Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on the trials of Yuki Yuna and her companions, who most recently found themselves trapped in some kind of time-stopped void arena, squaring off with a faceless monster from god knows what dimension. It was an unexpected turn to be sure, but Yuna was not about to let this chance for heroism go to waste, and seemed to swiftly master the fundamentals of magical girl combat.

All of this was pretty classic magical girl premiere material, with perhaps the only note of distinction being how much time the episode spent on Yuna’s mundane life before revealing its trick. That’s not really a bad thing; given the constraints of twenty minute episodes and the need to conclude with some kind of genuine hook, it’s no surprise that first episodes tend to follow certain structural formulas. It’s only with that hook established that we can truly see what Yuki Yuna is all about – are we going to prioritize personal character journeys, is there some sort of theme or metaphor being illustrated through this world’s approach to magic, or are we just here for Symphogear-style spectacle? With the first battle behind us and explanations clearly in order, let’s find out what truly drives Yuki Yuna is a Hero!

Episode 2

We return to the vast technicolor root system of this show’s closed combat space, an enduring visual wonder. It seems like Yuna’s target is already healing from that hero punch

“They can’t be defeated unless we go through the steps of the Sealing Ritual.” So they’re protecting a divine tree by performing sealing rituals, which basically makes them variations on shrine maidens. I wonder if we’ll be diving deeper into a unique conception of Shintoism as the show progresses

Also quite looking forward to Fu explaining how she knows all this stuff already. The fact that she knew and didn’t say anything is so far the most defining aspect of her character

Ooh, this OP is quite nice. Each of the characters is framed alongside their signature flower – they are essentially the flowers protecting the grove of the divine tree

And their transition to the magical realm is called “forestizing,” so we’ve got a general nature motif going here

“Noble Thoughts”

Yuki reading instructions for sealing off her phone while fighting this beast is a good gag

The prayers are dedicated to a “Master of the Afterlife,” which is presumably the divine tree. Curiouser and curiouser

“It doesn’t matter what you say, so long as you mean it”

“Sealing it exposes its soul. Destroy that, and we win.” So these opposing creatures have souls of their own, and are not just weapons or automatons

They’ve actually got a visible number cataloging their remaining control over the monster, a very gamified choice

Yuna takes charge and finishes it with another punch. The creature’s demise is actually quite pretty, as lights float up from its body while it decays into sand

Also quite intrigued regarding wherever they’re going with Togo. She doesn’t fight in the OP, but I can’t imagine she’ll just be cheering from the sideline all season long, either

The muted pastels of reality contrast nicely with the vivid colors of their shrine world

“I’ll have the Taisha excuse us from class.” So presumably Fu’s organization has some governing body within the mundane world

Togo already seems troubled by her inability to support the group

Yuki’s mascot character is named Gyuki. Love it

Fu explains that twelve Vertices will approach from the other side. So it’s sort of like Evangelion or Bokurano, a steady but finite progression of kaiju attackers

“The Taisha developed a system where we adopt Shinju-sama’s power to transform into ‘heroes.’” The name “Taisha” is presumably referring to the Taisha-zukuri style of Shinto shrine construction, yet another nod to the overall Shinto theming of this conflict. I’m not sure my knowledge of Shintoism will be up to the task of appreciating all of this show’s wrinkles on its doctrine, but I’m always up for learning something new

On the other hand, the “Jukai” they are protecting seems to be adopted from Zen Buddhism, referring to a threshold or passage into the community. So we’re pulling from a variety of sources here

Apparently if they fail to protect the Jukai, there will be an equivalent disaster in the real world

Togo reprimands Fu for putting everyone in such danger without informing them. Glad someone’s pushing back on all this new information

Togo reveals her fears of dragging the club down when she’s alone with Yuna. These two definitely have the most convincing bond of any of the characters so far, with their conversations feeling more bumpy and naturalistic, rather than purely plot-driven. When you stop to pay attention to it, it’s remarkable how many shows are populated with casts that you couldn’t imagine sharing a single conversation not related to whatever narrative task is in front of them

“That’s why I got angry. I was directing my frustration at her.” No, I think you have every right to be angry at Fu, Togo

“Forget being a hero, I’m a deserter.” I appreciate Togo having a genuinely gloomy personality. Can’t really believe in the drama of a story where everyone’s the same shade of generally pleasant and upbeat

“It’s because of our aptitude that we got to meet Fu-senpai and Itsuki-chan.” Yuki really putting one hell of a positive spin on the fact that Fu basically engineered a false friendship between all of them

Togo reveals that her current anxieties are actually an echo of the fear she felt after her accident, the fear that only Yuna was able to dispel. This is good stuff – Yuna was actually being a hero in a meaningful emotional sense before she ever gained her powers, inspiring others to believe in their own potential. The essence of heroism is not personal strength, but the ability to foster strength in others

Meanwhile, Fu’s stressing over how she’ll apologize. Good!

Itsuki’s apparently a tarot enthusiast, further complicating this show’s unique blend of mythologies

Aw shit, the signal’s gone off. And this time it seems like we’re dealing with three invaders at once!

The enemy designs frankly aren’t particularly interesting; they’re just variable amalgams of clean geometric shapes, neither human nor inhuman enough to evoke any sort of emotional response

Togo wants to assist, but is overcome with frightful memories of the previous encounter

These creatures’ designs do facilitate some unique attack patterns, which is appreciated

“You don’t know this area too well. I’ll show you around.” From their very first meeting, Yuna was a force that expanded Togo’s world in a literal and emotional sense

Togo at last transforms, with her new form still accounting for her disability while allowing her to fire a bunch of laser rifles

“Damnit, I don’t like persistent guys.” Fu, you’re like twelve years old

Appreciate that even her sister calls her out on that line

With the full team assembled, their three opponents are easily dispatched, their unique defensive tricks proving no match for our heroes

First Togo’s fear of being a “deserter” and now this emphasis on “working hard for national defense” feel like some awkwardly jingoist warning bells

And Done

Damn, this is proving to be an action-packed production! There was barely enough time between fights to get much of an explanation for all this magical madness, and Fu’s clearly still got some secrets to share, but we nonetheless have a much clearer picture of both what’s going on and what this narrative cares about. The relationship between our main four is clearly paramount, as this episode’s biggest emotional throughline was Togo learning to both believe in herself and forgive Fu. But it’s also clear that the fights aren’t merely intended as validation of emotional breakthroughs – they’re tactically diverse conflicts in their own right, testing our heroes’ ability to make clever use of their abilities. We’ve got an interesting stew of ingredients cooking here, and I’m curious to see how it turns out!

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