Bear wars are super adorable
What They Say:
One day an asteroid hits the earth and makes all the bears on the planet attack humans. In response humans put up a giant wall and have managed to keep them out until a couple of them decide to disguise themselves as humans and sneak in. Two girls named, Kureha and Sumika are lovers and Kureha despises bears, but when Sumika disappears one day, Kureha has to come face to face with them in order to save her.
The Review:
Content (warning as portions of this review may contain spoilers):
So with Ginko having saved Kureha last week it’s about time for the show to finally explain what exactly is up with those two. It’s been made clear that they met in the past and whatever happened then gave Ginko the hots for Kureha but Sumika herself doesn’t seem to recall any of that. Part of the mystery gets answered this week, but it also brings a few more questions.
Before even getting into the Kureha and Ginko stuff though, Kaoru gets killed by her mysterious bed partner (obviously Yurika) who also happens to be a bear. “Bear shock” really is the only way to describe it, given it seemed like she would’ve lasted a bit longer in the story than she actually did. It’s also a pretty ironic death in and of itself given that she apparently wanted to feel special and avoid being excluded when she attacked Kureha for being different and helped in excluding her. Perhaps she was just a tool in whatever Yurika’s scheming and that played a part in the whole exclusion thing but nevertheless, good riddance to that character.
That’s about it for the Invisible Storm this week as the rest of the ep focuses on that mysterious Ginko/Kureha relationship. Kureha can’t quite seem to figure out why Ginko went out of her way to save her, but she starts to realize something’s up, and the steamy dream she has about fulfilling their “Promise Kiss” is a pretty clear red flag for her. Ginko’s mumblings about “Lady Kumalia” makes Kureha think back to the picture book from last week which turns out to be about her and a “special friend” from her childhood who she can’t seem to recall.
She goes to Yurika to see if she has any answers and learns that another bear was behind Kaoru’s death. Curiously, this scene also mentions that Yurika seems has a grudge against the bears for killing Yurika’s mom. Apparently the deed was done by a bear with the same pendant Ginko has which is certainly eye raising. Of course given that Yurika is pretty clearly a bear herself, there’s definitely a lot more to that story it but it does raise the question of what exactly her relation to Ginko is.
Unfortunately, Kureha still can’t quite seem to figure out what hers is to Ginko, but we finally get some of Ginko’s backstory. She was abandoned as a cub and viewed herself as an “unwanted bear” (yet another unrequited love metaphor though it’s an obvious one) unloved by others. Along with the other orphan bears she’s told that she only needs to be accepted by the saint Lady Kumalia and to fight against the humans in her name. The ensuing war features some of the most adorably violent imagery ever, and lots of back and forth dialogue about both sides trying to exclude the other (I think you’ve made your point Ikuhara) but Ginko gets hurt on the battlefield and seemingly left to die along.
Of course Kureha saves her but Ginko draws an immediate parallel between her and Lady Kumalia and that alone does a good job of explaining Ginko’s massive devotion to Kureha. It’s not just on account of the love she feels towards her but also that through her Ginko feels wanted. It puts some of the previous emphasis on her desire to not back down on love in a new light, and it’s something I’m really hoping gets further explored.
Back in the present, Lulu plays matchmaker by telling Kureha about Ginko’s love for honey ginger tea and it stirs a memory that finally allows Kureha to connect the dots and realize who Ginko really is (although she doesn’t seem to know why she lost her memory to begin with so that’s likely gonna be important before long). All’s well and good…except for the post credits scene where Lulu gets a letter about Ginko’s “crime”. It’s already going to be pretty devastating when Kureha finds out about it, but I’m really curious what Lulu will do with that newfound knowledge given how supportive she’s been of Ginko’s pursuits and if she’ll be the one to spill the beans to Kureha. Can’t wait to find out
In Summary:
This week’s Yurikuma finally brings some much needed exploration on Ginko and Kureha’s relationship and it brings out some pretty good material. It’s now perfectly clear where Ginko’s massive love for Kureha comes from though there’s a few new questions regarding Kureha’s memory loss and what role Yurika may have played in that. Looking forward to seeing where all that goes, and what exactly Lulu’s going to do regarding Ginko.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: FUNimation
