Sakura Trick

My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time My favorite yuri of all time

...Why the heck am I watching a Yuri show?

And why am I loving it?

Sakura Trick is a fantastically humorous and adorable high school lesbian romance that I have no idea why I'm watching it.

Haruka and Yuu are two 1st Year Highschoolers in Japan who are the best of friends, and soon realize that they are *more* than friends. What follows is a charming, cutesy and sometimes awkward hidden romance.

Now, I haven't watched any other Yuri (lesbian anime) shows, so I have little experience in comparing it to other, older shows, but I'd say that if you're interested in the genre (for one reason or another) Sakura Trick is a good place to start.

Probably the only major setback this show has for me is the blatant fan-service. No, I'm not talking about the kissing, because that's a part of the story, but things more along the line of the constant crotch and boob shots that pop up occasionally. It can be fairly distracting and can be argued as fetishizing lesbianism (as if it hasn't been enough)

But whatever, it's merits outweigh what is probably a trademark of the Yuri genre, and besides that, it's a very tame show.

(+10 points if you got that reference without looking it up).

What I'm trying to say is; the show is fluffy. But sadly, only that; fluff.

This was my first time watching something of the "yuri" genre, being redirected here from another sappy, but enjoyable show. Curious to see how they would handle a girl-girl scenario without turning it into hentai smut, I decided to give it a shot. But before I started I lowered my expectations, foreseeing plenty of pitfalls. I guess it turned out better than I feared, but not as good as I hoped.

The show often seems like a badly written fanfic, with scenes that feel very artificial. "Oh no, I've tripped and now I'm touching your boobies! Oh well, let's make out." Perhaps not that bad, but not by much. Not to say it doesn't have its sweet moments, it does, but overall it just doesn't feel natural. The protagonists' first kiss feels rushed and forced. What follows are tired scenarios to create opportunities for them to kiss again (with a quota of 1 per episode), and a bit of story squeezed in between.

Said story doesn't have much substance. There is no sense of progression, all relationships more or less stay the same between the first and last episode. There is no tension, no real hurdles to overcome. There is a bit of a story arc involving the older sister, but the situation is pretty much held in stasis the entire length of the show, not affecting the main characters, and then quickly resolved the last 20 minutes or so. It just goes from one fluffy moment to the next. The show's storyboard must have consisted of Hallmark cards.

Sure, the girls are cute. Some more than others. Ironically I found the two main characters the least appealing (both felt rather bland and the smaller one (Yuu) got on my nerves by acting like a petulant child most of the time. Were they going for a Lolita vibe? Or perhaps the show just subscribes to the idea that invoking "moe" means adding a touch of mental disability) while the characters I enjoyed the most were those with the least amount of focus on them; Kaede and Clementine - oops, sorry, I mean Yuzu.

The girls are innocent, unfortunately the show considerably less so. Starting with the opening credits, followed by a continuous series of shameless crotch-shots and views of bouncing bosoms throughout the series, the show tries very hard to undermine the very innocence that is supposed to be core of the story.

The humorous portion of the show is entertaining, but fails to hit the mark a bit too often. Luckily it features some nice animation, with the occasional quirk in storytelling, keeping the show fresh. This is probably the saving grace which made me finish watching the series.

I ended up watching the whole series, but objectively can't give it more than a 5/10. But still, if you're in the mood for some pink, aimless fluff (and some gentle girl-on-girl action), go ahead and give it a shot.

This is a chef that has become a cult classic due to false assumptions and unjustified criticism. This diamond is buried due of its abysmal dark tone, which makes it appear hidden because it does not shine. The deepest recesses of our subconscious, the most visceral parts of our minds, the most sensual desires, and the most primitive impulses are all penetrated by Sakura Trick. Its sublimity will ever be contested yet always remain objectively indisputable; the basic insight it provides into human and perhaps animalistic nature may define the basis of sexual psychoanalysis for millennia to come.

On the surface, Sakura Trick seems to be an anime that targets the poorest and most destitute guys; arrogant critics frequently write it off as such without giving it much thought. Even though these so-called critics are full of themselves, they don't see that Sakura Trick is just a ruse and that they are the ones being duped. In Japanese culture, sakura petals, or cherry blossoms, are frequently connected to feelings of purity and beauty. Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita by Ango Sakaguchi discusses how sakura petals can be used to stylize and improve the mood of a scene, whether it be sensual, sorrowful, or magnificent.

There have been many unquestionably great anime films, such Taniguchi Goro's brilliantly realistic Code Geass or Ishihaya Tatsuya's remarkably realistic classic Clannad. Sakura Trick won't be joining them because its ideas are too controversial, its messaging is too cryptic, and its surface is too generic. It will stay hidden, cherished by the most progressive thinkers for its frightening yet enlightening understanding of the fundamentals of sexuality. Sakura Trick will be avoided by both philistines and self-described critics, but you can't blame them for that. It needs unending insight to recognize its nuances and bravery to adopt the side that is not widely accepted.

This isn't the best written story but it is still good. It's a little too fan service-y and they could've done something a lot different but i get it's supposed to be a sitcom. Overall it's a nice rainy day anime and my second favorite yuri.