I learned yesterday that there’s a new Slayers series airing right now. I hadn’t heard anything about it, as I get most of my news from fellow bloggers, and I seem to be the only person who cares about the weapons-grade awesome of Lina Inverse, et al. At any rate, I watched the first two episodes today, and decided to make a post that’s actually been in the back of my mind for a while now. I’ll pose a question to you: where does power come from?
That’s a Star Wars reference, for those plebians among you. Episode six of Maria-Sama ga Miteru does indeed mark not only the halfway point for the newest season, but also the darkest hour (though perhaps that’s actually the next episode), in which the characters are backed against the wall. I started typing this with no clue as to where I was going, having exhausted most of the critical avenues that seemed to make much sense regarding the show — however, I have realized a look at the structure might be fun, or at least wile away time better spent on my thesis.
It’s time to put this gross love-child of jam bands and pot-head philosphy majors to bed, to bed I say! Beneath the cut, live-updated, lies the twitter-blog for the final two episodes of Haibane Renmei. You should feel pretty special, I have to write a response to The Demolished Man for class tomorrow, but I’m doing this instead (eh, it’s all going to be panoptic eyes and ruminations on philosopher-kings, I’ll be fine).
EDIT: live-updating has ended. It is now complete, or as close to that state as I’m likely to get it.
Volume four of my epic scourging, like that of the great heroes of old, continues here. If you want to follow along, I’ll update the post as I watch, rather than waiting until the end.
EDIT: It’s no longer being live-updated, so you can read it, confident you are seeing the whole of my thoughts on HR 9-11.
By popular demand, we have shrugged off the chains of Rapidshare, and now house our podcast, the Super Fanicom Voice Module, upon the pristine shores of our own web server. With any luck, this will mean an improvement in both download speed and the availability of the Module. Hopefully our bandwidth has the fortitude and steely resolve to stare the inevitable onslaught in the eye with nary a shudder.
In case you missed some (or all) of the Modules thus far, they are as follows:
If you’re waiting for amelioration, this post has it: I find some things to like here, finally. Also, experimenting with pure twitter-blog at the end. That is, if you check, I’m actually not finished with the episode yet, and will update periodically throughout viewing.
EDIT: Okay, finished now. If you prefer your blog-reading to be normal, and not avant-garde in medias res, you can go on and click now.
Clearly we need to get a few things straightened out before we continue. If Haibane Renmei is too much of a sacred cow for you to bear seeing it made fun of, don’t click through to the rest of this post. If you believe everyone must have the same tastes you do, and you love HR with a lovey-love and don’t have a sense of humor, don’t click through. Also, I suppose, if you’re not willing to watch the trip from hatred to enjoyment, which I’m still counting on, don’t click through — though, for you, waiting until the last post or two might work. All of you cool kids, with well-balanced personalities and lovable haircuts, come on in.
After what feels like millennia of searching, of surmounting nigh-insurmountable mountains and fathoming fathomless seas, I’ve finally discovered a flawless example of moe balance, a character whose qualities neither pander too obviously nor insult the entire female population simultaneously and repeatedly. A character such as this is a rare gem indeed, and I now count myself among the lucky few poised to bathe in the radiance, the redolence I’m about to describe to you — and, yes, I intend to share my discovery, for refusing to do so would render me a veritable fiend, unworthy of walking among you.
I’m speaking, of course, of…
It’s entirely likely I will end up liking Haibane Renmei, but until that moment, every synapse in my body rebels against it, like Lucifer plummeting through the shadows of pre-Creation, howling and cursing. Nevertheless, I always keep my word, so at 1:29 CST I am beginning the HR. Beneath the cut lies twitter-blog.
I just wanted to warn everybody that any votes that come in on the podcast poll after seven p.m. my time (which is eight p.m. EST and midnight GMT) aren’t going to be counted. Specifically, I’m going to try to down whatever series this weekend, and I’ll need to nab the episodes tonight (I have three day weekends this semester).
EDIT: If you don’t want to go count up yourself, Haibane Renmei is the clear winner. If I’m remembering correctly, I didn’t watch this show years ago because it seemed incredibly slow and full of itself. But I agreed — sometimes I agree to stupid things — so I will indeed watch it, after the new Toradora. I will likely twitter-blog each episode here, and at least one larger post about it at some point (likely the end). So there you go. One hopes I don’t go mad. At least there’s the Coraline opening to promise relief if the pain gets too bad. ^_^