I BELIEVE!
Previous >>4580248
>>4587163The previous thread is barely on page 8, you fucking retard.
>>4587163This show is truly brown tomboy heaven. I'm loving it.
>>4588168She's not even that brown. Otherwise it is a good show I agree
>>4588173Japan's stagnating economy made them lose the ability to draw true brow girlsIt's a shame but we have to take what we can get
https://pt.slideshare.net/slideshow/the-mysterious-adventures-and-life-of-the-anglerfish-complete/7901036This is Kota speciethat stuff in the back could be easily be a fish part, not a weirdo functioned
>>4588208Learn English, you fucking retard.
>>4588330>If he was actually a she she'd be a 10/10 but unfortunately Lisa and Kota are probably just the obligatory straight side coupleI very much doubt Kota is a fully male fish. That thing was born as a female fish that's pretty possible despite being "straight side couple" for the series.
I like this series but I'm not convinced these threads should exist yet
>>4590644It's all on the director for talking about yuri in an interview and that goddamn BD cover. Also episode 3 when the goddamn giant fish dagger in the sky manifested
>>4590644>don't talk about the very obviously yuri show that's already generated a 600 post thread of discussion
YEET
>>4587163MEET POTENTIAL YURI
>>4590895Have Westoids latched onto this?
>>4591123>have westoids latched on an anime based on a westoid fairy taleYes.
>>4591125Hans Christen Anderson was chinese
>>4591127So was I, years ago.
>>4591041I don't like this image, it doesn't capture the DV
>>4591227It's hard to throw someone while wearing boxing gloves.
>>4592236Was that a fan or a baseball bat at the end?
>>4592237It's a curtain being pulled closed.
>>4592482>Mari had better hope they never divorce
>>4592501It's alive so you can just punch it.
How do you guys feel about Lara being the prince
>>4592716Not convincing especially since Mari *is* the perfect prince.
>>4592739princess it is...
Would you sisters post with source in filename? Most of the time image search does nothing. Onegai
How do we feel
https://cdn.donmai.us/original/9c/4e/9c4ec4e030bcbb44f7d272a6686ba6ee.mp4
Cute.
So two thirds of the series have aired now, is the yuri route confirmed yet?Cause even if it ends in yuri, there's not much of a point if it's only yuri in the last ten minutes.
>>4593616It's not the last ten minutes. It has been very gay from the end of episode 2 (if you don't count episode 1's "this is how we met").
Wonderful episode and a good setup for the last third.
>>4593619>It has been very gay from the end of episode 2So it's basically confirmed?I wouldn't call something 'very gay' if it left much room for doubt.
>>4593623>So it's basically confirmed?We don't talk about that.
>>4593623It is not confirmed because death is a potential risk here, and there are sinister undertones just beneath the surface, so it's entirely possible that Lara might end up having to sacrifice herself (her mother, who was the previous light-bringer, is "gone" and we've yet to get an explanation on why). But yes, the series is not shy about putting the two girls together essentially 6/8 episodes so far, where 1 of the remaining 2 is a flashback episode not about them, and the other is an episode all about how lacking the male character is in comparison to Mari and how Lara's heart doesn't move for him.The show continually frames Mari as being Lara's true love, and because this is paralleled by two other romantic relationships (and has two more romantic relationships as foils), it is very, very unlikely that true love means some non-romantic version of "most important person but platonic".
I really liked the bridge scene. It was cute how emotional and desperate Mari got over Lara.
>>4593637Agreed, the whole story development in the episode was great but finally seeing Mari this expressive was the best.
>>4593639Now give us the same smile without a mouth guard in the way.
What do we actually make of Lara's "he makes me feel something I never feel before" relationship with Luca if Mari is clearly set up to be the endgame
>>4593648see>>>/a/290378743She's feeling it FROM Luca. And that's even what the subs say. Now what that means, I don't know.
>>4593648She says she senses warmth coming FROM him that she doesn't from other people. Lara's own feelings towards him (or lack thereof) are made obvious by her still turning into foam, her depressed face even while texting him, the lack of reaction when he phones her vs the light stirring when she sees Mari in the call and Lara only deciding to go back to the human world because of Mari after telling Luca she wouldn't.
>>4593654If we won't see any kind of romantic move from Mari x Lara in next 1-2 episodes we can cross this out as just friendship love ending anyway.And who knows what thing director actually wants to show from Luca x Lara, hell it can be romantic love for Luca which also isn't true love, cause Lara true love gonna be friendship love with Mari ending.Eat a cookie and still have the cookie type, but most likely it gonna be non-romantic friendship ending for all.
>>4593616It's 100% confirmed after this episode.>>4593648She's forcing and deluding herself. That's what she's been doing the entire time, forcing herself to find true love. It's no coincidence he looks like the prince she loved in the ages past, she might as well created him herself.
>>4593656This episode had a very blatant romantic parallel with the flashback to Mari's mom telling her dad Mari would find a loved one someday. Not saying it absolutely will happen, but the seeds are there.
>>4593656>most likely it gonna be non-romantic friendship ending for allNo. It's going to end in "true love is her love for mankind" while still having a yuri ending. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
>>4593672>It's going to end in "true love is her love for mankind" while still having a yuri ending.Is this a metaphor ofMari and Lara having kids together as a family in a distant future.
I'm a bit dumb, what was with the scene where Lara arrived at the tournament?She's looking at the ground in the corner, but then starts crying (presumably) because she knows Lara came. Did she see her during the transition from the rope to the corner or something?
>>4593709The direction almost makes it look like Mari felt Lara's presence and knew it was her just from her opening the door and breathing, but I guess she could've caught a quick glimpse before raising her head and looking at her.
I was expecting Lara to start foaming at the tournament and cause Mari to look away again
https://x.com/saekoandmiwa/status/2091572949329293530Some neat clarifications on accents in the final scene.
>>4593620We are so back.
the real irony is that Lara doesn't die in the endbut Mari gets Ashita no Joe'd
What will it take for both of them to realize that what they have is romantic?
>>4593749Himeka handing Lara a yuri doujin.
>>4593749Mari's gonna challenge Lara to a staring contest, and then they're both going to lose when she kisses her.
At this point I'm pretty sure they're doing the thing where a gay romance is portrayed as taboo for a fictional reason (mermaids can't love humans) while the same sex part is entirely unacknowledged, in order to highlight how both taboos are nonsensical. Star Trek did something like this years ago to good effect (https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Reassociation). This would tie wonderfully into the original story, simultaneously refuting the tragic in-story impossibility of a human/mermaid romance, and the metaphorical impossibility of Andersen's gay romance in his era.
An anon has theory that Lara might already know that Mari is her true love, which is why when she said she is going to find her true love in this scene, the camera flash to Mari's head.But Lara is afraid that Mari will reject her, which is why she is crashing out at the end.
>>4593918And the reason Lara thinks Mari might reject her is because earlier, she is trying to make Mari jealous by exagerating her experience with Luca (hence Lara says she feels "warmth from Luca"), but Mari doesn't seems to be bothered and even support her.This either shocked Lara, or put Lara in a pinch (on one hand she knows pursuing Luca won't lead her to her true love, but on the other hand time Mari doesn't show she has feeling for Lara), and that is why she begins to turn to foam in the middle of this conversation.
>>4593920And so the resolution of the episode is Lara decides that it doesn't matter if Mari doesn't feel the same way, she will stay by Mari's side.And on Mari's part, she begin to be open and acknowledge her feeling for Lara.
>>4593920I think this might be right. There's also the soul-eating aspect. Now that Lara has remembered that her love can cause harm, she's afraid of putting Mari in that role.
>>4593921Right, Mari's blurred view of the overhead lights resembling Lara's flash is telling.
>>4593918I think the framing was just a way of telling us without showing us Mari's expression that she knew Lara was lying to her face and herself about everything being fine and dandy. But that's a fun interpretation to consider.
>>4593918To me it seemed this episode was mostly confirming to the audience that Luca is not her true love and Lara was forcing herself with Luca. Other thann the giant blade not reacting and the lack of light when thinking of him, there's this detail here with the flickering street lamp where she mentions getting closer to Luca and it just turns off for like a second to symbolize her heart going from wavering to full doubt. I don't think she fully grasps that Mari is her True Love or what True Love is yet, but she understands that what she wants is to be by Mari's side. Then there's still that ring. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of her figuring it out once the ring returns to her. If the blade is really meant to be the demise of a True Loves rejection, then she'll probably either believe it's Mari and hope it's not before the ring confirms it.
How will Lisa retaliate after Lara's choice?
>>4593977Rape Mari.
>>4593977We haven't seen this little bit of animation yet, have we?
I was holding off my opinion waiting for what this show has to offer. But after the last episode I think there is enough material for the verdict. Good anime, garbage yuri. Would it kill them if they made 1 memorable romantic scene? Or overflowing emotions and raw feelings are against the show's philosophy? It's gonna be "i feel comfortable around you, let's live together" ending.
>>4594064I kind of agree. I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, but I wish we'd gotten more. I just want to feel doki doki in my heart.
I didn't know the redhead was a mermaid.And it's not a horror genre?
>>4594080Learn English before posting here.
>>4594047Nope, and it seems like Mari and Lara are all smiles and giggles going forward for a little bit at least.
>>4594064>Garbage yuri>Would it kill them if they made 1 memorable romantic scene?They aren't even aware of their feelings yet, so its obviously not going to be shown through a romantic lens yet, but they've already had many scenes that can be looked back on more fondly.Moonlit talks on the balcony, sharing drinks after nearly drowning in the lake, rushing over to cheer for her boxing tournament (which powers Mari up), sleeping together in the backseat of the car, getting jobs together, lap pillow when lara starts turning to foam, Mari making Lara promise to bake her a cake (reassuring Mari that she won't abandon her), rushing home and hugging Mari when she thought Lisa had her killed, living together and sharing clothes/plushies, etc. I swear half the people on this board have never seen a slow burn romance before. You start off as friends and it transitions into love gradually, with no clear transition point.
>>4594080It is a slice of life/drama with fantastical elements, not horror.
Has it been pointed out that Lake Biwa is the real life Lake of Rage from Pokemon GSC.Is Lara Red Gyarados?
>>4594093Late stage zoomzoms/Gen A are used to 15 second tiktoks and YT shorts where there is text on the screen explaining what is happening in the video so they struggle with anything taking its time or not just being explicitly stated.
>>4594093>I swear half the people on this board have never seen a slow burn romance before.I would love to subject these people to read A Love Yet To Bloom, and see if they can survive the 39 current chapters without coming to /u/ to complain about them not scissoring yet.
https://files.catbox.moe/3ey1nr.mp4
>>4594126Toward the Surface is such a good track.
>>4594126a bit too subtle
Maybe Luca has ALS which is why he keeps falling down.The problem might just solve itself
>>4594064>Would it kill them if they made 1 memorable romantic scene?Almost every interaction between Lara and Mari is memorable and romantic
>>4594093Thank you. There's dozens of little moments, facial expressions, and camera shots that add up to something significant and beautiful.>>4594124I'm still annoyed with myself for believing the comments and ignoring this one for so long. It's so good.
>>4594112She's still a Magikarp, wait until the giant fish gets really mad.
Does Luca even like Lara that way? They could be good friends. He didn't outright say he liked her if I recall
>>4594069Yeah, exactly!>>4594093>have never seen a slow burn romance beforeBack at you, Adashima had more good stuff in the very first volume, when it was just the beginning.And there's what, 4 episodes left? Do you expect them to dedicate all the remaining time for LaraMari romance, rush it or leave it at more or less the same point as is? Pick your poison. Slowburn only works because it's a promise of a long journey so these stories can take their time.>with no clear transition pointI was kinda expecting Mari's regionals to be this point. Instead their "interaction" ammounted to being in the same place. Funny how almost all the "expressions" of feelings are deligated to enviroment. Lara's emotional medium was fish-sword-monolith which did all the work. (And a streetlamp before that). Even the aftermath, Mari's victory and it's reception ammounted only to photo on a shelf. Not very doki-doki.
>>4594186>their "interaction" ammounted to being in the same place.Ok, so you just don't watch the show, got it. I'll never understand people who waste their life typing paragraphs of bait.
>>4594170I don't think he ever did, though they still go on dates I believe. At least according to the subs I remember Lara and Luca have never directly stated they love each other, it's all vague phrases or "like" only.
>>4594193"Dates" in anime are often nothing anyway. I think Japan uses the term date different than in the west, as it's not uncommon to have "dates" between actual, non romantically involved friends. Both girl-girl and girl-guy.
>>4594170I don't think I've seen people make the exact comparison, but some of the comments about how Lara described feeling around Luca to Mari seem adjacent to the "and that feeling was friendship" meme.Goodbye Lara seems poised to say and do a number of interesting things with regards to sexuality and romance that you don't really see in media in general, much less anime with its particular cultural hang-ups. Might just be projecting futile hopes, but if the story lands following through on at least half of what I'm getting from it, it'll be peak.
At least we still have those upcoming video dramas.
>>4594199
>>4594200That's official art?
>>4594202Yes.
>>4594202It's the new seasonal video coming out in around 5 hrs.
>>4594192Post it then. I dare you. Gif, screenshot, timestamp, whatever.
>>4594064>>4594069>a gift horseI don't think you guys fully realize the implications of what you're saying.If Lara's "true love" isn't romantic in nature, whether it's for Mari or humanity or whatever else, it won't conflict with romance, so that doesn't mean she's got to reject Luca and stay single forever, she can have a best friend and a lover.It's not even uncharted territory, Frozen did basically the same thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P77uDvHZLRAIt's finally time.
>>4594330I can't believe Mari is going to have to beat a deep sea fish to death in the street.
>>4594330again with the fucking stupid dudewhat are they doing???
>>4594330Voiceover translation from Tumblr:>Mari: You've been getting along with that boy recently.>Lara: Are you lonely?>Mari: Not really. You have to find your prince, right?>Lara: Yes! And then I can find true love!>Mari: And you want him? He seems awfully clumsy.>Lara: That's true! But even if he falls over a lot, he doesn't get hurt, and even if he loses things all the time he ends up finding them! I find that interesting about him!>Mari: Hmm...>Episode 9: True Love>Mari: Actually, maybe I am a little lonely.>Lara: Mari! And the next episode description:>Episode 9: True love>Lara uses the potion to gain time before she turns into foam.>She still hasn't found true love, but maybe she can find it with Luca. >While feeling impatient, Lara closes the distance between her and Luca, however...Luca getting dumped this episode.
>>4594368Het bait.
There's lots of casual intimacy between them but this one is my favorite so far. So tender.
>>4594376Why is your brain small
>>4594376>lesbian tries forcing herself to be straight to match expectationsA tale as old as time.
>>4594371And how she carefully supports her head as she sits up.
>>4594369>Episode 9: TRUE Love>While feeling impatient, Lara closes the distance between her and Luca, however...okay, so she's rushing to try and "force" this love to save everyone, before discovering this isnt TRUE love. She is probably taking the search more seriously now because of how worried she made Mari. Maybe she sees Mari sulking on her date and has an epiphany tooHopefully this is the final episode that revolves around him. I don't hate this trope, but i do dislike how it usually results in taking a lot of screentime away from the main couple. I remember getting really annoyed by it in Sweet blue flowers too
>>4594436Given she confesses and she feels nothing this should be the final ep... Luca will probably still be prominent in wingmanning however
>that glare Kota gives Mari at the endruh roh
Will the witch have to watch Mari and Lara have sex, or will they drape a cloth over the fishbowl?
Hope someone finds that ring eventually
>>4594446Gon-chan gives Mari advice on how to best please a mermaid
>>4594447
>>4594446The glass of the fishbowl acts as a mirror so she can see everything even if it's draped over.
>episode 9 AND 10 surprised the VAswill 10 finally be it or will Lara continue to be stupid?
>>4594451They go to space to fight robots
>>4594460To fight IN robots.
>>4594446Mari's bed has that convenient curtain they can close.
>>4594447??? Lisa has it.
>>4594451With only four episodes left, I'm thinking:9: Luca and Leo's backstory. Lara tries to make the relationship work, but ultimately realizes she doesn't love him, and breaks up with him. Post credit scene of Lara or Mari having a realization about the other.10: Lara and Mari each realize their feelings, mutual confession. Their true love allows the merfolk to be resurrected at the end of the episode, but Lara's father isn't happy that Lara found love with a human.11: Backstory on Lara's mother, Grace, and the human one of them fell in love with.11.5-12. Lara's father tries to force Lara and Mari apart, and they fight (in some form) for their love. Father relents, family says sayonara to Lara, and Lara stays on the surface.12.5: Time skip into Mari's grandmother performing their wedding service in the backyard church.
>>4594473Yeah but it's not hers, so.
>>4594478The obvious plot progression would be Lisa giving Lara the ring back once she accepts Lara's true love i.e. Mari.
https://x.com/RezuLily/status/2092173756756013427?s=20eng subs
>episode 8 is about her realizing she wants to be with Mari>so episode 9 is about her quickly confessing to Luca so she can stay alive>then she chimps out when it doesn't workLara...
>>4594335I want Mari to throw hands with fishboy and box his eyes in so badly.
Next episode prediction:>Lara is on her date with Luca>Mari sulking on her way home from school/boxing and meets Kota>Mari tells Kota that Lara isn't home and she's with a boy (which is why he looks pissed in the preview)>Lara confides in mask girl (forgot her name) that despite the dates with Luca, the light isn't returning to the merfolk>Mask girl confesses her love to Lara, prompting Lara to say the classic "but we're both girls">After realizing love can exist between two girls, she promptly apologizes to Luca and breaks things off (or refuses the confession)>Lara needs to hear Mari's voice pronto so she video calls Mari, in which she's greeted with "actually, maybe i am a little lonely", and she realizes that Mari might feel the same way
>>4594518Okay but what happens with Himeka (mask girl) here then? She's rejected again, this time by Lara?
>>4594522she can take one for the team and date Luca or something, idk. doesn't matter
>>4594335>>4594516>Anglerfish instinctually tries to bait her into a right straight to set up a bite>Mari fakes the right straight and lands a left uppercut to shut the mouth, literally and figuratively
I know we all want Mari to be jealous, but I was thinking, wouldn't Lara be more likely to be the jealous type? Little mermaid and all. Even if I'm not sure we'll ever see her being jealous since no one seems interested in Mari currently.
>>4594857She wouldn't be jealous she would be sad inside and her light would fade
>>4594857I could see that boxing senpai getting interested in Mari after Mari won the tournament.
>>4594857Lara actually has some edge to her so maybe, and it has potential to be the dangerous type.>>4594962I'm pretty sure I've the boxing senpai official art of her with a man multiple times.
>>4594869what a repugnant artstyle
>>4594869Not as bad as this >>4592982 but at least it's not making them fat
>>4595064Meant to reply to >>4595063
>>4595331>it's THAT artistthis show really is yuri...
>>4595435Mari would never wear something like that.
Gonna post some art for /u/ to look at while we wait for the next ep.
Is this anime perceived as yuri amongst the Japanese audience? Or are people over there rooting for Lara x Luca?
>>4594330>>4594436I hope the plot with the dude will only take up 25% of the episode max. I hope the episode culminates in Lara having a yuri epiphany. All her sights will be set on Mari from now on. Fingers crossed.
>>4596487From what I've seen the mix of perceptions is actually pretty similar to the west. There's been yuri fans all along, but after episode 8 the idea that it will end with Lara/Mari seems more common. There's a lot of people saying they don't see the yuri at all, or are expecting some kind of "true love is universal" ending. People like Luca but at this point no one seems to think he's Lara's true love. There's the usual "why can't two girls just be friends?" concern trolling, and complaints about foreign yuri viewers ("activist" fans in the west, and crazy yuri fans in China).
>>4596509Based on the narratives from Bilibili(China) - hard LxM no idea why China likes yuri so much. That being said the way they talk about it is heavily muted. Sanook/Pantip(Thailand/SEA) - larger LxM driven by the huge lesbian community here. CRK is incredibly popular in Thailand.2ch - majority feel it's just another show in a sea of anime shows. Fan base splitter off into the smaller LxL driven by female audience members and doesn't interact with the much larger LxM driven by males.That's just what I gather. An interesting thing about all of this is that discussions going on outside of Reddit/4chan seem to be much more civil, with people agreeing to disagree while respecting one another.
>>4596526Chinese fans are based. I closely follow what they say on X and they're super passionate about Lara x Mari.
>>4596509>There's the usual "why can't two girls just be friends?" concern trollingBecause that's every other anime on earth you stupid fucks.
someone is angy
>>4596527I admire their passion but I think some of their actions are self-defeating, like flaming the official twitter account after episode 7. You risk making studios reluctant to take chances on yuri work by associating the genre with controversy more than it already is.
>>4596531X seems to uplift a lot of 'vocal minority' posts IMHO. The people with the most idiotic takes tend to get the most attention. More so if they're willing to pay for more visibility, which is retarded in itself...
Pack your bags, the leaker was a liar. There's no chance this will ever end yuri in remaining episodes.
>>4596689>so desperate to shitpost he can't even point to anything in the episodes anymore because there's nothing to stand on and resorts to generalized "noooo"Oof.>Lara admits multiple times that she does not feel true love towards Luca, that the friendly warmth she feels with him is not true love and she is just desperately hoping that one day she could>Lara admits that Luca isn't anything like a prince>Luca buys Lara a drink and she despises the taste of it and throws the can away unlike Mari's hot chocolate>Luca admits that he feels like he does not understand Lara at all and has never even seen her real face in a scene where Mari then explains exactly who Lara is>Lara tries to press for dating for real and feels borderline nothing>Luca agrees and she still feels borderline nothing>episodes multiple discussions about finding a prince keep cutting to Mari>Mari trying to play the supportive friend scene hides her face because she's being dishonest.Mari is doing to have gay fish babies with Lara, and you can't stop it.
The subtlety of a brick as always.
Mari's sparkle is much larger than Luca's tiny little thing
>>4596692>Mari is doing to have gay fish babies with Lara, and you can't stop it.I hope so but I don't see it, why to hide Mari side of thoughts for whole anime then?There's big apocalyptic event coming we have 3 episodes left, leaker on /a/ is a liar cause he said Luca rejected Lara which didn't happen, but Lara wants to work to be with him even if he isn't true love yet, and I just can't see it how they could suddenly show Mari being interested in Lara romantically revealed and timed to that.I lost my hope, sorry.
>>4596694>>4596696The moon as well.
>>4596700>he said Luca rejected Lara which didn't happenHe did not. He said that his answer wasn't what she was looking for.
>>4596694The can was just... so on the nose.
>>4596700Weak.If you noticed throughout this entire series, Lara hunt for "true love" was more survival and obligation than what she truly feels. And it's pretty damn obvious Luca is not going to satiate Lara's needs.
>>4596700>why to hide Mari side of thoughts for whole anime then?Because otherwise it becomes even more obvious how this is going to end. >I lost my hope, sorry.That's funny, for me this episode was the opposite. Lara is forcing herself the entire episode, and then when Luca genuinely reciprocates her confession... >>4596696. Then in the same episode we have the shot in >>4596692 to remind viewers of Lara's reaction to Mari's "suki".On Mari's side it's more subtle but definitely there. Last episode we saw her see the star shape in the ring lights while thinking of Lara, and this episode there's several moments suggesting she's not happy with Lara and Luca dating, beyond just being upset that Lara is upset.The "true love is universal" theory took some damage here too. The scene with Yoshiya and his grandmother suggest that familial love or friendship can't be a substitute for romantic love.
>>4596721Yoshiya will play the organ at Lara and Mari's wedding and find love with, I dunno, one of the girls from the bakery in attendance there.
Good setup episode, I hope the payoff is worth it by the end of this.
>>4596723The organ and crucifix are good symbols of their faith. Both seem to have lost it when their mother died; ironically, Lara will bring it back to them. Yoshiya will probably end up taking his grandmother's mantle when she dies. And Mari will probably continue to pursue her dreams.
This anime made me realize that I enjoy hetbaiting when there's a clear yuri winner. I'm not sure 3 episodes remaining will wrap the story well enough though.
