A lesbian and a bear walk into a storm....

Rynnec · January 08, 2015, 12:48:07 AM

Lord Dalek · January 21, 2015, 11:06:21 AM

goody2shoes · January 21, 2015, 01:09:19 PM

It's not hard to figure out what people like about YKA (take it from the horse's mouth) but you seem more interested in trashing on the show despite having only a surface level understanding of it.

Foggle · January 21, 2015, 01:36:30 PM

I honestly can't understand what people like about it either. Even after reading positive reviews, it comes across as self-parody. Sure, there may be depth to reused footage of a girl getting the flower sprouting out of her vagina licked by human/bear hybrids while someone yells SHOOOOooooooOOOOOCK in the background, but the show gives me no reason to care about figuring out what it's trying to say. All three episodes have played out like a film student's first "artistic" production. The story, characters, and dialogue so far are so-bad-it's-funny, the character designs are ugly (to me, at least), and the constant recycling of footage seems to be the result more of laziness than necessity.

Maybe it will get better. But you can't fault Dalek for his opinion on those first three episodes, and I'd agree that they were pretty bad.

goody2shoes · January 21, 2015, 03:05:31 PM

I get that you need a reason to care about all the allegory, symbolism and such. I guess my reason would be that I find Ikuhara's (on the surface) nonsensical and confusing storytelling amusing, and I love his stylistic sensibilities (which SHAFT/Shinbo owe a lot to). Side note: The character designs look great to me, and I don't understand what Foggle dislikes about them (aside from the chibi bears, maybe?).

I don't mind the recycled/stock footage, especially if it means more budget is put into each animation segment. The indulgence in fanservice doesn't bother me either, because just like in Bakemonogatari it's brilliantly executed (if only for a good laugh) and I know it's not there just for mass appeal but because the director enjoys making it.

The subtext is the real meat of the story, and I enjoy digging into it for its own sake. For this show, you pretty much have to enjoy that part. When I watched Utena, I didn't enjoy the ending because it was ALL subtext, but I've grown more accustomed to the style now and I know what I'm in for.

So no, I can't agree on any level that this is a bad show, at least so far. If you don't get it, that's fine, but in that case I don't think you'd be a good judge of its quality. Ikuhara's an acquired taste, and this is Ikuhara in his purest form.

Foggle · January 21, 2015, 03:22:02 PM

The character designs are just not my kind of artwork at all, which is admittedly a subjective thing. I think the designs in Utena/Penguindrum are great, though.

The fanservice in the show doesn't bother me. It does seem like it's there to be artistic rather than titillate, though I - personally - haven't really found its application to be anything resembling brilliant. (Yet.)

I also love subtext and confusing storytelling! But I at least need something on the surface level to make me care about what I'm watching. Even in, say, Eraserhead, I found myself invested enough in what was going on to care about the intricacies of the writing and production elements. Not so with Yuri Bear Storm.

I have only seen a couple episodes of the other Ikuhara shows, so clearly I'm not in the target demographic for this one. But Mahou (Homura) swears by Utena and Penguindrum as masterpieces, and I know Dalek likes Utena a lot too. That said, even if I was more familiar with them, I doubt I'd find this one particularly appealing in any sense. Frankly, no matter what its greater intentions are, or whatever depth there is to understand, I've found nothing to appreciate in the first three episodes.

goody2shoes · January 21, 2015, 04:45:02 PM

Yeah, I understand the complaint about surface-level investment. The characters haven't gotten much room to breathe and develop, so I hope things slow down a bit next episode.

goody2shoes · January 22, 2015, 08:33:25 PM

Quote from: Homura Akemi on January 22, 2015, 11:01:36 AM
We want to like the show on everything, including subtext. It does not help that to us, the "surface-level" of the show is boring, episodic and a waste of intriguing concepts. Even if the show is trying to be symbolic, I hate to say it, it does not do a good job of it.

None of what you just said amounts to anything more than opinion. I don't find it boring. I disagree that it's too episodic, or that it's wasting its concepts. And I don't understand why you think it does a bad job with its symbolism.

Just to be clear I don't think less of you for not liking the show. I just think you need to watch it with a certain mindset to enjoy or even appreciate it, and if you can't do that I don't think you're going to "get" it. Just like I don't "get" the appeal of spectator sports or certain anime genres, or I don't like the taste of alcohol and caffeine because I haven't acquired the taste for it. It's not like it makes you less intelligent or anything.

Rynnec · January 26, 2015, 08:54:43 PM

Quote from: Rynnec on January 05, 2015, 08:30:09 PM

The Shadow Gentleman · January 26, 2015, 08:57:23 PM

Lord Dalek · January 26, 2015, 09:00:16 PM

RacattackForce · January 26, 2015, 09:04:37 PM

Quote from: goody2shoes on January 22, 2015, 08:33:25 PM
None of what you just said amounts to anything more than opinion. I don't find it boring. I disagree that it's too episodic, or that it's wasting its concepts. And I don't understand why you think it does a bad job with its symbolism.

Just to be clear I don't think less of you for not liking the show. I just think you need to watch it with a certain mindset to enjoy or even appreciate it, and if you can't do that I don't think you're going to "get" it. Just like I don't "get" the appeal of spectator sports or certain anime genres, or I don't like the taste of alcohol and caffeine because I haven't acquired the taste for it. It's not like it makes you less intelligent or anything.

Well, duh. Everything we're saying here is opinion. Heck, everything YOU are saying is also opinion. We think the show is stupid, you don't, none of us will probably convince the other that Yuri Bear Storm has much worth (or lack thereof). We can understand what the show is trying to do, but in that same vein, if a show fails to engage us on a surface level, we aren't going to bother caring about the meaning behind the words or visuals. I mean, I can try and put myself into the mindset of the show, but if I have force myself to enjoy a piece of media then...why even bother?

goody2shoes · January 28, 2015, 08:54:42 PM

Kind of a late reply. I took a break from the forum since things were getting heated in here.

Here's the thing, Homur– um, Racattack, I've never claimed you have to enjoy the show. It doesn't matter at all to me. Knowing this, try going back and reading my last post, especially the last paragraph. Now do you see where I'm coming from, especially in respect to Lord Dalek's "review"? I don't even know how well you understand the show (you might've read that whole ANN article for all I know), and I wasn't addressing my earlier posts to you anyway, but you saw fit to take offense. If I did something to provoke you, I'm sorry, but it wasn't my intent.

I'd really like to just discuss things without any drama, but I always seem to step on people's toes.

(not just on here btw) I'm not gonna censor myself, but I'll try to be more considerate in the way I communicate in the future. But if I start sounding like an arrogant ass or whatever, none of you guys need to take it personally because it's just the way I act sometimes. No ill intent, and I'm working on it so there.

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Anyway, is anyone here still watching the show? Ep4 was really funny, and had some much needed character development for the bears.

I'm intrigued to see where it's going! It might win some of you over to keep watching, because that's happened to other people who were about to drop it. Many think it's the best episode yet, and it's certainly the easiest to grasp.

RacattackForce · January 30, 2015, 04:29:12 PM

Quote from: goody2shoes on January 28, 2015, 08:54:42 PMAnyway, is anyone here still watching the show? Ep4 was really funny, and had some much needed character development for the bears. I'm intrigued to see where it's going! It might win some of you over to keep watching, because that's happened to other people who were about to drop it. Many think it's the best episode yet, and it's certainly the easiest to grasp.

Sorry if I came across as a jerk. Didn't mean to come across as an asshole when putting my two cents into the ring. As for Ep 4, it was nice to get a bit more insight into the world of the show, but it ultimately left me with more questions than answers in regards to how the bear civilization developed. In any case, it's interesting to see that this entire thing is now developing a concrete focus. I'll continue watching the show with mild curiosity...and because the others have made it mandatory viewing during Skype calls.

goody2shoes · February 03, 2015, 04:02:42 PM

No problem, we're cool.

Re: world building, I wouldn't try to make too much sense of it. Everything is so abstract and metaphorical, it breaks down unless you view it with the right lens.

At episode 5 I think the show has hit its stride. I love its eccentric sense of humor. Integration of comedy and drama is one thing I always thought Ikuhara was good at, judging by this and Utena anyway. Can't wait to see what happens next!

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A lesbian and a bear walk into a storm....