Thee

~Animes and books ~Rants, talks, and theories

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There Are Many Reasons Why Haunting Adeline Should Not Get An Adaptation

As someone who used to be on the book side of the media quite a lot, I feel like I should give my input on the Haunting Adeline adaptation situation. Disclaimer, I have not read the book but I have heard a lot about it.

The issue with Haunting Adeline is that it romanticises things like sexual assault. In a book format, it’s still bad, but it is mostly women who read it, so there’s less of an impact on how it could affect the safety of women. When it goes on screen, it bring in non-readers, and people who don’t interact with the dark romance genre. People are going to see this, learn it’s a book adaptation and wonder if women are into this. Which will bring the conversation to real life and how bad sexual assault is. Rapists will take that small percentage of women who romanticise those scenes with Zade Meadows and Adeline, and will apply it to all women. Then the justice system will continue to fail women, and all progress on bringing awareness to how harmful rape is will go down the drain.

Now you might think I’m overreacting, but I’ve had classmates treat the topic of rape like a joke. And don’t get me started on what they’d say about male SA victims. There were boys in Australia ranking their female classmates on how rape-able they are. Young people will get access to this film somehow and young people are very impressionable. And it will just keep this idea that sexual assault is not that bad when it can seriously ruin someone’s life.

And then Zade and Adeline end up together. I don’t think there’s any social commentary of victims falling in love with their abusers, so I will treat it as that and that she’s just falling in love with him. I guarantee you it will bring up the question “Was it rape if she ended up with him?” Or something like that. This isn’t necessarily related to this point, but a lot of sexual assault crimes happen within established relationships. So when you have a question like this being posed, what makes of the people who are being assaulted in their relationships? There’s already the “did she say no?” question and now it’s going to progress to “well she already consented since she’s dating him.”

Finally, I would like to make a point on how this could affect people who have been sexually assaulted. These people will have to sit with the knowledge that their trauma is on the big screen and people are actually romanticising the act just because “he looks hot”. The act of raping dehumanises and humiliates the victim to the point they can be too scared to speak on it. They have to live with the trauma, might have to carry a baby they don’t want to, their partner might break up with them, or they might even take their own lives.

I recently learned that this book is the author’s coping mechanism. Firstly, people watching it aren’t going to know that. Secondly, there’s nothing wrong with writing it, but if it’s going to be made public, topics like this have to be handled responsibly and in a way that it does not incite harm.

I’m all for read/watch what you enjoy, but there is a limit until it becomes a harmful topic that needs to be addressed.

[ansierpien]

One day I really want to write a long analysis of WHA clothing and how Shirahama just gets it on so many different levels. But now I just wanted to share one thought.

How an outfit of an apprentice represents their teacher.

1. The girls' outfits look like they are meant for children who like to play in a garden, get dirty and are very active. It really shows how Qifrey views a proper childhood. They are shorter, made out of less fancy looking but probably more durable material.

Euini's outfit doesn't look very comfy, nor like it's meant for a child. It looks like he is supposed to be still, focus on study and represent Kukrow well among other witches in the Great Hall.

2. Qifrey's apprentices are not just little copies of him. Yes, he made sure that this familiar teacher-apprentice bond, that is so important to witches, is visible in their clothing. What's more, the blue capes not only reference Qifrey, but also other members of his "witch family" - Olruggio and Beldaruit. Still, they are not just small copies, his students are his own people.

On the other hand, Kukrow made out of Euini his little and less fancy copy.

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Kafka Might Just Be One Of HSR's Best Designs

If the theories of Kafka formerly following the path of Beauty are true, Hoyoverse cooked with her design. Design-wise, she's kind of simple, compared to Argenti, who is a bit over the top. And her clothes aren't exactly elegant like Aglaea's, but she makes them elegant. Obviously, the devs won't make an ugly character, but when you look at people reacting to the character trailers, Kafka always makes an impression. And some of these people are doing marathons, watching every single character trailer, so it really says something when people stop and rewatch and dissect her trailer specifically. There is also a mysterious allure to Kafka that makes people want to know more about her, which makes her stand out. And since beauty is very subjective, especially across continents, it says a lot that she's a very popular character in the East and the West. The people who designed her really thought it out.

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HakuKoyu Is What TanKana Could Have Been

I feel like Hakuji and Koyuki are what Tanjiro and Kanao could have been if they had a little more development. Fundamentally, they're pretty similar dynamics with both Hakuji and Tanjiro helping in a certain way. Hakuji helped Koyuki when she was ill, and Tanjiro helped Kanao grow out of her coin toss habit. Where they diverge is that Kanao doesn't feel like she's contributing anything to the relationship. Koyuki, as well as Keizo, helped Hakuji view himself as someone past his branding (his crimes), which helped him grow from where we saw him at the beginning of his flashback to before their deaths.

Kanao, meanwhile, doesn't help Tanjiro grow in any way, which I actually blame more on Tanjiro's writing because he's almost too perfect a character that it becomes his flaw. Demons aside, he's nice to everyone, takes care of everyone, doesn't complain when doing a job, and does many other stuff. There is almost nothing Kanao can do to elevate his character, except maybe make him a little more selfish or tone him down a little. Of course, there are also faults in Kanao's writing, mainly that we don't see her doing anything until the Infinity Castle. And after that, the story ends, so no more development. The ending was rushed, and they did have some moments, so they aren't the worst of the rushed pairs (that goes to Insouke and Aoi), and I do prefer them over Zenitsu and Nezuko, but they still aren't great.

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Finished Takopi's Original Sin

I don't cry a lot when I watch or read things, but out of the six episodes of Takopi's Original Sin, I had tears in my eyes for three of the episodes. They were during the end of the first episode, Akuma's breakdown in the fourth, and Shizuka's breakdown in the last. The way trauma is written in this is very realistic, and I especially love the detail of the three children mirroring their mothers. Shizuka only thinks about herself, and whether she's doing it intentionally or not, she's manipulating people in her life. Marina beats up Shizuka because that's the only person she can beat in this situation, and it's the only way she knows how to let out her anger. Akuma is this hardworking perfectionist who seeks his mother's approval. I also like how they wrote the trauma as an explanation for the reasons they do the things they do, but not as an excuse.

The visuals and the dialogues are really hard-hitting. The pancakes being filled with colours that eventually turn into this grotesque thing after Azuma's mother said she's given up on him is a great reflection of what's going on in his head. Shizuka asking Takopi what she's supposed to do is gut-wrenching because, after all the murderous thoughts she's had, it breaks down to her just being a child crying for help.

And unless I understood this wrong, Takopi's original sin was not communicating with his mother, which was a mistake he kept on repeating. A big flaw that Takopi had was that he never tried to understand Shizuka until the very end. He made a bunch of assumptions, which, when you're trying to cheer someone up, is not the way to do it. You need to talk to a person, and even if you don't understand initially, you learn to understand. This anime makes a big point on the importance of communication, and not just that, but also understanding people.

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WHA Season 2 Trailer Already?!

I did not expect the season 2 trailer to already be out, but here it is I guess. I am a little worried that the anime will catch up to the manga pretty quickly, considering it is a monthly manga and there’s currently less than 100 chapters. This is just in my opinion, but I wouldn’t have minded if production for season 2 took another 3 years just so there’s still a large enough gap with what’s been animated and what hasn’t. Because once the anime catches up to the manga, we’ll have to wait like two years for there to be enough material to animate and another 2-3 years for it to be animated.

She looks so good! Can’t wait to see how they animate the panels of her being tempted by the Brimmed Caps.

Bug Films is spoiling us. We got a shot of Beldaruit.

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HSR 4.4 Trailer

Come to Planarcadia, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. It’ll be a vacation, they said. I do not feel elated at all. HIMEKO DON’T YOU DARE DIE ON US😭 And don’t get me started on the scene with Kafka.

You know we’re cooked when Evernight shows up.

Anywho, glad to see the Stellaron inside Trailblazer’s body hasn’t been forgotten.

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What Do You Mean Present Day London? (BSD)

So, seeing as Atsushi is in present day London, I’m going to assume that the old fashion outfits and carriages are due to an ability. Or, (at least the carriages) could be an aftermath of the Great War with the electromagnetic waves or whatever it was and England is still recovering, though that seems very unlikely. At least this means we’re going to know more about The Order of the Clock Tower and possibly the Transcendents. And I am going to assume that Agatha Christie will be the main antagonist for part 2.

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Gravity Users Being Reduced To Love Interests

I discussed this with a friend @kyaralunamoon, and we agreed that these two gravity users have contributed to the plot in great ways but are reduced to love interests. Who am I talking about? I’m talking about Ochako Uraraka and Chuuya Nakahara. Ochako gets reduced to being a love interest, and getting hated on for getting in the way of Bakudeku while Chuuya is depicted as always needing Dazai. Are we forgetting that Ochako awakened her quirk to help Toga? She literally saved everyone by getting rid of the Twices. And Chuuya saved the agency from the Hunting Dogs. If he wasn’t there, the agency would have been done for. So petition for gravity users to be seen for who they are and not who they are in terms of their love interests.

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Witch Hat Atelier Chapter 97

The Knights Moralis aren't my favourite bunch, but this new chapter leads to interesting outcomes. Firstly, we're definitely going to see Luluci and Easthies's character arcs in this coming arc. With the situation that happened with Dagda and Custas, Luluci has a lot to sort out as a law enforcer. I'm really excited for her arc. Easthies getting an apprentice is definitely going to tone him down, especially when you consider who his new apprentice is. That kid is going to tire him out, trust me. I'm also excited for his backstory because this fear of the system collapsing has to come from somewhere.

Popular theory is that the Brimmed Caps did something, but that's too basic an answer. So my theories are that 1) he had a non-witch friend who found out how to use magic, and things got bad, 2) there was a whole non-witch village dabbling in magic, and things got bad, or 3) he was "sent back" to the days before the Pact as a memory of sorts (probably due to the Brimmed Caps).

(Side note: Easthies and Utowin were totally acting like boyfriends.)

I didn't know I would be excited or want to know more about the Knights of Moralis, but I am intrigued.

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How Sadie Kane Should Be Improved

If ever there's an adaptation of The Kane Chronicles, there are a lot of changes to be made with Sadie. Keep the fact that her grandparents are racists, because that's the reason they took her and not Carter. Make it more apparent that her grandparents are trying to erase her black side. This could be from the way she speaks, dresses, thinks about herself, wears her hair, speaks about her black culture, etc. Then, as the series progresses and she gets more comfortable with magic, you see that visually with how she presents herself. She's more comfortable wearing her natural hair, she asks Carter more about their dad's culture, she partakes in cultural activities, and so on. All this is to undo the internal racism her grandparents have instilled in her. Then, in the fight with Apophis, she has accepted and is confident being a mixed person, and that is when we see her cast the most powerful spell. It would also add more to the magic system: that instead of training to become more powerful, you need to accept who you are and the power within you.

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The Nen Abilities of the Female Cast and Whether They Are Stereotypically Feminine or Not

I was curious how many of the female characters who have Nen abilities follow sexist stereotypes. I found 16 characters (I might be missing a few), and most of them, surprisingly, aren't. I will also include Alluka in this, even if it's Nanika's ability, but Nanika is in a girl's body, even if they're not female, so...(shrugs). The characters I found to conduct this research are: Alluka/Nanika (they will be counted as one), Tusbone, Ponzu, Melody, Neon, Baise, Shizuku, Pakunoda, Machi, Bisky, Zazan, Hina, Palm, Longhi, Morena, and Lynch. This will go into manga territory, but only to explain the last three's abilities. If you don't want spoilers, they're in the first paragraph of the Not Stereotypical section. There will be two categories: Stereotypical and Not Stereotypical. Most of these are self-explanatory, some of them I decided to explain further.

Stereotypical: Baise, Shizuku, Machi, Bisky, and Hina. Baise controls the people she kisses (basically a seductress (also definitely to appeal to the male audience)). Shizuku has a vacuum. For Machi, being a doctor isn't inherently feminine, but she does wear a pincushion on her wrist, so it does lean more into sewing, which is a feminine hobby. I also don't think I've seen many puppeteers presented as men in media, since she's also able to puppeteer people. Bisky has a masseuse (try catching a male character with that). Hina's ability isn't technically feminine since exorcisms are usually conducted by priests who are always men, but the way it's stored is. She looks pregnant, and that's where the feminine/sexist aspect of this ability lies.

Not Stereotypical: Alluka/Nanika, Tsubone, Melody, Neon, Pakunoda, Zazan, Palm, Ponzu, Longhi, Morena, and Lynch. Nanika grants wishes, to put it simply. Tsubone turns into vehicles. Neon can predict the future. Pakunoda can read minds and shoot her memories into people. Palm has a spying ability and can wrap herself in her hair, which helps her in combat. Ponzu can control bees. Longhi makes contracts. Morena's Nen ability is contagion, but it's activated through a kiss. But the ability itself has nothing feminine about it. It also has game mechanics with levelling up, and all that stuff, and gaming is a male-dominated hobby. Lynch's ability makes people tell the truth after she asks them a question and punches them.

See, Zazan's Nen ability's name is something I don't see would ever be given to a male character, but the ability itself isn't necessarily feminine. She transforms the humans she stings into half human half Chimera ant. She also turns into a giant alligator. So the function of her ability isn't sexist. I think it's more of the way she uses it. (I actually don't remember how she used it outside of her fight with Feitan.)

Melody kind of falls into a grey area. Her ability affects the emotions of those who hear her music, and she usually plays a flute. The flute only became a "feminine" instrument during the 19th and 20th centuries. And the emotions part, especially calming people down, just fits her character, whether she'd be a man or a woman. I put her in this category because music isn't necessarily a feminine hobby, but if you disagree, I understand why, especially because calm and peaceful emotions are usually associated with women.

Conclusion: The ratio of stereotypical to non-stereotypical is 5:11 (or 6:10 if Melody is to be put in the stereotypical category). The issue is that the characters with non-stereotypical feminine abilities either only appear once in a blue moon or are dead (not including those who are from the Succession War Arc).

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Identity Talk with Tachihara and Fukuchi

One dynamic I think would have been so interesting to see more of is that of Fukuchi and Tachihara. Fukuchi has an alias as “The Man of A Hundred Faces”, which meant he had to play many roles and probably got conflicted and lost more than once. (I have not done an analysis on him in case you couldn’t tell.) Tachihara had that entire identity crisis over whether he’s a Hunting Dog or Port Mafia member. It would have been nice if we saw him talk to Tachihara about having multiple identities and to not get lost in them. It could have been great foreshadowing too if it was done before Kamui’s reveal.

[coldinternetllama]

Agott's talent

Vague spoilers up until Silver Eve (around chapter 62)

I've been thinking about how Agott was kicked out of her family for supposedly being too mediocre when it comes to magic, at least in comparison to her mother, and how a common interpretation is that she is indeed not talented, but a hard worker. While I do agree that this is a valid take, especially considering how Shirahama loves to flip common tropes around, I don't think this is entirely true. Agott appears to have talent when it comes to purely decorative magic, as we can see during the Silver Eve arc, and it's even implied when Coco is defending her while they are at the Great Hall (making plushies dance is apparently quite complicated). It just so happens that this is the kind of magic that is considered useless, because it is rather impractical. I can't help but wonder if this is meant to parallel how artists in real life are often told that what they do isn't a "real job". And what is a child supposed to do when she is told her talents are worthless? Of course, she would start hiding her favorite magic and try and learn all of the "useful" spells. Yet she will never quite reach the expected brilliance, instead she will only follow the path of other people's expectations. Not because she wants to, but because this is how it is supposed to be. I believe this is one of the reasons why she struggles to be as creative and daring as Coco in stressful situations. After all, Agott's own ideas were never considered good enough for the Arklaum family, so why even bother experimenting? No wonder she sometimes gets envious of Coco's seemingly easygoing nature and unconventional, but successful ideas when it comes to magic.

Speaking of Coco, I think it's poetic how it was also one such decorative and impractical spell (Olruggio's glowing stones) that made her love magic, and it was later Agott's light magic that reignited that same love. And it took Coco feeling down for Agott to actually want to use her own spells for the sake of someone else. Considering how that interaction seemed to make both of them more confident, I believe we'll be seeing more of Agott's actual talent in the future, just like Coco has been getting better and better at the technical aspect of casting.

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A Helping Hand? (BSD)

I saw this post recently that said how there was no one after Oda that reached out a hand for Dazai. That makes me wonder whether Dazai chooses not to let someone help him, in fear that this person will die or abandon him, or if no one is actually reaching out to him? For the second point, you could argue that Atsushi is. Not in the same way as Oda, but in a way that reminds Dazai that his past is not who defines him, but rather his present actions, by thanking him (which I think only happened in Wan, which I know isn't canon) and seeing him as a virtuous person. It could also be a mix of both, where he's not letting people worry enough about him to feel the need to reach out in fear of something bad happening to them.

(Idk what to title this.)

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A Flawed Method For Survival (WHA)

Yes, the Knights Moralis's methods are flawed, but it's also what's keeping them alive. Imagine that you're a police officer armed with only a taser and handcuffs tasked to stop a criminal known to have every single weapon ever created at their disposal. Once the criminal knows you're on their tail, they're not going to let you capture them, so they're going to throw whatever it is they have at you, whether it's a pocket knife or a nuke (idk if that's possible, but this is a hypothetical situation). So your best chance of survival is to capture first and ask questions later.

Is it an ideal method? No, because the chances of stumbling upon a Brimmed Cap are very low, and lives get ruined. But when you think about the stakes, it is understandable why they would go through such lengths, even for children, who could have been groomed by a Brimmed Cap.

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Losing Sight Of Oneself (KNY)

One of my favourite things about Kokushibo’s story is the message “don’t lose sight of yourself”. Kokushibo was so blinded by jealousy that he became a demon in hopes of surpassing Yoriichi, and in doing so, he started to lose his sense of self. He was no longer a noble samurai protecting the weak. He had become a monster with the sole purpose of being better than someone else. In the moments before his death, we see him becoming monstrous and hideous just to be someone strong, and that is when he realises he has lost his way. However, in reality, he had lost his way the moment he decided to become a demon.

This can be a really good message. It's not wrong to have goals, but the moment those goals start to reveal the worst sides of yourself is when they're bad. But it's only when you're too far gone in the wrong direction that you realise how wrong you've been.