Nihil - Lets Talk Anime

[CrossCuT]

Meh. We never stay on topic anyway. What anime do you like?

 

Its all Nihils fault anyway.

 

 

 

BUt I am determined to continue watching Madoka once I get a chance. THen we can talk about girl stuff.

[CrossCuT]

I have watched through episode 4 of Madoka! 

 

[spoiler] Im still not 100% sure what the grand plot is, but I have to say I was pretty shocked when Mami get her head bitten off...I felt like I was watching Attack on Titan for a second haha!

But I can see now what you were saying earlier about wanting to discuss feminist themes in regards to this show. Its (so far) encompassed completely by female roles...females who have a pretty cray task of killing the witches. One interesting thing is the contrast in the show with their school lessons. Some of the lessons are super gender specific in that the teacher tells the girls they need to find good men and be a good wife and what not. Im sure that was put in on purpose! 

 

I feel like so far they have been setting it up to be predictable in that the scary girl who they think is bad is actually the best one who is trying to do good and not presenting the Magical Girls duties in a sugary light. I guess Mami wasnt either, but she wanted them to be Magical Girls pretty badly...although not really saying why. Was it because she was lonely? Homura seems to want to prevent new magical girls because of something that hasnt been revealed to me yet. We shall see! [/spoiler]

[Nihil Obstat]

I have watched through episode 4 of Madoka! 

 

[spoiler] Im still not 100% sure what the grand plot is, but I have to say I was pretty shocked when Mami get her head bitten off...I felt like I was watching Attack on Titan for a second haha!

But I can see now what you were saying earlier about wanting to discuss feminist themes in regards to this show. Its (so far) encompassed completely by female roles...females who have a pretty cray task of killing the witches. One interesting thing is the contrast in the show with their school lessons. Some of the lessons are super gender specific in that the teacher tells the girls they need to find good men and be a good wife and what not. Im sure that was put in on purpose! 

 

I feel like so far they have been setting it up to be predictable in that the scary girl who they think is bad is actually the best one who is trying to do good and not presenting the Magical Girls duties in a sugary light. I guess Mami wasnt either, but she wanted them to be Magical Girls pretty badly...although not really saying why. Was it because she was lonely? Homura seems to want to prevent new magical girls because of something that hasnt been revealed to me yet. We shall see! [/spoiler]

[spoiler]

With regards to the gender specific lessons you are seeing, I believe that is a specific trope, i.e. a female teacher transitioning from young adult to middle aged, and who is highly insecure about herself, especially her romantic options. I have seen it a handful of times, but it was really highlighted in Toradora. Whether or not it relates to the rest of Madoka... I had not thought about it. Perhaps? If we look at the magical girl trope as a whole as being about a young girl transitioning from childhood through pubescence, then that teacher trope could be seen as being a bit of a window into the future for these girls.

I have a feeling that there are some pretty interesting themes to be discussed with regards to the magical girls, these young innocent girls, fighting "witches". The perception of a witch in fiction is typically a sort of old crone. Almost the opposite of an innocent young girl. Maybe a corruption of innocent femininity? The old crone type of witch is especially common in European literature, and I think they make that connection with the witch Walpurgis. That is coming up, but not really a spoiler. Kind of a subtle reference, but worth looking into.

Considering the concept of a witch being a corruption of femininity and innocence, definitely pay attention to the nature of witches as presented in the show. I cannot say more than that just yet.

[/spoiler]

[CrossCuT]

I shall press on and let you know how far I get!

[Nihil Obstat]

You can finish it by the end of today if you are a TRUE BELIEVER! :|

[CrossCuT]

Ill do my best! Im going to go on a run since the sun is shining so nicely! When I finally resign to sit on my bum for the rest of the night I will throw Madoka up on the screen! :)

[CrossCuT]

Watched up through episode 11...things be trippin

[Nihil Obstat]

Yeah it is.

[chrysostom]

Still only on episode 5.  I'm busy.  :/

[CrossCuT]

Still only on episode 5.  I'm busy.  :/

 

I found the first 5 episodes to be a bit dull...waiting for that part where they explain why Im watching. I think they left the mystery dragging a bit...but once you get to episode 10 they reveal the truth of the matter. 

 

Most of my suspicions about the characters intentions and integrity were right minus 1 person, Mami. 

[Nihil Obstat]

IMO, episodes 4 and 5 dragged just a bit. Episode 3 had that big shocking moment, and episode 6 has that important reveal, but there was just a bit too much setup between them. Ultimately necessary, I think.

I don't think they were bad episodes, but out of all 12 I thought those two were weakest.

[chrysostom]

Well I liked those episodes so I guess I'm all set. :D

[Nihil Obstat]

When y'all are getting close to finishing the show, I'll go through this thread and multiquote all of my longer write-ups about how I interpret the themes.

[CrossCuT]

I think the pay off of the show is good! Although I think i still have one episode left to watch!

[Nihil Obstat]

I love how evil they manage to portray the witches. I mean, there is the kind of 'classic' evil that's all dark and morbid. But I think I used the term 'psychedelic-satanic' to describe the witches in Madoka. In a lot of ways, and especially in the context of this show, I thought it was even more effective. If we are looking at witches as being a kind of corruption of the magical girl's innocence, then the witch herself almost seems like a moral agent who has fallen so completely that they take a sort of sick pleasure in their pain and torment. I thought that Walpurgis, [spoiler]Sayaka's witch, [spoiler]and Madoka's witch[/spoiler][/spoiler] were the most effective of these.

Whenever I think about the witches, I always end up dwelling on the creepy looking lettering that seems to represent their names. Going again into European folklore, and Biblical themes as well, there is power in names. The witches names are represented in a sort of 'black speech', and I'm inclined to say that those names aren't even pronounceable by humans. But the fact that the names are 'displayed' is interesting. Do the magical girls actually see that runic script? Or is it kind of breaking the fourth wall, shown only to the viewers?

Interestingly enough, those witch letters have been deciphered by fans. I guess they are Germanic runes. So maybe my theory does not hold water. This witch, for instance, is Charlotte.

 

But in any case, what does it mean for these names to be displayed? Are the witches actually offering their names? If so, why? Because in most folklore a character will hide their true name so that nobody can use it to gain power over them. What kind of power dynamic is at play here?

Thinking about it in terms of a power dynamic, I am inclined to go back to what I was saying about the soft power of femininity. If a witch represents the corruption of a magical girl, then the witch is also the corruption of soft power and of femininity. Maybe the corruption in this sense is the feminine psyche rejecting the soft power which is proper to them, and instead pursuing a masculine hard power? In which case, perhaps in displaying their names, the witches demonstrate that even as they have come to revel and take pleasure in their complete corruption, on some level their very nature continues to reject the hard power that is not proper to themselves.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Nihil Obstat