Comments on Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero · 11:04pm Sep 15th, 2019
I've been doing those not-reviews thing for a while. I don't always have a lot to say (one time I had NOTHING to say at all), but at least I had some information to share with you. This time it will be a little different. This won't be a story about magical girls. It's a story about a very dumb person who ruined his own experience. Sit down, relax, and let me tell how Jetto experienced the tale of Yuuki Yuuna.
Before I start, I just want to mention Netflix again. Yuuki Yuuna was one of the first anime that I noticed being there, but I didn't watch it in time. Once I was about to, it disappeared form the lineup and I was forced to commit torrents instead, which is where the my tale begins. Those of you who watched the series will quickly notice what my mistake was, but sit down, children, and let me finish.
The torrent I used has 13 episodes, which is one more than the original lineup, but I assumed it was an extra episode they usually put on DVD's and Blu Rays, so whatever. The story (the actual episode) begins with three heroines in middle school and after a moment of slice of life fluffy stuff we get into action, which is of the trippy, otherwordly, different dimension Madoka kind of thing, so I didn't even try to understand it. The three girls transform, fight the monster, eventually learn how to teamwork and they win, becoming good friends. Episode 1 ends and we get our opening.
So far none of the girls is named Yuuki Yuuna, which I found odd but watched anyway, guessing she'll appear later or is some sort of mystical being, or plot device or whatever. Second episode was all slice of life and training, then episode three we get the "Madoka moment". You know what I mean, something tragic happens, it's super sad and the tone shifts, but the characters try to remain positive because then it will hurt more later. I've been through this so much it no longer affects me. I'll chalk it up to cynicism at this point, but my guess was right and the story progresses in an even more tragic way. The girls get their super upgrades but they are hurting them, the monsters are super strong, we get some revelation that "not all is what it seems" and all the jazz. If I sound like I don't really know what I'm talking about, it's because I no longer understand the story, as much as I understand the tropes of it.
And then, at the end of episode 6, we get the BAD ENDING... for the girls, that is, with only one surviving, but without memories, paralyzed and overall a miserable being on a wheelchair and no hope. That's when they FINALLY introduce Yuuki Yuuna, not a hero at this point. I think.
Then, episode 7... just... I can't even begin to describe the confusion I was feeling. If the show was kinda weird until then, it went completely bonkers, but not in a Panty and Stocking kinda way. Instead, it introduced the new core cast of characters in like a minute, described their battles, transformations, introduced a new, rival character, some plot and stuff and barely 5 minutes passed and I felt like I missed an entirely different show! There was ZERO mention of the six episodes I watched before, at least until the very end, when it finally tied the first part with EPISODE 7 (that's a single episode), which by the way, had all the tragedies and misfortune, broken dreams, shaky friendships and all the plot twists introduced in a single minute, before the episode ended in a climactic battle that took a few seconds, then gave us an epilogue where it showed that not all was doom and gloom and WTF AM I WATCHING?!?!!?
...I think most of you figured out the problem. I wish I did in time, but I did not. After episode 7 I went online and checked the reviews and that's when I discovered that... well, the biggest idiot was me. Let me explain.
This is the opening to Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero:
This is the 12 episode original series, originally airing in 2014. In was later followed by three theatrical movies, collectively called "The Washio Sumi Chapter", later turned into six episode mini-series, which is a prequel that showed the backstory of one of the main characters from the original series, as well as show us one of the major characters we only met in the later part of the series. The ending of it, the scene where Yuuki Yuuna shows up is actually one of the first scenes in the original series.
But wait, how come my torrent had 13 episode when Washio Sumi had only 6? You see, for whatever reason the DVD (and torrent) compiled the mini-series, along with a RECAP of the series, as well as, get this... the 6 episode sequel series!
WHO DOES THAT!??!?!?? (Kadokawa, it seems)
To recap my adventure: I first watched the slightly confusing prequel, followed by a recap of a series I did not see and I stopped there, which is how I managed to miss the sequel series.
And as I'm right here, writing this blog post on a keyboard put on a cardboard box (because I just moved to a new apartment and I don't have a proper desk yet), I'm left with a lot of mixed feelings. I should probably watch the original series for the sake of this blog post, despite knowing just about everything that will happen in it. But I don't feel like it. I'm not into it anymore and at this point I don't want to see or think of it anymore. Not after this huge... first world problem. Don't tell me if it's good, I no longer care. And I wish I did.
No best girl.
I will not recommend this series, but I won't harp on it either. Everything that happened was my fault (partially blaming Netflix) and if you want any of my advice, then I'll say this- be careful before you torrent. Viruses and malware isn't the only thing that you have to be wary of.
At least it made for a kickass title for a chapter. Silver lining.
I'm sorry your experience was soured, as I really enjoyed it.
Essentially, the first season was a solid complete story. Then they decided to ruin it with prequels and spinoffs. It's even worse when browsing Manga at bookstores, because they sort everything alphabetically, not by series. The original 12 episodes can be found on various sites, but Amazon has exclusive rights to the second season.
I'll usually make the comparison to Madoka when describing YuYuYu (YUki YUna YUusha). It takes the tropes of the magical girl genre and twists them in a darker direction. The difference is that where Madoka goes into psychological horror, YuYuYu deals with the reality of war, and the aftermath of it. SPOILERS AHEAD
The first 5 episodes rush through the typical magical girl arc. You have the girl reluctant to fight, who gets over it before the end of the second episode. There's the solo girl who insists on acting alone, before becoming the '6th ranger', so to speak. They unlock new forms and abilities just in time for the final boss. They fight. They win. And the season isn't even half way over.
They find that when they expend a large amount of magic, they lose part of their body. Someone went blind in an eye, another lost their voice, etc. The rest of the series alternates between them adapting back to civilian life, and discovering the nature of the world they live in.
Overall, I still recommend it. It's a short series. It subverts the genre without trying to be dark and edgy. The OST is killer, and the fight scenes are great.
Jetto I hope you are able to give it a try someday, it truly is an excellent anime (for magical girls atleast)