Madoka Magica - Episodes 11 &12 - Series Review B

(Note: Major Spoiler Warning Applies.)

The final two episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica return us to the dystopic conclusion of Episode 9. Madoka and Homura are mourning the deaths of their friends while debating how they are going to defeat the legendary witch Walpurgisnacht. Ultimately, Homura insists on fighting it herself, which results in her being defeated completely and utterly.

In what is considered the true ending, Madoka makes the wish that will turn her into a Magical Girl. Her wish is for witches not to exist in the past, present, or future; such a wish can only be achieved by rewriting all of humanity, which is exactly what happens. In the new universe, Magical Girls who have reached their limit simply vanish, and witches have been replaced by wraiths. This world is far more optimistic, and the story concludes with Homura giving a brief monologue before the scene fades with her battling an army of the demonic figures.

Madoka Magica - Episodes 7-9 - Series Review A

(Note: This article contains major spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.)

Following the realization that the magical girls have separated their souls from their physical forms, time is spent trying to rationalize the events which have transpired. Sayaka and Kyoko have a little heart-to-heart in which they try to determine how they would like to use up the rest of their existence.

However, the two of them cannot seem to agree. Sayaka begins to close herself off more and more, even distancing herself from Homura and Madoka. As Sayaka's despair grows, her attitude toward humanity continues to wane, and her soul gem begins to turn into a grief seed. Eventually, she becomes a full-fledged witch.

The Spoileriffic "Kill La Kill" Entry and Review

(Note: While the final episode doesn't come out for another few days, I feel that it likely will not do enough to set itself aside from the criticisms presented in this article. Additionally, this article explains plot details from the 23 episodes which have aired so far. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)

Admittedly, I am one of the few people who felt that Studio Trigger's "Kill La Kill" was not as phenomenal from a developmental standpoint as other works in the anime medium. The problem here is that the viewer needs to come into the series with the understanding that this is the culmination of twenty years of honing the craft. But at the same time, having this understanding can completely take away the charm and beauty of what this series has to offer.

Studio Trigger is composed primarily of employees who worked for Gainax, meaning that there was a variety of source material to work from in making "Kill La Kill." We witness this manifesting in all sorts of ways. While it would be impossible to list all of them in one article, let's go with a few examples.

References to "Neon Genesis Evangelion:"

·         Shiro Iori is essentially a male carbon copy of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. This becomes most prevalent during the activation test for the 5-Star Goku Uniforms (strong parallels to the NGE "Unit Zero Activation Test"), but manifests itself in a variety of other ways as well across the 24 episodes.

·         The Original Life Fiber and the Kamui have their own shielding representations which mirror the AT fields of NGE. The Goku uniforms, meanwhile, have emblems which strongly resemble the designs used on some of the NGE Angels. Life Fibers themselves behave in a manner which is strongly reminiscent of the eleventh Angel (from NGE Episode 12 - "Lilliputian Hitcher"). Lastly, Rei Hououmaru takes on appearances similar to the NGE Angel Zeruel.

References to "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:"

·         Most obvious are the audio and visual homages. From the hard rock, high energy tunes to the unpolished sketch-like grittiness, the series feels more like something out of 1991 than 2013. That said, "Kill La Kill" is not afraid to step into the realm of color and beauty, a contrast shared with TTGL.

·         Satsuki Kiryuin becomes the embodiment of everything Lordgenome stood for in TTGL (no surprises there), but also takes on a bit of Rossiu Adai toward the end of the series. Asking Ryuko to hit her just screams "gritting those teeth."

·         Like TTGL, one of the secondary morals of this series has quite a bit to do with "fighting spirit." That goes without saying.

References to "Fooly Cooly:"

·         The over-the-top quirkiness of Nui Harime is a strong link to Haruhara Haruko, and Nui certainly isn't afraid to get series when the story needs to be moved along.

·         The kiss scene. Dear LORD the kiss scene. After being provoked one time too many, Ryuko kisses Nui square in the lips, before departing with the line, "Something to feel good about." This ends up signifying a "coming-of-age" for Ryuko as she proceeds to overcome her greatest foe yet: herself while being consumed by her own aspirations to happiness, courtesy of Godrobe Junketsu.

·         REVOCs becomes the equivalent of Medical Mechanica. While MM was smoothing out the wrinkles so people could not think, REVOCs was using COVERS to turn humans into husks worn by a superior species.

References to "Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt:"

·         Clothing weapons should go without saying, but the name "Junketsu" literally means "Purity."

·         There is a lot of over-the-top sexualization in this anime, and like PSG (some of) it is done with a purpose in mind. For example, Ira Gamagoori's Goku Uniform uses masochism to derive focused power, much like Garterbelt's secret ritual in PSG.

I literally could go on for days, but you guys get the idea. These aren't even the tip of the Gainax iceberg, but these four are the central spectacle of what "Modern Gainax" is considered to be, and Studio Trigger was able to take the best of each to make "Kill La Kill" into something they felt would be spectacular.

Unfortunately, doing this inadvertently causes everything to fall apart.

"Kill La Kill" is at the very bottom of the uncanny valley of anime. Its perfection is seriously marred by its attempt at being too many things simultaneously, and it cannot reach its true potential. It cannot truly be appreciated because it becomes too familiar that it loses itself in the process. That is the first issue.

The second, and perhaps more overarching problem, is that it leaves Studio Trigger with a serious conundrum. If this puts them at the top, then where exactly can they go from here? Can they continue to go up or did they just seal their own fate? Can any anime here on out hope to reach the pinnacle of "Kill La Kill," or will they all be looked down upon for not adhering to the "New Standard?"

All in all, "Kill La Kill" did not sell itself to me like other anime have, thanks to this submersion into the uncanny valley. I felt much more at home watching series like "Jormungand" and dare I say it, "Digimon Savers/Data Squad." Both of these were just as over-the-top as "Kill La Kill" yet occupied different parts of the spectrum, and both just felt far more relatable.

I would never go as far as to say that "Kill La Kill" sucks, because honestly it is quite phenomenal. But it isn't satisfying; it sits atop its pedestal in much the way Satsuki herself did for eighteen episodes before getting brutally knocked down and gaining some humility. Sadly, though, I don't think anything will come which does the same to the series proper, and that's the real tragedy.

Series Review - GITS:SAC - Stand Alone Episodes

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - All Stand Alone Episodes
Classification: Anime
Number of Episodes: 14
Setting: Japan 2030

Plot: The Stand Alone episodes of Ghost in the Shell each take on an individual plot thread which is usually resolved by the end of the episode. From a psychopath committing android genocide, to a group of med students stealing organs to sell on the black market, the diversity of the plots themselves allow us to look into a wide array of topics.

Of course, honorable mention goes to a small handful of interconnected yet unique plots. First, the Marcelo Jarti incident (Idolater) calls into question whether the Romantic Hero is justified in committing unethical acts to promote the greater good. This is expanded on when the Section 9 team battles a terrorist group stationed at an offshore industrial rig (Not Equal), and we are left to ask whether many unethical actions can be construed as for the greater good.

When Major Kusanagi and Commander Aramaki go to the UK and end up in the crossfire of a money laundering scandal (Angel's Share), we get further insight and affirmation into this phenomena. We go on to find further ways to exploit the criminal underworld to further our overworld. Finally, the scandal brought on by the kidnapping of the Prime Minister's daughter (Captivated) reveals where this phenomena can fall short of ideal, thus creating a foolproof case for us to abide by.

This review will focus mainly on the "Big Four" (the episodes mentioned above). However, all of the episodes which were considered "Stand Alone" have really good insight and should be considered worth examining.

Series Review - Code Geass R2

Code Geass R2 (Part two of the Code Geass series)
Classification: Anime
Number of Episodes: 25
Setting: Earth 2018 ATB

Plot: After the failed acquisition of Tokyo by the Black Knights, Lelouch vi Britannia loses his memory. C.C. gives his memory back, along with reawakening his power to control people. Returning to his ideals, he establishes the United States of Japan, continues the war on the Britannian Empire, and finally learns the truth about the death of his mother.

Characters of the old series come back with more depth to them, and new characters are introduced, such as Rolo Lamperouge and the Knights of the Round. We bear witness to the most devastating weapon of all time (which kills more people than the real-life Holocaust did), and Lelouch admits his true feelings for multiple women. Most importantly, the second half takes steps to become greater than itself, something the first half didn't really do.

Scores:

Inspiration: 2/3: Again, the series focus is on weaponry. With the introduction of new KMFs, new weaponized airships, and the most devastating weapon of all time, the WLIA blog has to remove half a point for that alone. That said, R2 gives us some very interesting technology in the form of Horai Island. Emphasis on marine-based electric power generation is the wave of the future (no pun intended). Expanding habitable zones for humanity is also going to be a major avenue of real-world politics in the near future. This series offers an incredible solution, worth two and a half points if not for the aforementioned weapon problem.

Aspiration: 1/3: The United Federation of Nations is analogous to our real world United Nations. However, as discussed in its article, the EU would be a stronger and better aspiration. We witness for ourselves just how limited the UFN really is as the series progresses, and that damages things quite a bit.

Plausibility: 2/3: In this half, the special power Lelouch is granted is put on the back burner quite a bit. More emphasis is placed on the global politics and cultures than was placed during the first half, giving it a better score. Additionally, emphasis on something equivalent to a nuclear weapons bears strong parallels to our real-world doomsday clock scenario. There is also a strong sense of irony that the initial location of the blast is Tokyo, Japan, for more than one reason.

Verdict: 5/9
Entertainment Score: 8/10: Not only is this half of the series a great example to learn from, but it also holds most of the entertainment value of the original. That said, it is weakened slightly due to an initial gambit which invalidates literally ninety percent of the first half. Regardless, I strongly recommend you watch these episodes several times over, because there is a lot to gather from their elements.

Series Review - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Part one of the Code Geass series)

Classification: Anime

Number of Episodes: 25

Setting: Earth 2017 ATB

Plot: Lelouch vi Britannia, former heir to the Britannian throne, is cast out of the Empire by his father following an argument they had when he was ten years old. He moves to Japan with his sister Nunnally, and they spend the next several years under the guardianship of the Ashford family. In 2017, Lelouch discovers a mysterious girl by the name of C.C., who gives him the power to command anyone to follow a single order, no matter what that order may be. He intends to use this power to confront his father a second time, in order to discover a truth about his family history, and the death of his mother Marianne.

These episodes portray the first half of his story, where he unites the Japanese rebels under a single flag (The Black Knights) and launches a movement to liberate Tokyo from Britannian rule. He becomes bitter rivals with old friend Suzaku Kururugi, meets a vicious psychopath who is obsessed with C.C., and goes toe to toe with other members of the royal family who all seek their own ideals.

Scores:

Inspiration: 1/3. Integral to the series plot is the Knightmare Frame (KMF), referenced in the technology article for the series. The reason Japan fell so quickly and brutally is attributed to these weapons, and warring nations are constantly trying to develop the latest and most powerful model before the opposition can. The superconductor which powers it is linked to the exploitation and ruin of Japan. Finally, the weapons are generally useless outside of battle. There isn't really much to work with in that context. That said, this half gets a point for its other technologies, such as the IFF Transponder and the Factsphere Sensor, which have some rather interesting applications.

Aspiration: 1/3: The series starts in a dystopic world, but that isn't to say there aren't any things of value within. The Concession/Honorary system is an interesting prospect, as it allows a stronger nation to lift up a weaker one at the cost of submission. And in the series, it does seem to work, with Honorary citizens enjoying the life they are so graciously granted (dialogue within the series attests to this on several occasions). Thus, this half earns one point.

Plausibility: 0.5/3: The special power given to Lelouch is the primary tool to advance the plot, and thus invalidates the plausibility of most of the major in-series events ever happening in real life. That said, the organizations and nation-states of the series are not only plausible, but we've seen them throughout history. Therefore, the series gets half a point.

Verdict: 2.5/9
Entertainment Score: 9/10: The problem with the first half of the series is that it doesn't really take the series to a level where we can learn from it. It focuses more on the action, the drama, and the clever plot twists with which to take the mind away from reality. It does that well, so it gets a high score for entertainment value.

With all that said, it is important to watch for the sake of watching Code Geass R2, the second half of the Lelouch plotline. The second half is where the series begins to become something greater than itself, and is the section you will want to watch over and over to get as much from it as you can. The first half, however, really only needs to be watched once or twice to get the general idea.

Series Review Introduction

Starting today, the WLIA blog will begin its new segment: Series Reviews. Normally this has to do with how enjoyable a series is. However, the blog will focus on the merits of each series (either on the whole or broken into parts). The ratings will be as follows:

• Inspiration: This section has to do with the individual elements discussed in the series articles. A handful will be highlighted and the series will be measured on how well it inspires us to move forward as a society, a culture, a race, or as individuals. Possibly all three.
• Aspiration: This section has to do with the overarching plot and theme. We will be looking at whether the world crafted in the series is one we would want to emulate. Granted, this takes a bit of critical thinking. There are times were series with sad endings get a high score, and those with happy endings get a low score. Remember, value can be derived from any situation, positive or negative.
• Plausibility: This section has to do with whether the plot of the series is at all believable. Low scores are given for series with massive plot holes and fallacies in the telling of events. Pretty straightforward.

Each section is worth three points each, for a total of nine. Lastly, a series gets a separate, entertainment score from 1 to 10. A final synopsis will be given with recommendations to watch for learning or for pleasure.