Japan’s Answer to Lily Fever!

So, I finally got my grabby hands on all episodes of this cute series so I figured it is about time I posted about it. As we know episode 01 has been available for a while now on YouTube (kink at the end) but the other episodes have been a nightmare to find. I think currently there are about three on YT subbed in Thai, or was that Indo? I can’t remember.

Anyway, I had to go directly to the AbemaTV site and get things done myself if I wanted good quality and less watermarks. Thankfully it was possible, so I…keep a careful eye out. There are six episodes in total, in case anyone did not know.

Sadly, the other series I just posted about at an AI with Ikeda, is proving to be quite the challenge finding the rest of the episodes. yes, apparently there are four more but getting them was difficult. At this rate I am just going to pray that DAA delivers! But seeing as it is a web series of sorts, in that it is an on-demand series, chances of getting it are at the minimum!

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

But forget about that, this is a Futari Monologue post and speaking of which, the best way to describe this series is as the tag-line says – It is the Japanese version of Lily Fever! Only, it is more innocent in that there will be no kisses or physical sensualising going on here and also it is more of a journey to their relationship than the way Lily Fever just dropped us into it and was about adjusting to their relationship. Also, another difference being that these two have a past whereas Kyung-ju and Serang did not. Then again, maybe they did but we shall never know what transpired after that cliff-hanger of an ending!

As to who these are, the dark-haired girl is Hinata, played by Fukuhara Haruka. The Blonde is Mikage played by Yanagi Miki. This series is supposedly based off a manga and I have never read read but even without reading, I can assume 100% that they nailed their respective characters! And what awesome characters!

I don’t know if it is just me but there are rare times where a series has two perfect duo-heroines/heroes that are so perfect in their roles that you just can’t choose a favourite. These two are among those very rare characters! Maybe it has something to do with fact that the screen-time is very equally shared between the two and the transition from each to the other so seamless that there isn’t just anything to complain about!

I wouldn’t know though, I love them both because of their personalities, not the amount of development each character got or that nonsense! At first, judging by the cover, they come off as the cliché yuri couple. You have the quite dark-haired girl and then you have the loud, pretentious tomboy with dyed hair. This is what you think until five minutes in and the trope gets turned on its head!

You see those characters caps up there? I did not put them in that order for giggles! In their childhood their personalities were exactly the opposite! Hinata-chan was the short haired, out-going and loud boyish girl whereas Mikage was the long-haired, quiet and a bit weird girl.

Something happened within the time they were separated when Mikage moved away to them meeting again in the current time in high school! At this point in time we do not know what lead to Hinata changing so drastically but we do know why Mikage changed! She changed because she wanted to be more confident and strong so that she could protect Hinata, be by her side and thus making Hinata hers.

Now you have to understand that Mikage doesn’t know that she loves Hinata that way. The two are innocent in that sense. They don’t know what relationship they have with each other, what they mean to each other. Mikage is only referring to simple friendship here.

Basically, in this first episode they are trying to figure out if they are friends or what! Nay, they are trying to figure out if the other recognises them, which leads to some incredible humour due to circumstances and misunderstanding! Seriously, this series is the epitome of social awkwardness due to misunderstandings!

Mikage tries to be assertive and make the first move because she has changed just for this reason, to be strong enough, but instead she comes off as creepy because for all her shadow training and image-change to be strong, in the face of Hinata she reverts to the soft mess self!

Meanwhile Hinata who has grown timid over the years is so lost in her thoughts (monologue) that she comes off as creeped out to Mikage which as I said leads to some great humour!

And then there is those monologues! Seriously, these are so good that I just can’t help but think that if this were an animated show I would think SHAFT was the studio behind it! Actually, are we sure SHAFT doesn’t do Live Action? Because I am sure they made this!

What is the best about all this is that you are not constricted to one side of the story! After you hear Hinata losing her mind in her thoughts, you are taken right into Mikage’s mind to hear what she was thinking at the exact moment! This is such a small thing to many, but it is so brilliant and fulfilling! Seeing both sides of the equation really breathes life into this series and put it up there towards the top of best yuri series!

In this regard it bested Lily Fever! In that series it was mostly on Kyung-ju’s side that we were being served and not so much Serang. She was lacking in that way in that it was hard to get connected to her which is why I am still holding out for a sequel, a true sequel to Lily Fever because that first series ended right when we were getting into Serang’s side of the story!

Anyway, back to Futari Monologue, sure there is no kiss to end the episode on a high note but this is not that kind of series. This is a innocent, fluff, feel-good kind of yuri story and I love it all the more for it! But really, this shouldn’t be a surprise since you all know by now what kind of yuri I prefer!

Anyway,

Ja

==========================
GEDDEM
==========================