Analysing the Yuri potential in Saki – Part 1
Posted on | June 15, 2009 | 8 Comments |
As my mahjong playing friends will attest to, I’ve gotten rather attached to the new anime Saki – about the eponymously named mahjong genius Saki as she plays fun games of mahjong with her friends in the hope of getting to the national mahjong tournaments (ridiculous though it may seem, there are national and international mahjong tournaments…similar to having international poker tournaments, I suppose.)
In my humble loser yuri fanboy opinion, Saki has one of the best yuri potentials of the current spring season (with the obvious exception of Queen’s Blade, which doesn’t seem to have any straight characters at all.) The relationships are a heady mix of subtext, implied and fanimagined which make for interesting watching and reading bucketloads of lesbian secks into.
So in this post I’ll be analysing all the relationships in Saki according to my yuri ratings scale. Next post I’ll be focussing on the main canon pairing of the series – Miyanaga Saki x Haramura Nodoka.
So let’s start as we mean to go on:
Saki x Nodoka
Type: Implied/Subtext
Additional features: Asymmetrical docking
The main subtext pairing of the series is an amusing one – If we look at the characters individually, we see Nodoka is a Quiet Ojou type who is a bit of a loner but has humongous breasts (which she apparently acquired in the last year), whereas Saki is more of a Normal type with extraordinary skills (and a flat chest). They’re both fairly taciturn, which makes for a rather cute pairing, as they both get embarrassed by each other (though Nodoka more), especially because Saki is quite the touchy feely kind of girl (and loves to say “Let’s go together” which in any other culture would be an invitation for an all night make up and thigh busting session).
Although at first Nodoka is rather blunt towards Saki because of her appearing fickle towards her beloved mahjong, this rapidly turns into admiration to her sheer ability (read: luck) and later on, something resembling “more-than-friendship”. The only thing throwing a spanner in the works as far as this relationship is concerned is Nodoka’s inexperience with human relationships. This makes it difficult to think about whether to take her embarassment at being close to Saki as liking her or as not being used to be so close to another human being.
Nevertheless, they remain the cute couple of the series and never an episode passes by without Saki saying “Let’s go together” and Nodoka blushing accordingly. And we all know Saki’s secretly a cat ‘o nine tails wielding seme (top) behind closed doors…
Yuuki x Nodoka
Type: Fan only
Additional features: Asymmetrical docking, Loli-yuri, Lol-fang
Yuuki is the character that looks a great deal like Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura. However, her Taco-obsessed, Lol-fang tan personality has nothing in common and I was stupid to even make that comparison (but they damn well look the same). Yuuki’s known Nodoka for a couple of years since middle school, so it makes senes that the time she graduated from long skirts to her cat-belted minis she also graduated from her teenage angst ridden peer-pressure to sleep with men and was awakened to the lily-tinted side of rampant girl school lesbianism. And I’m sure Nodoka, inexperienced in the ways of girl-girl friendship would have been all too happy to oblige.
Ahh, the wonderful world of reading yuri into every healthy female relationship.
Seriously though, this wouldn’t happen – we all know Yuuki’s miles into Kyoutaro so she’s joined the dark side already. Although she’ll happily do some asymmetrical docking with Nodoka’s twin safety airbags once in a while.
Everyone at Kazekoshi x Mihoko (permanent wink girl)
Type: Sempai admiration
Additional features: Group orgy, Nekomimi, Debusen (fat girl)
It’s a pretty common scenario – the quiet Ojou type sempai gets doted on by all her underclassmen – especially the one who seems to be able to grow cat ears on request…or whenever anyone pets her on the head. This one’s made cuter by the fact that Mihoko has the personality traits of being outwardly kind and inwardly ruthless…oh and her ability to tie herself up in shibari with computer cables is not to be challenged. Oh, did we mention that she has heterochromia? that is teh sexay. Just ask Marilyn Manson.
Mohoko x Hisa
Type: Fan only
Additional features: Rivals, twintails
It’s that old chestnut - “old enemies and long time rivals make good couples”. Completely untrue, of course. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I compete with someone it doesn’t make me want to have sex with them…unless I’m competing with them in bed. Well, that’s a different matter. Anyway – the awesome heterochromia-fuelled Mihoko being secret long-term rivals with the occasionally twintailed, secretly awesome sempai type Takei Hisa? I wouldn’t be surprised if after their match they slipped away somewhere for some long catch-up sex. Well, actually I would be surprised, but I would pretend not to be for the sake of appearances.
| This poster should be illegal…heheh
Everyone x Koromo
Type: Gang rape
Additional features: Usa-mimi, loli
Well, how could anyone resist? She’s just so darned cute and Tsundere-y you just want to smother her with your enormous breast pillows while she yells obscenities at you and everyone else joined in the fun of teaching her the ways of the tongue and double dildo. And the bunny ears make it look like her long term goal is not to become world mahjong champion but to grow up big and curvy and get a key to the Playboy mansion. You’ve got to admire that.
It’s characters like her that breed lolicon perverts, you know…
Mako’s voice rapes everyone up the ass
I really hate Mako’s accent.
Nuff said.
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8 Responses to “Analysing the Yuri potential in Saki – Part 1”
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June 16th, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
You hate Kansai-ben? :(
I was wondering why you didn’t have Mako x Hisa here, but I guess now I know. :P
June 16th, 2009 @ 5:18 pm
This is just too good. Not only have you covered the potential yuri couples but you’ve covered Koromo!!! *drools* It’s reminding me to watch the Saki episodes I have missed.
June 17th, 2009 @ 9:49 am
I agree with TheBigN! Hisa x Mako are as canon as Saki x Nodoka!
And we should play mahjong again sometime! ^_^
June 18th, 2009 @ 11:17 am
What about Tohka x Hajime? Or Yumi x Momoko? Two awesome yuri moments around chapters 28 to 35. Sucks that Saki is bimonthly though.
June 19th, 2009 @ 1:15 am
I think after the last two episodes of them in the nap room. it is impossible to not have Saki x Nodoka as official. I mean then even did the whole inter-twined finger thing, plus why did they get half naked?
Plus I believe that Yuuki just acts that way towards Nodoka to get a rise out of Kyoutaro. Also I can’t believe you didn’t go for the obvious taco/vagina joke with her either. I guess you are just classier than me.
As for Mohoko x Hisa everyone knows that boardgames bring-out homoerotic urges, I mean look at Hikaru no Go and the various Yu-Gi-Oh series.
June 23rd, 2009 @ 1:53 pm
[...] de colores que habían conquistado sus senpais provocando un descenso abismal en la tabla. Un conocido blog dedicado al yuri y al hentai que no suelo consultar (naaaaah), había catalogado la relación entre Mihoko y Hisa como [...]
June 24th, 2009 @ 6:14 am
Mihoko x Hisa is definitely one of the pairings I am looking forward to.
They obviously are meant to be with one another.
There sure are lots of hints from Mihoko’s side.
Take episode 11-12 as a hint. Mihoko sure has that strong feeling for Hisa as far as not forgetting her in all those 3 years they didn’t meet again.
Hisa was the only person who said that Mihoko’s right eye is beautiful and it was a big impact for Mihoko.
Plus she even looked for Hisa during their freshmen year at her school. (Kazekoshi)
Well, they could’ve been friends if they were at the same school. But that just gives off more urge for Mihoko to meet Hisa again.
As for Hisa, maybe Gonzo or the mangaka will take that later on.
I’m definitely anticipating the day when they’ll be able to talk to one another once more. During or after the tournaments that is…
June 24th, 2009 @ 6:37 am
And also… I don’t think you should classify Hisa x Mihoko with just “Fan only”…
There’s something more than that going on in Mihoko’s view.