Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – Episode 13

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I’m tired, boys and girls. These old bones have seen too much; too much pain, too much hardship, too much hair and bruises and bodily fluids. I’ve done the best I can, and I’m proud of every damn minute – proud of all of you. I wouldn’t take this bizarre and sexually confusing journey back for the world.

We began as humble explorers, keen on striking out for new horizons. A compelling soundtrack, a few strange and irreconcilable visual details – these were our clues, the breadcrumbs that led us to this winding, treacherous path. How could we have known the perils to come? The lines crossed, narrative rules broken or fundamentally misunderstood, yearnings awakened, never to slumber again? And yet, each turn of the screw held its own strange and rarely mentionable pleasures. Hair as sex object – haircut as virginity proxy. A deaf piano tuner. A moe needle addict. A witch named Witchy. A loli assassin. Each new tangle in the weave added subtleties to the glossy sheen, braiding itself naturally into locks fortified by random misappropriations of genre conventions and a fundamental certainty that everything happening could not conceivably be any more erotic.

My friends, tonight our journey comes to an end. But let us not dwell on that – nay, let us consider it a new beginning; a revision of the world we knew, now colored by our common pilgrimage. For the moments we have shared will stay with us, connecting us like shimmering ebon tresses no matter the distance. Though our paths may diverge, our common ends will never split. Though our time together may be shorn, no Goods may sever the time we had.

Let rise the curtain, friends. Let our final hour be bright and soft as silk.

Episode 13

0:25 – The Hair Queen gazes at the loli, at the flames, at the loli. Gritting her teeth, she comes to a decision. To hell with Gossip and all the rest of them. She has her principles

0:53 – Really? Greyland is in the House? I mean, I know you never intended to be classy, Crime Edge, but…

Gah, fine. Whatever. Raise the roof, Greyland is in the house

1:11 – “Hey, Lolino. Now that you’re delirious from blood loss and unable to actively murder me, I figured we could have a bonding moment.”

1:38 – I had to backtrack to confirm he was wearing half a pair of glasses. Ain’t give a damn.

2:07 – “As for how or why she was found, most members of Gossip don’t have a clue.” The joke is that there are actually people who care about the exposition and world-building in made-up nonsense stories like these ones. I had an argument yesterday with someone mad that the technology in frikkin’ Gargantia doesn’t make scientific sense. Because clearly that makes the point of that show come tumbling down

2:20 – “He was looking for something miraculous… something that could cut my hair.” “Dear god, let me find a tool to cut my daughter’s relatively inconvenient hair!” Fucking first world problems…

2:44 “I was jealous… and so I decided to end your life.” “I see.” Man, Iwai is just #1 at bonding with people who try to murder her. It’s the shounen protagonist gift

4:34 – And it all comes down to this. Can the love of such a pure maiden tame the savage beast?

Wait. Iwai isn’t pure in the slightest.

Well, we tried

5:02 – Is it just me, or does Kiri’s berserker crab walk look exceptionally silly?

Also, while we’re here, might as well mention that this whole “spirit of the killer” thing is taking the sex-fetish-as-addiction thing to staggering new depths of creepiness. At this point, any attempts to say this show is a metaphor for anything will probably make it come off as more rapey than it already is

5:42 – Yep, things are getting pretty weird

6:17 – “Savagely, like a wild beast… he violated my hair.”

There it is, folks. Pack it up, get the gear in the van. Not sure where we can go from here

8:54 – Aaand her hair starts growing again.

I mean, does the show want me to actually articulate the idea it’s getting at here? Regarding how the Hair Queen thing is a metaphor for her comfort level with her self and sexuality, and how her relationship with Kiri has changed and subsequently regressed that sexual identity? I’m not gonna do it. This show just said “he violated my hair.” It has lost all analysis privileges

9:27 – Well, it’s nice to see Iwai and Emily are getting on like a forest on fire in which someone’s hair was just violated

10:02 – SERIOUSLY? We are SERIOUSLY following up that scene with a bath scene starring Iwai and Lolino? Crime Edge, you don’t give a single fuck. And by that I mean take a seat right over there

10:07 – “I lost my motivation. I wonder what I was hung up on all these years?” Well it’s nice to know your desire to murder an innocent girl wasn’t just an errant fancy or anything

13:32 – “It’d be easy for me to say killing is wrong.” On the one hand, what the fuck, why are these characters naked for this entire fucking episode. On the other hand, it’s refreshing to see a shounen protagonist admit that people have different circumstances, and sometimes moral high grounds are just convenient disconnects from the world. On the third, fourth, and fifth hands, why are these characters naked for this entire fucking episode.

Maybe it’s a metaphor for my fist in the author’s face

15:16 – “This hospital is run by Gossip.” Yes, that makes sense to me

16:28 – More exposition. This isn’t even pretending to be a last episode. Fuck you, Crime Edge. You can’t keep doing this to me. I’m under no obligation to cover your goddamn second season

17:17 – Why does she keep attacking him with her boobs when she knows he’s into Iwai? Shouldn’t she be smothering him with her hair or something?

19:27 – Dat piano ballad OP arrangement

19:41 – “You will fight many more enemies…” Wait, what? We’re getting the ending speech now? They haven’t even fucking made up yet! You can’t do this to me, Crime Edge! You fill your last episode with random nudity and pointless exposition and don’t even have the main characters share a conversation GAH, CRIIIIIME EEEEEEDGEEEEE!!!!

20:33 – Wait, final haircut appointment? Oh thank god

21:50 – His shears sing out, cutting softly, deftly, like a gentle breath of wind. It feels good. It feels right. -FIN-

22:45 – Except for this montage of batshit insane images from the extremely presumptuously expected sequel

And Done

Well.

Jeez, I don’t even know.

Was it good for you?

That show, guys. That show. When it wasn’t incoherent it was offensive, when it wasn’t offensive it was inept, and when it wasn’t inept it was actually kind of touching. I dunno. It’s too stupid to be problematic. It’s too strange and personal to be satire. It’s too Crime Edge to be anything else.

Our story ends where it began, with two young lovers sharing the innocent joy of cutting hair, changed by their journey and yet somehow still the same. Their path has led them through many trials and a rogues gallery of memorable acquaintances: Sharktooth, Fishwoman and Sis, Ragemaiden, Lolino, Glasses-pusher, and all the rest. They’ve learned… well, they haven’t actually really learned anything, the themes have been pretty incoherent all along. They’ve learned cutting hair is sexy. I guess they already knew that. I guess the sexiness was inside them all along. And that’s something we should all take care to remember.

Anyway. I enjoyed this demented little shounen-drama-mystery-romcom-erotica. It was weird and disjointed and sometimes troubling and always extremely honest. I think honesty is a good thing to strive for in art. And in the spirit of practicing what I preach, I’d like to honestly say it’s been a pleasure writing these, and hearing that some of you enjoy them has meant a lot to me. Thanks for reading. Fuck you all if you think I’m covering another season of this lunacy.

Regards and love and all my shears,

Bobduh

Is Anime an Inferior Medium?

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Question:

Many people seem extremely dismissive of otaku culture and anime in particular, claiming anime is an inferior cultural medium to books, movies, etc. How would you go about refuting this argument?

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Attack on Titan – Episode 12

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Alright, finally got some time for Titan. It’s definitely earned a fair shake this week – Pixis’ focused and theme-outlining speeches from last episode definitely helped renew my interest in this show, and partially made up for the pretty terrible pacing and lack of meaningful action that have recently brought momentum to a standstill. It’s also just nice to see someone displaying actual competence in this universe – getting down on humanity for their panic and weakness is great and all, but it’s kind of an empty message if your portrayal of humanity is all babbling strawmen like the bearded officer. Pixis displayed actual charisma, got straight to the point when necessary, and used a handy dash of psychological warfare to rally troops in the face of terrifying odds. We know a recap episode is coming soon, so hopefully this episode will ride the current momentum into a fast-paced and eventful conclusion.

Episode 12

4:08 – “We must win this battle.” It still seems crazy to me that they’re betting both Eren’s power and the entirety of this fighting force on Eren’s powers maybe working the way they hope they do. Sure, losing the buffer wall puts them in serious danger, but potentially losing both these resources seems far more risky.

I think I’d be more accepting of this as a necessity to keep the story moving quickly if the story actually weremoving quickly in general, or if this show didn’t place such an emphasis on plans and tactics. As is, it’s a little harder to suspend my disbelief

4:58 – Mikasa versus the Titan. That’s a great image and a great moment

8:05 – “Unlike us, he’s an irreplaceable resource.” Thank you.

8:29 – It’s Jean! SAVE US, JEAN!

9:07 – “Minimizing losses is the correct tactical choice. The bosses are in the right!” Jean always best character – I love seeing his strong understanding of strategy and absolutely terrible understanding of people slam against each other. Nice pep talk, Coach!

11:08 – Is this the screencap you fuckers wanted? [1] Pretty adorable, admittedly

12:07 – Well, we’re halfway through the episode, and so far Eren has successfully hit himself in the face and fallen down. Not exactly what I was hoping for

12:15 – “During training, instructors will sometimes intentionally cut trainees’ cables to gauge their reactions.” That’s pretty brutal! I’d say a mean little detail like that is worth a dozen terrified reaction faces

16:02 – “Back then, Eren emerged from their weak point. I’m sure that’s a clue about what they really are.” And clearly that’s a clue about where this story is heading

17:05 – “Eren, get out of there!” Eh. This is the exact same dramatic trick they pulled when Eren was basically comatose in front of the firing squad – and it wasn’t very satisfying then, either. It’s not about accomplishing some heroic task, with specific, defined obstacles (the way their raid on the gas supplies was, which is in my mind the only really successful action setpiece so far) – it’s about them dragging out moments while we wait for Eren to wake up again. Maybe this works in manga format, but here each “panel” is several seconds of the camera zooming while the show attempts to build tension around a binary conflict (will he wake up, yes or no) we’ve seen before and pretty much can guess the ending of

I think that’s all pretty obvious, so for the sake of making this writeup interesting, let me at least think about how I’d handle a moment like this. Well, first of all, I probably wouldn’t be here – I don’t think “everyone slowly gets themselves killed while Eren, the one truly relevant factor, either succeeds or doesn’t succeed” is a very good use of this show’s resources, so I’d probably have spent an episode integrating Eren’s abilities in some dynamic way and then set up a mission where both his part and the part of the regular squad were meaningful and interesting in their own right. If I were in this particular moment, I’d say we need something to add relevant tension to the conflict. I’m guessing the best way to do that would be to run with that little flashback Eren had, and have a thematically relevant flashback to accompany Eren’s awakened resolve – his inability to accept the complacency of the other humans has always been pretty key to his character, and maybe remembering that could also be the key to his ability to master the Titan. This would also make for a nice symmetry with Mikasa and Armin’s own resolve-discovering flashbacks this arc

17:37 – Oh look, they’re doing that. That’s good

21:11 – “Deserts and oceans and massive tracts of land!” I’d make a Holy Grail reference, but I’m pretty sure “massive tracts of land” is just Commie being Commie

And Done

So it’s looking like only incredibly strong primal emotions (“I can’t die here!” “I have to protect them!” “I was born into this world!”) can actually guide the Titan? I guess that works.

Otherwise, pretty meh episode. I liked the stuff with our main trio’s squadmates, but I pretty much always like their brief relationship-building exchanges. Otherwise, more redundant we’re-all-gonna-die stuff from the peanut gallery, and the conflict with Eren was pretty much an exact copy of the second time he became a Titan. I’m assuming next episode will finally bring an end to this conflict – hopefully the next arc won’t drag its story out to the degree this one has been doing.

Summer 2013 Preview/Predictions

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New season zomg everybody hit the deck. The lineup of shows is available here, and certainly covers a pretty diverse spread of genres. As for what I’m moderately excited about? Let’s get to it.

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Suisei no Gargantia – Episode 12

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Welp, I’m late, but in my defense your face is stupid. Two episodes to go. Gargantia in the crosshairs. All themes primed to explode.

Let’s talk about that for a second. I assume this and the next episode will probably settle these ideas a bit, but right now, this show is fucking crazy-rich in interpretations. My own focus has been on how Gargantia, Ledo, and the Galactic Alliance explore the purpose of society and how society relates to individual identity. I think that’s a pretty sweet interpretation! But you could also make a strong case for the Alliance system representing the classic and now-decaying Japanese ideal of entering a corporation upon leaving education, rising in an utterly linear fashion within that organization, and being protected by it until the day you die. Or you could talk about the specific historical philosophies our sides are representing – Kugel’s pseudo-Randian theocracy, Gargantia’s lightly capitalist collectivism. Or you could hone in on the theme of entering society, focusing on the way Ridget and Pinion have dealt with their emerging responsibilities, as well as what Chamber and the cockpit might represent. Or you could talk about the show’s layered views on human nature and the inevitability of conflict. Or its much more straightforward but still solidly articulated views on the military-industrial complex. Or the 1984-esque perspective control, focusing on Ledo’s early inability to translate the purpose of Gargantian society and Kugel’s recent redefining of happiness.

So yeah. By all means, take your pick. The show is a rich goddamn tapestry, and even if many of these ideas are relatively straightforward in their expression, that expression is still generally well-articulated, and the summation of all these ideas is a vivid, compelling, and multifaceted world. This show’s a gem. I hope it finishes strong.

Episode 12

0:51 – Pinion’s like a kid in a candy shop. Which I guess is a part of what he represents – humanity’s hasty bravado and careless glee in creating newer and deadlier weapons

1:57 – In order to plea on Gargantia’s behalf, Ledo leaves Chamber, preferring to represent himself in person

2:46 – You know we’re in the shit when there’s no time for the OP

6:31 – Aw maaan, is Kugel gonna murder a bunch of senior citizens because they’re a drain on society? Well, I guess they’re really hammering in what a saint Ayn Rand was. Utterly rational societies, everyone!

8:29 – Jeez, nicely done. Hammering the point home or not, that wave of bodies falling is a chilling image. As is the rain washing away Pinion’s temporary allegiance. And there we have it – Ledo chooses the way he wanted to contribute to Gargantian society over the most efficient role chosen for him by the Alliance

8:54 – I also like that Pinion’s hair has been let fall loose now that he’s given up on the titles and bravado. When I watch this show for a second time, I’ll probably be on the lookout for more efficient visual cues like that or the symbolic colors

10:20 – “Combat policy formulation is in your hands, Ensign.” Awww yeah, fucking fist pump. It’s really hard for me to not treat Chamber like an actual character – he really does seem to have a genuine connection with Ledo. But hey, that fits perfectly in line with his role as teacher/parent in the Japanese society metaphor, and that could be the right one, so who knows?

10:35 – Ledo joins the rebellion in the space of one smirk from Pinion. Pretty efficient storytelling!

13:40 – “He’s gonna turn against an old friend to protect us, and we’re just going to leave him?!” Not if the “entering society shouldn’t be frightening, we’re all there for each other” camp has anything to say about it!

18:24 – I didn’t want to pause during this holy shit viva la revolucion finale but my damn roommate interrupted me so I might as well say I think the sound design here is fucking dynamite. And also all of the other things that are currently happening

21:27 – Oh man, Striker was indeed on autopilot. A society so rational it governs itself!

And Done

Man, that whole “squids have rejected their humanity, and thus are no longer human” argument is looking pretty threadbare when the alternative is a corpse in a machine. But anyway, fuck yes that episode was awesome. The first half of two straight episodes of dramatic and thematic dominoes tumbling down. Pinion’s turn was surprisingly satisfying, Chamber’s defection to Ledo’s orders was confusingly heartwarming, and the finale was pretty goddamn epic. Great music, it bounced well between the various smaller conflicts, there were some really nice visual touches like their cannons parting the sea of mist – the plot and themes are still being respected, but this was also just a sweet freaking episode in all the best pure-entertainment ways. Nailing it, Gargantia.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru – Episode 12

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Hey guys. OreGairu time! But before that, let’s talk about… romance. 

In many of my rants, I’ll talk about how characters lack chemistry, or how they have an unequal relationship, or whatnot. This is honestly a pretty big problem in anime – if we’re not being told-not-shown characters are in love, we’re often getting those unequal, moerotic-based relationships between a man and a mental child .

OreGairu says Fuck That. We’ve seen Hikki and Yuki grow to respect each other through actively helping and supporting each other. Their banter has always been strong, and reveals the many places their philosophies match or compliment each other, as well as their clear status as intellectual equals . And the reasons they respect and even admire each other are perfectly clear – Hikki’s bluntness, insight, and ultimate loyalty, Yuki’s ambition, confidence, and refusal to back down. Romance doesn’t exist in a vacuum – you can’t just create two characters and add romance by saying they love each other . OreGairu knows this, and really couldn’t be handling it better.

That said, last episode definitely went a little too well for Hikki and Yuki, and I have a sinking suspicion this episode’s going to break my heart.

…fine. Let it be done!

Episode 12

0:41 – OreGairu once again writes the book on actual sibling dialogue. His sister’s deadpan ‘wow, so cool’ is pretty perfect

2:51 – I’m not the authority on OPs, but I really do love this one. Great wistful tone, perfectly appropriate lyrics

3:50 – “I’ll have you know I rate Sis quite highly. I wanted to be like her after all,” Well jeez, isn’t Yuki acting self-confident and honest all of a sudden. It’s almost like the last couple episodes have directly focused on strengthening her trust in Hikki and developing their relationship in a completely organic way or something

3:55 – “You’re fine as you are.” YES HIKKI GO

Sorry. You know I’ve always been a sucker for this show, and it hasn’t even focused on the romance before now, and good romance is actually my great weakness, so not just giggling and clapping here is gonna be pretty tough

5:07 – “Could you perform one more song?” Hayama’s a goddamn superhero. It’s funny that this show is accused of pandering to people who relate to Hikki, because Hikki and Yuki are the ones being regularly portrayed as immature, and Hayama’s the most realistically flattering portrait of a put-together popular guy I’ve seen

5:38 – “I’ll go look for her!” “That’s a terrible idea, and it won’t help anyway.” Nice little jab at the classic “oh jeez, we need to find them – let’s run around and search randomly!” anime trope. I’d call out a specific example, but I think this writeup’s already had enough Sakurasou-bashing 

5:55 – “But you didn’t say it was impossible” while actually smiling. I told you, you guys. These two…

6:24 – They’re wrapping up a lot of character conflicts here – Yuki asking her sister for help is a big step (and her kinda dickish sister lets her know it)

7:10 – Aw man, God Knows-ing it up. Goddamn do I hope Hikki gets to see it

7:47 – Speaking of resolving character conflicts… “Yui, can I rely on you for vocals?” Ba-dum-psh.

8:37 – I mean, she’s gotta be on the roof, right? They’re always on the roof

9:00 – “Roof of the special wing.” Some things never change…

10:09 – And now Hikki’s doing his best to live up to the trust Yuki’s put in him. They grow up so fast…

11:02 – Oh my god, that’s fucking brilliant. Hikki can’t be someone other than himself (kinda neatly foreshadowed with Yuki’s ‘that’s who I’ve always been’ and Hikki agreeing with her earlier), but Hayama is the perfect man for the job

11:22 – “Everyone’s waiting! Don’t worry – they all did their best for you!” God, could you imagine Hikki trying to handle this role?

13:03 – Man Hikki, you are so damn mad . Normally he doesn’t care this much – is he just furious at what she put Yuki through? Or is this him actually trying to be his most true self, to match up to Yuki’s example

13:50 – “Why is that the only way you know how to do things?” YES. FUCK. YES. DROP THE FUCKIN’ AXE, HAYAMA. ‘Yeah, you may see the worst instincts in people – but you don’t have to fucking work that way. It doesn’t make you special or insightful – it just makes you alone. Grow the fuck up, Hikki.’ Hayama for president.

17:37 – “There are people who’d get hurt by watching you get hurt. You’d be wise to realize that soon.” You’d be wise to realize a lot of stuff soon, Hikki. You need to hang out with Hayama more often

18:16 – “You pickin’ a fight?” Pretty close to the first thing he said to her, right?

19:07 – “Great minds think alike, huh?” Oh man, these two are so adorable it’s almost insufferable. So much love

20:02 – “Nah, feel free to lie. I lie all the time.” And that concludes our last narrative thread, right? Oh god.

22:00 – “Even this pointless chapter is one I’ll someday lose.” Oh man, getting super-overt about the intended audience for this show

And Done

Oh GOD DAMNIT. The last one is gonna be some bonus episode one-off or something, isn’t it? You know, considering this episode resolved every single conflict perfectly and whatnot.

So yeah. Fantastic episode. Hikki sticks to his guns on his personality but directly expresses his admiration for Yuki, Yuki gets ridiculously overt in her flirting, and Hayama lays down the fucking law. The drama is resolved handily, we get resolution to Yuki’s conflicts with Hikki, Yui, her sister, and even kinda herself, all the characters seem much more comfortable being themselves, and it ties it back around perfectly with a return to the initial dynamic, even making callouts to their very first conversation. The main relationship progresses in a way that remains true to the original characters while reflecting both their growing maturity and clear mutual affection. Hikki gets one more absolutely brutal analysis takedown. There are more honest smiles than in the rest of the series put together.

In other words…

Oh my god you guys this show is so good.  So, so good. That was perfect. Holy shit. So happy. Love these characters, love this writing, love these ideas, love this bulletproof narrative structure. The source material is obviously fantastic, and this series composition guy clearly outdid himself as well. Goddamn. So satisfied. Nice job anime you did it A+.

Hataraku Maou-sama! – Episode 12

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Pretty close now – only two episodes left. Is Maou-sama gonna pull it off?

Probably – Maou pretty much nailed the dismount of the first arc, and I have no reason to suspect it won’t repeat that accomplishment this time. The dramatic stuff has never been the problem with this show – the characters are decently developed, the writing is sharp, and the direction is always pretty damn good. No, the problem Maouactually suffers from is a fairly common affliction, a little disease I like to call “Why Most Anime Comedies Suck-itis.”

Early on, the unique concept and good character chemistry offered ample fodder for humor – and this show mined it. It mined the fuck out of it.

And at a certain point, it struck solid rock.

So we got boob comparison jokes. We got “Lucifer sucks, laugh at him” jokes every episode. We got “Alsiel makes funny faces when he’s sick” for five episodes straight.

I don’t get it, you guys. [1] I’ve seen these jokes a thousand times. They were barely worth a chuckle the firsttime.

So yeah, that was kinda disappointing. Early on, the character relationships moved much more quickly, and thus new opportunities for humor constantly presented themselves – but when a show reaches a point of narrative and character stability, unless the jokes are really sharp or creative, the humor has a tendency to suffer diminishing returns. And that certainly happened here, at least for me.

But why am I being so down now, of all times? We’re actually in the middle of what this show does best – being a winking, fantastical semi-drama that undercuts itself with perfectly timed humor. Episodes 1 and 5 nailed the shit out of this formula, and I’m eager to see how this all resolves. Despite my complaints, I actually really like this cast – I like Emi’s personal struggle, I like the contrast between Maou’s helpful optimism and utter obliviousness to the horrors he’s created, I like Chiho’s unusually mature take on the usual upbeat girl archetype, and I like what they’re currently doing with Suzuno. I’m ready to see Maou save the fucking day. Let’s get to it.

Episode 12

0:10 – And of course Alsiel ends up in the hospital. This show always does have a way of naturally bringing the characters together when it really counts

0:40 – Oh Alsiel, so loyal. I know he’s my husbando and everything, but it’d be damn tough for them to make any of his conflicts work beyond comic relief at this point – they’ve burned those bridges pretty thoroughly

2:15 – Mm, this OP. I’d say “I really am gonna miss this show,” but it’s doing great in sales and there’s plenty more LN material, so I guess I’ll just kinda miss this OP

3:40 – “This is Heaven’s consensus.” So it seems likely the angels are just another self-interested bureaucracy

6:11 – Why do no other shows understand the power of a good reaction face? [2]

7:02 – And off with his shirt! I find this recent cross-studio realization that girls watch anime and like fanservice too pretty amusing

7:25 – “In what universe would a lovely lady suddenly move in next to a bunch of guys and take care of them?” There’s gotta be an otome adaptation for that – the reverse-Clannad setup

7:38 – “It stinks of sacred powers, but food is food.” Fantastic. This is what I was talking about – snappy jokes that come up naturally but don’t break the flow of whatever else is going on

8:13 – Maou chastising Suzuno. I hope they actually address the hypocrisy of him acting morally superior here

11:17 – “I’ll examine your body later.” Well this episode turned super-rapey super fast!

13:06 – “Heavenly Sliver of Progress,” eh? Hm…

14:17 – Are they gonna blow up the moon? Please tell me they’re gonna blow up the moon

20:10 – That rescue is pretty adorable. “Eh, I don’t have the energy to be tsun right now. Just put me down.”

21:40 – Okay, Alsiel repeating his “sorry I’m late” speech but actually missing the whole fucking thing this time got a serious laugh out of me

And Done

When are these villains going to realize that big, public displays of magical power are perhaps not the best way to defeat someone whose powers are based on frightening pedestrians? Jeez, guys.

Anyway, that conclusion was kinda tidier than I’d hoped it would be, but it was a snappy episode overall, and I think the jokes in general work much better when they don’t draw as much attention to themselves – I found Maou starting his victory speech, being yelled at by Emi, dropping her off, and starting the speech over without missing a beat pretty funny, for example. And his startled but kinda resigned expression when Sentucky started blowing up buildings he was gonna have to clean up was great, too. I wish the girls had a bit more to do here, but it was fine – I probably wouldn’t be complaining if the episode didn’t have another pile of boob jokes. Overall, I don’t think this arc’s conclusion was as satisfying as the first one, but I was definitely entertained.

It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the last episode – at this point, they’ve resolved basically none of the show’s actual underlying conflicts (Emi, Maou, and Chiho’s personal conflicts, the political shitstorm in Ente Isla), and I don’t think anyone’s expecting them to. This show’s in a pretty comfortable position regarding sequel potential, so it’s most likely going to be a few minutes dedicated to sending off our Team Rocket villains, a few minutes not-resolving the Chiho-Maou relationship, a few minutes of showing off the normal SoL dynamic, maybe one minute of Maou-Emi tension, and then maybe a last-second introduction of a new conflict to set up the next season (that or a joke where a seemingly personal moment ends up resolving with Maou being focused on his job).

Okay. Maybe I’m a little cynical.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – Episode 12

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Oh jeez, someone already made the thread. Alright, game face, Bobduh. You don’t have any notes or skits prepared. That’s cool. You’re naturally charming. The crowd loves you. You can DO THIS.

Hey guys! Do you know what time it is? Of course they know what time it is you idiot they’re reading the goddamn thread. Personally, I’ve got a beer in my hand in the middle of the week and I’m suffering from sleep madness after working two back-to-back ten hour shifts. I’m guessing that means it’s time for Crime Edge.

Two episodes left. Tension has been brought to a hot, sexy boil, with Kiri about to confront the most deadly and least appropriate of characters this show has decided to sexualize. Last episode saw him learning crucial details about the nature of his powers, such as the fact that his mentor probably has a large beard and was maybe an aristocrat or something I don’t know. Hopefully this vital information will aid him in the treacherous conflict to come. With only two episodes to go and the subjects of summer Comiket chosen months ago, we’re all running out of time to see Kiri consummate his love before getting his fool ass killed. Frankly, I don’t think he’s treating his situation with the seriousness it deserves – in a battle of Killing Goods, anything approaching stability will always be hair today, gone tomorrow.

Aw man, we haven’t even started this episode yet. Spittin’ fire, motherfuckers! Let’s get to it.

Episode 12: All Good Lolis Must Come to An End

Well, I assume that title’s relevant. Rolling with it.

0:10 – Oh man, starting off with Rage Maiden and The Other One. Could this mean the battle with Lolino will unlock his latent Author powers?

…I’m guess this means the battle with Lolino will unlock his latent Author powers

1:04 – Really, Kiri? Is this really the time to be taking pictures for your Pinterest?

4:13 – “She probably only sees death like going to a faraway country, or becoming one with the stars.” To be fair, that’s kinda the prevailing view at the moment. Aw yeah, secular humanist humor! 

4:30 – I’m a fan of any plan that begins with staring at a tiny girl and thinking “If I can get her to fear death…”

6:27 – I realize they’re going for the Alexander Anderson  thing, but from this angle I can only see him wearing a mining helmet 

7:57 – Wait, she’s not even wearing glasses! How come she get to do the Anderson thing?

8:27 – “Looks like I just dug my own grave.” Oh jeez Kiri, are you beginning to regret antagonizing the loli who handed you your ass yesterday?

8:40 – It’s actually strangely satisfying to see him get the shit beaten out of him for making such terrible decisions

9:34 – “Grayland didn’t kill 200 people? But… but, that can’t be! I believed in him!”

10:29 – That’s right Kiri, fall off that cliff! Best way to avoid being actually murdered: give yourself a Disney-villain death

10:46 – “Otherwise I’ve been overestimating my powers all along…” At what point was he ever basing his power level on the alleged murderiness of the scissors’ original owner? I figured he was basically just swinging them around and hoping that would work up til now

11:33 – Oh shit, here we go. Sensei o’clock

12:14 – Really digging these dramatic jenga angles

15:13 – Shit, kids! That scene was intense! And now, for the penetrating questions: how will Kiri’s newfound thirst for blood affect his relationship with Iwai!?

16:15 – Lolino is obviously well-acquainted with attempted Disney Deaths. Find the goddamn body, set that fucker on fire.

17:10 – If these readings are correct… Kiri has entered berserker mode! 

18:19 – “Taking pleasure in inflicting great pain.” Yeah, that’s pretty spot-on for this show. Light-side Kiri just indulges in a some light grooming, dark-side Kiri is all BDSM all the time

21:44 – “She was so unmoving… and now she’s just a mess.” Mission accomplished, guys! Well, I for one feel great about today’s work

And Done

God DAMN! That last quarter was legitimately intense and uncomfortable the whole way through; they definitely succeeded in selling the terribleness of embracing your inner psycho killer (qu’est que c’est). Kiri has definitively won his second bout with Lolino, and, in brutally assaulting her to the point of hysteria, perhaps taught her that Killing is Wrong. But at what cost?!? I assume he’s out there in the woods somewhere, reveling in his inner beast, attempting to howl at the moon but being significantly hampered by the scissors in his mouth. Will Iwai’s love be enough to draw him back to his healthy fetishes?

Yeah, it probably will. We gotta wait a week to see it though. Cya then!

Brief Aside – The Point of School Days

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Question:

What’s up with School Days?

Bobduh:

It’s an uncomfortably scathing and cynical commentary on the nature of most harems and dating sims. Not a fun ride, but a pretty necessary one.

Most harems exist as sexist power fantasies, relying on the relative inoffensiveness, blandness, or obliviousness of the protagonist, as well as generally a lot of not-taking-themselves-that-seriously, to (theoretically) avoid coming off as creepy and narcissistic. School Days doesn’t do that – School Days plays it straight. It takes a callow, nebbish male protagonist with a weak moral center, and surrounds him with girls with such significant personal issues and such weak self-image that his realizing he can have sex with people just by wanting it and pursuing it makes it actually happen. It’s a relentlessly negative show, but that’s the point – it’s saying that harems are pretty ugly things, and that the circumstances of a harem require a lot of shitty behavior on the part of the guy and a lot of psychological dependency on the part of the girls. By mapping the escapism of harems to characters with actual issues, it acts as a scathing critique of the idea of “winning” girls.

That said, the writing is suspect, the pacing is sluggish in ways that don’t support the material, and the show never actually grapples with its themes, it just exists as a representation of them. The points it makes are a lot more interesting than the package they’re wrapped in.

Suisei no Gargantia – Episode 11

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Oh boy Gargantia. We’re really in the shit now, aren’t we? All the dominoes set up, three episodes remaining, and at least half a dozen narrative, character, and thematic conflicts to be resolved. Ending this gracefully will take some doing, but I actually wouldn’t have it any other way – I think the different issues we’re juggling here are going to bounce off each other quite nicely. Let’s kill some squids.

Episode 11

0:40 – That’s right Amy. You don’t need no goddamn man in your life!

1:29 – Kugel’s looking ragged. Extremely likely he spent the six months Ledo was at the bottom of the ocean developing his cult

3:13 – Look at how happy Ledo is! Thank god for the Galactic Alliance – things were so much simpler back then!

4:53 – Episode title: Supreme ruler of terror. Feeling healed yet?

5:28 – “Welcome, envoy of the sky, clad in blah blah we’re a crazy cult.” Well that wasn’t hard to guess

5:56 – Nice visual there – their entire world is a pyramid with Kugel at the top. Anyone care to take a guess at their societal structure?

8:59 – “Pinion of the Sea of Mist.” Oh god fucking damnit. Pinion’s continued relevance to the plot is pretty aggravating – he’s basically chaos itself, and doesn’t do anything to help contrast the various viewpoints of this show against each other

10:10 – And the lobster? Well, I hope they’re going somewhere with this…

10:59 – This actually seems okay. I was fine with Pinion’s character until he went plot-crazy last episode and made a series of terrible and unnecessary decisions. We seem to be back to blunt but pragmatic Pinion now, who’s a solid character

12:02 – “Former humans, you mean.” Very nice that the higher-ups knew, and it wasn’t a big crazy secret that would change everything. Because as Chamber outlined last episode, it wasn’t and it doesn’t

13:15 – Okay, let’s plot out this philosophy a bit

“The weak and the strong support each other through rationality and each have their own ways to contribute and build a society.”

“Happiness is the realization of a circumstance in which the individual renders service to the entire group and the cost-benefit performance of that is at the greatest efficiency. As such, happiness is commensurate with the degree of stability of command.”

Alright, it works better laid out like that. So yes, Kugel is creating a society based around giving all potential resources to the realization of a predetermined societal goal which is supposed to be commensurate with “victory” or, in this case, “happiness.” It’s based on strict hierarchical control and absolute denial of the self. It’s an extreme, but not an unreasonable or unrealistic one

16:23 – Goddamnit Pinion. Their ruse was solid, but still, nice fucking negotiations asshole

18:23 – “According to your work, you receive a fair amount of rations from society.” No safety net here!

19:51 – “He has retreated into his cockpit to become a symbol.” It’s cute that at the top of a pyramid of self-denial, the leader has literally made himself cease to exist

20:44 – “Maybe I should have never left this cockpit.” Curse this ability to examine values from multiple perspectives!

22:15 – Oh come on, zooming the camera in to Amy herself? We get it, Gargantia

And Done

Interesting episode! It consolidated the existing conflicts pretty gracefully, but was mainly interested in talking about Galactic Alliance philosophy. Which is something I’m still working on taking apart – not the philosophy itself, which is pretty straightforward and basically the realization of a military-industrial complex as moral absolute, but the different elements of our own societies that it’s digging at. It rejects currency and individual goals, but idolizes individual effort. No compromise, no safety net, and all accomplishment (and the idea of happiness itself) is tied to realization of a central principle. Honestly, there’s plenty of stuff that reminds me of – theocracies and corporate philosophies seem like the big two, with their system combining a lot of Objectivism with a lot of piety and self-denial, which seems like it’d be an uncomfortable mix, but is certainly working out for them. Either way, not my scene (if you’ve got a few minutes, listen to that one, it pretty much covers the gist of it) – not a bold stance or anything, but I’m a pretty big fan of safety nets and self-actualization, myself.