Persona 4 The Animation Episode 7

This weeks theme REALLY delves into something I don't come across often in anime(or any other media for that matter). And that would be one's sexual orientation. Lets face it, in both reality and media, homo-sexuality has a certain social stigma attached to it. I myself don't have any problem with who someone likes as I barely have enough time to care about my own life let alone somebody else's and don't feel it is my right to criticize someone when I have my own share of faults. It's a topic that rarely comes up, and when it does always generates a bit of "talk". The only video games and shows that give this topic justice and an honorable portrayal(or even come to mind) is Indigo Prophecy, True Blood, Tokyo Godfathers, and Milk with Sean Penn. It doesn't comd up often enough, so when it does I really find it interesting. That THAT show or game is willing to touch which most everyone else won't. It adds another fold to an already dynamic narrative! So with that said I found this episode of Persona impressive for taking steps in the right direction but never really capitalizing on it...

While never DIRECTLY stated that Kanji is homo-sexual there are implications but ultimately it's up to the viewer. Personally I think that Kanji is really just confused by how he should feel with affection. His Persona grossly twists his emotions to extremes like indicating how Kanji feels towards the opposite sex. Kanji has just had bad experiences with women though hopefully he doesn't give up on them. It was nice to see the subject touched upon though if only the surface.

So BADA$S!

Amagi was pretty cool, getting to see her in action with the whole Persona summoning thing I loved it! That scene with Sato and Amagi in slime and the two boys just look'n at them with their minds full of dirtiness haha, they didn't even offer to help but instead wanted to film it for when the imagination isn't enough.

Now there were two cop outs I felt in the episode. One was when on the velvet room Morgan or something like that and The sharp nosed master offer they're help when Naru is ready and needs it. My thinking was this help would come WAAAAY later! Little did I know it would happen just 17 min's later THAT episode haha! Not that I'm complaining THAT much. I mean those snake hydra like beasts that took out Kanji Persona in it's uncontrolled form was cool but I wouldn't have minded more of a build up in music and animation and of how the beast is formed. Imagine if everyone had the "wild card" ability, they'd be pretty stacked on talent. My second complaint is the characters' interaction with Kanji. They mostly just provided us with the stereotypes of how people interact with the idea of homo-sexuality that are already out there. The awkwardness Naru and Hana showed towards seeing another guy that it is implied likes guys and them being immature about it, not wanting anything to do with seeing Kanji like that leaving it to the ladies, just proving how Kanji already felt about people being judgmental. The girls really were no different being happy he'd have no interest in them and Sato being annoyed by how Kanji's Persona acted and everyone bringing out their Personas instead to shut up alternate Kanji. Now I'll admit it was hilarious AND that Kanji was acting annoying as that was kind of over-done in regards to how over dramatic Kanji was acting. Still I wouldn't mind sacrificing the comedy and characters' reactions in favor of truly delving into the issues someone confused with their sexual orientation would experience. Still, a step in the right direction. And at the least we now have Kanji on board with the team to stop the perpetrator from throwing people in the television.

-Relic P.S. How would you like that big feller looming over your bed while you sleep?

What I've been up to and Fall anime season!

Alright I missed the shows all these weeks and even the ones I started had all ready been well under way. I plan to start the fall season right! Basically my woes are Nichijou which is ending soon because the comedy killed me and I will miss sharing my Saturday nights with those people. Secondly Yuru Yuri's finale was absolutely HYSTERICAL. I won't be surprised to see a season 2 so stay hopeful! Thirdly Miro no Croisee is ended. Loved the slice-of-life aspects and cuteness factor. Hanasaku has an up coming dramatic end I look forward to also, oh Ko and Ohana do what needs to be done *wink* *nudge*. Lets see, you had Blood-C which gave me whip lash from the change in pace from slice o life with a taste of horror and underlying mystery- Gore on par with Berserk, Hell I think Guts would blush at this show. And then you have Ro-kyubu which i watch 5 minutes of, I stopped with R-15 as it is just not my thing since it was made upon fan service and story lacked with not enough comedy. I dont mind fan service but I dont hope and look for it in a show either if its there its just like ok, like mayo chiki's fan service is done right and adds, r-15 is frivolous and takes away and detracts from the show, but to each there own, I still think legend of the Dragoon is one of the best games ever made, go find someone who agrees lol. I watched alot of other shows but wasn't as religious in them but I will say good luck to 765 pro and that silent girl cracks me up in those five minute little shows.

Now I won't recap or even really touch on those shows again. Don't hope for a ending review of all shows but I'm crazy so you never know. Now what have I been up to and wanted to talk about? My anime interests. I am pretty gay for horror/psychological/mystery/dark/tragedy especially when those are all combined. I also really enjoy slice o' life when I relate and comedies when funny, plus a romantic comedy when on par with mayo and ano hana, but first and foremost I'm horror! So why tell you all that? I've been reading manga lately when I have a moment to myself. Drifting classroom, Bunny doubt are what I just devoured recently. I'm also current and follow Claymore, Berserk(boy did that take a long time to catch up on), Naruto, Boku wa Tomodachi(I'll talk about later), and few others but those are my primary. But man those two horror. So much to offer. I'd like to get philosophical and convoluted but I leave those discussions to in person and with friends. I recommend those two though, really are unique and offer many an insight on the human....condition if you will. So those have been the two manga I've spent my recent down time on, I've played and FINALLY(after four year hiatus) beat all missions on Monster Hunter(PS2). Troublesome pair is hard and the shut down servers have ruined my dreams of HR20(I'm HR18) and Eternal annihilator and full Lao-Shung armor. what else notable? Ah! pictures of comiket in Japan from a friends brother who was there on a study abroad thing for Berkley. I'll show one pic(of 60) with a super cute girl cosplaying as Maria in shojou magica puella something whatever lol. what else?



                                   

Now my future plans after I mentioned the what's what of my recent endeavors. I will definitely blog this Fall season, Boku Wa Tomodachi, which I by chance read the manga of a few weeks ago and bam now its an anime? What luck eh? also Persona 4 for sure and Mirai Nikki. Now here are what I also want to blog but it might tear me apart since blogging if done with quality which I think I do takes hours per show... those 3 but if I can squeeze more out of me also Guilty Crown, Chihayafuru, Tamayura Hitose, C3- C Cube, Kimi to Boku, UN- GO, Last Exile, Busou Shinki Moon Angel... Now I don't mean ALL of those. Along with the three I'm guaranteed to do I might like another show so much that I have to blog it too. All the ones named I thoroughly look forward too along with favorite 3 particularly Tamayura and Chihayafuru because they look mlike good slice of life and then theres the big budget Guilty Crown. But I will have to choose those I'll enjoy blogging the most though i enjoy WATCHING them all, even ones I didn't name as I usually watch most the season has to offer and this season looks good! So I might do six total depending, I watch MOST shows one ep. And in Winter I got Black Rock shooter and "Another"! oh man I'm excited, I guarantee I'm blogging those. But yeah it was a good Spring and Summer season with Iroha, Ano Hana, Nichijou, Yuri, Blood-C, Baka, Ikoku, the Kami-sama's to name a few! But this season looks to top it and I'm excited. I started watching the best anime I'd never seen because couldn't when I finally got online, finally watched my first full season as of this passing Spring season and now will do my blog with shows starting from the beginning of the season. Yea its funny how much anime I hadn't seen due to not having a computer for 8 years, to think six months ago I still watched dub and didn't like subs, am I crazy!? Well heres to doing it right!






















P.S. I hope to do it justice and hang with me any and all as life is life, my pop got west nile virus and meningitis from that a 1% chance so basically he's a statistic! I have things like that, classes to keep up on, family and friends to keep from neglecting, a social life where not everyone loves anime as much as me(actually only a handful of close friends like games, anime, and manga my guilty pleasures) and doing the dance of love, so though I wish I could talk about it all day I can't and never will. BUT anime and games and manga n' all that are a part of what makes me, me, to each their own, and I enjoy them as down time and a hobby, so I hope to give good quality and share my love with ANY and ALL, when I can. Go Dallas!

-Relic

Nichijou-over view

To start...I've missed a week or two, again sorry. I'll just go through the funnier or more important ideas of the show. First off the crow... that crow made me want to play wiffle ball or what ever you call it. LOOK AT THAT SHAPE! Looks like the cups I use at water coolers with a corrugated top! lol. oh I thought that was rich indeed! More importantly poor Sakemoto! not being able to talk without his scarf and all... Then the part when the 'crow' flies off was funny. I find that to be one of the funnier things in this show. When characters say something and then just take off or go the wrong way lol! Like the teacher Manabu who when faced with an emergency turns a blind eye when the incident is during something revolving around his love interest Izumi(the shy teacher and councilor) in one way or another. This time Izumi's younger brother, Makoto the go-soccer player, discovers Manabu is head over heels in love with Izumi. After some black mail and threats of letting all of Japan know Manabu's secret, Manabu concedes to Makoto's demands. But not before Manabu told the red bow wearing girl (I think her names Annaka or something) to draw hair with a black marker on the poor mohawk kid, Tsuyoshi, who fell(literally) victim to the science teacher, Nakamura, who is trying to capture Nano. After which the science teacher impulsively cuts his hair off. I definitly lol'd at the whole scenario. The loud "ehhhhs!?" between Annaka and Manabu. The fact she will agree to using the marker to draw hair. Him running off in the wrong direction AGAIN but this time correcting his direction while running full speed! I hope his love becomes a bigger plot in the coming episodes. Its always very funny.

The other long running gag is Mio drawing yaoi of Kojiro and some other dude. This time a police officer says he's looking for clues to a counterfeiter using money to buy out of vending machines. Mio has a suspicious purse one thing leads to another and the officer thinks she has counterfeit money. The whole scene is funny since Yuko defends Mio who then discounts what ever counter Yuko just had. Mio trying to bribe an officer who thinks shes confessing to the crime, none of it makes sense lol! THEN the officer tries to get the purse which throws Mio's yaoi drawings into the air. officer is reading it and then Mio blows his chest open with a vulcan power punch. He probably died as he fell to his knees. Yuko is then seen reading a page RIGHT when you thought Mio had them all. Yuko is laughing as she spins into the universe trying to make sense of what her eyes are seeing. then she too falls to one of Mio's mighty wrestling leg grapple spins. Then an old gentleman in a top hat smiling simply catches it, not having even seen anything and is then jump kicked in his teeth. Then Kojiro's goat is seen eating a page as he too is spun by the leg like Mio and i'm sure I heard the goat's back snap in half. That kills me aqs it is an innocent goat who can't even read. The scene ends with Mio walking by the guy with an afro, Tanaka, who is like holy crap, what is this a massacre?! and Kojiro then grabs his goat who is walking like a "newborn", a hilarious quick sentence by Kojiro. ohhhh the humanity! If Mio likes Kojiro I wonder what will happen between the gatling gun wielding tsundere Misato Tachibana and Mio who like the same person. Also we almost NEVER see Misato's friends the green haired one with the pony tail for example. It shows her whispering to another girl in the first opener like saying "Misato likes Kojiro" so I kind of like the character but she has little screen time dedicated to her. I bet towards the end a lot of drama and questions will get wrapped up. love with Izumi and Manabu, go-soccer club getting off the ground and if that quiet girl likes the founder, love triangle with Kojiro at the head, Nano losing her key on her back, Sakemoto getting his scarf back unless its like what south park did with Kenny where he is just back alive, and next ep. Sakemoto has his scarf. Would love to see these plot holes closed up by the end. Love it. Hope this little over view is fine with anyone who reads.

-Relic P.S. It's good to be back ;)