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The Series
[Rating:4/5]
Based on the manga written and illustrated by Mikami Komata, Yuyushiki (ゆゆ式) is a fun and breezy slice-of-life comedy centered around three high school girls, Nonohara Yuzuko, Ichii Yui, and Hinata Yukari, who spend most of their time goofing off in their small school club, the Data Processing Club. Yuzuko, a diminutive pink-haired girl who likes to be silly and act out, but is in fact quite brilliant at her school work, often gets under her friend Yui’s skin. Yui, the more serious of the three, is tight with money and short-tempered with Yuzuko, but she really likes her in the end. Yukari, a purple-haired, shy girl from a wealthy family tempers the group and often acts as the go between for Yui and Yuzuko. Their Data Processing Club activities are often nothing more than looking up random topics on the internet and trying to make their club adviser, the homeroom teacher Matsumoto Yoriko, whom they call Oka-san (mom), cry. Outside of their immediate circle, there is the shy Aikawa Chiho, who really wants to be friends with Yui, but is too timid to approach her and is somewhat intimidated by the boisterous nature of Yuzuko.
Though this series really has no strong story arc, One finds oneself really drawn into the everyday antics and lighthearted fun of this cutesy and very amiable characters. The character designs are so kawaii they are impossible to resist, as is the voice work of the cast. The backgrounds are a bit amorphous, but this may be purposefully done (as many of the background characters are also just blank outlines) to put the focus on the girls rather that their surroundings.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The digital animation of Yuyushiki comes to Blu-ray in a richly detailed and crisp 1080p AVC presentation from Sentai Filmworks. Apart from the slightest hint of color banding in some of the flat color fills, this one is top-notch with very little to complain about.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The original Japanese-language soundtrack is the sole option and its offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit). It’s a good sounding mix with clear dialogue and the bubbly musical score nicely balanced in.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
We get nothing but clean opening and closing animations and the usual disc credits for this release.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
A funny, feel-good slice-of-life series, Yuyushiki is fun and quick series to watch. Recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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