Okay, I'm sold. I've been consuming a lot of shounen/seinen stuff lately (aside from Star Driver and Hourou Musuko, that is) so a dose of serious and/or devastating shoujo/josei sounds good to me.
And some of those caps remind me of the use of color and texture in Gankutsuou and Mononoke, which makes me excited.
And you know, reading this made me realize that stories where ordinary people do ordinary things are often shaken up by tension that they don't know about but that the reader/viewer is aware of (the graphic novel I'm writing my MA thesis about begins very much as an ordinary story about ordinary people living relatively ordinary lives, but because it's set in the Weimar republic, it generates a lot of tension because the reader knows that the only possible end to the story is that Hitler will rise to power and the characters' lives will be thrown off-track [or back on track, ouch] because of the beginning of WWII).
Okay, so I just finished episode two. Can I say that the animation on the witch in that episode is gorgeous? Because it is. With her hair covering her face and full of roses, and the butterfly as the bow on her obi, and that kimono that at first made her look like a slug-creature... that was awesome.
Homura-chan is already pulling my heartstrings, though.
... Also, this show is full of lesbians. And that's awesome. But seriously, will there be any male presence other than Madoka's brother and father? Normally in shows like this, even when the girls are the focus, boys are a major influence on the characters. There are plenty of shounen shows where there is no female presence or influence at all (Akagi, for example, where a woman is mentioned in passing in the first episode but none are ever seen or heard). I'm finding the gender balance in Madoka so far pretty interesting because of that - especially since Madoka's dad appears to be a housewife (and therefore functions to shift gender-balance paradigms) and her little brother is
( ... )
You understood the witch animation better than me: I had to watch it twice to see the girl in all that! XD
AND YES, TOTALLY FULL OF LESBIANS. There is one more important male presence coming up, and I think that Kyubey kind of reads as male, but otherwise... yes, this is so much a girl driven series. And even the other important male is still kind of... peripherally important.
I totally love CCS too! These are such different series that it's hard to compare them, but the quality is up there for both. CCS tells the magical girl story "straight" (meaning, without dark twists or whatever) and as such is an exquisitely satisfying experience. I re-watched that recently and it holds up quite well over the years!
tl;dr - I am a dweeb. Also a pervert.comixologistMarch 8 2011, 03:32:52 UTC
Just finished episode 7! Man, I love Homura-chan SO MUCH. I'm also digging how obviously their names get switched around once they become mahoushoujo, it is ADORABLE. Also, I am getting totally into this. It's great. I am NOT AT ALL SURPRISED by the ~soul reveal~. You know, if Kuroshitsuji was like this, I would probably like it more (Well, I like the second season, but that is because ALOIS MOTHERFUCKING TRANCY WINS EVERYTHING, LOL)
Kyubey seems to read as male only because he uses 'boku' and because Mami used the line "girls hate boys who rush them into things" in talking to him, but I think his gender is sort of irrelevant, too. And Kamijo-kun is influencing some of the characters, but because everyone doesn't have a male counterpart or interest (and the love rivalry isn't with another magical girl, but a classmate), it seems to serve as more of a contrast, right now.
Also, I am beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that Madoka's wish will be for all other magical girls to be freed from their contracts, or to get their souls/
( ... )
Re: tl;dr - I am a dweeb. Also a pervert.herongaleMarch 8 2011, 03:52:14 UTC
I very much love that the male "presence" in this series, such as it is, is either 1)subversive (meaning, to overturn expected gender roles, eg Madoka's dad as you pointed out earlier), or 2) thematic (meaning, in service of the girl's stories, and not a focus of them
( ... )
Re: tl;dr - I am a dweeb. Also a pervert.comixologistMarch 8 2011, 04:07:46 UTC
Yes, yes, YES. Also I love that idea for her wish, because I like the catch you've thought up, and I think it'd fit well with the themes... but since she's got so much potential, she could be a truly devastating witch, too, which I bet she isn't thinking about. HEH
( ... )
And some of those caps remind me of the use of color and texture in Gankutsuou and Mononoke, which makes me excited.
And you know, reading this made me realize that stories where ordinary people do ordinary things are often shaken up by tension that they don't know about but that the reader/viewer is aware of (the graphic novel I'm writing my MA thesis about begins very much as an ordinary story about ordinary people living relatively ordinary lives, but because it's set in the Weimar republic, it generates a lot of tension because the reader knows that the only possible end to the story is that Hitler will rise to power and the characters' lives will be thrown off-track [or back on track, ouch] because of the beginning of WWII).
Reply
Homura-chan is already pulling my heartstrings, though.
... Also, this show is full of lesbians. And that's awesome. But seriously, will there be any male presence other than Madoka's brother and father? Normally in shows like this, even when the girls are the focus, boys are a major influence on the characters. There are plenty of shounen shows where there is no female presence or influence at all (Akagi, for example, where a woman is mentioned in passing in the first episode but none are ever seen or heard). I'm finding the gender balance in Madoka so far pretty interesting because of that - especially since Madoka's dad appears to be a housewife (and therefore functions to shift gender-balance paradigms) and her little brother is ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
AND YES, TOTALLY FULL OF LESBIANS. There is one more important male presence coming up, and I think that Kyubey kind of reads as male, but otherwise... yes, this is so much a girl driven series. And even the other important male is still kind of... peripherally important.
I totally love CCS too! These are such different series that it's hard to compare them, but the quality is up there for both. CCS tells the magical girl story "straight" (meaning, without dark twists or whatever) and as such is an exquisitely satisfying experience. I re-watched that recently and it holds up quite well over the years!
Reply
Kyubey seems to read as male only because he uses 'boku' and because Mami used the line "girls hate boys who rush them into things" in talking to him, but I think his gender is sort of irrelevant, too. And Kamijo-kun is influencing some of the characters, but because everyone doesn't have a male counterpart or interest (and the love rivalry isn't with another magical girl, but a classmate), it seems to serve as more of a contrast, right now.
Also, I am beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that Madoka's wish will be for all other magical girls to be freed from their contracts, or to get their souls/ ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
AND I TOTALLY WANT TO SEE YOUR MAHOUKIKU FURIKABUTTE ARTS! THAT SOUNDS SO HILARIOUS AMAZINGLY SEXY!!!!!
Reply
Leave a comment