Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch!

DGFischer Jun 15, 2023

8

The reason that I panned the first season was that all too predictability of an invincible Yuna in that ridiculous bear uniform.  Monsters were swept away with ursine powers unimaginable.  This made the series boring after a while.  Kuma x 3 Bear Punch (aka season two) tried to tweak this a wee bit, but in the end, woe betide the monsters and stuffy aristocrats that run afoul of Yuna.  A winner is a winner. But winners sometimes get on people’s nerves. The wee tweak was one episode with Yuna having a nightmare of being vanquished.  She wakes up in time, but she reveals the base of her fear.  Death in RPG is more than game over.  All the friendships and alliances are negated.  The relationship of Yuna and Fina ... gone.  So we see the rationale behind Yuna's invincibility.  She has so much to lose and would have to come back an unknown at level one. But season two tweaks elsewhere.  Yuna in the bear suit is a pretty young girl, and the characters are trying to get Yuna to appreciate her feminine side.  At a royal birthday party, Yuna dons a dress, but keeps on bear paws and gloves ... no reason to be totally defenseless.  Also, the monster of the week concept is shelved for a monster once in a while, but then you get to watch Yuna create the Kuma Inc. corporate empire.  The RPG economy just sparkles as Yuna plans (and I snooze ... business success? ... phooey!  Just another form of Yuna-invincibility).  Then, the worst monsters are the corrupt nobility and random adventurers who belittle the little girl in the bear costume. In short, invincibility takes an alternate route, but ... we know who's going to win in a wipeout. The animation has an improved palette, offering moments for the soft and winsome Yuna to show up when she's not fierce and frolicsome Bear.  Really, Bear Punch tries for 'ursine cute' especially with her team of matching cuddlies Kumakyuu and Kumayuru.  No wonder there are those types who underestimate her. ‘Cute with clout,’ a formula that will work, but ... A humble suggestion, knowing that it is already too late; episode last is in the can (unless I'm a remarkably good guesser).  Let some new hot-shot enter the realm (make this hot-shot a [gulp!] boy).  Let him beat Yuna and eliminate her from the game.  Let Yuna return for a new game believing everyone will have forgotten the girl in the bear suit.  And they do, except one minor character as Ans.  The littler sister who believes! This will make season three the biggest comeback story in the history of anime.  And as the nemesis is a boy ... the struggle for the feminine Yuna can begin ... as vincible invincibility gets her revenge! And now ... soon ... episode twelve!

Nitaboo Jul 5, 2023

10

i really love this anime 

Xnub Jul 16, 2023

7

***No Spoilers*** This season was mostly the same as Season 1, but it offers more interaction with the nobles and their scheming, adventuring parties with some questing and other factions and groups not seen yet. So you get many more interesting and diverse situations that you will see the MC Yuna involved with compared to in S1. It also ends up with less plain monster beat downs as a result and more interactions with humans as the problem or challenge. It's a welcome change that adds much more to Yuna as a character as she can’t Kuma punch everything this time. 7/10 - If you liked season 1 you will probably love season 2 as it is the better of the two.