mDuo13.com - The Amorphously Collected Thoughts and Works of Rome Reginelli

Well, this first post of the new year is long overdue, but I've finally gotten around to writing it. (I did, however, make a rare post to my anime music blog, Nekomimi Music in the meantime.) And, though I have some other interesting thoughts to post, I'll be saving those for a while. Right now, it's time to talk about the new anime starting this season.

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Well, here we are. Deep into the holiday season, it's time to deliver an update on pretty much everything I'm watching. It's an interesting time to do so, too, because a lot of shows are nearing the end of their run and showing signs of reaching a finale. I've fallen a bit behind ever since Thanksgiving (finals didn't help) but the things I've chosen to prioritize may or may not be indicative of what I think about them.

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Though it's distracting me from memorizing a speech from Faust, I found episode 8 of Tytania very interesting. There are a few unusual things going on in this series. First, it keeps setting up conflicts that seem designed to make the viewers take the side of the "evil" empire, while still showing the faults of that empire. It's a strangely bi-lateral take on a well-known plot. Second, Lydia (whom the series has been slowly setting up as an important character from the beginning) seems to be finally ready to enter the plot proper, and in doing so I noticed something fascinating.

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ToraDora! impresses me almost every episode with the depth of its characters and writing. I've always thought Kushieda Minori was a good character, but episode 9 really proved why. In the scene where Ryuuji and Minori are staring at the stars, she gives a surprisingly-candid explanation of her attitude towards love, which is not unlike LaRochefoucauld's maxim about love and ghosts. Ryuuji's wistful response is that perhaps in some cases, a person is able to see a ghost because they wanted to see it. She responds with a seemingly non-sequitur comment pointing out a UFO, which Ryuuji assures her is a satellite. She deosn't really push the issue, but I at least picked up on her meaning: if you want to see something, you might see it in places it doesn't exist, ignoring the obvious explanation. It's such a brilliantly subtle comment that I can't help wanting to blog about it, and it cements my respect for Minori as a character and ToraDora! as a show.

So, here we are. An actually kinda bloggy blog post. The topic? Anime that's airing this season. More specifically, I have some things to say about CLANNAD ~AFTER STORY~, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens, and Xam'd: Lost Memories (also known as Bounen no Zamned and a few other variations). There's actually a lot more I'm watching besides just that, but those comments will have to come later! So, hit the jump for my more detailed meditations, and don't worry - spoilers are properly tagged as such within.

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