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「裸の王様」 (Hadaka no Oosama)
“A Naked King”
I’m not going to make this a long post, for one simple reason. If I still have to explain why I’m dropping this show after the past five write-ups, something is seriously wrong. Honestly this week was pretty much the drop-dead moment, the last chance for the series to pull back from the gaping maw of infuriating preposterousness. Clearly, that did not happen – it took the course I feared it would rather than the one I’d hoped. And my experience in cases like this is screaming loud and clear – nothing good can come from dragging this out any further, so get out now.
This I will say – losing Kaze ga Tsuyoku hurts. A lot. There have not been a couple of shows this year that were in my top tier of expectations that have been flame-outs for me, and as the schedule gets more and more generic and predictable and truly notable series fewer and farther between, those hurt all the more. There’s not much margin for error for me in an average anime season these days – the pool of potentially elite shows is so shallow that every one of them has to pan out for the season to be a decent one. Like every season Fall 2018 has some decent series and even a couple really good ones, but it could ill afford to have a Production I.G. adaptation of a novel by Miura Shion have feet of clay.
Dammit, King – you were my last hope. It wasn’t much of a hope, I admit, but I clung to it – perhaps someone in this series would finally give Haiji the reckoning he deserves and wipe the slate clean. Didn’t happen, and Miura made it unmistakable clear where she stands on Haiji with this episode’s events. Truthfully, I haven’t been this annoyed by a series’ skewed perspective since Shigatsu – I suppose it’s only the shows that have the potentially to be so much more that have the power to annoy and disappoint us in that particular way. It is what it is – there’s always next season (which this series will be a part of, of course) – and hopefully the series at the top of the expectations pile actually justify those expectations.
Preview
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I simultaneously think you’re overreacting, whilst also sharing your frustrations. While I feel the autor is doing her best to drag on the others confrontation of Haiji’s selfishness, I don’t view it as enough to drop the show. Though ultimately they’re your own feelings in the end
Completely unrelated but I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was unbearably frustrated with Shigatsu. I did really enjoy that show but it was a STRUGGLE, let me tell you.
In the immortal words of old RC colleague Samu, “It’s great except that everyone besides the MC is a total shit and I hate them”.
I GET that that was kind of the point because they are all middle schoolers and all humans are objectively at their WORST at that time, but that still doesn’t make for an exactly fun watch. Add in all the neurosis and the tragic diseases and you have a show thicker than MOLASSES. That being said, I did still enjoy it and at least it was real pretty to look at. Also Goosehouse.
Also, I REALLY like the character designs in this show.
https://randomc.net/image/Kaze%20ga%20Tsuyoku%20Fuiteiru/Kaze%20ga%20Tsuyoku%20Fuiteiru%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
Well… I’m enjoying this show at least. Haiji is doing a great job given the cards he was dealt. With a cast of characters that he’s stuck with, I’m enjoying the ridiculous ways he’s trying to cajole, manipulate, convince his house mates to join. The series could have ended after the second episodes by everyone, who doesn’t want to run, move out. Or Haiji can enforce the contract and kick them out. But, he can’t. It’s already his fourth year.
I shall type this before attempting to read your post, since it always influences me to feel strongly over one point and forget everything else I was thinking of.
This might be a long, off-point thought, but I’ve been thinking in the past two episodes that this might be why I’m much less concerned over the characters being forced to do stuff as others may be. It stems from what one is allowed to be forced to do as part of a club.
Increasingly in every episode, the track and field club here reminds me greatly of my actual CCA (co-curricular activity, or club) in my high school days. Which I find odd, as my experience from anime/manga has led me to believe that club activities are totally different in Japan. In Singapore high school CCA is compulsory and treated as a mandatory activity such as any other class, in my school there were even allocated timeslots in the timetable for CCA activities, though if whoever was in charge wanted to put in additional activities it was treated equally and we were expected to join in. Everyone was required to be in a club – you could rank your choices and hope to get into one you want, but sometimes you end up in something you didn’t like but you were expected to attend anyway. There was no quitting randomly or deciding not to go – of course you could, but only with some sort of reason (which didn’t always have to be official and you could just pretend to be sick or whatever, but that excuse naturally can’t be used so often). If they expected you to come back 3 times a week during holidays to participate, or have overnight camps etc and you didn’t have an excuse like being busy/overseas, you were expected to attend. The main point is: joining might not be a choice, but as long as you were in the club you were expected to commit (regardless of whether you personally feel committed to the club).
Kazetsuyo’s case seems to be similar here. Joining was pretty much not a choice, but as long as they remained staying there and was part of the club (regardless of their will of wanting to join or not, they’ve mostly accepted that by being there means they ARE considered part of the club) they are not in a position to reject taking part in club activities. They complain about many of Haiji’s ideas and way of trying to control what they can (working) and cannot do but by being in the club, they are to some extent agreeing to be subjected to being controlled. They have been manipulated into staying but ultimately, they could always leave if they wanted to and cannot reject taking part if they stay (even though Haiji can be unreasonable/demanding such as the no working thing). In my own CCA which I hated and planned to leave eventually, I still attended for a whole two years (though I skipped often with varying excuses). I’m sure I could appeal if I truly wanted to leave, but normal changing-cca opportunities were usually at the start of 3rd year so I persevered till then. As a result of my choice to not leave till then, I allowed myself to be controlled by it, doing practices I didn’t want to, having the terrible coach throw me into another team without my consent (making use of my later birthdate to have only me qualify for the younger team’s competition). Similarly everyone’s decision here to not leave subjects them to terrible Haiji demands like not being allowed to work and being forced to take part in competitions – but at the same time I think it is okay for them to be forced to do so regardless of myself not liking it when I was in their position.
Things Haiji has done:
Terrible:
1) blackmailed/manipulated the others to not leave the dorm/stay in the club (no excuses for this, making them leave the dorm (prince) is within reason but the others are unrelated)
2) be generally insensitive and selfish (the way he tried to convince King to run might have made sense from his perspective since he claims to have experienced it before and knows what’s best, but the way he conveyed his message was absolutely lacking as compared to Yuki)
What-I-think-is-justifiable-but-others-might-not:
3) make them actually take part in club activities or give semi-unreasonable demands relating to it
4) using Hana-chan as a source of motivation (though she’s not really for that purpose of course)
P.S. I wrote this whole comment without opening the RandomC page, but considering Enzo is dropping this with a set opinion and does not care for mine at this point anyway I half regret uselessly taking the time to type it. However it’s not like I wrote it with anyone in mind so I’d still post it here so as not to waste my own efforts – I still would like to know other watchers’ view on the show as Reddit episode discussion seems to be mostly only supportive of the show.
Ever heard of the word subjectivity?
If you have, then you should know that not all audiences of a certain piece work will have the same opinion.
I know, I wanted to hear where the difference in opinion in acceptable/not acceptable stems from.
To the other reply: maybe I should’ve worded it better. I got the sense you had given up about the show so I don’t think there’d be any point in pursuing a discussion with someone who would not be entertained, but rather annoyed by it.
With respect, just because I’m dropping a series doesn’t mean I don’t care about your opinion or anyone else’s. Discussion is fine – I’m just not torturing myself by blogging it anymore.
Always nice to see someone who would not waste time watching a chore of a show and do something more productive with their time.
A show’s purpose is to entertain. When it’s not, it’s worthless to the viewer.
Yes, this is a lesson I’ve learned well over the years. It cuts against my grain to drop shows midway through blogging them, but once the writing is on the wall only bad things happen from staying with it against your better judgment.
Hot damn, moralfags are sensitive these days!
If you like this show so much, blog it.