Author: Selie

SukaSuka Episode 5 – Promises Not Kept

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We’ve been talking for several episodes about how much we applaud this series for being very clever with its pacing and intentional lack of action, allowing us to explore the characters and their setting on a bit deeper scale because of this.  It’s an interesting idea to make a light novel adaptation with almost no action in a genre that relies heavily on it.  For fantasy, action, specifically battles and violence, is the driving force for most stories and it makes sense.  These are dangerous worlds in which rules surrounding people whipping out swords and going to town don’t always apply.  Fantasy is such a high form of fiction that a story can easily show epic battles or intense magical creatures that tantalize and gives us incredible escapism, answering our thirst for a world where we all can have kickass powers.  I mean, it’s just so dang fun to watch people sling spells and arrows around like there was a sale on projectiles.  However, SukaSuka doesn’t really do this and, to be honest, that’s kinda what’s made it so great so far.

However, give me an opening like this with an epic battle… I mean, I’m not gonna complain.

[HorribleSubs] Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasuka Isogashii Desuka Sukutte Moratte Ii Desuka - 05 [1080p].mkv_snapshot_00.04_[2017.05.14_13.03.43]

For a sec, I thought I accidentally started watching Youjo Senki again.

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SukaSuka Episode 2 – Lambs Willingly Led

Selie 5 Comments

(After publishing edit:  After reading, be sure to check out the comments below as there are some corrections about characters’ ages that should be considered.)

Well, with an intro as damn good as that last episode was, I dove into this episode head first, ready to devour any and all that it could give me.  I just couldn’t stop drooling over that teaser for the end of the series that had my jaw drop back in episode one.  The show is definitely still keeping its tone and wonderfully paced story and as things slowly unravel about this world, I’m enjoying the characters more and more.

Picking up right were the last episode left off, our main character, Willem, ponders how these children could be weapons as he begins to acclimate to his new job.  Not an easy thing to do when all the kids are scared of you as the new adult in town but luckily, as has been hinted at before, our protagonist has worked with kids before and knows a thing or two about winning them over.  i. e. The fastest way to a child’s heart is through their stomach.

[HorribleSubs] Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasuka Isogashii Desuka Sukutte Moratte Ii Desuka - 02 [1080p].mkv_snapshot_05.19_[2017.04.19_03.33.31]

I know he won me over with his Giga Pudding.

There’s a decent amount of time spent in this first half showcasing Willem working with the kids and watching over them, very quickly adopting the role as their guardian.  Meanwhile, the teenagers are together making fun of Ctholly because she seems to be crushing hard on Willem.  All light-hearted antics and fun so far, though hints have continuously been dropped that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to these girls.  While no single kid really sticks out besides the three teenagers, the group as a whole feels very much like an adopted family, all very cute and happy.  So it’s all the more dramatic when this suddenly and twistedly changes in a single moment.

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Youjo Senki Episode 12 – Prelude to the Next

Selie 1 Comment

So now we’ve reached the conclusion of this season… of sorts.  I can actually appreciate that for an adaption of a much longer light novel series, they were unafraid to leave the door as wide open as they possibly could make it.  In fact, strangely enough, I’d argue that this whole ending episode may start as a wrap-up but then immediately takes a left turn and becomes a massive build-up that left me desperately craving a second season in the best of ways.  With the initial war wrapped up, we suddenly find the Empire exhausted and pushed to the limit as forces on all sides, fresh and new, gear up for round two.  On top of this, we have a hint at some real shit coming Tanya’s way straight from America in the best way possible and I cannot wait to see that showdown.  Kudos and applause for giving me that craving, Youjo Senki.  Now don’t leave me hanging for that season two.

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“…Please don’t let this studio go under till I get more.”

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The Deconstruction of an Idol

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Author’s note:

For any of the 3D YouTube video links, up the resolution as high as will run on your computer. It’ll look like garbage otherwise because 3D uses a different standard for resolutions.

Also, I have not seen the full performance.  These ideas are taken from what parts are available online and what research I could find after diving into articles written about the show.


It’s a dark venue.  The stage is set up sparsely, with no instruments present, only three backing screens against the wall and a veiled screen on center stage.  All of a sudden, the music starts and the three screens light up to display very ethereal and blue landscapes that don’t follow conventions of design or reason.  Amongst the cacophony of electronic sound and imagery, a blue light materializes on the veiled screen and from the light emerges a girl, an idol in virtual form with humanoid features, but not nearly human enough.  She begins to sing.

STILL-BE-HERE

At first glance, it almost seems like I’m describing a modern version of the opera scene from The Fifth Element and honestly, the alien nature and style wouldn’t be far off from this performance. In fact, though, I’m referring to an art show put on at the CTM Festival in Berlin that was all about Hatsune Miku.  If you tend to tune out when people start to go Ga Ga for Vocaloids, bear with me. This show might interest you specifically.

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Youjo Senki Episode 9 – Rocket man, burnin’ out her fuse…

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For a show I was mixed about at the start, I have to say they’ve sold me on this story.  This has gone on to be an incredible ride and this episode was definitely my favorite so far.  We have action, comedy, evil, struggle for survival, and an explosive ending that teases the end of a world war!  Tune in at ten for the action!  (Check your local listings for channel information.)

To be serious for a moment, Tanya has come a long way since the beginning of her journey, rising through ranks and becoming an accomplished leader.  Yet we also see why this show has such a dark and enticing title, especially with the horrifying decisions our protagonist decided to make last episode, sweeping away responsibility and hiding behind a very apathetic defense that wouldn’t quite hold up in the Nuremberg Trials.

[HorribleSubs] Youjo Senki - 09 [1080p].mkv_snapshot_00.14_[2017.03.21_23.32.56].png

“And my stew is as bloody as the innocents I’ve sentenced to die.  Man, I love contrasting metaphor!”

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Youjo Senki Episode 6 – Smoke ‘Em Out

Selie 2 Comments

And now we reach that wonderful halfway point in the series.  In my experience, it’s when things start to make sense or it’s usually when I drop an anime.  Luckily for our adorable little salary man, this show has grown and developed significantly since that first episode, with episode five definitely ending on a high point.  Tanya has risen through military ranks and has combated hardships brought on by a controlling deity to now be in charge of her own battalion.  With their first taste of action in their last battle (although you could call it a slaughter), Tanya and company are off to where the real fighting is, ready to show the world who the hell they think they are.

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Youjo Senki Episode 3 – Jigsaw the Deity

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How about we play a game?  I transport you to an alternate dimension with amazing powers and then do you promise to learn your lesson?

I’d have to say that the second episode of Youjo Senki was a very interesting twist from the first. The idea of God (or Being X as Tanya calls him) giving our salaryman protagonist a second chance through trial by almost literal fire was a nice way to take what I initially thought was a simple but interesting idea and layering more and more interesting levels onto it.  However, while we did get some much-needed explanation and characterization, as GeneralTofu pointed out, we also had more questions.  What is The Empire and how does it function?  What changed Tanya to invoke God’s name even through she adamantly has been against him, even denying the existence of a God.  Well luckily, we’re starting to get the answers.  Episode three explains to us primarily two things:  That The Empire is a meritocracy and that Tanya has been forced into her newfound religious slogans.

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The Music of Psychics

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Here’s a question:  What music comes to mind when I say “telekinesis”?  It’s a bit of an odd question but say, for instance, that a composer had to make music all based off the idea of one vague idea:  individuals with psychic powers.  What would he or she do?  What musical instrument or theme would fit that fantastic element?  The concept may seem a little abstract, but sometimes, that’s all a composer initially gets to base a soundtrack on.   Composers aren’t usually given a complete version of the material to work with (although composition is traditionally done much later in the creation process so they might have some visuals), so a lot of composition may come down to just a feeling or an idea that they get.

Yoko Kanno, for instance, is famous for taking something so vague as “being human” and making an entire body of work based off of it.  On the western side, when Christopher Nolan was creating Interstellar, he initially gave the film’s composer, Hans Zimmer, the concept of “a father and son” (later changed to a daughter), without telling Zimmer anything else about the film.  This was specifically to get to the heart of what Nolan felt the film should be about.  Vagueness, in this way, allowed for a lot of creative freedom, but at the same time, as many artists can tell you, too much freedom can be oppressive, leaving them to not even know where to begin.  However, because the initial idea may be so vague, the same concept done by different composers can lead to amazingly diverse music, which brings me back to the music of psychic powers.

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Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita – The Morality of the Fae

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You know who the biggest assholes in myth are?  Fairies.  I mean, sure, the Greek pantheons were pretty bad, but what they typically did was monumental in scale, making them seem more malevolent or dispassionate towards humans rather than just plain trolling.  Let’s say here I am, walking through the cliff sides, when I suddenly see a beautiful woman blocking my path and dancing to a haunting tune.  She asks me to dance.  If I don’t, I get thrown into the nearby thistles to hurt for the rest of the week.  If I do, she may let me pass or I’ll just end up in the bushes anyways.  Not to mention that given my skills in the art of dance, I’ll probably be in the thistles either way.

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This example is actually from French folklore of the Dames blanches or “White Ladies”, a
particularly nice fae compared to a lot of others.  See, even when fairies are nice to humans, they’ll still find some way to dick you over, or, in the case of this fae, have you pulling thistles out of yourself for weeks.  In fact, throughout most European mythology, fairies are notorious for messing with humans because 1.) they can, 2.) it’s fun killing humans for sport, torturing humans for decades and what not, and 3.) because it’s all some power play to keep us down, like we’re a group of beatniks oppressed by the Bourgeoisie.  The worst part is that sometimes they may help a human out on a whim, making it confusing as hell to figure out what they’re up to.  It’s like meeting the Joker on a good day.  I think the Fae took Cyndi Lauper to heart because, particularly at our expense, fairies “just wanna have fun.”

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Pictured above:  Cyndi Lauper being accosted in the woods about her peculiar dance moves.

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My Five Favorite BAMF Female Characters

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So here’s one I’ve been thinking about doing for a little while now as a follow up to a previous post I did ages ago called My Favorite Hilarious Troll Moves I’ve Seen in Anime.  In keeping with the theme of favorites, this is My Five Favorite BAMF Female Characters from Anime!  With so much anime that’s written specifically for a male audience, I think it’s good to take some time and showcase those characters that show a little girl power or at least some damn good writing with respect to women.  Hopefully we’ll see more badass ladies as time goes forward but for the time being, this is my list of awesome girls who are great characters that shine in their series.

Now, I will say right away that there are some stipulations.  The first is this is only from television shows and not movies because this list would very quickly turn into my favorite girls from Studio Ghibli and the directorial works of Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, etc).  Second, I’m obviously only picking from stuff I’ve seen so this list won’t be comprehensive and may not have choices that others may have.  This list is also unordered because I’d rather not compare great characters when they all have amazing reasons to be number one on any list.  Lastly, and this goes along with the second point, this is only my list of favorite characters.  I’m not saying this is “The Top Five of All Time” or anything like that because this is entirely subjective and biased to me.  However, I do think these wonderful ladies have a chance to warm your heart as much as they did mine with how much ass they kick, both figuratively and literally.

On a last note, I’ll try to keep spoilers to an absolute minimum, but consider this a small warning for minor plot points being talked about.  So without further ado, here are our characters who carry wallets like this…

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