The Chuuni Corner

Symbols are, simply put, effective

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back and read everything that has been discussed up to this point and peruse the massive amount of symbolism that has been given. This anime is special and deserves as much attention as you can give it.

Today, we’ll simply be wrapping up what we have been building towards. We’ll talk about the anime’s overall themes, what the effects of symbolism have done for us, and some final thoughts on my experience through it all.

Last day, let’s go!

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One doesn’t need symbolism to understand how adorable baby Kureha is

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 15 and peruse the symbolism for even more of the characters found throughout the anime. There we received symbolism in relation to cast members such as Eriko, Konomi, and Yuriika. And once again, each symbolizes many different facets, including love and sin, with each helping to clarify the themes that the anime has been using this entire time.

Today, we’ll be investigating Part C of the character study, the last section before the conclusion. This section contains symbolism for our two big leads, Kureha and Ginko, as well as the Life Bears and Lady Kumalia, who have been watching closely over the former two for the entirety of the anime. These are the last symbols to be looked at in-depth, so make sure to pay close attention once again to the ideas of love, sin, and mirroring that have been paramount in getting us to this point.

Day sixteen, let’s go.

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More characters, more symbols

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 14 and peruse the symbolism for some of the characters found throughout the anime. There we received symbolism in relation to cast members such as Lulu, Ooki, and Mitsuko. Each symbolizes many different facets, including love and sin, with each helping to clarify the themes that the anime has been using this entire time.

Today, we’ll be investigating Part B of the character study. This section contains symbolism for some of the more important characters, such as Yuriika, while also delving into the symbolism for some of the minor but still equally compelling ones, such as Ai. Remember to keep in mind many of the characters’ own details, as well as the ideas ofsin and mirroring that Yuri Kuma Arashi constantly turns to, in order to make its themes that much more purposeful and powerful.

Day fifteen, let’s go.

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The characters symbolize so much, you can practically hear it

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 13 and peruse the symbolism from the OST. There we received symbolism that demonstrated the anime’s connections to the themes it has been presenting this entire time, while also gaining respect for how intricately designed the musical scores were for each of the situations they were found in.

Today, having completed the investigation of symbolism, the episode breakdowns, and the sound ideas, all that remains from the anime are the characters. Understanding who they are is important, but as or even more so than their actual persons are what they each symbolize in the grand scheme of things. They each mean something, both on their own and in relation to the theme of love as a whole.

Day fourteen, let’s go.

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Music, like love, is a universal language

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 12 and peruse the symbolism from the ending theme “TERRITORY.” There we received symbolism that showcased just how much focus the anime has been having on mirroring, with not even the OP and the ED being able to escape its gaze.

Today, having talked about both the OP and the ED, all that is left sound-wise is the original soundtrack, or OST. We’ll be investigating each individual piece, learning about the names they’ve been given, their purpose within the context of the show, the actual music they contain, and what kind of symbols can be discerned from their presence.

Day thirteen, let’s go.

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Growl, growl

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 11 and peruse the symbolism from the opening theme, “I Have Been Waiting In That Forest.” There we received symbolism that not only foreshadowed the events of things to come within the show but also created connections with the very themes it touts.

Today, having talked about the OP at length, instead of moving on to the actual soundtrack we’ll instead transition to its counterpart, the ED. And remember that detail; it’s a counterpart because it is “the same but different.” In other words, as we move through this discussion, keep in mind the mirroring that the anime thrives on.

Day twelve, let’s go.

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Time to make some noise

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 10 and peruse the symbolism from the final episode, episode twelve. There we received symbolism that solidified the show’s themes, while simultaneously leaving us with an everlasting message of hope.

Now that we’ve analyzed nearly everything within the episodes of Yuri Kuma Arashi, you might be asking yourself: what could possibly be left? There are essentially three more sections to cover: the sound used throughout the show, the characters that populate it and what they symbolism, and lastly my final thoughts formed by looking at the entire anime as one, complete entity.

Today, we’ll start focusing on the sound that the anime has to offer. More specifically, the OP. There will be a brief look at the song itself, followed by a deeper peering into the lyrics that overlap it. There are actually quite a few intriguing pieces of information that can be gleaned from this one track alone (the same applies to the ED), besides it just being a stunning piece to listen to.

Day eleven, let’s go.

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Love and hope prevail

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 9 and peruse the symbolism from episode eleven. There we received symbolism that had us look at abuse, beliefs, and even death itself.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the last episode, episode twelve. In the finale of the series, Yuri Kuma Arashi not only ends its own story but solidifies the themes it has been working with the entire time. Prejudice is defeated, love wins because of us, and a final, simple message sends us away thinking that there is still hope for tomorrow. Alongside episodes six and nine, this one stands as one of the best.

Day ten, let’s go.

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Lulu is, in fact, clever

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 8 and peruse the symbolism from episode ten. There we received symbolism that made it easier to understand not only the constant repetition employed by the show but also what the Wall of Severance means to everyone both inside and outside of their world.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at just episode eleven. As we approach the conclusion of Yuri Kuma Arashi, the anime begins to wrap everything up by providing us with some final insights in regards to the themes it has been utilizing all this time. We see some talk on exclusion’s childishness, what we can believe in, and how sometimes we never seem to care enough about the people around us.

Day nine, let’s go.

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The Door and The Wall take the spotlight

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you head back to Part 7 and peruse the symbolism from episode nine. There we received symbolism that showcased Ikuhara’s genius direction while also providing us with a look at love’s often-times sinful ways.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at just episode ten. This episode is surprisingly lacking in grounded symbolism, acting more as setup for the finale that is about to unfurl. At this point, though, it’s finally prudent to take a look at the repetitive nature of the show itself as well as one of the symbols that has been looming over us since the beginning and will continue to do so when all is said and done.

Day eight, let’s go.

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