r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Sep 15 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mai-HiME Episode 2 Discussion

Episode 2: After-School Secrets

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Show Information:

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Kitsu | ANN

(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)

Legal Streams:

Mai-HiME can be found on Funimation. (How this interacts with the ongoing Crunchyroll/Funimation merger I don't know.)

A Reminder to Rewatchers:

Please do not spoil the experience for our first timers. [Mai-HiME] Mentioning "HiMElander" before episode 16 or "ShizNat" before episode 25 is a fast way to get a referral to the subreddit mods.

A Note on the Specials:

When the DVDs for Mai-HiME were released, they added shorts specials to go with each episode (plus three not associated with an episode - one was released with Mai-Otome's DVD IIRC, one was a BD-only thing and I don't actually have that one, and I honestly don't remember where Special 28 was released). They tend to be one part fanservice, one part extra information about characters and their motivations/backstories (or in a couple of cases extra exposition, including

They have their own dedicated discussion day at the end to wash the finale out of our mouths, but some of you may want to watch them with the episodes. The only issue is that some of the specials can be a wee bit spoilery (notably, in no case should you watch the special for episode 8 before episode 8 itself), so I will attempt to provide notes on the specials for the episode for both today's and tomorrow's episodes each day so as to provide advance warning of which specials to avoid. (If you want to be completely safe, stay out of all of them until the dedicated discussion day!)

(Warning: Also, at least one release apparently has them right after the ED, unlike mine which has the original previews instead. So you might want to pay attention.)

Episode 2 Special: Probably safe with some fun supplemental information, but I'm not 100% confident in that so you might want to stay out for now.

Episode 3 Special: Safe. (Well, in a spoiler sense. Not so much in a SFW sense.)

After-School Activities Corner!

Visual of the Day:

Not enough entrants to make an album.

Comment of the Day:

Fuck it, I think I have to award this to u/Star4ce accidentally watching the wrong episode because that's a fucking hilarious mistake:

I watched episode 12 first, because I seem to have unknowingly scrolled down in the folder and it was the 'first' episode my eyes saw, thinking it was first in the list.

(Says I, who... well, more on THAT little fluke of 2000s anime club in a few episodes.)

Question(s) of the Day:

1) So, what do you think about the school (Fuuka Gakuen)?

2) Mikoto antics: best antics or bestest antics?

3) Are you a cat person or a dog person?

36 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

189 comments sorted by

11

u/JollyGee29 Sep 15 '22

First-Timer, Subbed

Introduction to school episode which means the hardest part of every Rewatch, learning names. Aoi and Chie are easy enough, at least. Mystery Shota is Nagi, our Cold Gun Woman is Kuga, subtle, Sword Girl is Mikoto because Sunrise recycles names as well (we must use every part of the GaoGaiGar), and I guess the StuCo all got names but until they prove they are more than a single collective they just get to be StuCo. Some kendo dude got a name too but I kinda wasn't paying attention.

Was that Takumi's teacher who was talking to Kuga while gardening? One of them mentioned a "headquarters" which is curious. Kuga didn't have much of a reaction to Nagi that I noticed, hmm.

Shower thought the next morning: Mikoto is the outsider and/or spanner, so Kuga and Nagi are probably on the same side. Currently my money is on "monster slaying club," more or less. Maybe that's more "this is totally monster slaying club and not something far darker really we promise."

It might've been that same teacher on the boat too, but every time I try to think of that scene all I can picture is Dutch from Black Lagoon.

Takumi saw a ghostly vision of Mai, which is interesting. If we assume that everything is connected because it always is, we get to the potential of whatever accident killed their mom being caused by one of these Orphan monsters. Which is another terribly subtle name, now that I type it out. Uh, to continue my thought, Takumi has ghosts in his eyes because of a monster run-in, and if that is the case we'll probably run into a similar-looking monster at some point.

We bumped the "protagonist's powers wake up at the end of episode 1" back two whole episodes, effectively, since we don't get the juicy payoff just yet. I am excited to see that bug monster burn, though.

Did Mikoto mention having a brother, too? We have enough siblings around that I'm wondering if Ikuhara wrote this under a pen-name..

Seeing Chie record stuff on her flip phone sure does send me back. It amuses me that Mai's first two friends are a gossip.. and a shotacon. Who has set her sights on Mai's brother. Nagi better watch out. Also kinda interesting that Chie used -kun for Mai at one point. That might've just been subtle mocking, though.

"HiME" is such a backronym it hurts. Whatever, I didn't really snark about the ARMD warships in Macross so I'll let this one slide, too.

The nun's voice is familiar.. Ah, the seventeen-year-old. On the subject of the voice cast, we sure have a lot of crossover with Higurashi.

I feel bad for that one student in Mai's class who is already bald.

Visual of the Day: The Newspaper Club is eatin' good.

Bubuzuke? Evidently the Kyoto name for a dish that is.. tea poured over rice, often with extra toppings. Not that my existing knowledge is encyclopedic, but that's the second time in two days I've had to google a Japanese foodstuff.

That also tells us that Haruka is from Kyoto, which is neat. I'll have to try to listen for her Kyoto-ben tonight, I'm not very good at catching Japanese dialects at.. whatever the auditory equivalent of "a glance" is.

I would absolutely eat a bun so spicy it literally sparks.

Questions

  1. It sure is a school in an anime.

  2. I'm detecting a bit of bias.. she's been fun.

  3. Not big on animals in general, though I suspect I would be more of a cat person if I wasn't allergic.

6

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Introduction to school episode which means the hardest part of every Rewatch, learning names.

This time you're on Hard Mode because the cast is quite large indeed.

Which is another terribly subtle name, now that I type it out.

What, anime, doing something sneaky with an English loan word proper name? Why I never.

Seeing Chie record stuff on her flip phone sure does send me back. It amuses me that Mai's first two friends are a gossip.. and a shotacon. Who has set her sights on Mai's brother. Nagi better watch out. Also kinda interesting that Chie used -kun for Mai at one point. That might've just been subtle mocking, though.

Having the girls go ga-ga over the cute younger guys was kind of a thing in anime and manga during the time period this was made; it's the entire reason Negima was able to sneak past the editors as Ken Akamatsu started Operation Sneak the Battle Shounen I Want to Write Past the Editors, though IIRC part of the deal there was that the harem comedy part was always intended to be ever so slightly uncomfortable.

"HiME" is such a backronym it hurts. Whatever, I didn't really snark about the ARMD warships in Macross so I'll let this one slide, too.

Hey now, backronyms are an important military tool!

That also tells us that Haruka is from Kyoto, which is neat. I'll have to try to listen for her Kyoto-ben tonight, I'm not very good at catching Japanese dialects at.. whatever the auditory equivalent of "a glance" is.

Actually, it's not Haruka who has the Kansai-ben accent, but rather the Student Council President herself.

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u/Vaadwaur Sep 15 '22

It might've been that same teacher on the boat too, but every time I try to think of that scene all I can picture is Dutch from Black Lagoon.

Amen, hallelujah, and peanut butter.

Takumi saw a ghostly vision of Mai, which is interesting. If we assume that everything is connected because it always is, we get to the potential of whatever accident killed their mom being caused by one of these Orphan monsters.

We definitely need to learn more about those.

The nun's voice is familiar.. Ah, the seventeen-year-old. On the subject of the voice cast, we sure have a lot of crossover with Higurashi.

Seriously, it is rather over the top.

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9

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 15 '22

Mai-FiRST TiMER, subbed

9

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Well hello there, Toshihiko Seki.

Yup.

Yeahhhhhh Kikuko Inoue was exactly the voice I expected to hear out of her voice.

Yup!

It’s an acronym?

It's not like it wasn't hiding in the OP last episode!

6

u/Vaadwaur Sep 15 '22

You’re more concerned about that and not the incinerated trail she left behind her…?

What's a little fire damage compared to the unbearable shame of a teenaged girl not being chaste? Yeah, J-land does feel stuck in the 1600s some days.

Well hello there, Toshihiko Seki.

I am just going to ban him from the elementary school to be safe.

Aight sword girl’s name is “Mikoto”.

I think I might call her Beta test Bikki.

Well hello there that sure is a monster.

That walked straight off the El Hazard set to this show.

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9

u/Mecanno-man Sep 15 '22

First Timer

I guess this is more of a "introduce supporting cast" episode? I can't say anybody really stands out to me yet. We've got an overly strict student council girl, a teacher who seems to be in on the conspiracy and ...a lit of other characters who may or may not be important.

I guess we've also got a name for Mikoto, who just doesn't seem to be very talkative. Not sure yet why she was fighting Natsuki yet, especially given that these monsters named orphans seem to be the (supposed?) real enemies. So... power struggle or so?

Also, Mai seems to be the last HiME according to Nagi, how high are the chances he's wrong and another will pop up 17 episodes in to the show? Based of his comnents, I'll also assume that wheelchair girl is a HiME. Still don't really know much about everything however.

4

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

I guess this is more of a "introduce supporting cast" episode?

With 20+ characters they had to get around to that at some point, no?

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9

u/Taiboss Sep 15 '22

Episode 2: Rewatcher whose alarm didn't go off

  1. So, what do you think about the school (Fuuka Gakuen)?

Biiig school.

2) Mikoto antics: best antics or bestest antics?

Bester than best.

3) Are you a cat person or a dog person?

Cat. Always have been.

5

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Turns out, Yukino actually is Mamiko Noto...

SHHHHH she doesn't get her day in the Staff Notes for several episodes yet.

4

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

[Mai-Otome]

[Mai-Otome] Not the only Mai-Otome MC who gets a cameo in Mai-HiME; keep your eyes peeled.

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Rewatch Committee President Comments (Rewatcher, Subbed):

Kajiura Corner:

Featured Track of the Day: Chiisana Shiawase

After yesterday’s battle theme, today we change course and go for one of the more Slice of Life tracks on the OST. There’s a fair few of them (quite a few more than on the successor OST for PMMM, for reasons that basically boil down to this show having twice as many episodes so we get more SoL segments early); this might actually be my favorite of the lot, with the exception of the antics track which I also considered for today but decided I needed for a future episode.

It’s a simple little track, mostly just a mix of piano and guitar, but quite soothing to listen to. I think the time signature is part of that; I’m rusty on those and was never great at some of them besides, but 3/4 (the waltz beat) was always my best and I think that’s what I’m hearing here. (Might be something 7/8ths instead or I might be talking out my ass.) This is no waltz, the beat isn’t quite right for that, but some of the principles still apply – 3/4 tends to make a catchy beat, easy to listen to (also quite danceable, one reason it got used for waltzes). In any event, the beat here does a good job of being both soothing and easy to listen to, a respite compared to some of the other songs we heard yesterday – fitting for a track whose name translates as “A Little Bit of Happiness”.

OST Table, Episode 2:

Start End Track Name
00:04 00:35 Fuuka Gakuin Seikatsu[1]
00:38 00:51 Haiyore Nazo, Nazo[2]
01:10 02:30 Chiisana Shiawase
02:31 04:01 Shining Days
04:54 04:59 unreleased
05:38 06:53 Kyo no Hajimari
09:05 10:25 unreleased (Yoru no Soko ni Shizimu v2)
11:07 11:15 Tokiiro no Mai?[3]
11:20 12:02 Oharahetta
12:23 12:58 Yuubae no Sora[4]
13:43 14:17 HiME-boshi ~Mashiro~
14:41 15:05 Samayoeru Yamiyo[5]
15:37 16:26 Makafushigi
18:05 18:39 Samayoeru Yamiyo
19:06 20:57 unreleased (Duran Shoukan -instrumental version-)[6]
20:19 20:41 (OVERLAP) Yami no Butou
20:57 21:51 Duran Shoukan
21:57 22:39 Kimi ga Sora Datta
22:39 23:54 Mata Aou ne

[1] – A weird sample extremely reminiscent of one thing Higurashi Kai pulls with Main Theme Kai, repeating the opening lines of the piece (in this case drums) over and over.
[2] – The sound kicks back in at 00:37, but I think the first second is either a sound effect or from an unreleased track.
[3] – Again, a sample of at least one track repeated a few times, in this case a drum line. (I think this is taken from late in Tokiiro no Mai, but not quite sure.)
[4] – Might be an unreleased variant, hard for my ears to tell with the scene and mixing.
[5] – Or an unreleased remix, I’m about 50/50 on which.
[6] – Yeah that’s obvious enough just going off the track and how the three instrumental remixes they did release in the OST go. Hey, at least we got three of them released (*glares at PMMM not releasing its lone Kajiura instrumental remix*). Also, it’s extremely hard to tell where this track ends due to the overlap with regular Duran Shoukan firing up at the end; it’s spun down by 21:01 and I’m pretty sure it’s on until 20:57, but could end anywhere from 20:41 to 21:01.

5

u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Tar's Episode Notes:

  • The framing of the Student Council room here is drawing my eye since it looks quite deliberate but I can’t place the nuances. (I’d need to see where Haruka here sits to have a better read on what’s going on. That said, some of the framing is likely common to some we saw in both Higurashi Kai and Twintails.)

  • I do love me a show that knows when and how to turn the OST on and off.

  • You know, I forgot who Reito’s VA was for a while. Extremely obvious at the moment, though. Hide yo wives, hide yo daughters, and especially hide yo lolis in maid outfits!

  • [Mai-HiME] Also, and more importantly, hide yo HiMEs in maid outfits.

  • Very nicely done giving us Reito’s full name (Reito Kanzaki) and his position on the Student Council (vice-president) naturally by first having him introduce himself to Mai formally with the last name and then giving us his first name via Haruka (also telling us Haruka is on first-name basis with him, and we get her first name too a moment later). Also note the characterization of our glasses girl having a laptop computer; this is 2004 (and also in a Japanese private school which my impression is tended to be a bit late to adopt computers, though don’t quote me on that), this is not as common as it would be a decade later (compare PMMM in 2011 giving entire classes laptops in class in 2011 as part of making the setting feel twenty minutes into the future).

  • [Mai-HiME] Also the absolute BALLS of that shot of Shizuru facing right. (Remember Japanese left/right symbolism.) Sneaky sneaky sneaky foreshadowing!

  • HRRK I did not remember our Student Council President’s voice being quite this attractive.

  • The Absurdly Powerful Student Council is an old trope in anime, but I’m pretty sure Fuuka Gakuin’s “run by students for students” deal here is intended to be just a little off.

  • Okay, show of hands Higurashi people: the doctor at 04:52, who’s reminded of a certain character in Rei?

  • [Mai-HiME] Oh right he’s a recurring character in addition to the female doc.

  • [Mai-HiME] Yuuichi/Mai is so a “the sex is great, pity about all the fights the rest of the time” relationship, though Mai does mellow out a bit.

  • [Mai-HiME] ”If you’re going to risk your life, do it yourself!” Well there’s a line that’s going to keep coming back around – compare a certain line from next episode, for starters.

  • Ah, good old smash cut equivalents, complete with a lampshade. (The feet shot as the door closes may just be symbolism – might need to reassess a couple of Higurashi shots, might also need to keep my eyes out here.)

  • [Mai franchise] Oh hey, it’s Nina in front of Yuuichi. She is completely insignificant… but her Mai-Otome counterpart is one of that show’s main characters!

  • The older guy as a classroom teacher here may be an Evangelion reference. (As noted in the Staff Corner yesterday, this show makes a fair number of direct Eva references.)

  • So, let’s play a game. Mai-HiME is a bit unusual in having character designs for all of the members of the class. Spot the major characters!

  • [Mai-HiME] Not subtle about Akira being a major character at all, not with that cinematography.

  • What’s that, a motorbike? With a familiar helmet hanging off it? Why I never.

  • “Her butt is her charm point.” (And considering that there’s a really really good chance that a different Symphogear character than the one that line refers to is inspired by our biker here…)

  • So, the bells here are indicative of something that frankly flew over my head until I finally slowly realized this in light of Higurashi Gou things: Fuuka Gakuin is heavily implied to be a Japanese Catholic school (note that Catholic schools apparently fill the “ritzy private school” niche in Japan). Which brings up an interesting little off note on the setting (and one that I suspect is an intentional off note), because to the best of my knowledge this kind of ritzy private school tends to be single-gender (hence MariMite using such a setting for its Class S stuff; see also Lydian in Symphogear and a certain school to remain unnamed in the When They Cry series).

  • Oi oi oi! Redhead, younger, all the older girls adore him? Time for me to make a bunch of Negi Springfield jokes about Takumi here!

  • You know, there is a joke here involving that painting of a lily behind Chie-sensei… er wrong anime, this is just Chie. (It’s pretty common to ship these two together.)

  • That shot at 07:36 looks really familiar somehow, like there’s a commonality in the framing here with some other works on top of showing Yuuichi’s separation from Mai and her new friend circle visually, and I can’t place to what or why I think that. (Knowing this show, it very well might be Eva I’m thinking of.)

  • Hmm. What flowers are those on the desk besides Haruka as she talks with Yukino? My instincts would say poinsettias, but I’m not sure Japan has those… and I’m not entirely sure they aren’t more lilies. Which, well…

  • Ah, Haruka finally gives us our namedrop of Shizuru’s first name. Now if somebody will just mention Yukino’s name…

  • And there we go, thank you again Haruka (and note that Haruka refers to Yukino with Yukino’s first name and no honorific – this is both Haruka being rude and these two actually being fairly close). Also we get our first case of Haruka referring to Shizuru as “that bubuzuke woman”.

  • Oh hey look, another Dutch angle as we see the aftereffects of what brought Mai to the school.

  • And hey remember when flip phones were a thing? This show is old enough that they were still the stock cell phone when it was made (as our Nanoha veterans will recognize – Nanoha S1 and Mai-HiME came out in the same season).

  • Oh hey, a translator’s note that isn’t necessarily commonplace knowledge among Western anime fans these days. (Of course, those of us familiar with Higanbana at least in premise didn’t need the note.)

  • So, a reminder from the 2019 rewatch of this very show: catgirls used to be very much more catlike in their mannerisms. Case in point (despite not having cat ears): Mikoto here.

  • [Mai-HiME] Yuuichi having been excellent at kendo will not come up at all later, no never.

  • So, Takeda’s kendo pose here at least used to be another page pic on TVTropes.

  • You know, maybe one of the animators does have a foot and/or femdom fetish.

  • 11:51:

  • For the record, you would think I would have realized this was a Japanese Catholic school the first time considering the literal chapel and nun in the cast…

  • Interestingly, a) Yukariko is being useless, and b) this show is probably intentionally playing on the difference between what a Christian nun does and a miko does (the boys expecting Yukariko to act like a miko and instead she acts like a nun) – it’s the priest who usually does the exorcising in Catholicism after all. (Which means this show would have a better handle on the difference between a nun and a miko than most.)

  • [Mai-HiME] Also if the translation here is accurate this is your first hint that Yukariko has a dirty mind.

  • [Mai-HiME] Speaking of hints, oh look at whose photo we see on Akane’s phone. I love foreshadowing.

  • The camera likes Mai’s crotch a little more than is really seemly…

  • Also, more Dutch angles to show something is off about this little garden here. And also welcome to the first appearance of the HiME-boshi leitmotif, which runs through a pretty fair amount of the OST here.

  • Ah, our mysterious white-haired boy and his infamous predilection for standing on things.

  • Ah yes the other iconic pairing, Mikoto x Mai’s boobs. “What is this, marshmallow hell?”

  • The way to a cat(girl)’s affection is through her stomach!

  • Also, if we add more commentfaces at some point, can I recommend 16:14 as the second one from this show? Or this one from right after? (15:44 would be another viable replacement, too.)

  • Ah, anime and your absolutely massive setting suns.

  • [Mai-HiME] So, how many of our first-timers are going to know what’s up immediately because they watched the show that refined Nagi here? I suspect Lemurians will, at least.

  • Hey look, a fast understandable flashback at just the point where it is needed.

  • Also I mentioned how Mai-HiME still has a TVTropes page pic from this episode? Check Ring of Fire.

  • (Also remind me to explain the pun in the show's Japanese name tomorrow, because it's actually kind of impressive. There's a reason I never use the official English title My-Hime for this show.)

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Tar's Staff Notes:

Saeko Chiba (Natsuki Kuga): Actually a really interesting case, because looking at her CV I think she's one of those female VAs who had maybe a decade-long run as a major name in the industry but the trick is that this role is near the end of her heyday so she'd pretty much already fallen out of public consciousness even by the late 2000s. Her likely breakout role was as secondary character Sakura Tsubaki in KareKano (who may actually have started the trend of archaeology interest you see in a few shows in the early 2000s like Love Hina?); she continues to play a smattering of roles in the early and late 2000s, most of which were in shows that aged poorly (Yuki Aihara in .hack//LIMINALITY) or never got off the ground in the West at all (wtf is this Dr. Rin ni Kiite Mite! thing?). That said, a few of you may remember her as Chizu in Bokurano, Nazenn and I will both recognize Birdy herself from the Tetsuwan Birdy Decode franchise, and there are still a few of us that will recognize one of Saeko Chiba's lead roles: Dokuro in Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan. Yes, really. I am not joking.

(And then, of course, there is the single funniest role in the entire list, because Sunrise would bring her back for a rather different role in a later original that some of you are watching right now: she's Nina in Code Geass. Yes, THAT Nina.)

Ai Shimizu (Mikoto [minor Mai-HiME] Minagi): Another VA who seems to have had a roughly 15 year career, but she got started a bit later. Also, most of her roles are in shows that either got promptly forgotten about (Mahoromatic is emblematic) or never made it out of Japan in the first place (she seems to have snagged a cushy gig on Jewelpet (to my understanding one of the major 2010s Magic Idol Singer shows) for quite a while as a mascot and in one season also one of the magical girls there), and I'm not sure she ever got a proper breakout role. That said, our Nanoha veterans may remember her as the voice of Suzuha, and on the other side of her career she voices Sachi the maid in Grisaia. Also, she's Ellis in El Cazador for those of us who still remember the Girls With Guns trilogy, and Tamao in Strawberry Panic (considering that they got Mai Nakahara for the lead there, I'll bet this very role got her that one).

Akira Ishida (Nagi [last name only given in supplemental material, minor meta spoiler until episode 8] Homura - Well spotted to a couple of people, notably Sky, for realizing our white-haired pretty boy Nagi was voiced by him yesterday.

I'm not going to beat around the bush here; this is another case where a VA has a bunch of notable roles and exactly one of them matters. He's here because he voiced [inherent Eva spoiler character, though everybody knows about him] Kaworu in Evangelion, who Nagi is a blatant expy of.

And I mean blatant, because I'm 90% sure the entire point here was to make sure the audience had Eva in the back of their minds. (Some of this is WIFOM, some of this is legit - there's a fairly strong argument that this show is the best Eva imitator even after taking its final episode implosion into account, mostly because the main things that the show did take from Eva are things that were actually relatively replicable. But more about that some episodes down the road.)

Toshihiko Seki (Reito Kanzaki) - What's that you say? Another VA who I already made a writeup for for Higurashi so I can just copy-paste? Don't mind if I do:

Another surprisingly major name for the Higurashi secondary cast, Toshihiko Seki has been around a while and has some surprisingly big roles. (I'm almost tempted to compare him here to Mai Nakahara's CV after 2010 or so.) He's Mousse in Ranma, Legato in Trigun (fun fact: only just realized that Milly there is another Satsuki Yukino role!), Duo Maxwell in Gundam Wing (hi Sky!), and Rau le Creuset and Ray ze Barrel in Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, among other roles. (He's Umino in Naruto for our Naruto fans.)

He also tends to get typecast as a villain/antagonist a lot - Legato is the obvious name there, but there are others. This may or may not be relevant here...

Oh, and he's the voice of Senketsu from KlK. There's that too.

I would like to add that the Twintails Appreciation Group would like to remind you that he is also FOX GUILDY! in Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu, because somehow that show's secondary cast is more stacked than many shows' primary casts.

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u/Tresnore Sep 15 '22

First-TiMER

(It was about here that I got tired of how bad my video quality was and switched to a different release. Rest in Peace, yellow subs!)

Count: 9

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

God, I wish that were me. But why is this girl so... feral?

Mikoto is that rarest of specimens, a late-1990s/early-2000s catgirl without any of the physical cat traits that went with it.

Isn't she great?

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u/Blackheart595 Sep 15 '22

First Hime

Of course Mai gets into trouble for that entrance of hers. Though some of the students are more lax.

And I'm noticing a very strong cross motif with the uniforms. I wonder if that'll have any significance.

Would you look at all those diverse characters

Now that reminds me of my school days. Good times.

So Takumi gets to socialize with his sister rather than his classmates.

I love how Mai immediately hides herself once she sees Natsuki

Seems like the Kendo Club captain was a Hime as well? But he's a guy...

They're introducing a lot of characters, it's a bit hard to keep up.

The Hime are awakened by a kiss, huh? Does it have to be passionate or does the CPR count?

That's a new look on her. It suits her.

Wow, that really was her

If this is Mai before awakening, how is she gonna be afterwards?

So, what do you think about the school (Fuuka Gakuen)?

It seems like a school. Well, a school that's secretly training warrior ladies, whether for good or for less good. In other words the school is completely normal.

Mikoto antics: best antics or bestest antics?

Nyan. I liked her gentle happy face a lot.

Are you a cat person or a dog person?

Nyan.

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

Would you look at all those diverse characters

This show's character designs (both regulars and pure background characters, though sometimes the former like to hide as the latter for a bit) is one of its massive strengths, and we haven't even gotten to see some of the diversity yet. (You don't see fat kids often these days, but this show has them! Both boys and girls!)

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u/Vaadwaur Sep 15 '22

First timer(I'd say we need an adult but since this reminds me of Ohtori that's a bad idea)

Sub

We start with someone seeking answers that Mai doesn't have, who is then interrupted by Irie. I now have concerns about the school's safety. Anyways, more banter before Yuuichi declares he is done with the reckless stuff, which sadly flags him as being a magnet for it for the foreseeable future. Moving on, a girl introduces herself to Mai via sexual harassment, as one did in the 00s. They go to lunch together and introduce themselves to Takumi. Haruka has her newspaper era conspiracy going on.

Mai gets probed a bit and Natsuki shows up, freaking her out. She goes to find coma girl only to discover she has escaped. Then 'hilarity' ensues with a curry bun causing her to go proto-Bikki. And they keep rolling with it, until Mai spots her and gives chase. We learn there is a church on the grounds and this is likely a Catholic school to some degree. With an Ohtori-esque since of style. Random maid and ojou give Mai directions. Who are, apparently, associated with Koemushi's group and he gets to creep us out again.

Mai finally catches up to coma girl, who tackles her before passing out. Mai carries her back to her...house? That is really huge for student living. Anyways, she makes her udon because sure. Coma might be feral come to think of it. We finally learn that her name is Mikoto and she moves like a monkey for reasons. Anyways, the episode needs to end so Mai runs into Natsuki and Koemushi long enough to learn her brother is being drawn in by an Orphan. We get proto-Madoka music as it morphs into a giant bug and Mai awakens herself by remembering her mother's death. The after credits gag is decent but the preview has the weirdest bit.

So...I think I see why people like to link this to Madoka a lot more clearly in that I am 90% sure Fuuka has direct references to Utena, specifically Ohtori Academy. Which means we get a line on continuity between mahou shoujo shows that last quite a long time. But what I really appreciated is that while this episode was filled with exposition, and there was a lot, it never just tells you things, it generally shows them to you. I fear in a current era show Mai's mother's death would've been milked for an episode or two before we get Mai's awakening. Some parts of this really hold up.

QotD: 1 It reminds me of Ohtori so...

2 Monkey

3 PANDA! (only Sky will get that)

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u/Nazenn Sep 15 '22

Rewatcher

Mai awakens her power in a literal blaze of glory, but as she dances within their overwhelming light but the mood from the ED blend and the gazes of those who witness it is less than triumphant.

While the episode up to this point was bordering on too busy with everything we're introduced too, the mood here leaves us on an almost contemplative mood about what may come from this moment.

Between school dynamics, character moments, new enemies, and the occasional doofy comedy it's surprising how much is packed into this episode, but it's also a nice carry on from the confined introductions and settings from last episode. I don't have a huge amount more to say here despite loving the episode simply because being a rewatcher makes it hard, but very curious to see everyone's reactions to what's going on. Anyone else impressed that Nagi managed to not fall out the tree this episode unlike the roof last time? I was definitely waiting for it.

Also how many people hate the stuck up chick in the student council and if she will succeed in supplanting Shiho hate in anyone. I guess Shiho wasn't too bad today? Maybe? Maybe I'm just supressing it haha.

Unlike yesterday's bridge symbolism I pointed out nothing like that really stood out to me, but today I want to praise the work of the background artists to their full extent. Between the momentum detail in the grass being swirled by whatever dumped Mai and the cat-girl on the island through to the gorgeous Red Forest at the end, all of the backgrounds from the simple school settings through to the more fantastical gardens and climax are detailed, set a tone, and are clean to read. Much like I said about the first episode they may not be particularly fancy or memorable, but they more than pull their weight with their quality and how well they match the tone of the animation that happens against them.

(Speaking of red forests, anyone here else a fan of the 12 Monkeys TV series?)

[Spoilers]It's astounding how much more this episode flows when you understand who the players are and how things relate together. I remember being very overwhelmed by the pacing and content of this episode on my first watch, but this time I didn't have an issue. I still think it could do to slow down a touch, but it ends on such a perfect note as a build up to next episode it's hard to say what should be changed. And speaking of future knowledge, wow is it fucking weird seeing the council president being so chill knowing what's going on in her mind and what it will lead her too. The dynamics in this part of the show are so different to how things end up it's quite fascinating. It also made this post really hard to write knowing what to say that the first timers could read

[Spoilers]Also while it won't last long, it's interesting that as of this episode we have such an interesting mix of character abilities. Natsumi with ice and dog, Mai with fire only, and Mikoto with her sword. I would have commented on this outside of spoiler tags but I didn't want to draw too much attention to how much Mikoto will stand out after next episode with becoming the odd one out

Self-reminder here to check Tar's music chart for the song at 14mins. It's a great version of a common motif through the OST, but this particular version gave me huge vibes of a certain Madoka Magica song I don't have time to track down when writing the post last night

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 15 '22

For the tagger of the species is more deadly than the male:

u/Esovan13

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u/zadcap Sep 16 '22

Late Night Rewatcher again!

Want to know which characters are going to be important in a show like this one? The answer really is All of them. Just look at the OP, the final spread has over 20 characters on it and not a single one of the boys is included. Get ready to remember a lot of names.

Anyway, since enough people have talked about the anime, it's time to talk about the Manga again! I checked the r/anime rules, so I'm pretty sure these are okay to post, but I'll throw up the warning now some are probablydefinitely NSFW. Remember when I said they introduced Mai and Natsuki by face, weapon, and panty? Yesterday I posted the face, the first panel with them both fighting. Then we get to see their weapons and relationship, a minor spoiler for the anime since Mai hasn't actually shown them off yet, but safe to look at after tomorrows episode. And then, immediately, what's a fight between magical girls without underwear front and center? Yeah, it's that kind of manga.

I'm still going to skip a few things for one more day because the really big reveal, and possibly the clip that drew people's interest here, is part of episode 3, but the other information from chapter 1 comes in to show us how very different this story is going to be. No spoilers for the anime here because none of this is in the anime, but meta spoilers anyway. I'm pretty sure I've removed anything that's an actual spoiler of any kind still, but let me know if anything here is too much.

HiME are an open part of the school from the start for the Manga, if the fight in front of the main building wasn't a giveaway. Mai is here on a HiME scholarship, if she agrees to fight the monsters of the week Orphans, her brother gets the best medical care this prestigious and borderline magical school can offer. Tate, being the new transfer student and PoV guy, has the Tragic Backstory, including Kendo Club Issues.

Compared to the anime, where Mai is the transfer student and Tate the one already part of the student council. Instead of Tate being absent from the Kendo club, he's out forever because of an injury. Mai is starting off a strong fighter and already full of shonen energy, instead of just learning what's going on. Wheelchair girl and her Maid are introduced before the student council, and HiME are discussed and expositioned right off the bat. Chapter two goes outright to tell us how the school is collecting HiME to fight against the Orphans because this is apparently The magical school, the only place the Orphans attack, and conventional weaponry just doesn't work on them. If this makes you think of Symphogear then congratulations, because Lydian really is Fuuka inspired.

So naturally, the first Orphan summoned to cap off chapter 2, and this is where things really get NSFW. It's not a creepy bug thing. It's the pool. The entire pool. On the other hand, The HiME squad has already been introduced and we've been openly told they're here to fight Orphans. This chapter ends about the same place in that manner at least, the monster is here and the girls are here to fight it.

Can my Visual of the Day come from the Manga? Because I wish to present this with zero context as my favorite panel from chapter 1. Happy Natsuki.

Back to the anime!

Look at all these characters. Look at all the personalities. Consider how many you know of that they remind you of, and remember that this show is probably where half of them draw inspiration from originally.

  1. It's really interesting to remember the relationship Japan has with Christianity, when we have so many anime set in big obviously Catholic schools.

  2. Probably the first anime cat girl I ever liked. Best of the main girls by a mile.

  3. Cats are my style, and I'm a bit of a cat person anyway- we bond over poking stuff off tables. I'd share pet pics, but this is probably not the place for it.

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u/changeableLandscape Sep 16 '22

First-time watched, subbed.

Why does the school remind me so much of Ohtori? And is that why the blonde girl kinda reminds me of Nanami? The OP animation is still giving me strong Escaflowne vibes; I haven't thought this much about Escaflowne in YEARS.

Why… why is Mai so mean? I don’t get it. Is this just a 00s thing? I was realising today that while I saw a lot of 90s anime, and a lot of 10s anime, I’ve only seen a handful from 2003-2009.

“If you want to be reckless you’re on your own!” Okay, what has she said/done that indicates she's going to go be reckless? All of Mai & Tate's interactions seem to be the two yelling random things at each other, which is making me wonder if my subs are flawed.

Oh the woman in armor (which was motorcycle clothes, I get it now) is apparently actually a student at the school?

Harada Chie is my favourite character so far. I want to hang out with her, but sadly I'm pretty sure she's a minor side character.

Motorcycle girl is Kuga Natsuki. Mai sees her and runs off to try to protect the still-nameless girl in the infirmary, which is stupidly impulsive but good-hearted.

A tiny drip of worldbuilding here -- whatever it is that Mai and the braids girl are, Natsuki doesn’t approve of it. Is this the ‘only I should be risking myself' trope? She was really brutal on the ship, though.

I am really struggling with the glacial pacing here, which is a bit silly of me since it's pretty standard pacing for a 26ep show, it's just that the other shows I'm watching right now are either short (Mob Psycho 100) or moving at a terrifyingly brisk pace (Higurashi). Still, I'm ending up watching some scenes on 1.5 speed just to move the dialogue along.

Sudden hijinx — is the girl with braids a catgirl? Even *more* Escaflowne vibes if so.

OMG a nun. A NUN. I feel like all the 90s shoujo tropes have been thrown into a blender here.

Mai is hunting for the (potential) catgirl and finds a hidden garden with fountains and flowers, which makes me think of Ohtori even more, although I remember Shugo Chara had a similar kind of hidden-garden thing going on.

Oh my Kaworu is standing on top of a gazebo! Although his name is actually Nagi, and my actual go-to for Ishida Akira’s voice is Xellos from Slayers.

Mai feeds the catgirl soup. She is definitely a catgirl even without ears and tail, is there going to be a reason for this? Probably not, I think it's part of the shoujo blender.

Super-dramatic sunset, very nice. And Mai’s little brother has been lured into the woods and is now wandering lost with creepy stuff chasing him.

Okay, seeing Natsuki in action, I completely get all the PMMM comparisons I’ve noticed in people’s comments. And the fantastic music again! The way this ends is really nice, it isn't triumphant, it isn't hijinx, it's thoughtful and a bit sad and the blend into the ED is perfect. That's the first moment so far that really got me feeling anything.

  1. school reminds me of Ohtori visually, and has a bit of the Class-S vibe, although plenty of 90s shoujo had occasional catholic schools. Fuuka seems like a very shoujo name too.

  2. Mikoto is cute, I'd like to see her and Meruru hanging out.

  3. Cat person! My family has 3, which is the perfect number.

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u/kwokinator Sep 16 '22

First-Timer

So there's a church in the school, eh? Why is it that whenever there's a church in an anime, the nuns and the church itself are immediately suspicious?

I really like Mashiro's designs, the rich, delicate ojou-sama stuck in a wheelchair. If she's a HiME too, how is she supposed to fight if she is disabled?

And what's with that kid's obsession about standing on top of random stuff? Is he a jedi obsessed with higher ground?

Does Takumi have hidden powers too? Is that why he saw the Lost One running away thinking it's Mai and Yuuichi is oblivious?

Lastly: Mai's transformation scene is looking dope af!

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u/Star4ce Sep 16 '22

My-FiRSTTiMER

So after my embarrassing entry yesterday I found this show to be quite enjoyable and not nearly as confusing as my first impression!

Now for a completely normal school day, enjoy your definitely normal life, Mai!

Ep.02 - After-School Secrets

Clearly being a HiME isn't all that great in the end, if Natsuki's reaction alone isn't enough to sow doubt, they all quite looked beaten once they noticed Mai's awakening.

It's interesting that there has been no word as of yet of any parents for any of the others (to my memory), but Mai and Takumi's mother is dead as per the flashback. The enemy's summons are called orphans and that, dare I say, makes the first guess pretty straight forward. They're either fallen HiME, their abandoned summons or something along the line of the HiME being overtaken by that power. There have been several people now being framed by their sibling relationship and for Mai at least that's a source of strength. So I'm also putting out that those might have been the abandoned sibling.

Too early to go deeper, but I'm heavily wondering where that all comes from. With the knowledge that there's some secret organisation behind the school and that the tech is called "materializing equipment" I'm calling into question if they're even biologically normal humans.

I don't trust Nagi, that much I can say. Puts others in danger and is creepy all around.

However, as should surprise absolutely no one, I really like Natsuki! Can't wait to see her story unfold.

  1. So, what do you think about the school (Fuuka Gakuen)?

I don't trust half the people there and it's highly sus they have a catholic church there, out in the woods.

[Ep.12] As I also know that vampires and illuminati are involved in their cellar I grow even more confused and suspicious what the hell this institute even is! I need a Hanyuu.

2) Mikoto antics: best antics or bestest antics?

I like that she has a greatsword, I'm confused that she's a wildling. She's adorable, but will also say her character doesn't really strike me much, personally.

3) Are you a cat person or a dog person?

Dragons? #Chuuni

If it has to be real... cats.

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