The bears have returned! Lulu seems to be out of the picture for the time being, while Ginko has come back to devour Kureha. And Kureha has finally appeared before the bear court, who we now know are clearly here just to fuck with things in ways they find amusing, and adjust the rules whenever they feel like it. Will Kureha have to wager something to save Ginko, as Lulu and Ginko did in the past? Is love impossible without giving up something equally valuable? ONLY THE BEARS KNOW.

Let’s get to it!

Episode 11

1:06 – Man, every time I thing we’ve run out of flashbacks…

3:34 – Reia’s influence really hangs over everything in this show. She had a simplistic, supposedly unwavering faith in storybook love, but she herself ended up fitting within the accepted system. Her words have ended up making things very hard for the people who loved and believed in her

4:13 – Saved by Kumaria?

4:24 – Baby Ginko is too adorable

5:13 – Like Yuriika

5:49 – The fellow girls enforce the societal strictures that limit their own behavior, handed down from their bigoted parents

6:28 – Ikuhara really likes shots like this – the extreme violence framed in this black on red

6:53 – And then we blame and hate ourselves for our nature, for our apparent refusal to be “normal” like we’re supposed to

7:07 – Which puts the bargain of the court in a very harsh light. Even when we change ourselves to conform to society, we give up on something of ourselves that makes the gesture painful and empty

8:01 – The feminine symbol of faith is now scattered into meteors, like the stars that represent hope – or even the meteor shower that prompted the opening of the series and bears “rising up.” Now only the male judges sit in her place

8:40 – Damnit Ikuhara

9:53 – These friggin’ bears

10:43 – This show’s insert songs are always very good. A nice melancholy ballad here for Ginko living a life according to their rulings

12:30 – Yes yes, we all know Lulu’s the best

12:52 – That flashback to their arrival just drives home how many girls the class has lost

13:38 – Ooh, I love this shot. As well as the transition right into the chase here

14:21 – I’m pretty sure they know that, Prez. That’s what drives their fear

14:39 – Killing her way to true love

15:32 – Damn, this episode really turned it up. Great energy, great shots

15:55 – I really like this shot, too. The skyline disappears into ominous darkness in the vast space behind Kureha, and those highlighted bird railings look lovely

16:20 – Yeah, they know the shot is great. And “there are no gods, only the invisible atmosphere.”

16:54 – Yeah, this episode is just all wonderful shots. Very nice angles to this composition, with Ginko and Prez’s bodies forming a counterpoint to the stairs and railing. Ginko is trapped in bars and shadows

17:17 – Repeating a shot from right near the beginning. As before, Ginko walks against the birds – but upwards this time

18:10 – Love from the stories versus love as desire. Neither of them are real love

18:19 – This is real love. The love that made Surika willing to sacrifice anything. It’s both conscious and heartfelt

18:28 – Another wow shot. The wall of severance has assumed the colors of the storybook

19:22 – Kureha attempting to use the same trick she used on Lulu. Both of them are willing to tear themselves apart now

20:02 – It’s almost weird seeing these characters actually animated. A shame this show didn’t get more studio love…

20:09 – Such good staging

20:19 – Wow, really great shot of Kureha. This episode has been a ridiculous upgrade

21:16 – NOOOOOoooooo

21:38 – THIS IS NOT OKAY

21:52 – christ

22:29 – not fair

And Done

STUPID BEARS. Well, that was terribly cruel. Make us think Lulu is actually safe for a while, and then bring her back just so she can die heroically. She was the best character in this show, and they murdered her. Damn you, Ikuhara.