Two Sides of the Same Coin: Red Data Girl – Episode 9

Izumiko has two sides to her, whether she likes it or not. One side is the shy high schooler thats learning to make friends. The other is a destructive goddess from another era. For Miyuki, a boy unsure of his feelings for the girl in his life, he can’t reconcile these two halves. The Himegami and Izumiko are two different people, the former that he wants to avoid, and the latter he wants to protect.

What’s funny is that this situation isn’t so alien to me. While the situation in the show is clearly fictional, its a good metaphor for some of the problems I faced when tackling young love. I was fifteen and stupid, and any girl that would show me a smile was instantly my wife to be 10 years down the line. But one smile in particular caught my attention.

Laila, was in 9th grade, and a year younger than me, but she had a charisma that could swallow a room. The world seemed to revolve around her, and she thrived in the spot light. Honestly you couldn’t help but stare at how elegant she was in its glare. One day I decided to take a break from my ogling and gather my balls together and ask her out. I wasn’t holding out for any answer in particular, but if I never tried I wouldn’t get anywhere right?

She said yes. I was ecstatic that I’d be going on a date with the kind and lovely Laila. It was a dream come true! Our first date went perfect. We had a quick dinner at a pizza parlor before going to a movie. I’m not sure what was in theaters at the time… Might have been The Matrix. After driving her home, I asked her if she’d like to go somewhere next week. She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek before nodding her head and slipping out of the car. Her demure smile danced on the back of the sheep I was counting to try and fall asleep that night.

The next week rolled along, and this time I decided to take her to a formal dinner. We ordered our food. Fifteen minutes tumbled by before our food came to the table. It didn’t seem like a long time to wait for a nice meal, but Laila had a differing opinion. She unleashed the fury of a thousand scorned gods on that poor waiter. He shook so much I thought his vest was about to skitter off in fear. We got a free desert out of it which still elected smug looks from my date.

The third and fourth dates would roll by, and each time I witnessed a shouting exhibition like none other. I felt bad for the poor souls that were caught in the maelstrom of her fury. Was this the same girl from school? The sad answer to that question was yes. If I was going to be with her, I had to accept both halves, the angel and the devil, the good and the bad.

I didn’t exactly have the courage to. I began to avoid her like the plague after our fourth outing. She scared the living crap out of me to say the least. Miyuki is in the same boat as I was, having to accept a certain aspect of someone if they want to be with them. While his situation might be a bit more extreme than mine, his problem is comparable at least. There is some aspect of the person he’s fond of that he dislikes. It’s the part of Izumiko that alienates her from him, much like Laila’s anger did to me. Time will tell if he can live with Izumiko’s transformations, or be frightened away by them. Hopefully he’s a braver man than me.

Talking Points: Red Data Girl – Episode 8

If there’s one thing that’s easy to appreciate about Red Data Girl, it’s the romance. Izumiko and Miyuki have great chemistry with one another. I can’t help but smile seeing them have their small arguments before silently accepting they’ve learned a bit more about one another. The final scene in this outing in particular shows how much closer the two have grown, when Miyuki teases Izumiko about her taste in men. I could gush on about how adorable the two are together, but instead lets take a look at some Tweets.

@ryuusei86: I think “Red Data Girl” is going to end before I figure out what’s going on. But then again, I’m kind of dense about things like that. 🙂

Episode 8 was an interesting beast. It doesn’t have anything to do with the overarching plot, at least as far as I can discern. To me it felt like it was more of a device to develop the relationships between members of the Souda clan, and more importantly, give some context to the dangers of the spiritual realm.

Up until this point we have only met two dieties, Wamiya and the Himegami, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. The world hidden underneath the real one is massive, housing countless gods whose dreams can affect reality itself. The group’s encounter with the Orochi, gives a bit of scope to what they might face in the future.

These gods are cruel. They are willing to use any means to get what they want. The Orochi was willing to sacrifice a human life and destroy a family for the sake of its freedom by manipulating the affections two siblings had for their brother. It’s scary to think what one of these beings could do with a more direct contact with the mortal plane (I’m referring to the Himegami). It’s as Yukariko says, the true challenge still awaits Izumiko and Miyuki.

@luneru: this isn’t even red data girl anymore without the red glasses gosh

I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly is the significance of the term ‘Red Data Girl’. It always seemed a bit odd to me. As the opening splash of every episode states, the phrase is rooted in the Red Data Book, a document that contains a list of endangered species. The ones closest to dying out are found on red pages. What I couldn’t understand is how the death of a single “Red Data Girl” be the equivalent of extinction.

The show often makes connections of the cycle of life of death to spiritualism. For example Yukimasa explains to Izumiko at one pont that the existence of the human race relies upon its spiritual heritage. Considering that the Red Data Girls are beings of unprecedented mystic importance, their passing could very well threaten an entire species being wiped out if the connection between the two realms is really that deep. This all sounds a bit outrageous, even in my head, so I do hope the series gives a bit more insight into what this term could actually mean.

My Beautiful Wonderful Normal Life: Red Data Girl – Episode 7

I wish I could be a super hero. Or maybe I could be one of those shinigami who battles demons on a midsummer’s night. What about being a sidekick to a squad of magical girls while they duke it out with the forces of darkness. Hell, I could even settle for a mildly attractive goddess falling out of the sky to help me realize my darkest romantic comedy desires. Instead I’m stuck with my normal life.

I’d be willing to trade with Izumiko, who’s constantly reiterating the fact she wants one. Being a girl with spiritual gifts doesn’t seem like such a bad deal, especially since I get to be friends with Mayura (No one knows which way she swings right?). Sadly, transactions with imaginary characters are impossible at the moment, regardless of advancements in science.

But, if you could wouldn’t you do it? Take that one chance to swap places with your favorite character. It would be like one of you’re favorite anime, getting the chance to change your entire life in a single moment. With single step you could slip away from mundane of everyday and into the magic and wonder of a world filled with digivices, cute familiars, and deities willing to get down with mortals.

The attractiveness of this fantasy is what makes it one of the most enduring archetypes in all of anime. A seemingly normal individual gets swept up by happenstance into the realms beyond the threshold of normality. We identify with these characters because they’re living our dreams, journeying through adventures we can only experience vicariously.

So it’s a complete letdown when they start asking for normal life. If only someone invented a bulldozer powerful enough to smash through the fourth wall. We could create some sort of bazaar to auction away our livelihoods, using buzz words like ‘beautiful’ and ‘wonderful’. I expect transactions to look a bit like this:

“Sure I’ll give you my group of high school friends for your alien lover.”

“I can do a Pikachu for a mother not obsessed with my underwear”

“How about this, I’ll give you a normal girlfriend and you can give me your dark past filled with murder and intrigue”

But alas, our worlds can never cross over. The gap is just too vast to cross…

Sometimes though I do understand where Izumiko’s concerns might be coming from. Maybe it’s just not all that it’s cracked up to be. It isn’t something that I could experience to clear away my misconceptions. I’ve only been a bystander after all. There are questions and concerns about an anime life that I just can’t begin to decipher from my perspective. Is combat with zombies and contracts with demons that simple after all? Maybe there is something special in my beautiful wonderful normal life, something that I take for granted.

Talking Points: Suisei no Gargantia – Episode 6

If a beach episode wasn’t enough, please enjoy this weeks belly dancing. Surprisingly there was a lot of conversation about the fanservice in this episode. Lets take a look at one of those comments.

@suikodian: Am I the only one annoyed with amount of fanservice in #Gargantia?

I find ‘fanservice’ to be an ugly term. Often times its used to discredit a show from having any moral or ethical substance. Sure that can be said for shows like Queen’s Blade or Hagure Yuusha no Estetica, that strictly aim to titillate, but not for Suisei no Gargantia. Every piece of the show, from the dialogue to the artwork seems so purposefully crafted. There is a reason why anything exist or happens in Gargantia, so a bit of belly dancing should too, right?

People have already spoken about how our sexually repressed culture doesn’t apply to Gargantia, even if it takes place on Earth. But what if we looked at the scene from a more figurative perspective? The shedding of clothes, the dance and the conversation between Ledo, Pinion and Bellows are all aspects of this visual metaphor.

What does clothing actually represent? There’s a saying that what we wear makes us who we are. Looking at the world around us, it’s easy to see its true. If you see someone wearing a hard hat with a bright orange vest, you could probably tell that he’s construction worker. You walk into a hospital, and amidst the slew of people you can identify the doctor from his white coat and stethoscope. Clothing doesn’t only symbolize an occupation, it can epitomize a person’s culture, social standing, likes and dislikes. By choosing what we wear, we not only help others understands who we are, but substantiate our personalities to ourselves.

I mean don’t you feel fancy when you change into a nice suit or an elegant dress? In the same way Amy transforms into a dancer after shedding her regular delivery clothes and donning her bejeweled bangles and silken veils. At this point, you might be saying to yourself, “I get the entire clothing-identity paradigm, but she still doesn’t need to be half naked to be a dancer…”. I don’t believe this to be case. In fact I would say it’d be inappropriate if she weren’t half naked. Dance is a form of self expression. By showing her skin, she is exposing herself and her personality to the audience. She is letting them know who she is beyond the mail girl that flitters about the Gargantia.

These two elements come together in Ledo’s conversation with Pinion and Bellows. He is requested to discard his previous self and find out what he wants to do. He is being asked to change clothes. But which clothes though? That’s where self-expression and inflection come into play. Ledo has to figure out what he wants to do and the goals he wants to achieve. Only then can he find a path to navigate through on the Gargantia.

Well that was quite a long response, so I think we’ll just keep it to one tweet today. This was a very polarizing episode of the Suisei no Gargantia? What did you guys think? Do you agree or disagree.

Talking Points: Red Data Girl – Episode 6

This week, there has been some surprising movement in the narrative of Red Data Girl. Finally things are coming together. Early on in the season, I said I didn’t understand where the show was exactly going. Now I see there is a purpose. All the clues were hidden away in the small nooks of the plot, and what better place to have them come together than the midpoint of the series. What did others have to say about this episode?

‏@yeonmii: I’m so lost at Red Data Girl what is happening I don’t even know OTL #rdg_anime

Let me take a moment to explain what’s exactly going on. I was slightly confused as well at first blush, but after watching a few select scenes over, it became pretty clear. Hojou Academy is basically a training ground for Takayanagi to hone his skills. His final test will be at the Autumn Festival where other students are allowed to challenge him. The winner of this battle will be named the World Heritage Candidate.

The important question is, what is the World Heritage Candidate? We don’t know for sure but Yukimasa hinted at something that might be of note on his small trip with Izumiko. He said that Hojou Academy was the place where the spirituality of one generation was passed on to the next. The ‘heritage’ referred to in World Heritage Candidate might be this mystic transference. The winner of the Autumnal battle might just become the spiritual leader of the next generation. Think of something similar to the Pope in Catholicism.

Then how does the student council fit into this equation? Considering that they call themselves judges, they might decide who the winner of the battle actually is. As stated in this episode, the student council is neutral. Even if Takayanagi is the favorite to win, the odds are balanced out as the judges make the final decision.

@Ichi: #RDG 06 : First time that I am liking the heroine of Red Data Girl, and she has to be drunk w

Izumiko being drunk is one of the most memorable moments of the series so far. She becomes so incredibly adorable that if you didn’t like her before, you’re almost guaranteed to do so after seeing it. If you look at this scene critically though, the scene is more than a brief moment of comedic relief.

In Shinto belief, alcohol, more specifically sake and its consumption, is a tool to unify the human soul with the gods. It allows normal people to transcend their earthly bonds and grow closer with the spirits around them. This is shown in the episode, where Izumiko’s drunken state permits her to meet Masumi, the spirit of the departed Souda triplet.

What’s peculiar is her response to seeing him. She says that all of it must be a dream. Her statement reveals a disconnect that Izumiko has between illusion and reality. She can’t tell the difference between a dream and what is happening right in front of her. But this is not her fault. Much like the alcohol which clouded her senses, its the people around her that are deceiving her.

No one is who they seem to be. They are all hiding their ulterior motives behind their mystic instruments. Takayanagi uses his homunculi, Mayura has her fan club, and Hadoka has his dance rituals. In Red Data Girl, we see the Shinto spirituality that was supposed to enlighten its followers has instead corrupted them. It has come to the point where the arrival Himegami, which the series has stated as a arcane event of great importance, will end the world. Now isn’t that twisted?

OreImo 2 Weekly Update – Episodes 1-3

Ore no Imouto ga Konnai Kawaii Wake ga Nai 2, or OreImo 2 for short, is the second season of the hit anime from Hiroyuki Kanbe that was originally released in 2010. Can this second season continue on the path that its predecessor paved?

I should preface this review with the warning that I am unabashedly in love with OreImo, and that my opinions are slanted because of that fact. With that out of the way, let’s continue into the review!

For those who haven’t seen OreImo before, or need a refresher, it chronicles the relationship between a pair of siblings, Kousaka Kyousuke and Kousaka Kirino, whose only true bond comes in the form of various life consultations, usually dealing with Kirino’s secret otaku hobbies. I would strongly recommend watching season one of OreImo if you have not done so yet, but due to the nature of the first episode, which acts as a recap, it is possible to jump right in and not to be left behind. 

As far as the animation goes, it stays consistent with OreImo’s first season, which was already of a very high quality and had excellent production values. The characters designs are as colorful and distinct as ever, with only small changes in the details for this season. Unfortunately, the one piece of animation that did disappoint me is the opening. For the first season, each opening was unique, and I admired the effort that was put forth. But for the second season, there seems to be one uniform opening, which was still well made and had a catchy enough song, but was inferior to seaason 1. Despite that problem, so far, all seems fine on this front.

The same goes for the story, which has not changed too much after the first episode reestablished the status quo. The characters are largely where they were at the end of the first season, and we are free to continue on with the story, with all of its countless anime conventions and references. In of itself, this is something that only adds to OreImo, as it presents a surprisingly effective and astute satire of classic otaku behavior and challenges these tendencies, to great success. In my opinion, OreImo is much smarter than we give it credit for, as it pulls off insightful social commentary about the status and stereotypes of those addicted to anime without hitting us over the head with the message. It is a subtle, yet consistent message that is delivered in a lighthearted and entertaining style. As we’ve seen with countless other anime, it is not an easy task, and OreImo is one of the few anime who have actually managed to succeed in such a task.

The true appeal of OreImo lies in its eclectic mix of characters and the humor derived from them. In particular, Ayase has interactions with Kirino and Kyousuke alike that are just hilarious, with one scene in particular acting upon her oft referenced yandere side, blowing it up to the extreme in an exchange that just brought a grin to my face. I also love the fact that one episode was dedicated to recounting the backstory of Saori, whose interactions with her own sister have an interesting parallel to Kyousuke and Kirino’s relationship. 

This is easy viewing, wherein one can simply sit back and enjoy the laughs that OreImo coaxes out of us so effectively. So far, it has focused on the development of each one of its characters, with some humor sprinkled in between of more serious scenes and development, to great success. I really do enjoy the shift away from pure humor to the focus on the supporting characters because I think that every character in this cast needs their own time onscreen to come into their own, and the Saori episode did exactly that, with its distinctive mix of pop culture references and humor to keep the material watchable while also working to add significant details to Saori’s character. 

And that is OreImo’s greatest virtue: entertainment. Much like OreShura did before this year, OreImo has entertained me like no other show. The way that the relationship between Kirino and Kyousuke is explored constantly and the way that sexual tension builds up between them without it erupting into a full on incestuous relationship makes for excellent viewing and draws in devoted fans such as myself. Really, I adore this show so much that I cannot really find anything bad to say about it, and that speaks volumes as to how much of an effect OreImo can have on its audience.

OreImo is definitely a smarter and more complex show than people give it credit for, as it manages to both satirize and defy anime conventions while also providing solid charactr development masked as entertainment and comedy. Even if one takes it simply at face value, there is a multitude of reasons to enjoy OreImo and I cannot wait to continue on its journey.