Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re diving back into the tangled performance of masks that is Yuri is My Job!, as our heroines struggle to discover something approaching intimacy among the performances and expectations of both genre and adolescence. We arrive back after a moment of great victory for Hime and Mitsuki, with the two having simultaneously repaired their friendship and affirmed their validity as Schwestern for the cheering crowd. Though Mitsuki has tremendous difficulty admitting to her feelings, the strictly defined language of Cafe Liebe ultimately served as something like training wheels for true expression, equipping her with the language and confidence necessary to admit she genuinely loves Hime.
Of course, she immediately walked that confession back with a convenient “that was all part of the performance,” but that too is part of why she was able to speak in the first place. To the awkward and uncertain, the itemized emotional beats of genre can be a lifeline, a common language that offers less ambiguity and vulnerability than fickle, unmediated conversation. And it’s not like regular conversation lacks strict conventions – after all, it was Mitsuki’s inability to match that lingo, to downplay her passions and laugh lightly with the crowd, that isolated her in the first place. And while Hime thrives in the superficial conventions that attend adolescent acquaintances, it’s clear that she too is seeking something more, something lasting, honest, and maybe even transformative. Let’s see if our heroines can find it as we return to Yuri is My Job!
Episode 7
“It’s Called Gyaru, Right?” But first, it’s apparently time for a Sumika episode! Sumika’s gyaru affectation is a nice embellishment on this production’s core themes; not only does it provide for a dramatic contrast between her professional and private self, but it also emphasizes how subculture is its own sort of performance, complete with expected speech patterns and its own dress code. We’re all just trying to find a comfortable self and discover others who appreciate that self, and any sort of hobby or stylistic affectation can act as a guideline on that journey, offering a costume that implies a certain view of the self, and thereby orienting you in a certain way towards both other members of the subculture and outsiders. Adolescent culture rotates through costumes that all in their own way signify “I get it, I’m a member of this crew, and if you’re one too we can probably understand each other”
Given all that, it’s no surprise that such subcultures are generally most prominently followed in your teen years. When you’re not sure who you are, a fully prefabricated costume with its own attendant interests and values can be a comforting option; as you age, you start to know yourself better, feel less anxious about being isolated for your differences, and adopt your own personal style
We open on a big block of text formally introducing us to the Blume Election, in which both “students” and cafe attendees vote on who they think can serve as an example to all the other students. So it’s basically an Employee of the Month determination combined with all the anxiety of a student council election. Seems horrifically stressful for the employees, but certainly an easy source of drama!
“More weird lore stuff that I don’t understand.” I’m with Hime. Though I suppose watching this show is giving me some perspective on why a certain kind of person would gravitate towards a lore-heavy narrative over one that is more focused on themes and human psychology. If human psychology doesn’t make sense to you, lore can feel a lot more reliable and comforting, as it is for Mitsuki
Hime unsurprisingly translates Blume Election to “student council president,” converting this process into a language she understands
“I can help Hime-chan more than I can at school.” Kanoko likes Cafe Liebe for reasons similar to Mitsuki – it’s a formalized world she can memorize and understand. What’s more, she can then help Hime understand, whereas at school it’s Hime who’s in her element
“The salon representatives all in one group!” A peek into the fictionalized Liebe Girls’ Academy offers some more context for the fantasy here: the cafe patrons are essentially taking the place of ordinary students, gazing in awe as the school stars walk by. A scenario much like Dear Brother or Utena
I imagine it is an effective way to drum up more business, by giving the patrons a sense of urgency in meeting all the candidates and making their choice. The more ownership you feel regarding an interest, the more tightly you cling to it – an instinct that can be used for great financial effect, but which also informs the parasocial dangers of modern fandom
The Blume’s Schwester also gets special privileges, a detail which is presumably there just to provoke Sumika and Kanoko into pairing up
Sumika describes it as a popularity concert, which Mitsuki unsurprisingly declares is too reductive. There are nuances to these tropes, and Mitsuki demands you respect them!
And patrons vote by ordering a special cake that comes with a ballot. A crafty pay-to-win scheme, encouraging more cake sales by tying them to the fate of your favorite student
Hime immediately begins to game out the voting, and Mai suggests she save that negotiating for the salon floor
Sumika asks Kanoko if she wants her phone back, and Kanoko can barely muster up three words in response. Sumika really does fluster the hell out of her
She doesn’t take it personally though, as she swiftly surmises that Kanoko has this much trouble talking to basically anyone except Hime. Like Mitsuki, she has clear reasons for appreciating the formalized language of Cafe Liebe
“Greetings! Thanks! The basics of a good facade!” Yep, a lot of Hime’s performance just comes down to confidently executed pleasantries
Kanoko is comfortable enough being an outsider, but Hime directs her to get comfortable with their coworkers, and so the quest is on
“The whole academy is abuzz about the Blume, and I tire of it.” Sumika’s got an interesting job here – she’s basically the floor manager, which means she keeps an eye on everything from behind the veil of her book, while also interjecting new conversational topics to keep up a steady flow of dramatic performances. Here, she acts tired of the Blume ceremony simply to provoke Mitsuki into defending it, thereby creating some fun floor drama while simultaneously advertising the election
Their confrontation immediately earns two more cake orders, as each of them offers a pitch for why the other should become Blume. Of course, Hime still doesn’t fully understand the game, and thus questions why Mitsuki would suggest Mizuno should take the title
“Playing hard-to-get, little sister? You could try occasionally betraying your sister to be nice to me, you know.” Mizuno understands her own archetype perfectly, and seems to relish the chance to perform the seductive, almost carnivorous upperclassman
But Kanoko takes the stand, interrupting Mizuno’s performance and protecting Hime! Her most aggressive play so far, but one which has nothing to do with her salon performance and everything to do with her feelings towards Hime. She’ll have to be careful, lest the one relationship she can neither lose nor define becomes more grist for salon drama
“This is normal, right? It’s just photos of a friend.” Oh my god Kanoko
Kanoko is now pretty sure Mizuno knows her secret, and thus cheers herself up by taking even more pictures of Hime napping. Goddamn, girl
The next day, Mizuno attempts to greet Kanoko in her own gyaru clothes, and Kanoko assumes she is being abducted by a stranger. Kanoko’s really outdoing herself this episode
“At the salon, I’m just holding a book open. It makes me look more like an intellectual senpai, right?” While also concealing the fact that she’s perpetually scanning the room for conflicts or unattended customers. Mizuno is good enough at her job that her performance scans as natural behavior to both Hime and Kanoko, leading to this surprise at her actual personality
“Again… she’s messing with me using Hime-chan!” A trick that only works because you’re so wildly overdefensive, Kanoko. If no one else is even allowed to shake hands with Hime, your secret won’t stay a secret for long
“She’s slacking off, right? She’s not even reading that book.” Kanoko immediately frames Mizuno’s behavior in a framework that’s most flattering to her prior impressions, rather than accepting that she might be wrong about someone unlike herself. This is one self-defeating philosophy that often lies behind a shy affectation, a determination to frame everyone else in the most unflattering light possible, so as to justify one’s own anxiety about reaching out
“The inside of a book is a vast space. Bigger than this tiny academy.” Mizuno then goes on an extended tangent about the magic of books, immediately challenging Kanoko’s unflattering impression of her
“The classism breeds a snobbish atmosphere, and the sarcasm of it all is very funny,” Mizuno states, referring to a book that’s clearly Pride and Prejudice. She ain’t wrong – Jane Austen is a very funny writer, and clearly set much of the groundwork for the cynical, snarky protagonists and comedies of manners of our modern era
Of course, Kanoko still assumes she hasn’t read the book, and is thus judging her for giving customers a false impression
“She’s a gyaru, but…” Gotta admit that it’s pretty funny Kanoko has built up gyarus of all things as these incredibly intimidating members of society
It certainly works with the show’s themes, though. Kanoko is trying to put people in boxes, because she finds that more comfortable and less confusing, a quality she shares with Mitsuki. But Sumika possesses genuine self-confidence, meaning she doesn’t have to cling to external labels in order to define her identity; she can embrace gyaru aesthetics while also being a Jane Austen fan, because she is confident embracing her own distinctive, multifaceted identity
After their shift, Kanoko realizes that Sumika actually was describing the book accurately
“The only books I read in the salon are ones I’ve already read.” Sumika understands they all have their facades, but saw a potential point of genuine friendship in her and Kanoko’s shared appreciation of literature. We are not our affectations, we are our passions
“I’m just trying to be friendly, is all.” It really doesn’t have to be more complicated than that – a lesson both Kanoko and Mitsuki could learn from
And Done
Oh my god Kanoko, you are such a mess! I thought Mitsuki was a disaster, but Kanoko is even worse, having failed to find any vector for comfortable communication outside of speaking to Hime specifically. Still, she’s certainly found herself a capable coach in learning how to socialize, as Sumika is clearly the most confident, mature, and accommodating member of their staff. It was delightful watching Sumika run circles around Kanoko here, and I’m eager to see their relationship evolve now that the ice has at last been broken. Will Sumika introduce Kanoko to scrunchies and baggy socks? We can only dream.
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