In less than 24 hours Yuri Kuma Arashi will broadcast in Japan with streaming by Funimation (North America) and Crunchyroll (non-NA) to follow. Like with any new show there will be wank, tears, and disappointment. With a new show by a famous creator expect even more of the above. Here’s how to maximize your viewing pleasure this anime season. 

1. Keep Your Expectations Low & Realistic

Don’t freak out if a first episode or two of YKA or other new winter anime aren’t OMG THE BEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN. Most TV series use the first few episodes to set tone and exposition. How often do you really rewatch the first episode of a show just for fun and not because you’re doing a full on series rewatch? Chances are not that often so don’t sweat it if you’re not loving the first episode. Expect a Wham Line or Wham Episode every third of the way through the series. 

2. Ignore the Wank

That’s not to say ignore problematic elements in a show itself or ignore when fans point those things out. This is about ignoring the folks who whipped themselves into a frenzy of wank because YKA (or other show) didn’t live up to their preconceived image. 

3. Do a Tiny Bit of Homework

My friend Rachel has the amazing power to accurately predict the true personality and plot twist of almost every anime. How did she get so genre savvy besides just watching a lot of anime? By knowing the voice actors’ past roles. Many Japanese voice actors are typecast sometimes down to tiniest details. Some VAs always play the Betrayer, some always play the Secret Beserker, some are always the Jerk with a Heart of Gold, etc. Look up the VAs and see what kind of predictions you can make by their past projects, amaze your friends with your new superpower.

4. Know Your Tropes

YKA is about schoolgirl lesbians who attend a school named Wuthering Heights Academy. That right there tells us volumes about the show without reading a single summary. Schoolgirl lady romances have a long history in Japanese pop culture so don’t be surprised that half the cast will betray each other in the most dramatic shoujo fashion ever and then become BFFs. And speaking of Wuthering Heights…

5. Enjoy the Allusions

Wuthering Heights is a convoluted novel about multi-generational abuse, manipulation, isolation, and obsession. Kuma Arashi (Bear Storm) is the title of multiple media adaptations of the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident (ETA: Trigger warning for gore in explicit detail at the link!). Ikuhara enjoys alluding to various books and movies that have influenced him in his life as well as real world events. Don’t sweat if you don’t catch every allusion because with the magic of the internet fans can combine their knowledge to peer into the madness of Ikuhara. While you don’t need to know any of the allusions in an Ikuhara series they will greatly enhance your understanding and enjoyment of his works. 

6. Brace Yourself!

If you’ve watched Utena or Penguindrum you’re aware that Ikuhara doesn’t shy away from some very unpleasant themes (abuse, rape, incest, betrayal). You know the drill so this entry isn’t for you.

If you haven’t seen either of those shows and you’re watching YKA for blushing schoolgirl yuri be aware of the above. That’s not to say Ikuhara’s shows are Dark, Twisted, and Wholly Unpleasant. Ikuhara will mix surrealism, humor, heroic ideals, and true friendship & love in with those aforementioned darker elements. He usually delivers a pretty intense experience for his audience it just won’t always be pretty.

If you only want to see schoolgirls blush at each other and prepare for a school culture festival where the worst that could happen is the band club members running late you might want to take a pass on YKA.

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While I can’t wait for YKA’s broadcast, I’m most looking forward to is connecting with other fans and hearing your thoughts, opinions, and predictions! Let’s have fun together this winter season! 

ETA: Thank you to i-just-like-commenting for reminding me the wikipedia entry for the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident needs a gore trigger warning like WHOA. 

Thank you to gorgeousshutin for always being super supportive and always having something interesting to discuss with Ikuhara works and anime in general!

And thank you to everyone who’s commented, liked, or reblogged my YKA entries! We’re going to have a blast with this show! <3