Episode five of Yurikuma Arashi, titled “I Want To Have You All To Myself,” is currently streaming on FUNimation for paid members. If you are a free member, you can watch this same episode six days from now on February 9th.
The episode starts off with a plot twist involving Kureha and her late-mother, Reia Tsubaki, who have their picture taken with a black bear believed to be Ginko. That could explain Ginko’s unique relationship with Kureha and Reia, which makes the story even more interesting.
Ginko and Lulu transition from trying to make Kureha their next meal into being her protectors. The two girls invite themselves to move in without asking Kureha’s protection, which will make for an awkward living situation because of the private firing range in the basement.
If you haven’t read the original manga like I haven’t either, this is a clear indicator that the relationship between the three will be very “yuri.” This reminds me of Gugure! Kokkuri-San for some odd reason with the whole moving in and freeloading dynamic.
Kureha is still singled out by a group of your typical high school mean girls calling themselves the “Invisible Storm.” I personally call them a couple of cowardly b—tchy two-faced c—ts that resort to tactics that require them to hide.
Personally, I hope bad things happen to the girls of the Invisible Storm. It would be more than appropriate poetic justice. This reminds me of the anime series Another, where Mei Misaki was unfairly singled out like Kureha is right now.
The next flashback scene caught me by surprise because it was of a snowy battlefield littered with firearms and bear corpses, with Ginko being the only survivor. I was solely surprised that the bears even know how to use firearms in the first place.
Kaoru then apologizes to Kureha for making her the next victim of the Invisible Storm, but I wouldn’t buy the apology for one bit. It always the case to be suspicious when your antagonists decide to suddenly apologize to you out of the blue. You can easily tell that there is something going on behind the scenes.
I respect Kureha for standing up to the Invisible Storm, which made me like her even more. She is able to show strength in the face of any adversity. Kureha can sense the BS and she lets Kaoru and the rest of the Invisible Storm know it.
I hope Kaoru gets eaten in the future.
Things get awkwardly funny when Lulu and Ginko decide to make dinner for Kureha, but that’s not the part that makes everything awkward. The scene feels like a lesbian version of the American Pie movie franchise.
The spaghetti scene makes me think of Gourmet Girl Graffiti. I wonder what would happen if Ginko and Lulu tasted Machiko’s cooking, which could cause them to forget eating humans and crave her cooking instead.
I feel that this scene personifies the yuri equivalent of Gourmet Girl Graffiti.
It is a terrible situation on both sides because Ginko cannot directly tell Kureha or risk losing her human form and Kureha is scared that anybody who gets close to her will be marked as “evil” by the Invisible Storm.
Love and loneliness are the obvious themes of this episode.
Kureha’s only love is gone and is afraid to love again because it could be a betrayal of Sumika and Ginko is trying to get Kureha to remember their mutual love. When you think about it, this ends up being the epitome of loneliness in the story.
The Invisible Storm’s cruelty only adds to it and are using Sumika’s memory to torment Kureha even more, which I stress that I hope Kaoru ends up being the next victim of Ginko and Lulu.
It was an interesting episode to watch as it makes one question what is “nature” and what is “evil.”
Humans are mammals, but are different from the rest because of many unique and complex factors and that is why bears cannot be held to the same standard as humans. You can call the bears “evil” for eating let alone humans, but this is in their nature. Humans can choose to be “good” or “evil” to each other as this episode teaches.
Perhaps the bears are “good,” but following their innate nature and the Invisible Storm members are the truly “evil” ones.
