HOW MANY TIMES WILL I MAKE A POST LIKE THIS

[aeirol]

OKAY GUYS. IT IS OFFICIAL. ONE OF YOU MUST START WATCHING WAKFU AND LOVE THE EVERLIVING FUCK OUT OF IT AS MUCH AS I DO. OR ELSE I AM GOING TO EXPLODE FROM ALL THE CAPSLOCK STORED INSIDE MY BODY. BECAUSE I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK TO WHEN EPISODES COME OUT

Comments

[aeoliana]

I really liked Mawaru Penguindrum! In fact, I think I loved it. And I have been sitting here for nigh upon forty-five minutes trying to type up a response, sooooo I'm just gonna blab because this is the first time I've gotten to blab about it in bullet form...

-There are so many things about Mawaru Penguindrum that I can't figure out WHY I like them, and yet I do. At first, it bothered me a bit because while I thought it was an intelligent series, it had so many unanswered questions and unconnected images that I thought it was just being esoteric for the sake of being esoteric. Toward the last third of the series, once all those ends started connecting, it became very rewarding (and made me feel less stupid. Herpderp.)

-In general, I think I was fascinated by the character dynamics. I was drawn in by HOW passionate each one of them was about whatever force that was motivating them, even to the point of doing things that were dangerous or just generally unheard of. Ringo's obsession with becoming Momoka was my first real fascination, but then seeing things like the lengths the brothers would go to for Himari's life made me go, "Ooh ooh gotta watch another one!" Also seeing the families deconstructed and reconstructed.

-Speaking of whom, somewhere along the way I got really endeared/attached to Himari and for the LIFE of me I can't figure out why. I remember somebody putting up that Fandom!Secret about how bland she was, but I think I'm developing a liking for really sweet characters, particularly female, who have survived a lot of crap. I mean, she was kind of the pole around which most of the action revolved (her and Momoka), but I still rooted for her and wanted her to be strong and happy.

-As bittersweet as the ending was, from people's reactions I kept expecting there to be some final, awful twist that just destroyed your faith in one of the characters. Along the lines of... Shoma was the leader of the Kiga Group all along and for some reason he only adopted Himari as part of some agenda of his etc. etc. etc.

-Though it does make me inordinately happy that Double-H wound up playing a critical role in the outcome of the plot ("let's share the fruit of fate.")

-There are still odds and ends I don't quite understand 100%. At least I know it'll be there for rewatching.

HooooooooOLY CRAP that was long. Welp. How 'bout you? (And thank you for the link, BTW. :D )

[aeoliana]

Aaaaaalso, I forgot: I loved the subway imagery.

[aeirol]

I loved it, for the reasons listed + some, except for the last episode because that was a pile of crap and resolved nothing. And brought up more questions than it answered. And had a really cop-out ending for the bros ("everyone forgets! and then they go off into the universe as..space ghosts or something!"). But I still love the series, just wish it had had a better ending.

As for Himari, I think the eps in which she visits that giant library and we see a ton of her childhood, and then the one in which she was this little abandoned girl listing around the apartment building, were what solidified my love for her. Part of it was because we could see how she developed and became who she was today, and part of it was...you could tell, especially during the library ep, that she didn't necessarily want to remember her past and wanted to stay in the present as much as possible because she missed the possibilities that past had allowed her. In addition, it gave a lot of depth to the seeming unending sweetness and cheerfulness she presented to her brothers; it became obvious that a lot of that, while still real, was deliberately put on so that her (short) time with them would be happy, and so that they wouldn't worry as much for her. Finally, I got the feeling that she disliked, or was even kind of sickened by, how dependent she was and was determined to be the one in control of at least part of her life..in this case, making the house she shared with her brothers into a little family paradise. I loved the shit out of Himari, and I feel like I may have allowed for more than the developers were intending, but I still think she was meant to be complex and rich. Idk if someone's seen the whole series, I don't get how they could call her bland.

[aeoliana]

Basically what you said about Himari. TBH, there was a long gap of time between when I watched each half of the series, so some of my memories of the earlier episodes have gone poof. But I think what draws me to her is having seen what she's gone through to become the person she is now - it makes her appear stronger as well as more complex in the viewer's eyes, and it makes me root for her. (I realized my Himari love is similar to my love for a couple of the chicks from Dexter, so I'm trying to establish the common points.) ... I also have a certain amount of empathy for her relationship with Double H. I can see *how* someone might see her as bland if you focus on her sweetness, but I'm not sure I agree with it because if she was that bland, I certainly wouldn't be drawn to her like I am.

I didn't feel like the ending was a cop-out so much as a disappointment. Ultimately, I really wanted it to break my heart, betray me, surprise me, or make me go "WHAAAAAT?!?!?" and, with that relatively straightforward plot and that relatively contented ending, it didn't. (I guess I'm supposed to feel torn about what happened to the brothers, and I kinda do, but not really...) I'm such a drama queen. :P

[aeirol]

Agreed on her relationship with Double H too. Like you, I appreciated how the series actually brought the two of them in as characters and plot necessities.

No, I think in this case that's definitely what they were leading up to, was some sort of climactic catharsis for the entire series...which they didn't give. At all. spiderstars, kelfish, and I all ended up having a bitch session about it, so I feel pretty strongly by this point. :/