上伊那ぼたん、酔へる姿は百合の花

* When in doubt, just pick the bottle that has "YURI" printed on the label. * RIP Gujo, I don't think you're winning the Ibuki bowl. Botan on the other hand, what a wicked two-timing woman you are, tempting Gujo and Ibuki with some intimate one-on-one drinking. * Akane and Yaeka are totally the side couple right? ED is just them on a date. * Very cute shopping date, and omg they're getting matching earrings, that's really gay.

It was interesting how all three elements, “yuri anime,” “drinking anime,” and “Saitama (especially the Chichibu area) anime”, were even more prominent than in the previous episode. When Botan gets tipsy, she charms every woman around her without discrimination. I just hope it doesn’t lead to a fight over her (lol). Nagatoro is a quiet area away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it’s popular as a summer retreat and tourist destination. Enjoying river activities, river rafting, and local cuisine is a wonderful experience. That said, since I visited there as a child, I don’t know much about activities involving alcohol. The episode where Yaeka misunderstood Akane’s statement, “I can’t ride a motorcycle with you right now” as a rejection and they ended up arguing was funny, but it also left me with two thoughts: “What on earth did this girl learn in driving school?”. In Japan, you’re not allowed to ride with a passenger until one year has passed since you got your motorcycle license(and for highway you must have 3 years of experience). I felt a sense of nostalgia because the same topic came up in "Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night".

Botan saying "We can use them instead" to Gujou actually made my heart jump, I was not ready for that critical attack, I would have folded lol.  I like that Kayano Ai who has her own alcohol show gets to voice the alcohol store owner. I think Hanazawa Kana is also a known drinker if I remember correctly so that was also a nice surprise.  I'm glad there's someone else other than Botan that Ibuki feels comfortable drinking in front of, good luck Gujou though.  Looks like all the main girls will sing the ED, this episode it was Yaeka.

I can't drink anymore, but I get so thirsty watching this show and imagining what those drinks taste like. 😢 Even the bottle of not-Jaegermeister. Last week I was watching a Twitch streamer (zep_aki), and he was visiting the house from the show. It's in Tokyo and is now a museum. (Google Maps, Wikipedia) Are we really gonna get like 12 ED visuals, each with their own adorable little side story? If so, we are truly blessed.

Gujo is so jelly but Botan is gonna flirt regardless. Idk how to explain it, but something about the way this show is animated and the art style feel very late 2000s sol anime. Seriously, alcohol just turns her into the smoothest flirt. They look so pretty in these outfits! Although, Ibuki looks even more like Aoi from Yama no Susume like this. lol Another great episode, this might be the show I'm most looking forward to ngl this season, which is saying something, because I love Witch Hat Atelier.

I'm not a huge yuri fan, but hot damn, does this feel so good. I think it just joined YagaKimi in the list of anime that are just good as a whole and not just as yuri snack. Everything feels so cosy and warm, the vibe and the landscape are immaculate, and the characters are as nice as I would expect from a CGDCT anime, and then some. How fitting that the liquor store clerk is voice by Kayano Ai too : she's been hosting a YouTube channel for nearly 10 years now where she goes around Japan tasting all sorts of alcohol, and especially Japanese sake, and it's as relaxing as you'd expect.

Botan, you damn womaniser! After Ibuki, now you’ve got your eyes on Kanade. A glass of booze, and your seductress mode was on. When we thought there’ll be a love triangle between you three, this wasn’t what we meant. I dread to think how Kanade would react to the two shopping and drinking together – and nearly got their ears pierced along with a set of matching earrings. When Kanade said Taxi Driver, Botan should’ve replied, “*Are you talking to me?*” That'd be absolute cinema! Meanwhile, Akane & Yaeka were totally having a lovers' quarrel. The way the miscommunication led to their fight, the way Yaeka stormed off and apologised to Akane once she realised she's in the wrong, as well as Yaeka's reaction to the apology. Didn't expect Yaeka to be in her third year with the way she was dressed. Have a feeling she'd often get asked for ID when buying drinks. Ibuki would have a similar experience should she wear that sailor dress, and she's already looking pretty youthful even out of that dress.

Took CR long enough to put this up so I can enjoy drunken gay shenanigans. Gujo straight to bribing Ibuki with Saki. Girl is down and ready to go! But it did not work and she cannot openly admit why she gave Ibuki the booze. Please just be honest about your feelings! I wonder how much that bottle cost. And now we get my favorite OP of the season. I've watched this on Youtube so many times since it aired last week. The song has a nostalgic feeling and the handcam visuals with it make me giddy. I want to watch the episode but I'm incapable of skipping. Huh the credited OP skips the fingers making scissors at the end, interesting. LOL menacing Gujo is still cute. Okay One Hundred Years of Solitude is an AMAZING name for a type of booze. Maybe wine specifically? But turns out it is shochu. The animation of the ice as they get ready to drink is fantastic, and the careful tinking of the ice hitting each other and the glass. So much care goes into these moments and it pays off. Meanwhile Botan is a master of pounding drinks no matter how intense they are. Born drinker who had not found her calling until Ibuki dragged her into the shadow realm of alcohol. Kamiina is not a one woman girl. She'll be your freak if you'll drink with her. And when we got the clerk's face sending them off I wondered if we were going to get a comment about how gay they were before cutting away. Awww the two girls fighting and then making up over texts. Oh, Kitamori didn't send her reply right away, even deleted it. She took that air head insult to heart. Kitamori's booze not enough to get Ibuki out of her shell (yet). I really hope part of her arc is learning to be comfortable drinking in front of others despite how she reacts to booze. Oh this is what the fight was over. I totally get being nervous riding behind someone else on a motorcycle. Oh she can't legally for a year. Man that shot of the beer is so dreamy. Oh, flirty Botan is back. Pouting Kamiina is nuclear grade cuteness. If Ikubi knew why she was mad she'd fold instantly. And the honesty that gets her to go along. No Ibuki, that counts as being the best kind of drunk. Booze, cheese, AND clothes? Holy shit I am in! I normally do not like clothes shopping but that places sounds amazing. And Kamiina is so cute in that dress. That outfit makes Ibuki look younger when she already looks young... "I'll pierce them really gently." GIRL! I know you've got booze in you but slow down a _little_. God this show is such a sweet vibe. Kind of wish it wasn't on a day with only other cute shows but still adore it to pieces.

How has Ibuki not realized already how much Gujo is crushing on her? Girls, this is getting embarrassing. I quite like how you can see and hear the thought process behind the Sukiyaki joke developing. “Oh! What were these called again?” “[Gujo]: H(su), Hi(suki), Hit that…(suki…), Hot…(suki…), [Botan] Hot(suki…) and lastly the punchline, Hot pot, sukiyaki style(sukiyaki). Incredible setup, especially with the hearts slowly taking over the screen before abruptly being replaced by Botan’s sukiyaki fantasy. 10/10 execution. That’s our MC! Already on the way to becoming a proper alcoholic. Botan, you have to stop making those ladykiller faces already. The “oblivious pink with yuri harem” quota already got used up for this year. I’m so sorry Gujo but you’re cooked. Can we please rip the bandaid off and get your rejection arc over with quickly so we can pair you up with someone else? Yaeka and Akane appear to be having some communication issues but they’ll hopefully be fine eventually, probably. Actually no, they’re just idiots. I remember that law now, from way back(2024) during the Yorukura days when MahiKano got busted by the police for that, good times. I don’t know if Botan is unaware of what she’s doing to Ibuki or if she knows and is playing it off as being about something else and I don’t know which option is funnier. Yeah, it’s official, oblivious flirt Botan making that face will not be good for Ibuki’s heart in the long run.

Japanese Drinking Vocab of the Week! shuran (酒乱) -- drunken frenzy; person prone to violence when drunk (ref) it uses the kanji for alcohol (i.e. *sake*) combined the kanji for chaos/revolt (as seen in words like *konran* 混乱); seems to emphasize having a big change in their personality when drinking to the point of making it *everyone's* problem pixiv dictionary has a big list of characters with this trait

loving the style in this episode, reminds me a lot of Yama no Susume and some scenes from Mono, and it feels like the person in charge of this episode had a lot of time to craft it the way they wanted, like this scene in the beginning where they're like "screw it, instead of waiting on a background artist i'll also draw the furniture too" i'm a bit surprised with Yaeka's personality; i was thinking she would be the sweet type like Kokona (Yama no Susume), but she's more of the spicy type with a bit of an inferiority complex, and i think that's pairs well with the pretty easy-going types that we already have i think i'll remember her name as the "wildflower", *yae* reminding me of the outdoorsy 野営 (*yaei*), and *ka* being flower to match the flower theme; her name is listed in hiragana, but the kanji is usually something like 八重花 (eight-layered flower)

One of the most beautifully animated anime this season, I am in awe at the characters' designs and the soft colour palette that enhances the feel-good and relaxing tone of the story. All characters so far are very engaging, I am rooting for Kamiina and Ibuki but the rest of the girls are equally interesting. I liked the small subplot between Yaeka and Akane and I hope we'll see more of the other girls, too. Also, absolutely loved the different ED about Yaeka and Akane, it was stellar and oh so beautiful! Definitely one of my most favourite anime this season

The art in this is so damn good. I don't know what we've done to deserve a Yuri romance about alcohol with this level of animation and art direction, but thank you Also, it's great to have a very forward protagonist in a romance show, especially in Yuri it's usually the Love Interest who is more forward. She just needs booze tho. Good thing this is a booze show ***They're so God damn cute together!*** Also, really cute that the ED is Akane and Yaeko on their date to Nagatoro next year.

A liquor store providing customers the opportunity to test out numerous drinks for a price seems like a great thing for customers so they can find out what they like without having to buy full bottles and so they don't have to overpay for drinks at a bar. I feel like this only works for the store if they hold taste testing events for groups of people at a time instead of letting a couple people pick something from the shelves and requesting a taste test. Could lead to a lot of opened bottles that end up getting wasted if no one else samples that same drink. It's a great way for stores to test out new items and find out what people actively dislike so they know not to stock it, but again, they need to have specific events for those. This specific store just happens to be doing it over a period of a week. They might take a hit in profits for a week, but they'll gain useful information as to what they should stock in the future. Edit: This animation style feels very familiar. The studio who's doing this show did Mono, but I Mono looked very much like Yuru Camp because Afro was the artist. I don't know why, but I get some Bocchi the Rock from the animation and character design (not the eyes, though). I wonder if it's the decision to minimize the amount of detail on the characters in order to provide more fluid animation.

The drawing quality looked a bit rougher this episode. Not in a bad way, but more like certain styles of digital fanart. Less detail, lines not as curved, less concern over body proportions exactitude especially in the hands and fingers. Average frame rate may have been a bit lower as well. Maybe even less smoothing on the line pixelation. Very interesting, I'm curious to see the staff list and what other styles they'll go with in future episodes if they're willing to pull this. I am once again asking for someone to share the mid episode cards, this anime has such a beautiful artsyle.