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Stardust Telepath Spoiler-Filled Review

Stardust Telepath, also known as Hoshikuzu Terepasu or Hoshikuzu Telepath, is a sci-fi yuri series. It’s based on a three-volume manga illustrated and written by Rasuko Ōkuma. Kaori directed the series. She supervised the show’s script with Natsuko Takahashi. Studio Gokumi produced the series.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the sixty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on January 31, 2024 (while it says Feb. 1 on the PCM site, in my time zone it was Jan. 31 when published).

Umika Konohoshi (voiced by Yurie Funato) is a girl, who like Shoko Komi in Komi Can’t Communicate, Bocchi Hitori in Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, or Hitori Gotō “Bocchi” in Bocchi the Rock!, is extremely socially awkward. She barely even makes her way through her class introduction, hinting at low-confidence, and can’t talk or laugh like others, or make friends. Just as she feels like she’s from another planet, she comes across Hujinomisaki High School transfer student, Yū Akeuchi (voiced by Seria Fukagawa), who declares she is “an alien,” whose spaceship broke down. Yu can read the feelings of anyone when she touches her forehead with them (called foreheadpathy), catching Yu off guard, realizing that Umika is going through stress, worries, shock, and anxiety.

Stardust Telepath goes on from there, with Umika and Yu becoming better friends. Umika tells her about her dream to get to space in a rocket, and comes over to her “house”: an abandoned lighthouse. Curiously, Yu has amnesia. She can’t remember anything about what happened before she arrived on Earth, or why she is there, and calls Umika her “bestie…for life.” This series is more than what some call Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu with extraterrestrials. Its endearing, cute, sweet, fun, and has adorable characters. Umika becomes dedicated to learning about making rockets, but becomes depressed when learning the challenge toward making them. Afterward, class vice president Haruno Takaragi (voiced by Moe Nagamuta), appears on the scene. She’s cheerful and outgoing, but terrifies Umika when wondering if she went with Yu to the lighthouse on the cape.

In an attempt to protect Yu, she lies about the lighthouse, while Haruno calls it one of her favorite spots. As the second episode goes forward, she opens up more to Haruno, especially after she calls her voice sweet and beautiful. She reveals they are trying to build a rocket to space. However, Umika gets embarrassed after Yu touches foreheads with Haruno. Later, Umika decides to start with soda bottle rockets before building more complicated ones. They launch one at the lighthouse, together. Umika and Haruno talk about what they would do if met extraterrestrials in outer space. Yu is amazed by the bottle rockets until it’s revealed that the rocket landed in the ocean. There are some funny scenes like Yu drinking a whole soda by herself to make a soda bottle empty.

By the second episode, Stardust Telepath started to give me vibes similar to the 2020 slice-of-life anime, Asteroid in Love. Erica Friedman once listed as a “yuri anime” and said it looks like “a yuri story” (I’d say it is only yurish). Like that series, this one has “fundamental cuteness,” but has more going for it. Additionally, there are some similarities with an ever-popular romantic webtoon, Down to Earth, which involves an extraterrestrial coming to Earth and falling in love with a human.

I can’t blame people for comparing the series to Komi Can’t Communicate or calling it “Bocchi the Rocket.” There’s much more going on. I would even say this series is more than a sweet sci-fi yuri about “an anxious girl [Umika] bonding with a psychic alien [Yu],” as Anime Feminist once described it. Rather, it centers around the importance of reaching out to others, getting out of your comfort zone, and making friendships, breaking through misunderstandings, miscommunications, and missteps along the way. Yu helps Umika along this process, bringing her extroverted nature to assist her, while Umika tries to become a “gregarious introvert.”

I can understand why some don’t like high-pitched voices or dislike series centered around those with social anxiety. It makes sense why some people don’t find as much value in cute girls doing cute things. However, I like how Umika is autism-coded. Her desire to find a solution to loneliness “outside human society” makes sense. Although I don’t vibe with Umika’s desire, personally, the message undoubtedly resonates with queer viewers. The opening sequence is lovely. I have no issue with the animation, the theme of building friendships through rocket-building nor the idea that Yu is receptive and empathetic, with similar interests to Umika.

Whether the series distinguishes itself from other series or not, it surely is heartwarming, cute, funny, and low-key, often with light comedy. It is faulty to say that the protagonists are a “gimmick” rather than having fleshed out personalities, as it is clearer as the series goes forward. It has lively energy and colorful animation, even if not everyone vibes with the “cute girls doing cute things” idea, which drives the beginning of the series.

In the third episode, the final protagonist makes her debut: Matataki Raimon (voiced by Shiki Aoki). She loves robots and is skilled with mechanics. She reminds me of Entrapta in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Matataki’s tomboyish nature mixes with her solitary and aggressive nature. People mocked for her hobbies in middle school. She also loves an in-anime mecha, Ganbarion. Often, she wears goggles on her head to complete her look. Haruno, Umika, and Yu best in on her in the aforementioned episode, with a flashback to how Umika couldn’t become her friend in middle school, because she didn’t have the courage to talk to her. As it turns out, she and Matataki aren’t that far apart. However, their worlds aren’t connecting. The only thing that pulls her in is a bottle rocket challenge.

Unsurprisingly, the hard-nosed nature of Matataki impacts Umika deeply, causing her to cry and lose faith in herself, believing she can’t do anything on her own. Luckily, Yu and Haruno are there for her, and try to make her feel better. The icing on the cake, if you will, is when Haruno gives Yu and Umika a key to a secret room in the lighthouse, a special place she came with her grandfather. The rocket duel, in the fourth episode, comes to a head. It follows the introduction of a nice girl (Kei Akizuki) who later becomes the rival of Umika and her friends. Matataki wins the contest, but lets Umika say her piece: she praises Matataki’s goggles and hopes to see her in school. While Matataki lashes out at her for this, she ends up coming to school anyway, even letting Umika wear her goggles!

From there, it appears that Matataki is warming up to Umika and re-adapting herself to school life, even blushing when the strict homeroom teacher, Akane Emihara (voiced by Natsumi Takamori) hugs her. Later, she collaborates with Yu, Haruno, and Umika in writing a club application form. She ends up listing Umika as club president, to Umika’s surprise. Even so, some cracks begin to form. Raimon questions whether coming to high school was worthwhile. Umika and Yu become friendlier with the class president, Saya Kagami (voiced by Yūko Ōno). Yu and Umika get closer, as friends. Umika remains embarrassed when she notices others observing Yu’s foreheadpathy with her. This leads some to call them the “forehead girls.” Matataki, although weirded out by it, starts to accept it.

The sixth episode of Stardust Telepath advances the plot forward, with Emihara’s failure to make them a proper club. Umika argues they need to build up accomplishments so the school can accept their club. All four of them (Yu, Umika, Matataki, and Haruno) go to the secret base under the lighthouse. As a result, Matataki gives them lessons on how rockets work, shares her numbers with Umika, and they begin preparing for the model rocket competition. They watch a rocket launch by Kei Akizuki (voiced by Saho Shirasu), head of a rocket launch club at another school. In response, Matataki says they will challenge them. She declares that if she loses, she has to pay them 900 yen, and attempts to inspire Umika in one way or another. The colorful backgrounds and flowing animation easily accompany the action, especially in this episode.

The seventh episode opens the cracks between Matataki and other members of their amateur rocket club (Umika, Haruno, and Yu). For one, Matataki predicts that Umika will mess up her presentation with other club members. She is annoyed after Umika caused many rockets to fail, after teaching her and others. This is strangely after she is given presents, like sweets. Even worse, she acts bullish, believing she can lead the model rocket building and design alone, without anyone else.

This doesn’t end up well. Yu attempts to comfort Umika, telling her that she has the light inside her and that they have the same spark, after Umika said she thinks she is useless. She is concerned about getting better so she can live up to everyone’s expectations or what she thinks are everyone’s expectations are. There’s even a dream where Matataki acts as a villain and demands things from Umika and Yu. This is somewhat reflective of reality. Bit by bit, the series begins to somewhat resemble the break-up of the music group in Bang Dream! It’s My Go!!!!! before they got back together. The anime implied that the students would lose the competition to learn a lesson.

This is abundantly clear in the eighth episode, which was painful to watch. Launch tests aren’t going well. Matataki was being hostile to the club’s advisor and other club members. She even called Umika and Yu a “bunch of useless jerks” and although Haruno and her got closer while baking. Haruno teased her, and she replied that she can’t afford to lose. In her view, if she loses, then the group’s “idiotic hopes and dreams” won’t come true.

As such, she believes that no one in the group is capable and that she is the only capable one. Haruno counters that everything in the world is special, regardless of the process or outcome and says there isn’t a single thing she hates. If that wasn’t enough, Matataki says that all of them are on “errand duty” until the tournament, dislikes Umika, Yu, and Haruno cuddling, and demands they stay on schedule, no matter the cost.

Such harsh treatment is even worse than Marjory or even Bad Magz in Supa Team 4. It has negative results on self-esteem of the other members. Umika cries after Matataki tells her to go outside and look for rocks. She pushes Yu away after Yu tries to comfort her and flees. Absurdly, Matataki claims that everyone around her is dragging her down. Umika unnecessarily apologizes to her. Matataki demands that none of them get “in her way” during the tournament. On the day of the competition, she remains harsh, not liking the name they gave the rocket, and thinks about adjustments. Significantly, Kei believes that Matataki heads their group. Yu has to correct her and tell her that Umika is the leader!

The ninth episode is heartbreaking. Kei’s team easily outdoes them, causing Umika to feel she has to be perfect, and that the mountain she has to climb to keep up is insurmountable. Her speech goes badly. Their team doesn’t even make it past the qualifying round. Matataki over-dramatically believes it is “all over,” implying that she might have learned a lesson, but is clearly angry. She tells Haruno that it must be nice to not care whether we won or lost, calling this the only place she belonged. She demands that Haruno never talk to her again. The cracks between the club members widen beyond that.

Umika distances herself from Yu, who tries to remain upbeat, believing that she can’t be a charismatic leader like Kei. She says she was nothing but a “useless burden” until the end. She runs off crying. Yu senses that she can’t see sparkles from Umika anymore. This is because she thinks she ruined everything and would have been better doing everything on her own.

Over a week later, her condition isn’t any better, but Kei helps her get out of her funk. She tells Kei she is helpless, weak, and will never make it anywhere. Kei rightly reminds Umika that Raimon, Yu, and Haruno didn’t laugh at her idea but joined her because they believed in her dream and chose her as the leader. In an additional note, she tells Umika that there’s a place she belongs, and that if she really did ruin everything, then she needs to find firm footing again, so she can fly further and higher.

Basically, Kei tells her to not be too hard on herself, to understand the place she belongs, to stand tall even if she can make a fool for herself. She opens the door so they can talk if anything can weigh on her mind. These messages may be helpful for those going through similar struggles, especially those who are coming out as queer, trying to find their community. The episode ends with Umika looking forward to the competition in the next year, and resolves to apologize to Yu.

In a heartfelt moment, she can’t find Yu anywhere, with the implication she is like a ghost / inspiration similar to Shizuka (for Kokona Ōtori) in World Dai Star, and she apologize to her, and they embrace one another. As a result, Umika realizes she belongs on Earth and wants to protect it with Yu and everyone. Yu says the sparks are inside of her, sparkling brightly, and won’t go away. Yu recalls a memory of her home planet, singing an unfamiliar song which has a nostalgic ring to it. The episode was tough, and emotionally heavy. It showed they had a failure to learn from, especially when it came to Matataki.

The tenth episode of Stardust Telepath begins with a start, even without the series opening! Yu happily does foreheadpathy with Umika. Haruno is glad to see that Umika is doing better. The class president is impressed with the rocket that Umika’s club created. She encourages others to watch the video Haruno took of its launch. Umika is surprised considering their “failure” at the competition. She commits to learn from their hard and painful loss. Unsurprisingly, Matataki has walled herself off from everyone. Umika learns that she won’t be attending school and that she isn’t responding to anyone’s messages. It is heavily implied, although not outright stated, that Matataki is experiencing some level of depression.

Considering the teacher’s words, Umika and her friends attempt to get Matataki out of her bad state. Haruno is more reserved, not lifting the garage door as in the past, even saying she isn’t sure if Matataki will come to school again. This response is not surprising. After all, Matataki said she never wanted to see Haruno ever again! Yu uses her foreheadpathy on Haruno for the first time, learning that she is good at hiding her feelings. Haruno calls herself pathetic. She reveals that getting top place scared her after her friend stopped coming to piano lessons many years ago. In response, she began to believe that all results have “equally precious value” and that everyone’s dream could come true without causing sadness.

Haruno’s mindset and Umika’s new perspective are revealed in the episode. Yu tells Haruno that seeing people hurt, when their dreams are shattered, is the true cause of her doubts. Umika clarifies that their dream remains intact. She says losing and failing hurts but that she will find firm footing again. This means that there isn’t a reason to give up. Yu encourages Haruno to discover her feelings, resulting in all three rubbing foreheads. Haruno commits herself to change.

The same episode involves Haruno telling her grandfather, in a flashback, that you don’t need to have your own dreams, but you can be someone who cheers on another person’s dreams. He says that this means you need to be the strongest, kindest, nicest person. She commits to becoming that person. However, she wants this to change. She confronts Matataki, calling her a “big dummy,” tells her to apologize, and says she is uncool for becoming grumpy after losing one time. She challenges Matataki, saying that she’s giving up after losing one time and declares they will make the rocket without her. If that isn’t enough, she takes the extra step, arguing that she will be as accomplished at Matataki, calls her a “big loser,” and says she should be ready to lose. She tops this off by snatching her goggles.

Matataki has lost her edge, in a sense. She lets Haruno take her goggles and says she hasn’t accomplished anything. Privately, she claims that she is less competent than Haruno and everyone else believes. This emotion-filled episode features crying and possible trauma and/or depression from Matataki. Even Haruno calls Matataki out on her BS! Understandably, some people dislike Matataki. I’m not sure if I dislike her more or less than some character in BanG Dream! It’s MyGo!!!!!, considering everything she has been through at this point, and what comes in the next two episodes of Stardust Telepath.

The eleventh episode hits hard. Yu, Haruno, and Umika meet with Kei, and her fellow team members (Neon Teruya and Michiru Yugumo). They get tips on making model rockets. There are some funny dynamics between Neon, Michiru, and Kei. They use virtual software (i.e. a rocket simulator). Perhaps a second season would give them a more prominent role. Two weeks after Umika gives Matataki a letter of challenge, they have a model rocket competition. They use her rules and she even uses a less powerful engine as a “handicap.”

Haruno denounces Matataki for losing. Umika hugs her while bawling her eyes out. She says she didn’t understand what she was going through. She believes that she was the only one who felt weak, miserable, and in pain. Then there’s the kicker: Umika wanted to be like her, to be strong, and to find a place to belong.

Almost immediately, she tells Umika to shut up. She doesn’t want them to take pity on her or hear their “empty words.” Yu calls her out as a liar, saying that her heart is an “open book.” Umika tells her that she wants their group to become a place where she can belong. She wants to help her aim for the sky again and thanks her for previous self-confidence boosts.

Understandably, Matataki is worried. She reveals that in the past, she lashed out with harsh words over the smallest things. That ended her relationships, with no one giving her a second change. As a result, she lost hope in relationships and stopped caring about anything. More powerfully, she recognizes that she said and did hurtful things to them. As Yu puts it well, Matataki’s own words hurt her internally the most, more than anyone else. Later, Matataki admits she was selfish, ignoring all of them in an attempt to win the competition.

The episode ends with Umika committing to her friendship scheme. Matataki admits she had fun making rockets with them and apologizes again. They all end up hugging her, apologizing, and crying. Haruno puts back the goggles on her head, Yu pulls back her goggles, and they all rub her head. Annoyed, she says she’ll get them back for it, and they have a good laugh. In a post-credits scene, Raimon ends up saying she will treat everyone and Yu calls her a “tsundere alien.” After all of this, it appears that Umika collapses from all the excitement, but something more serious is going on.

In the Stardust Telepath series finale, Umika is bedridden with a fever. Her sister Honami Konohoshi (voiced by Hina Yōmiya) is surprised to see Umika’s friends. She closes the door at first, then lets them inside. Yu jumps toward Umika, wanting her to be better. Umika is glad they all came to see her. Even Matataki gets embarrassed while Yu butts heads with her. Umika ends up burning up from the thought that other people are getting Yu’s foreheadpathy instead of her. In her fevered state, she tells Yu that she only wants Yu to do foreheadpathy with her, and no one else. This expression of true feelings catches Yu off-guard, who becomes flushed.

The next day, everyone’s glad for her recovery, while Yu feels out of sorts. Umika leads the charge. She wants their club recognized. Matataki tells her that her personal goal does not have to be the group goal. This is an attempt to ensure that she doesn’t guide the group like in the past. Yu pushes her to be more social. Everything seems to be going back to normal, except for how Yu is acting toward her. The episode ends with Yu learning that Umika is worried about her. Umika’s new dream is for them to go in a rocket to outer space together. The lighthouse lights up, possibly a result of their mutual expression of shared feelings. They happily touch their foreheads one more time together, with stars going out into space.

By the end of Stardust Telepath, the yuri subtext is more than obvious. This a yuri sci-fi on the face. However, romantic feelings between Umika and Yu, or between Matataki and Haruno are never directly stated. Instead, the series has one message: these characters are in romantic friendships. Perhaps, a second season could make these friendships into romantic relationships. Hopefully, Studio Gokumi decides to continue the series.

The show’s character designer and chief animation director, Takahiro Sakai, is known for work on various series, whether Ace Attorney, B Gata H Kei, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Nodama Cantabile, Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood, Spice and Wolf, or Toradora! The show’s director, Kaori, previously did storyboard and animation work on Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit, Is the Order a Rabbit?, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Revue Starlight, and Yurikuma Arashi. These series all have direct or indirect yuri themes. This is reinforced by her similar work on How to keep a mummy, Engage Kiss, and Shirobako.

Natsuko Takahashi worked with Kaori as co-director. She’s a former series writer of a dramatic yuri sci-fi (Blue Drop) and of a series with some yurish themes (Cutie Honey Universe). Furthermore, she wrote for two series with yaoi themes: Antique Bakery (implied) and Gakuen Heaven (directly shown). That undoubtedly impacted themes and storyline of this series.

The studio animating this series, Studio Gokumi, is over 13 years old. It has produced various series with yurish themes like Kin-iro Mosaic and Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood, or other problematic ones (Seton Academy: Join the Pack!). The latter features Iena Madaraba, a hyena who was said to be “born female” but believes she is male, meaning she is implied to be genderfluid, and intersex. One anime writer even described her as a “gender-ambiguous hyena person.”

Stardust Telepath is not my favorite 2023 series by a long shot. I’m in Love with the Villainess, Birdie Wing, MagiRevo, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, and Yuri is My Job! are among those I chose as my top anime for last year. While yuri themes could be stronger, it remained enjoyable. I liked the autistic-coded, autistic, and otherwise neurodivergent, protagonists. The manifestation of such awkwardness is not a turn-off. It is relatable to those with such neurodevelopmental disorders, likely numbering in the millions.

Stardust Telepath is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! Spoiler-Filled Review

BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! is an anime series adapting the band MyGO!!!!!. It’s the latest adaptation of Bushiroad’s BanG Dream! music media franchise, also known as Bandori. Koudai Kakimoto is series director. Sanzigen animated the series.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fiftieth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on September 29, 2023.

This series has a simple premise: a girl returning from the U.K., Anon Chihaya (voiced by Rin Tateishi), returns to her homeland of Japan, and learns that everyone at her new school, Honeoka Girls Academy, are in bands. So, she tries to create one of her own, meeting avid rock collector Tomori Takamatsu (voiced by Hina Yomiya), piano player Sakiko “Saki” Togawa (voiced by Kanon Takao), and a student from a prestigious academy, Soyo Nagasaki (voiced by Mika Kohinata). However, she faces an unforeseen obstacle: Tamori, Soyo, and Taki were former band members. Guitarist Mutsumi Wakaba (voiced by Watase Yuzuki) and drummer Taki Shiina (voiced by Coco Hayashi) were CRYCHIC’s other members. At first, it seems that Taki caused the previous band to split apart.

In many ways, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! differs from BanG Dream!, which aired three seasons from 2017 to 2020, short series such as Pastel Life, CiRCLE Thanks Party!, and Morfonication, and the five films related to the franchise. More broadly, Bandori was created by Takaaki Kidani, president of Bushiroad, in January 2015, with Kō Nakamura as writer of the manga. In fact, the franchise itself compromises various manga issues and volumes, and a light novel, until September 2017, overlapping with the beginning of the anime series. Later, a game was created, and the related manga, RAiSe! The story of my music, began in February 2019.

As for this series, the CGI looks better than in previous iterations and the cast remains realistic, even with a feel which isn’t like other shows centered around girl bands. It was even recommended by Anime Feminist, calling it a sweet, and enjoyable, introduction of a new group in the franchise (and girl band anime in general), and an “easy recommendation.” There is much more going on than this in the series, however. While I’m not aware of every detail about the characters, the characters are relatable in many ways, to those who have been part of a band, and those who haven’t.

I haven’t seen a series which begins with a band breakup in the first episode, bringing with it angst and emotions. Most series centered around girl’s bands follow a similar structure as the characters build-up the band through the first (and sometimes only) season. Unfortunately, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! is a bit rocky at first. Viewers are thrown into a practice session. Saki quits the band. Taki demands to know whether this is true. Mitsumi admits that being in the band wasn’t fun.

The writers, such as head writer Yuniko Ayana, do a decent job of calming those rocky, chaotic beginnings. This begins by focusing on Anon. She is a young woman with long pink hair who returns from the U.K. She tries to remake herself. As a new student at Honeoka Girls Academy, she meets Tomori, who collects rocks for fun. In the process, it is easy to relate to both characters. Social interaction tires out Anon. Tomori is more introverted. Taki pushes Anon away, calling her “scum” and doesn’t want to interact with anyone else. The drama, animation style, and music pull you in even more.

At first, it seems that a new band comprising Anon, Taki, and Tomori is possible, thanks to Soyo, with various meetings are RING, where Taki works. However, Anon is controlling and Soyo seems to have a hidden agenda. This doesn’t get any better, even as Anon and Tomori get closer, with the revelation that her diary entries are songs (or at least they can be songs). One of those is Spring Sunlight, which she composed when she was part of CRYCHIC, as shown in a flashback in the third episode. The fourth episode hints at Soyo’s real agenda. She claims that no one is at fault for CRYCHIC breaking apart. Later, she challenges Taki, declaring that everything will turn out the same way with this band, claiming that they never connected.

The story leads viewers to see Anon as controlling and problematic, Tomori as submissive, and Taki as more forthright. While Anon is arrogant and selfish, there is more to it. For one, emotions are high between all of them. The yuri subtext within this series, and the franchise, is clear. The feelings between Taki and Tomori are clear, with Taki having a soft spot for her, while Anon teases Taki. In addition, after Kaname Rāna (voiced by Hina Aoki) calls Tomori an “interesting woman,” Taki protects her. Occasionally, during BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, Taki blushes when talking to Tomori, when they are talking one-on-one.

Rana is one of the more interesting characters, as she only participates in the band when she feels like it. She doesn’t want to get caught up in the drama between the other girls. She is extremely skilled at playing the electric guitar. Often, she wows people with her skills. Anon worries about Rana outshining her. Clearly, Rana’s skills go beyond Anon’s meager guitar skills. As a result, Anon attempts to become competent at guitar playing, but takes shortcuts, which backfires.

It takes Taki to tell Anon the truth about her for her to open up. She confides in Tomori that Taki was right. She reveals in a date-not-date at the Sky Forest National Aquarium, with Tomori, that when she was studying abroad in England, she couldn’t keep up. In a very relatable scene, Anon is excited to be in another country, but can’t understand what people are saying. Since she doesn’t know much English people ignore her. She is even nervous to introduce herself to the class.

After she says that her whole life she has been running away from her problems, Tomori ends up reassuring her that even if she runs into a dead end, you look for a path and try and move forward. She even admits that Anon pulls her forward. She says she wants to move forward, even if she feels lost. Ultimately, Anon and Tomari agree to perform a live concert, despite the band’s lack of preparation.

The character writing (and storytelling) of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! on another tier, with real emotions and comedy mixed together, with love triangles, with good use of the light, and dark, to symbolize the moods and thoughts of the characters. The sixth episode brings all of this to the fore. It makes clear that Anon is still a beginning guitarist. While she plays guitar, her fingers get hurt. Taki tries to compose music. But she causes fissures in part by being too hard on everyone.

Rana’s character shines in later episodes, not only as the “stray cat” as some characters call her. She is the only character who distances herself from the emotional conflict between all of them. However, as shown in the sixth episode, her lack of presence causes stress on Taki (called “Ricky” by Anon), who attempts to be the leader of the band, rejecting help from anyone. Rana later helps Tomori express herself by playing the right music behind her, giving what she is saying meaning. She also calls them all “boring women” due to their arguments with each other, and takes a step back from the band.

Even so, the band puts on a stellar performance in the seventh episode, despite the fact none of them feel ready, and they have little live performance experience. Other bands, shown in the BanG Dream franchise, like Afterglow and Poppin’ Party, make an appearance. Tomori’s voice shines above all of them, as she believes that her songs are “screams” from her heart. Everyone is in the groove, except Soyo. She’s caught up in the past. Angrily, she grumbles when the band begins playing Spring Sunlight. She snaps, almost claiming the song for herself, even though it was Tomori that composed it, not her.

The seventh episode of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! makes Soyo’s motives abundantly clear: she wants the band to crash and fail, and revival of CRYCHIC. Her beliefs echo Jay Gatz/Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby who famously told Nick: “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” Just as it was a failure for Gatsby, it is also a failure for Soyo. She attempts to rope Saki back into the band. Her goal is to bring together the former band members, including Tomori and Taki. She sees Anon as someone who can further her goals. She can’t accept the reality: that CRYCHIC is dead and gone.

Although Anon was controlling, Soyo is much more manipulative. She claims that she is sick and cannot go into band practice, causing the band to split apart. Later, she texts Saki repeatedly, but gets no response, since Saki blocked her. But Soyo won’t stop. She even strong-arms Mutsumi into meeting Saki. This doesn’t go as she expects. In a heated discussion, Saki calls out Soyo for being selfish and tells her to forget the past. She tops this off, with a bold declaration: “CRYCHIC has been destroyed. It will never be revived.” Unsurprisingly, Soyo begs and pleads with Saki to reconsider, even after Saki tells her to leave her alone. This leads to the clincher: “you only really think of yourself, don’t you?” This completely destroys Soyo.

Saki feels that she told Soyo the cold, hard truth, while Mutsumi stands there, unsure what to do. The story’s construction makes you somewhat sympathize with Soyo. This is despite the fact she is a jerk, just like Saki. However, there is more going on. The ninth episode of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!! makes this clear. In a flashback, the origin of Soyo’s depression is shown. She moved around a lot as a kid and her mother doesn’t come around much. These memories are bathed in a warm light. They include remembrances CRYCHIC’s formation and its breakup, and playing a bass. Soyo comes to realize that Saki’s words about her were right.

Soyo’s actions don’t only affect her: they impact her fellow band members. As noted earlier, her actions cause the band to splinter, with Tomori blaming herself for everything that’s happening. Soyo actively ignores Tomori and Anon, who only want to talk to her. Taki even confronts her. Soyo defends herself by claiming she told lies to keep the band together. Despite the fact that Soyo, who seems to imply, almost in a homophobic way, that Taki is nothing without Tomari, she restrains herself from punching her. After the new bassist (and classmate of Taki), Umiri Yahato, leaves, Taki makes matters worse: she explains what Soyo told her. As a result, Anon declares that they don’t “need her. Tari is unsure what to do as Tomori bawls her eyes out, with Tomori questioning whether she wants to be in a band.

All of this comes down to teenage angst, either between Tari and Soyo, or more generally. Some fans were right to say, after this episode, that Soyo is the jerk. Taki, Soyo, and Anon, at minimum, are horrible. Tomori isn’t, nor is Rana. The characters in this series go beyond the bad/good binary and are more complex than they seem on the surface. Surely, this could have been shown in more episodes, but the thirteen episodes of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! didn’t seem rushed. They perfectly show the angst the characters went through, making them relatable. All of them have clear (and understandable) goals and motivations.

Otherwise, Tomori’s astronomy club could be called an “autism club.” This, however, only scratches the surface. Tomori doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past, as she did with her previous band. Taki is one of her only friends. In the third episode, Tomori composes a song about her social isolation. While she tried to fit in, she felt alone even when she was with other people. Tomori is not unique in feeling this way. Consider the protagonist Bocchi in Bocchi the Rock! who occasionally has anxiety attacks, or other protagonists such as Shoko Komi (in Komi Can’t Communicate), Rina Tennoji (in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club), Bocchi Hitori (in Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), and Sasaki (in Azumanga Daioh).

By the tenth episode of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, it seemed that the band won’t get back together: the members had split and are doing their own things. Tomori is determined to reunite the band. Soyo pushes back and asks about Soyo. One person helps her, playing background music to match her feelings: Rana. She calls Tomori an “interesting girl,” helping give Tomori’s spoken word poems/songs meaning. Tomori is successful in getting Tari to play drums, and Soyo and Anon to play guitar. The latter is possible after Soyo and Anon talk. Anon hears what Soyo has to say. Both realize they are lost. The episode ends with Tomori, Rana, Tari, and Soyo playing a rock song together. It is about how the band was blasted apart into nothing. All of them (apart from Rana) begin crying, with their memories flooding back.

While Tomori is the only “normal” person, Rana goes above the fray of the emotional conflicts. She becomes a bigger part of the band by the eleventh episode. Soyo is partially redeemed, after she admits she used all of them, but stays with them regardless. Tomori leads the band forward, pushing them to do public performances. Taki remains stubborn, not wanting to perform. Despite continued conflicts, the friendship between them grows. Even Soyo and Tari become friends-of-sorts. Most significantly, Anon comes up with their new band name: Maigo, meaning “lost girls.” This later becomes “It’s My Go!,” hence the title of this anime.

There is one interesting connection to the previous BanG Dream series in BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!: Rana’s grandmother, Shifune Tsuzuki, ran the club SPACE!. It connects the two series together, making clear they are in the same world. It also makes the crossovers-of-sorts of characters within the BanG Dream franchise smooth and without much explanation. There isn’t a need for direct confirmation of this. Take for example the Season Two opening of Milo Murphy’s Law, “The Phineas and Ferb Effect.” That episode indicated that characters from Phineas and Ferb would crossover into that series. In this series, such confirmation would be unnecessary.

The tension between the characters fades away as they bear their emotions on stage in a performance which compromises most of the twelfth episode. Tomori sings her heart out about finding herself and loss. She ends up embarrassing Taki when introducing everyone. Then, she explains what each of them means to her. To her, being lost is fine. Powerfully, Tomori sings about feeling scared, hurt, self-righteousness, moving forward, and not hiding anything.

This heavily music-centered episode is the last one which centers on this band. At the episode’s end, Soyo pushes away Mutsumi. She doesn’t want to see her again. At the same time, Saki recruits Mutsumi and Yutenji Nyamu (voiced by Akane Yonezawa) into the new band she is forming. This is reinforced by the final episode. Soyo, Tomori, Tari, Rana, and Anon meet in RING for their band. Anon and Tomori meet Uika Sumika (voiced by Rico Sasaki) outside a planetarium. Soyo realizes she’s self-centered. None of these interactions are the central focus. Instead, the story focuses on Saki’s new band: Ave Mujica.

This band is led by Saki, who demands that they hide their real / true identities by wearing masks. Their debut concert begins like a play. Each wears mask which hide most or only part of their face. They begin with introductions and give themselves code names of sorts. The song they play has horror vibes and has images which connect to the Moon. To make matters worse, Saki doesn’t even have an after-party with them. She returns home to her alcoholic father, who she calls “rotten.”

If it wasn’t apparent enough from the final episode, the story of Soyo, Tomori, Tari, Rana, and Anon will be in the background in another series. Instead, the story will center on Ave Mujica now, even though Saki is terrible. The sequel is entitled BanG Dream! Ave Mujica. Whether the song played in the final episode of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! is weak, not fully there with a metal / hard rock vibe, gothic metal, or pretentious, it is clearly meant to close one chapter and open another.

Personally, after watching all thirteen episodes, I’m not very sympathetic to Saki. More likely than not, BanG Dream! Ave Mujica will center on trying to make Saki sympathetic, just as the writers did, particularly, with Soyo and Anon in this series. Some may dislike this series because of the angst, or argue it was not as strong as D4DJ. However, the difference is that D4DJ, from what I remember, didn’t have angst at any level comparable to this series.

BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! is more than the adaptation of a five-member band. It is like previous parts of the BanG Dream! franchise, either the three-season BanG Dream!, which aired from 2017 to 2020, the chibi BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico series, Morfonication, the five films, and other parts of this expansive franchise. It has a tone which is very soft, comforting, and with drama, but is not over the top. It is hard to say that it integrates “canonical queerness and themes of gender identity” like D4DJ, as some described it. Nor does it focus on the reality of being a young caregiver like BanG Dream!.

While I can’t be sure whether this series has similar vibes to Uma Musume Pretty Derby, as some have asserted, it shares no similarities with other music-themed series. The “delightful” Carole & Tuesday strangely has all of its songs sung in English and has themes centered around race, gender, and environment, which garnered its some criticism. Then there’s the mix of healing and music depicted in Healer Girl, the slice-of-life feel of K-On, and the series within the Love Live! idol music franchise. Adding to this is the combination of fantasy and idol music in Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror, which is, itself, a spinoff from the aforementioned franchise, which recently ended. This doesn’t even account for the many other music series.

Personally, I wish that BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! could have focused on Anon, Tomori, Rana, Tari, and Soyo for another season instead of pivoting to an entirely different band. In that way, the series isn’t as strong as it could be. However, it still goes to extremes, with peaks and depressing valleys. It is more ambitious than any other BanG Dream! series and features Tomori, a neurodivergent-coded character. All of this interlinks with melodrama. The visuals also keep pace with the narrative tone, which has clear awkwardness. At the same time, the series’ abrupt conclusion could be purposeful.

The voice actors are all very talented. For instance, Coco Hayashi is known for voicing Mirai Momoyama in the idolish Kiratto Pri☆Chan, Setsuna Yūki in an OAV entitled Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Next Sky, and Ikuko Kamiyashiki in Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star. She voiced characters in Bocchi the Rock!, High-Rise Invasion, Luminous Witches, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai as well. Hina Aoki voiced characters in series such as The Great Cleric and Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress. Hina Yomiya prominently voiced Anna Yamada in The Dangers in My Heart and Lainie Cyan in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady. She will voice protagonist Honami Konohoshi in Stardust Telepath, which premieres in early October.

Other voice actors, Mika Kohinata, Rin Tateishi, Akane Yonezawa, Hazuki Tanda, Kanon Takao, Mei Okada, Rico Sasaki, and Yuzuki Watase specifically, are just as talented. Although Kohinata, Tateishi, and Yonezawa, are new to voice work, their talent shines through in this series as Soyo, Anon, and Yutenji. In contrast, Tanda prominently voiced Miyū Sakurada across the D4DJ franchise. In addition, Okada voiced Marika Mizushima and Watse voiced Miiko Takeshita in the same series. Those voice roles could explain why they voiced characters in this series.

Takao also had many voice roles. This included characters in Asteroid in Love, Bibliophile Princess, Edens Zero (Hermit Mio), and Management of a Novice Alchemist (Sarasa Feed). Additionally, Sasaki voiced Poporon in Dropkick on My Devil!, Ayoko Yamada in Kageki Shoujo!!, and Chisa Sasuga in Stella of the Theater.

The BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! director, Koudai Kakimoto, is known, in part, for his work as an episode director and storyboard director on many other iterations of the BanG Dream franchise. He was an episode director on Library War and Le Chevalier d’Eeon, and storyboarder on A Lull in the Sea, to name a few. The series writer, Yuniko Ayana, in contrast, has written on many series, including series composition throughout the BanG Dream! franchise. She wrote episodes of D4DJ First Mix, Flip Flappers, Given, Kinmoza Kiniro + Mosaic, and Sweet Blue Flowers. Considering that some of these series have yuri subcontext, or even yaoi themes (in the case of Given), that undoubtedly influenced how this series played out. After all, Ayana is a go-to person “for yuri content.”

The animation studio for this series, Sanzigen, previously produced seasons 2 and 3 of BanG Dream! (and other parts of the franchise) and D4DJ, provided key animation for I want to eat your pancreas, photography for Little Witch Academia, 3D graphics for Wandering Son, and 3D layout for Yuri Is My Job!. The company has worked on many other series beyond this small grouping.

Even though there is a lot of angst, emotions flaring, and drama, and the series abruptly ends, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! stands strongly on its own, unlike other anime centered on girls’ bands. That, combined with the focus on the music process, makes the series shine above others which have aired this year, even if series airing later this year are just as strong.

BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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.

Ippon Again! Review

Ippon Again!, also known as Mou Ippon, is a judo sports anime directed by Ken Ogiwara. It is based on a Japanese manga series, which has run since October 2018 for total of 21 volumes, written and illustrated by Yu Muraoka. This series was produced by Bakken Record, a division of the Japanese animation company Tatsunoko Production. This post will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the twenty-ninth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on April 9, 2023.

This series has a simple premise. Michi Sonoda (voiced by Ayasa Itō) planned on quitting being a judoka, a practitioner of the Japanese martial art of judo, during her final tournament in junior high school. However, this changes due to the encouragement from her friend and Sanae Takigawa (voiced by Yukari Anzai), and presence of a girl named Towa Hiura (voiced by Chiyuki Miura) who caused her to go unconscious during her last judo tournament. All three form a judo club at Aoba Nishi High School, to the chagrin of Anna Nagumo (voiced by Nene Hieda), who wants Michi to join the fencing club instead.

Admittedly, I was not originally planning to watch this anime. But, I was drawn into it because of the simple story, well-animated action sequences, and voice acting. This series is nothing like any of the other sports anime I’ve watched before.

It doesn’t have wild golf games like Birdie Wing, nor the dramatic tennis games as in Stars Align, or high-stakes baseball games such as those in Tamayomi. Instead, the series is in a league of its own. There are very few other judo anime out there, apart from Inakappe Taishō, Judo Boy, and Yawara!, two of which were produced by Bakken Record, which also produced Ippon Again!.

While sports anime is not something I generally gravitate towards, this series is well-constructed. At times, it is as strong as Birdie Wing or Stars Align. Like some other series in the same genre, there is yuri subtext in the series, especially between Michi and Towa. In fact, Towa comes to the same school as Michi so that she can apologize to her for how she acted during their tournament. This has echoes of Yui Yamada running, in a pivotal scene from the 58-minute yuri OVA Kase-san and Morning Glories, to the train so that she can join another girl, Tomoka Kase, who she likes. Otherwise, while the show doesn’t have direct yuri themes, and only subtext. It is more than a female-centered version of sports shonens focused on nakama-power.

Ippon Again! has comedic moments, like Michi and Sanae thinking they have found the advisor of the judo club, believing it is a big, burly, tough-looking, and extremely dedicated man, Gondo who teaches gym at the high school. However, the reality is very different than what they believe is the case. A thin, athletic woman named Shino Natsume (voiced by Yumi Uchiyama), who knocks down the instructor, Gondo, by doing a judo move, impressing them all, turns out to be the club advisor.

I liked how Towa becomes surer of herself as the series moves ahead. Early on, she only has enough confidence if she wears her judo uniform, an item which allows her to feel more self-assured. Her social awkwardness is not unique to anime, as Komi Can’t Communicate, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, Mitsuboshi Colors, Asobi Asobase, YuruYuri, and Azumanga Daioh are other examples. Despite this, how Towa is portrayed as socially awkward is unique. She further faces a challenge of fighting her former senpai, which makes the series that much more intriguing, and charming in its own way.

All of this is reinforced by the show’s cast. For instance, the voice actors Itō, Anzai, Miura, and Hieda are known for voicing characters in series such as The Demon Girl Next Door, Revue Starlight, BanG Dream!, Release the Spyce, Cue!, Tokyo Mew Mew New, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious, and Love After World Domination.

The other voice actors are as talented, with Aoi Koga (voice of Erika Amane), provided voice for Kaguka, protagonist of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, while Konomi Kohara previously voiced Mina in Teasing Master Takagi-san and Koyomi Kanou in Bloom into You. Additional members of the cast, Yumi Uchiyama, Maria Naganawa, and Anna Nagase, have lent their voices to characters in Re:Zero, Haikyu!, Kinmoza!, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, BNA, Your Lie in April, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunner.

Unlike other series, writers of Ippon Again! know the right lingo about judo martial arts style, making the series more authentic in that regard. The first part of the show’s name, “ippon”, means a throw which puts an opponent on their back and keeps the opponent pinned, resulting in a victory. If the throw isn’t strong enough, someone only scores a waza-ari (formerly called “yuko”), meaning when a contestant throws an opponent on their side, as noted in Masao Takahashi’s 2005 book, Mastering Judo. An ippon, more simply, refers to the highest score someone can achieve in a Japanese martial arts contest, often in jujitsu, karate, kendo, or judo. Other terms such as osaekomi-waza, meaning “holding or pinning techniques”, are mentioned in the series as well.

The series is not without drama. For instance, Sanae promises her parents she would focus on academics in high school and not join the judo club. But she decides to do so anyway, and as a result, Michi encourages her when she is rattled. The drama is also apparent for the show’s fight scenes, like those with teams from other schools, such as Kasumigaoka High School. This is offset by the camaraderie among the Judo Club members, who help each other out when anyone else is down, and root for one another.

Ippon Again! may not be a show for anyone, but that does not matter. This series is peak fiction in more ways than one, through its cuteness, or the bonds between the characters, either long-time friends Michi and Sanae, or Michi and Towa. Each of the characters has determination to be better fighters and blast through expectations, although they are not all at the same level.

While some may think there are suspicious or problematic moments, the truth is that these moments are primarily instances of the characters fighting each other in intense judo style. At other points in the series, Michi smacks Sanae on her butt, while other characters do the same, smacking their teammates in the same manner. Some may think it is “cringeworthy”, it is done with a purpose: to snap their team members back to reality so they will be ready for the fight. As for Michi, her action makes sense as she is a bit of a joker at times, even saying that Sanae should lose her match so she can have a better opponent. Furthermore, throughout Sailor Moon R, Usagi occasionally smacks Chibiusa on the bum, so it makes no sense for people to make an issue out of it. Even so, I would say that Ippon Again! has mild fan service, although not as much as Kandagawa Jet Girls by a long shot.

I liked how strength is not the only thing that allows characters of Ippon Again! to win in judo. Their determination and strategy are just as important. Being stronger is not everything in this series, as their coach/advisor Shino reminds them, part of building a backbone for the team to rely upon. Sometimes that person has strength on their side, but other times they inspire other team members to work together to win, all while sweat drips down their faces.

A key message from this series seems to be that hard work, and gumption, can lead to success. However, this idea has been questioned, with some saying it is a component of being successful, that it is a myth entirely, or that neither makes life better or fun. Others have said that this concept, especially when it relates to material success, is no longer “a uniquely Western value.” In any case, this anime makes clear that anyone can improve themselves. For instance, even though Sanae is visually impaired, she fights in judo like everyone else, although she does judo while not wearing her glasses.

Ippon Again! goes the typical route by having a rival-of-sorts: Erika Amane. She is the former senpai of Towa and the person who got Towa interested in judo in the first place. The intense fight between Amane and Towa has some of the best animation in the episode, and perhaps the entire series. Michi sees it as so cool that she is left speechless. In typical fashion, the episode ends before the battle is over, hooking you to watch the next one. In the episode following that, there is a powerful judo match between Michi, and her competitor, Ami Shiraishi. All the focus is on the match, and nothing else, pulling you into the action.

The show’s choreography is one of the series’ strong suits, making you feel like you are part of the action, as is the yuri subtext, as noted earlier, with possibly some subtext between Amane and Towa. This is mixed with the fact that the protagonist struggles with feeling she has “hit a wall of physical ability”, all while the show has some feminist potential.

Ippon Again! is markedly different than any of the other shows airing during this Winter. It is not an idolish series like D4DJ which mainly focuses around different music groups, nor is it a yuri isekai set in a medieval world such as The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady. Instead, it has clear yuri themes throughout, but is not outright yuri. For instance, Towa describes Amane as “terribly precious,” while Anna describes Michi as “incredibly precious.” Like Do It Yourself!, the romantic feelings between the show’s characters are never directly expressed, only implied with words, blushing, or other actions.

The series generally focuses on sports matches, specifically judo, after the characters prepare themselves for the tournament at their school dojo, even recruiting a new member, Tsumugi Himeno (voiced by Anna Nagase) to join them. While continuing matches means that there isn’t much story development, apart from flashbacks and the camaraderie, especially between the show’s five protagonists (Michi, Sanae, Towa, Anna, and Tsumugi). Even so, there is undoubted romantic tension between some characters, and strong animation in the fight scenes, with the characters trying to get ippons to win the match.

After finishing Ippon Again!, my previous thoughts about the series were reinforced, as I came to the realization that the series is only yuri-ish, and is primarily a sports series. However, one of the many crinkles in this supposition is the fact that an opposing team coach, Rinka Inui (voiced by Chinatsu Akasaki), is overly excited to see her “senpai”, Shino. Her entire demeanor changes when she sees Shino. I found this funny because it shows that Rinka and Shino have cool demeanors when preparing for a match, but have different personalities otherwise. In some ways, it makes me think of the dual personalities of the characters in Yuri Is My Job! who act one way in front of patrons and another way in private.

While saying this, I enjoyed the fact that Ippon Again! is all about the love for the game (in this case judo) rather than about winning. The series ends with main protagonists losing to a better team, which has a powerful blond-haired exchange student named Emma Duran (voiced by Akira Sekine). There seems to be the message that you should love who you are, no matter your body type, coupled with the value of teamwork, and having fun, even if you lose. One character, Michi, even laments that they could have spent their summer getting boyfriends instead, but admits she enjoys the company of her fellow teammates.

Even so, I found it unfortunate that some character development can be weak. For example, in the final episode, Sanae calls herself nothing but a “burden”, and is reassured by Himeno. However, such character traits for Sanai are only hinted and implied in other episodes of the series, showing that such a focus could have been emphasized more consistently in the show. In fact, the young adult animated series, RWBY, does a much better job with this: the character Ruby Rose blows up on her teammates as her trauma and low self-esteem comes to a head, with her going to even more extreme measures in another episode.

Surely, Ippon Again! is different, but it could have had character development, for all its characters, as good as RWBY. Perhaps another season could expand upon this. Sadly, it is very unlikely the series will get a second season. Nowadays, many anime only run for 11-13 episodes, and never come back for more, in contrast to Western animation which, generally, run for longer.

Ippon Again! comes at a time that various anime with direct and in-direct yuri themes are airing, such as the Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, Tokyo Mew Mew New season 2, and Yuri is My Job!, or have ended including the D4DJ and The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and Genius Young Lady. Soon, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury season 2 will be airing, as will season 2 of Birdie Wing. Unlike those series, I’m not sure that Ippon Again! will have staying power, but I’ll surely remember it for its judo fights, strong animation, music, and yuri subtext.

Ippon Again! is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Bocchi the Rock! Review

Bocchi the Rock is a slice-of-life comedic music anime based on a manga by Aki Hamaji. It is directed by Keiichirō Saitō and written by Erika Yoshida. It is produced by CloverWorks, a seven-year-old Japanese studio known for series such as Slow Start, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, The Promised Neverland, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, and Spy × Family. This review will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the sixteenth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on December 14, 2022.

The show’s plot centers around a socially awkward girl named Hitori Goto (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama) who struggles making friends at school or anywhere, playing cover songs under the name “guitarhero”. She is pulled into a group at an underground bar named STARRY by a girl named Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), and meets Ryo Yamada (voiced by Saku Mizuno), who plays bass. The fellow members of the Kessoku Band dub her “Bocchi”, saying they are fans of her “guitarhero” channel.

The series follows the development of Kessoku Band, which expands to four members after Bocchi convinces guitarist Ikuyo Kita (voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa). Over the series, Bocchi becomes more comfortable with other people, effectively coming out of her shell. This makes the series different from the popular 23-episode anime, Komi Can’t Communicate, which centers on a quiet beautiful girl named Shoko Komi, who is also very socially awkward.

Instead, Bocchi the Rock! has more similarities to Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, which also features a socially awkward and anxious protagonist. At the same time, Bocchi is, arguably, not as physically attractive in the same way as Komi.

Furthermore, her expressions, words, and actions make her more relatable than any other character with similar characteristics, especially when she imagines a dark, depressing future for herself several times throughout the series. For those who are socially awkward, the tendency to hide away from the world and ignore others makes her someone that they can connect to, more than other characters.

This anime is unique because it is one of the only recent music anime series, which are not centered on idols. That distinguishes it from Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Shine Post, and Love Live! Superstar!! which aired this year. It also sets it apart from relatively recent non-idol music series such as Healer Girl and Lost Song, neither of which feature rock bands.

Each of the characters in Bocchi the Rock! stand out in their own way, contributing uniquely to the show’s comedy. However, Bocchi has the most comedic moments in the series, in comparison to the other characters.

Animation and background art of Bocchi the Rock! is simpler than other series, like Do It Yourself!!. Even so, the art style stands out, especially when paired with Bocchi. For instance, when she was listening to the psychedelic rock band, Sick Hack, she is shown in a mix of psychedelic colors. After all, the animation and background art can be very dynamic, as it is in the series opening.

The series music is informed by realism more than other series, in terms of chords and sound of the songs. For example, when the band isn’t coordinated, the songs sound discordant. When they have more confidence, the songs sound stronger.

This is enhanced by emphasizing the reality of playing in a band. It also couples with mature themes. One example of this is the talented vocalist, and bassist, of Sick Hack, Kikuri Hiroi (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi), who is an alcoholic. She spends most of what she earns on booze. She is almost as drunk as the character, Shorty, is throughout the Tangled animated series.

Even so, she encourages Bocchi, as does STARRY manager, Seika Ijichi (voiced by Maaya Uchida), the older sister of Nijika. This support, and friendly disposition of her fellow band members, allows Bocchi to grow as a person. That is part of what makes the show enjoyable.

Although Bocchi is very anti-social, she does not go on an adventure to leave society behind, in effect, as the protagonists of the amazing 2018 adventure anime A Place Further Than the Universe do. Instead, she expresses her social awkwardness through her actions and her music, while continuing to attend school. In this way, she fits within existing social norms, while remaining anti-social.

The voice acting of Aoyama, Suzushiro, Mizuno, Hasegawa, Senbongi, and Uchida in Bocchi the Rock! shines through and grounds the show itself, especially during songs. The same can be said for those voicing Hiroi’s fellow band members, Eliza Shimizu and Shima Iwashita, or those voicing Hitori’s mother, father, sister, and dog.

Many of the voice actors in the series are recognizable due to their voice performances in previous anime. This includes their voice overs for characters in well-known series such as Princess Tutu, Non Non Biyori, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Bloom Into You, and The Promised Neverland.

Others have voiced characters in My Master Has No Tail, Love After World Domination, The Demon Girl Next Door, and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. This seasoned voice talent makes Bocchi the Rock! a much stronger series than anime which have newer voice actors.

The series has Bocchi at its core, its heart. Bocchi drives the series forward. Unlike series such as Wednesday, where Wednesday Addams holds the series up to such an extent that without her it would collapse, other characters serve as supporting pillars.

Bocchi’s moodiness, emotion, and social awkwardness often all combine, even causing her to disappear or turn into nothingness, especially when she is experiencing too much social interaction or stimulation. While this is not necessarily realistic, it is relatable.

As such, she is more relatable than the aforementioned Komi or Hitori, in their respective series, or even the protagonists of Aharen-san wa Hakarenai and Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. However, her character is not unique, as there are various shy, timid, and socially awkward characters across anime, something which is more common than ever.

Bocchi the Rock! centers on a socially awkward protagonist, with a focus on what friendship means, and balancing one’s social abilities with possible social exhaustion. This sets her apart from other characters with similar characteristics.

If there is anywhere the story falls down or falls short, it is the fact that it focuses primarily on Bocchi and not as much on other characters. None of the parents or guardians of the other protagonists are shown in the series. However, this is not as extreme as the hyper-focus on Steven in Steven Universe Future to the detriment of additional characters. In this series, viewers can still see some depth of other characters apart from Bocchi.

Some fans have argued that Bocchi the Rock! has yuri subtext. One prominent yuri news site, Yuri Anime News, even listed it on their website, without detailing how this subtext is manifested in the series itself. These arguments are sound. Ikuko seems to have some feelings for Ryo, even though Ryo does not mean to attract people to her, and looks relatively androgynous.

This is one area the series could be stronger: going beyond yuri subtext. Even other series airing this fall, such as Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit and Management of a Novice Alchemist, have more prominent yuri undertones. The latter even has a textual yuri relationship between two supporting characters which is occasionally shown on screen.

Despite these criticisms, Bocchi the Rock! still stands out, especially among recent music anime series, not falling into the usual set-up of such series. The focus of the series is on social awkwardness and music is the reason I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Bocchi the Rock! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

The Demon Girl Next Door Review

On July 1st, this supernatural slice-of-life comedy anime directed by Hiroaki Sakurai came to an end. This series, which recently concluded, is based on an ongoing six volume manga series by Izumo Itō of the same name.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the twelfth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 18, 2022. This article was originally supposed to be published on The Geekiary, but they rejected it, saying it was too similar to my previous review.

The Demon Girl Next Door tells the story of a demon girl, and her two magical girl companions, as they learn more about themselves and face unexpected challenges.

The last six episodes of this anime continue with the same levity as the first nineteen episodes, with continued comedic moments, especially when it comes to the relations between Shamiko (Konomi Kohara), also known as Yuko Yoshida, and two magical girls.

The latter have their own internal problems. Mikan Hinatsuki (Tomoyo Takayanagi) has a curse that causes others to experience calamities when she gets flustered. Momo Chiyoda (Akari Kitō) is on the precipice between the powers of light and dark.

Although Shamiko is similar to the protagonist of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, Jahy, in that she lives in a run-down apartment, she isn’t alone in this. Mikan and Momo move in next door, and they all live in the same apartment complex. None of them are well-off.

Shamiko also gains a support network, of sorts, apart from help the magical girls give her. She has school friends like Anri Sata (Sayaka Senbongi) and Sion Ogura (Ayaka Suwa). The latter is a lover of the occult. She can conjure up recipes to help Momo, especially to stop her from slipping to the dark side. Notes left behind by Sakura Chiyoda (Hisako Kanemoto), the elder adopted sister of Momo, and magical girl, who gave her energy to keep Shamiko alive, assist her in this endeavor.

In another similarity with Jahy, Shamiko works in a part time job. Unlike that series, in The Demon Girl Next Door the bar is staffed by two magical beings: a demon tapir named Shirosawa, and a Hula jing fox named Lico.

As it turns out, Shirosawa (Takashi Matsuyama), who runs the coffee shop. He even created the mascot of the shopping district when the cat form of Sakura inspired him. As for Lico (Ayasa Itō), she is a waitress at the shop, and she often uses magical leaves to bewitch people who eat the food that she makes. This includes, at one point, Shamiko.

Like other series in Western animation, such as Amphibia, The Owl House, Steven Universe, gen:LOCK, and Inside Job, memories, manipulation, and mindscapes are an important part of this series.

Part of this is shown in the fact that Lilith (Minami Takahashi), an ancestor of Shamiko, can appear in the dreams of Shamiko. She can even take over Shamiko’s body if a switch is flipped on her statue.

Lilith often guides Shamiko and Momo, especially when they enter mindscapes. However, she can only be connected to such mindscapes for a short period of time, and her connection can get fuzzy at times.

Then, there’s times when Shirosawa has psychedelic hallucinations caused by eating Lico’s food. The same is the case for Shamiko.

In one episode, Shamiko and Ryo go into Lilith’s dreamspace, discovering she has a lot of manifestations of her loneliness there. Ultimately, she ends up defeating them all by changing her magic rod into stuff from video games she likes.

The final episodes of the series focus on Momo and Shamiko going into the heart of Mikan, with help from Lilith. They vow to tell the protective demon inside Mikan, Ugullu (Fairouz Ai) to calm down and end her curse once and for all. They are able to successfully negotiate with Ugullu and get her to realize the damage she is causing.

In a nice end to the series, Mikan’s school friends help her out, by coming late one night to summon Ugullu into a new body, and a dish made at the cafe Shamiko works at. Ugullu comes into a new form and Mikan accepts her as part of her family.

In a post-credit scene, Ugullu clear has found her place, coming to terms with her new identity outside of Mikan, no longer tasked with defending Mikan from evil.

Like any other magical girl, or magical boy, series, magical transformations are a big part of the series. Like the aforementioned The Great Jahy, the magical girls and the demons can both transform. Shamiko can transform into the “crisis management form” which gives her some additional powers. In contrast, Momo and Mikan have their own specific magical girl forms.

At other points, Shamiko’s sister Ryoko “Ryo” Yoshida (Hitomi Ōwada) helps create weapons with her magic rod. She realizes that Shamiko’s subconscious is holding her back and helps her get over her mental hurdles. This is in-keeping with the series playing off many common elements of magical girls in anime and manga.

Unlike Mikan, Momo has a dark form which is known as “Darkness Peach”. She occasionally transforms into this form when she is teetering on the edge of dark and light. At one point, she struggles to keep the two separated, but Shamiko helps her, as does Sion.

At another point, Shamiko tries to develop a special attack and inherits a wand from her father which can transform into anything she wants. She is helped in this task by Shamiko, and in coming up with a super special move. Both seem to have some feelings for each other.

There is also talk in the series as to how magical girls are ordinary girls who make a pact with the light clan, with demons getting a token for each magical girl they defeat. All the while, Shamiko often utters her line “don’t think this means you’ve won”. In a funny reference to this line, Momo says it at one point, almost becoming an in-joke of sorts.

Even worse is the fact that Momo’s “Darkness Peach” form can break anything she touches. It turns out that when she is happy and content, the balance between the dark and light sides can come to a balance. She even goes to a hot healing spring said to be of therapeutic value, but it turns out to be a healing waterfall. What she finds there is turned into an elixir by Sion, which ends up helping her later.

Related to this are the magic barriers put on doors, either with magic by Momo, Mikan, or Shamiko. Hilariously, these barriers are just weak pieces of paper, but apparently have all sorts of magical power.

In the final scene of the series, Ugullu declares that Shamiko is the boss of Momo, who is overjoyed. It ends with Momo teasing Shamiko, as they both walk off into the distance.

Since The Demon Girl Next Door is based on a manga parody series, it is no surprise that the series doesn’t really take itself too seriously. The characters are never in series danger. Instead, there are occasional breaks in the fourth wall. There’s even a hilarious shirt worn by Lilith on multiple occasions which says: “my blood sugar level is dangerous”.

At other points there are faulty recaps which don’t make sense and fun interplay between Momo and Shamiko. This involves Momo trying to motivate Shamiko to do homework and the fact that Momo wants to see a baby tiger at the zoo.

Also comedic is Momo’s reaction when she drinks disgusting potions from Sion. At others, the characters say that they don’t have many lines of dialogue or when Lilith tries to send a picture of herself into the camera, but it doesn’t work.

It’s also funny how Mikan, who lives alone, is afraid of cockroaches even though she is an all-powerful magical girl. Shamiko helps her, even assisting in cleaning up her trash. It is a bit amazing that Shamiko, who has only known Momo for a few months,can help Mikan more than Momo, who has been a friend of Mikan for 10 years.

In some ways, Mikan is socially awkward. In the show’s next to last episode, she worries about her school introduction as a transfer student. It ends up going well, however, with Anri helping her. She ropes in Momo to help with sports day preparations.

Family is an important theme in The Demon Girl Next Door too. Shamiko has a tight family, with a loving sister, Ryo, and mother, Seiko Yoshida (Sayaka Ohara). She has a smile on her face, no matter how absurd the situation is. In an interesting twist, Joshua (Hideyuki Umezu), the father of Ryo and Shamiko, was sealed in a cardboard box by Sakura, the same box they eat many meals on!

Family is important to Momo too. She deals with the past actions of her sister and tries to figure out why she did what she did. She and Mikan find a chosen family among Shamiko, her family, and many school friends.

While some have argued that the series is a “mid-tier offering” with animators told to not “overtax their assets”, the series has a certain charm to it. This is due to the fact that J.C. Staff, responsible for recently ended The Executioner and Her Way of Life, and series such as Edens Zero, Sweet Blue Flowers, R.O.D.-The TV, Azumanga Daioh, and Revolutionary Girl Utena, animated this series. While the animation of this series does not have the same quality as the aforementioned series, it still fits with the slice-of-life vibe.

The show’s voice actors have voiced characters in series ranging from Bloom Into You to Akebi’s Sailor Uniform. Many of these series, and others, like Adachi and Shimamura, Asteroid in Love, Kageki Shojo!!, have direct and indirect yuri themes.

Others are about socially awkward characters, like Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu and Komi Can’t Communicate. This set the groundwork for their voice acting in this series. The same can be said for those who voiced characters in slice-of-life series like Chronicles of the Going Home Club, Kin-iro Mosaic, Gabriel DropOut, and Let’s Make a Mug Too.

I loved that some of the voice actors in this series voiced characters in Bodacious Space Pirates. The latter is a niche sci-fi adventure anime which has two supporting characters (Lynn Lambretta and Jenny Dolittle) in a romantic relationship.

The series director, Hiroaki Sakurai, is just as talented. He is known for directing comedies like Kodocha, Di Gi Charat, Di Gi Charat Nyo!, and Nanaka 6/17. He also directed a ninja anime, Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl, and a magical girl parody, Majokko Tsukune-chan. This directing experience, and that of other series, undoubtedly had a positive impact on The Demon Girl Next Door.

While the final episode of the series is a fitting season end, there is a possibility for continuation. A third season could be focused on the continued adventures of Mikan, Momo, and Shamiko. Another season would continue to be slice of life, with a continued focus on trying to make the town a place that’s easy for everyone to live in, as the narrator says at the end.

Perhaps even Momo and Shamiko could be shown as more than ambiguously together. They could be even closer like the protagonists of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Kobayashi and Tohru. It could be more than “shipping fodder” between them then, with often fanservicey outfits of Momo, Shamiko, and other characters. This series does not have any explicit queer representation, just heavy subtext.

In the end, while The Demon Girl Next Door is not my favorite anime series that I’ve watched this year, it is still a must-see for those interested in magical girls, demons, supernatural themes, and yuri subtext.

The Demon Girl Next Door can be watched on HIDIVE.

Examining Socially Awkward Anime Characters

Komi uses a finger gun during a scene in Komi Can’t Communicate

Recently, there have been more socially awkward anime characters than before, which I’ve noticed as a casual anime watcher. Curious about it, I decided to check out some of these series and offer my thoughts.

Continue reading “Examining Socially Awkward Anime Characters”

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Recently, there have been more socially awkward anime characters than before, which I’ve noticed as a casual anime watcher. Curious about it, I decided to check out some of these series and offer my thoughts.

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