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"A Small Blade - Defense of Trost 3"
Character development? What's that? OH LOOK LET'S SMASH STUFF AND KILL THINGS.
Okay, so maybe that's a bit oversimplified of a description for this episode (or this series in general), but after last week's reflective moments, the return to action feels somewhat abrupt to me, as if there's been a job left unfinished in terms of rounding out Mikasa and Armin's characters. Don't get me wrong, the plot and action of this series are superb, and more than riveting enough to make it one of the best series this season, but the characters just aren't coming off the page for me. Granted, any episode with less Eren is a turn for the good of all, but to be honest, Mikasa was a bit preachier than I wanted her to be before she went off on her suicide run, and this is exactly the issue I'm talking about; when you get characters that are able to bleed into one another like this and not feel superbly weird when they do, then you have an issue in the foundation of the characters.
Still, it's not as if what Mikasa says has no logic at all, or is otherwise wrong. Her reaction to Eren's death is pretty dead-on (pun not intended), and she's completely right when she tells the others that waiting for death rather than struggling to the last is cowardly and of use to no one. Irresponsible as her charge is (fully knowing herself that she's not willing to survive this fight), she at least manages to inspire the survivors to try and retake the gas they need to scale the walls back into safety. Of course, when her own gas runs out she has an interesting little internal monologue asking herself why her will to live is still intact despite Eren's death, and though she gets her answer (and is generally badass while mulling it all over) the highlight of the episode is the arrival of another strange Titan; this time, one that attacks and kills other Titans.
If there's any proof in the "Eren's not dead" hunch, I think it will lie in the existence of this new Titan. Not only is it more anthropomorphic in shape, but as Mikasa rightly observes, "it's as if the fury of the human race is embodied" in it. That in itself is as close a description to the slightly psychotic nature of our missing protagonist, and even the way it fights seems to prove that this is no ordinary Titan in every sense of the word. Whether it is Eren or some vessel for his soul of some sort is really the question I'm asking myself now (though I have to ask that all manga spoilers be kept out of discussion), and I'm sure there's definitely a connection even if that's not the case. At the moment, we seemed to be primed to watch the remaining soldiers and this rogue Titan clear the city of the intruders, though how and when we'll learn more about the mysteries at large remains just that, a mystery.
N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the caps!
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Your posts and blog in general seem to be a facsimile of LiA. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteHmm, that's probably because I read LiA and when I write a lot I tend to forget what I've read and it occasionally influences my thoughts. Which is why I try not to go there until after I've written my posts already. However that didn't happen this week since I'm so behind, so I'll take care to be more conscious about what I write. I apologize.
DeleteI appreciate your gracious reply, Kairi. It's just a growing concern that Enzo's infectious views are spawning new bloggers (on RC especially) who haven't found a voice of their own and are just transmitting his perceptions all over the anime community. People tend to confuse his subjective analysis for an authoritative standard I've noticed. You should check out thecartdriver.com for a different perspective and perhaps inspiration. I found them rather refreshing after reading LiA.
DeletePerhaps you to change it up by reviewing older shows and expanding knowledge of anime for yourself and your readers. I recommend Princess Tutu and Revolutionary Girl Utena (Rose of Versailles inspired) if you haven't checked them out already. I noticed Gankutsuou is on yout MAL, so fantastic show waiting to be discovered!
That's interesting, because in my case, I just agree with Enzo-senpai a lot. A lot of times I don't read his reviews and after I've written it just turns out I thought similarly. And I'm not saying this to refute your argument or anything; when I discovered RC it was the same. The things I'd argue elsewhere just seemed to be along the same line of thinking. I'm not saying I'm not influenced by RC (because that'd be silly since that site inspired my blog, and I ask my various senpai for advice all the time), but Enzo-senpai isn't the only writer I read; in fact, for the last few weeks, I've been consciously using advice Stilts-senpai's been giving me, to what effect, I couldn't say. I don't want to change my views because they're how I really feel. For example, I don't dislike Eren because Enzo-senpai does; hell, I dislike him more because my sister does! All she does when we watch is whine and complain about how much HE whines and complains, so I'm bound to notice that to some degree when I analyze. Still, I'm being more careful to not read anyone's reviews til after I'm done writing in case I influence myself again.
DeleteAs to older shows, I've tried Princess Tutu and I didn't enjoy it very much so I dropped it quite a long time ago, and while I've read the Rose of Versailles I haven't seen Utena. Thank you for the advice, I'll see if I have time to start a new series soon.
Well I can't exactly refute what you do with your opinions on how they are formed, I can only comment on how they are expressed on your blog. A lot of the time I've noticed stark similarities to Enzo's posts on the same episode. Even minor details come through. I appreciate that his opinions are agreeable to you - but a lot of his followers make a history of taking his p.o.v to heart and often times will likely miss out on watching something worthwhile because he's skillfully convinced them it's unworthy. Probably more their fault for being sycophants.
ReplyDeletePrincess Tutu really is a fantastic show so it's a shame it didn't agree with you. How far did you get? I admit I was skeptical about it at first since it looked downright silly. Boy was I wrong. Utena is one that requires a bit more patience so you'd be better to wait when you're ready to see it (and hopefully commit to it).
Well we kind of are watching the same material. There's only so much you can pull out of a twenty minute episode, and since I hit as many big plot points as possible they're bound to overlap. This being said, I do influence myself when I read other writers first, so I try not to do that because it makes me focus on those points. However, I don't take his POV to heart; I watch what I want to watch and I have opinions that often differ completely. I love Yahari Ore, I've blogged things like Amnesia and Oreshura, (all things he doesn't like as much) and I have disagreed with him, on RC as well. I kind of hate Ginga Kikoutai so I won't watch it no matter how much he does enjoy it. I can't decide what he chooses to blog, and I chose my selections because I liked them and want to blog them. However much I usually agree, I don't pick my anime on what other people tell me; I try them out and watch them if I like what I see. And I think you're being rather unfair here; we as bloggers can say what we like about a series, whether we like or hate them. RC is very positivist for example. They make people want to watch shows. And if people do, so be it. It's not as if Enzo-senpai or any of the bloggers are out to do this on purpose, we just write. It's not our job to be objective, but to talk about why we like or dislike something. Though it's 5 AM as I write this so I'm kind of disoriented. I apologize if I'm being confusing or repetitive or something.
DeleteI might give it a try sooner or later, maybe now that I'm older I'll appreciate it more. I'll see about Utena as well.