one, she is totally oblivious to Yano’s feelings for Hime.

It is clear, by the eighth episode, of Yuri is My Job!, that Sumika is playing the long game. For instance, she agrees to Kanoko’s request to become her sister, in the cafe. She doesn’t realize, until later, that Kanoko is possessive of Hime because she is afraid of losing her. Kanoko is socially introverted, unlike Hime, and relies on her to ensure she can navigate social interactions. This is abundantly clear by the 10th episode.

In the apt flashback, in the ninth episode, Hime protects Kanoko from classroom bullies, the students that she deems “good kids”. Hime comforted her after classmates were nasty to her, and defended her in class. Is it any shock that Kanoko fell for Hime, her “special person”, then and there? Furthermore, Kanoko states she is the only person who knows the “true” Hime, without the facade. Her statement is incorrect, as Yano also knows the “true” Hime.

Apart from the plotlines involving Kanoko’s relationship to Hime, one of the best storylines in this anime is the Blume election. The person awarded the most votes is crowned Blume-Sama. This reminds me of the elections for the student council in Maria Watches Over Us and the Etoile election in Strawberry Panic! Like the rest of the series, jealousy and emotions run high, as does blushing. The competition between the waitresses is fierce. It is later revealed that Sumika got the most votes, with Mitsuki in second, Hime in third, and Kanoko in fourth.

The final episodes of Yuri is My Job! wrap up many loose ends. Sumika reveals to Kanoko how Nene fell in love with Youko. All the while, her belief that Kanoko will “destroy” the cafe quickly dissipates. Although Kanoko’s plan for the Blume election fails, Sumika’s beliefs are fundamentally challenged by Nene. She says that Sumika comes from a place of compassion, but that she shouldn’t dictate the love of others. This statement stands against people who position themselves as meddlers. Due to her conversation with Nene, Sumika rethinks how she should approach Kanoko.

By the 11th episode, Kanoko’s actions, which might have seemed toxic or obsessive, make more sense. Sumika learns why Kanoko is drawn to Hime. She tells Kanoko that she is hiding too much of herself after she reveals that she will never confess to Hime. This conversation indicates the character development of Kanoko since she reveals all of this to Sumika, a person who understands her concerns. She even cries on her shoulder. Following the announcement that Sumika has been elected the Blume der Liebe, Kanoko even becomes the “sister”. This appears surprising, at first. However, considering their mutual support for one another, it makes sense.

The 11th episode of Yuri is My Job! begins, in earnest, the romantic feelings between Sumika and Kanoko. Obviously both characters had feelings, to some extent, before that episode. Even so, it wasn’t until that episode that they began their “sister”/Schwestern relationship. This sisterhood is even embraced by Hime. She is glad to hear that Kanoko has another friend, causing Kanoko to blush. This connection is reinforced by the fact that Kanoko and Sumika know something about the other that no one else knows. In the case of Kanoko, she had not said aloud that she loved Hime, until she told Sumika exactly that.

I haven’t read the manga, but I have the implication, from the 11th episode, that Hime might be asexual. Kanoko specifically states that Hime has no interest in romance. She adds that Hime never genuinely loves anyone. In fact, she also calls herself Hime’s only real friend. If Kanoko’s read is correct, it would mean that Hime is possible grey ace. Also known as grey asexuality, it refers to people who are “flexible in their sexual preferences”.

Grey asexuality can roughly fall into three categories: those who are sex-repulsed, sex-neutral, or sex-positive. It encompasses a broad spectrum of identities, including demisexuality, and other terms, like semisexual. Grey ace individuals might be rarely attracted to others, only romantically attracted on rare occasions, or be sexually attracted only to certain individuals.

To take this a step further, grey ace people may have any possible romantic orientation. The latter refers to romantic attractions someone has toward other people. A person’s romantic identity is not necessarily connected to their sexual desires (i.e. sexual orientation). This can manifest in asexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, gay identity, lesbian identity, heterosexuality, or any of the other sexual orientations out there.

This nuance is not, necessarily, depicted in this series. Even so, Hime appears to be asexual-coded. I’m not sure about the manga, but it might be the same, from the panels I’ve read. She is not alone in this. Seiji Maki in Bloom Into You has been described as an aromantic asexual. The same is said about Shōko Tanimoto in The Case Files of Jeweler Richard. In Western animation, Andy Billups in Star Trek: Lower Decks is a coded asexual character.

Other characters have been confirmed as asexual outside of their respective series. The latter includes Lilith Clawthorne in the recently ended The Owl House, SpongeBob SquarePants in the series of the same name, Peridot in Steven Universe, Alastor in Hazbin Hotel, Percival “Percy” King in Epithet Erased, and Perry the Platypus in Phineas and Ferb. Additionally, there are three asexual characters in Bojack Horseman: Todd Chavez, Yolanda Buenaventura, and Maude. Many others appear in other media, such as film, literature, live-action series, video games, comics, podcasts, and elsewhere.

More than anything, Yuri Is My Job! parodies yuri tropes and the Class S genre. The characters perform an idealized girlhood, playing on tropes of affection and intimacy for an eager audience. This is capped off by a strongly ambitious and tricky female protagonist. Unlike other protagonists, she isn’t likable in a traditional way.

In the series finale, the characters wear summer uniforms, with the change of seasons. After Yano’s uniform is shown to be “too sexy”, Hime is embarrassed to tell her the truth, while people are drawn to her breasts. This may be parodying fan service throughout anime, especially yuri anime. Hilariously, the other waitresses suggest Yano wear a cover to solve her “problem”. In the cafe, Hime defends Yano, stating she is not being lewd, but mature. She even does tasks for her, to protect her from the prying eyes of patrons. Later, to the expected blushing of Yano, Hime admits that she is jealous of Yano’s body, and says that she shouldn’t be ashamed of anything. Unsurprisingly, she subsequently chastises Hime for saying something she “doesn’t mean”, confusing Hime even more.

A growing “sisterly” relationship between Kanoko and Sumika is alluded to in the series finale of Yuri Is My Job!. At one point, Kanoko blushes when Sumika describes the beauty of Kanoko when talking about the tea they recommend for customers. Later, Sumika even encourages Hime to call the Kanoko cute, resulting her in blushing yet again. There is predictable fan service. For instance, Yano brings Hime to her chest, and buries Hime’s face in Yano’s breasts to keep her quiet. She does this throughout the series. Predictably, this makes Hime fall even more in love with her.

One of the better parts of the episode is how Hime doesn’t get her recommendation for tea correct, unlike the other workers. As a result, she leans on Yano. She teases Yano about it, even asking at one point “you must really love me, right, Onee-Sama?”. Although Yano denies that she loves Hime romantically, this is clearly a lie. She is blushing while she says she “doesn’t” love her.

The Yuri Is My Job! series finale ends happily. Hime notes that employees in the cafe (her and the other protagonists) behave elegantly, like characters from a shojo manga. After that, Yano plays the piano alongside Hime. Understandably, Hime gets the last word, welcoming people to the cafe, standing alongside everyone else.

One of the strengths of this series is the voice talent. Yui Ogura and Minami Tanaka, who voice Hime and Kanoko respectfully, are talented voice actresses. Ogara prominently voiced Kokoro in The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, Selena Burke in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Sanae Tsukimoto in Teasing Master Takagi-san, Sumika Izumino in Yurikuma Arashi, and Kokona Aoba in Encouragement of Climb.

Tanaka voiced Nako Sunao in Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, Ran-Ran Oneechan in Dropkick on My Devil!, Shalsha in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, and Himeno Toyokawa in Let’s Make a Mug Too, among others.

Sumuire Uesaka, Makoto Koichi, and Yukari Tamura, who voice Yano, Sumika, and Mai, are known for their variety of voice roles. For Uesaka, this includes characters in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Girls und Panzer, Luck & Logic, Boarding School Juliet, Carole & Tuesday, Lapis Re:Lights, and Spy Classroom.

Koichi has voiced characters in Hakumei and Mikochi, Märchen Mädchen, and My Roommate Is a Cat. Tamura provided her voice for characters in R.O.D the TV, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, Ouran High School Host Club, and Kin-iro Mosaic. It truly shows the voice range of Tamura, that she can voice a cafe manager in this series, a golf star in Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story (Mizuho Himekawa) and a lustful protagonist of B Gata H Kei (Tetsuki Yamada).

Asami Seto and Shizuka Neto, who voice Nene and Youko, are well-known for their roles in Wandering Son, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, Macross Delta, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, and Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure. Seto is also recognized for voicing Fena Houtman in Fena: Pirate Princess and Aoi Amawashi in Birdie Wing. The latter finished its run on June 24th.

Otherwise, Neto previously voiced Rei Hasekura in Maria Watches Over Us. This makes her voice selection apt, considering Yuri Is My Job! lampoons that series. She voiced Nadie in the yurish El Cazador de la Bruja, Misa Grandwood in Bodacious Space Pirates, Bellows in Gargantia, Minami Toba in Laid-Back Camp, Yoriko Kichijouji in Oshi no Ko, and many characters in other series.

The show’s crew is as talented. Apart from aforementioned work of show director Hijiri Sanpei on Citrus, he also worked on Hinako Note, the ever-controversial Interspecies Reviewers, and the adventure fantasy romance Spice and Wolf. Chief episode director Takahiro Majiima, worked on Citrus and Interspecies Reviewers as well, along with other series like BanG Dream!, Princess Principal, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Your Lie in April.

As for the character designer, Taisuke Iwasaki, he has worked the gamut in the animation industry, from series such as Fairy Tail, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, and No. 6, to movies like Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie and Your Name. Show script writer Naoki Hayashi, worked on all 12 episodes of Citrus, along with the last six episodes of Flip Flappers.

Last but not least, is Yuri Is My Job! music composer Megumi Oohashi. She ensured that amazing openings, like the one in this series by Ogura, and the ending by Ogura and Uesaka, are present, making the series that much more enjoyable. Oohashi is known for music in Blue Dragon, Gundam series, and Yumeiro Pâtissière SP Professional, and work on Petite Princess Yucie.

It is unlikely there will be a second season. Four of the last anime series produced by the studio, from 2020 to present, apart from Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou, only had one season. One (Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World) did have two OVAs.

Of the eight series produced before 2020 by the studio, only two had a second cour: Haitai Nanafa and Z/X Code reunion. A possible second season could focus on the growing romantic feelings between Yano and Hime, Kanoko and Sumika, or pairs between any other characters. There are many manga volumes that could be adapted I hope that this series gets a continuation, either in an OVA or a second season, as I’d love to see these characters again in something apart from the manga.

Yuri Is My Job! is currently airing on Crunchyroll and is available for purchase on Prime Video.

Gods’ School Review

Gods’ School is an indie animated series. It has elements of fantasy, mythology, and romance. 2D French animator Gaylord Cuvillier Philippe Libessart is the series creator. It received support from the French National Center for Cinema and Animation in 2018. Currently, seven episodes have aired on YouTube. This review will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on June 13, 2023.

This series, which began airing in January 2019, is centered on Olympian gods. It is inspired by Greek mythology in Homer’s Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony. The primary protagonist, Eris (voiced by Morgan Berry), is a teenage goddess of discord trying to find her place among the gods on Mount Olympus. This all changes when she meets Paris (voiced by Brandon Winckler), a young human on Mount Olympus. Both contend with the goddesses of beauty and love (Aphrodite), wisdom and battle (Athena), and marriage and family (Hera). Eris is helped by a sphinx named Sfiga (voiced by Lizzie Freeman).

The animation of this series is smooth, which fits with the adorable and cool nature of the animation itself, and its talented voice cast. Apart from those previously mentioned, there’s Lizzie Freeman, Kira Buckland, Keenan Spencer, and Deneen Melody, who voice Aphrodite, Athena, Hera, and Demeter respectfully. Others, such as Melissa Sternberg, Ivy Dupler, Michele Knotz, Sean Chiplock, and Griffin Puatu lend their voices to the characters of Eos, Iris, Minthe, Persephone “Poppy”, Apollo, and Ares, to give a few examples of the many characters within this series.

The first episode of Gods’ School throws the viewer right into the action. Smart alecky talking columns, known as caryatids, claim to be sacred guardians of Olympus. They are hilariously scared off by Sfiga. It is easy to be drawn into the story, whether interpersonal conflicts or relationships between the gods. The story is set up so that the viewer sympathizes with Eris, when Hera claims she is sneaky and cruel.

This exuberance is offset by the snobbishness of some goddesses, who detest humans, and jealousy. The latter is the case in the competition between Minthe and Persephone “Poppy”, who both like Hades. In some ways, Gods’ School shares themes with Lore Olympus, an ongoing popular webcomic by Rachel Smythe, although her webcomic has a fundamentally different perspective. As for Gods’ School, these themes are reinforced by a careful focus on drama and music. The latter by Gold Tiger and SleepWalker.

Unlike other series based in Greek mythology, the characters in this series are all teenagers, and in a school environment like that Ever After High, except it is not as glitzy. As such, it is markedly tamer than mature series like Blood of Zeus. It is more akin to Disney series in that kids and family could watch this series with ease. This is not a surprise since the show’s creator has said that Ariel, in The Little Mermaid (recently in the news because the live-action film adaptation), is his favorite character.

The importance of setting boundaries is a key theme. This is shown through Poppy’s push against romantic advances by Hades. Eris also tells Paris to not touch Sfiga and treat her like a cat (and pet), but a living being. Gods’ School makes clear that possessiveness is not acceptable. For instance, Poppy, who is easily influenced and intimidated, is pressured by Minthe to leave Hades alone. Although Minthe declares that Hades is hers exclusively, Poppy still wants to be with Hades.

Like other fictional school environments, certain characters fulfill the “bad girl” and “bad boy” tropes. Some of those characters are bullies and their actions are not shown positively. Mount Olympus is not a peaceful place, but filled with discord. For example, Zeus commands Artemis to stay behind, even though she wants to fight the invaders of Mount Olympus.

The series promotes the value of self-acceptance, by stating that outcasts should not be rejected and that people should be true to themselves. All the while, men who flaunt their power for fun and two-timing men are criticized. In fact, the show’s official Twitter account posted a video of Eris cutting her hair with two women’s rights hashtags, while Artemis has a squad-of-sorts.

There is no easy division between good and evil in Gods’ School. For instance, the Aloads want to take over Olympus, but would-be evildoers are scary and mysterious. For instance, Eris goes through a moral dilemma and lives with the consequences of telling Paris to go back to “where he came from”, words which haunt her to no end. This dilemma first begins in the show’s third episode, even going on a quest to find him while Olympus is under attack, but it fades after he is found injured. At the same time, Nyx, her mother, and goddess of night, is lording over her. She reminds me a bit of Orizaba in Elena of Avalor.

There are many secrets that each of the gods, and goddesses, try and keep from one another. To give one example, in the fourth episode, everyone is trying to stop Echo (voiced by Deneen Melody) from revealing unflattering information. Hera even mutes her, preventing her from speaking first ever again. This has a disastrous side effect that Hera never realized: it prevents her from warning those on Olympus about the coming danger!

Unlike other series, Gods’ School features a disabled character, who uses a cane: Hephaestus (voiced by John Choi Carter). Premiering in the fifth episode, he listens to Aphrodite after her arguments with Ares, and tries to be understanding, after she enters his workshop. This humanizes him. It shows that the gods are not superhuman but can be physically disabled just like anyone else. In a conveyance that everyone is unique, he says that everyone has something that makes them special “even if they don’t see it”, which fits with the other themes of this series.

As one of the only indie animations currently airing, apart from Helluva Boss and Eddsworld, Gods’ School already stands out from animations made by well-known and prominent companies, which I’ve often reviewed since I began writing pop culture reviews in 2020. The series’ background designers, including Gavin O’Donnell and Libessart, also the animator and director, are skilled. Their work is showcased on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. As such, it is no surprise that some have even gone to the effort to draw fan art or fan fiction of the show’s characters.

The series has aired in various languages. The English adaptation was headed by Brandon Winckler and Jenny Yokobori. There are different voice actors, including in French. There are also different episodes with French dubs, which means that the cast, and those who work on the series, is that much larger.

It is interesting that not all the episodes are necessarily sequential. Some of the shorter episodes focus on the growing relationship between Hephaestus and Aphrodite, the first meeting between Minthe and Hades, and the story of Hades with his previous lover, Leuke. While these episodes might be seen as “filler”, they provide information which helps expand the story.

There is something missing through all of this: LGBTQ characters. There may be implied characters. Possibly, there is subtext between Paris and the person who brought him to Mount Olympus, Aeolos. However, no one is outwardly queer, as far as I can tell. So, that is an area for improvement.

Even so, there are people of color in the cast. Take, for example Kayla Pitts, who voices a nymph, John Choi who voices Hades, and Griffin Puatu who voices Ares. If High Guardian Spice, Young Justice, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power can have Black characters, then any series can have such characters. Hopefully, more characters of color appear in the future. After all, the show’s creator previously condemned racism, White supremacy, and called for equal rights in a social media thread.

Although the series may not reach the original goal of “an animated webseries project of 25 episodes” at 12 minutes long as the original Kickstarter for the series, stated, due to various factors, there is no doubt that Gods’ School will continue. The quality remains at a strong level, for a project primarily spearheaded by Libessart. This is evidenced in the latest episode which focuses on Nyx (voiced by Emily Wallace), dreaded goddess of night, and strained family dynamics. Although it appears this is all a nightmare dreamt of by Eris, her concerns appear to be dismissed. At first, Medusa (voiced by Crystal Jade Vaughan) asks if she is ok. Then she says she needs to “get it together” so she can sleep, making Eris feel bad about herself.

The episode raises several questions. Was any of Eris dreamed about real? Can the balance between light and dark be disrupted? Nyx would likely love to do the latter, and unseat the goddess of day, Hemera, or Helios the Sun. She may be content in her castle shrouded in dark clouds. Furthermore, the nightmare makes me think that Eris has deeper problems which are manifesting themselves in her dreams.

The recent episode introduced new voice actors like Hannah Reed (as Little Eris) and Laila Berzins (as Hypnos). Ihe next episode is scheduled for Fall 2023. It will likely be listed on the page for the series on TV Time. That app was one way I learned about the new episode premiere.

This series is more than a lovely series with amazing visuals showing the talent and passion behind it. For one, there is an amazing group of characters and the use of Toonboom for animation of the series. Secondly, the favorite character of the series creator in The Iliad is Cassandra. She is described as a “cursed Trojan princess”.

It would be great to see Cassandra in a future episode. When I heard the character’s name, I thought of the similarly named character in Tangled: The Series (also known as Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure). That Cassandra who had a major part in the series as the lady-in-waiting for Princess Rapunzel. That character is mentally manipulated by a demon named Zhan Tri to manifest her anger against Rapunzel in a violent, destructive manner. In that series, that Cassandra is a complex lesbian-coded character exploited by the aforementioned demon. It is not known if the Cassandra within Gods’ School will go down a similar path or how her character will be different from other fictional Cassandras.

I am hopeful that Gods’ School will get even better as it moves forward, earning it an even-higher rating on IMDB and other online review sites. Brandon Winckler and Jenny Yokobori, who worked on previous episodes as show writers, and led the effort to adapt the episodes into English, from their original French. They are known for their voice roles in Fena: Pirate Princess, Edens Zero, The Simpsons, or Central Park.

The show’s cast have voiced English dubs of characters in Lycoris Recoil, Titan’s Bride, In the Land of Leadale, Komi Can’t Communicate, Re:Zero, and High-Rise Invasion. Others have voiced characters in Rainbow High, RWBY, Nomad of Nowhere, Megaton Girl, and The Loud House. Some cast members are new voice actors, like Vaughan.

With that all being said, I highly recommend Gods’ School. I hope that it continues onward, with new episodes, characters, and plotlines.

Gods’ School is currently streaming on YouTube and can be supported on Patreon.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night Review

The show's two protagonists

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night is a sci-fi action-adventure anime film based on the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novels that Reki Kawahara wrote, and abec illustrated. It is also the sequel to a film in 2021 entitled Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night. The film was produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Ayako Kōno. This post will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the twenty-second article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on February 4, 2023.

This 100-minute film begins with a scene which pulls you into the world of the sword-wielding characters, specifically Asuna (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu) and Kirito (voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), her trusty companion. They are helped by Argo (voiced by Shiori Izawa), a female information broker, who sometimes hides in the shadows. Although the two major guilds are together at the beginning, conflict erupts between the two factions, and someone behind the scenes is making them go head-to-head, leading to a deadly battle, with death in this game world meaning one dies in the real world.

The animation and definition during the fight scenes shows that the work by A-1 Pictures is top-notch, and makes clear the film is more than the simple description on Wikipedia, IMDB, or in Crunchyroll’s promotional material. This is no surprise since this Japanese animation studio has produced acclaimed series like Black Butler, Fairy Tail, From the New World, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, along with others such as Engage Kiss, 22/7, and Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night does not shy away from showing blood, death, or anything of the sort. This fits with the film’s action scenes which involve swords, magic, and agility. At the same time, there are scenes where it is much more low-key, like when Asuna, Kirito, and Argo have a meal together at the beginning of the film, or when they do treasure-hunting, going into a cave together.

It is interesting how close Asuna and Kirito are despite the fact they don’t see themselves as a couple, regardless of teasing by Argo to that effect. In fact, their closeness only becomes more pronounced when Kirito saves Asuna from two unsavory people, and a bunch of other monsters head their way, with Asuna admitting her fears.

As Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night goes forward, you sympathize more with the characters, and their struggles, especially when Asuna has her sword stolen after she falls into a trap. It’s funny that Kirito does not know there is a party on December 31, and is a bit annoyed as a result, even though he knows a lot about the game, Sword Art Online. The heartfelt scenes in the film pull you in like no other.

This film wouldn’t be an anime without some fan service, although it is very mild, and not as extreme as those anime which feature women with big breasts or tight-fitting clothes. Asuna fights Argo when they aren’t wearing many clothes, as Argo tries to prove her abilities after Asuna says she is worried about Argo going to extreme lengths to get information on mischievous people, even if it puts her life in danger. In the process, their mock fight proves that Argo is more than worthy to defend herself.

Beyond this, the music and character designs, by Kento Toya and Yuki Kajiura respectively, go hand-in-hand with the other elements of Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night. For one, they allow scenes, like Asuna and Kirito sitting other on a beautiful hillside, to maintain your interest, and make you want to keep watching the film to see what happens next.

More than anything, this film is about determination and cooperation, even against those who want to off other players, known as PKs or Player-Killers. This is shown through the drive to keep the party between the two factions going despite those trying to scuttle it to gain a rare item which will boost one group but not the other.

The intensity of some scenes is one of the strong suits of Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night, as is the action sequences as shown through the view of playing a game, or without it. The same can be said for the characters, whether in the raiding party of Asuna, Kirito, and others, or somewhat mysterious ones like Mito (voiced by Inori Minase), who appears to be “gathering materials” in the forest at first.

She is one of the more interesting characters, as she isn’t sure she wants to join in fighting the game boss, and betray anyone “again”. The fact that Asuna and Mito duel with one another, with Asuna using her sword and Mito her scythe with a chain, shows how close they are, as they were originally best friends in the human world, and willing to sacrifice anything for their goals. I would not be surprised if some fans ship both characters after watching this film, especially as Mito says she won’t let Asuna die, which builds upon the previous film which had their bond between one another as a key part.

One of the best parts of Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night is how it can be easily watched without having to watch the prequel. I hadn’t watched that film before writing this review, and had no problem understanding what was happening. This was helped by the number of flashbacks and a relatively simple storyline. It was not like Steven Universe: The Movie when there was a part of the film when all the protagonists did introductions of sorts as part of a song.

I also found it very touching how much Kirito cares about Asuna, but also sees the bigger picture. That makes him intriguing, as he was a former beta tester on the game, even though Mito says that she doesn’t like him.

I enjoyed the final parts of Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night, when they the raiding party of Kirito, Asuna, Argo, and their friends, fight together for a common goal, and work well. Without giving away specifics of that battle, I can say that the film remains action-packed, and the boss they fight is a next-level enemy in more ways than one.

I liked the interweaving of magic with the rest of the story and the music fitting with the action. The ending of the Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night sets up a possible sequel, as the player-killers are still out there. While I felt like the film’s climax, and ending of the scheme by the two miscreants, was too easy, there is a twist at the end which throws that into question.

As mentioned earlier, the film’s character designs were by Kento Toya, and music was by Yuki Kajiura. Their experience is shown in this film. Toya previously worked on acclaimed series such as El Cazador de la Bruja, Canaan, Lycoris Recoil, Le Chevalier D’Eon, and Somali and the Forest Spirit. Additionally, Kajiura has worked on shows such as Noir, My-HiME, Princess Principal, Fena: Pirate Princess, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Eir Aoi also did a great job of performing the film’s main theme, “Shinzo”. She is a well-known singer in Japan who has sung important tracks within Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online, Kill la Kill, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, and many others. Her music really moved the film forward in a way that no one else could have done.

Apart from this, Kaede Hondo, Yūsuke Kobayashi, Hiroki Yasumoto, and Tomokazu Seki, the voice actors for Liten, Morte, Agil, and Kibao respectfully, are seasoned in the industry. They’ve voiced characters in Magical Girl Raising Project, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, Your Lie in April, Bodacious Space Pirates, Spy × Family, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, to name a few.

Like many anime films, those in Japan have seen Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night for many months before those in North America and Japan. In fact, the film was released on October 22, 2022 in the country, delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the process, it earned over $8 million in Japan, half a million in Hong Kong, and over $170,000 in South Korea. These numbers don’t count the earnings in other parts of the world, whether in Latin America, Asia, or Europe. It will also be screened in select U.S. theaters in February.

All of this relates to what Kim Morrisy wrote about delays in Aniplex shows, that COVID-19 showed the weakness in animation production pipeline, and that the company, which distributed this film, has been “less than transparent” about past delays. This has been accompanied by ramping up production because of the pandemic. Hopefully this changes in the future.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night will be streaming on Crunchyroll on February 3rd.