sunnuntai 29. syyskuuta 2013

M.S.S.S Episode 13

A very solid episode. We can see the art style departing from Araragi's, even if it's slight. The searching scene for example has a different aesthetic than Araragi's searching scenes.

Surprisingly Complex: M.S.S.S Episode 13

The episode starts with a conversation with Nadeko and the Serpent. We can clearly see the Serpent is a liar. We can see that there is another reason for the nightly stroll than just searching for the body (Which, if you ask me, doesn't exist). The oddity has only taken the form of a Serpent to further it's cause. If we stick with the idea, that the Serpent has born out of doubt, it taking the form of a snake shouldn't surprise. You see, the part where Nadeko can't run from responsibility is from killing all those snakes. That was the only time she felt she was not a victim.

I'm not sure how much Araragi saw through Nadeko's smokescreen, which was actually more like vapor. But it doesn't matter, because Shinobu saw right through it, just like the watcher should have. I'm sorry that I'll bring it up again, but the theory is sound once again. Nadeko always plays a victim, but the fun part is in the part "play." What is a person who plays a victim? A FAKE victim. Yes, that one again. Nadeko can lie to anyone just to make sure that she isn't suspected of being guilty of anything. And with her, is a FAKE god. More fake. But, arguably, the Serpent being a fake god, it makes Nadeko really easily manipulated. She even aknowledges that the Serpent is a liar, but in the fear that taking an active part in the discussion would make her seem like a hypocrite, she cannot question the Serpent.

So, when Shinobu asked a question, why did Nadeko answer: "Evil?" The question was about the type of person Nadeko was. Her black-and-white way of seeing it made her absolutely think that in the first moment that she is doubted, she must be evil. She thought this, because in her mind there is either a victim or a prosecutor. When Ougi activated the train of thought that ended in the shattering of that idea, she automatically makes everything in herself seem evil.

So, what part does the Serpent take? It's there to make Nadeko doubt more, to make her see herself more and more evil, which powers the Serpent, because to see oneself as evil means doubting your very intentions, manners and ways of living. The fact that the Serpent didn't answer during the brief moment Araragi was gone was precisely this. She must be made doubt, not only her self, but her sanity as well. Okay, that might be a stretch but I'd say that I'm on the right tracks in here. Not sure how much exactly, but somewhere there lies the truth of the matter. We'll see it in a few episodes.

TL;DR?

Nadeko's self-doubt of being evil makes the fake Serpent strong.

tiistai 24. syyskuuta 2013

Short update about the Monogatari retrospective

I will make a full retrospective of the Monogatari Series Second Season when it has been aired wholly. It may be the largest update I will ever do, and I will insert also a short summary of all other parts of Monogatari "saga". I want to make it newbie-friendly, though the crude volume of it may be overwhelming. It may actually be about as long as five of these shorter updates. Opinions?

I must also look into Kizumonogatari when i can. Hopefully before this huge job I have with the final. And...

Well... I'm starting to doubt now, but nonetheless I will do a full retrospective of my favourite anime series (Don't have to take a big guess there which it may be) when it has ended. And in that I will try to summarise my every post ever about the series into... Maybe three-six posts. Lots of it will be old, but some will be new. I have refined my writing skills during these short months, and I will have to watch the series from beginning to the end once again, which will probably be the most amazing thing ever, as by then I know the quirks and can just enjoy the whole package. Oh my god it will be glorious. Now I'm just gashing, so I will make my exit....

See you in the future, Sunday/Saturday to be exact...

BTW, when I have time, I will make a post about Durarara!! Just a heads up.

And while I'm at it, people, please recommend some series where you think might be something going on. I can't promise I can find all that interesting quirks without going a mile, but I haven't got any recommendations at all from you. I know people are reading this, I've got numbers.

BY THE NAME OF NUMBERS I SWEAR!!!! I don't know what really.

Short update?! Ludacris!

sunnuntai 22. syyskuuta 2013

M.S.S.S Episode 12

That was some goddamn episode!

It took me 10 seconds to realize Nadeko was narrating, but when I got it, I was pleased. Nothing wrong with Araragi, but the changing viewpoints give nice depth to the characters. Nadeko wasn't nearly one of my favorite characters, but somehow it would seem that everything will change...

Let's just say that this episode could be described as the ultimately best paced/executed episode ever of anything I've seen. Of course it's an overstatement, but I would say that it has some merit (It's gotta be based on a truth). The beginning was gripping, the opening was great, art style was wondrous (I really love Nadeko's "lens" already), timing was great and tension's up there with an ending like that. Yeah... This series never ceases to amaze me.


Surprisingly Complex: M.S.S.S Episode 12

Before we start the full analysis, try to reminiscence what Ougi told us last time. It was about the false security that the promise of safety gives us. The green lights in intersections. I think that it's surprisingly important to take that viewpoint into account whilst we're analyzing the one given today "No one is a victim."

Showing the self-victimization and almost obsessive submission gives Nadeko immensely more depth. But that's the case with any character, if we just hear the voices in their heads? Not really, if it's not done properly. If the thoughts reflect only the character we've seen before, it doesn't give anything. Here, they really make a difference. They also change the meta-plot inside her head. (I've lately used an awful lot of bullshittery words, don't I? Let's see how many will last...)

(Theory INCOMING!)

The process of getting into this situation is self-doubt. It was launched by Ougi, and it worsens by the minute. You see, before, Nadeko's way of thinking was "As long as I don't do bad things, I'll be okay", which reflects Ougi's prior speech. Now, she was introduced to an idea, that she has already done bad things, she has proof of it, and thus she starts to doubt. The doubt spawns the white snake, who then proceeds to use the words of Ougi because she hasn't quite grasped them yet. This in turn makes the situation an emotional flustercluck, even though we're shown it quite stingily. But... Let's just say, that Hanekawa's envy tore the carpet under my feet just some episodes ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again.

Apart from that, we see that the Kaiki situation has left it's mark. Nadeko sees the people around her as empty shells, and precisely as those, because she SEES them. Remember, we've never seen passers-by before. She doesn't see the world as solitary people as Araragi or Hanekawa, but as a community, formed by a few key characters, herself, and empty people. It might come into play later, but I think that's just wishful thinking.

Nadeko also submitted to the snake "Ears plugged, eyes downcast", meaning that she admits her fault of being a wrongdoer, even if it wasn't true. She didn't care about what was the truth, she only wanted to submit to escape the pain that comes from constant self-criticism. She tries to make herself a victim by submitting without an argument. Starting an argument means you're part of the problem, but submitting can be seen as a solution justified by ignorance: "I knew of no better." She knew it led to no good, but she figured that objecting would make her part of the problem, thus feigning ignorance is easier in her mind.

TL;DR:

Immense overanalyzation, loved the episode that much. But ain't that what I always do?

keskiviikko 18. syyskuuta 2013

Extra: Haruhi's Spectative narrative

Even though it's a commonly known fact, one of the main things I love in the Haruhi series, which I forgot to go through in my blog posts, was the spectator's viewpoint of the series. The fact that the series has multiple layers in the story, and we're presented with only one, yet the other ones still actively exist.

For example. Most of the first season/novel is just Haruhi trying to get friends and playing around with them with the excuse of finding abnormalities. But what we saw was that the abnormalities exist, she just doesn't know it. We're also given the theory that she really is an omnipotent being, even though Kyon never sees her as such. He aknowledges the her dangerousness, but it has nothing to do with her godhood. She's just a super-eccentric girl in the eyes of Kyon, even though it's almost never said.

In the later novels, Haruhi's obvious crush that flies straight over Kyon's head gets more and more important. Especially in the Surprise trilogy. The fact that Kyon doesn't get it during the whole show is kind of unrealistic, as the threads are kind of obvious, but the point is: He doesn't want her to like him, thus he blocks the very idea of it. It gets frustrating when it's poked at every second paragraph, but his eventual understanding of it will be all the more pleasing.

Anyway, the fact that the story we're told is just a fraction of everything that has happened, and the chosen main character who's just a bystander most of the time is an awesome way to bring plot elements greater than man to the story. By making our main character a normal guy in an insane world, the feeling of alienation and all the twists that we don't even properly understand are all the more satisfying. When things are explained farther down the line, connecting the dots between the past and the now is a feeling I rarely get from novels. Even though twists may come and go, the real twist is usually intertwined with the story and makes it's impact more meaningful at the moment it happens, where as here, the fact that the twist WAS intertwined with the story, but it was explained only later, made connecting the points and relying on your memory all the more engaging, because understanding the twist is more important here than just surprising the reader. The times when Kyon realizes something he couldn't even grasp lightly before is not only an powerful asset in the name of character development, but is also an great way to let readers evolve with the characters. The fact that the twists and turns become meaningful only later in the story is really awesome.

There are reasons I love this series, and this is one of them.


sunnuntai 8. syyskuuta 2013

M.S.S.S Episode 10

Oh damn, how wrong I was again. About some things.

M.S.S.S Episode 10

Okay... It made superb sense, but... Now we know that this arc only explains Araragi missing the first day of school, thus the next will explain what happened during the Kako arc. Though, knowing that it is called the Suruga Devil arc, this time I would guess it actually is about Gaen, Kanbaru's mother, who has obtained infinite wisdom through a devil, and is now hunting Shinobu for reason X and will sever the link between Araragi and Shinobu. That's my summary of what I think the next arc will be, but regarding this episode...

Character of Araragi: If you have met a person, but they haven't met you, you haven't met that person, because the person in front of you is not the person you met. Makes sense. Even though survivor Hachikuji is epic, that's not the Hachikuji we knew, so he doesn't know her. But, at the same time, he's indebted to her alternative self, and it actually makes sense that he wants to pay her back now, because he can't pay her back in his own world. Btw, adult Hachikuji had a huge ----. Not surprising, because of her ---- by the fifth grade. Gives Hanekawa a run for her money! Or it could also just be Araragi's mind playing tricks on him.

Art dammit. That letter was fantabulamous. I loved that art in there. It may also show partially 1) The way Araragi thinks, or 2) How Araragi sees Oshino. Also, the fact that Oshino teamed up with his college mates makes sense, but where's Gaen? She's missing from the formation. Hmm... She rose from the dead? Maybe.

The broken Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade raises an interesting question during this episode, without ever saying it. What are you left with when you burn the world? Ashes (Duh). Only the ashes remain, and when you lose everything but the ashes, you have not accomplished anything. You don't live anymore, because there is nothing to live for. I loved the "pat my head" -scene, because it makes perfect sense. It was her last farewell to the world she destroyed, so it might as well be something she had always longed for.

When they come back from the other timeline, I really liked the reverse molestation scene. Did you spot the visual allegory? He felt like a puppet thrown around, and thus he was shown as such.

Gaen will be a central character in the next arc, probably, but i find it weird that she has more parallels to Nadeko than to Kanbaru. The clothing style and general appearance side only, because we haven't seen too much of her character. It would be interesting to have Gaen chase our vampire duo around for the arc, which would also explain the absence of the characters.

By the way, this episode supports the idea that Senjougahara's and Araragi's relationship is 1) inevitable and 2) kind of fake. Oshino believed that the possibility of Senjougahara and Araragi dating was low, where as we, who have seen Nekomonogatari Kuro, know that it's pretty much inevitable, because Senjougahara was the first girl he talked to after Golden Week. And by the way, try to figure out how much Hachikuji not actually appearing would've changed things. They never went to the urban renewal area, and Hachikuji didn't actually interrupt their chat in the park, which actually could influence things, but apparently it didn't.

TL;DR?

Gaen in the next arc? All Kiss-Shot wanted was just a pat on the head?

maanantai 2. syyskuuta 2013

M.S.S.S Episode 9

End of the world, eh?

Surprisingly Complex: M.S.S.S Episode 9

Rather interesting episode. End of the world is always interesting. Hmm...

This time we actually see more of the definitions of Araragi. Like before, where Araragi thought that family ran deeper than blood, he argues here that an alternative (from another timeline) is not at fault of another alternative's faults. Again, a really interesting concept. If there was another you, are you responsible for what they do, as you are practically the same person?

But anyway. Probably speculation time again. Remember when they said the link is severed back in the Shironeko arc? Exactly. There's only one way for that to happen. So, the probable thing to happen is that Shinobu is going to consume Araragi whole, go back in time, grab another Araragi from there (explaining the severed link) and coming to fight herself in another timeline, as she IS the only one who can kill her. Or they fix it somehow to make Araragi EVEN stronger, making the alternative Shinobu take almost all blood in him and then making Araragi again a vampire? That would definitely be weird, but it would explain how Araragi is able to oneshot Kako, the strongest apparition ever (Maybe after Kiss-shot)? I don't know, really.

The watch is not explained again? Weird. It has something to do with changing timelines, I think. It would make hella sense.

Also, the concept of zombies is interesting, as they are remains of a vampire after the mother has died.

Anyway. Who the heck is Ougi? Another timeline again, or a survivor? Possibilites are endless.

Sorry for a short post, don't really have too much to say, or just too tired.

SPECULATE, PEOPLE! IN THE COMMENTS! NO SPOILERS!