上伊那ぼたん、酔へる姿は百合の花

Well, I guess Botan doesn’t need to worry about where she stands with Ibuki. Kind of nice to see all the ships setting sail in this series. I enjoyed this. It’s nice to see a yuri series with older characters. Especially ones getting sloshed every episode lol. I also liked how creative some of these episodes were in terms of the art direction. Idk if there’s room for more seasons, but I would really love to see another.

Can't believe they extended the finale by 60 seconds just so they could add sesbian lex and what is basically an alcoholic's version of a proposal. Incredible. Jokes aside, what a great run from this series. Started watching it expecting a more standard CGDCT, but it turned out to be an amazing romance. I'm sure it will be a yuri classic that will be recommended for years to come (it's already the current highest rated GL on MAL!). One thing I really love about this show is how it does "show, don't tell" at such a high level; the cinematography, visual symbolisms, double meanings in dialogue, the EDs, the music and even the eyecatches, almost every aspect is fully used to convey meaning indirectly. Makes a good candidate for re-watches since you'll end up catching things you missed the first time. Added my thoughts on the episode as a reply to this.

Excursion to the mountains to see the sunrise! This is the first time we've had the whole gang hanging out together since Chin-Lan arrived. The last time the whole gang was gathered was in Ep 4 when they went on that road trip, also to see the mountain sunrise. There is some kind of parallel going on, EP 4 on left and Ep 12 on right. On the cable car, Ibuki absorbed in the present admires the scenery; quite some character growth compared to before, when Ibuki snuck off to buy alcohol instead of watching the sunrise in Ep 4 or complaining while hiking up the mountain in Ep 7. Meanwhile Botan distracted by worries, fails to notice what is in front of her; the camera deliberately obscuring Ibuki's face . Later on, Ibuki notices Botan's cold hands, and offers Botan her jacket and alcohol, which Botan refuses. Alcohol, which was the thing that brought them together, is now a source of anxiety for Botan. In contrast, Chin-Lan offers to warm Gujou's cold hands with hers, which was pretty cute. At this point, Ibuki definitely notices that something is up with Botan, and manages to pull Botan back into the present via the winter cherry blossoms (in flower language they represent calmness). Christmas is celebrated as a romantic holiday in Japan while it seems that it isn't the same as Taiwan; nevertheless Chin-Lan isn't missing this opportunity for cross-cultural communications and suggests a book gift swap. Gujou spends some time deliberating on what to give Chin-Lan, because for someone like her who overthinks, picking a gift is a difficult task. What Gujou ends up picking is very interesting though; not a book but a collection of postcards from a film director that Gujou herself likes. Gujou is trying to appeal to Chin-Lan's through her love for films, which is something she has done in the past with Ibuki by gifting her alcohol. The difference here is that this films are a shared interest that Gujou and Chin-Lan have, while Gujou never was that interested in alcohol just Ibuki. Another thing is that Gujou wants Chin-Lan to write to her using the postcard, which is Gujou communicating that she wants to understand Chin-Lan better. In contrast with Gujou gifting Ibuki alcohol, which feels like a very one-sided gift where none of the giver's intent is obvious to the receiver; Ibuki never realised Gujou was in love with her. Meanwhile, Chin-Lan, even though she says she doesn't know much about poetry, gifts Gujou a book about Taiwanese poetry. Chin-Lan mentions watching a film about poets that made her think about Japan's influence on Taiwan (a reference to Taiwan's history as a former colony of Japan), but we also saw from a previous ED that from a young age Chin-Lan was interested in Japan because of her sister, so Chin-Lan's gift not only takes Gujou's interests into account, but is also Chin-Lan telling Gujou about herself. An interlude of Botan and Ibuki enjoying alcohol together for one last time. It is revealed that Botan's anxieties run deeper than just worrying about whether Ibuki is having fun; Botan is considering their future together beyond college. Wow, Botan was ready to "consume" Ibuki. All that tension and build-up, only to come screeching to a halt, with this scary look on Botan's face. They really were doing the more than friends but less than lovers thing huh. But it turns out that Botan was not the only one thinking about the future. Ibuki brings out the star earrings from Ep 2 where talked about piercing each other's ears, something that was foreshadowed early on and also stars being a recurring motif symbolizing Botan and Ibuki. Piercing each other's ears represents taking their relationship to the next level, since it is something that requires a significant degree of trust and intimacy, and leaving a permanent mark on each other an act of commitment. It is also a metaphor of them being physically intimate with each other for the first time. Idk why I assumed they were already doing it, though it is funny to imagine that last episode Botan was getting advice from Akane about how to get it on with Ibuki, and Ibuki was also preparing for this by looking for rooms where the beds were together. Going back to the theme of gift giving, this whole sequence is Botan and Ibuki giving their body and soul to each other. Since gay marriage isn't legal in Japan yet, reserving alcohol years in advance and promising to be room-mates is the best we'll get. Or they can go to Taiwan with GJ + CL. Final ED is set in the future, with Botan and Ibuki (wearing the star earrings) welcoming new students to the dorm (who are probably gay too), which is a counterpart to the first ED of Botan hiking through the mountains alone and arriving at the dorm. I thought we'd finally get some backstory on Botan, since the previous ED's were about everyone else, but no. It's surprising how little we know about Botan, despite her being the titular character of this series. Hoping for a Season 2, but this is a yuri anime and you know what happens with those. The series is doing well in Japan though and this is a passion project for Soigne, so fingers crossed. That said, I need to see Chin-Lan and Gujou get together, and there's Akane and Yaeka who are still unresolved, so I'll be reading the manga after this anyway.

It's surprising how little we know about Botan, despite her being the titular character of this series. A very interesting choice on the part of the writer (I assume). It annoyed me when people dismissed her as bland and superficial -- while I thought it was clear she was doing a lot of masking -- that there was a clear distinction between her inner and outer selves. Lots of suggestions of underlying depressive tendencies. Something I can understand quite well.

That's because moderator managed websites like MAL don't consider series like Madoka and even Revolutionary Girl Utena girls love (not including the former is silly enough, but not including the latter is ridiculous). Botan is an excellent, well made anime, and it was egregious it was ever below a 8.00, though I don't expect it to be the highest rated yuri anime ever (though it's personally in my top 5). Here's anilists user tagged yuri shows with a tag percentage over 60% (so the majority of people agree they are yuri, you can filter the tag% higher or lower to reduce or increase the number of shows that appear in the advanced filters if you want) Botan is currently rated to no.19, though it hasn't had the post completion score increase accounted refreshed and calculated yet like MAL did I think, I expect it'll be around 10-15 once it does, though I'm open to being pleasantly surprised and seeing its rating on both websites rise higher.

I agree, but you can filter it to shows that only have the tag above 70% or 80% if you want. There's some in the link that I wouldn't personally consider yuri, but many more that definitely are but aren't tagged as such on MAL. I thought 60% was a decent middle (50% tag and the default 20% includes even more liberal applications). Still, I'd rather have a list that includes a few dubious examples than one that says foundational works in the genre like Madoka and Utena aren't yuri.

Maaan I don't want this to end. At the beginning I expected a drinking shenanigans show but this completely exceeded my expectations. It was much more emotional, mature, calm and really relaxing to watch. The changing animation styles throughout the episodes were great and a really nice touch. The studio did a great job. The bed scene was beautiful, I'm glad Botan has no more doubts and I'm also loving the side ship. I definitely need a S2, and 3 and 4. 10/10

It kills me it got over shadowed by Darlings Echhi as they aired at same time and same studio. Didn't help in the west some idiot youtuber making a big deal out of some out of context scene from a preview. People all acting like they didn't do weird things as a kid. Also kills me we didn't get a physical in the west because the funi and cr merger happened at the same time it aired roughly and they killed off production and plan production of a lot of physicals since control was put under CR practices.

Please I need more Taiwanese lesbian moments, chin-lan is such a great character Also how did they make ear piercing so romantic. They also put a lot of focus on botan’s ears right before that moment. One more thing is that they casted Mikawa Haruna and Koga Aoi as those two random students at the back which is funny since they voiced Mono (the first anime produced by this studio) They also teased at least a few future chapters with the ending… so where is my season 2?

Eyecatch Album Ep. 1-12 Damn. This has got to be one of my favourite yuri anime in recent history. Chin-lan and Kanade's book swap was really cute, and you can't get any more blatant with Botan and Ibuki's ryokan scene ending with both of them taking each other's "first time" with their new couple's ear piercing. And you know exactly what happened right after that. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) If there's one thing I would complain about this show, it's that we didn't really get to see much of Akane and Yaeka. Fingers crossed for season 2, and maybe they can get an even share of the spotlight.

Starting the episode with even more depressed Botan... Gonna miss these idiots... I love this contrast between Chin-lan being straight forward and Botan holding her hand and not knowing how to express her feelings. It's pretty neat. Also, love Ibuki trying to cheer her up even if she doesn't know why she is sad Oh, so they are dating. Good for them. Weird alcohol creature. Also, this was both cute and sad. lol God, this whole fucking scene was so good! I know some would have preferred if they went through with it, but honestly, I prefer the whole thing with the earrings better. Also, I guess Ibuki was semi-expecting this, just not ready for Botan to pounce. lol Really love how Ibuki resolved Botan insecurity about the whole alcohol thing, by using an alcohol time capsule to assure her they will stay together far into the future. YOU CAN'T JUST TEASE FUTURE CHARACTERS WITHOUT ANNOUNCING A S2! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Anyway, good show. One of my favorite yuri shows ever. If CPK didn't exist, this probably would have been my favorite ever.

This is actually one of the best parts about the anime. Botan's discomfort is a very real thing that consumes her, and you can't blame her for the fear. Alcoholism is a hard thing to face, and Ibuki exhibits a lot of the core traits of someone dealing with it. However , I also believe that the anime did a fantastic job in showing us both sides of the coin, along with the oppressive fears and PTSD that all of the women in the show are carrying around. (Less so Chin-Lan, because she's not explored deep enough yet, but still.) Each one of these couples are a bit broken and carrying around baggage that complicates their relationships with their "partner" as well as each other. How they manage through it all is what makes it beautiful, along with acceptance of each other and their decisions along the way. Akane struck home hard for me, as someone who lived with a musician for many years, along with being part of a music scene as well as being close with multiple people in somewhat successful bands. I watched a friend make the same decision that Akane made, and I know where that person ended up: on a plane after getting kicked out mid-tour, without a driver's license and with a PI charge. I quietly hope that Akane's path doesn't look like my friend's path. I can't rave enough about this anime, between the cinematography, the tastefulness of all the art direction, the willingness to show instead of tell, and trusting the audience to be able to read into things instead of smacking us across the face with some high school confession. It's adults dealing with adult problems, mostly like adults. This is probably my favorite Yuri next to Otherside Picnic.

Really love how Ibuki resolved Botan insecurity about the whole alcohol thing, by using an alcohol time capsule to assure her they will stay together far into the future. yeah, i like that symbolism; Botan's like "is it just about the alcohol?", and the answer is "well, yes, but actually no" alcohol is a useful social tool; it brought them together in the first place, its ability to lower inhibitions has helped advance their relationship (especially with Botan, where it unlocked her yuri ultra instinct), and in these sober moments she can make commitments in alcohol to stay together thinking about it now, things like a 16-year whisky isn't something done on a whim; it requires a level of stability and commitment, something represented by this Menko Mirai (face towards the future)

A great finale and series overall. In my opinion, together with Nippon Sangoku , it was definitely the most creative and beautiful series/adaptation of the season. A 9/10 from me. The heavy emphasis on alcohol was quite interesting, but the characters were definitely even better! Botan and Ibuki were a great couple , though honestly, I became more invested in Kanade and Chin-lan 's relationship halfway through the series. Akane and Yaeka haven't received much attention this season, so I hope we get another season (if there's more material to adapt) so we can get to know them better. In the comments below, there are screenshot albums from episodes 1-6 and from episodes 7-11, as well as screenshot albums from EDs . Here my screenshot albums from the episode: Kamiina Tonami Chang Gujo Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Group scenes & Others ED Plus, here's album with all eyecatches . EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.

Here are my screenshot albums from episodes 7-11 (I'll later update comment with missing albums from episode 11): EPISODE 07 Kamiina Tonami Gujo Chang Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Group scenes Others EPISODE 08 Kamiina Tonami Chang Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Group scenes Yusa Kitamori EPISODE 09 Kamiina Tonami Chang Gujo Group scenes Backgrounds EPISODE 10 Chang Gujo Kamiina Group scenes Kitamori Yusa Tonami EPISODE 11 Kamiina Tonami Chang & Gujo Group scenes Yusa Plus, here are ED screenshot albums: ED EP01 ED EP02 ED EP03 ED EP04 ED EP05 ED EP06 ED EP07 ED EP08 ED EP09 ED EP10 ED EP11 ED EP12 EDIT. I added missing albums from episodes 10 and 11.

Here are my screenshot albums from episodes 1-6: EPISODE 01 Kamiina Tonami Gujo Group scenes EPISODE 02 Kamiina Tonami Gujo Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Kamiina & Gujo (Group scenes) Group scenes Kitamori Others EPISODE 03 Kamiina Tonami Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Yusa Group scenes & Others EPISODE 04 Kamiina Tonami Gujo Kamiina & Gujo (Group scenes) Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Group scenes & Others Yusa & Kitamori EPISODE 05 Kamiina Tonami Gujo Group scenes Others EPISODE 06 Kamiina Tonami Chang Kamiina & Tonami (Group scenes) Group scenes Others

Personally AOTY. This is coming from someone who isn’t even into Yuri that much and didn’t even think about giving this a try when it first started airing. I feel like these entire 12 weeks have been a labor of love and really highlight what this medium has to offer in terms of storytelling. I’ve always been a sucker for shows that are very heavy on show-don’t-tell and all the different directors and art styles for the episodes really allowed this show to stand out in that way. The use of framing, flower language, colors, composition, character expressions and so on really help the audience to feel what the characters are feeling towards each other without explicitly saying so and it builds a lot of emotional tension for when things eventually come to a head. In terms of visuals, I have to say I really enjoyed seeing most of it take place in the real world setting of Chichibu, Saitama; we even had a few well-known landmarks like Skytree and Yamaha Sound Crossing in Shibuya. Helped it feel more grounded in reality and more immersive as a show, not to mention it rekindled some of my memories of traveling to Japan last year. The next time I do go, I’m making it my mission to do a Kamiina Botan pilgrimage and hitting up all the bars and places featured. By far I think one of the things that will ironically be slept on is the attention to detail when it comes to all the actual alcoholic drinks in the show. I was even educated a little bit on IPAs and other various things about the taste profiles of different types of alcoholic beverages thanks to Ibuki’s love for them. This whole anime might just be a love letter towards drinking as a hobby, which seems to be dying out amongst young people, but that’s another topic entirely. If I had to mention one gripe, it’s that Akane and Yaeka weren’t as focused on or as fleshed out as I’d like them to be, but I can chalk that down to them being supporting characters and to that end they were great supporting characters- along with Gujo and the fashionably late Chin-Lan. I could say so much more about everything I just watched but I don’t wanna be here all day lol. All in all I’m a little heartbroken it’s over, but I’m glad I unexpectedly have another top 10 anime of all time to add to the list. Didn’t think they made classics anymore, maybe my favorite thing since Hyouka and more recently Frieren, this show was right down my street. Much love to the studio, animators, writers and directors, artists and composers, voice actors, and everyone else involved in this show in one capacity or another. I really enjoyed my time with it. Holy peak.