Sakura Trick

Hold on a minute! Wait a second! Why on Earth am I watching a yuri anime?! First it was mecha and now yuri?! Am I a closet yuri lover?! I hope not! Even though I know very well that Sakura Trick is going to be an obvious lesbian series, what was I thinking to even approve myself into watching this?! Maybe it was my experience with Sasameki Koto. Yuri but with some comedy. But compared to Sakura Trick, that anime is quite mild in its yuri element. Well, another reason was I thought the yuri elements wouldn’t be so bad or extreme since it is listed together with other animes for the winter season of 2014. I mean, it’s like all those ecchi shows that are churned out but stopped short being hentai and thus make it only available in the underground market. So yeah. Pretty much the same thing. Although there are obvious yuri elements (otherwise, why would it be categorized as a yuri series in the first place?), it is still manageable and noting very explicit. Unless you view girls kissing girls as lewd. Be warned. There are lots of such scenes here. Heck, if you thought that was already lewd, in fact you should consider the act of kissing between straight couples to be lewd. So having said that, you can pretty much guess what the general storyline for this anime is about. Heck, I don’t think I can properly say this series has one in the first place except the ‘special’ relationship between 2 female friends. And the kissing part they enjoy so much with each other. XOXO.

Episode 1A
Tomorrow is the first day of middle school so Haruka Takayama is getting some shut eye. Who knows her friend, Yuu Sonoda calls her in the middle of the night to remind her about this and that. Thanks to that, she is wide awake. Because of that too, she is late for school and Yuu has the cheek to tell her about time management. Thankfully they end up in the same class and Haruka thought they can be seated one after another alphabetically. Unfortunately due to the arrangement, Yuu is at the end while Haruka is right at the front. They also meet other classmates, Yuzu Iizuka, Kaede Ikeno, Kotone Noda and Shizuku Minami. During the assembly when the principal gives his speech, Yuu falls asleep! If that is not bad enough, Haruka falls asleep with her! When Haruka sees other classmates linking their arm with Yuu’s, she got jealous and ran away. Yuu goes after her and they talk in an empty classroom. Yuu suggests doing something they won’t do to others. A memory that they’ll never forget. Haruka proposes a kiss. Yuu is embarrassed that they shouldn’t be doing something like this in a place for learning but Haruka mocks her that the word learning came from her. Could it mean she is bad at learning and is also bad at kissing? Reverse psychology works. Let’s kiss! Once they summon their courage, it becomes a long passionate yuri kiss so much so they forgot to breath. That good, huh?

Episode 1B
As Yuu and Haruka go to buy yakisoba for their friends, they stumble into an unlocked classroom. This is the place they had their kiss. But Yuu doesn’t remember it! Does the kiss mean that little to her? The teachers are coming so they need to hide. Haruka thinks of the closet or underneath the teacher’s desk for close yuri proximity but Yuu takes her hand and rushes out the veranda where they trip and subsequently hide. Out of the blue, Haruka kisses Yuu. She thought she would remember if she did so. Haruka becomes a cry-baby and doesn’t want Yuu to hate her. So desperate that she wants Yuu to marry her! To shut her up, Yuu kisses her. Sealed with a kiss. Given an inch, want a mile. Haruka asks for another kiss otherwise she’ll throw a tantrum. Another long passionate kiss… When it’s time to go back, they find the teachers have locked the door. They panic and Yuu blames Haruka for the kiss that took too long. But Haruka deflects back at her saying it was her who decided to hide here. Yuu feels guilty so Haruka suggests escaping via veranda. But there is a gap between it. Jump? Yuu grabs her boobs just to hold on to her but Haruka calls Yuu a pervert. She denies and Haruka apologizes since she was the one who started that kiss so it makes her a pervert. As Haruka is about to jump, she slips. Yuu grabs her but thanks to this unbelievable (and unnatural) motion and force thingy, they somersault like a circus acrobat-cum-trapeze and end up in the next veranda. It’s a painful landing, though. Don’t try this anywhere! This is the veranda of their class. Seems she didn’t exactly get the yakisoba as they wanted. It is yakisoba but a yakisoba flavoured snack stick instead of the bread.

Episode 2A
Yuu thanks Haruka for lending her maths book. Unfortunately she wrote the answers in her literature book! Shizuku seems not to be herself today. A little angrier. Kotone reveals she is freeloading at her house as it is closer to school. While she was sleeping, Kotone kissed her! So they’re currently fighting. Yuu and Haruka realize the duo too have their own secret like them. When they stumble into Shizuku, they talk it out. Too bad the teacher pulls Yuu away for not completing her homework and she in turn drags Haruka along with her. When Shizuku returns to the classroom, she is not amused to see Kotone distributing the workbooks back. Shizuku won’t approach her and this means her book is the last one to be given out. Kotone smirks and takes it away with her. Shizuku thinks this is part of her prank to tease her and follows her out. Kotone apologizes for the kiss but that isn’t Shizuku’s problem. It isn’t the proximity of her house to the school or her mom being kind to her. She feels ignored. Those tears didn’t make Kotone feel bad. Instead she gets curious. Shizuku backs off till she falls over the stairs. Kotone is brought down with her. Yuu and Haruka see Kotone on top of Shizuku and think their relationship has progressed this much. Shizuku hints she wants to do over a certain part and they kiss. I suppose kissing is infectious because Yuu and Haruka too did the same thing after Yuu went hinting-hinting and closing her eyes. They think Kaede and Yuzu would be lovey-dovey too. Not exactly. They’re fighting over a snack.

Episode 2B
Yuu wants to copy Haruka’s work so the latter warns that at this rate she might have to stay back a year and she’ll have to be her big sister. That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea till Shizuku points out their school is closing in 3 years so they’re the last batch. Which means Yuu is more likely to drop out. Yuu teases she’ll ask to borrow from other friends so this has Haruka organize a study session. Unfortunately Yuu falls right asleep. Haruka notices some funny animal on Shizuku’s bag. She guessed it all wrong. It’s a hedgehog. Really? That is a hedgehog? She draws it in Yuu’s book to motivate her but it looks ugly. Since Yuu wants to go outside and play, a change of pace is needed. All studying makes Jack a dull boy. However their modified volleyball game is interrupted when the teacher reprimands them for playing so close to the exam. As we tend to remember every detail of embarrassing stuffs, Haruka thinks of the embarrassing things to do to Yuu just to make her remember. Haruka is such a naughty sensei… Eventually Haruka and Yuu are left to study alone and the latter moves further away from her thinking her kissing intention to get her remember is just her perverted goal. But when Haruka blurts out she doesn’t want her to drop out and want to be together for the rest of their school lives, Yuu returns to touching distance. Their shoulders bumping. I don’t know about this studying technique because for each problem, Yuu answers after a kiss. Oddly, Yuu wants more! The kiss or the question? She even gives her a thank you kiss and then one more for the road. During the test, it is easy for them since they have reviewed their stuffs. But Yuu remembers those embarrassing things as well and it is very obvious written in her face. Haruka squirms in delight how adorable she is.

Episode 3A
Yuu tries to wake up her elder sister, Mitsuki but slips and bumps into her head. As a result, her glasses are damaged. Yuu knows of an optician Haruka told her so this has Mitsuki remember this is the name of her friend. Oddly, she has never seen her before when she came over because either she is sick or away on some trip. The most she saw of this Haruka girl is just her shoes. Yuu’s bad day continues because she learns the sports festival will be scaled down a lot and this dents her dreams of being a cheerleader. Plus, there is a supplementary class for her after this. Everyone realizes Yuu’s sister is the student council president. But they don’t remember how she looks like despite the one giving speech during the assembly. That’s because they’re all asleep! Anyway, they need volunteers for class representatives for the festival. As Kotone suggests, Haruka can join to bring up Yuu’s cheerleading thing. She’s in. But the rest join in too after hearing those who do will get their gym grades boosted. In the meeting, Mitsuki has this chance to see who this Haruka girl is. Unfortunately she can’t see anything without her glasses. Haruka wants to make her suggestion but sees Mitsuki putting on a serious face (she’s squinting) and feels scared. Kotone guides her to repeat what she says but she was just fooling around. “Give me your sister!”. Anyway Haruka manages to say what she wants and even to the extent of dressing in a cheerleading outfit. But Mitsuki shoots her down saying the budget has been severely cut back since their school is closing down and everything will be run at low cost. Haruka feels embarrassed she joined for nothing but Kotone tells her when she lived in Shizuku’s house, everyone was opposed. She never gave up and now everyone approves it. So Haruka runs to go beg to Mitsuki. Seeing she is willing to go this far for a friend, Mitsuki will talk to the teacher. Then she realizes this girl is Haruka and freezes… Haruka comes over one day and teases Yuu about sharing her cream puff. As thanks for helping to get the cheerleading thing back, she kisses her. This dessert must taste better. Mitsuki realizes Haruka is over and ponders of going to see how she looks like. It’s now or never. But when she walks in, she sees the girls in their unholy activity! Suddenly somebody reaches boiling point.

Episode 3B
Yuu is disheartened that Haruka stayed up all night just to sew embarrassing labels on their swimsuit. A love umbrella and an “I love you” statement? She rips it apart! The friends are cleaning the pool but they’re in the mood to play. Because Haruka accidentally squirts water all over Yuzu, the latter gets her revenge by pouring a bucket of water over her. This causes her swimsuit with that embarrassing label to show. Though, all she ever notices is Haruka’s huge boobs. That’s the most prominent things, right? Yuzu thinks it is taking too long to clean the pool when Kaede thinks she is getting fat and better slim down faster. Now Yuzu is moving at lightning speed. Yuu and Haruka lost out in a rock-scissors-paper game so they have to clean the pool shed. To get some ventilation from the window high up, Yuu climbs and sits on Haruka’s shoulders. They see sakura petals floating in but realize those are fakes created by the past members of the club. As Yuu is dense not to realize there is a petal on her nose (flower and nose sound the same in Japanese), Yuu thinks she wants to kiss and gets ready but Haruka blows it off, much to her annoyance. Now she is sulking. To make it up to her, she says there is one more on her face. This time a real long kiss. Mitsuki comes to check up on Yuu but doesn’t see her. Since Haruka is not around, she thinks they’re in another unholy activity. She feels bad of thinking like that when she sees a litter which turns out to be that love umbrella label… Going to blow again?

Episode 4A
Yuu is kissing Haruka all over because she can’t get her lips?! So Haruka is pretending to be asleep just to get that treatment? While in another of their private passionate kiss, Yuu wants to stop in fear somebody might see them. The last time Mitsuki did, they manage to brush it off as they bumped into each other in an accident. Ever since, Yuu gets ‘lectured’ by Mitsuki every morning. Heck, she’s asking her plans with Haruka! Mitsuki seeks Kaede and Yuzu’s help to observe Haruka and report anything unusual. So they just literally do their job of writing down whatever they see. Looks so normal but when they’re not looking it’s actually more to it. They also follow her to the convenience store. Now they look like a pair of stalkers. Kaede thought she can bump in the ice cream and make her pay for her portion but Haruka notes to the cashier that they’re paying separately. When they get back, they see Yuu sitting on Kotone’s lap! Haruka is so mad that her hot boiling anger may just melt the ice cream. She tries to bait Yuu to sit on her lap but it’s not working. Till she threatens to eat her ice cream in which Yuu turns to her. Yuzu and Kaede hand their report to Mitsuki but she is appalled that it tells her nothing and wants them to redo it. Haruka sulks and doesn’t want to go home so Yuu sits on her lap and they end up in a make out session.

Episode 4B
The friends meet for to play fireworks but Kaede and Kotone are not around. Seems they were here earlier and were seen carrying lots of stuffs. Thinking this is going to be some sort of kimodameshi, they draw lots to pick partners. Haruka isn’t thrilled Yuzu is her partner and since she is being such an annoying girl if she can’t be with Yuu, Yuzu decides to trade partners. Mitsuki also followed them to see what they’re up to. Luckily Yuu’s glow in the dark flower hair pin makes her easy to tail. However being alone herself feels spooky so she decides to dream of something fun while she tails them. Haruka feeding her? Because Mitsuki also has glow in the dark flower hair pin, when Yuu turns around, she sees this ghostly thingy! Worst, ‘the ghost’ is calling her name! They make a run for it till they tumble into the bushes. Yuu is so scared that she wants Haruka to kiss to calm her heart down. Really? Big chance for Haruka. But it’s not working… Then they hear the ghostly call before Mitsuki stumbles into them. At first she didn’t like how close they are clinging to each other but when Yuu mentions about the ghost calling her name, Mitsuki also starts to feel scared. Haruka suggests walking together but Mitsuki doesn’t want to. She fears her heart can’t take it if Haruka is this close to her. So you want to walk home alone? Guess not. The fireworks lead them out as they reunite with their friends. This was just about fireworks and not kimodameshi since they have time to prepare. However the big question remains: Who was it that was chasing Yuu and calling her name? Oh sh*t… All Mitsuki thinks is that Haruka is a nice girl.

Episode 5A
Yuu wakes up in class only to find Haruka has left with Kaede and Yuzu to the cafe. She didn’t like that and starts crying. Kotone and Shizuku bring her there. Meanwhile Haruka and the rest with Mitsuki find themselves in the crowded cafe. Since the big boobs of Haruka and Mitsuki are in the way, they keep getting bumped in the crowd and go nowhere near the counter. Unlike the flat chests who can just swerve through without grazing anyone. Good, right? Haruka notes how Mitsuki resembles a lot like Yuu. Including how she turns red when their faces are close. Care to explain that? Haruka thinks Mitsuki is jealous when she mentions Yuu always talks about her whenever the sisters are together. Anyway they are here to discuss the Snow White play they’ll be doing for the cultural festival since this would be their last festival together and it was suggested by Yuu. So Kaede and Yuzu expect Mitsuki to help as repayment for last time’s favour. When Yuu arrives, we see her in sour mode and acting all bossy for Haruka to get her drinks. Mitsuki didn’t want that and offers hers. Instantly Yuu jumps ship and Haruka gets the wrong idea this is a declaration of war that Yuu is hers and vows to get her approval. Since Yuu is here, the element of surprise is gone so they decide to call off the discussion to another day. Later Yuu confronts Haruka and doesn’t want to be left behind like that again. To make it up to her, Haruka lets her kiss as long as she wants.

Episode 5B
Which character in Snow White does Yuu wants to be? The witch! Unfortunately Shizuku also wants to play that character. So they both perform to see who gets the part. Yuu is cute while Shizuku is realistically scary. Both don’t fit the bill anyway. The notice Mitsuki spying on them. She runs when she thinks they spot her but the teacher reprimands her for running in the hallway. The friends suggest Mitsuki join the play. But with Yuu and Haruka pleading and squeezing her, this freaks her out. As Kaede hints, by joining in, she gets to keep an eye on them and be less suspicious of their activities. Good deal. She can talk to Haruka more that way. So that’s her true intention. Which character does she want to play? The hunter. Haruka misinterprets this is a sign to back off from her sister. Mitsuki is made to practice as Snow White while Haruka the prince. Yeah, jump right to the kissing scene. Mitsuki drops down like the unconscious Snow White while flustering and hoping to get over with this quick. However everyone wonders what the heck she is doing because they’re supposed to only be verbally practising their lines. Well, nobody told her. When Haruka is about to really kiss her, Yuu bumps her head and tells Mitsuki the speech-only practice. Embarrassed? In the end, Mitsuki agrees to become Snow White. Yuu messes with Haruka using her hood. She might be still sore about that but at least the hood is a good cover up for them to kiss under wraps as long as they want even though there are still people in class.

Episode 6A
Preparations of the cultural festival is underway. Since everyone is rushing to finish things up, they are allowed to sleep over at school. Shizuku is tense since this would be her first time. Kotone tells the rest that they are close since they have been together for nearly their entire lives. Close as in Kotone always plays pranks on Shizuku. This has Haruka starts fantasizing her married life with Yuu and they even have a daughter! Ironically they will be sleeping over in the room where Haruka and Yuu had their first kiss. Everyone stares and watches as hardworking Shizuku moves the tables and brings in the blankets. That night, Kotone and Shizuku spend a little time together or else we’ll get sick of Haruka-Yuu love spamming. Shizuku explains she always left early in middle school because she was too shy to talk with other schools. She doesn’t understand why Kotone is trying so hard to have fun. Because when she’s with the girl she loves, everything she does takes on a shade of fun. Cue for them to kiss. Meanwhile Yuu can fall asleep right in the middle of a conversation with Haruka. Yeah, it was an important promise to go tour the festival together. Haruka ‘threatens’ to give a wake up kiss but settles to sleep with her. This must have woken them up or they’re still in dream land because now they’re passionately kissing each other, rolling and tossing on the floor.

Episode 6B
The cultural festival is here. The friends are acting out their Snow White play. Guess what? Both Yuu and Shizuku are the witches! Can’t decide? Oddly too, this is just a reading play so they just stand dressed up in their characters there and read their lines. At the end of it, Mitsuki flusters so much that it raises her hair when Haruka compliments how much she suited her Snow White character. Mitsuki then ‘hijacks’ Yuu to tour the festival. Haruka is devastated. Has she forgotten about the promise? Let them be as this will be Mitsuki’s last festival. I guess she’ll have Kaede and Yuzu for company. Since Yuzu doesn’t know why Kaede always ends up being the class rep, Haruka thinks of telling how much she knows about Yuu. Surprisingly Yuzu knows it too! Probably even more. Yuu is quite the blabbermouth, isn’t she? Kaede reveals the reason. When Yuzu fell down the stairs because she couldn’t see her way while carrying books, she decided to prevent her from getting hurt again and shoulder some responsibilities. When they go back to class, they see Yuu eating nicely on Kotone’s lap. She was waiting for her. So Haruka starts sulking and Yuu had no choice but to bequeath her hair pin to make up but Haruka really believes it is her family heirloom. The duo reconcile while watching the band gig. What is a reconciliation without a kiss? They kiss for so long that they’re still at it even after the performance was over and the crew cleaning up. Yeah, they’re still going strong. Imagine they’re so passionate and focused that all they could hear was each other’s heartbeat and breathing instead of the loud rock music.

Episode 7A
Yuu prefers eating her bread rather than change back into her school uniform and go home. This has Haruka forcing to strip her and in their struggle, their meets lip and Haruka falls over her. Then they realize Kotone and Shizuku are still around. Could they have witnessed what they have done? Everyone has a pool party at Kotone’s mansion. Yes. She’s a bloody rich girl. Even underwater, Haruka and Yuu are kissing! Will they run out of air? Of course. Kaede and Yuzu tease Mitsuki’s great body style and push her into the pool. Till Yuu screams she can’t swim! She manages to get out but lost her glasses. She goes back under and fortunately finds them. But in exchange, her top was undone. Because Haruka admits she is not a good swimmer, Kotone will whip those non-swimmers into good shape. Now start paddling! With Haruka whisked away, Yuu bugs Shizuku for company. Because the learners lack motivation, Kotone summons her maids that if they do well, they get this icy treat. At the same time, Kotone’s little sister, Shinobu walks in and is not pleased with everything. She went to live alone and now she’s back. She blames Shizuku as the cause. It goes way back. Every time Shizuku came over, Kotone stopped messing with Shinobu and turned her attention to her. Shinobu lectures big sister about the things she does that includes delaying her engagement talks. Haruka stops them, wondering if they are fine with this since the sadness in their face is so obvious. Shizuku is fine with it. She reasons no matter how much time they spend together, she won’t be able to make Kotone happy. If there is someone waiting for her, she should properly go meet that person instead of just kissing her and fooling around. She runs off but trips. Shinobu asserts she won’t hand over her sister to a home wrecker like her. That’s when Mitsuki (still paddling?!) suggests to have a swimming showdown. Shizuku reveals a secret… She can’t swim! This float going to help? At least better than Shinobu’s idea of strapping her stuffed doll to her back for buoyancy. As they start, Shizuku can’t help think about Kotone. She paddles harder and reaches the end. To her surprise, she won! What happened to Shinobu? Her stuffed doll absorbed water and got heavy… Kaede wonders the kiss Shizuku was talking about but Yuzu thinks it’s just a peck on the cheek.

Episode 7B
Yuu has got a running nose since she doesn’t want to wear her scarf on this cold day. She gave it to Mitsuki. Why the heck is she wearing 2 scarves? Seems Yuu didn’t want to wear this hand-me-down and gives it to Haruka who is disappointed that it didn’t belong to her in the first place. There is a cute scarf at the shop she wants to get. However it seems Shizuku has bought the last stock. Haruka suggests they could go shopping after school or have back this one. Yuu hates it so much that she wants to go shopping as soon as possible. While Haruka tries out clothes, it doesn’t fit her since it is small. Yuu blurts to the shop clerk that Haruka has gotten fat and needs a bigger one! Haruka suggests asking if there is still stock of the scarf. The way Yuu describes it sounds like the person is never going to get it but surprise! She comes back with the right one. However Yuu spots another cuter one and wants it. She feels so happy that she kisses Haruka in the dressing room. Mitsuki sees Haruka wearing the hand-me-down scarf and experiences a series of inner explosions!

Episode 8A
Yuu studied late into the night with Mitsuki so she’s a little sleepy during gym and gets a ball in her face. Haruka takes her to the infirmary and suggests a kiss to heal her. Don’t worry, they’ll do it quietly so the person next door won’t notice. But Haruka doesn’t think it is enough and needs to administer more kisses. This causes Yuu to fluster and to their horror the person next door is Mitsuki! Haruka’s mom mentions daddy will be away for a business trip so Haruka can invite a friend as replacement to a friend’s wedding. Mom notices it may be Haruka’s turn soon but daddy vehemently objects that he’ll never give her daughter away to a random guy on the street! I wonder if he is okay with a girl? So Haruka calls Yuu and the latter gets the wrong idea they are getting married! She has doubts to talk to Mitsuki about this but before she could open her mouth, you can see Mitsuki’s hair rising on its end! Better not say. Haruka calls again wondering if they should just go in their school uniform or rentals. Rentals are good but it’s going to cost them. A week later, Yuu is still unsure if their wedding is for real. They’re at the wedding dress store so it must be. But why are they wearing normal dresses? When Yuu messes up her lipstick, Haruka kisses her. It is then Yuu finds out they are attending a wedding as guests. She feels disappointed and wonders if Haruka wants to marry her in the first place. Haruka drops several kisses as their wedding oath. They have to stop since mommy just came in. The wedding proceeds fine. It is Haruka’s mom who gets the bouquet. The bride thinks Haruka will be next to get married. Haruka doesn’t dismiss this possibility. Later Haruka tells Yuu that her dad will approve her marriage as long as it isn’t some random guy from the streets. Sure he said that? Yuu hugs her.

Episode 8B
Mitsuki is in the middle of homework and is annoyed when somebody calls her. But can she be annoyed if it’s Haruka?! She invites her to some Christmas light show. She’d be dumb to pass this up. But she feels something odd. Shouldn’t she be contacting Yuu first? Though it shows that their relationship is progressing, she thinks they might be fighting. So on their way, big sister advises Yuu about not to be stubborn and be honest with herself. The best way to deepen a friendship is to be the first to compromise. Mitsuki thinks they are really fighting since they are walking ‘far apart’. Really? Is this the problem? The last time she was worried about them being too intimate. After they kill some time shopping, they wait at the light show area. Yuzu thinks they shouldn’t be here since there are lots of couples. Kaede points out that families and friends are also here and that there are different kinds of love. This causes Haruka and Yuu to fluster as they run off in different directions. Mitsuki takes this chance to get them back and has the rest go ahead. However Haruka comes back to her first so Mitsuki flusters and runs away. WTF. Yuu is lost but eventually meets back with Haruka. Yuu feels the awkwardness between them when the light show begins. Remembering what Mitsuki told her, she tries to reach for her hand but this startles Haruka. Both reconcile and decide to indulge in their passion like they always do. Who cares about the rest! They’re probably too engrossed in the light show to see a couple of girls kissing. Oh by the way, Mitsuki got lost.

Episode 9A
Haruka calls Yuu on New Year’s Eve just to hear her voice and be the first one to wish her Happy New Year. She doesn’t want to hang up even when Mitsuki calls her to come down and eat soba with the family. This causes Yuu to label her SBJK (Shitto Bukai Joshi Kousei or conveniently in English: Super Bad Jealous Kid). Mitsuki comes back to remind her again but feels jealous that she is hogging the line with Haruka. She tries to get Yuu off the phone but the girls are in no cause for worry since Haruka will be footing the bill. That’s not the problem. Even Haruka suggests that Yuu go eat her soba while she talks to Mitsuki. Nice idea but Yuu shoots it down. Desperate, Mitsuki lies that she already has finished hers and this sends Yuu screaming and running down to the dining hall. Now that Mitsuki has the phone, she doesn’t know what to say. Rather, she screws up. Haruka feels lonely she’ll be graduating in 3 months so Mitsuki cheers her up that they have to make the most out of it since their year will be having a closing ceremony. Just when the conversation is going nicely, Yuu storms back about big sister lying. Their parents are still waiting. Haruka feels bad and will hang up for real. Now Yuu doesn’t want to! Make up your mind! They exchange kisses via phone.

Episode 9B
Mitsuki thinks hard on what Haruka said about being lonely. She thinks too much because she believes Haruka would really be lonely. I guess you know what that means. She is surprised that the duo pass her. Then she grabs Yuzu and Kaede to ask them about walking with linked hands. She saw Yuu doing it with Haruka and wants to test it out. Let’s say she could almost break Yuzu’s hand. Because they see them turn off in some alley which isn’t the direction of the school, they feel something suspicious and tail them to the playground. Okay… Were they making out inside that shelter? Can’t see. But when they are busted, Haruka notes that their secret to plan a thank you party to Mitsuki is ruined. Mitsuki flusters and walks away but trips. Haruka was fast enough to cushion her fall but this causes Mitsuki to peck her forehead. Now see her run away faster than The Flash. On the way back when Kaede sees the duo chuckle, she could guess that their conversation was fake and hinting they went to the playground to make out. Otherwise, why have such important discussion at the playground? Bull’s eye!

Episode 9C
Yuzu rides a scooter to school while Kaede has a rubber mouse to play a prank on Haruka. Yuzu is reluctant to tell how she got her driving licence till Kaede thinks she ran over somebody. During practice, the instructor nicely guides them but Yuzu couldn’t contain her excitement and revs the accelerator. The instructor could hold down the bike and tell her off! Kaede shows her homework spilled with orange juice. Apparently her siblings went to play house with her but she wasn’t interested and wanted to finish her homework. They offered to do it but messed it up. The walk to the convenience store to get a new notebook. Sorry, they’re not riding so as not to get into some illegal traffic trouble. They meet Haruka and Yuu there too. Haruka sees something falling out of Kaede’s pocket but screams when she realizes it’s a rubber mouse. Success. Just the reaction she was looking for.

Episode 10A
It is snowing and Haruka wants to go play in the snow outside. Shizuku too. But Yuzu, Kotone and Yuu want to stay in where it’s warm. All that is left is Kaede. Since she’s got a meeting, she can’t. Majority wins. In that case, Haruka and Shizuku just go outside themselves. Everything is cool at first but it gets too cold to eat. Shizuku thinks of giving up but Haruka thinks a possibility like this may never come again. This has Shizuku remember she said something similar like Kotone. Something about cherish every second they have. It makes Haruka realizes that Kotone is engaged so the days they have together are limited. Haruka rushes off to bring the rest here while Shizuku starts crying that she doesn’t want these days to end. How about a kiss from Kotone to make her feel better? So what is a snow day without having a snowball fight? Everybody gets owned. Meanwhile Mitsuki and her student council have just finished handing the positions over to the next in line that includes Kaede. Later when Kaede talks to Mitsuki, the former didn’t understand what she is implying till she blurts out that Haruka and Yuu are seeing each other. Shock?

Episode 10B
Kaede seems to be a little off today but Haruka doesn’t view good about her due to her recent pranks. Speaking of which, she gets freaked out by a spider toy now! Because Haruka can’t wait to get back at her during gym, Yuu nicknames her SBJK. This has nothing to do with jealousy but rather Shuunen Bukai Joshi Kousei – Spiteful Bully Jerk Kid. During gym, the girls skip ropes. Haruka is still bent on defeating Kaede but she screws up every time. EVERY TIME! Can’t she just jump! Another SBJK nickname in line: Shinjirarenai hodo Bu-sama na Joshi Kousei – Seriously Bad at Jumping Kid. By the time she gets the first jump, Shizuku fouls. And time is over and the loser group has to clean up. Yeah. All Haruka’s fault. She offers to clean up by herself as atonement. How bad could it be? Lots of ropes to put away. And here is the cliché part. The teacher accidentally locks her in. Well, there’s her fantasies of Yuu to keep her company. When the friends realize the teacher thanks them for the fast clean up, they realize Haruka is trapped. Yuu rushes off like a worried wart like as though it’s the end of the world and Kaede notes she is acting like the girlfriend. Or is it the other one? Calling out Haruka’s name outside didn’t work. But when Yuu does it, you can see her hand slamming on the window! Worried Yuzu climbs the ladder to check and looks like everything is alright. They start kissing but shouldn’t they be worried about the rest seeing? Well, it seemed like Yuu trying to pull Haruka out. Their kissing stops when Shizuku gets the key to open the door. Though everything ends well, Kaede is left to wonder. She remembers Mitsuki denied that they’re going out and that they’re just very close to each other, blah, blah, blah. But Kaede is perplexed because her speech seems awfully fixated on Haruka. Hmm…

Episode 10C
Student council vice president, Rina Sakai seems to only have her speeches in smiles. Heck, she doesn’t even have one except flashing those smiles. And everybody understands her! Except for Yuzu. So when she bugs Kaede about it, she was told to give it up. Or else… Would you like to see her creepy smile?

Episode 11A
Sumi Otokawa is the next student council president. Kaede introduces her to Haruka and Yuu whom she mistakes Haruka as Mitsuki’s sister and Yuu a changed Mitsuki. They discuss the farewell party they want to hold for Mitsuki and Rina so Haruka asks Yuu what does her sister likes. Let’s say it’s nothing concrete. Shizuku suggests to go take a look at the seniors’ classroom to see what is popular. They notice everybody studying hard for the entrance exam and each one eating pudding. Then Sumi becomes like some sort of serial molester, groping Haruka’s boobs like as though it belongs to her and Yuu joins in too. Yeah. They argue she is a C-cup or D-cup. Sumi leaves after having her fill. Haruka is seething with rage since she hates people to touch her boobs. This scares Yuu so crafty Haruka corners her and wants her to finish her sentence of who does she like. You know it’s just an excuse for them to have a deep passionate kiss. Once they’re satisfied and head back to class, they are surprised that Mitsuki and Rina saw them! OMG! The secret’s out!

Episode 11B
Haruka cannot come close to Yuu anymore as Mitsuki is always by her side. And that stare too. Seems Mitsuki reprimanded about what they were doing (although Yuu didn’t bat an eyelid to pinpoint Haruka as the one who started it) and should reflect on their inappropriate behaviour. She forbids Haruka to kiss Yuu. Ever! So Haruka confides in Kotone if people found out about their secret and told them not to do it, would she still do it? Of course. Just don’t get caught. Too bad Kaede mentions she is commissioned to keep an eye on them. So much for doing things discreetly. During gym class in which they are doing creative dance, the teacher wants them to pair them up with their old partner. This means Haruka can legally be with Yuu, right? Yuu accidentally trips and kisses her but this gives Haruka a devilish idea. Yeah. Accidental trips = accidental kiss. Kaede can’t see a thing since Yuzu is jumping like a monkey blocking her view. During recess, Mitsuki is going to protect her sister and stops by to buy pudding. She notices Sumi keeping track of the pudding flow as seniors are buying it more than other years. Mitsuki explains pudding helps one concentrate better during study. It was a rumour started by Rina but everyone took it seriously. Actually for most girls, they’re eating pudding to match what Mitsuki eats so as to grow boobs as big as hers. Mitsuki flusters when Sumi notes she is easy to read. And speaking of boobs, Sumi fondles hers like it’s her own. As she can compare hers with Haruka’s, Mitsuki is shocked she has touched hers too. Sumi notes Mitsuki’s edgy behaviour. She just says she was meaning to tell Haruka something. And it’s not about touching her boobs. She thinks that all she wants is Haruka to be normal friends with Yuu. Is that it? There is something more. Then it hit her. She wants to become Haruka’s lover! She couldn’t believe she was in love with Haruka all along! Duh… We figured it out like episodes ago. Mitsuki goes into meltdown.

Episode 12A
Mitsuki brings Rina to her home where a surprise congratulations party is held for them. They’ve made a bucket filled with pudding but Rina can’t say she is sick of them now after eating too many while studying for the exams. The girls give the seniors their gift. Moustache from Sumi? A fancy chandelier from Kotone? Impersonation gig from Kaede and Yuzu? When Rina feels like eating something with garlic, Haruka quickly goes to the kitchen to make a meal with that. Yuu goes to help so this sets the alarm bells in Mitsuki ringing. The duo will be together all by themselves! She barges in and jumps the gun about their unholy act. Uhm… Is cooking together an unholy act? The sisters argue so Yuu couldn’t care less about Mitsuki and wants to kiss Haruka now! Haruka even gets tussled around. But why does she look so happy? Mitsuki breaks up the duo kissing so Yuu tells her off they do this because they decided it and it’s something special. If that is the case, Mitsuki says she has a chance too. She turns to Haruka and confesses she likes her. And please go out with her too! Biggest shocking bombshell ever!

Episode12B
After the graduation ceremony, Haruka sneaks away from her friends to go meet Mitsuki behind the tennis courts. This is what Mitsuki told her and not to tell her friends. Of course Yuu notices her missing and goes looking. When she finds Haruka, she is about to call to her when Mitsuki is seen approaching so she hides and eavesdrops. Mitsuki wants her answer from yesterday. But why does she seem surprised when Haruka says she loves her? Didn’t expect that? However Haruka doesn’t seem to understand it all and wonders what does dating even require when suggested by Mitsuki. Let’s see. Hold hands, stay at each other’s house… Oh, kiss too! Hey, that’s what she does with Yuu, right? Can it mean that they are dating in this sense? It dawned to Mitsuki that Haruka doesn’t understand the meaning of love. Haruka wants to think this over with Yuu but believes what Mitsuki told her were her true feelings. Mitsuki concludes that because she always thinks of Yuu, it is probably why she fell in love with her in the first place. Just this once, Mitsuki kisses Haruka on her forehead. Rina calls to Mitsuki so she has to go. To her surprise, she sees Yuu. Heard everything. Saw everything. Rina feels there is some burden lifted off from Mitsuki’s shoulders because she noticed she looked lost and worried after yesterday’s party. She can also tell Mitsuki hasn’t been able to tell Haruka about her application to a university away from town. But since Rina is going to that same university, at least they’ll be together. Meanwhile Yuu and Haruka discuss this meaning of love. Since words can’t really describe it, they thought kissing might do the trick. Mmm… Maybe need more of it. Hold on, almost got it? Nah. What the heck, who needs to explain what all that means when you can just enjoy the passion. At the start of the new school term, the friends walk together to school. And of course, a new start means a new kiss for our serial kissing duo right outside the gates. Good luck charm for the year?

The Way To A Girl’s Heart Is Through A Kiss
Kiss, kiss, fall in love… (line from Ouran High School Host Club opening theme). Well, I can’t say that I am impressed but I won’t say that I am sorely disappointed too. Yeah. It feels like the same reason why Haruka and Yuu can’t describe Mitsuki’s love. It’s probably the same for me for this anime. Essentially, although I am not fond of seeing girls kissing each other, I can tolerate them but having seen too much of it, I may have grown immune to it. Though, I’m not saying that I would love to see another moment of girls kissing. Hell, every episode guarantees at least a kissing scene. Each episode is further divided into 2 parts, right? It would not have been called a yuri genre if it lacks those scenes. Suffice to say, I am not really into the yuri genre so I can’t say much about this series whether this series contains the standard bar that all yuri animes should have. You know, something like Strawberry Panic (note, I didn’t see this show too). But I have a feeling yuri fans should enjoy this one because seeing the protagonist girls kiss every now and then should satiate their craving for such scenes.

There are some funny and comedic moments too although I won’t go so far to say that the yuri elements overshadow the funny parts but perhaps slightly dominates over the comedy sector. After all, I did laugh at some of their silly antics. But not to the extent where it made me ROFL (internet slang for Rolling On Floor Laughing). If not for the yuri theme, this anime series could have been easily classified as those ubiquitous group of cute girls doing cute things and without any proper plot or storyline to go with. Doesn’t it feel like that when you take away the yuri theme? I have imagined the entire series without being yuri and taking away the kissing parts. It could have been boring so I suppose all those kissing scenes somewhat add a dramatic effect to it all. And thankfully we just have kissing scenes because if we really have those girls stripping naked and then getting down and dirty, this title would have been stamped as hentai in the first place. So all we’ve got here are seemingly innocent high school girls kissing.

The characters are rather okay with the big focus on Haruka, Yuu and Mitsuki. It’s was like as though a big love triangle was going to form in the end but eventually it’s back to Haruka-Yuu relationship like we always know. Speaking of the duo, I don’t know but I view them as being childish at times. I thought Haruka was the more childish of the duo since she used to tempt Yuu into kissing and the likes but since Yuu has the insecurity and often goes into that high pitch squealing, it makes her sound more childish than Haruka sometimes. Eventually with their pondering over the meaning of love, it makes me wonder if they actually understand what they are doing is in the name of love. Maybe, maybe not. Love isn’t something we can understand so easily. Because if it was, some of us wouldn’t be furrowing our eyebrows in watching a couple of girls kissing. So they kiss because it makes them feel good. Love or not, not too sure. What do you mean it must be love when people kiss? Perhaps another example would shed some light. Sex. People tend to have sex not because of love, right? See?! Therefore I think Haruka and Yuu’s kiss is somewhat falls in this line. So can you say that they are ‘colour blind’ in terms of love?

Mitsuki almost turned into a hypocrite when she forbade her sister and her friend from kissing but she herself harbours thoughts of dating with Haruka. Once again, how can she not know this is love? Like I said, love isn’t an easy subject so I believe that Mitsuki doesn’t have a boyfriend and thus can’t blame her not knowing what it means to fall in love. It’s a good thing she got this off her chest. Otherwise, it would be annoying just to see her get alerted every time Haruka’s name is mentioned or that girl is in mere sight. Yeah, call it insecure if you want to. Was it just lust or love? The rest of the other characters are okay too, each with their own quirks. I believe Kotone and Shizuku have their own story to tell but since Haruka and Yuu hog the spotlight in this anime, theirs feel like a distraction. I am sure that if they want to expand another side story, this duo can be a good ‘diversion’. Hmm… I think Shinobu might be the same case like Mitsuki for her sister. Just brattier. Then there is Kaede and Yuzu who doesn’t seem to be in a yuri relationship but they are close enough to make fans fantasize that there could be a possibility of one. Kaede seems to be quite perceptive and knows what is going on between Haruka and Yuu unlike Yuzu who is oblivious to any yuri relationship around her.

The art and drawing of the series feels like standard cute and moe anime girls. But something about the visual effects and presentation remind me that it is a little similar like Hidamari Sketch. For example how certain scenes use trademark objects to represent a character like that flower hair pin to indicate Yuu and the words of ‘big sister’ on it to point out it is Mitsuki. Though, this anime was made by Studio Deen, a veteran in many famous animes like Fate/Stay Night, Jigoku Shoujo, Full Moon Wo Sagashite, Fruits Basket, Rave, You’re Under Arrest, Hetalia Axis Power, Higurashi No Naku Koro and even another yuri themed anime, Maria-sama Ga Miteru. Heck, they even did yaoi themed animes such as Sekaiichi Hatsukoi and Junjou Romantica! Note, Hidamari Sketch was produced by SHAFT. There are a handful of fanservice scenes (Sumi loves fondling boobs, doesn’t she? And why does Yuu always insist that Haruka’s boobs are C-cup unlike others who claim it is D-cup?) and a couple of episodes that has a short segment at the end that ‘dedicates’ that extra time to it (Shizuku bathing in the bathroom. the girls parading in their swimsuits) but it is nothing to shout about since the focus is much on the yuri romance so this feels like an ‘added bonus’.

I think this may be just coincidence because I thought there was some kind of a ‘conspiracy’ (is that what I call this?) when the seiyuus are coincidentally named after the main characters. At least only for Haruka Tomatsu as Haruka and Yuka Iguchi for Yuu. I mean, this anime was based on a yonkoma series of the same name so they can’t just be making up the names of the main characters, right? Haruka Tomatsu is in her very girly voice as it reminiscence Lala from To Love-Ru while there is no doubt Yuka Iguchi is just being in her trademark bratty voice like Index from To Aru Majutsu No Index and Maria from Boku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai. Other casts include Saki Fujita as Mitsuki (Ao in Yozakura Quartet series), Mai Fuchigami as Kaede (Miho in Girls Und Panzer), Megumi Toda as Yuzu (Amana in Hunter x Hunter 2011), Yuka Aisaka as Kotone, Hiromi Igarashi as Shizuku (Orion in Amnesia), Yurika Endou as Rina (Aina in Z/X Ignition), Momo Asakura as Sumi (Rin in Witch Craft Works) and Asuka Nishi as Shinobu (Shinobu in Kin-iro Mosaic).

The opening theme is Won *3* and sung by the seiyuus of 6 girls. I just thought that this song sounds very dramatic despite a handful of funny moments like how Haruka and Yuu try to secretly kiss behind Mitsuki’s back and back off each time she turns around… Until they got caught in the act! And yeah, lots of kissing scenes too. The weirdest part is that in certain scenes of the opening credits animation, those girls are seen doing a group dance that has them shake their upper torso. This makes it seem like their boobs are vibrating. Really. The ending theme is Kiss (And) Love only sung by the duet of Haruka Tomatsu and Yuka Iguchi. The special ending theme for episode 8 is Sakura Sweet Kiss and sung by the trio of Saki Fujita, Momo Asakura and Yurika Endou.

People who are not open to different types of love that are apparent these days may not appreciate this type of anime. Although this genre might be heavily yuri themed, at least from another perspective it goes to show that love transcends all kinds of boundaries and that the stereotypes are just in our heads and limiting us. Perhaps in time to come, there’ll be more animes open to love romance with animals, with plants, with your parents or grandparents, with inanimate objects, imaginary people, etc. Is the world ready for this kind of love? Oh, what about 2D characters and aliens? Nah, those are pretty normal :). Despite the yuri factor, there is some substance to the romance between the characters as each has their own flaws and issues to deal with. Better than having some ecchi romance fanservice series without substance, right? Well… Since I am not much of a yuri fan, I think I’ll go for the latter any time. Yeah, we’re all perverts in one way or another. I guess for now it is okay and tolerable for me to see girls kissing girls. But definitely not yaoi, guys kissing guys!