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This Week in Anime - Mysteria Friends is this Winter's Secret Steamy Yuri Romance


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darkchibi07



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 5459
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:30 pm Reply with quote
As new episodes progress further, I think it's safe to throw out the entire "Friends" name moniker. Freakin' next episode is going to be the play episode, and guess who's going to play the prince and princess! Laughing
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Dark Mac



Joined: 17 May 2008
Posts: 309
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:41 pm Reply with quote
This anime is terrible. The direction is awful, the pace feels abysmally slow (compared to the average slice of life anime), and there's so much empty space in every episode with nothing happening. The yuri is all implications and it feels like the show will remain that way, unfortunately. Freaking Marimite had more actual yuri than this. The characters and art are nice, but the show has no clue how to use them in an entertaining way.
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Wtv



Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Posts: 157
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:43 pm Reply with quote
Mysteria "Friends"
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Florete



Joined: 21 Jan 2018
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:54 pm Reply with quote
For how long and troubled its production was, I'm surprised by how good it looks. I was half-expecting another Marchen Maedchen.

As someone who knows nothing of the larger franchise this is attached to, I'm also shocked at just how much I'm loving it. It's about as gay as it can get without the two of them actually kissing (yet). And Owen is a rare example of a male character in a (pseudo) yuri series that is actually good, in that his presence is actually enjoyable, he never takes the spotlight, and there are 0 implications of him getting romantically involved with either of the leading ladies. Yuri needs more men like him.

The only problem (sort of) I have is that if someone isn't interested in the interactions between Anne and Grea, there really isn't anything else here, so it's tough to recommend it to anyone who wouldn't already likely be watching it. But for those who like this kind of thing, it's really good.
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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Dark Mac wrote:
This anime is terrible. The direction is awful, the pace feels abysmally slow (compared to the average slice of life anime), and there's so much empty space in every episode with nothing happening. The yuri is all implications and it feels like the show will remain that way, unfortunately. Freaking Marimite had more actual yuri than this. The characters and art are nice, but the show has no clue how to use them in an entertaining way.


So it's like Nanoha all over again.
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marshmallowpie



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 300
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 3:28 pm Reply with quote
I gave it about one and a half episodes, and even that was a struggle. I feel like this anime must be a real treat for people who are already into this series and its characters, but they held no real appeal for me.
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 3:41 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, after the beautiful Bloom Into You from last season, where things happened even when nothing was happening, it's a disappointment seeing that this show is really just a bunch of empty space with almost nothing of actual interest or reason to invest in it.

Heishi wrote:
Dark Mac wrote:
This anime is terrible. The direction is awful, the pace feels abysmally slow (compared to the average slice of life anime), and there's so much empty space in every episode with nothing happening. The yuri is all implications and it feels like the show will remain that way, unfortunately. Freaking Marimite had more actual yuri than this. The characters and art are nice, but the show has no clue how to use them in an entertaining way.


So it's like Nanoha all over again.


Except Nanoha is actually good because stuff happens. There's a bit of meandering in the first half but even then there are established stakes and narrative progression.

But also I'm not sure why we're really comparing them when the only notable thing they have in common are yuri undertones, a bit less "under" in Mysteria's case. They're two totally different shows with different goals.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 3:50 pm Reply with quote
marshmallowpie wrote:
I gave it about one and a half episodes, and even that was a struggle. I feel like this anime must be a real treat for people who are already into this series and its characters, but they held no real appeal for me.

None of these characters appear elsewhere in the franchise (that I know of), nor does the setting. This can easily be watched as a standalone.

It is slow-moving? Yes. Is it random and often pointless? Yes. That's why it has to be treated as a slice-of-life despite its fantasy overtones. I'm enjoying it quite a bit in that context. No, it may not be as heavy or dedicated in its yuri as a Bloom Into You or something like that, but I still find the Grea/Anne interactions to be a delight and I fully agree that Owen fills his role well. This is also one of the best-looking half-episode series I've ever seen.

Frankly, I'd love to see this setting and its characters expanded out into full-length episodes with a proper storyline.
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Yuvelir



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 1529
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:21 pm Reply with quote
If they're going to be so pretty, peaceful and feel-good, we definitely need more fantasy SoL. Atmosphere is what I love the most about this series.
I'm kind of surprised that we can have iyashikei AND this level of service at the same time.
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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:35 pm Reply with quote
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings wrote:
Yeah, after the beautiful Bloom Into You from last season, where things happened even when nothing was happening, it's a disappointment seeing that this show is really just a bunch of empty space with almost nothing of actual interest or reason to invest in it.

Heishi wrote:
Dark Mac wrote:
This anime is terrible. The direction is awful, the pace feels abysmally slow (compared to the average slice of life anime), and there's so much empty space in every episode with nothing happening. The yuri is all implications and it feels like the show will remain that way, unfortunately. Freaking Marimite had more actual yuri than this. The characters and art are nice, but the show has no clue how to use them in an entertaining way.


So it's like Nanoha all over again.


Except Nanoha is actually good because stuff happens. There's a bit of meandering in the first half but even then there are established stakes and narrative progression.

But also I'm not sure why we're really comparing them when the only notable thing they have in common are yuri undertones, a bit less "under" in Mysteria's case. They're two totally different shows with different goals.


Yeah, but at least this series will have an actual conclusive ending(?), even if we will see no actual yuri.
Unlike Nanoha.
But perhaps you're right, they are different shows with different goals.
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Yttrbio
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Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3649
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:52 pm Reply with quote
I'm loving this series, as I'm apparently not a subscriber to the idea that "stuff happening" is interchangeable with "good." In fact, I can't tell you how many enjoyable, interesting, atmospheric shows I've found disappointing in the back half because someone on the production team got a bug up their ass about "stuff has to happen, plot has to advance, so let's throw away all the qualities that have made this show work so far!"
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BodaciousSpacePirate
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Joined: 17 Apr 2015
Posts: 3017
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:06 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Speaking of parallels to anime whose queer subtext is basically textual, how 'bout that piano scene?

If there's one thing Eva 3.33 taught me, it's that piano duets are never heterosexual.


Considering that scene in Eva 3.33 was itself a reference to similar moments in Marimite and Dear Brother, it's practically become a given that "piano duet" = "queer subtext" by now. Laughing

Dark Mac wrote:
Freaking Marimite had more actual yuri than this.


Yeah, but since Marimite's first season began in the wake of one of the girls coming out of a months-long bout of depression after having been outed as a lesbian by school faculty, you could say the same thing about most "Class S" yuri shows.


Last edited by BodaciousSpacePirate on Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dark Mac



Joined: 17 May 2008
Posts: 309
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:08 pm Reply with quote
I don't care about plot advancement. I love slice of life series. But compare this to something like Aria or Non Non Biyori or Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou or Yuru Camp or Slow Start or Hidamari Sketch or Gourmet Girl Graffiti. All of those shows have actual content rather than just giving us slow pans with no dialogue all the time... And when they do give us slow pans with no dialogue in those shows, it complements the other stuff that's going on in the show. Nothing in Mysteria Friends means anything. There's almost zero characterization. At least give us some dialogue so we can get to know these characters better.

Also, Key said these characters appear nowhere else, but that's not the case. Mysteria Academy appears in the Granblue Fantasy mobile game, and I think the Rage of Bahamut game as well (not that that's alive anymore)?
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Joshua Zarate



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 2061
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:55 pm Reply with quote
Methinks there exists many different types of slice-of-life series in anime and that this series is just an example of one of those types with its’ own way of doing business. That by itself doesn’t make it terrible, just different.

Key wrote:
It is slow-moving? Yes. Is it random and often pointless? Yes. That's why it has to be treated as a slice-of-life despite its fantasy overtones. I'm enjoying it quite a bit in that context. No, it may not be as heavy or dedicated in its yuri as a Bloom Into You or something like that, but I still find the Grea/Anne interactions to be a delight and I fully agree that Owen fills his role well. This is also one of the best-looking half-episode series I've ever seen.


This.

Key wrote:
Frankly, I'd love to see this setting and its characters expanded out into full-length episodes with a proper storyline.


While I share similar sentiments with this, personally, I’m just glad that this managed to exist at all considering the background of its’ production. Now I’m curious to know if another season of this could be possible. That would be quite welcome in my view. Also, while there’s not a whole lot of it, the fanservice has been nice as well.


Last edited by Joshua Zarate on Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Random Name



Joined: 24 Nov 2016
Posts: 643
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:56 pm Reply with quote
This and that mermaid show have been two surprise hits for me this season. I wasn't even planning on watching since I heard it was associated with granblue but now it's tied for my second favorite show of the season. The amount of yuri has definitely blown right past subtext which I was not expecting. The short run time definitely leaves me wanting more and hopefully we will get a second season.
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