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「テンペスト」 (Tenpesuto)
“Tempest”
You know I was kind of expecting MSS to fall off the rails this week. After getting lambasted with more shock therapy than required to jolt a horse awake it was a question of well, just what next? How do you top an opener containing the (un)holy trinity of murder, torture, and rape (and more than a few crazy faces)? Simple answer: more of the same of course, but now with a purpose! That’s right, we got the general layout of this magical suffering, and it’s exactly as everyone could have guessed.
As called last week Tsuyuno’s appearance heralded some explanation for MSS’s grand plan, and explanation were not lacking. Once magical girls are selected they’re given a special power contained within their “stick” (yeah, no innuendos at all) and seemingly free to use at their whims. The problem though is that using said power apparently reduces the girl’s lifespan, which results in certain death should too much power be used. Not that special a suffering setup to be honest (it’s similar to Madoka’s cutie breaking method), but I do like the touch of blood streaking out whenever a magical girl activates her power—makes for some fantastic facial expressions. What the true purpose of these powers are is the big mystery at the moment, it’s easy to make assumptions given a supposed world ending Tempest thingamajig set to appear in the not too distant future. Cutie wants to persevere through the suffering? Just acquire a power able to do the job. Obviously more to it than that of course, but MSS is certainly appearing to set up a more interesting story than I originally thought before.
No matter how subjectively good MSS’ makes its story though, there’s one nagging issue that will make or break this show for some: the darkness. As if it wasn’t clear enough before, every girl here is going to be sick and twisted in some capacity. Tsuyuno’s torment for example is fairly obvious given her Light Yamagi-esque worldview, but the keen eyed might have noticed she’s hiding something serious about herself that attaches her to Aya. Then there’s the baddie of the moment in Shioi Rina whose idea of sweet and innocent involves maniacally cracking open a skull or six while making many a great face—and I mean great. Without a doubt over the top shock is going to be MSS’s modus operandi for a good while yet, although how long it can keep this interesting remains to be seen. If everyone is suffering it won’t take long before each new act starts bleeding (heh) into the others, and when that happens MSS will quickly grind to a halt given the show right now is largely sustaining itself on its provocation. It may not be an issue right now for most, but unless MSS plans on changing its strategy later on we will eventually—like with all other things—grow bored of the format. What such a change could be god only knows, but with MSS ready to delve into its main story, I imagine we’ll find out soon enough.
After all, we got yet another new girl ready to make an appearance, and this one looks set to put Rina’s already impressive crazy face to shame.
Preview
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Seems like this anime here do not want to find the “light”, it seeks the best fitted darkness for themselves and seems like the anime loves it and want to stay
Well, my thought
Maybe I’m just (still) really screwed up in the head, but even with how crazy some of the faces get with the magical girls, they still seem to have a modicum of cuteness in them too, lol.
Nawh you’re not the only one, Rina has adorable down to a science, even while she attempts bashing your skull in. Must be the starry eyes 😛
Well that escalated quick… From mahou shoujo battle to the death to the end of the world. Anyway, IMO this anime made puella magi madoka and mahou shoujo ikusei keikaku dark mahou shoujo plot looked like a kids show. Point is this is way more fucked up.
I think its how you define dark.
Mahou Shoujou Ikusei Keikaku’s darkness stems from the fact that it was a kill or be killed survival game with a side dose of the expected mahou shoujo action.
Madoka Magica’s darkness stems from the psychological Faistian tale and what is being a mahou shojou and how your decisions and choices comes back to you.
Mahou Shoujou Site borders on smut.
I think among all, I still hold Madoka Magica in higher regard mostly due to the discourse it generated and the finesse that is the Urobutcher and psychedelic SHAFT.
Since we’re on this, I’d like to make a comparison between Aya and Kami-Kaname Madoka. No doubt both are whiny and all but Madoka is better off than Aya since as whiny as she gets, it’s not as spineless and helpless as Aya. Aya seems to just be contented in letting herself to be carried along by the current of things around her not taking a step forward to change her predicament.
https://randomc.net/image/Mahou%20Shoujo%20Site/Mahou%20Shoujo%20Site%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
With a pathetic disposition like that, it’s no wonder she’s in the sorry state she’s in.
Henrietta basically sums it up, but it basically comes down to intent. Madoka was all about the slow descent into psychological chaos, while Ikusei Keikaku was by and large a survival game with magical girls. MSS, for better or worse, is using shock simply to set itself apart. It’s dark in the sense the material is provocative, but right now there’s nothing else to it, no purpose, no real reason, just a bunch of girls suffering for the sake of suffering.
This is why I mention the likelihood of MSS falling off the rails later on. If its strength is only how depraved it can make its characters, we will grow bored of it eventually. There has to be something besides the shock value to encourage watching, or else it simply becomes perpetual torture porn.
Madoka twisted the concept, Ikusei Keikaku walked on a tight rope between magical girls and battle royale. But this is has a setup like Gantz, Inuyashiki or Jagaaan,put Kurono or Inuyashiki in the same place of Aya and viceversa and it would fit.
I personally don’t think this classify as a magical girls show. It’s not twisting or adapting the concept, is fitting magical girls imagery into a gory action packed show. I don’t think it can be compared.
https://randomc.net/image/Mahou%20Shoujo%20Site/Mahou%20Shoujo%20Site%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
Walpurgis Nacht 2.0 is a phallus. Oh great Lami-Madoka save us.
So Aya survives Shioi Rina’s lightening attack because she’s used to suffering? Then manages to dodge the hammer attacks inside a 3 meter square box? It would be nice if her plot armor was a little less obvious.
I think it was more that the lightening attack wasn’t meant to kill as much as incapacitate, and that Rina underestimated Aya’s ability to move after the fact. Dodging the hammer attack isn’t too surprising if Rina failed to account for any strength Aya might have gained from her magical powers.