Yosuga no Sora: In solitude, where we are least alone
12 Episodes
2010
Alternate Titles
Yosuga no Sora
In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone
Sky of Connections
Series Order
Okay, so there aren’t any sequels or prequels to speak of, but the show is arranged in a slightly unusual manner; if you bought the Anime Works’ American DVD collection (and possibly the same goes for Blu-Ray) you’ll note that the series is spread out over four discs. This is highly uncommon for twelve twenty-four-minute episodes! Each disc contains the relevant episodes for each heroine, so if there’s a specific alternate reality you’d like to see, it’s easy to do. Here’s the guide – just in case you’re streaming it or the Blu-Ray doesn’t work in the same way as the DVD collection:
Akira Amatsume (Ep. 1-4)
Kazuha Migiwa (Ep. 1-2, 5-6)
Nao Yorihime (Ep. 1, 7-9)
Sora Kasugano (Ep. 1, 7, 10-12)
Motoka Nogisaka‘s deal is a little different: her arc is played off predominantly for comedy and fan-service, often depicted in a chibi* style. Episodes 1-12 are her domain, but she only has a short, few-minute segment after the ending theme of each episode. On the DVD collection, you can find her arc by selecting the last chapter of each episode.
Genre
Romance; Drama; Ecchi**; Psychological; Tragedy; Alternate Reality
Synopsis
After a car accident leaves twins Haruka and Sora without parents, the two move out to the countryside of their childhood with their inheritance and their late grandparents’ house. Her body frail since she was young, Sora chooses not to go to school. However, much to her dismay, her brother still wants to go. While there, he makes friends old and new as he becomes an instant hit with the girls in his class, and the Butterfly Effect gets to decide which one he ends up with: a serious girl whose overprotectiveness has caused a rift with her father, a playful girl who has a one-sided memory of Haruka, a regretful girl whose actions when they last met have led her to avoid him, or even a rich family’s maid whose abysmal luck with men has left her depressed. But one forbidden romance starts bearing fruit as his sister’s fond memory of a youthful kiss becomes apparent and begins to damage his relationships.
Content Advisory
This is not a comprehensive list of every individual use of strong content, merely a guide to show you how extreme it gets and how strong it tends to be. Also, the tags I’ve given each segment (e.g. Very Strong Language) is based on my own system and does not necessarily reflect the tags the BBFC (or other national equivalent) use. According to my system, the ‘Mild’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Strong’ and ‘Very Strong’ adjectives are based on strength, not on volume. Now, obviously, the strength of any type of content is subjective; what I consider strong might just be a relaxing weekend for you. Hence, I have added an explanation for my decision to allow you to make your own informed decision.
Please also note that the ‘colourful’ language I am referring to here is based on Anime Works’ English Subtitles. Other translations/subtitles (e.g. stream versions) may (and probably do) differ.
Very Strong Sex References
Generally speaking, the show isn’t especially explicit in terms of its sexual terminology. Instead, it opts for implications, subtleties or straight-up showing you what’s going on. As an example, while the series doesn’t show a character masturbating in explicit detail, their bare legs are seen, their faces show ecstasy and their arm moves in a fashion that makes it obvious.
Another example would be a scene where oral sex is implied; a character goes under the table and then opens their mouth. The camera then cuts to the recipient moaning.
One Use of Strong Language
“Fuck” is used during one scene, and milder language (e.g. crap, ass, etc.) is featured throughout.
Moderate Sexualised Nudity
Despite the show being fairly explicit, it doesn’t contain any nudity that depicts genitalia. Nipple detail is present, however, and fairly frequent. Even if you didn’t spot any in the main segment, you’ll almost definitely spot some in Motoka’s short episode after the end credits.
Moderate Sex
As mentioned above, it doesn’t show any genital detail, but there’s a fair bit of thrusting and moaning, so I guess that makes up for it? Depends on your point of view…
Suicide Themes
Although it’s not entirely clear whether the character intends to commit suicide, they at least attempt an act which would ultimately result in such an event.
Incest Themes
This isn’t an official category here and this show is famous for exploring incest, so it goes without saying that it’s present. However, should anyone be glancing at the Content Advisory section before anything else, I figured I should give the warning here. It doesn’t glamorise incest or anything, but it is very present – which is worth a warning on its own.
Reasons to Watch
This is the difficult part. I don’t want you to see this entry as an oversized ‘DON’T WATCH THIS’ post. Equally, I don’t want to influence your opinion with a biased review – there’s a reason this website is called ‘Anime Insights’ and not ‘Anime Reviews’! In this section, I’m going to try to convey to you some of the reasons (in no particular order) that I’ve seen this series’ fans give for enjoying it!
This series has been praised for its bluntness and maturity towards its romance and story.
Presents a no-punches-pulled exploration of an incestuous relationship from a director who has been praised for his ability to make shows ‘work’. This is sort of covered by the previous point about bluntness and maturity, but I feel like the incest theme on its own is worth a separate mention – afterall, it’s rare to find an incest show like that!
All arcs feature at least one softcore sex scene (i.e. no genitals are visible) and Motoka’s arc is pretty much built around them. For fans of more extreme fan-service, this may be a selling point.
Barrier of Entry
Presents a no-punches-pulled exploration of an incestuous relationship. This is as much a selling point as it is a barrier of entry for those who may not appreciate that side. Incest is probably bad enough for many, but then to add fairly frequent sex scenes, too – well, that might be a bit much.
The more extreme fan-service on its own may be enough to drive some viewers away.
Since pretty much the whole unique selling point of the series is its incest story, some viewers may find the other romances are overshadowed by this one.
Music
Opening Theme
Hiyoku no Hane by eufonius
Main Ending Theme
Tsunagu Kizuna by Team. Nekokan [Neko] feat. Junca Amaoto
Motoka’s Ending Theme
If you start looking into this group for more music, you may discover a group by the name of ‘Momoiro Clover Z’. This is the same group, however, the ‘Z’ was added to their group name later when one member left. The song performed here was done so when this member was still a part of the group. Ergo, the artist is credited as ‘Momoiro Clover’.
Pinky Jones by Momoiro Clover
Hardcopy Notes
As of writing this [11/07/2019], there is no UK version available, announced or licensed. It should also be noted that Anime Works’ DVD collection is made on DVD-R discs, so some online retailers warn that it may not be compatible with older DVD Players and/or Gaming Consoles. The Blu-Rays, however, have no reported issues.
On Anime Works’ DVD collection, the series is separated into four discs. Each disc is dedicated to one of the main heroines and includes their corresponding episodes (this does not include Motoka’s arc as her short episodes are featured after the ending credits of each full-length episode). This same layout, though unlikely, may apply to the Blu-Ray collection, too.
Trivia
In 2011, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Youth Healthy Development Council decided to up the age-ratings of many depictions of incest content. In 2012, Yosuga no Sora was discussed, but was left unaffected. It was argued that the series doesn’t glamorise incest or depict it as socially acceptable, instead opting to portray it in a blunt, realistic manner.
Staff List
Animation Production: feel.
Director: Takeo Takahashi
Series Composition: Naruhisa Arakawa
Music: Bruno Wen-Li & Manabi Miwa
Original Creator: Sphere
Original Character Design: Hiro Suzuhira & Takashi Hashimoto
Animation Character Design: Kanetoshi Kamimoto
Art Director: Toshihiro Kohama
Lead Voice Actors
Hiro Shimono as Haruka Kasugano
Hiroko Taguchi as Sora Kasugano
– – –
Yuka Inokuchi as Nao Yorihime
Kayo Sakata as Akira Amatsume
Ryoko Ono as Kazuha Migiwa
Tae Okajima as Motoka Nogisaka
For Your Anime Dictionary
*Chibi is a deformed art-style, generally depicting characters with large heads and comparatively small bodies. It appears more simplistic and is used to emphasise cuteness and/or comedy.
**Ecchi is anime’s version of softcore pornography. Though sex scenes and even pixilated genitalia can be present, it’s rare (particularly in the genitalia department). It’s much more common for Ecchi anime to contain less explicit detail. In this case, nipple detail and sex scenes are both present.