Flip Flappers Episode 8- The Crazy Robot Fight Symbolizes More Yuri Themes

With Episodes 8 of Flip Flappers came more insanity and more… yuri! In this post, I am going to relate the events in this episode to my last analysis about the homosexual themes in Episode 7. In that piece, I analyzed all of the nuances and symbols that possibly represented Cocona’s lesbian feelings for Papika.

The Yuri Is Getting Stronger and The Girls Are Getting Closer

Up until Episode 6, there was mostly  subtle yuri subtext, but with the premiere of Episode 7, there was no longer any doubt about their being yuri content. This show is exploring homosexuality between girls. Whether or not anything romantic will actually happen between Cocona and Papika is yet to be known, but the idea is there. At the end of Episode 7, Cocona finally finds Papika after being lost and realizes how special Papika is to her. As the episode finishes, it is obvious that the girls are closer to one another and their bond has deepened.

From the beginning of Episode 8 to its end, Cocona and Papika were all over each other. Holding hands, hugging, leaning on each other… Even if you aren’t a fan of yuri, it is hard to deny that the girls seem a little closer than friends. I believe Cocona is beginning to realize this. In one of the first scenes, when Papika grabs Cocona’s hand and drags her along, everything slows down. Cocona notices the water and sunlight glistening off of Papika’s long hair. Her eyes widen as though she is having an epiphany; perhaps she is finally noticing Papika’s beauty or the effect that Papika has on her.

And then Cocona slips backward, plummeting into the school pool and toward Bu-chan who is skimming the pool’s bottom. As always, Papika jumps in to save Cocona by grabbing her hand. They crash into Bu-chan, but do not hit the pool’s floor. Instead, they are transported to Pure Illusion. I believe that they were transported there because of their bond. Hidaka said himself that they need to have a close relationship in order to successfully travel to Pure Illusion. Papika jumping in after Cocona proves their bond- no matter what, Papika will try to rescue Cocona, and this moment, though seemingly mundane, sent them to Pure Illusion because their connection is that strong.

What Was That Weird Robot World And Who Was The Scientist ?

The world they end up in is a futuristic city with huge buildings and advanced technology. While here, the girls run into Yayaka, the twins, and a strange, small scientist. My theory is that the small man is Bu-chan and that this dimension is based off of his mind. Bu-chan is a living computer and his whole life is dependent on technology. In other words, he is literally a brain using a robot for a body. As of right now, we do not know who or what Bu-chan is exactly, but my guess is that he was some kind of genius. Why else would you put a brain in a robot? I think they were probably trying to preserve the intelligence and knowledge of some extremely brilliant person.

An example that indicates he is Bu-chan is when the scientist says that he built this city to hold his overwhelming amount of intelligence. Perhaps a physical or mechanical body was not enough to hold his amount of intellect, and it somehow manifested itself in Pure Illusion. Another hint is the scientist’s eyes. One eye is blue, and is very similar to the color of Bu-chan’s eye. His other eye is yellow, just like Bu-chan’s robot frame. But probably the most telling clue was at the end when Bu-chan rushes into the laboratory and part of his hardware explodes. This was directly after Cocona and Papika made a huge explosion in Pure Illusion. I think the explosion actually hurt the brain inside of Bu-chan, which was housing the alternate world.

Cocona’s Character Development

As the episode continues, Papika, Cocona, along with Yayaka and the twins, have to face some menacing monsters. One of these is a giant who happens to have the next gem inside of him. However, even if they combine powers, the monster is too strong to be defeated. Knowing the risks, Cocona decides that she wants to fight it anyway. Why? Because she doesn’t want Papika to get hurt. She also doesn’t want to lose all of the adventures and fun times that she has had with Papika thanks to Pure Illusion, which may be destroyed due to the monster. She declares that she “wants to protect what’s most precious with [her] own hands.” 

This is a huge difference compared to Cocona in the beginning. That Cocona didn’t want anything to do with Pure Illusion or Papika. That Cocona would always make decisions based on Papika’s actions and let Papika save her. Not anymore. Cocona has now decided that she is going to help protect Papika as well. This portrays how much Cocona has grown as a person, and how close she has become to Papika.

The Power Of Rebellion (And Yuri)!

When the scientist hears Cocona’s declaration, he decides to entrust her and Papika with “the power of rebellion.” In the show, this is literally a giant robot, but I believe it has much more symbolism behind it. In going on adventures in Pure Illusion, Cocona is rebelling against… well, everything. Against a normal everyday life. Against her own insecurities. Against the giant monster. But does the monster represent? Society. Think back to Episode 7 when Cocona was subconsciously fighting compulsive heterosexuality- believing that girls should only date boys. However, now Cocona has decided she is going to stay with Papika. She will not abandon the girl she is so fond of, even if people may question their sexuality. Cocona chooses Papika, and will rebel against anything that will get in the way of their relationship. It is a wonderful analogy for choosing love (no matter the gender) over other people’s judgement.

When the girls are given the robot, they still have trouble defeating the monster. Therefore, the scientist tells them to “combine.” I don’t have to spell it out, do I? I think this is a very blatant metaphor telling the girls to take their relationship to the next level and “combine” their bodies. I mean, look at Cocona. She is blushing.

They combine their robots and become one robot (again, this is very obviously a sexual reference) and take on the giant.

Questioning Yayaka And Her Sexuality

However, this still isn’t enough power to defeat the monster. Yayaka, who had been watching from the sidelines, asks if the scientist has another robot that she can use. In response, he asks her, “Do you want to save them?” Just as he is questioning her, the audience has probably been questioning Yayaka over the course of the series. With each episode, Yayaka has slowly been becoming more open toward Cocona since finding out about her adventures in Pure Illusion. And while they are enemies, Yayaka never goes out of her way to hurt Cocona or Papika. She becomes even more questionable at the beginning of this episode, where she is obviously trying to save Cocona and Papika from the bird creatures. It makes the audience wonder- how does Yayaka really feel about this whole situation? We never get to hear her direct answer about saving them, but Yayaka gets her own piece of machinery to fight against the giant.

She asks the scientist if the robot has any special abilities, and he says that she needs to release her impedance, meaning she has to yell “Flip Flapping” just like Cocona and Papika. In doing so, the robot combines with other robots. I think this is yet another analogy dealing with homosexuality. To save the day, Yayaka has to combine or join forces with Cocona and Papika. We have already established that these two have a yurish relationship. What if Yayaka is having her own struggles with liking girls? What if helping Cocona and Papika is indicating that she wants a similar relationship? Is that why she is so reluctant? (I am definitely going to talk about Yayaka and her yuri tendencies in my write up of Episode 9, which I will have out as soon as I can.)

In the end, the robot that formed thanks to Cocona, Papika, and Yayaka was able to defeat the monster. Cocona and Papika end up getting the gem because Yayaka decides not to fight for it, which brings up more questions about her intentions.

Personal Thoughts On The Yuri In This Episode

The last episode made it pretty obvious that yuri was going to be a part of this show. Despite this, I was scared that the show wouldn’t continue to explore Cocona and Papika’s possible homosexual relationship, but thankfully I was wrong. In Episode 8, Papika was all over Cocona, who didn’t seem to mind. At all. In fact, she was pretty loving back. I hope the show continues with this theme and that we get to actually see Cocona and Papika become a couple. Unlike other shows that just use yuri for some fanservice, Cocona and Papika actually have a relationship and bond that they have worked hard to maintain. If they do become a couple (fingers crossed), they would probably be one of the most endearing.

Just to prove that I am not just a crazed yuri freak who is imagining all of this, here are more yuriish pictures from Episode 8.