zanbuckner

Citrus (2018)

I Am Going to Rewrite This

10/10 Animation 10/10 Drawing 8/10 Character Design 2/10 Pacing 4/10 Script 9/10 Subtext and meta commentary 3/10 Handling of adult subject matter

This is Yuri bait, and it was done poorly. But, I'm not rewriting this because I want Yuri bait properly done.

I was head over heels for this anime when I watched it so many years ago. I cried to it, obsessed over the subtle symbolism and the more on the nose subtext, and then I cried more.

Recently, I tried to show it to a friend, and I cringed. I couldn't stop cringing.

There are things about this anime that I truly love;

• The MC's name is Yuzu, alluding to an orange that is added to baths to keep people warm. When the girls get off to a heated started, Mei can't stand sleeping in the same bed as her because her body heat's too much to handle for the ice cold cuudere.

• At the beginning when the girls fall in the fountain over some kinda trivial dispute, there are three ripples in the triangular shaped fountain. This subtly foreshadows the triple introduction of love triangles being a source of conflict.

• The first girl that tries to get between the girls, has a puppy. During her last monologue and right before her utter rejection, Mei plays with the dog. She's casual with it, toys around with it, but then hands it back to the first competitor (rejecting her puppy love.)

• The cute thing where Mei occasionally hides behind her stuffed animal. It was sadly never expanded upon.

But Mei and Yuzu's relationship dynamic was not properly explored. Maybe the writer just thought it needed to be fast paced and engaging, and the only way they knew how to do that was love triangles?

It hits the generic things a normal romance does;

X - Love interests are shown separately, and the audience gets a peek at how their qualities and strengths could complement one another

• Love interests get off on the wrong foot

• Will they and won't they loop

(Poorly executed thanks to an over reliance and spamming of love triangles)

• Character moments

(Poorly executed as well, but when they hit - they hit.)

X Satisfying conclusion where the love interests come together

This last one.... if something is in the romance genre, then one of the golden rules is, happy ending. This one ends on a vague note, yet we know there will never be a season two.

So, I will rewrite this with these things in mind;

• Explore conflicts that can emphasize the girls' traits, strengths, and weaknesses. This is especially important for the first few conflicts, and this was done during the first conflict of the series with the headmaster and Mei's arranged marriage.

The Mei that clings to expectations and tradition doesn't speak out, and the hardheaded Yuzu who stands for what's right speaks out.

• I will keep the original inciting incident and premise, that being a student council head moving in with an unruly girl so that them getting along or having a crash-out will be expedited.

• Give better characterization and motivation to Mei. She wasn't the most fleshed out, truly. Yet her mystery was a frustration to the audience more so than it was intrigue for Yuzu. I'll still try to give her intrigue and mystery, since I think that is something the writers were originally going for.

• I'm not going to have many conflicts. I'm going to do the more traditional route where you open 3-4 problems and solve them in reverse order.

Have to go to work but you get the point.