Yep, Tanya gets a Why It Works. Before ACCA, before Maidragon, before Rakugo, here’s the friggin’ fascist loli show getting top billing. What can I say – Tanya is a well-constructed piece of entertainment. It feels professional in the way Hollywood films feel professional, and that gives me a lot of fundamental craft stuff to talk about. So here we are, starting off my Crunchyroll deep dives of the winter season with Saga of Tanya the Evil!
Why It Works: Saga of Tanya the Evil’s Snappy Cuts
Fascism wasn’t really a thing in Germany in the First World War. Jingoism maybe?
To be honest, I feel if this season was slightly stronger in its array of content, Tanya wouldn’t even had made it back on your radar.
Between your initial reactions to the series and your thoughts in your Week In Reviews (especially week 2), it seems like Tanya was only tacked on because Winter’s offerings were fairly slim.
However, it’s nice to know that you’re having fun with the show nonetheless. It’s just jarring to hear you go from:
“Between its love of violence, worship of its own protagonist, magic explosion exposition, and self-defeating style choices, there’s basically nothing I actually enjoyed about this.”
To:
“Tanya is a well-constructed piece of entertainment. It feels professional in the way Hollywood films feel professional, and that gives me a lot of fundamental craft stuff to talk about”
In roughly three weeks. I mean, it’s not like the critiques you laid out initially all disappeared over these three episodes, and it’s not like Tanya’s earlier content was completely lacking the directional decisions/craft touch-points you now praise.
Please tell me the real Nick Creamer isn’t being held captive and forced to pump out pro-Tanya write-ups. Please tell me the real Nick Creamer is okay!
“it’s not like the critiques you laid out initially all disappeared over these three episodes”
A lot of those critiques have disappeared, at least temporarily:
Love of violence
There have been very few war scenes since episode 1.
Worship of its own protagonist
Tanya’s attempts at the easy life are constantly thwarted by god and her own words keep coming back to bite her.
Magic explosion exposition
The magical explosions have basically all been for humor since episode 1.
Self-defeating style choices
The ‘serious, gritty combat between realistic people’ disappeared with the war scenes, and the reveal that you aren’t supposed to take Tanya seriously makes the stylistic dissonance easier to digest.
I think the show will probably go back to being like episode 1 at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet.