#anarchy-chan

[sailor-arashi]

[animehouse-moe]

Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyer: Opening

You can watch the opening here.

Yeah, this is just a post about the opening (the episode will come later), because this is arguably the closest we can get to a perfect representation of the essence of Inagawa's work. It's.... stunning. It's art.

So, I think to begin I'll sort of preface what the theme of the opening (and of the work overall) actually is. It's a bit of a mouthful, but it's about the stifling of individual expression due to societal and cultural expectations that weigh on each person. In essence, breaking out of the shell that has been forcibly placed on someone, in this case, Magical Girls.

Let's get it started then, shall we? Sort of surprising is the fact that the 4 girls in the start of the opening are driving along the beach in a car with the top down, not a real care in the world. But, in concert with the existence of water throughout the episode, this is only the surface of the characters. What is shown on the outside, what can remain above the surface. It dulls the feeling of freedom, makes you realize the restrictions placed on them so that they can be afforded that freedom.

Of note in this seen, we see that Anarchy has a fruit in her hand. But, before she eats it she pushes a hole into it, allowing some of the juice to escape. To me, this is obvious symbolism for their interests. They don't want what everyone else wants. Nobody wants a damaged fruit in the same way that nobody wants a magical girl that isn't "pure" or "right". It's her acting out against the norms of society and fighting her way towards what she wants.

Next, we have an interesting scene with Otaku Hero. We find a fish in a glass of water, confined by its surroundings, trapped within. Nowhere to go, no way to move forward, Otaku Hero puts the fish in his mouth. Is it faith? Submission? Something else entirely? Whatever it is between man and fish, it is a relationship of dependence. For the fish to exist within its trapped surroundings, it requires Otaku Hero. It's "freedom" is dependent on being saved by another. And at the end of the day, it just ends up deposited in someone else's glass. For all its struggles, it remains confined. Even in the face of a Hero, the fish cannot escape its glass.

And this is exactly what the opening tells us about the girls. Sure, in the "regular" forms they're afforded some type of freedom, but if they want to express their "other" sides which don't conform, they're left trapped. They only become Magical Girls when underwater. Only when drowning beneath the tide of expectations and requirements, sinking deeper into the abyss of societal and cultural norms forced upon them are they themselves.

And this is where Otaku Hero comes into play. He is the first to betray expectations. He delivers the fish to its new form of confinement, and punches the man holding the glass. Wandering, he finds the girls underwater, decorated by ribbons or threads that connect them to Otaku Hero. Now this is a double-edged sword. It shows how Otaku Hero is their "savior", but also what drags them to the bottom of the ocean of expectations and requirements that they sink in.

Regardless of his connection and nature to the girls, just like with the fish, he reaches out for them, but this time he "frees" them. To what degree are they really free if it's at the hands of a savior though? Of someone that perpetuates the preconceptions and norms that suffocate the girls?

Regardless, their true form is unleashed in something that is needed to be experienced to be understood. Violence, vulgarity, depravity, flirtation, teasing, killing, breaking apart, atomized. It is the representation of all the repression that faces the girls. It's a breakdown of reality and society that allows the individual true freedom of expression.

So, I'm no expert with the meaning of flowers, but each Magical Girl here holds their own type of flower (as does Otaku Hero later down the road), which most certainly relates to their stories somehow. I'm just not sure how because I don't know all of the flowers that adorn the various characters.

And lastly, we finished off with a recreation of The Last Supper, with Otaku Hero at the center. In line with the rest of Inagawa's work, he mocks religion here. He jokes about The Last Supper, about Otaku Hero being the lord and savior of his story, and the Magical Girls being his apostles in what can only be inferred is akin to a religious war between humanity and Otakus. It's a hilarious mockery, of both religion and Otaku Hero. Of the concept of a savior, of the expectations placed upon those that don't conform to expectations. The magical girls are once more "normal", and forced to side at this table, glares cast downward, for the sake of Otaku Hero.

And don't even get me started on stuff like the music. The whole thing is a rage against establishment and society, as it talks about rioting, rampaging, and all manner of other things.

Just an outstanding opening that exemplifies the core of Inagawa's opus, of his form of expression in media. It's a love letter to not just art, but specific his art.

[tamahoshio]

Finished the Magical Destroyers piece i started earlier this week!!! i dont think i care if it makes sense since i think it looks cool sparkles

[ image Description : a digital art piece with an intentionally messy, streaky, painterly coloring style which depicts the main characters from the anime series titled "magical destroyers" . in the foreground you can see the magical girls, from the top right Blue-chan is shown jumping in the air with her eye-scythe weapon and a flirty wink. At the center-left is Anarchy-chan with her anarchy staff visible from the back, jumping in the opposite direction of the other two girls, her head turned to grin, face half visible. And at the bottom-right, Pink-chan is visible from the bust up in her signature gas mask, with her hands in the air, syringes full of pink liquid . In the middle ground, on the left half of the piece is an image of Otaku Hero facing the side with a determined expression, teeth grit, one hand up in a fist and the other arm not quite visible, but clearly pointing off screen. Over the background, black and covered in dramatic rainbow sparkles, large yellow caution tape reads " OTAKU" ]

[puppyinlove]

watched all 3 of the new episodes n I love them! here’s some gifs from mahou shoujo magical destroyers :D

[animehouse-moe]

Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers Episode 1: Rage Against Akihabara

So, how can you explain Magical Destroyers? A critical parody and mocking of conformism, religion, and even Otaku culture? Maybe it's as simple as leaving it at the fact that it's Jun Inagawa's vision extrapolated to an anime. But is it worth watching? Well, do you like it when things are made fun of? When at every turn expectations are upended and pushed to the side to make room for something totally different? Do you like things that are just the right amount of insane or unhinged? If so, then you'll like Magical Destroyers for quite a few reasons, though it's not a series without caveats.

So let's get the bad out of the way, it's restricted. Bibury isn't a masterclass studio that can make something out of thin air. I mean, counting Magical Destroyers they have a total of 5 anime that have aired so far. They're.... not good, to say the least. Not necessarily in terms of story or anything, but they're very limited in what they can do in regards to animation. That in and of itself is pretty apparent in this first episode through quite a few conservative scenes and ample use of slapdash CGI, like this almost comically out of place log.

As long as you're aware of the limitations, I think the better moments really do shine quite well. The environment art can be really stellar sometimes, the visual comedy is rock solid, and there's still a good share of Sakuga in it too.

So what about the story? For those that read my breakdown on the opening, I think it's rather self-evident about the core of what Magical Destroyers is about, but I probably should give a proper explanation.

So, the whole idea is that the government of Japan have been rounding up all of its Otaku under the guise of "protection". Putting them in jails, taking all otaku product with them, effectively eliminating them from the Japanese public. In a single week in 2008 the majority of Otaku were rounded up for "protection", aside from a handful that center around Otaku Hero. Since that day, Otaku Hero with the aid of Magical Girls and fellow Otaku has waged war in a resistance against his forceful "protection", and that's where we find ourselves now.

Essentially, up shit creek without a paddle. Though you'd nearly be a fool to take that sentiment at face value as first and foremost this is a farce. It's a story that's incredibly campy as it continually pokes fun at almost anything and everything, while mixing in moments so serious that they come off almost comical.

It screams of the writing skills of a first timer that thinks they can write a story for the ages because they're "not like other writers out there", and in the context of Inagawa's history it's a hilarious and well thought out approach that punctuates the already ridiculous setup and story.

The part that is clearly the most honed though is the comedy. It's well timed, expressed wonderfully through character acting, and is perfectly situational and unique to the characters that act it out.

There's a lot more that I feel I could get into, like the storyboards or overall direction to help sell that campy feeling, but I think it's pretty self-explanatory and not really anything out of this world. Magical Destroyers it Jun Inagawa's vision, simple as that. If you love the idea of acting out, of raging against the machine to preserve your individuality and right to existence as you are, then you'll like this show.

[sailor-arashi]

[crnkl]