Showing posts with label Rose of Versailles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rose of Versailles. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!: A Review of Yuri in Anime in 2012

As with my Anime of Interest to Yuri Fans in 2011 list, I'm just listing everything relevant I've watched alphabetically. (Also- like the fan art in this post? The X's below them are links to the art's sources.)

Binbougami ga!:
I know some people shipped this series's leads, but I didn't. It's here for Kuroyuri, a death god with a thing for her female boss who only shows up for the second half of episode nine. As a whole, this show was good for some mindless fun.

Binbougami ga! is streaming on Funimation.

Black Rock Shooter:
I could see Mato having feelings for Yomi and Yomi possibly returning them. I found this series's ending disappointing, but a number of people seem to like it.

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Fate/Zero season 2:
Because this is me when Saber and Irisviel are together onscreen. Canon shmanon.
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This show has a ripping good story to boot. Aside from the Kiritsugu flashback episodes, I really looked forward to seeing what would happen each week. Saber and Irisviel both got tragic endings as expected, like almost everyone who participated in the Holy Grail War, but I still find them squee-worthy.

Fate/Zero is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Girls und Panzer:
This doesn't really count to me, but I'm assuming that if I don't mention it, someone will be like, "What about Girls und Panzer?" Having heard that it actually wasn't servicey, I decided to watch its first episode when I was drunk one evening. I remember thinking, "That line's yuri fan-bait" at one or two points, but not what the lines are. I was amused by some bits (in a "Haha, wow, that's stupid" way), but mostly bored.

Girls und Panzer is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Jormungand seasons 1 and 2:
For Valmet's utterly unambiguous feelings for Koko. The first season was good, mindless fun, and the second season is... well, it's more ambitious than the first, but my feelings about it are much more mixed. The only spoiler I'll give for anyone who hasn't finished it- that jingle that plays over every next episode preview? ("Her name is Koko, she is loco.") It really isn't kidding.

Jormungand is streaming on Funimation.

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Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon season 2:
I can't say that I enjoy Horizon, but it has done an excellent job with its canon yuri couple, Malga and Margot. Malga got a bigger role and some good character development in season 2, and contrary to its heavily servicey execution, this series became frank about the fact that Malga and Margot are not only in love but sleeping together without being sleazy about it. I still wish I could move these two to a different series. ^_^;

Horizon is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Last Exile -Ginkyoku no Fam-:
I, erm, haven't finished this series. It fell by the wayside when things got hectic during my final college semester. I watched beyond the first episode to see Tatiana and Alister's cameo as an older, still ambiguously yuri pair.  It was nice to see them still together. And it was neat (if puzzling) to see Dio again. Otherwise... eh. For what it's worth, Last Exile didn't do much for me either.

Last Exile -Ginkyoku no Fam- is streaming on Funimation.

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Mouretsu Pirates:
A show I like with a yuri couple whose relationship is made as clear as day? More like this, please! Jenny and Lynn are great characters, and are very squee-worthy together as a couple. They even get their own arc. I hope to see them again in the upcoming Mouretsu Pirates movie.

Mouretsu Pirates is streaming on Crunchyroll and Sentai is releasing it, under the cringe-worthy title Bodacious Space Pirates, with English subs and a dub on DVD and Blu Ray.

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(Yeah Rosalie, that's my reaction to Oscar too.)

Ikeda Riyoko's Oniisama E and Rose of Versailles are hardly new series, but they are both must-watch shows for yuri and shoujo fans that became licensed in English for the first time this past year. Oniisama E is streaming with English subtitles on Viki, as is Rose of Versailles. Rose of Versailles is also set to be released on two R1 DVD box sets by Nozomi Entertainment this year. Between RoV and Aoi Hana's pending DVD releases, not to mention Nozomi's earlier licensing of Utena and Maria-sama ga Miteru, I want to marry Nozomi.

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Psycho-Pass (a.k.a. the show I won't shut up about on Twitter):
Because Shion and Yayoi are clearly doing more than work in Shion's workplace. And... well, Yayoi's a cool woman in a suit and it's a hot pairing.

I've been dying to see these two get more development (rather than continue projecting it in my head), especially Yayoi (man, she's been underused so far), and it looks like that is going to happen when this series returns from its two week break. I'm both excited about Yayoi getting her time to shine and anxious, since, you know, a lot of horrible shit has happened to the characters who have gotten the spotlight so far. (Pretty obvious that her bandmates were killed, and that's why her crime coefficient shot up.) I'm even more curious now about how she became an Enforcer. It's easy to see a fallen Inspector like Kougami being made into an Enforcer- but how did the powers that be decide that a pop band member with a high crime coefficient had a future catching criminals ahead of her? And of course, I'm really hoping for something further of note on the yuri front. Are Yayoi and Shion only in a physical relationship? Are there any feelings involved? Hopefully we'll see. I was originally lukewarm towards this show, but I'm really into it now and looking forward to seeing where it goes from where the mid-season climax left off.

Psycho-Pass is streaming on Funimation.

Rinne no Lagrange seasons 1 and 2:
Lagrange's first season started off dull, but became a lot of fun. Its second season fell flat on its face. I could see Madoka x Lan as a subtext pairing in season 1 and at the beginning of season 2, but like Lagrange's plot, it fizzled over the course of season 2.

Rinne no Lagrange is streaming on VizAnime.

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Saki Achiga-hen episode of Side A:
This spin-off of Saki bored me to tears, but Yumi and Momo's cameo in the first half of episode 8 made me smile. Here's to seeing them again in Saki season 2, which I am really looking forward to.

Saki Achiga-hen is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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Senki Zesshou Symphogear season 1:
Tsubasa loves Kanade and Miku loves Hibiki. This turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable series, with good characters, a heavy dose of camp and some catchy songs by Mizuki Nana.

Symphogear is streaming on Funimation.

Yuru Yuri season 2:
Same yuri as in season 1- but improved, since it showed us that Himawari and Sakurako have affection for each other instead of simply expecting us to interpret their snarking at each other as tsundere love.

Yuru Yuri is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Never watched Hidamari Sketch season 4 because, again, I'm sick of the franchise. I understand that Sengoku Collection has some canon yuri in it, but haven't gotten past its first episode.

I haven't seen the first two Madoka Magica movies, but really look forward to seeing where the third movie takes the franchise.
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And I'm still doing cartwheels over the Sailor Moon reboot. :D
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I hope you have a happy year ahead! (^_^)/

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

HELL YEAH ROSE OF VERSAILLES

 Right now, anime fans on the internet are collectively hyperventilating over the FREAKING ROSE OF VERSAILLES ANIME BEING LICENSED!!!!! BY RIGHTSTUF!!!!!!!! FOR STREAMING ON VIKI AND A DVD RELEASE!!!!!!! I'm listening to "Bara ha Utsukushiku Chiru" as I type this.

Here is RightStuf's press release page on the license. The series will start streaming on Viki this December and come out on DVD in 2013. Being even further awesome, RightStuf is soliciting questions from fans for a Q&A with Rose of Versailles creator Ikeda Riyoko.

Just to show how excited I am for this, here's some Rose of Versailles fan art. (Source links below each pic.)

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Oscar-sama~ XD
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The fan art above is cuter than a basket full of puppies.
Another cute (if kind of depressing XD) fan art.  
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I like Oscar and Andre together, but Oscar looks SO good with other women also. 
(Antoinette does prefer Oscar's company over her husband's. ;D )
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Soooo happy this was licensed. I didn't remotely expect it.

Update from Okazu:
Viki.com is premiering the opening episode at New York Comic-Com on October 13, followed by a Q&A session with Prof. Susan Napier. (I've already spoken with Prof. Napier and asked her a few questions written by myself, Katherine H. and Erin S. I'll hope that she'll have time to answer a few of them for us.)
Sounds like a fun event! I'm not attending New York Comic-Con, but I am interested in Prof. Napier's answers to my, Erin, and Erica's questions, should she have time to answer them.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Crack List: Top Series to Watch for Yuri Characters in the Military (Update 5 added)


Today is the first day after the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell! As a small salute to this day, I decided to create this top 5 list. Which characters made the cut?



5. Arguably, most of the Time and Space Administration Bureau in StrikerS. No one's really canon, but holy smokes, so much subtext. Nothing nothing nothing will convince me that Nanoha and Fate aren't an item. I'm not invested in Subaru x Teana, but they add extra slashability to the series for anyone who wants it. After Nanoha and Fate, Signum is the one who I most want to be gay am most convinced is gay. Anyway...lots of cool, subtext-heavy women in military uniform = should be listed here.
As a bonus, Nanoha and Fate in wedding dresses.


4. Just about everyone in Koihime Musou, most noteably Sousou and Hakufu. I really tried, but I didn't find any good couple pictures to post here. Still, for its seemingly all-lesbian alternate world ancient Chinese armies, this franchise belongs on this list.

3. 90% of the Meisters in Mai Otome: When your country's military might depends on super-powered women who must be willing to never have sex with men...yup. It would be shocking if Mai Otome didn't make this list.
And yay! I found a decent Chie x Aoi pic.
And some Haruka x Yukino. (The non-ShizNat couples deserve some love too.)

2. The sybillae in Simoun: For the military aircraft powered by kissing alone.
Can't resist another Aer x Neviril pic.

1. Haruka and Michiru: They are senshi, after all. For being completely unambiguous and the best characters on this list, Haruka and Michiru easily come out on top.


Is there anyone else who you think deserves to be on this list?

Next day update: As Erin pointed out in the comments, Rose of Versailles' Oscar deserves an Honorable Mention for being a trailblazing heroine in a trailblazing series. Vive a la Oscar!

Update 2: This is meant to be an anime-only list, but as Erica pointed out via Twitter, Kurogane Pukapukatai would be a shoo-in if manga were included. 

Update 3: I've only seen random bits of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex on Adult Swim (I keep meaning to watch it properly, but haven't yet), but Major Kusanagi seems like a cool character and fellow Tweeter bystrouska mentioned that she has some subtext. 


Update 4: The subtext in Rimelda's obsession with Madlax makes them that much more fun to watch. A hat-tip to Sheldor for reminding me that Bee Train's girls with guns trilogy does have a character who I can add to this list.

Update 5: As commenter µ points out, Blue Drop's invading all-lesbian alien race, the Arume, includes a number of characters who fit this list.