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「ユカまっしぐら」 (Yuka Masshigura)
“Yuka’s At Full Speed”
I’ve made a big thing about the yuri vibes in this show, but this week they went completely in the other direction. So Yuka likes Takashi-kun – her cousin, as it turns out – enough to cutely panic when he appears. The only problem? He likes Saki. That problem + a conference around the big rock brings entertaining consequences.
I can’t say the basis of this episode was original. More than anything, it reminded me of the shows I used to watch on Nickelodeon as a kid. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, anyone? I’m sure they did this one there. Still, originality isn’t the end all, be all basis by which enjoyment is measured. Even if it has been done before, I still really enjoyed this episode. Yuka-in-love was really cute, and the friendship vibes we got between her and Rin were really sweet as well. D’awww!
Really, I feel for Yuka a lot. How many of you have been in the situation where the person you like has eyes for someone else? I would wager the third parry usually isn’t a close friend like it was here, but the situation is still quite common, so it resonates quite well. In Yuka’s wistful face I saw my younger self, so her wish to be the person she needed to be to get the guy she wanted was understandable. Who else hasn’t wanted to change who they are to get the guy / girl of their dreams? I can’t blame her for that, even if it would only give her happiness for one day…
In other news, as much fun as it was to see Yuka enjoying her new body, the other girls had some fun stuff to show as well. Angry Saki (in Yuka’s body) was quite amusing, especially with how well Tomatsu Haruka switched from her happy-go-lucky voice to sell the role. I also really enjoyed when Natsumi was talking to Yuka (in Saki’s body). Though the yuri vibes decreased this week, they didn’t disappear completely, as Natsumi was definitely throwing out some flags for one of the Four Seasons idols. There’s still hope, yuri fans!
But of all the non-Yuka girls, Rinko (in Natsumi’s body) was the sweetest. Rinko is a fantastic friend. She’s throwing out flags that could be construed as yuri, but whether that’s true or not, the fact remains that she’s a phenomenal friend. Yuka’s wish is her wish…that kind of unconditional friendship is rare. Would that we all were lucky enough to have a friend like Rinko.
Of course, Yuka’s date had to end on a tragic note, one way or another. Even if she got the guy in Saki’s body, she would have lost him when she was back in her own. Thus, Rinko’s interruption was the best thing that could have happened. Part of me wishes it had been Saki (in Yuka’s body) who interrupted them, because I think that would have helped Yuka out with Takashi-kun more, but this better showed the strength of Rinko’s friendship, since she was willing to get in the way even though she said she wouldn’t. Wait, I thought I wanted Yuka to get with Rinko?? I don’t know…excited and happy Yuka is just so infectious, I want whatever will keep her all cheerful!
Either way, we’ve gotten a few Saki & Natsumi episodes, and now a Yuka one. Next up is Rinko! Not much is clear other than the fact that she’ll be sick, but I do know that any loss of faith I suffered from last episode has been restored. Natsuiro Kiseki isn’t breaking new ground, but I’m still enjoying it. Can’t wait for more!
tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Body switch plot? I feel like I’m watching a #Nickelodeon. In a good way, though! Ganbatte Yuka! You’re a good friend, Rin. #Natsuiro_Kiseki
Random thoughts:
- Natsumi and Rinko switching places was very random. If I had to guess, maybe Rinko wished for it when she reached for Natsumi’s hand? So that she could be closer to Yuka for the duration of her wish, that is. That’s a total guess, though. The only thing we can say for sure is that only one person is required to make a wish. This can only lead to more fun >:D
- I liked the subtle touches that illustrated how the girls had switched places. Takagaki Ayahi going into her super-genki-mode voice was an obvious one, but how Natsumi’s face got all chill when Rinko was inside was a nice touch.
- So far, every episode of every anime I’ve watched this week has been great. Mind you, that’s not too many – I’m still behind on my shows this season – but I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve seen. Maybe I just finally caught up on my sleep? I don’t know. Either way, could not be happier! Keep bringing on the home runs, my Japanese brothers and sisters. I’m ready for more!
- Those twintails. Can’t wait for next week. Can’t wait!
Full-size images: 21
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This episode irritated me.
Not just because of the het (though that annoyed me) but because of Yuka’s flagrantly self-centered behavior.
Using Saki’s body like that was really not cool, and she thoroughly deserves whatever Saki’s going to do in revenge. I’d say she needed a good smack across the face, at the very least.
But on the bright side, Natsumi confirmed for 100% gay, and Rinko’s definitely got the hots for Yuka.
So we’ll call it a net neutral.
I do feel for Yuka but I don’t like how she goes ahead with the date in Saki’s body anyway as well. And yeah, judging from her words and reactions at the end of the episode, I think Rin has a thing for Yuka… or maybe I’m just getting my hope up. >_>
True, Yuka was pretty self-centered…but then again, they are kids. I know I was a self-centered little bastard when I was younger, so I don’t expect them to be any different. Certainly a fair complaint, though.
Stilts, you self-centered little bastard! (hey, hey just repeating what you’ve said)
Finally, ha ha ha! I’ve waited 5-60 years (i don’t know how long it was, thus the rather wide range of time….) to hear you to say this. Eh, you’re not some 70-old retiree in Florida, are you? You are, aren’t you, I totally got you now. You dirty old man.
Lol, I am not. Just old enough to be able to know how stupid I was as a kid, though not yet old enough to realize how stupid I probably am now. I’ll probably only figure that out when I am an old man. Such is life, ne? 😉
wait, so who’s Yuka again? I’m so confused with all the body-switching. Is that the blonde looker? Wait, that’s Saki.
BTW, did voice actress change as their bodies or did they just voice-act af if they were different characters? My money is on that it’s the latter. I can always sense a slight difference (i.e when Saki’s voice-actress voicing the green haired one, the tone was a little different from the original green haired one. You can’t fool my ears~~!).
Yuka is the genki girl with green hair.
The seiyuu stayed with the body and just voice acted different, save for when the character was thinking (in which case they reverted to the voice of the girl inside rather than the body).
Yuka – Green hair, CV: Tomatsu Haruka
Rinko – Lavender hair, CV: Toyosaki Aki
Saki – Blonde Hair, CV: Takagaki Ayahi
Natsumi – Orange Hair, CV: Kotobuki Minako
When they switched bodies, the actress did not change, so Yuka!Saki was Takgaki Ayahi imitating Tomatsu Haruka’s performance as Yuka.
Spring is in the air, and the lesbian undertones are in full blossom.
It is getting more obvious that the creators are really shipping Natsumi/Saki and Yuka/Rinko. This is by far my most favorite episode.
Remember that this anime is released by Sunrise. AFAIK, Sunrise doesn’t do yuri, and the only yuri-esque scenes that has in any Sunrise-anime are censored (e.g. Mai-HiME and the censored kiss between Natsuki and Shizuru). In short, don’t expect any more yuri or another types of homosexual undertones in this anime.
homosexual undertones
Oh yeah, never been homosexual undertones in a Sunrise show!
*cough*MyHime*cough*MyOtome*cough*GundamSeed*cough*GundamAGE*cough*
Also, nice moving of the goalposts in just two sentences. I’m impressed.
Oh, and…you may remember this from a certain Sunrise show back in Fall.
Though I will agree, that most certainly is not homosexual UNDERtones…
Ohhh. Mai Otome brings back memories….
https://randomc.net/category/mai-otome/
Ahh… Good old days /tearsofnostalgia
OH WAIT…!!!!! Well, first time that I see that in a Sunrise anime. Would be that Sunrise is opening to “alternative” relationships?
So, you got a point.
In Japan, is it okay to romantically like your cousin?
Yes.
Marriage between first cousins is allowed in Japan, according to wikipedia. Not like this is uncommon in anime either…remember, Nayuki was Yuichi’s cousin in Kanon.
hey, hey, so is in our “America’s heartland” states!! wink wink nudge nudge. “unofficially”. ahem ahem. The joke never gets old. I suppose they just aren’t that many people within miles and miles in some of those regions and with gas price for their humvees and muscle trucks going up towards half of what Europe pays, one has to give some slacks, ah ha ha ha ha~.
Not that anybody asked, but personally I don’t get this screwing brother/sister/cousin/uncle/aunt/mother/father/grand-mother(!) thing. They’d always look way way too similar to me, more or less, and I like myself -thank you very much indeed- but not that much~~! I always go for exotic stuff. It’s the mother nature telling me to spread and diversify the gene pool. Oopsy daisy, said too much, maybe?
I am so scary for a love triangle happend.
In this case, in this serie, the het is good like the yuri, in other show maybe not but yuri undertones is better en Natsuiro, because the girls rule and the boys suck.
I think the yuri flags are really going up with Rinko’s feelings for Yuka.
She joked about kissing throughout the episode but when it came down to the last second did she step in because she thought it was wrong to force Saki’s body to kiss someone she didn’t like or could she not stand Yuka kissing someone even if it wasn’t with her own body?
Or maybe because it was just plain wrong to use Saki’s body for that. Once the switch where’s off it would be Saki who would have to deal with the repercussions of that kiss with Takashi, which could have had a negative impact on the girls friendship.
Unfortunate implications aside, I do enjoy a bit of body swapping since it allows actors to let loose on other roles. So Saki being out of character as Yuka was funny.
And it helps the Yuri goggles that there was an indirect kiss between Not!Saki and Not!Natsumi. The body swapping does confuse which flags were raised though.
I thought they did a really good job playing the original personality in a different character’s skin so to speak. I nearly died when Natsumi/Rin made the “chuu” noise.
Also I really like the Random Thoughts format at the end of the post, gets me thinking on things i don’t necessarily see. Good job Stilts!
Natsumi and Rinko switching places was very random. If I had to guess, maybe Rinko wished for it when she reached for Natsumi’s hand? So that she could be closer to Yuka for the duration of her wish, that is. That’s a total guess, though. The only thing we can say for sure is that only one person is required to make a wish. This can only lead to more fun >:D
What do you mean that’s all random? You said it yourself, Stilts, that this episode had all the yuri vibes. lol
With my yuri-goggles on, I would wager that in order to be closer to Yuka (in Saki’s body), Rin wished she could swap with Natsumi (who’s of course close to Saki) so she could be with Yuka 24/7.
The yuri rock duly granted that wish, since it also allowed Natsumi to keep Saki (in Yuka’s body) company. 🙂
Rin, you go girl! No one can take your Yuka!
So this anime turn out to be a Yuri? Like RinxYuka or SakixNatsumi. lol
HET IS EW! ‘NUFF SAUCE!
(Goggles off…)
Ok so that went a biiiiit overboard. Besides Het is good from time to time(big fan of ToumaxMikoto here). Yuri isn’t everything and this YukaxTakashixSaki added a bit of flavor to the show.
+1 realism to the show. I ‘grats and thanks.
And now, back to our regularly talked about Yuri(wears goggles).
yuri, incest……its all relative
all missing is akarin!!!
that means also sphere seiyu female group are also lesbian yuri as well?!
Nah. 2 member of Sphere has scandal (If you know what I mean). Doesn’t seem like LesYu to me.
what scandel you speak on besides really give i know these 4 been in anime together yer finding all 4 together in same anime is more rare to find.
yea sphere is like nexus of seiyu group faction.
oh this series how many eps is this til i have wonder til yuru yuri 2 will arrive?
Anyway, if this show will turn out to be yuri-yuri, then I can say this show isn’t bad at all. If Sphere is really yuri in their real life, then I will say what a life. lol
Well then I need better goggles coz’ I cannot see Haruka Tomatsu or Aki Toyosaki all yuri with any of the other seyiuu….
Haruka has a bf, his name is Miyu (cough), Aki also have a bf, his name is Tom (cough)…
If they are really yuri, I don’t know what their fans will react. Maybe “Rage”!!!! XD
Don’t be mistaken, the yuri vives are still there pal, with Rinko at least =)
I liked this episode. The contrast of their personalities when changed was interesting. It seems like the direction is to be a “growing up” slice of life anime using the magic stone to create scenerios
“since she was willing to get in the way even [thought] she said she wouldn’t”…… though*
feel so bad for yuka when she started crying :'(
when you bring up Sabrina the teenage witch, your age really shows haha.
Uhm… some help? Nvr heard tht show be4?
That question and your propensity to type in SMS text speak means you’re probably way too young to even know what Stilts is talking about. I’m pretty sure Stilts is referring to the TV series rather than the comic book, or Stilts would be much older. lol
PS D-Lan: Google and Wikipedia are your friends.
PPS: Next time, try and type full words rather than SMS txtspk. RC has no character limit, so type all you like.
Exactly. Orz.
Only around here am I the old guy!!
Edit: Yeah, I was talking about the TV Show. I’m not that old.
God. Don’t say that’s old. I was out of college when that series started airing.
Yuka is totally out of shape, she must have enjoyed how energetic she felt like in Saki’s body.
Stilts and his obsession with twin tails, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more about it sooner or later at Onii-chan’s corner =3
Accurate! Accurate sir!
:3
(maybe. I don’t plan that far ahead =X)
Onii-sama’s entry # 3 is coming up next?
you mean pigtails? Twintails and pigtails…. They are the same thing. If you are really nitpicking about things, one can say pigtails are shorter than twintails, but c’mon. It’s the same thing. Even wikipedia says so (you gotta believe whatever wikipedia says, wink wink nudge nudge). Stilts and pigtail fetish co. just don’t like the sound of pig something. So voila, a new term is born. That’s it. ha!
Hence why we call them twintails! Pigtails are for Little Red Riding Hood skipping to Grandma’s house, while twintails are one of the holy symbols of hotness! Viva la twintails! Twintails for lyfe!
(I should not reply to comments late at night. Leaving now… :O)
Well at least ONE of them is straight.
yuka always do things without thinking of the consequences
You know, watching this so far…I am more and more one to describe the rock as a troll. One that teaches life lessons and gets people to be happy, but a troll, nonetheless.
And stuff.
OP and ED single album is out for piracy. Usual TY to Nipponsei!