Category Archives: Maria-sama ga Miteru

Women Don’t Have A Thousand Faces in Anime

Sorry Yumi-chan, but a cat has even more.

What's the matter, cat got your tongue?

Or in this week’s case, an alien bent on destruction of the Human race.

OMG NERF BELLCROSS!

That must’ve been one of the most satisfying moment in anime that I ran in to for some time. It’s definitely one of the more satisfying thing to happen to a persistent pain-in-the-butt character (and Heroic Age‘s got its share) that I’ve seen. It’s not even karmic, because to be fair Peato Ou does have the right idea (killing DNAra will lead to the end of the Human race), even if he’s blind about the end result. (It’s like knowing not to hit a tagged rogue in Area 52 on a PvE server, but you do it anyways because you are dumb.)

In the introspection of the nature of men and women, there are some anime that take it seriously, and there are some anime that don’t. For everything else, there are high quality key animation frames that captures the essence of the human spirit expressed through the art of body language translated into pictures. The exaggerated nature of anime art style only enhances the enjoyment of its audience when we see the actors on stage, normally being serious, break out in a show-and-tell of how badass something that may have just happened to them.

And this treatment is gender-neutral! Dropping your jaw is not a sexist behavior in anime.


Beauty

Moe is a meaningless term in light of the eternal pursuit of men and women after beauty.

In fact, a fairer look at this whole thing is a response. Praise is merely the reaction of people before the delights of their hearts. Moe is the chain that connects a quiet affixation to a thing, an idea.

But sometimes it’s good to just step outside and gaze at the end of summer. Take yourself out of your present context and dive into what you are watching. It’s like actually being in Venice and floating down a narrow canal, looking up at the sweaty rays of sunshine and the shadow it plays with the aging cityscape. They say it’s romantic, right?

Adoration arises not merely with the tangible. It’s not so much like admiring Akari’s sun-basked presence, but admire what Akari admires (which is …you get it?). Or, more notable, to adore a feeling. To cherish a presence (as we see in Marimite season 3 OAV episode 5). To feel another emotion. It’s moving.

It’s a beautiful thing. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

And sometimes an anime is worthy merely because it achieves this great sense of beauty. That is why Aria is such a lovely show about nothing. That is why cries of “you don’t get it” rings like blapping sheep when fans clash with each deadly round of Saimoe. Resignation to the gaps between individual understanding leaves little to talk about but all the more beautiful when a person manages to cross such straits in appreciation of another’s adoration.

Or at least, that’s the spirit of Saimoe.