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After finishing gintama, i figured i should go back and watch a bunch of shorter series and films that i never saw in full. So i'll try to finish the following in 2024:
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Jan 1, 2024 02:01
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| # ¿ May 13, 2024 02:40 |
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Julias posted:
I have finished both of these, having watched the film twice back to back after finishing the tv series. I can definitely see how Utena was massively influential on many of it's viewers and contemporary artists in the anime/manga industry. I'm still digesting my thoughts on both, especially the film. I do think i prefer the tv series as a whole, for having a strong buildup and good depth to the various characters and themes that it explores, whereas the movie has gorgeous visuals and scenery, but lacks a lot of that character depth, especially without having prior knowledge of the tv series. This leaves the movie a weird piece of where it both seems to expect you to be familiar with the original work in order to grasp at a lot of the points and themes it's laying out, but is also acting as an alternate continuity that changes various aspects from the tv series in a confusing way, especially with regards to certain characters like Touga. I think i like having the movie act as a capstone to the tv series, because the climax of the film is way more of a direct, cathartic and satisfying resolution in the traditional sense than what the TV show ends on, but it still feels somewhat incongruous with the original tv show. In the end though, i'm glad to have finally watched both of these works, and will still be thinking about them for years to come.
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Feb 11, 2024 07:15
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Julias posted:The original Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Rebellion film After stalling out for a couple of months, I've finally finished both of these. I don't have much commentary to add to the show itself, as it's just a very solidly executed story focusing on a theme of self-sacrifice with some really cool visual aesthetics. Rebellion is a very interesting idea for a continuation film. At first i was confused because of the initial framing, but it makes more sense in retrospective when you learn what the whole deal with Homura is. Visually, it's a treat, taking the visual aspects of witches' labyrinths from the tv series and cranking it up to 11. There's also a lot of good fan service and fun to be had in seeing all of the magical girls working and fighting together in a way you never got in the tv series, as well as in some standout scenes like Homura vs Mami. The main conflict that comes about at the end of the film, and what the film is ultimately building up towards, is kind of where it loses me a little, insofar as there's a ton of "poo poo just happens because the plot needs it to, not gonna explain poo poo" which is in general a pet peeve of mine, but doubly so when the actual plot hinges on the characters doing things that probably shouldn't be possible, but it just gets handwaved away. And it's not like these things are occurring in a metatextual or symbolic/abstract narrative in the way something like Revolutionary Girl Utena does it; it's just oh yeah, this character can do these things, because reasons and shut up, which is frustrating when you consider the fact that if said character could do these things in the tv series, the plot would have turned out way differently and AAAAAGGGHHHH . Overall I still like the film, but i need time to digest what it's ultimate message and themes are, as well as to revisit it once the new film comes out and see if it still holds up with whatever follows in the narrative.
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May 11, 2024 22:13
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