Yuri Kuma Arashi – 09

The Truth of Sumika’s Demise:

So it turns out Ginko was a criminal bear after all. Ever since we saw that scene with Ginko watching Sumika being eaten by Mitsuko I’ve been wondering what it would mean once we revisited it. For a while things were going so well – Kureha and Ginko’s relationship was progressing, their history was revealed; everything seemed to be heading towards a positive conclusion. But now that there’s no mystery behind Sumika’s death, it’s hard to imagine a world where Kureha would love (or even befriend) Ginko after what she did. Mitsuko was the one who both ate and killed Sumika, no matter how they try and disguise it, but Ginko had a chance to stop it from happening, and she didn’t. Her reasons for doing so come down to the exact same as Mitsuko’s: jealousy. Kureha and Sumika had something sweet and that was destroyed by the bears around them because of the affection they had for Kureha.

I can’t imagine myself even hoping that Kureha and Ginko have a happy ending at this point. That would seem very unfitting considering what we now know. However, I don’t know where Kureha is going to go from here. Clearly she can’t forget about Ginko so easily – she wants to find answers, even if it costs her life.

Door of Friendship:

When Mitsuko appeared at the start of the episode I was prepared to be all like: ‘I called it! She’s alive!’ but it turns out she really has died, meaning that Ginko is in a similar place right now. We get the introduction to the ‘Door of Friendship‘ located inside the lily garden that we’ve come to know so well. To me it seems like a waiting room for the afterlife, but then surely the other deceased girls would be there as well? Either way, it allowed both Ginko and Mitsuko to share some intimate moments together as we build up to Kureha’s return.

Yurika’s Final Meal:

And so we come to Yurika. Another thing I had been wondering was just what she wanted out of Kureha, but the answer is the simplest of all: she just wants to eat her. A little disappointing, but it makes sense, allowing Reia’s daughter to grow up and become the picture of her mother before doing so. Thankfully, Kureha’s classmates actually come to the rescue this time around and save her from her mother’s killer. Part of me wishes we got more of a showdown here, as it was all a little anticlimactic, but it’s wasn’t bad by any means. Her final moments with Reia/Kureha were quite bittersweet despite what she had done, but it was about time Yurika bit the dust, after all she’s done.

Overview – What’s Next?

The fact that Kureha finds the final part of the Moon and Forest Girl storybook makes me think that we may somehow end up with a Kureha and Ginko ending. But at the same time, it’s hard to read Kureha’s expression in that moment. All I know is that it’ll be Kuma Shocking. Will Ginko sacrifice herself? Will anymore bears show up? Will the Dorothy heel-clicking boy be the final villain all along? And how will Lulu fit into this, since she basically sold Ginko out. As Mitsuko said, Ginko ignored the love that Lulu had for her. Maybe no one will end up happy by the end. That would be quite fitting after all that’s gone down in the name of love.

Information Digest:

Synopsis:

• A long time ago, a planet Kumaria exploded and its shards fell onto Earth, causing the bears to attack the humans, resulting in the Severance Wall being built to separate them from the humans.
• However in the present time, two bears, Yurishiro Ginko and Yurigasaki Lulu have arrived to Tsubaki Kureha’s school, disguised as humans.

Previously:

• Yurika’s past with Reia was explored, before revealing that she killed and ate her after she gave her necklace to Ginko.
• Yurika manipulated Kureha into confronting Ginko, but Lulu ended up spilling the beans about Ginko’s involvement with Sumika’s death.

Details Digest:

Life Sexy Enjoying the View:

• It makes sense that Life Sexy would be too busy watching classmates having some intimate time with one another.
• After all, it is part of his name. His sad Shabadado was pretty funny.

Ginko and Mitsuko:

• Could Ginko and Mitsuko possibly have fused with one another in the Door of Friends? I don’t know how to interpret their ‘joining‘, whether it be physical or spiritual.