First Impressions: YuruYuri

Plot Synopsis:Four fun-loving schoolgirls take over the former room of a tea ceremony club for their own "Gorakubu" (amusement club).

Before viewing: Sigh. I am tired of these K-ON clone series. I dunno, maybe K-ON is an amazing show, or maybe it's just complete and utter otaku bait that really hit the mark. I never actually saw the series myself. But these adorable girls sitting around being adorable series are getting old. I loved Soranowoto AKA Sound of the Sky, despite being described as being a military K-ON. However, the difference between a series like Soranowoto and a series like YuruYuri, is that Soranowoto took place in a beautiful enchanting world that drew me in, making it unique and stand out from other moe series. This takes place in a school, so there's nothing that makes it stand out from other moe series. This just looks like it'll be a retired formula being rehashed yet again.

After viewing: Well, it's cute. And...it's cute. It has about as much personality as the lead character Akari, which the episode is about trying to make her stand out more because she doesn't have enough presence. So don't expect anything unique about this series.

This was serialized in a yuri magazine, and after seeing it, I can definitely see why. I think everyone in this school might be gay, except for the main character, who can't tell the difference between friendship and romance yet. The other three main characters are already in love triangle with one another, and Akari's sister has a creepy obsession with her, covering her room with pictures of her, a body pillow with her picture on it, and even stealing her panties. Akari is of course clueless to all of this, and mostly just sits on the sidelines while everything happens around her. She can hardly be considered the main character.

This episode gets dangerously close to breaking the fourth wall. The other girls realize that Akari doesn't have much "presence" and tries to brainstorm ways to make her stand out more. It's mostly just them making fun of her, and nothing comes out of it in the end, although there is some funny parody of anime tropes, such as when they make a list of things that HAVE to happen to the main character, such as a girl falling out of the sky, waking up late on the first day, finding a legendary sword, and having powers that work at the most convenient time. It's actually a pretty funny sequence, but it's the only moment in the episode like it. The episode is mostly just dull.

It's a standard moe series, so if you enjoy sugary sweet stuff like this, it might be a nice way to kill time. Otherwise, it doesn't have enough to make it stand out from any other series of its ilk.