The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 6

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Well, last episode was funny and unique and pretty adorable. We now have two goddesses left, with in my opinion the girls from the first and second seasons’ most memorable arcs possibly hosting them. But as long as Keima keeps up his business-time Lelouch impression, I’ll probably be happy whatever this episode does.

Episode 6

1:42 – Shiori’s got some fairly understanding priorities there. Dating other men while crossdressing is pretty much fine, but breaking your promise? 

2:21 – It does somewhat strain credulity to think any of these unrealistically prim high school girls aren’t more worried about the glaring gaps in their memories . Because obviously I watch this show for its grounded narrative consistency

2:26 – Of course Shiori would get the loli goddess 

4:38 – Is Keima just pot committed to crossdressing  at this point? Or does he just feel more comfortable in a skirt now? Whatever dude, just askin’

4:43 – The ultimate betrayal.  Seriously though Shiori, I know that feel – give someone your manuscript and you expect a little goddamn courtesy

5:06 – Shiori’s arguments with herself are awesome . Like Watamote if Tomoko weren’t creepy and hateful

5:40 – Well there’s one explanation. Keima’s finally fuckin’ lost it 

6:27 – Keima timed this out well 

7:32 – Shiori hides in books, is amazed at a system that allows her to avoid human contact while ordering, and considers a good meal the best reason to be alive. This story’s starting to hit a little too close to home…

8:57 – Keima – once the distant and lofty protagonist assisted by the fawning Elsie, now proudly declaring victory in a wig, flanked by the indifferent Haqua . How far he’s come

11:46 – Don’t we all . So this is an episode about storytelling within a show that is itself a satire based on storytelling conventions, apparently

13:18 – “Writing is impossible unless I get a flash of inspiration.” Hate to tell you, Shiori, but writing doesn’t actually work that way

13:51 – Shiori’s sections are a lot of fun . This season has been such a step up from the first two in general

15:41 – Wrong attitude, Shiori . You don’t have to write about yourself, but fiction is inherently narcissistic – if you’re going to push yourself through hundreds of pages and months of editing, you have to believe your thoughts are goddamn fascinating. Don’t give me this self-pitying shit!

16:35 – “Katsuragi-kuuuUuUuuUUuuun!” Her constantly breaking voice is pretty great

20:02 – Hm. Well, Shiori, I admire the effort, but… frankly, I agree with your first instincts. Your life is incredibly boring

20:44 – Oh come on Keima, don’t patronize the poor girl . Can we get a second opinion  here?

And Done

Eh, that was okay. More of a conventional story than Yui’s, and with none of the manic energy of the earlier parts. Shiori’s inner monologue was the standout here, I think – the story’s actual resolution felt kinda bland to me, and too much like one of the routine stories this show is normally about taking apart. But Shiori’s a very fun character to follow, and I still enjoyed this episode. Onward!

Uchouten Kazoku – Episode 6

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I’ll probably be taking it a little easy on this one, since I just finished writing the Shinsekai Yori manifesto and am pretty much done with writing forever at the moment. Anyway. Uchouten Kazoku is the best, and last week’s episode was the best, and hopefully it will continue to be the best. The End.

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Shinsekai Yori and True Heroism

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I have to admit, I’ve been kind of dreading this essay. Granted, I actually dread pretty much every essay – this may come as a surprise, but writing mostly feels like work, and it’s only having written things that I normally like (or the feeling of editing something I’m already happy with, or that last-act stretch, when the writing feels like those burning, fleeting seconds after a shot of whiskey, and the absolute worth of the task tingles down to your extremities… okay, yeah, writing is actually pretty great). But normally I only fully break down shows I’m very passionate about, and the reason I’m saying any of this is because that’s not how it’s going right now. Right now I’m going to talk about Shinsekai Yori, and I have to admit the show left me kind of cold.

Not that it’s a bad show! No. It’s actually an extremely good show. Many people already love it, and many more should be introduced to it, because they will love it too. It has a remarkable number of strengths in its favor.

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Attack on Titan – Episode 18

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So I’ve finally caught up on this show, and I’ve actually been really enjoying it lately. I think this second season has been much faster-paced and more full of interesting developments than the first half, and has been basically doing everything I could have hoped for – broadening the character focus, introducing multiple concurrent conflicts (the traitor, the original squad’s troubles, Eren’s own issues), and consistently adding new ideas. And I’ve got the goddamn words to prove it – if you’re interested, you can see writeups on 16 and 17 here[1] and here[2] . But screw that, I’m up to date. Let’s watch some Titan.

Episode 18

2:47 – That shot of Mikasa acting all stoic and badass always makes me wonder what she would have done if Eren had decided to be a banker or something. Would she just be running the surviving human economy at this point? I guess maybe she could do her own thing if Eren weren’t so goddamn intent on getting himself killed

2:56 – Titan is Serious Business[3]   Sorry, sorry. Sorry.

4:07 – I really think the show needs a balance between Titans as immediate obstacles and Titans as source of constant, invisible threat[4]  . I think this setup provides for a much more even horror/action mix than Trost did

4:16 – Man, Jean can get down on himself about anything[5]  , huh?

4:53 – Another war story staple.[6]   “We survived the battle, what justice is there in cold/starvation/lack of medical treatment killing us?” I’m not knocking it – knowing what sources to draw on is a key part of storytelling, and this is a good call for this kind of story

6:56 – Though this war has taken all else, moe must not die[7]  

7:17 – Moe was saved. The sun shines upon this day[8]  

7:26 – This show really is pretty funny[9]  . I think I actually love stupid jokes as long as they’re incredibly inappropriate to the tone and really stupid

9:31 – I like this.[10]   After all the chaos of the last episode, just letting us see it from Eren’s incredibly limited, claustrophobic perspective

10:09 – A nice demonstration of how much better[11]   the recon team is than the rookies we’ve seen so far. That gear is quite the superpower

12:33 – Recon team: not the best at naming things[12]  

14:09 – One of these days, Armin is gonna figure these things out[13]  

17:03 – Half-off sale at Macys you guys[14]  

17:27 – Awesome.[15]   Not only is this much more practical “intelligence” than most allegedly intelligent characters, it’s also my first rule of worthwhile criticism – assume the people making decisions aren’t complete idiots, and make deductions from there

18:24 – “Lol 2deep4u shit… wait… oh my god[16]  ”

Man, I’m being a dick tonight, huh? Apologies, I hit the bottle a little early

18:50 – And then the show provides its own counter-meme[17]  

19:44 – These titans[18]  . Reiner is not amused

I do like this strategy, though. They can use the trees to basically create a fence of titan-bait with the outlying soldiers, and reduce the fight to the best soldiers versus the female titan in the most fortuitous possible environment. I approve

And Done

Oh man, those fuckers. They dragged out that last moment there, but the female titan’s reentry was top-notch action drama. I think this episode was a bit of a step down from the previous one, but it was still exciting and propulsive – no true standout moments like the female titan’s introduction, but a lot of fun action and back-and-forth between the members of the various squads. They’ve probably got another couple episodes of sweet drama to draw from this female titan, as long as they keep shifting up the variables (like this episode’s wider squad focus and introduction of the forest, as compared to last episode’s more personal focus and introduction of the female titan). I’m still having a lot of fun with this second half. Here’s hoping they keep it up

Attack on Titan – Episode 17

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Episode 17

3:04 – This show does have some lovely backgrounds

3:48 – Solid stuff. This show is always at its best when it’s riding on action momentum

4:46 – “Don’t pee your pants!” “You too!” Goddamnit Armin he was making… never mind. Forget it. It’s just Jean being tsun again

4:59 – Okay, this is exactly the kind of shit I was hoping this show would be about

6:26 – “Thus the column can proceed without encountering titans.” Interesting. I guess the commander uses the trails to gauge where specifically the first signal came from, in case he doesn’t catch the original trail? That would make the “if you see a flare, fire as well” make sense – I assume there are more specifics to this system they’re just not explaining, otherwise I assume everyone would fire a flare as a domino effect any time a titan is sighted

7:02 – Fuckin’ sweet sequence. Titans are much scarier when it’s one horrible creature chasing a person you know, and not a wave of monsters killing a wave of faceless victims. Plus, the fact that we’ve had some breathing room helps greatly – Trost resulted in massive titan fatigue for me, with any single threat just becoming meaningless by the end

8:10 – It was an interesting choice, making the abnormals seem souncomfortable with their bodies. Definitely heightens how “wrong” they’re supposed to seem

8:49 – Wow, this job sucks. No wonder they lose so many goddamn recon troups

9:40 – This sequence is excellent, and honestly one of the first examples of truly good direction I’ve seen in this series. The whole sequence builds that “wait, something’s not right here” feeling in the best possible way – Armin’s expression, the slow pan as the sergeant gets back on his horse into the Titan in the distance, the soldiers grimly but stoically resolving to kill this one as well. All the momentum up till now has been cut out, as this scene is neither an extended Titan fight nor a series of jump-cuts as before – the very fact that they’re lingering this long on the introduction of one more titan implies something horrible is about to happen. Really, really nice

11:23 – Didn’t really want to pause for screencaps, because that whole sequence was fantastic. Great introduction, the music perfectly nailed that kind of off-kilter horror film vibe, and Armin is far more compelling to watch now that he has some confidence and resolve. It was also an action setpiece that efficiently pushed the narrative forward – the scene was visually compelling, but Armin took the time to push the dots from “Eren can become a titan and act intelligently -> that makes it likely that the other unique titans are similar -> that means they are humans as well -> what do they want,” which is ahuge progression in narrative for a show that’s so far been so miserly in its plot progression. This show is looking up!

12:20 – I mean, it looks like Annie, right? Am I supposed to think that?

12:24 – Okay, that was obviously titan-perspective, so it apparently recognized him specifically and then decided not to splat him

16:10 – Jean’s toughened up quite a bit. Not much else to say here. This exposition is fine, since it’s actually conveying necessary information, and this feels like the first time Armin’s actually demonstrated real intelligence, and not just “shounen smart one”-level intelligence. It’s not graceful, but it’s fine

16:37 – Yeah seriously though

16:47 – Okay, getting a little on-the-nose here. Goddamn is this show bad at character development

17:43 – Holy shit Armin realized Jean was insulting him

18:51 – And the show straight-up admits those two are OP as fuck

21:16 – Holy shit Reiner’s dead! Well, fuck! Two down, eight left…

21:26 – Nevermind Reiner’s fine fuck you Titan

And Done

That was an excellent episode. Some fun tactical stuff, some nice bits of direction, and several good action setpieces. I had my complaints too, but I always have some complaints with this show, and as long as it keeps up momentum in both narrative and individual scenes, any issues I have with characterization or storytelling are minimized. Those things have never been what this show does well, and when it doesfocus on what it does well (and especially when the direction gets careful), it is a damn entertaining spectacle. Definitely one of the best episodes of the series

Attack on Titan – Episode 16

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Yep, picking this up again, again. What I’ve seen/heard about this recent arc seems far more interesting and dynamic than Trost, and this show just works better when you watch at least a couple episodes at a time. It doesn’t make its’ flaws go away, but it does make the show more enjoyable in spite of them. But enough negativity – new arc, new characters, and this time we’re working with actual professional Titan-killers, so it should be much less “let’s all die as slowly as possible so Eren can get shit done” than I was worried about. Let’s fighting!

Episode 16

2:17 – “Whoever did it must have really hated the Titans.” You never were the smart one, Connie…

And then of course Armin agrees with him, proving no-one in this show is actually the smart one.

3:30 – These quiet moments with the team are generally my favorites of the series (which might betray the fact that I’m probably not the right person to be critiquing Titan, of all things)

4:06 – “Not everyone can be like you.” Don’t knock your lack of shounen protagonism, Jean. It makes you the best character in the series

4:49 – That expression. Courage isn’t a lack of fear, it’s acting in spite of it

5:54 – “There’s a time and place where people are morally obligated to lay down their lives.” Not that humanity here has really been portrayed as a race worth protecting

6:45 – And there’s the murder-mystery angle. I’ve been liking this second half significantly more than the first so far – the characters actually have a little grounding now, there’s more going on, and each plot thread is moving forward in a way that changes the variables of the world and characters. But again, I find stuff like Levi’s guitar-solo-Titan-slaying introduction actively tedious, so that might just be me

6:59 – “I wonder if there’s anyone crazy enough to join us.” “Hey Eren! You’re crazy, wadda you think?”

8:23 – It’s like that scene in Starship Troopers where the protagonist is now the grizzled sergeant talking to the new recruits, except this isn’t a subversive indictment of jingoistic war fetishism and that comparison doesn’t make any sense

8:30 – “Unlike some dumbfucks, I ain’t got no death drive.” For this show, I actually appreciate Commie’s bullshit

10:26 – “We have the key to discovering the Titans’ true nature.”Don’t listen that dumbfuck Armin, I actually love it when this show’s leaders use a little propaganda or mob-riling for the greater good

12:13 – “Most of you who join will die. Likely slowly, almost certainly horribly. Those who survive will watch the first group as they are dying. Most of this second group will then die.” Man, he really knows how to sell ‘em

13:31 – Man, I was wondering if they’d actually switched directors for a couple episodes there. Nope!

15:15 – I actually find this show’s goofy, bipolar sense of humorpretty endearing

15:58 – “Strangely, Eren’s position was nowhere to be found.” Adding the possibility of some kind of traitor really does make this more interesting

16:40 – “This mission may have a secret objective…” You don’t say! This should be fun

17:28 – Commie contain yourselves.

17:36 – Okay this is getting out of hand. Switching back to subs written by adults after this…

And Done

Fine episode. It was a board-arranger, but it arranged the board pretty effectively, and there was plenty of Jean. I’m honestly not sure what I’m supposed to believe convinced the recruits to join the death squad – it made it clear they were all scared out of their wits, but the only motivation I’m really seeing beyond Marco’s effect on Jean and Mikasa’s motivation is “somebody’s gotta do it!” I guess that’s the best you can do in an action show with an ensemble cast, but it’s not all that satisfying. But this episode still moved well and drew the players together for the next act, so overall it was a serviceable if unremarkable episode

Gatchaman Crowds – Episode 5

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No time for frivolities this week! Rui’s having a breakdown! Joe is in trouble! The ideas are brewing and the plot’s speeding forward and every character has had a dash of elaboration. Screw Titan, this is the adventure spectacle of the season.

Episode 5

0:09 – This is amazing.  Again, it’s so rare to see a show this narratively sharp and idea-driven still have such a sense of goofy fun

0:12 – Pai’s tiny chair is also panda-colored . This is also just a great domestic moment. They are a very silly family

0:16 – “Should we spend an episode having them discover the link between the assaults and the alien?” “Nah, let’s just have Hajime infer it in a few seconds. ”

1:13 – “Why are we hiding? What do we have to hide?”  Pretty funny how people were calling Hajime a dumb protagonist – her chipper, flighty exterior has the other characters fooled, but I don’t think her smarts are supposed to fly over the audience’s head

1:35 – I love how even her established default response  plays into her preference of empowering every individual as opposed to simply melding into a larger structure

1:48 – Pai casually draws the note from his panda-pants 

2:29 – D’s avatar also has great heels 

2:55 – “The broken child will finally reveal itself to us.” Finally. Rui and Hajime are gonna have the best talks

3:27 – Ahh, this OP. This show is so tightly stuffed with good craft and good ideas. It’s only a couple shows a season that actually impress me, but goddamn are those shows impressive

4:49 – Uh oh 

6:33 – That’s a nice sentiment,  but…

7:04 – “You want to get all the credit, don’t you?”  It’s interesting seeing Rui’s idealism be misunderstood by someone who fundamentally can’t understand his values (and instead speaks constantly in terms of who gets individual credit for accomplishments), but the real problem here is that GALAX being a truly collective power is an absolute lie, and thus Rui’s own values don’t really apply to it. I want to see him answer that complaint

7:43 – It is a pretty serious difference in worldviews 

8:29 – There it is.  He couldn’t have more disdain for this man’s perspective

9:05 – Are you having fun right now?  Shades of Hajime here. She brought up a similar (and similarly vague) interpretation of her preferred form of interaction at the scrapbooking get-together

9:36 – “It is a joy that comes from within, innate to mankind, unrelated to material riches.” We are getting some thesis statement stuff right here. So now the show’s taking a step up to mankind’s capacity to philosophize and imagine a better future versus mankind’s innate self-interest and emotional weakness?

11:08 – He will impose selflessness upon them whether they like it or not 

11:52 – “You think Rui’s the ideal angel here? Well fuck you,  here’s his opponent sharing a nice moment with his daughter. Rui’s not perfect, he’s just young enough to have never made a real compromise. It’s easy to embrace absolutes when you have nothing at stake.”

Man I love this show

12:53 – Can you carry it all, Rui? 

14:12 – Hajime finds it somewhat alarming nobody considered this 

15:14 – Hajime still seems to be acting as the “correct” viewpoint here.  As opposed to demanding connection from above, she creates it on the individual human level. This show’s ideas are moving so fast I can’t even guesshow they’ll complicate things for her, but having an actually didactic viewpoint in a show like this seems unimaginable, considering how much they’re complicating everything else

15:32 – “You’re acting all feminine, but you totally shoot guns when you have to, right?”  Jee, who else  do we know like that?

21:17 – “Aren’t there times when you find yourself taking action without even thinking about it?” Like her running to help before checking the mediating level of GALAX earlier – which, ironically, is probably the subconscious human goodness Rui wants to be harnessing

And Done

Oh MAN! DAMN that was great! I have NO FUCKING CLUE where they’re aiming this! That is an AWESOME feeling! This episode was largely “Rui’s ideals versus reality,” which resulted in some solid drama… but it’s not like Hajime’s values work outside of Hajime’s immediate vicinity, either. Her ideas of virtue only really apply to herself, since she is the only person like herself, and she is not an executable system. The writing is still incredibly sharp in this show, so I’m basically only concerning myself with the ideas, since they’re integrated and elaborated with incredible grace. Rui’s philosophy still seems contradictory, since collective intelligence and collective social consciousness isn’t really the same when it has an all-powerful ruler. Hajime still hasn’t made any mistakes, but it’s not like I want her to have an emotional breakdown or something – this show elaborates its characters efficiently, but making the story about their arcs would dilute the thematic focus, when the thematic focus is actually everything in this show. I dunno. It’s hard to put in words. This show is fantastic.

C3-bu – Episode 6

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Welp, the comments aren’t promising, but I guess these characters are likable enough, and Gainax still does some fine work with character animation. It’s not much, but on the other hand, Gatchaman Crowds isn’t out yet. Lez do it.

Episode 6

0:21 – The crippling sweets-addiction at the heart of all moe SoL isbrutally revealed

0:40 – Oshit, are Yura’s delusions contagious?

2:21 – Directly addressing this silliness is cute, but it’s still making a joke about something that was already a joke

4:21 – Gainax still do know their way around a silly gag

5:57 – Flag-dancing, adventures in America, the war… Kanbaru has a lot to be nostalgic about

6:58 – They do use Yura’s insecurity pretty well, and her overcompensating need to prove her value will almost certainly (in fact there’s no “almost” about it, the direction cues make it obvious) lead to a pretty organic conflict when directly clashed against Kanbaru’s kinda contradictory attitude towards what they’re doing (play to have fun, but no surrendering, apparently). That’s pretty standard character conflict, but “standard character conflict” based out of inherent character history and personality is actually a lot better than what anime often resort to for conflict. I’d still prefer that “Yura can actually change the goddamn world” angle, though, even if this is more in line with the sports/SoL-juggling genre we’re working with

7:55 – The fuck did Kanbaru get this immense target-shooting machine? Jeez, her war buddy connections run deep

8:16 – Yeah, sure

9:48 – Yeah, I guess if they run with Yura’s issues in a satisfying way, this show can still hold its’ own. Focusing on a character with deeply-felt anxieties (and clashing her with a character who has her own issues, but a very different way of dealing with them) basically knocks out a great deal of my usual complaints with SoL – the lack of relatable characters, the absence of any narrative hook, and the idolizing of a fantastical “untroubled world” where every day is Himari Day

11:17 – Gainax you’re drunk gimme the keys

13:01 – Fleeced by dat moe

13:15 – Honoka is kinda stealing this episode with her shameless embrace of capitalism

14:00 – Gainax seriously it’s three in the morning put down the phone

14:25 – We’re really keeping it classy today

17:06 – By all means

18:36 – Excellent. I think this whole sequence was fantastically done. Not only was it just a nice visual/aural setpiece (the crackly vocal effects were a nice touch), but they also doubled on perspective by framing the shots from Kanbaru’s viewpoint but the world itself from Yura’s perspective, implying both of their interpretations of the moment without an actual word wasted. That was a damn fucking good piece of directing right there

And Done

Hm. Well, it’s not getting ambitious in the way I’d hoped, and on the face of it that was no more than the school fair episode following the beach episode, but it certainly had its’ moments. This show is a pretty high-caliber (lulz) version of a thing I normally don’t really care about, but it actually gives me more to talk about than I would expect. The writing, directing, and animation are all just higher quality than this stuff usually gets, even if it’s executing a pretty standard genre exercise… it’s airy, but it’s not stupid. Yura herself is definitely a huge part of what gives this show some actual bite – hopefully they continue to use her personality and imagination as well as they did this week

Free! – Episode 5

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Dear Diary,

My thoughts congealed in a familiar pattern on this day. But how could I help it? How could any resist the temptations I suffer?

How it vexes me.

Consumes my thoughts. Torments my dreams. Drowns out every waking moment in its sloshing, seductive gurgle.

The water. The water. THE WATER.

Those nattering fools think they understand. A compulsion, they say. How could they understand? Does the water speak to them? Whisper its’ sweet nothings in their unhearing, unmoistened ears?

No. Of course not. They are children of mundane instincts. Their comprehension will always be limited. I shouldn’t despise them for that – I should pity them. And I do!

Oh, how I pity them.

No, no, I mustn’t think that way. It is not their fault. They mean well; giggling, empty-headed Nagisa, proud Rei, Makoto…

Oh, Makoto. That gleam in his eye – does he know too much? Could he suspect my true thoughts? He sees himself as gentle overlord, assuredly – and why not? If I remain vigilant, if I offer no hints of my own thoughts, it would seem obvious to consider him king in a land of fools. He cannot know. He must not.

Calm yourself, Haruka. Consider the water – graceful, ever-flowing, untroubled by our crude frames. The water does not acknowledge adversity. The water embraces and lets past and is still again. Untroubled by my grasping strokes, or even by Rin’s…

Rin…

No. No more of this. I must sleep, for tomorrow the charade must go on.

But soon.

SOON!

Episode 5

Dear Diary,

0:21 – Our torsos were unamused by Gou’s nonsense this morning. She lives in a strange, dedicated fantasy, but it is a harmless kind of madness. Not worth my attention.

0:34 – As always, her distinctive hair, Rin’s hair, sent my thoughts adrift. An idle comment almost revealed me, but fortunately the fool Nagisa was thinking only of Rei, of whom he has taken responsibility. Nagisa does not concern me – unsurprisingly, it is Makoto’s suspicions that I must assuage. His charming, nurturing smile hides a conniving mind

2:45 – It is little surprise to me that Rei’s narrow, superficially aesthetic-minded sensibilities could not possibly appreciate the beauty and sorrow of my work

3:05 – Makoto plays out his charade of leadership. It is simpler this way – none can deny his skill in leading the simpletons, and as long as his goals mirror my own, I am content to play the jester

3:13 – His gaze turns to me. The moment is critical – I must project calm authority, but remain the willing subordinate, displaying no threat to his command of the situation. I consider a moment, and deploy my words with care

3:16 – His pride is untarnished. The charade continues

3:43 – Gou has found a beautiful object. Her mouth jabbers senselessly of islands and regimens, but does nothing to diminish the grace of the poster

4:06 – As Gou’s inane nattering reaches a fever pitch, I center myself, taking mental refuge in the water’s calming, fluid grasp. Sometimes their foolishness is simply too much to bear

4:25 – Even the stalwart Makoto is no island. Gou stumbles blithely onward. She is oblivious to the tender fragility of a man’s heart. His vulnerabilities are clear to me, but I am no romantic. His weakness is my gain

4:50 – Her monologue is interminable. To survive, I must be like the water. I struggle to maintain my composure – bellowing for silence would not serve my goals

5:05 – How he scours himself for the team. His sacrifice is admirable. Foolish, but admirable

5:13 – The fools laugh as I contemplate the infinite grace of the still pool, the subtle truth of its’ reflection. To attain stillness is to become empty, and reflect all shadows but your own. My fingers send ripples through the water, but reflect only my own disturbance – it is not the water that is disturbed

Also, apparently we’re going on some kind of swimming trip

5:37 – Sometimes I believe our advisor is playing on a higher plane than any of us. There is a warped coherency to her evasions

5:44 – Makoto extends a peace offering. Could I trust him? Sometimes the weight of my own thoughts seems too much to bear alone. If I were to…

No. Foolish. It is merely another ploy. I accept the popsicle graciously, but remain unmoved

6:08 – As if a plebeian such as Gou could understand the subtle distinction of a well-fitted suit. My rage seethes

6:27 – Mere generosity? Ludicrous. What is his game?

6:29 – Ah, a power play. Deftly done. My estimation of his skill rises as I munch softly on the popsicle

7:07 – I reflect soberly on mortality. The goldfish knows not of its’ past or future – it is a living moment, an extension of the water. If only I could achieve such presence

7:36 – Nagisa and Gou babble in unison. My aggravation is poorly masked

9:12 – He speaks lightly of concerns beneath us both, gracelessly masking his trepidation. We may not be allies, but he is a worthy foe – it is beneath him to be debased like this. I am forced to act

9:15 – The moment lingers. Unlike the water, my shadow is long and black. My pride is too strong

9:55 – The moment passes. His words do not console me, but they are enough. Though our paths may differ and our goals may never join again, for one brief moment, our shadows merge. Perhaps, one day…

Dear Diary,

10:16 – In keeping with the solemnity of the occasion, I have selected my finest sweater

10:53 – Gou displays her usual grace with subtext

12:17 – Again she flaunts her idiocy and lack of all taste. My desire to strangle her intensifies, but I remind myself Rin would likely disapprove

12:32 – No. Impossible. Why now? My panic rises, and I forcefully remind myself I am wearing my best sweater

12:35 – Death and calamity, Rin is here. And me, stranded in the company of these mewling children. My cheeks flush. The air feels cloying and damp, my sweater no solace, suddenly a joke, a travesty, a fumbling satirical jab at the very concept of fashion or taste. His swimsuit is perfect. His swimsuit is the ideal. The lines perfectly complement his fluid, agile form, complementing those wild, burning locks that Gou defames like a sick joke. His stature is firm but never stiff, confident, as willing to shift and impossible to shake as the water itself. He stares forward with a whimsical half-smile, the only one whose eyes can truly see the grand, ethereal joke. The only one…

12:51 – Gou’s fumbling implicates her yet again. I could kill all of them for this

13:01 – Nagisa’s chipper nonsense forces me to action. He cannot ruin this, not now, not here. The plan will be followed. But his flippant words tempt me like a hook on the line. How I wish I could simply discard my machinations, how this careful waiting and adjusting and aligning tortures me… oh, to simply be as the water, to flow where I would, to spring gaily upon that linoleum floor and announce my tortured psyche for the world to hear!

But no. Rin’s cherished pride would never allow such an evasion. Such selfish whimsy would be a debasement of all we’ve fought for. My options are few, my margins narrow. As much as it pains me, however my heart rallies against it, I must contort and contrive and abuse those narrow cracks that just might lead to a happy end. Stillness, Haruka. Be the water. Be the water

13:15 – His piercing eyes are evaded, for now. But soon. Soon!

14:06 – Our advisor’s cunning is apparent once again

14:33 – Even in Gou’s absence, Nagisa maintains the appropriate level of aggravating frivolity. I remain cool

OOC: 15:04 – Oh my god this is the most amazing thing

15:17 – The plan must succeed. If dignity must be sacrificed, so be it

15:38 – My sympathy extends in spite of myself. Like the water, my hair flows free

17:06 – Makoto’s expression of honest competition moves me. Like a fever inside me, the question writhes: Can I trust him?

-Begin Excerpt-

18:06 – Momentary shock, but it’s pretty obvious. More of her silly schemes – surely the boys are here, Makoto, Yappy, and… him

18:15 – She’s always been like this. Doesn’t she understand the stakes here? I could meet them, sure – but would Haru’s pride recover? He’s always been sensitive, as much as he tries to act tough and above it all. Honestly, it’s one of the things I like about him. But here, now? God, if only I could throw away these training pants and form-fitting suits, and just live!

But swimming is still there.

It’s always been there

18:33 – How insensitive can she be? No, stay calm, you know that damn temper will be the death of you, Rin. But did she even once think to consider Makoto’s feelings?! Are those boys just some kind of game to her?!

18:58 – It’s no lie. I would give anything to simply throw this all away. But Haru… well, it’s just like him, isn’t it? All I can do is train, and smile, and hope

-Excerpt Ends-

19:49 – Rei’s emotional weakness leaves me unmoved. Such situations demand a Makoto

20:06 – Your leadership is appreciated, Makoto. Bunk me with one of these yappy, insecure children and they’d be dead by morning

Dear Diary,

The plan continues apace. Barring Makoto, my instruments are temperamental and foolish, but they will serve. Save any true idiocy on their part, our paths will flow together once again, merging and intertwining in the fluid future where all rivers eventually meet. I must be patient. I must be graceful. I must be still.

SOON!

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 5

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The saga of Lelouch and the Seven Goddesses continues. Or is it six? Crap. Can’t remember. Anyway. I find motivated but put-upon and aggravated Keima far more amusing than generally disinterested Keima, so I’ve been loving these past couple episodes. Unlike most shows with allegedly smart protagonists, this show makes no secret of the fact that he’s surrounded by idiots – in fact, his living in a world where people are so simple that dating sim rules actually apply is pretty much the entire point. His dealing with the tiresome fact that everyone will inevitably fall in love with him has been pretty recently fantastic. Don’t worry, Keima. We’ve all obviously been there.

Episode 5

0:42 – “You’re not dating all my sisters, are you?”  “Meh, can’t say.” Keima don’t give a fuck

1:01 – KEIMA DON’T GIVE A FUCK 

3:24 – I love this show for its’ sophisticated humor 

3:36 – Keima’s flawless shy tsundere  impression

5:15 – Oh god 

6:02 – Apparently!  There’s just something about  this season 

7:20 – I guess the rest of the class is taking this  pretty well

11:17 – Wow, Keima can actually activate his own shoujo sparkles 

11:41 – Yui brings out all of Keima’s best faces 

12:19 – Keima should do all his scheming in one of those ridiculous maid headbands 

13:12 – “Mom and Dad are so busy, I never get a home-cooked meal… I’m so happy I could cry.” Oh man, pulling out that plot angle, eh? She might be better than you, Keima 

13:26 – Don’t worry Keima, I’m sure you’ll get used to it 

14:17 – Do anime hoodlums practice that expression in the mirror or something?  Is there a handbook for that sort of thing?

16:26 – “On the battlefield?” “Well, it’s ancient history now.” Because it’s literally ancient history. 

18:01 – Jeez, this is one elaborate ride! 

18:16 – Oh, it’s demons. That makes more sense

19:06 – This is awesome. I figured they’d just be making straight gags out of the Yui/Keima gender role stuff, but now Yui is actually fighting to save a catatonic princess Keima from the forces of hell. Rock on

19:51 – Oh shit Keima you so crafty

And Done

Right, and their teacher is just hanging out on the roof. That’s where I do all my foreboding contemplation.

Anyway, that episode was again pretty great, mainly because the Yui/Keima dynamic is way more interesting than the standard captures. Because of this, it worked well despite pulling back from the capture-juggling of the last two episodes. We’re kind of running out of Goddesses to capture at this point, so I guess we’re nearing the point where all the hell nonsense becomes relevant again. I’m not sure how they’ll handle that drama, but I’m mainly interested in seeing Keima as the leader of a hell-fighting team entirely composed of goddesses representing girls who want to jump his bones. That seems… complicated.