So with my thoughts for the first episode of Citrus. Well, I'm really only eight episodes in and keeping up to date with the manga so any initial opinion I had on the show basically changed due to the manga. As for the manga at the moment, it's another instance of where I like the adaptation more particularly because the more extreme moments are more conveyed than in the manga where it would just be one picture and then the moment's over.
So with this episode, when I first watched it, it did do its job and made me decide to keep up with the anime whilst reading the original material. Once again, I loved the interactions between Yuzu and Mei with this episode because of how they were two sides of the same coin. Yuzu thinks more on her heart; as such, she gets into things without thinking, which places her at odds with the student council president, Mei. Mei at this point, I will say that I had slowly started to change my mind on her. Now this is solely going by her depiction in the anime; she comes off as distant and cold, and pretty much a brat towards Yuzu, and flat out ignores her attempts at trying to strike up a conversation since they were now stepsisters. But now, I can tell that she is truly starting to change ever so slightly the more she spends time with Yuzu. Of course, I wouldn't protest that because I feel that having a character have a complete 360 without any buildup because it wouldn't be realistic.
Now as for the infamous scene regarding Mei holding down Yuzu as she forcefully kisses her, I can see where a lot of the controversy comes from. There is no getting around it: it is assault. However, I can't honestly bring myself to refer to it as "lesbian rape." This point was already brought up frequently, but I do agree with the interpretation: the kiss is synonymous to an earlier scene in the episode: the homeroom teacher forcefully kissing Mei. Given the obvious unpleasantness that Mei felt about the kiss, it isn't out of line to suggest that Mei was attempting to translate her feelings about being kissed by the homeroom teacher to Yuzu. It was revolting. Straining and suffocating. So basically, Mei answers Yuzu's question on how it felt to kiss the teacher by making the kiss forced. Really, that's how I feel about the assault scenes throughout the first five or so episodes. The show in no shape or form glamorizes sexual assault and rape. Rather, it paints these moments as rightfully disturbing or uneasy. For instance, Momokino making advances on Mei show that while Momokino cares for Mei, she is unwilling to share her with anyone, let alone her stepsister. Mei attempting to seduce Yuzu after finding out that her father wouldn't return to the academy is her desperately trying to cling onto someone for comfort, or Matsuri kissing Yuzu is her attempt at trying to instill dominance. Each of these moments to me have deeper meanings behind them rather than being there solely for fanservice.
Overall, it was a great way to start the show off.
So with this episode, when I first watched it, it did do its job and made me decide to keep up with the anime whilst reading the original material. Once again, I loved the interactions between Yuzu and Mei with this episode because of how they were two sides of the same coin. Yuzu thinks more on her heart; as such, she gets into things without thinking, which places her at odds with the student council president, Mei. Mei at this point, I will say that I had slowly started to change my mind on her. Now this is solely going by her depiction in the anime; she comes off as distant and cold, and pretty much a brat towards Yuzu, and flat out ignores her attempts at trying to strike up a conversation since they were now stepsisters. But now, I can tell that she is truly starting to change ever so slightly the more she spends time with Yuzu. Of course, I wouldn't protest that because I feel that having a character have a complete 360 without any buildup because it wouldn't be realistic.
Now as for the infamous scene regarding Mei holding down Yuzu as she forcefully kisses her, I can see where a lot of the controversy comes from. There is no getting around it: it is assault. However, I can't honestly bring myself to refer to it as "lesbian rape." This point was already brought up frequently, but I do agree with the interpretation: the kiss is synonymous to an earlier scene in the episode: the homeroom teacher forcefully kissing Mei. Given the obvious unpleasantness that Mei felt about the kiss, it isn't out of line to suggest that Mei was attempting to translate her feelings about being kissed by the homeroom teacher to Yuzu. It was revolting. Straining and suffocating. So basically, Mei answers Yuzu's question on how it felt to kiss the teacher by making the kiss forced. Really, that's how I feel about the assault scenes throughout the first five or so episodes. The show in no shape or form glamorizes sexual assault and rape. Rather, it paints these moments as rightfully disturbing or uneasy. For instance, Momokino making advances on Mei show that while Momokino cares for Mei, she is unwilling to share her with anyone, let alone her stepsister. Mei attempting to seduce Yuzu after finding out that her father wouldn't return to the academy is her desperately trying to cling onto someone for comfort, or Matsuri kissing Yuzu is her attempt at trying to instill dominance. Each of these moments to me have deeper meanings behind them rather than being there solely for fanservice.
Overall, it was a great way to start the show off.
