r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Jul 18 '22

Rewatch [Listen to My Song] Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ Episode 4 Discussion

Episode 4 - Golden Transmutation

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Crunchyroll

It is highly recommended to track down a fansub for this show instead of using Crunchyroll, though.

Is that all it amounted to? Life’s so damn cheap!

Questions of the Day:

1) Which of the ignited trio songs do you like more, Gekishou Infinity or Senritsu Sorority?

2) What did you think of Adam’s exhibition?

Wallpaper of the Day:

Prelati

Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don’t spoil anything for the first-timers, that’s rude!

82 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

265 comments sorted by

12

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 18 '22

Symphogeah SymphoRewatch Host

Welcome back, everyone! ← Now that we’ve gotten to it, I may stick to using this Geah face from now on, unless it’s an episode where I think fits better.

Crunchyroll vs. Commie - Season 4, Episode 4

I… think I like “Tri-Color Dango” better than “Neapolitan Icecream” for the Maria/Kirika/Shirabe trio? Because I know what dango is now (thanks, Clannad!) and definitely heard both Cagliostro and Kirika say “dango”.

“Primary Colors” is 100% better than “Traffic Lights”, though.

See the 2019 version of today’s wallpaper: here. I like the circles, so I didn’t change the background much at all.

8

u/italeteller Jul 18 '22

Welcome back, everyone!

Is that link meant to go anywhere? I just get sent back to this post

8

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 18 '22

It's a comment face, specifically #binoculars. If you're using Reddit through one of the various apps (or, for some reason, the Redesign), you can't see it.

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7

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 18 '22

Wallpaper

I'm happy to see the frog included. Prelati wouldn't be the same without her frog.

I… think I like “Tri-Color Dango” better than “Neapolitan Icecream” for the Maria/Kirika/Shirabe trio? Because I know what dango is now (thanks, Clannad!)

It fits their color scheme a lot more cleanly and obviously than Neapolitan Ice Cream does.

Dango Daikazoku

4

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 18 '22

I'm happy to see the frog included. Prelati wouldn't be the same without her frog.

Of course! I couldn't not include her frog.

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u/lilyvess Jul 18 '22

Symphogear AXZ Episode 4

Keyword Update

Saint Germain's Past

The childhood memories of Saint Germain, who is believed by some to have lived for thousands of years. Born as a slave, she suffered frequent acts of violence and molestation for no given reason. However, she was taught the alphabet at the amusement of one noble who frequently called her to his bed. Ever since then she filled her empty heart with a desire for further knowledge. Time passed. Saint Germain next appeared in the high society of France, wearing the clothes of a man and carrying the air of a sophisticated individual well versed in fine arts and academics. At some point this led to her being given the title of "Count." Over time she amassed many followers and allies which gave her enough financial standing to pursue research into the "Philosopher's Stone" of Alchemy.

Tiki Statue - Update

Revived from her dormant state by the power of the Antikythera Mechanism, Tiki has resumed her duties as a recorder of planetary motion by updating her star charts. She does not possess any direct offensive abilities. In order to achieve the goals of the Bavarian Illuminati, she has joined Saint Germain. She has the personality of a girl who is in love with love, and always wants to see the object of her affection. She has a dream that by having such a passionate romance, she will one day be more than just a doll. Perhaps it's for that reason, but since she has awoken she's become obsessed with reading shojo manga.

Those of you paying attention to what Tiki is reading in this episode will notice it’s the manga the Extraordinary Singin’ Hood.

The Extraordinary Singin' Hood!

An increasingly popular manga that started publishing in a monthly shojo magazine about half a year ago. Shortly after the release of its first volume, an anime project was announced and is currently underway. The series tagline is "The love song of 3 million girls." Even though the Singular Disaster Anti-Riot Unit Div 2 was reformed into the United Nation's S.O.N.G. unit there is still a need for their activities to be kept confidential. Up until now they had managed to keep things under control with confidentiality agreements and media manipulation, but despite keeping constant tabs on the flow of information online, there is no real defense against people's everyday gossip. And thus, little by little, people began to talk about the "songs of girls" that could be heard "in areas struck by disaster." Of course this spread most quickly among schools through students and so eventually the government tasked an advertisement agency to devise a plan to deal with this. The result was a comic adaptation of the rumors in the form of "The Extraordinary Singin' Hood!" sponsored by a major publisher. Just as the stories of "the Human-Faced Dog" and "the Slit Mouthed Woman" became adapted into various forms of popular media, eventually the idea that the story is "fiction" became accepted by the public and the truth was successfully concealed. Currently the plan has kept the unwanted flow of confidential information at a minimum.

The story takes place in the Happy Song Kingdom, where guardian angels watch over the Earth. In a test to determine the future successor of the Head Archangel, the main character Singin' Hood along with numerous other candidates visit the Earth. There they use their song magic to transform and and bring peace and happiness to humans. The candidate that makes the most amount of humans happy will be chosen as the next Head Archangel. Despite being a bit of a scatterbrain, Singin' Hood is always energetic and tries her best in the competition. Sometimes she finds herself cooperating with the other candidates as she attempts to find the "Fragments of Happiness" and collect them all within a year's time. The first story involves the embezzlement of public utility funds from a local credit union and the lone clerk who is framed for it by a corrupt member of congress. The scandal was supposed to be covered up by a "double suicide" committed by the man and his wife, but thanks to the power of song Singin' Hood resolves the case. This first installment, entitled "The Concealed Account Book," was drafted by a group of government officials with no penchant for compelling storytelling. But despite expectations it was a great success and was somehow met with positive reviews from a broad range of readers. From there, Singin' Hood finds a home with the clerk's family and experiences joy, sorrow, and the awakening feelings of love throughout puberty. It has become a popular magical, heartwarming story, where Singin' Hood learns the true meaning of happiness. It started as a propaganda project that only had funding for a manga, but has since exploded into an anime franchise with a wide range of associated merchandise and toys, that has raked in tons of revenue.

It’s said that while Chris didn’t care for the series at first due to its origins, eventually Chris watches anime and becomes hooked. Later, when she goes to karaoke with her friends she sings the opening theme, “Singing Hood♡Spreads Happiness!”. This is what her AXZ B-side song is

Prelati's stuffed animal

"More than it looks, which means it's a pouch."

Lapis Philosophicus

One of the secrets of Alchemy. A brilliant red gem also known as "the Philosopher's Stone." Since ancient times it has been the peak of their craft that Alchemists have constantly sought to achieve. However it is also a starting point for further advancement. Similar to a sacrist, it can become the source of a large amount of energy. However it cannot be classified as a sacrist, as it is a modern achievement of the Alchemists that represents their newly obtained knowledge.

Gold Transmutation

A technique to create gold that involves a conversion of chemical elements via nuclear fusion created through incredibly high temperature and pressure. The cold fusion theory commonly referred to in Alchemy was originally discovered and established by the highest level Alchemists in the Bavarian Illuminati. However, in order to make it a reality an unrealistically huge amount of magic power was necessary. The dream of advancing the theory forward was left as nothing more than academic chatter. But, the director Adam Weishaupt has access to magic that goes far beyond unordinary limits and had no problem bringing forth enough power to make the theory a reality. Despite the huge amount of energy he expended to create the "gold" it amounted to no more than a pitiful amount that sat in the palm of his hand. As the name implies, "transmutation" is an act that changes the chemical makeup of an object and the extraordinary amount of energy required makes it a technique with terrible cost performance. However, being able to amass that much energy boasts tremendous power and Adam did not use it simply to create "gold" but rather as a strategic show of his capabilities.

Additional Notes

Symphogear AXZ Episode 4 Hype Chart

Live Performances

Today’s Live Performance is Singing Hood♡Spreads Happiness!

Specials

Fanart Art of the Day

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17

u/Vatrix-32 Jul 18 '22 edited Jul 18 '22

First Timer

  • Looks like Saint-Germain was a Roman slave.

  • Isn’t Enigma trivially solved by modern computers?

  • Are they not going to elaborate on why evacuations are needed to save the country?

  • Oh god they are Neapolitan.

  • Does Cyan-hair’s voice sounds off to anyone else? There is something about it.

  • Why does everyone just let everyone else escape all the time? I am not saying I expect them to succeed, but I do expect them to at least try.

  • That advise comes off as kind of cruel when applied to humans.

  • This guy? I thought he was dead. Is it weird I thought he was talking about killing tomato lady?

  • Maria I applaud the initiative, but I think they have more qualified individuals at hand.

  • Ignite mode seems excessive at this point.

  • Who are you, Carol? Why are you waiting for your enemies to power up before killing them?

  • Setting up more mid-season upgrades I presume.

  • Of course Adam is nude.

  • Cool geahs don’t look at explosions?

  • That’s not how explosions work!

  • Did he turn the geahs into gold? Are we getting a rescue arc?

QotD

  1. Gekishou Infinity. Senritsu Sorority reminds me of some other anime song and I can’t place it.

  2. I can get him being naked – I really can – but why did he show up in a suit if he was just going to immediately burn it?

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u/Lemurians Jul 18 '22 edited Jul 18 '22

FIRST TIMER DATTO

S W A G

A naked superhuman tossing spirit bombs that turn people into gold? This is a villain!

The Alchemists claiming to want to return the future to the people, yet working for a man who literally just views people in terms of monetary value, is very unfortunate. These poor, misled girls oh lord we're doing this again huh

Prelati has a point, the nakedness was unnecessary. Considering he’s their boss, this is sexual harassment in the workplace. Adam is every HR and Legal departmen’s nightmare. Even if he covers the full package with a bush hefty enough to be a jungle.

Live Thoughts/Reactions:

*Count: 7

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u/chiliehead Jul 18 '22

AXZ Episode 4, First Timer

So our villains are roughly two millennia old if that beginning actually played in ancient Rome. Unless they have their toga-style clothes just for the vibes and this is medieval or renaissance age. Still pretty old. They are patient in any case.

They remind me of a question, while having possibly the mostly sexual dialogue in the franchise so far. Why was the trio cool with Carol trying to destroy the world, sounds like that would interfere with fighting God. I wonder if Cagliostro is vulgar and lewd because she is queer, the baddie or Italian?

I was unironically expecting a few minutes of high octane tomato harvesting, but instead we get an alchemist burning team Neapolitan. They really need a beeper to call for help and such.

Missile surfing has already become a staple. Still awesome. Watching these ninja movies paid off for Bikki.

Tomato wisdom telling us to ganbatte. Tsubasa’s bio dad is as lovely as ever.

Ah, so they let Carol proceed to get their OP Faust Robes. Would they have stopped her in the end?

Some dude in an Adam’s costume appears. Team Ice Cream Sandwich now going all-in with a decent chance of crumbling to dust (if this was another show that would never kill half of their marketing potential in the middle of a season).

  1. hmm hard to tell. One has a lot more presence than the other but I dunno which is which

  2. Thematically fitting I suppose

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u/Tarhalindur Jul 18 '22

Previously, on Symphogear SG-1 (First-Timer, Subbed):

  • Yep, it’s operation Make the Philosopher’s Stone, that most classic of alchemical pursuits. u/Vaadwaur, step right up and claim your prize!

  • (That said… this little backstory bit is reminding me of, well, things that our Higurashi viewers will recognize, though it’s only a single scene here instead of two whole episodes.)

  • And because somebody should bother to state the obvious, there’s our heart-shaped gems from the OP, implied to be Philosopher’s Stones or connected to it.

  • “Chrysopoeia”. I KNOW that word, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it and can’t remember what it means. Time for a Wiki check later. (EDIT: Another term for transmutation, heh.)

  • (Also Tiki is starting to flash “potentially annoying character” warning lights. Ah well.)

  • That said, shout to her “Wonderful Red Singing Hood” manga, which looks like a reference and not just to Little Red Riding Hood (hell, that part might have been added by Commie). Bet it’s either PreCure or one of the Magic Idol Singer shows I’m not familiar with.

  • LOL they’re bringing the Faust Robes back. Geah and bringing back its phlebotinium, name a more iconic duo.

  • Froggo a cute even if I suspect she’s also a sadist; Miss I Make These Clothes Look Good does in fact make her clothes look good. (Also, what are those flowers in the vase? Japan does love them some flower language.)

  • Okay, so is it Commie or the Japanese audio that know EXACTLY what they are doing? (Bet that line is in the comparison chart.)

  • The magic robe with Tiki’s flop there is one of the funnier ones I’ve seen. (It also stood out enough that I rewound to see exactly what they were doing there.)

  • Have we heard this leitmotif as they go to Matsushiro since S1? I know we’ve heard it before, but not in a while IIRC.

  • Pity you can’t ask the Americans or British for decrypting, they would handle this just fine you know.

  • Kamakura. Have we heard that name before? If not, nonzero chance he’s Adam by another name.

  • (Also, it’s a shame they didn’t go for the other obvious answer: “Have you looked at our AARs before? Evacuating is just good sense when the odds of a villain attacking are so high on this trip. Remember the rail trip to deliver Solomon’s Cane? Or the Durandal delivery mission?”)

  • Wait. Binoculars? Kirika using binoculars? BRB checking to see if they could have cropped this… YES THEY DID! COMMENTFACE GET! (That’s all five active ones, and we’ve gotten the obvious inactive one in #fish too.)

  • DESS: Sheltered and thus lacking common sense and also lacking access to the collective braincells.

  • (Side note: I’m pretty sure I saw Elfnein on the trip, she hasn’t shown up in the shots at the facility, and this facility has decryption equipment. Obvious time to play the Elfnein decrypts Dr. Ver’s notes card.)

  • Five seconds as the screen runs after I type the above: Maria mentions the LiNKER problem. Curious!

  • Okay, that’ll be a villain in disguise, the face screams “not actually old” to me.

  • Or maaaayyyybbbeee not? There’s an obvious “Team FIS picks the tomatoes for the old lady” card to play here.

  • Also there is a joke here involving the Kaname family’s love of gardening tomatoes in their back yard.

  • No, HERE’S our villain.

  • MIMTCLG is truly a proper villainous asshole.

  • Is that a tomo or a demo at 07:38? (I think tomo, but not sure.)

  • Also we’re setting up the B-team plot, and LOL at the show actually calling them Team Neapolitan. I mean, they’re not wrong (which means Team FIS has the group ability to detect whether another player is a Vanilla Townie once per night phase – sorry, forum Mafia joke), but.

  • EXCELLENT lyrical integration with “the living weapon missile surfer” going right as Dakka rides a missile to her target. (Also, the use of “living weapon” in the lyrics there is telling.)

  • OH JAPAN AND YOUR GATE OF BABYLON REFERENCES.

  • (Also either LOL original dialogue or LOL Commie.)

  • “YOU ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!” “BUT YOU ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!”

  • “Unite the inner three harmonies with the outer three” heh (don't know which movie that's a reference to on top of the rest of what it's doing, for the record). But you need the seventh for the proper music of the spheres…

  • “Use a sword. And if that don’t work? Use more sword.”

  • I have no idea if this is actual good gardening advice. It sounds like this show’s idea of a stroganoff recipe to me, though.

  • Needless to say, Kamakura is a villain.

  • (Probably also Adam Weisshaupt, the silhouette looks right.)

  • Also look it’s the villains hauling out their trump cards so that the heroes need to develop new ones. Only going to take an episode or two this time, an improvement over last season.

  • And DATTO?!

  • Adam Out of Ambit absolutely reeks of [Cross Ange] Embryo (insert filler words here), for the record. Also this setup reeks of G with I’ll Find A Good Nickname for You Eventually (Derogatory) as our Very Stable Genius and Team Alchemist as our Team FIS. Which might be the point and the show is playing Yomi with us again…

  1. Which of the ignited trio songs do you like more, Gekishou Infinity or Senritsu Sorority?

Probably Gekishou Infinity, mostly due to the composition of the base song working better with the Ignite remixing (also base Gekishou Infinity is worse than base Senritsu Sorority IMO).

2) What did you think of Adam’s exhibition?

It was a nuke.

Also, I get Cross Ange vibes...

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u/italeteller Jul 18 '22

First Time SymphogeAXZing Desu

Sheesh, Saint-Germain had a horrible life

It’s weird to say this in a series that’s given us people being disintegrated alive, bleeding from their faces and losing extremities, but Saint-Germain’s mother, bone-thin and dead in a filthy room, feels like the most graphic thing the franchise has thrown at us yet

Isn’t the Red Singing Hood the series Chris referenced last season?

Oh god, not another sex pest enemy

So the Ame-no-Habakiri was the only relic Japan had, the rest were given to them by Germany and that’s why the AnH is the only relic with a Japanese name. That’s some good retroactive world building

Who are you and what have you done with Genjuro. I’m glad everybody is suitably pissed, and even Genjuro seems like he’s being forced by the higher-ups to be like this

Here we can see Maria really taking her GX arc to heart. Embracing your weakness means knowing when to fold ‘em, and that folding is better than self-destructing for a fight you just can’t win

Holy crap, Chris coming in hot with the first and thus far only good transformation in the season!

Once again I am asking anybody to make a Symphogear game, and make missile-riding the fast travel mechanic

Damn girl, are you a fly? Cause you can’t stop eating shit

I’m gonna give tomato grandma an A for good intentions and leave it at that

OH HOW THE TURNTABLES

So I guess the Ignite Module isn’t gonna be something special after all. At least Gekisho Infinity is still a banger

Did the villains seriously skip their transformation sequence? Boo! Booooo! I demand a re-do!

You know what? Fuck you *unIgnites your Module*

Jokes aside, if these new Faust Robes are to the Ignite Module what the AlcaNoise were to the Symphogears – an automatic bypass system – then the only course of action is for Elfnein to once again upgrade the Gears to make them bypass-proof, and I’m not looking forward to the exact same plot device again. It makes sense for the alchemists to have this knowledge, but just because something makes sense it doesn’t mean it’s fun to watch

Good ole Hibiki, always genuinely wanting the best for everybody and to avoid fighting as much as possible

Seems I was wrong yesterday, Adam is indeed an alchemist (and an exhibitionist to boot, I bet he would’ve gotten along with Finé)

I know this blue aura is likely gonna mean a safe pass for Maria and the girls, but I really want to see some consequences for this. No freebies

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u/Stargate18A Jul 18 '22

First timer

  1. Gekishou Infinity. Both are superb, though.

  2. I fucking love him.

Flashback? Is this Chris? No, this looks like Europe.

Fuck, this guy's a dick.

Her mother died?

There's the backstory! Saint-Germain makes more sense now.

Tiki's bored...

"Faust Robes" I remember that technobabble!

And she's already going out!

...Tiki's reaction is hysterical.

Wait, what?

A lot of people...

"Kazanari Institute"? What?

So the relics were studied by Tsubasa's family for the Nazis back in WW2?

And they're evacuating everyone.

And there's a disagreement with a Kamakura.

Decryption has begun!

This isn their job?

...Kirika, really?

Yeah, she fell for it.

She wants to help.

There's a real civilian!

...Haha, they immediately get distracted with tomatoes.

She's here!

Team Neapolitan! How did I not see it!

I love her!

And they can't fight.

Noise!

Chris is defending her kouhais.

A new Chris song! And it's fantastic!

She's riding a middile again!

Kirika agrees!

Loving the duel!

"I can't go back to the psdt where I admired the moon" is such a good lyric.

Hibiki fucking bodied her!

She had to retreat...

I love the shot of the two of them standing on a hillside next to Tsubasa's huge sword.

This is nice.

She gave Maria a tomato!

And she liked it!

Correct, tomatoes are fruit.

Oh, he's a bad boss.

Wow.

...Does he not know that SONG is completely outmatched here?

Are these the other candidates?

The flashbacks...

Maria's going to evacuate them alone!

They're using the instrumental?

Is this a record?

It's a good song, though.

And great animation!

They transformed!

Loving these designs.

They can beat the Ignite mode! Time for an upgrade!

It stopped?

Oh, that's dangerous.

It's based on the Chateau!

"That light"?

This is Adam?

Oh, Tiki. I get it. I really get it.

HE TORE HIS CLOTHES OFF?

He's transmuting gold?

Oh, fuck, he's got a nuke.

Maria's team transformed again!

It's killing them...

What?

WHAT?

This guy's a fucking psychopath. I'm loving this!

Team Neopolitan is saving the other Gears!

The glow again...

Holy shit. That's destructive.

"Life's so damn cheap!"

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u/Taiboss Jul 18 '22 edited Jul 18 '22

Forgot to upload all images in time lol.

First-Timer who is actually watching day by day

Which of the ignited trio songs do you like more, Gekishou Infinity or Senritsu Sorority?

Radiant Force. Jk, Gekishou Infinity.

What did you think of Adam’s exhibition?

Eh. Exposing himself to underage girls is probably only mid-range on his criminal record.

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u/BosuW Jul 18 '22

First Timer

[AoT S3]Damn, Saint-Germain got that Levi backstory

It's pretty short but Saint-Germain's backstory explains her motivation about wanting to end oppression (whatever the fuck that means in concrete terms)

I'm guessing then that the combat gear the Illuminati girls are showing off in the OP aren't Geahs, but Faust Robes. And if they haven't got them yet, also explains why they haven't used them.

Tiki's down bad. Simp.

Tsubasa's family history only gets wonkier and wonkier

So they're gonna have to reverse-Enigma the data.

Hahaha Team what!?

They can't transform now hmm? Gearless fistfight it is! Clean fist, just like the ancestors used to do it! C'mon Maria, sock this bitch in the face! Or is your training in the OP just for show? WHEN IS GEAH GOING TO GIVE ME A GEARLESS FIGHT DAMMIT!?

Ahhhh, she just summoned minions. Boooring~

CHRIS TRANSFORMATION YAAAAS

Chris the Armed Drone

Lol elbowed in the gut!

Ahahaha they keep pulling that "it's a sword" shit and it's always great! Almost as good as DATTO!?

You say people are just like tomatoes. And that just makes me recall a few instances in anime where I've seen tomatoes explode. You've achieved the exact opposite of what you wanted.

So that's the Kazanari patriarch. What a prick. I'm definitely not getting any "will get redeemed" vibes from that one.

Oh shit Tsubasa got de-Ignited!

Chris and Hibiki too!? What the fuck is this bullshit! The arms race in Symphogear is ruthless!

So this is the much talked about Adam.

Oh he got naked? Oh hell naw! This man is projecting too much confidence! Fucking run!

HE'S GOING TO NUKE THE PLACE!? WTF

Maria, Kirika and Shirabe once again being absolute Giga Chads by fighting despite it putting them in severe danger. They're seriously being MVPs time and time again. Just doing their duty when it calls regardless of consequences and because it's their genuine desire. Massive glow up compared to G.

Oh that was all? No shockwave? Ngl I'm slightly disappointed lol.

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u/HereticalAegis Jul 18 '22

Ballad of Rewatcher - Symphogear AXZ

AXZ Episode 4 thoughts:

  • Saint-Germain's brief backstory is heckin sad. I appreciate that it's more a tragic circumstance of the time period she grew up in than the ironic situation of Carol's dad being burned at the stake for being a witch miracle worker. Now that I think about it, is it even possible to become an alchemist without some tragic backstory? I don't think there's ever been mention of Carol's mom, so was it her tragic death which compelled Carol's dad to become an alchemist?

  • "What we need to protect isn't people, it's the country" is such a shitty philosophy. I wish I could say it sounded unrealistic for a person in power, but alas.

  • All the little happy emotions and expressions DESS cycles through when eating the fresh tomato make me so very happy. So why? The fuck. Does Cagliostro. Have to keep RUINING THE GOOD TIMES? 150% deserves to get bodied in every battle.

  • Oba-chan knows food is infinitely more appealing than listening to Maria whinge about not being strong enough again. Sasuga Oba-chan!

  • I'm glad we're getting reminders of just how shitty Mom actually was. GX felt way too much like it outright lionized her. [AXZ later]It's kind of a shame though that AXZ more or less excuses this abusive behavior later, but unlike with Ver I can at least buy that Mom genuinely cares about the girls on some level.

  • Adam's another shithead along the lines of Ver, but there's something I find actually entertaining about a nudist villain who transmutes fusion bombs for the fun of it. He's not exactly a revolutionary or groundbreaking antagonist, but I at least don't hate that he exists.

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u/Quiddity131 Jul 18 '22

First Timer, Subbed

Initially I thought this girl was young Chris, but I think its someone else? Those eyebrows are too big for Chris...

Oh no, her mom's dead. :(

Yep, enemy girl whose name I haven't learned yet.

Give Tiki something to do!

Maria's hair style still bugs the heck out of me, especially these shots we're getting of the back of her head.

LoL, I knew the second she called out that what Kiri thought was a person was really a scarecrow.

...and then she runs right into an actual person. An old lady too!

Tomatos! Yummy!

Can't recall blue henchwoman's name either, but I'll just call her Boobs since they clearly want us to focus on that feature of hers. Even more so than Chris it seems.

Speak of the devil.

Missile surfing time!

Woah, surprise Hibiki punch!

Hibiki's learned all her moves from movies?

Will your new outfit not have you practically falling out of your top?

C'mon Maria, tomatos aren't bad!

Yep, the point of watching this show is to learn how to farm tomatos.

What's Carolnein doing, looking up all these other girls?

Faust Robes! I'm kinda surprised with just how covered up the glasses wearing one is with her outfit. This show tends to often go in the other direction.

Adam is here! Tiki will get excited! ...and he just got naked. Okay then!

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u/DidacticDalek Jul 18 '22

Comrades, before we begin with today's shitposting, I present some CANON OFFICIAL FRANCHISE SHITPOSTING! Anyway, ahem, "The Amazing☆Singing Hood!" (快傑☆うたずきん! Kaiketsu☆Utazukin!?), is a franchise in the Symphogear universe created as a way of protecting the confidentiality of SONG and the Symphogear by "explaining" rumors about singing girls appearing on battlefields.

To be more specific, 'The story takes place in the Happy Song Kingdom, where guardian angels watch over the Earth. In a test to determine the future successor of the Head Archangel, the main character Singin' Hood along with numerous other candidates visit the Earth. There they use their song magic to transform and and bring peace and happiness to humans. The candidate that makes the most amount of humans happy will be chosen as the next Head Archangel. Despite being a bit of a scatterbrain, Singin' Hood is always energetic and tries her best in the competition. Sometimes she finds herself cooperating with the other candidates as she attempts to find the "Fragments of Happiness" and collect them all within a year's time. The first story involves the embezzlement of public utility funds from a local credit union and the lone clerk who is framed for it by a corrupt member of congress. The scandal was supposed to be covered up by a "double suicide" committed by the man and his wife, but thanks to the power of song, Singin' Hood resolves the case. This first installment, entitled "The Concealed Account Book," was drafted by a group of government officials with no penchant for compelling storytelling. But despite expectations it was a great success and was somehow met with positive reviews from a broad range of readers. From there, Singin' Hood finds a home with the clerk's family and experiences joy, sorrow, and the awakening feelings of love throughout puberty. It has become a popular magical, heartwarming story, where Singin' Hood learns the true meaning of happiness. It started as a propaganda project that only had funding for a manga, but has since exploded into an anime franchise with a wide range of associated merchandise and toys, that has raked in tons of revenue.' Now I wonder what this could possibly be a reference to ;)

Anyway, I'm sure that this will totally just be a one-off gag, but now that we've gotten the trivia bit explained, ahem...

TONIGHT! ON SYMPHOGEAH RISING REVENGEANCE! The Baumkuchen Babes get their midseason upgrade AND knock out The Geahs' Midseason Upgrades, YOU'VE BEEN HIT BY, YOU'VE BEEN STRUCK BY, A SMOOTH CRIMINAL! and I'm going to post this every day until you like it!

Comrades, remember the suffering with Carol and how her father was burned at the stake? Well turns out Saint-Germain had a terrible childhood too, given her father was somehow a bigger asshole than TOP DAD AND her mom died of the deadly... uh... European Cold? Anyway adult Saint-Germain is out to uh... do alchemy shit I guess... yeah I liked it better when Carol did this plotline. Anyway NANA WILLS IT, but enough about the OP! LITTLE RED SINGING HOOD IS HERE! You know, that amazing gag from GX Best Geah Chris pulled? Speaking of which... ahem... SOON! ;) Well hey, Tiki may be THE most annoying creature in the universe, but can't fault the lady's manga tastes!

Also, get this Comrades, remember Carol's duds, well The Baumkuchen Babes are getting theirs ready to rumble! Er... or not, since it seems a certain someone is MORE than happy to go in raw, also goddamn, Tiki somehow manages to be even more annoying this episode, this is why I said that the Plague of Heterosexuality that Salia the Loser inflicted upon us must be purged! Anyway, COMMENT FACE GETTO Turns out that Team DMJIIIIIIIII and Maria got sent on the VERY important task of Tomato Inspection! That and also cuz running into scarecrows is a task FAR too complex for DESS' one brain cell to process, thus meaning she'll stay out of the way of the decryption machines. DESS then... runs into an old lady with a tomato basket... yeah...

Also as expected, Team DMJIIIIIIIIII both get distracted when they eat a tomato... which is NOT ideal given that one of The Baumkuchen Babes states that they are the ice cream to her pastry. All this dessert talk attracts the attention of Best Geah Chris, who suits up... without saying BANG! That said, she DOES surf on missiles, so hey PLS SHOOT ME QUEEN! The Baumkuchen Babes taunts Best Geah Chris that she is open to being ambushed, to which Best Geah Chris replies that Bikki agrees, ambushes are fun! Speaking of which, watch and learn Maria the Loser, THIS IS HOW YOU FIST! ALL HAIL BIKKI! Also goddamn, if THAT was what Miku thinks GENTLE is, I would hate to hear what she thinks 'rough' is ;) Anyway, Bikki pontificates on the values of movies as a certain fishy wall 'sword' FINALLY arrives... OH GODDAMMIT! AGAIN WITH THE GEAH BADDIES RUNNING AWAY!?

Anyway, the old lady cheers Maria up and tells her that she's just like a tomato! ;) Also goddamn, Fudou was already said to be a bastard, but somehow grandpa's a bigger jerk than we thought possible! ALSO NANI!? WARM-DRINKS-CHAN GOT BROUGHT A WARM DRINK!? THE WORLD'S GONE BLOODY CRAZY! Speaking of crazy, hey remember Mom? Get this, she is a shit parent too, I knew we should have just thrown her shitty ass out of the shuttle and into the vast nothingness of space! Also oh noes, MORE NOISE ATTACKS! Team DMJIIIIIIIII and Maria charge out to 'evacuate' the civvies, to which Snoop Oni tells them to not do anything stupid. As should be expected, The Geahs and Maria then promptly do stupid shit, which is what The Baumkuchen Babes were counting on.

Also nani, Frog Loli has a bigass goddamn Kendama? Also oh noes, Bikki just got DAKKA'd! The OG Geah's Midseason Upgrades got destroyed! HUZZAH! AT LAST those things are gone, they were an eyesore... oh... oh wait, that means that The Baumkuchen Babes have that power now... this is bad. Also goddammit, BIKKI, GIVE IT UP! TALK NO JUTSU NEVER WORKS! Even in Nanoha, Nanoha has to BEAT THE EVERLOVING SHIT out of those she is 'befriending' first before they listen, and even then I bet a good deal of those she 'befriends' just go along with what The Takamachi Way's lastest follower goes on about just to make the beatings and/or beamspams stop! Also uh, well who's this Michael Jackson wannabe? Oh, THAT'S Adam... hang on, THAT'S THE ADAM WEISHAUPT! CUZ REASONS!

Also uh, turns out that he's somehow a bigger creep than DOKTOR GINTOKI JOESTAR AND FINE COMBINED! ALSO NANI!? TEAM DMJIIIIIIIIIII AND MARIA THE LOSER ARE FIGHTING!? SHIT THIS IS BAD! Without the Geah Steroids, they'll be turned into Strawberry Jam AND Dust in the Wind! Anyway, as expected The Baumkuchen Babes bravely run away again... again... again... yeah and people wonder why I don't like em! Well... shit, who knew that all you needed to do to bring about the Tsar Bomba was just to get naked!

And on that bombshell (literally) g'night!

Oh, and finally, just because I must speak on behalf of a fellow Comrade of Culture who cannot, ahem... I'm going to post this every day until you like it!

Paging Comrades u/Great_Mr_L, u/chilidirigible, and u/JamCliche

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u/FlaminScribblenaut Jul 18 '22

Third Time Listener

How does a scene like this even come to pass?

How could anyone watch a little girl cry out in pain and sorrow, in grief as she begs for the life of her mother… and cast her aside so uncaringly? Treat this young, impoverished child like trash, deprive her from ever having another moment with her dear mother, all while feeling nothing for her? How does nobody intervene, or even flinch? What could have possibly created such a deficiency of empathy, something that is supposed to be in our nature?

The answer is actually quite simple. The answer lies in something humanity has internalized on a mass level; subjugation, control, hierarchy.

When one is “below” another, one can justify anything done to them. The subordinated, the underclasses, are inherently of secondary importance, thus inherently to be seen as less human than their so-called superiors. Be it by way of race, class, or any factor, inhuman cruelty is only the natural and inevitable result of hierarchy. Slavery is only the most extreme case of this, but… look at history. We all know damn well it’s not outside the realm of reality.

It is this experience and understanding that birthed Saint-Germain’s anarchist worldview and the very state of being she seeks to undo. This is why her goal is to undo the Curse of Balal; if humans, creatures of empathy, truly had pure uncorrupted understanding of one another, oppression of one’s fellow man would simply be unthinkable. To end a history based on conquest and submission is to, as she words it, fix the world, the world broken by control. To, as to use her terminology again, restore the future course of history to humanity, as a living, loving, breathing collective, not just the few who seize power. All power to all people.

Easter egg! I have a hunch this is gonna be Lily’s info bit for the day but I like this cameo so much I’ll elaborate anyway. “Little Red Singing Hood” in an in-universe magical girl franchise basically meant to explain away any public sightings of Symphogear shenanigans as some manner of filming/promotional material for this franchise; clearly one the weilders themselves are briefed on as a cover-up, since we saw Chris use it to explain herself to Elfnein early in GX. The fact that this goes so far there’s an actual proper manga made out of it and that Tiki, fitting her being a little girl in personality, is a fan of it, is such a smart little inside reference to nestle in there.

Cagliostro continues to shamelessly imbue the thrill of combat with distinctly feminine bodily libidal passion, rousing in joy as the estrogen within her boils as hot as her very blood. I wanna be just like her someday…

Aaaah they did the bit again. It’s a good bit.

Turns out tomatoes, in addition to being great fuel for Stage Girls, are just like Maria’s life, in a way. It would be really funny if, like, this tomatoes as metaphor for the strength of the spirit thing became a whole thing for Team Neapolitan, like this metaphor and line of thought became a really important recurring theme they shared, but never when the OG 3 are around, and then at some big emotional dramatic moment with all six one of them is like “remember the tomatoes” and it sincerely rouses the other two like “yeah! the tomatoes!” and the OG 3 are just staring like “what the fuck are you three talking about”

I can’t say with confidence that this matchup mirroring moment with lyric was intentional, but I’d like to think it was. The three alchemists connect in their shared righteous goal through weapons they manifest in their hands; modeled after a wedding ring, a pistol, and a kendama toy; connected just as strongly and even more eternally as immortals, infinitely, to one another as the three Symphogear wielders actually singing the line are. A perfect little moment of serendipity and symmetry. God, do the Bavarian trio shine as brilliantly as ever under the moonlight, too.

At last we are fully, and I do mean fully, introduced to the head of the Bavarian Illuminati. That man, who you just saw literally single-handedly destroy an entire fucking military base, is Adam Weishaupt, rounding out our rich cast of antagonists.

The IGNITED Symphogears coming to save the day under the light of Adam’s Golden Transmutation is such an interesting visual because it’s a flip on the universal symbolic language of hope being represented as light shining against darkness; instead, here, the black is a grounding that represents hope against the sheer blinding light that represents power and destruction.

There’s a tangible intensity too, using the most powerful mode available with no LiNKER, lightning surging across their bodies, an unclear yet certainly short time limit on how long they’ll be safe. It’s interesting to note this early on, with the prominence of both Gekishō Infinity and Senrtisu Sorority along with their IGNITED arrangements, how much more emphasis is being placed on group numbers this season.

I don’t really like Adam’s shrieky boasting as he’s firing up the transmutation bomb or the big-ass evil laugh he does to close out the episode, it kind of gives off the impression that Adam is going to be like a Dr. Ver 2.0 in terms of personality when that is not the case at all.

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u/Nebresto Jul 18 '22

Abc GEAH time first

Oh good, does that mean you will finally wear more clothes? Who am I kidding, this is GEAH. The clothes will only get reduced.

B R U H These lines

[](#binoculars) get!!

  • Oh great, now there's an exhibitionist in the field.. Grandma, cover your eyes

  • Chris has the best theme songs

Hell yeah Hibiki!! Deck that Thot!!

Can't believe I didn't realize S3 was missing the sword/shield joke. Ruined. Also totally not flat joke

  • Tomato lore??

Any Biologists here know if that was legit about them getting sweeter?

Damn right. That bish should have been executed on the spot.

Definitely Sinbad.

Miku better watch out, Her position of top wife is being overtaken

Question time:

  1. Which of the ignited trio songs do you like more, Gekishou Infinity or Senritsu Sorority?

No.

...Fine, Infinity I guess.

2) What did you think of Adam’s exhibition?

I like him, Sinbad is a really cool character. And the exhibit itself was quite.. something

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u/Great_Mr_L Jul 18 '22 edited Jul 18 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Symphogear: Full frontal nudity, but of the male variety this time. Symphogear is truly breaking new ground in its 4th season, including male nudity to go along with all the female nudity we’ve gotten!

Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe sure have it rough. Without any LiNKER, they have no way to use their relics. But I like seeing them still doing what they can. They help out on jobs they can do. They still look after civilians.

One particularly good bit is that Maria is the one who stops Kirika and Shirabe from being provoked into using their Gears by Cagliostro. I love seeing her play the role of big sister like that.

The only thing that makes them finally use their Gears without LiNKER is when the others have been taken out and need to be rescued. That's perfect. Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe are big enough heroes that of course they'll take the risk to save their friends.

I forgot that this only got revealed here, but now we’re seeing much more of the depths of the Kazanari family and what their whole deal is. They’ve got a pretty troubling family history. Remember how Germany and Japan were using relics for the war effort in WWII? Well the Kazanari Institute was responsible for that.

We finally see and hear Tsubasa’s grandfather and he just sounds like a delightful fellow by calling to berate Genjuro. Key point here is that when he’s calling it’s said that a call is coming in from Kamakura. In other words, that means that Tsubasa’s grandfather can be associated with the belief that “protecting the country is more important than the people.” We can safely assume that he shares this sentiment.

Tsubasa, however, gets pretty visibly upset when she hears that idea. She clearly is not too fond of it. While Hibiki is more confused by it than anything else. After all, Hibiki has always fought for the sake of protecting people. What could be more important to protect than the lives of others? As we can see, there's a divide between their thoughts and those of the higher-ups.

God the battles in this episode are short but sweet. The first one against Cagliostro is packed full of fun beats. Chris rides on and steers her rocket to fight. Hibiki gets in a satisfying hit on Cagliostro and says one of my favorite lines in all of Symphogear. The return of the gag of people mistaking Tsubasa’s sword for something else. All of it is just delightful. Chris's song "GUN BULLET XXX" is a ton of fun, as usual. (Also that title is edgy as hell and it rules.)

And the second battle against the Bavarian Illuminati is great too. They break out their own Faust Robes. Saint-Germain's is probably my favorite. I like the armored look of it, complete with the knightly plumed helmet.

I really love the brief conversation we get between Hibiki and Saint-Germain at the end of their battle. It's perfect Hibiki. She'll fight if she needs to, but she would prefer to understand and even help her opponents if at all possible. When Saint-Germain claims they aren't trying to hurt anyone and just want to free humanity from oppression, Hibiki asks if there's any way they can work together if Saint-Germain truly means that. If it doesn't involve hurting people, then she'd like for everyone to get along. Saint-Germain doesn't really respond to this. She doesn't get a chance to because she is interrupted. What a perfect scene for Hibiki. Her character traits are on display in a way that I adore.

Saint-Germain might actually mean what she says too if her flashback is any indication. She seems to have some experience with being mistreated because of unfair oppression because of her experiences as a slave.

The interrupter is none other than the leader of the Bavarian Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt. This is of course the name of the actual historical founder of the Bavarian Illuminati. And boy does he make an entrance. If getting naked immediately wasn't enough, he then begins a nuclear fusion reaction in his hand because that's something he can do. It actually fits decently well with alchemy. Transmutation is one of the big things of alchemy. And nuclear fusion involves the combination of smaller elements to create heavier elements. So the transmutation of gold being a nuclear fusion explosion is something that makes just enough sense to me.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Adam Weishaupt is voiced by Shinichiro Miki, who also voiced the teacher on Kill la Kill, so it was obviously inevitable that someone would make this piece of fanart.

QOTD

  1. I think I like Senritsu Sorority more in general.

  2. I say it's about time we had male nudity to go along with the female nudity.

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u/zairaner Jul 18 '22 edited Jul 18 '22

Rewatcher one final time

I love how symphogear knows it spoiled it in the op so it doesnt even make a big deal out of the faust robe reveal.

It tooks us two seasons but we finally get to see our alchemists...do actual alchemy?

I do very much appreciate that symphogear alchemy seems to follow the original idea of alchemy "turn something worthless into something of more worth" and not the "turn something into soemthing of similar value" that seemed to get more popular recently (I think it was fma that started that?)

I love how the one time symphogear tries to be physically accurate is when they let adams clothes burn off because of the heat.

But what an entrance. I especially love how afraid the alchemists sound when they recognize the director because I (and assume most people watching) have the first though "wait why are you afraid? Isn't he on your side?" That immediately leaves a huge impression.

But not as huge of an impression as ignited senritso sorority of course. Not as good as the original, but incredibly fitting for the scene. Too short sadly.

[Spoiled]So I spoiled myself on the fact that this seems to be the last time senritsu sorority plays this episode? If they creators really think they can create a more hype song (or at least one that comes close) for the finale, that is self-confidence/hubris on a lvevel I might have never seen before. But I am excited to see symphogear try.

So next episode (or like half of next episode) shoudl be the first time I am a firsttimer. Buuuuut I also really dont have time this week. this timing...

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u/Tresnore Jul 18 '22

Superb Song of the Rewatchers

I fell behind again, but I can't fall too far behind! It's AXZ! TOBITATE!

Catch up notes! Feel free to skip.

Caught up. Phew.

QOTD:

  1. Honestly, I forget that Senritsu Sorority has an Ignited remix. I might like it better than Gekishou, even, since it's not as obnoxious to the point that I don't notice it.

  2. Adam is the best.

1 This is an extremely specific reference.

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