#angelanalysis

[chillyangel]

Jinshi

So like, Apothecary Diaries Jinshi. I need to talk about him.

I refrained from posting any mid-season 1-watch comments like I did with Frieren because I genuinely didn’t know if I’d finish it at first. I was a little skeptical about the story revolving around concubines and stuff, but I was absolutely hooked on the little mysteries and the characters!

Alrighty, so here’s my thoughts (I have only watched season 1 so far)

Jinshi:

He is SO GREAT. A character who’s aware of his beauty, and believes it to be his only strength! How tragic! He’s so complicated! He doesn’t want to be left out, but he can’t really participate… he’s jealous, but he can’t get the girl because she’s immune to the one thing he’s good at? Ouch! He’s got to hide his identity, and has to feel selfish for keeping Gaoshun from his family. On the contrary, he’s selfless when it comes to making decisions, but then he can’t handle it when the decision makes him sad.

For instance, firing Maomao? The poor guy is on the ground and sulking. He’s made a hard decision, and he really struggles with the consequences. I mean, he completely hide the fact that he’s just 19… 💔

Jinshi is shown as being a little overzealous when it comes to pranking/flirting, which demonstrates the fact that he’s 19– but one thing I love is when his faked cheery demeanor falters the closer he grows to Maomao. In the beginning, he’s literally just playing with her, and as time goes on he drops that flirty act and you see him actually get desperate. As the season continues, he’s genuinely trying to get her to like him by being more like himself. Maomao brings out Jinshi’s true nature— and even Maomao herself notices his demeanor shift. He becomes less fake, less false joy, and becomes his genuining caring, kind, desperate self. What’s funny is that his 25-year-old-eunuch disguise is more immature than his true 19 year old self in my opinion, LOL. But both personalities are childish in their own ways, I suppose.

Because the anime is being told from Maomao’s eyes, I find it a little unfortunate that a lot Jinshi’s depth is lost to her disinterested view of him. I do wonder how much we’d discover through the eyes of Gaoshun— who honestly seems mildly terrified of his master’s attachment to Maomao, LOLOL.

Anyways, Jinshi is just a masterfully written character who is obviously starved of his love language: y’know, touch. I’m pretty sure it’s touch. I think it’s really really sweet how he puts his hand on Maomao’s shoulder 3 times as noted by her father during that “scary” chess game. I know a lot of people with touch love language, and they do the exact same thing to me when I’m in a stressful situation.

Jinshi is so complex, but I’d say: he is a sad person who is desperate to feel loved whole heartedly and purely. He’s not after lust, but he pretends to be because of his position. He wants to feel included, but he struggles to participate effectively in things that pique his curiosity. He wants to make mature decisions, but he’s kiiiiind of emotional. 😅 It’s all about desire, and not quite making it all the way to achieving that desire. He shoves himself into so many situations so that he can be close to things that spice up his daily life, but he comes across as nosy (which he is) and often times a burden because he sort of just stands there and listens to what everyone’s saying and doesn’t have much to contribute.

Then there’s the topic of Maomao. Like I said before, she used to appear to him as an interesting person that he could tease and be flirty with. However, as he spent more time with her, he started to see something in her that he needed.

At one point, he has that internal monologue about how he doesn’t really feel smart or extremely gifted in combat— but that he does have a nice face.

In Maomao, he sees what he feels like he doesn’t have: Intelligence, steadiness, confidence, and talent. But not only that, the scene where he gets drunk shows us that he sees something else in her that he doesn’t have: stability.

He’s constantly running to her when he’s stumped or worried. He asks her for help because he knows she will provide what he needs because she’s stable and consistent (unlike himself). When he gets drunk and Maomao falls on him— instead of just letting her go, he holds on to her. It’s because he feels safe with her around. She’s where he runs to when he’s confused and she always provides a solution. After each time he asked her for help before that moment, he felt a little more comforted, and now he straight up sees her as a pillar of safety in his sad life. In my opinion, that scene answers the question of why he’d fall for such an “apathetic” young lady.

So yeah, the reason he’s so jealous of men that Maomao hangs out with is not JUST because he’s attracted to Maomao physically and mentally, but because he ALSO sees her as his comfort and is attached to her emotionally. Imagine seeing the threat of your consolation being stolen from your life by some random guy. Imagine dealing with the loss of your peace, the person you could go to ask questions, the person that complimented your weaknesses, and the one that (in the most desperate situations) you could hug to receive relief from stress.

Anyways, sorry for the super long analysis on Jinshi, I just find him really intriguing! And I could be wrong about the reason for his attachment to Maomao, lol! I’m just over here making crazy assumptions about this guy to try and explain his behaviors. Anyways, thanks for reading all the way through! Until next time! ❤️❤️❤️

[chillyangel]

✨Hanako’s posture ✨

Hello, hello! Welcome back to me rambling about random stuff! Today we’re discussing Hanako’s awful posture in the PP arc!💖

So we know Hanako made himself taller inside the picture world in order to fit Nene’s type and sell the act that he’s her age. Despite this, in a lot of panels he’s shown to be slouching or slightly hunched over.

I have a few thoughts about this.

#1 seeing on Nene’s level: Hanako is used to being short in the canonical timeline. Suddenly becoming taller than Nene may have thrown him off or caused him to miss looking directly into her eyes. I’m only mentioning this theory because it’s cute and totally fits with his personality. This could also hit on a symbolic level, as he understands everything is a lie and can therefore see from a taller vantage point. Slouching could symbolically represent his desire to see eye to eye with Nene— but is unable because he’s torn between saving her and siding with her.

#2 self esteem: This is the theory I immediately go to. Everyone knows Hanako’s self esteem is awful. Bad posture can definitely be seen as a sign of low self esteem. In the case of the PP arc, Hanako doesn’t want to be seen for who he really is. In this world, if he pretends for long enough, he will be able to save Nene. Additionally, in a lot of ways he’s trying to save her from himself. He didn’t have to create a persona, he could have just stayed Hanako and pretended not to know how to escape the painting; he instead chose to be Amane with the plan to eventually swap himself out for a fake. If you think your self esteem is bad, just watch Hanako for a few hours… 😭 His bad posture is a reflection of the genuine desire to hide who he really is and hide from the rest of the world.

#3 playing pretend: Another argument for his bad posture could be guilt and shame. He sees what his trickery is doing to Nene and Kou, and still he continues to pretend and gaslight. Everything leads me to wonder if his posture is just a subtle symbol of his shame for doing this to his friends.

Of course, his slouching could also just be a mannerism he has from being a ghost. 😂

What even is this??? HOW DO YOU NOT HAVE BACK PROBLEMS?😭😭😭😭😭

[chillyangel]

✨Nene’s Perfection✨

One thing I love about Nene is that she loves people for who they genuinely are.

In the outro for S2 P1 she’s shown drawing Hanako in his ghost form, not his perfect persona.

She loves flaw-filled Hanako with his Haku-Joudai and his ancient school uniform. She loves imperfect Kou with his useless staff and weak tendencies.

I also think it should be noted that she’s drawing with chalk, which is temporary and washes away with the rain. This hurts me the most because honestly, this whole outro is not only a reflection of the picture perfect arc— but also a foreshadow for the later moments in the series. Her picture perfect world is the most tedious, unstable, and temporary one there ever was. It’s the one where they meet in the bathroom and play cards with the mokke. It’s the one where she never has a chance with Teru, where she’s the assistant to a school wonder, where she bakes with Kou, where she plays silly and childish games on her phone. It’s the one where Hanako loves her beyond the grave and gives her the most beautiful memories she could ever want to have. The problem? He fulfilled his goal a little too well, and now she’s left with the most beautiful memories that she can’t have anymore.

In the end, all she really wants is to be back in her perfect world with her imperfect Hanako.

[chillyangel]

In defense of Akane

Don’t kill me! These are personal interpretations on how I specifically see Akane. I wanted to stand up and give my own thoughts about the guy! So bear with me!

I see a lot of people saying Akane is an bad, creepy, and obsessive guy, and it’s starting to irk me a bit.

While yes, he most definitely has a problem, I have a few things to say in his defense.

Infatuation vs. real love

In the beginning, I wasn’t a fan of Akane at all. I thought he was a quirky side character with a massive crush on Nene’s bestie. However, in season 2 (when he’s revealed to be wonder #1) I started to pay more attention to him. I honestly did not expect much from his character, but as I got to know him, I was actually kind of impressed.

At first it was easy for me to basically diagnose him with infatuation, but as I continued watching I felt like I saw genuine love in his heart for her. Infatuation is short term, and obviously the two of them have known each other from a super young age & Akane has harbored feelings for her for a long time. Infatuation is blinding… I really don’t think he would have noticed her acting off during their time in #6’s boundary if he were plainly infatuated with her. That’s love.

Aoi says: “Feel free to stop loving me.”

My man gets STABBED through the gut by this woman, and STILL he does not stop loving her. If he were in love with the “perfect Aoi” he talks her up as, he would NOT refer to this near death betrayal experience as “something small” that would “never make him turn against her.”

If he were in love with a false imagined version of Aoi, his image of her would have crumbled during this scene. Instead, we are taken to Akane and Aoi episode.

Akane admits everything. He blurts the truth that he’s always hated the dark side of her. He has never actually thought that she’s a perfect goddess, but the point is— he sees her potential. He’s trying to build her up— albeit, in a childish, clumsy way. He’s been supporting her in the only way he knows how.

He’s always known that Aoi doesn’t feel like anyone genuinely loves her. She hides her all of her darkness behind a mask. Gosh, here Akane is, every day, trying to prove to her that he’s the guy who TRULY loves all the parts of her!

That’s why I love it when Akane tells her plain and simple that he knows her inside and out. He tells her that he is aware of all her darkness, he tells her that he sees the parts of her she thinks she’s been hiding. He is the only one who has seen the person she has been trying desperately to hide behind a mask. In the end, he finally tells her that he loves that hidden side of her. No matter how much he struggles with her faults, they are a part of her, and he genuinely loves that.

When Akane asks her out, tells her he loves her, etc, he’s just trying to fulfill her greatest wish: to be loved for who she truly is.

(For those who harp on Akane’s violent tendencies. His actions are most DEFINITELY played up for comedy. He would not ACTUALLY carry a spiked bat into school and thwack Aoi’s date potential into the blue yonder! 🤣 He would 100% be expelled for this. Although, I do believe that Akane’s spiked bat and comical home runs are definitely a representation of his massive underlying insecurities and obsession with Aoi.

Akane has reinvented himself over and over and over again for his childhood best friend, which is obviously very unhealthy, so why does he do it?

I have reason to believe that Akane’s romantic feelings stem from a genuine affection which slowly grew into worry, curiosity, and eventually morphed into obsession. Genuine affection has been and will always be the base of the complicated relationship he has with her. 🕰️✨ It should also be noted that his obsessive behavior massively improves as time goes on. So, this post in not me ignoring his obsessive tendencies, it’s offering a fresh perspective.)

[chillyangel]

Obi’s Love

So I recently went on a 24 hour trip and binge watched all of Snow White with the Red Hair! It may actually be my all time FAVORITE anime so far! It checked all the boxes for me as a wholesome anime lover 🥰

Theres a character in particular who caught my eye though, and that character is Obi. ❤️

The ULTIMATE wing man :

I am FASCINATED by this guy. The way he’s written, the way he’s animated, and how well his views on life are demonstrated… dang, simply take my breath away. You hardly ever even get to jump into his POV, but when you do, gosh, it’s good. Out of all the anime I’ve ever watched, Obi is the most fiercely loyal wing man I have ever seen.

Obi is the kind of guy who stumbles into the plot without intending to stay, but he gets attached to everyone and everyone gets attached to him. As I was watching, he continuously reminded me of a faithful dog that goes through thick and thin for his master. It really doesn’t take long to realize as a viewer that Obi would go through any kind of mission, pain, torture, or situation for Zen.

Something that really strikes me as interesting is his loyalty to Zen. I mean, he has extreme respect for the guy— and a crazy desire to please him. I do wish we’d gotten to learn more about him in the anime (side-eyeing that manga that I’m dying to read now 👀). Anyways, loyalty is what appears to be what Obi is literally built around! Everything he does is either about “the master” or “the miss”, and he holds them at a very high place in his mind, often talking about how resilient and strong they are. I believe Obi sees Zen as a huge inspiration— he gets to see both sides of the coin… like how Zen desperately wants to be with Shirayuki and vice versa.

Now for the part about Obi that I adore the very most:

His feelings for Shirayuki are the most beautiful part of his character. I know a lot of people talk about how they wish that Obi will fall in love with another person and have a happily ever after. But c’mon, just look at him:

That’s him just watching Zen and Shirayuki be in love. That’s his happily ever after. I mean, look at that contentment on his face. He may be in love with Shirayuki, but it is NOT a selfish love in any way— and that is what fascinates me. He knows that Shirayuki is happiest with Zen, and he ADORES to see her smile. I love how he sometimes can’t maintain his composure when he sees her face light up. He understands that if he pursues his own feelings, he would only be getting in the way of her joy. He can continue to fall in love with her and her beautiful smile forever as long as he is by her side as her body guard.

Obi may come across as immature at certain times, but I dare to say that he’s one of the most mature characters in fiction. 99% of second leads with such strong feelings would try to steal that girl, and I know that Obi has done a few things that hint at an attempt to steal her, but he almost always stops himself. The hairpin, the near hand hold, the balcony, etc… he genuinely wants her to reciprocate his feelings, but when her face lights up at the mere mention of Zen, he just can’t bring himself to be selfish enough to hope for such an outcome. He even REMOVED himself from the situation when he was alone with her on the balcony because he knew he couldn’t completely hide his love for her— and because of that, he knew he had to leave in order to preserve Zen’s happiness.

Not exact quotes, but I love how that scene goes down:

Obi: “Shirayuki? You’re sad?”

Shirayuki: “Yeah… ”

Obi: “Tell me about how much you miss the master.”

Gosh, Obi SHOCKS me at every turn. He genuinely just wants to see her happy, and wants her to talk about the man that she truly loves. He will do anything for her if it will only make her feel safe and happy.

The scene just continues to dig deeper into the feels when he sees her about to cry. When he rescinds his offer to talk about Zen & decides to leave, I feel like he it was because

1. He couldn’t handle seeing her cry, and realized he was in over his head.

2. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from wiping her tears.

On that note, his intense respect for Zen and his understanding of how much the prince loves Shirayuki is something else that Obi is constantly thinking about. After I started figuring out that Obi had feelings for Shirayuki, I NEVER expected him to fiercely encourage and support their relationship in the way that he does. It’s absolutely incredible. He persuades them to talk to each other and to take alone time often.

Obi can see how Shirayuki sparkles when she’s in love, and he wants her to feel that glow even when he himself is not the cause. So of course he will seek out the one guy in all the kingdom who makes her feel like she can do anything!

Of course, he does sad and jealous feelings. That goes without saying

But the way he manages it is beyond me. He just continues to restate and reaffirm in his mind why he’s actually there: to protect and ensure his master and miss get the ending they deserve. However, he makes it clear to Zen that he does a degree of his job for himself.

That’s another thing I love about Obi. He’s not in denial about how he feels. When he duels Zen for a place at Shiriyuki’s side during the Tanburun arc, he makes it clear that he wants this.

Even when he watches her with other men, like in this scene, he understands his role and the purpose of why she’s with Raji or why she’s with Zen. He’s not openly jealous that she’s dancing with someone who’s not him, he’s just glad to see her getting along with others.

Again it’s a: “yes, I love her, but I want to see her fly. I understand that I’m not the one who gives her wings” kind of thing.

Obi is one of the most selfless characters in fiction, and you will not convince me otherwise.

[chillyangel]

Hanako’s Complex Emotions & Love of the Moon 🌠🌙⭐️

Nothing hurts more than noticing so many little things during my second watch through with my little bros! 💔

I want to first start in Episode 2 where Akane is ripping into Hanako about how he can never change what he’s done and who he is because he “will always be a murderer”. I really hate that part of the episode, because it hurts me to see his reactions. ESPECIALLY when Akane says: “There’s no way to bring back the dead”.

The second watch through hit SO HARD, because here’s Hanako, who has known about Nene’s death from the start. He’s been growing more and more attached, and has no doubt been frantically thinking of ways to save her for the past few weeks. He still can’t find a solution— then Akane comes along and says: “lol. The dead never come back”. And Hanako’s eyes narrow to terrified slits, because his confidence in saving Nene is already so low, but hearing it out loud from another source just pierces his heart. He knows he cannot fail to save her, or else it’s over.

Something about Hanako that I’ve noticed is that when he gets emotional it’s a big deal and it’s obvious— but it only lasts for a little bit before he pulls on a mask. The mask he puts on often ends up being the one of the freak that so many people feel like he is. His self esteem is so low, and so he covers it up by just becoming what his enemies want him to be. This episode shows it so well, because right after Akane rips into him, Hanako panics, then covers it up with a villainous-looking smile and extends a freaky invitation of friendship. He just BECOMES the suspicious person people expect him to be— and maybe thats partially because apparitions are expected to follow their rumors. (Also, I am watching the English dub, so I’m judging off of the voice performance of Hanako’s English VA)

Around Nene and Kou, Hanako’s mask is so much less intense for the most part. He lets it down and becomes more genuine, like during the donut scene. Mr. Tsuchigamori is aware of Hanako’s true nature, and so when he sees him acting real, it really hits home.

Anyways, so back to ep2 s2: Later Hanako expresses worry to Kou about Nene & the future keeper of course. He again, tries to cover up his genuine concern by masking it with a playful sort of tone. (Kou knows him too well for that though, but anyway)

Of course, Nene gets hit, the truth is out— and Hanako does this:

His first reaction is to cling to her, and his horrified eyes really just say everything. His accusatory statement to Kou felt so purposeful— like he was trying, in a desperate moment, to point the finger of murder at someone other than himself for once.

But as always, he remembers his expected place as the “villain”:

And in a matter of seconds, he’s already sloppily stitching himself back into the villain role. Another reveal of his low self esteem and his masking to fit the role of murderous, untrustworthy #7 is demonstrated. “Oh yes, smiling after the death of my ‘assistant’ will surely fit the bill of what they expect of me.”

He seems to just be taunting and trying his best to freak everyone out and make them distrust him. I feel like his villain masking is so aggressive here because of Akane’s earlier words, and the fact that he is present in the room during this. Akane’s words were practically Hanako’s deepest fears voiced out loud.

Hanako doesn’t speak of himself as a good person, he’s still deeply bothered and disturbed by murdering his brother, and he had loads of heavy secrets he’s not ready to share with his very best friends. He’s obviously insecure about who he even is, and seems to have a complex on whether he’s good or bad.

Anyway, these details deepen the importance of my analysis on the moon. ❤️

I noticed in the episode Lost and Found when Hanako depressed and wandering around the school, he’s obviously upset. He’s just been told that he’s an awful person, gave into the facade, watched the inevitable outcome of his “best friend”(*cough* more than friend’s) future, and can’t figure out how to fix it.

I noticed that when he wanders up to the top of the school, he isn’t just staring out at the sky. He’s looking at the moon.

The moon was his first love, his first dream. The moon was the first one that he gave up on, and soon after that (probably at the same time), he gave up on himself.

Because of the Picture Perfect arc, we know he still has extensive knowledge on the stars, so he obviously still cares about the moon! I love details like this where we see the glimpses of Amane Yugi underneath the trauma bound Hanako. I wonder how often he goes out there on roof…

I’ve seen it discussed a lot— how Hanako gives up so easily, doesn’t have much confidence, and settles for a lesser outcome with the snap of a finger.

“I’m not going anywhere”

He is so scared of failure, that he fails by not trying. He sees a new dream, and he gets scared of it, so he only goes halfway. It’s like he sees the moon in his sights, but he can’t board the rocket.

I feel like this is because of the fact that he’s given up on himself. He gave up on Amane, so he tried to start over as Hanako, the one who granted other people’s dreams instead of his own. Ironic.. how his “profession” would be doing the very thing for others that he decided not to do for himself.

Nene becomes Hanako’s new dream. I believe his desire for her began even in the earliest moments together. She made him feel like a person, and brought back that feeling of companionship he missed to much from brighter days with Tsukasa.

When he finally realized his new dream was Nene, I believe that another part of his act during the clock keeper arc was an attempt to lie to himself. An attempt to convince himself that he wasn’t deeply invested in what happened with her in the long run. “I’m already dead. It doesn’t matter to me who lives or dies.”

But unfortunately, by episode three, I’m confident he’s given up on trying to convince himself he doesn’t care.

Nene comes up to sit beside him on the roof. She eventually gives him a kiss on the cheek, and again, we get the privilege of seeing that cute burst of raw emotions from Hanako. Pretty soon, he’s already begun throwing up walls, saying: “be careful with your emotions” as if to say “I’m not the one you should be giving your heart to. I’m dangerous.”

When Hanako is broken and scared about losing Nene, he looks at the moon because it’s the only other thing he’s ever loved as much as her.🌙

He lost the moon, so would he lose Yashiro, too? ❤️

[chillyangel]

✨2 Worlds✨

I’m a million years late, but I recently finished Ohshc and I just wanted to make a quick post on how much I really enjoyed Hikaru’s crash out 😂👍 jokes aside, I really love the big picture of this story. I know there’s probably been a million posts on this EXACT thing, so I’m kinda just doing this for myself because I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days.

The game is called “Which one’s Hikaru” not “Which one’s Kaoru”.

I noticed that Kaoru appears to be more emotionally mature— we see him thinking about the future often, wondering what he’ll do if Hikaru realizes he’s in love with Haruhi, and encouraging positive changes in his twin.

Meanwhile, Hikaru is the more outspoken one, kind of blunt, mischievous, insecure, and less emotionally aware.

Anyways, the relationship between the brothers (NOT THE FAKE ONE) is shown to be super close and isolated from the outside world. Both of them desperately want to be known for who they really are, but also don’t want to be known. I really love that about the twins, it’s such a cool concept and pretty relatable to a lot of people nowadays. Anyways, back to the point.

I have reason to believe that Hikaru has wanted to be identified as his own person a bit more than Kaoru due to these facts:

1. The game they often play is called “which one’s Hikaru” the title doesn’t appear to switch as far as I am aware.

2. Hikaru’s personality aligns more with the concept of wanting to be noticed for who he is as an individual.

3. Kaoru is the one shown worrying the most about “what happens if we’re not together all the time anymore?”

So when Haruhi comes along and can successfully pass their little game of which one is Hikaru, the twins are shown saying that their little world has expanded to encompass her. This officially solidifies Haruhi as the their first “official” friend— or rather Hikaru’s first friend. We see that he’s pretty happy with this development, and appears to be really content with how things are.

So when Arai shows up, it appears to Hikaru as a blunt overstep into his little world that involves strictly his precious brother & Haruhi. The presence of this unknown factor of Arai caused Hikaru’s world to capsize a bit. “A guy that I don’t know has suddenly showed up to take my friend away” kind of a moment.

Was he a jerk about it? Yes. Did he handle things sloppily? Yeah, but I’m silly, and I love his reaction, honestly. I love the way that his behavior becomes justifiable if you as a viewer actually jump into Hikaru’s little world— which is exactly how the twins are mean to be understood! It’s brilliant.

So anyway, we see Hikaru totally crash out and make a big scene. He even says to Haruhi: “I thought WE were your friends!” Which sounds pretty petty until you realize where he’s coming from with his past & unique connection to Haruhi. She quite genuinely was the first person to recognize him for who he really is.

Skip to the date, Hikaru’s really struggling to “communicate his care for Haruhi” as Kaoru put it. He’s just being a big old pain until he realizes he doesn’t have to be so terribly uptight. Things seem to be going well, cute stuff ensues…

…and then our boy gets flashed by Arai again. Cue crash out #2.

Why is the second crash out important? It shows that Hikaru is still not over things & he still hasn’t made the development needed. The date can’t just end here without at least a little progress being made toward him overcoming some jealousy and selfishness.

He runs off, the storm continues to roll in, and Haruhi who is (of course) completely terrified of lightning, pursues him.

Y’know how the episode goes, Hikaru’s bein’ emo and Tamaki kicks him in the rear with a phone call.

Hikaru runs around, frantically trying to find Haruhi. When he eventually arrives at the chapel and finds her hiding… this is the most important part. It’s the moment when he realizes that she does not exist solely in his world with his rules. She has fears, she has other friends, and sometimes she has to run away and hide, too.

This is the moment where he becomes closer to her by realizing that she is not as close to him as he thought. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense! 😨

Not only this, but he realizes that he can still offer her support by stepping into her world by offering her a piece of his own. He gives her his headphones, covers her with a cloth, and pulls her in close to offer her a shelter that he would have been completely unable to offer before this episode. ❤️

In this moment, they share each other’s worlds & in turn create a new one that fills both of their needs. ❤️❤️❤️

[chillyangel]

SO I HAVENT COMMENTED AT ALL ON S2 FRIEREN BECAUSE I FORGOT I HAD A BLOG

ANYWAY SO MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN ALL OF ANIME, STARK, HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH SCREEN TIME???? HELLLOOOOO???

Gosh, it’s so incredibly good! He’s had so much growth!!!!! I LOVE MY BOY!!! I have been a Stark simp since his first introduction, and now that S2 is out and has given him so much glory I KNOW there will be more to join me. I am proudly an OG simp!!!! But I welcome newcomers!

I’m currently following the dub because I adore English Stark’s voice actor a little too much. His delivery on so many lines makes me laugh or even gives me butterflies. Episode one? The scream he does while they’re falling is hilarious! Then when he’s telling Fern he’s her protection now? Incredible character growth when it comes to Stark accepting the trust Frieren and Fern have placed in him! I love that the narrative doesn’t completely stray from his flaws, though! He still panics in the face of danger, and so of course that leads into a wonderful demonstration that his flaw is not inherently bad and that it’s okay to run away sometimes.

He looks so good, sounds so good, and has gotten so many added scenes! THANK YOU, MADHOUSE! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ THANK YOU!!!!

I need to do more analysis on him! I talk about him so much more irl than I do on this blog, and that’s quite the crime! 🥀 I heard he gets a really incredible scene in episode 8, so expect a rant when I get there!

Thank you to the directors of this season for treating him like the main character he deserves to be!

I love the emphasis they’re placing on the matching bracelets, but also how they’re allowing Stark to break free of his characterization being so closely tied to Fern! Season 2 is doing a great job at showing that Fern and Stark are separate people, but they’re better together!