They do this in canon too, particularly in games with VS modes. "Whoever loses has to cook!"

Vid-szhite said:

They do this in canon too, particularly in games with VS modes. "Whoever loses has to cook!"

Everyone ate mushrooms that day.

Vid-szhite said:

They do this in canon too, particularly in games with VS modes. "Whoever loses has to cook!"

ZUN isn't even hiding the fact they are basically a canon couple.

GoldSaw said:

ZUN isn't even hiding the fact they are basically a canon couple.

not even a joke. I was getting such a yuri vibe from WaHH chapter 37. Page 13 especially on the bottom where Marisa´s hair covers her eyes and she seems to lean toward Reimu with a little hesitant smile as if she is about to try and nuzzle or smooch Reimu on the cheek. But I wonder if that was ZUN writing it up like that, or Aya Azuma taking some liberties to keep the spark alive for the fans and Reimu x Marisa shippers. Cute scene in any case.

Котенок said:

not even a joke. I was getting such a yuri vibe from WaHH chapter 37. Page 13 especially on the bottom where Marisa´s hair covers her eyes and she seems to lean toward Reimu with a little hesitant smile as if she is about to try and nuzzle or smooch Reimu on the cheek. But I wonder if that was ZUN writing it up like that, or Aya Azuma taking some liberties to keep the spark alive for the fans and Reimu x Marisa shippers. Cute scene in any case.

Either way, ZUN has to approve everything, so if ZUN didn't like her take on it, he can veto it. If he chooses to let these go, he's allowing it to become canon.

There's been strong yuri moments in every source, including in-game dialog (Meira), and some of ZUN's own cover art for LLS, so it can't just be Azmaya. Then of course, there's all of Marisa's double-entendres she makes at the bosses. Marisa basically spends half of EoSD being gay as hell, telling everyone she's delicious and they should eat her, and trying to hook Flan up with Reimu.

Not all of the yuri has been ReiMari, but there's implied yuri all over the place. There's the time Star started gently nibbling on Larva's arms as she drops a double-entendre (triple-entendre in Japanese), and the time Kosuzu started daydreaming about Reimu, or the time Reimu and Marisa found a "lovers' rendezvous" and they couldn't look at each other, and then one of the heart-shaped petals from the lovers' tree bopped Marisa on the head as Reimu nudged her, and so on. Considering I don't think Harukawa Moe ships anyone and wasn't a Touhou fan when she started on the project, the fact that subtext was happening even in Forbidden Scrollery, to me, meant that ZUN was giving the order. It wasn't just artful interpretation.

Then there's also the fact that Patchouli says in CoLA that because Marisa has a magical affinity for Water, and Reimu for Trees, they had exceptional compatibility as partners. ZUN's just banging us over our heads with ReiMari.

Vid-szhite said:

Either way, ZUN has to approve everything, so if ZUN didn't like her take on it, he can veto it. If he chooses to let these go, he's allowing it to become canon.

There's been strong yuri moments in every source, including in-game dialog (Meira), and some of ZUN's own cover art for LLS, so it can't just be Azmaya. Then of course, there's all of Marisa's double-entendres she makes at the bosses. Marisa basically spends half of EoSD being gay as hell, telling everyone she's delicious and they should eat her, and trying to hook Flan up with Reimu.

Not all of the yuri has been ReiMari, but there's implied yuri all over the place. There's the time Star started gently nibbling on Larva's arms as she drops a double-entendre (triple-entendre in Japanese), and the time Kosuzu started daydreaming about Reimu, or the time Reimu and Marisa found a "lovers' rendezvous" and they couldn't look at each other, and then one of the heart-shaped petals from the lovers' tree bopped Marisa on the head as Reimu nudged her, and so on. Considering I don't think Harukawa Moe ships anyone and wasn't a Touhou fan when she started on the project, the fact that subtext was happening even in Forbidden Scrollery, to me, meant that ZUN was giving the order. It wasn't just artful interpretation.

Then there's also the fact that Patchouli says in CoLA that because Marisa has a magical affinity for Water, and Reimu for Trees, they had exceptional compatibility as partners. ZUN's just banging us over our heads with ReiMari.

I am sure that as long as his characters are portrayed cutely and are not arbitrarily tongue-wrestling each other between plot events, it all goes.
Yuri can be used very loosely I suppose, but if I see two girls having a little picnic in a park and one suddenly pounces the other with a big embracing hug, I do not think "DANG! THEY WANT EACH OTHERS SWEET GAMGAMS!". It could be anything from telling her friend that her career dream was coming true, or she got engaged to her boyfriend or an announcement of her being pregnant, whatever.
It would be a bit like saying Nintendo deliberately make ''sexy pokemon'' to cater for the perverted branch of their audience; It PLAUSIBLE, but I doubt it.
Star nibbling on Larva's arm. Sure. Could have been the neck or shoulder and used her tongue still. Often it seem as if a character of the same sex is not keeping two arms distance away, it makes them a raging lesbian to many.
Kosuzu daydreaming about Reimu could and probably was only because she looks up to her as a hero or idol. She herself collapses in fear of youkai and admires Reimu's bravery. Wanting to be more LIKE her, not WITH her.
Not looking at another and averting ones eyes when embarrassed about something is a well-aged concept in comics and cartoons. I have seen Nobita and Doremon blush and look away from each other when embarrassed. Are they secret lovers? Probably not.
But I do see all your points and I only find it cute and clever that readers are given the freedom to interpret these scenes as they like, which I believe is what ZUN goes for when writing. Keeping those restraints loose and borderlines as blurry as possible.