Random Curiosity

「学園の王子様(女子)の悩み」 (Gakuen no Ouji-sama (Joshi) no Nayami)
“The Prince (Girl) of the School’s Problems”

This is exquisitely excruciating. Just make Kashima x Hori official already!

The Fateful Manga of Comedic Misunderstandings

I’ve said before that one of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun’s greatest strengths is using comedic misunderstandings without making them annoying, and this continued with more Kashima-kun & Hori-chan-sempai antics. Before it was really only Kashima that was subverting gender roles, while Hori-sempai was never taking the girl’s role (frequent use of “chan” with his name notwithstanding). Not anymore!

I really enjoyed how their lines of communication crossed so far that Kashima’s acts of kindness turned into bullying, and yet their relationship never soured. That’s a delicate dance, because for all of Hori-sempai’s hilarious rage, he never lost his odd admiration for Kashima, and Kashima’s admiration for her sempai never budged for even a second.

The Prince Who Became a Leaping Bull

But damn, this is shipteasing at its finest, and it’s killing me! In a good way, but gggggooooddddsss make them official already WHY! Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is one of those stories where I both want the romantic subplots to keep going as they are and be resolved. They’re funny as is, and the shipteasing is fun in its own way, but I also fear (know) that this is the kind of story which will probably never resolve any of them, because it’s a comedy. But after blushing Kashima causes Hori-sempai to ask Nozaki to make a manga out of her story, I’d be said if I never saw them being all properly lovey dovey. It’s killing me!

Nozaki-kun is a Crappy Manga-ka, Apparently

This is the first time Nozaki-kun has done something I really didn’t like. Him being crappy at backgrounds was funny, but it also seems to insinuate that he’s willing to let such a fundamental flaw in his manga skills exist when he could have been working to improve it! There’s nothing wrong with getting help from others, but some baseline competence is required, and when he can’t even give clear instructions, he begins to look lazy, and Hori-sempai looks unnecessarily put-upon. I really hope Nozaki is paying everyone to be his assistant, or at least the ones who help him a lot, which better include Hori-sempai since he’s apparently responsible for a third of his manga.

Short Girl, Tall Guy

One random thing I’m enjoying is when they poke fun at the height discrepancy between Chiyo & Nozaki-kun, something that is apparently going to continue next episode. Mainly because that’s my life. For those who don’t remember my origin story, I got the nickname Stilts because I’m 6’7″ (200cm) tall. I’ve dated a number of women who were the foot and a half shorter than me that appears to separate Chiyo & Nozaki. Too bad we’ll never get to the really fun stuff, like having to always bend down to kiss or getting odd looks when you’re holding hands. Though we got some of that back when Yuzuki called Nozaki a lolicon back in episode two. It’s not like that dammit!

Looking Ahead

The sailor uniform is baaaaaack!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Can we just make Kashima x Hori official now? Please? Pretty please? …please? #nozakikun 08

Random thoughts:

• Loved how Kashima went into prince mode on Mikorkin. Mikorin is such a Mamiko. Kashima x Mikor–NO! STAY STRONG STILTS!
• I-I didn’t expect those boxes to become plot important!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Don’t have enough time, Work you love, Completely unbiased, and You have to sell free.

Preview

「先輩の実力」 (Senpai no Jitsuryoku)
“A Senior’s True Strength”

It’s Sugawara’s time to shine! We see the former starting setter play in a match for the first time and bestow his experience on the first-years, which proved to not only be a highlight for his character, but a pivotal turning point for Kageyama–the genius who picks up techniques from others at an inhuman rate. As hinted in last week’s preview, Kageyama does sub back in for Sugawara in the end, so my personal takeaway for this episode was definitely the impact that Sugawara has on the team from a morale and experience standpoint.

The morale portion was felt immediately with the way he smacked all his second and third-year teammates (minus Nishinoya), alleviating a lot of the pressure they were feeling, and followed suit with his constant encouragement after every play–an often overlooked aspect of volleyball that can be key to building players’ confidence and generating momentum. The experience portion on the other hand came primarily from his knowledge-sharing, which resulted in key plays to halt Aoba Jousai’s momentum. Together, those two factors rejuvenated Karasuno and breathed new life into their game, despite their eventual loss in the first set. It was great to see that despite giving up the first set, Karasuno wasn’t the least bit discouraged going into the second. Sugawara had accomplished what he was hoping to with his court time, and also made Ukai realize that he could use him as a strategic compliment to Kageyama rather than simply as a backup. It was also noteworthy to see that he stopped himself from saying “kate yo” (“win this”) and instead said “katsu zo” (“let’s win this”) at the end, which implied that Sugawara finally felt like he was part of the team again. That was a nice follow-up to the third-years’ play that scored them one more point before he was subbed off.

As for Kageyama himself, I like how he matured as a player and didn’t take being benched as hard as before. Evidently, Sugawara helped a lot in that regard as well when he told him that the setter change was just to mix things up and try to break the Aoba Jousai “flow” that they were getting caught up in. To that end, it worked well, but I don’t think even Ukai expected it to work as well as it did off the court. When watching a match from an outside perspective, one generally notices a lot more details and small nuances than they would while playing in the match. That’s why teams have coaches and why they study video footage of both their previous games and the games of their opponents. Sugawara actually made mention of this benefit in the episode, but because of his humble nature, didn’t really allude to the fact that he teaches Kageyama a lot just from the way he conducts himself on the court. For us viewers, Ennoshita served as the voice to get that point across though, suggesting to Kageyama to think about how he can best maximize the effectiveness of his hitters. From an overall perspective, I found that moment more pivotal to the story and the team’s valiant (and successful) effort in countering Oikawa’s serve–despite how exciting the latter was to watch–since it will undoubtedly directly attribute to Kageyama’s growth as a player and Karasuno’s chances of turning this match around in the next episode.

In terms of volleyball specifics, there wasn’t too much to talk about in this episode. I will point out that aiming serves between an opponent’s serve-receive “lanes” like Oikawa did in this episode is a tried-and-true strategy since it causes confusion. One of the main advantages of using a three-man serve receive is that it limits the number of lanes (and thus the confusion on who should take the first ball). The other bit of course is Karasuno’s use of a two-man serve receive to handle Oikawa’s jump serve. You will never see this in volleyball unless one of the three serve receivers is having difficulty handling a serve and the team decides to let the two other receivers cover more of the court. However, this is generally only done on an as-needed basis and not in a way that makes it clearly obvious to your opponent that you’re “hiding” one of your serve receivers. For anime purposes, I’ll admit it was kind of exciting to see, since it allowed Sawamura to shine as Karasuno’s captain. Incidentally, what’s interesting to note is that Karasuno’s starting rotation for the second set was set up as “Power, Setter, Middle”, which means they could have easily used a three-man serve receive. In any case, I suspect the team will be revising their serve-receive formations more as the series goes on, so for now, the focus will be on how Kageyama elevates his game in the next episode, which should be really exciting to see. I can’t wait!

Preview

「バレット・オブ・バレッツ」 (Baretto Obu Burettsu)
“Bullet of Bullets”

After a couple episodes of setting the stage, this week’s episode finally kicks things off with a huge boom.

Death Gun

Unlike the previous antagonists we’ve had in this series, I’ve become fairly interested in this Death Gun fellow. Instead of being some omnipotent being who everyone including the bad guys want to bring down, Death Gun feels like the embodiment of both Kirito and Sinon’s struggles and fears. Essentially he’s both a constant reminder of the sins they’ve committed and someone they need to stop to really find peace with themselves. While it’s clear in Kirito’s case just why he needs to deal with Death Gun, I can’t wait to see how Sinon finds some meaning in defeating Death Gun. Who knows, maybe it’ll be Sinon who actually takes him down? In any case, it was cool to see Death Gun in action this week. With some superb skills to back up his death threats, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not that handgun of his really has the power to kill people.

Sinon Is Kawaii

After discovering just why everyone loves Sinon so much last week, this week was a fresh reminder that she’s a whole lot more than just a tsundere who has (had?) trouble dealing with guns. Besides being super cute when she’s being honest with herself and her feelings, I just love how she acknowledges not only her flaws but her strengths as well. As this episode highlighted, it looks like she’ll drop the stone cold face when the situation calls for it. All of which helps her give off an air of confidence without seeming cocky — the embodiment of a “cool beauty”.

Bullet of Bullets & Looking Ahead

I don’t know about you but I was super afraid that we’d have to wait until next week for the actual competition to start. Seeing how that wasn’t the case, I had a fantastic time watching the beginning of the competition play out. With the show remembering to show us some players besides the main three it helped the competition feel as grand as I thought it would be. That said I do hope the whole Death Gun issue gets hashed out pretty quickly. Seeing how the stage is set for an epic battle to go down, it’s hard to see Kirito losing with Sinon backing him up. But you know what? Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Sinon ended up sniping Death Gun straight out of the competition?

See you Next Week! Also I think this is my favorite shot of Sinon.

「オンデ / 念仏踊り」 (Onde / Nenbutsu Odori)
“Buddhist Prayer Dance”

Again, this week’s episode managed to bring out all the feels. Maybe it’s because I can relate closely with Handa or maybe it’s because Naru is such a powerful character on and off screen — all I know is that this show has made me shed more manly tears than I’ll ever openly admit.

The Mystery of Naru’s Parents

This week’s episode brought up a really interesting question that’s been on my mind but didn’t really want an answer too because of all the sad things it could bring. The question being just where are Naru’s parents? At first I always thought they must have been super busy like her grandpa but their absence during the grave visit conjures some pretty sad thoughts. Toss in how everyone seems to be avoiding the topic and you have the makings of a mystery that would wreck your emotions. At this point though, it could be just about anything and I’m hoping the show makes an effort to answer the question sometime soon. Until then, I’ll just believe that maybe they’re on some sort of adventure in the city trying to make a better life for themselves and the daughter that’s waiting for them to return.

Is It Worth Itl?

This second one get’s a bit personal but I personally have always loved spending time with kids younger than me. Be it babysitting or teaching them something that’ll enrich their life — I’m the one who’s on the ground playing with everyone. As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve slowly learned the harsh reality that everything you think you’re imparting on someone could completely be for naught. Can you imagine seeing some kid you’ve babysat for years completely not remember who you are? If you can’t, I’ll just tell you it feels pretty shitty.

Anyways, the thought of “is anything I do really meaningful?” has crossed my mind a lot recently and somehow turned into exactly what Handa said — even if I didn’t do anything that person or thing would probably end up the same, right? OF COURSE NOT. If there was anything this episode helped me remember, it’s that everything you do has meaning and pays huge dividends in the end. While it may not be tangible or even recognizable, there’s always something gained. Always.

Looking Ahead

With each and every episode doing a fantastic job of building on top of each other, I can’t wait to see what’s in-store for us down the homestretch. Between Handa and his goals in life and Naru’s parents, it feels like there’s more than, if not too much material for four more episodes. No matter what happens though, I’m sure we’ll have some sort of grand finish.

P.S. Sorry if these posts have been getting too personal. Something about this show manages to just click with me and I can’t help but write about it. Besides that, thanks for your continued support <3.

「鳥を見た日 -Then and Now-」 (Tori o Mi Ta Hi -Then and Now-)
“Day of Bird’s Sighting -Then and Now-”

Remember – you can’t misspell “slain” with an extra “e” without “Slaine”.

Where to begin with that one? The mind boggles, seriously. This series is a lot of things and not all of them are desirable, but one thing it certainly isn’t is boring. Aldnoah.Zero keeps the manic energy and the crazy plot developments and the soundtrack coming at you nonstop, and it’s pretty hard not to get swept up in it. But while there were certainly individual moments that were very strong, this episode isn’t going down as one of my favorites. In fact, it would be fair to say I have some serious issues with it.

I have to lead with Slaine, because his situation is certainly the most insistent in my mind. In sum, I’ve never especially cared for the trope of taking a character and giving them the Job treatment – having them be the punching bag for every sort of existential and physical torture the writer can throw at them. It’s a cheap and manipulative writing technique in my opinion, and whether you care to blame Urobutcher or not – and who knows to what extent this is coming from him, because who knows how deep his involvement is right now – it’s certainly a signature in his writing style. There were already signs this was starting to happen, but this episode took it up to what for me was an unacceptable level. I suspect I know where the plot is going with this but we didn’t need to see what we saw this week, and I hope we don’t see more of it.

Torture porn aside, the other main problem I have is with Cruhteo. I don’t know whether he’s dead or not – given what we saw it seems like the likeliest possibility (especially as his Aldnoah-powered Kataphrakt seems to shut down) but it’s not impossible that he could have had some sort of teleport capability or something. Irrespective, when that “Forgive me, Slaine” moment arrived, I threw up in my mouth a little. That was so wrong on so many levels I hardly know where to begin, but let’s start with the fact that no, I don’t fucking forgive you whether Slaine does or not. Is the fact that Cruhteo didn’t know about Asseylum’s death supposed to vindicate him for being a racist and classist who not only employs torture to achieve his goals, but seems to derive real pleasure from it? Or the fact that despite knowing Asseylum’s desire for peace with Earth, he gleefully uses her death – even if he didn’t help cause it – to launch full-scale war? No, this is a bad man and his actions this week were reprehensible by any standard of decency. If he’s dead, good riddance – but that doesn’t wipe “Forgive me, Slaine” from my memory. That was the low-point of the series so far and I’ll be surprised if it’s dethroned.

As bad as that whole torture sequence was, it’s certainly effective at eliciting a visceral disquiet at seeing Inaho and the princess having wistful walks on the deck of the Deucalion and bird-watching. I don’t believe it was Inaho’s intent to have what happened to Slaine happen, necessarily, but the plot is certainly going to some interesting places with him. This appears to be the raison d’etre behind his emotional flatlining – he’s being developed as a creepy, dangerous person whose motives are impossible to ascertain. That’s certainly more interesting than a conventional “and so his heart was finally unlocked” character arc, but it’s a dangerous path – I’m quite curious to see where we go with him. I don’t think there’s any question Inaho’s goal is to save Earth from destruction (though even that was cleverly undermined by reminding us of the self-interest aspect for him), but his methodology is the key – rather than simply being emotionally opaque, Inaho may in fact be genuinely amoral.

The other interesting element that’s emerging for me is the sociopolitical side of events. While Rayet’s speech to Magbaredge was a little precocious coming from an elfin 15 year-old, it certainly laid the Martian society wide-open and gutted it like a fish. They are indeed an interesting combination of futuristic technology and a genuinely archaic social structure. Social climbers who long to prove their glory in conquest and the worst kind of aristocrats who despise anyone lower than them, armed with superpowered alien weaponry and energy source? It’s a kind of perfect storm of awfulness, as if one of the Imperialist powers of 18th-Century Europe had access to nuclear weapons and the internet. Could peace every truly be negotiated with such a nation? This is a genuinely fascinating thread, but I’m quite curious to see if we’re introduced to anything remotely sympathetic on the Martian side apart from Asseylum herself (and I certainly don’t count Cruhteo).

Perhaps it was the boom-or-bust nature of this episode, riddled as it was with intriguing twists and egregious stumbles, but it feels as if we’re at a nexus point with Aldnoah.Zero. There are four episodes left in the first cour, and we’re presumably going to be taken to some sort of climax as a stopping point. I think we’re going to find out whether this show has real legs or not very soon – I don’t think there’s any doubt it will be an entertaining thrill-ride at the least, but the question is how much more it can be than just that. Where do we go from here with Slaine, with his martyrdom becoming very stale? Do we see a genuine diversity of view on the Martian side, or does this turn into a straight-out war story? Do we get a glimpse of what’s really lurking behind Inaho’s stony visage? Answers are going to have to start coming soon, and they’ll tell us a lot about Aldnoah’s long-term prospects.

Zephyr’s Impressions:

Just when you thought things were finally going Slaine’s way… ah, why can’t I hold all this suffering.

All in all, arguably my favorite episode of the series so far. Choice flashbacks set the stage for Slaine’s brutal torture at the hands of Cruhteo, which ultimately helped the latter realize who’s really worth trusting. The name of the game this week is trust, and it was great to see how this matter was approached—not only in the context of Slaine x Cruhteo, but in regards to the crew members of the Deucalion and their feelings regarding Martians, and Raylet’s continued unwillingness to see past the Martians’ earlier betrayal of her and her father (for now).

There can be no doubt however, that the purest relationship of trust remains that of Slaine and Asseylum, who truly represent the keys to the future at this point—at least in regards to one where both Martians and Terrans can co-exist. It’s just a pity neither of them are in the position to come together and bring that future to fruition at this time, no thanks to a certain Orbital Knight and outwardly emotionless protagonist who’s clearly just a fill in for Slaine more than anything.

Mark my words Inaho. Slaine’ll turn the tables permanently one day, and you’ll rue the day you screwed him over by tossing him into the sea. In the meanwhile though, there’s a few other things here worth talking about, one of which was Cruhteo’s attempt to immediately contact Earth Headquarters. He may not have succeeded in the end, but it was a testament here to the kind of person he was, and out of all the Orbital Knights, he could very well be the only one worth having respect for considering how the Vers Empire is essentially:

“A nation that latched onto an archaic feudal system reliant on the superscience of an ancient civilization called the Aldnoah. One where commoners are obsessed with proving them in battle to gain social standing and the nobility casually betray and grind them into the dirt.”

Raylet’s words, however bitter they were, are right on the mark in summarizing the Vers Empire in a few sentences, and it was just another good moment in what was a very good episode. In ways, her development’s been one of the more smoother ones out of the cast, and there’s definitely an important role for her to play in the future at some point.

Until then, it’s smooth sailing (for now) for our new battleship wielding main cast, and I must say, it’s only fitting that the ship received the name it did (Deucalion) considering his mythological background. Basically, he was the son of Prometheus, the Titan who first gave humans fire (fitting considering how the battleship gives humans a fighting chance), and it was said he built a special chest (the battleship would be a fitting allusion to this) to survive the great flood, which subsequently allowed him to repopulate the world with humanity (I don’t think anything needs to be said about this angle). Overall, two thumbs up this week, though part of me’s wondering if part of it isn’t due to Inaho’s general lack of involvement in everything.

「とげ の道 」 (Toge no Michi)
“Road of Thorns”

I knew “Road of Thorns” was going to pack quite the emotional punch, but the anime adaptation certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s easy to see why Nagahama-sensei had originally planned to end the first season of “Zoku Shou” with this story, because there’s not much you could follow it up with – it’s one of the saddest and most chilling tales in the Mushishi canon. As we know, of course, things didn’t work out that way and we ended up getting it as a TV special, midway between the two seasons. And it works quite well as a stand-alone chapter in that sense.

“Road of Thorns” is both a depressing reminder of just how much better Mushishi is than any new series airing this season (though we already have Hunter X Hunter as a weekly refresher of that) and a hopeful reassurance that at least one Fall series is certain to be superb. The only leap of faith required there is not in the material itself or the staff, which is guaranteed top-shelf, but the health of the studio – Artland has yet to make it through an entire season of Mushishi without major production delays wreaking havoc. In that respect all we can really do is hope for the best.

“Road of Thorns” is a new story that revisits an old one, “Sea of Writings” – the 20th Episode of the original series. That chapter offered both a glimpse of Ginko with the woman who seemed the least unlikely potential life partner we encountered and a very dark and sad tale – but its darkness was only a patch on this one, which shows us how the true reality of the Minai and Karibusa clans was every more tragic and disturbing than Tanyu’s own story.

The centerpiece of this tale is the Kinjirareta Mushi – the “forbidden” mushi whose fate is so intertwined with that of the Minai and Karibusa. It’s that mushi that hobbles Tanyu and turns her leg black, the curse of her family passed down through the generations, and it’s the role of the Minai clan to study it and prepare for the day it might eventually reappear. What we didn’t know before was the true fate of the Minai Mushishi – a fate we see borne by a little boy named Kumado (Nishida Mitsutaka). Unable to see mushi, he’s led by a clan elder (Kitagawa Yonehiko) to a place called a “Path of Overgrowth” – a spot where the worlds of the mushi and men come together, with the promise that he’ll seen be able to see mushi and fulfil his duty to the clan.

It’s something of the unique charm of Mushishi that we can watch a sequence like this unfold, with an 83 year-old seiyuu interacting with a 10 year-old (Nishida also played young Peco in Ping Pong, and Kitagawa-san ranks Lupin II among his anime roles), which gives it an authenticity most anime literally don’t even aspire to. Soon, the terrible truth becomes clear – the old man’s role is to keep the boy at the Path of Overgrowth until his soul is devoured (by a Sanekui, a soul-eating mushi which frequents such places) and replace it with an artificial soul made of kouki. It seemed as if the Karibusa made a great sacrifice to contain the Kinjirareta, but remarkably the one paid by the Minai is far greater – their very souls. The guilt the old man feels is profound, and well it should be – whatever the ultimate purpose, what he does to the child is a heinous and terrible crime.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of the story comes when young Kumado hears the truth and helplessly asks, “But… without my soul, will I even still be alive?” The rest of it is more or less a musing on the answer to that question – with uncertain results. Ginko has been asked by Tanyu (Kobayashi Ai) to assist the now adult Kumado (Satoshi Mikami) in investigating the strange behavior of mushi in the area. Tama (Kyouda Hisako) clearly feels great remorse over the fate of her clan member, and over the years often invites him to spend time with Tanyu, exhorting her not to despise him for the strange emptiness that’s the essence of who he is. Kumado seems to exist in a netherworld between life and death, apparently emotionless – but there’s a sense that he’s retained enough of himself to be furious about what’s been done to him.

That sense is strongly reinforced when he reluctantly joins forces with Ginko (forced to by the letter from Tanyu which Ginko possesses) and the pair investigate another Path of Overgrowth – a place where Ginko insists “no sane person would go”. There an “exit” to the world of mushi gapes open, and which Ginko insists must be closed at once before another Kinjirareta appears. But Kumado tells Ginko that after the brutal sacrifices he and his family have made for generations, he wants the forbidden mushi to appear – to confront it once and for all. But it’s a Saneuki that appears, and when it finds nothing in Kumado to its liking turns to Ginko, forcing Kumado to unleash the faux soul inside him to turn the tables on the Saneuki and devour it. And Tama repeats the process once more, inserting a new kouki soul in Kumado, leaving him seemingly unchanged from the process – still cold, still empty, yet somehow still alive with resentment.

Much of “Zoku Shou” – though certainly not all – dealt with chapters which avoided direct confrontation with mushi as enemies. “Path of Thorns” is a reminder that in this mythology mushi are a mysterious force with the potential to wreak great havoc, and that humans are often driven to terrible acts by that threat. It’s a creepy and unnerving chapter, but more than anything a melancholy and tragic one. And of course, it’s also a reminder of just how unique and superb an anime Mushishi is, and what a great stroke of fortune it is to have it once more gracing the schedule this fall.

「雨の中の少女達」 (Ame no Naka no Shoujo-tachi)
“Girls in the Rain”

A more focused episode makes for a better episode as Ayumu comes into the fold…and the whole anti-esper sentiment finally hits emotionally.

The Mechanics of Precognition

Precognition is a power that’s either amazing, annoying, or absolutely broken. Short-term precognition like Ayumu’s is the amazing type, useful but not so overpowered that he should be able to rule the world. (For the annoying, see any oracle or fortuneteller ever. The broken are the long-term precogs.) But it still lacked what punch (and interest) it would have had if it weren’t for that first episode! Beating a dead horse, I know, but this is another situation where, instead of having my interest piqued by a new character, I was just waiting for them to show what I absolutely knew was going to happen so we could get to the action.

I did like how Rinka, in one of her few appearances this episode, triumphed over Ayumu. When faced with limited precognition, my first answer is “shoot him” or “blow him up!” I know, that would be rude in a sparring match. The principle of hitting him with an attack he can’t dodge is sound though. What I really like is how Rinka exploited how actions (and reactions) are faster than thoughts. Thoughts are powerful, but in the moment instinct and trained reactions are more powerful.

Bonus: I love how Rinka didn’t go from zero to hero in no time flat. She did it quickly, but as Roshi noted, she already had all the elements from the training her father gave. Good, lack-of-annoying-asspulls storytelling there.

Illustrating Precognition

I really liked how they illustrated precognition. While the fuzzy-o-vision they used in the first episode (and occasionally here) works too, blending it seamlessly with what was happening – and then suddenly having Ayumu back up and go “No, that was a precognition!” – both illustrated how the two meld in his perception and gave us a bunch of justified pump fakes. A good bit of visual storytelling there.

Kung Fu Murasaki-chan!

If there’s anything Toyko ESP excels at, it’s strong women. Even if those women are young girls. Murasaki-chan realizing that she can become instantly good by using the weapon of a master was great! I’m not sure it jives perfectly with her power, but it was stated that her body can’t keep up with a master’s movements, so it’s close enough. Also, Kill Bill reference anyone? Also x2, she was just hilarious when she kicked some ass. Go Murasaki-chan! You’re a hero!

Anti-Esper Sentiment

Finally, some of the anti-esper sentiment hits home through Ayumu’s mom. She’s still one-dimensional in her “hatred” of espers – I’m not willing to say that with certainty until I see how she reacts to that cliffhanger – but at least it finally seems to matter. But mostly, to be fair, because I want to see how she’ll react to that cliffhanger. Will she stay fast to her bigoted beliefs, or will she pull a Cheney and be okay with it once one is in her family? (No spoilers please, I was being rhetorical etc etc.) But at least there was a little emotional resonance.

Looking Ahead

It’s all about that cliffhanger, to be honest. Sure, I’m shipping Ayumu and Murasaki-chan a little now – Ayumu’s “I hate women” schtick tasted sour and fake from the get-go, so I’m looking for a nice girl to get him over that, even if it’s not romantically – but mostly I want to see where Ayumu’s mother will be a total bastard or not.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Ayumu and Murasaki episode. It worked pretty well since they delved into the powers & stayed focused #東京ESP 07

Random thoughts:

• Rinka-san is distracted by steakii :3
• As ridiculous as its name is, I do like the CPC philosophy. It reminds me of a certain immortal loli and her fighting style in a certain tournament match during Negima. Such a good manga!
• Ayumu tried to counter the counter, but Rinka was ready to counter the counter’s counter, and when he pulled the counter’s counter she countered that! …ow.
• Why don’t you just walk out of the place like a normal person Kyoutarou? Yeah yeah, injured and probably guards, whatever. Just don’t keep trying the same thing like the result is going to change.

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Don’t have enough time, Work you love, Completely unbiased, and You have to sell free.

Preview

「コレッテモシカシテ」 (Korette Moshikashite)
“Is This By Any Chance”

Okay, I’m mostly digging this. I am digging this. Thoughtful gestures of friendship and love, a great support group, and finally some reciprocated feelings! It wasn’t perfect (maybe I’m just a stuck-up guy looking for healthier depictions of falling in love), but it was good nonetheless. Let’s dive into it!

Again, while forcing yourself on another isn’t the best way to show your love, the way that it’s used here is at least smart and purposeful. Rather than simply illustrating a dominant-submissive dynamic between Izumi and Ryouma, this particular scene helps show two things. First, Ryouma’s a real struggler. Whereas it was impossible for him to control himself before, his increasing self-restraint is a welcome sight. He’s not perfect, but that’s the point–even though it’s not the ideal situation, his imperfections add a sense of reality to certain parts of his struggle, making it all the more relatable and understandable. For this, it’s forgivable for the series to have Ryouma on top of Izumi, since it allowed him to really figure out what he wanted from his crush.

On the other hand, this event creates a change within Izumi too, who finally starts to understand the struggles that Ryouma is going through and what part he played in that struggle. It’s perhaps shakey ground for Izumi to start blaming things on himself, but unarguably that’s a common reaction we see from people in these situations–they find some blame in themselves even in situations where they were victim. However, in this particular situation I’d think his guilt is partially justified, since Izumi, bless him, shouldn’t be casually walking into the home of someone who has forced himself on him just recently before, even if they do seem like a last resort. It’s a sort of “fool me twice, shame on me” sort of deal. Due to this, Izumi finally starts considering Ryouma’s feelings, a key step in the eventual feelings we were all waiting for.

Before diving into that though, I would like to address this interesting Lala-Lulu story that’s been interwoven into the plot. During the first few episodes, it seemed that Lala-Lulu was a way to soften Izumi’s character, to make him more unique in a BL stage. She was a plot device that helped express Izumi’s obsessive and escapist nature, both through herself and the inspiration she gives to Izumi’s mangaka dreams. With these last few episodes, she’s become much more central to the plot, acting as a parallel story to Izumi’s life. Although I’m unsure as to what Lala-Lulu’s arch-nemesis represents, Lala-Lulu herself represents the constant hope and support that Izumi receives from those around him, even if that support may be misguided and hidden at times. It’s a bit cheesy in isolation, but as soon as that mangaka sent off his encouraging message to Izumi along with Lala-Lulu’s message, I couldn’t help but get hit in the feels.

This makes an excellent segue back into Izumi’s feelings, because the great thing I love about today’s episode is how positive it was in portraying not just people helping Izumi, but how all the characters don’t conflict in helping out Izumi. While it’s not uncommon in a romantic comedy to see everyone do their share in assisting the main character, oftentimes it occurs while butting heads for attention with other characters as well. It’s as if only one person is worthy to help the main character and the main character need not rely on anyone else.

Here we see a different take, where Izumi has many people supporting him, but they all seem to be working without butting heads, each helping out in the best way they can. Ryouma clearly fills the largest hole by believing in what no one else would take seriously, but the other characters also provide a supportive environment. Rei, instead of being amazingly mad, is portrayed as a doting bodyguard who’s seriously concerned for Izumi’s health. Shougo, although jealous of Ryouma, is willing to make amends for the sake of Izumi and Ryouma’s health, as seen a few episodes back. I predict Izumi’s parents will be also just as understanding as well, exhibiting patience and hope that their son will find his way.

Thus, after a quick kiss, when we see Izumi finally realizing how blessed he is and how in love he is, it makes a lot of sense. The tears from his face make perfect sense in this situation, because it is here that the realization of just how supportive everyone has been finally hits him. As such, it also makes sense why he’s now willing to try showbusiness–instead of fighting his parents’ suggestions, Izumi has matured in the process and is now open to suggestions that are in his best interests, a very fitting character development. We’ve gone from an Izumi that’s been fairly self-centered to narrow-sighted in his opportunities to develop, to a more open and flexible individual who is surrounded by a supportive group. It’s feel-good all around, a positive moment in the series that has made it worthwhile to watch up to this point.

Thus, seeing what the next few episodes have in store excites me. We can actually have closure on a relationship, all while seeing this visible character development from Ryouma and Izumi. Though this relationship will find its opposition in the media (both in LOVE STAGE!! and in the audience), the supportive nature of Izumi’s closest people is a breath of fresh air that will see it through). I can’t wait to cover the next few episodes with you guys–hopefully you guys found this episode as cute and heartwarming as I did. Let me know if you agree or disagree down below!

Preview

End Card

「It’s cliché, but so what?」

We have a pretty dense episode this week–so dense, in fact, that we had to cut out the OP. Good thing we still had time for Marie’s bad emo poetry; I don’t know what I’d have without it.

The reason why we’re so pressed for time this week is because we’re finally reached the first climax of our narrative–at least the first one we’ve had on screen. It’s time for our hero Yu to confront the villain Adachi, and in doing so produce more action in one episode that the previous six put together. It’s nothing too crazy but for those of you who have been in Persona withdrawal ever since the first hit in Episode 01 then hopefully the multiple summonings and flashy effects will tide you over for now. And if that’s not your thing there’s nothing like good old fisticuffs to beat some sense into your enemies. It’s a surprisingly more engaging watch than just Yu and Adachi throwing their Pokemon at each other; it’s more personal, emotional and I suppose just generally grittier. You can’t maximise testosterone without going head-to-head.

Of course, the clash between Yu and Adachi is not just physical; it’s also philosophical. Remember how last week I was wondering why they didn’t try to make Adachi more sympathetic? Apparently they were just saving it for this episode. That’s right, folks, it’s time for the flashback montage! Admittedly it doesn’t paint Adachi as much more than an asocial kid with ego issues but getting a glimpse of him before he turned into a homicidal maniac is still somewhat humanising. And I suppose he really is the underdog, of sorts, especially when paired against ubermensch Yu. And I suppose we did complete his Social Link. That’s worth something.

Speaking of people we’re supposed to sympathise with, this episode also marks the time for P4GA to cash in all those episodes it spent developing Marie because this episode gives her one last hurrah after triggering some awfully tall death flags. And while she’s certainly not dead or anything, here’s the test: what do you feel about her sudden disappearance? For that matter, how did her little pep talk in the middle go? What emotions does she elicit in you now that she’s gone? At the very least I don’t expect Marie to show up next week; it’d be interested to see the effect of her absence.

Reading the cards
So a lot has happened, sure, but at the same time a lot didn’t happen. While Adachi got a lot more attention than he did in the original anime, that other villain–remember Ameno-sagiri?–was disposed of with neither dialogue nor fanfare. Hopefully the last one will actually have some purpose other than giant pinata. At least she seems to actually have dialogue; that’s a good sign. Since she seems to be tied to Marie quite closely there’s only so much they can shaft her.

As for next week, it’s the Christmas episode. It should be noted that in Japan Christmas Eve does not have the same religious connotations as it may have in some Western cultures, and has kind of taken a flavour of its own as a lover’s occasion like Valentines. That is, it’s time for dates! And it seems that even without Marie around Yu is…quadruple booked? And this is without even counting the guys? It’s a good indication that we’re back to some lighter hijinks to mix up the mood a bit after our recent seriousness. I’m looking forward to complete comedy, but I’m always open to surprises.

Full-length images: 03, 04, 19, 23.

Preview

「円環」 (Enkan)
“Circular”

That was an interesting mix of the expected and the unexpected.

I think the broad course of Tokyo Ghoul has been laid in from the very beginning, and even if the order of events has apparently been moved around some in the anime version, the first eight episodes have pretty much been the prologue. It wasn’t so much about where we were going but how we were going to get there – and now, wherever it is we are it certainly feels like a “there”. The story has to transition to another phase now unless I’m seriously misreading the situation (and yes, manga readers, I’m quite happy to forgo your shared expertise and find out for myself).

I’ll say this much for starters: I very much like the scenario that’s been set up here but I do have some issues with the way it’s been executed, including in this episode. The notion of two sentient species with imperatives that are seemingly mutually exclusive, and the young man who stands balanced between them. is hardly novel in anime or elsewhere – hell, it’s practically archetypal. But there’s a kind of straightforward elegance to Tokyo Ghoul’s take on the subject. Ghouls need to eat flesh, humans need to not be eaten – it doesn’t get much simpler than that. But because there’s the full range of ethical and moral possibilities presenting in both populations, things could hardly be more complicated.

With that in mind, this episode was effectively the end of the beginning – the official stamp on the premise. I think it’s more a matter of stylistic preference than objective quality, but I wasn’t crazy about having Amon and Touka making the same speech simultaneously in different places, explaining the premise as the camera cross-cut between them. It felt like we were being hit over the head with something that was already apparent and didn’t need that kind of broad sledgehammer narrative – I prefer letting the pathos of the situation speak for itself.

The other element of this episode that didn’t click with me was Ken’s decision to employ passive resistance against Amon-kun. I have nothing against passive resistance, which is an incredibly powerful tool against evil and injustice in the right situation – but this wasn’t the right situation, for obvious practical reasons. Frankly, I would have expected Amon to simply kill Ken – why the hell didn’t he? He doesn’t seem temperamentally psychotic, but he’s clearly convinced himself that ghouls are incapable of recognizably human feelings and unworthy of restraint, and he was especially bitter about the death of Kusaba. True, Ken couldn’t have known about that specific matter, but he certainly had no reason to expect Amon to spare him.

Once Ken “woke up“, though, and accepted his responsibility that he had to stop Amon at any cost things got much better. Ken’s fundamental dilemma – trying to remain human despite having a psychopthic beast inside him urging him to kill and giving him the means to do so, and to find a way to foster communications between the species that make up his two halves – is the engine that drives Tokyo Ghoul, and it’s a powerful one. The quality of mercy is not strained, my ass – it looked pretty strained for Ken here. And it did make a sort of impact on Amon, confusing him at the very least – why would this subhuman beast disarm him rather than kill and devour him? There seems the very real possibility that Amon’s blind hatred may be starting to crack – though that possibility is shattered soon enough. Amon has frankly come off as a pretty weak fighter to this point, but from a psychological perspective he makes a much more interesting foil than Mado did.

Past tense? Indeed – as Ken and Amon are dancing and Rize cuts in, Mado is having a hell of a fight with Touka (truly, some of the best animation Pierrot has done in a very long time). I would argue that Mado was an even more outlandish villain than the Gourmet is, and for me at least his grotesquerie and sadistic nature undercut his effectiveness as the face of the human side of the story. But he’s a serious badass, and without any question he’s more than a match for Touka – he’s bested her twice now. It’s only when Hinami shows her teeth that the tide turns, and even if Hinami was unwilling to finish Mado off it was her attack that allowed Touka to do so.

There’s poetic justice in the fact that it was Mado’s sadistic delight in using Ryouko’s head to lure Hinami out, and Hinami’s parents’ kagune to finish her that finally awoke the beast in her. And while there are no easy answers in the human-ghoul dilemma (the fact that Tokyo Ghoul acknowledges this is a major point in its favor) I shed no tears for Mado. Whatever happened to his family, he brought this on himself. If an American murdered a Frenchman’s family, would we be willing to say the Frenchman would be justified in trying to kill every American he could, whether they were involved in any way or not?

At heart, I think Tokyo Ghoul is a tragedy, and people like Mado and Touka are tragic characters. Mado was consumed by his lust for revenge, and it eventually killed him. Touka is unable to rise above her own, and despite the concern and disapproval of those around her she continues down a path that will inevitably lead to her own destruction, miserable all the while. Part of the story is certainly going to be Ken’s efforts to get Touka off that path, though the main theme is surely his destiny to try and be a bridge over a seemingly unbridgeable chasm.

Obake

「雪」 (Yuki)
“Snow”

After last week’s train wreck, I thought this week’s episode did a little better. While I’m still a little confused about what direction the show is trying to go in, P.A. Works did a great job at illustrating a world that’s literally falling apart at the seams.

Moving Forward

As I tried to analyze the episode to see if there was anything going on besides Touko’s sudden breakdowns (hallucinations?) I noticed that everyone else seems to be in the process of trying to re-discover themselves. While we only got a glimpse of what’s hopefully to come, the lure of what could happen was more then enough to pique my interest. With Yuki getting back into the groove of things, Yanagi trying to remake herself for the better, and Hiro trying to figure out just what he should do about Sachi it seems like any of the three would make for a fun watch.

EL PSY CONGROO

All jokes aside, I don’t know what to make of Touko’s powers suddenly manifesting themself. Between seeing a wild flock of crows that I’m sure symbolizes something extra negative to suddenly pulling out her own reading steiner and ending up in a different timeline, it feels like a bunch of different things all jumbled on top of each other. And let me tell you — it doesn’t feel good. Because if there’s anything worse than time-related things executed badly, it’s when you try to too much. Toss in how Kakeru apparently has no idea what’s really going on and it feels like the blind leading the blind.

Hiro’s a Trooper

If there was one thing that I enjoyed watching this week, it was most definitely Hiro. While he may have only been on-screen for a minute at most, I love how he’s handling things with Sachi. Instead of blowing up or sulking in the shadows, he’s going out and trying to figure out what to do. Sure he’s showing a little sass but who wouldn’t be a little miffed about being used? All I know is that out of all decisions everyone has made, his seem to be the most normal — something this show needs a little more of.

Looking Forward

After a decent episode to follow up from last week’s disaster, I’m slowly coming back around to Glasslip. With only a handful of episodes left to do something and the situation surrounding Touko quickly escalating, I have a little bit of faith that some kind of surprise is in-store for those of us who make it to the end.

See you next week :/

Preview

「再戦」 (Saisen)
“Rematch”

It looks like I jumped the gun a bit in my predictions last week, because while some of them turned out to be true, one of them I clearly read too much into. Starting with the ones that I hit the mark on, this episode confirmed that Samonji did know Tokimune’s sister, Reika. Building on that revelation, it was strongly implied that he knows what happened to her too. From Samonji’s short talk with Quasimodo, who’s not only an old friend but an ex-comrade of his, we heard mention of the tragedy at Argent Point, which the people of Bellhals have covered up. That’s all fine and dandy, but what I wasn’t quite expecting (but didn’t rule out completely) is that Samonji and Reika may have had some romantic chemistry between them.

Whether or not their feelings were unrequited I don’t know, but the fact that Reika brought Samonji to the sunflower field and blushed like no tomorrow in front of him suggested that she liked him at the very least. Evidently, their past together–romantic or otherwise–helps explain why Samonji’s been so lenient with Tokimune up until now. It also puts a new perspective on the spiel that he gave him about never wanting to let his subordinates die. However, what it doesn’t shed any light on just yet is how Tokimune will react once he learns the truth behind his sister’s death and how Samonji was involved. While the opening sequence foreshadows that neither side will take it well, I get the feeling that it may be purposely trying to mislead us. Whatever the case, the whole conspiracy behind Argent Point is something that’s grabbed my attention in this series (…finally!).

Now as for the prediction that I clearly read too much into, that would be the idea that Ingelmia was transporting some new prototype for Richthofen to pick up from Gorzy. It sure seemed that way from their conversation last episode, but as it turns out, they were just shipping the parts for their current Trail Kriegers and reconstructing them within Bellhals to launch a surprise pincer attack from behind Arandas’ forces. That revelation put a damper on my anticipation of a rematch between Richthofen and Tokimune, plus the fact that Tokimune somehow got his “synchro rate” in high gear at a “Linkage Depth” of 17. All of a sudden, Tokimune was the superior pilot, which seemed odd to me because he was distracted by thoughts of his sister earlier and just scared of dying later. I would’ve thought that he’d synchronize well with Argevollen when he’s calm, composed, and focused, but I guess this series is going for a different angle with their neuro-link piloting system. Oh well. Judging from the preview, we’ll be introduced to some new characters next week and Argevollen will find itself in a pinch despite Tokimune’s improvement, so it looks like he’ll be taking a few steps back as well.

Preview

OP Sequence

OP: 「花痕 -shirushi-」 (Hanaato -shirushi-) by 河野マリナ (Kawano Marina)

「するがデビル 其ノ壹 – 伍」 (Suruga Debiru Sono Ichi – Go)
“Suruga Devil Parts One – Five”

When we last parted with Nisio Isin’s Monogatari series we were left with a sense of conclusion but not necessarily of finality. Sure, our protagonists finally graduate from high school and the cast in general moved on, but while problems have been solved they haven’t been resolved. What happened to Oshino? What’s the deal with Ougi? How is Kaiki going to cheat out of that cranial trauma? Questions and more. For a cast so clever and diverse there’s always the potential for more story; there’s still a lot of depth to be plumbed.

So, it was a good place for a break but not for an end. Needless to say, I was highly anticipative of Hanamonogatari. I wanted all my questions answered but I also wanted more of Kanbaru Suruga (Sawashiro Miyuki), the last heroine who still has significant loose ends dangling in the wind. I was also somewhat wary, though, because with so much of the cast being indisposed or disposed of, I wasn’t sure if Monogatari would ever be the same. Sure enough, Hanamonogatari starts almost like an epilogue, with the seniors already going on to tertiary education. There is a sense of melancholy and a feeling that we have been left behind–just as Oshino left Araragi so many seasons ago. Only Kanbaru remains, the last veteran holding the old fort. As the protagonist and main voice for five episodes she has a lot of weight on her shoulders. Action, reactions, Shaft head-tilts–she needs to do it all. It’s a good thing that Kanbaru is a veritable fanservice machine, extremely comfortable with going the extra mile to engage audience attention. She readily subjects herself to various states of distress and dis-dress for the greater good of balancing out a very dialogue heavy show. She’s not entirely alone: the Fire Sisters arrive as last minute reinforcements and even Shinobu (with no speaking role) makes a surprise cameo appearance.

Of course, the point of Hanamonogatari is not (only) cheesecake. Hanamonogatari follows the usual formula of using supernatural apparitions as metaphors for mundane, but complex, human issues, and as expected of the Suruga Devil arc our subject is devils. While vampires are considered the top of the apparition heap in the Monogatari mythology, in the West the traditional bogeyman of choice comes from the underworld. With such a long history in Judaic religions and elsewhere devils–or, rather, the Devil–comes in many forms and Hanamonogatari spends its five episodes looking at the Devil in all its aspects. Almost all characters (save perhaps pure supports like Araragi Karen (Kitamuri Emi) and classmate Higasa (Hikasa Youko) play to that theme.

The Devil as the dark side

Remember back to Suruga Monkey where the Rainy Devil served as the evil genie that granted your most malicious wishes. It was a manifestation of one’s dark impulses, an id. In Hanamonogatari Kanbaru treats it as something that must be suppressed. In tying down her left arm, though, she’s not only suppressing the Devil but also her own desires. There is nobody without wants, says Hanamonogatari; being a bit selfish about them is a natural thing. That’s how we find direction.

The Devil as the voice on your shoulder

Two characters play this part. First we have the inscrutable Ougi (Mizuhashi Kaori), he of many shapes. Yes, Ougi is a ‘he’ now; it’s obvious at this point that there’s more to him than meets the eye. We still don’t get to learn much about him but he continues doing what he does: giving out choice bits of information at opportune times to nudge characters in specific directions.

On the other hand we have Kaiki Deishuu (Miki Shinichiro), our very own exorcist pretending to be a con artist pretending to be an exorcist. He’s back from the apparent dead and fully bearded, all without explanation. Not that I mind; I can go on and on about what an awesome character he is. Not much has changed for him; he’s still serves as the resident ‘adult’, still enjoying his lectures and still always one better than the kids. He also plays an interesting contrast to Ougi. Kaiki also tries to nudge Kanbaru in certain directions, but unlike Ougi he seems to, ultimately, mean well. Curiously, Ougi, by pretending to be Oshino’s niece/nephew/whatever is a trusted character, whereas Kaiki is not. Ougi does not lie, whereas Kaiki is lies all the way through, to the point where he goes full circle. Yes, Kaiki lies about being a liar. Which devil do you trust?

The Devil as the imposer of trials

God subjecting mankind to ordeals is an old trope, but traditionally the Devil is in the business as well. In that sense, Kanbaru considers her mother not God but the Devil and frankly if Kanbaru Tooe (Neya Michiko) is anything like her sister (apparently: yes) then she must have been insufferable. But while it’s true that Kanbaru’s mother never made her life easy, Kanbaru does it to herself too. She treats her monstrous left arm as her albatross, the literal and figurative weight of her sins. She has a conflicted relationship with it; she wants it gone but she’s also loathe to just give it away. If she procrastinates long enough maybe…she’ll just get used to it?

The Devil does not exist

Our main narrative, though, revolves around a brand new character: Kanbaru’s former basketball rival Numachi Rouka (Asumi Kana). She serves as Kanbaru’s foil, her opposite not just on the basketball court. Numachi–the confident, self-centred and amoral Devil–is both who Kanbaru could have been and what she doesn’t want to be. It’s like something out of Jungian psychology; Kanbaru sees her suppressed negativity projected onto Numachi and must come to terms with her inner demons, so to speak. Numachi the Devil is a confabulation. Yet there is a bit of the Devil–dark impulses, whispering voices, self-flagellation–within all of us. But we don’t need to define every motive in terms of either altruism or malice. As Kanbaru learns, we mostly act simply for self-satisfaction. As always, even as deep in the supernatural as it is Hanamonogatari stresses the importance of the mundane.

Full-length images: 094, 108.

ED Sequence

ED: 「the last day of my adolescence」 by 沢城みゆき (Sawashiro Miyuki)

The Devil is in the details – some thoughts

I didn’t mean to spend so much time trying to inadequately dissect the themes of Hanamonogatari but it just goes to show: even just skimming the surface gives you a lot to think about. Not that it’s just all ruminations on the human condition; Hanamonogatari also gives us the supernatural mystery and nuanced character interactions that we’ve grown accustomed to receiving from the Monogatari series. Of special interest is how the cast continues to be developed over time. Kanbaru seems to have grown to fill the shoes of Araragi, who in turn has grown to become an alien Jesus a surrogate Oshino. And it’s growth in more ways than one; while the Monogatari series would not be the first to use hair length as a metaphor for development it’s certainly one of the most enthusiastic users in my memory. We’re not quite at Mullet Araragi but we’re close enough to be terrifying.

On the production side of things, it’s heartening to see how far things have come since Bakemonogatari. It’s not just a matter of budget–which, thankfully, is still high enough to give us crisp animation and artistic backgrounds when needed–but also the distinct style, which Shaft and directors Shinbou and Itamura seem to have refined over the years. There’s less of the purely filler or purely distracting shots that were once a staple reliance of Shaft and more willingness to engage their abstractions for direct symbolism–even if sometimes they try a bit too hard to spell things out. They seem to be now comfortable making relevant visuals for a show of almost entirely dialogue. And, of course, we must also give praise to their continued dedication to their special brand of fanservice, not just a parade of flesh and but also of voyeur. Sophistication can substitute in parts for class. And it doesn’t hurt that Kanbaru looks mighty fine in a pony-tail.

The thing with the Monogatari series having such a distinct style is that one is tempted to wonder how it would have turned out if adapted by a different hand. More focus on the screen and less on the words would be more orthodox, sure, but still good. Just look at the ED, for example; maximum drama for minimum dialogue (Numachi as Kanbaru’s tragic first love? I’m suddenly sold). But the choice to stick with the original novel’s strength and only use the animation as support is a completely defensible one and has certainly produced results. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. At this point I’ve enjoyed enough of the Monogatari series–and want more of it enough–to want to preserve the status quo of excellence. Better the devil I know than the devil I don’t.

Yes, I did have great trouble refraining from just writing 1500 words about Kaiki.

End Card

「激突！クッキン・シスターズ」 (Gekitotsu Kukkin Shisutaazu)
“Clash! Cooking Sisters!”

I could watch an entire series of just Illya, her friends, her family, and the hinjiks they get into.

Funny Filler Fluff…But Not

I’m on record as liking filler, or at least a certain type of filler. Most of this episode was not absolutely necessary. They could have cut out most of this and, while it wouldn’t have had the same impact, it would have had 70-80% of the impact, so if the creators were going for a concise, pulpy action story, cutting most of this episode’s material would have been the right idea. That’s not what Prisma Illya is, and we’re lucky for that.

This was hilarious! From the cooking battle to the ane battle, I was cracking up more than I have for many a pure comedy, and that’s easily worth the time spent. That’s, in fact, one of the reasons I love Prisma Illya so much – it’s an artful blend of action, comedy, drama, and even a romance which gives us something different to enjoy each episode. I like stories that focus on one thing and do it well, but my favorites always mix many things. It’s harder, but when you make it work, it works.

Butt Monkey Shirou

I don’t know if Shirou is a polarizing character exactly, but there’s certainly some jealousy targeted at him from the fanbase for his ability to unknowingly attract powerful girls. I like Shirou though, and the Prisma Illya version more than ever before. In the original Fate/stay night anime he ticked me off by trying to protect Saber even though she’s, well, Saber, a move that always struck me as chauvinistic and colossally stupid. Fight beside her, sure. Protect her? Get your head out of your ass, boy.

Here though, Shirou inhabits a role shared by Rin & Luvia – the butt monkey (trope!). And it works! It actually has the effect of making me like him more, because it emphasizes his good points – especially his cooking skills…truly, Shirou is the best husbando – while continually knocking him down a peg in karmic retaliation for having captured so many girls’ love. I like to see a harem lead – even though he isn’t a harem lead here, though it’s inescapable that some of that would leak over from the main storyline, in our perceptions if nothing else – taken down a notch, and aside from the unnecessary slaps he got from Illya, it’s mostly in good fun. Poor Shirou. No, not really. It’ll be poor Shirou when only two girls are interested in you, ya lucky bastard. I do feel for him just wanting to be a good onii-chan though.

Bonus: for once we get a semi-accurate representation of what happens when you’re the lone guy outnumbered by girls. It’s not as envious as it seems. Sure, the scenery is nice, but on the totem pole of authority the lone male would indeed be dead last. This misfortune is more realistic than his usual harem antics, even if part of it is being brought on by the attempted harem.

Let Them Figure It Out For Themselves

Everything in this episode stems from Iri’s decision to let Illya and Kuro figure their whole relationship out. There’s a nice bit of consistency there, because Iri sealed the part of Illya that became Kuro in an effort to give Illya a chance to figure the whole grail thing out for herself. I have to admit though, as a completely un-status conscious American, I don’t quite understand the battle for who’s the onee-chan. I have an older brother myself, but it’s not like I give him any deference, save for what is owed by him being seven years older than me and having four kids. (Stilts-Aniki wanted a big family. Fortunately his wife agreed.) Can’t they just agree to be sisters of the same age. It’s not like it matters!

I do appreciate that Iri letting them figure this out is consistent with how she’s been handling them so far, and the antics they’ve shown us are wonderful. I may not get it, but I’m not complaining. Keep it coming!

Supplying Mana

What Silver Link, you aren’t going to show us the yuri selfcest kiss? This is bullshit! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Joking aside, Illya must have been really flustered, because if I were battling for the position of ane, I’d use this whole mana thing to my advantage. “Ohoho, you want mana? I guess that means I’m the onee-chan, eh?” Of course, no good relationship is built on extortion like that, but they’re little girls. Not like they know that. I guess it just shows that Illya is a good girl at heart, even if she keeps losing ane points to Kuro. Fight on!

Looking Ahead – Enemy At The Gates

She’s coming. If anyone doesn’t know what she can do, or what this means, just wait. We’re past my manga knowledge, but I recognize her from the other timeline. This is going to be good.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – A cooking battle turns into an ane battle as the comedic hijinks are turned up to 11. I’d watch an entire series of this! #prismaillya s2e7

Random thoughts:

• Illya got to be the only daughter for ten years, and then she picked up a Saitou Chiwa imouto (provisional). Her luck truly is unrivaled. EX rank!
• This episode is like Dogakobo ridiculously detailed food animation all over again! (You know the one I’m talking about.) Except this time it’s Silver Link.
• Gloating Kuro sounds like a loli Kimi. MORE! I must have MORE!!
• I wonder if that wedding cake is for Miyu and Illya? Ufufu~
• “But this flavor is meant for someone else, not me.” A little bullshit, yes, but I like Shirou best when he’s being serious about cooking and housework. He’s the perfect house husbando. Plus, yes – even if Illya’s cake ended up sucking (thanks Tatsuko, you’re the best! XD), it was made with Shirou’s preferences in mind. That counts for something.
• Sella was waiting for it! Another thing the Fate universe does well – having universally amazing characters. Not even the random meido are slackers. Though at this point, they’re more like old friends than random meido.
• The reason Shirou, Rin, & Luvia (and Taiga!) drew the butt monkey card is because they’re outside of this show’s competence zone (trope!). Only Iri escapes this. She’s too amazing to be anything but a god!
• Miyu’s birthday is on the same day as Illya and Kuro’s. Hmmm… Combined with her calling Shirou onii-chan that one time, is this another sign that she’s somehow connected to Illya (&/or her family) from wherever she comes from? (That was rhetorical. Don’t answer that. If any of you spoil that in the comments, so help me I will burn your dreams down!)

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Work you love, Completely unbiased, You have to sell free, and Different answers.

Full-length images: 02, 20, 29, 30, 32, 43, 44.

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