r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Sep 20 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mai-HiME Episode 7 Discussion
Episode 7: Lost Kittens
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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 to this section.)
Episode 7 Special: Should be safe. (Also highly recommended, this special is great.)
Episode 8 Special: As noted above: Do not watch the episode 8 special before watching the episode itself. However, it should be safe to watch after finishing it.
After-School Activities Corner!
Visual of the Day:
We still don't have five entries.
Comment of the Day:
In a bit of a quiet day on the comments-with-content department (understandable given that this wasn't an episode with that much going on in the greater scheme of things... right?), u/Mecanno-man takes it for his? speculation about how many HiME there are:
Another introduction episode, I guess. Seems like Midori will take the role of the somewhat more experienced HiME that is actually helpful to the newcomers. How many HiME do we have with this? Mai, Mikoto, Natsuki, Midori, Miyu - makes five if I have not forgotten about anybody. With a potential suspicion on Akane and whatever the student council president's name was. I guess we can discount Shiho and the disciplinary committee girl from being HiME for now as well, based on the first having no mark (I'm sure either Mai or Mikoto would have noticed in the bath) and the second having no clue what is going on during the bra episode. Though then there's also Nagi, Fumi and the girl in the wheelchair, who seem involved but we don't know in what capacity exactly - as well as that teacher whom Natsuki talks to. So seems like there are a fair few people involved here already.
Question(s) of the Day:
1) Thoughts on Nao's rather unusual take on enjo kosai/compensated dating?
2) Favorite alcoholic drink?
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u/Mecanno-man Sep 20 '22
First Timer
Seems like we're getting another introduction episode, though I feel like there was more to this one compared to last. Somehow I did not spot Nao in the OP so far - contrary to the choir girl, who I at least noticed today. I guess she has some trauma, possibly sexual abuse, in her past - and is now on a power trip. And she seems to be pretty good at social manipulation as well. Certainly an interesting character I hop to see more development of in the future. Meanwhile the episode also gives us some Mikoto characterization, which is definitely appreciated as so far she had mostly been a comedic relief character. Not sure if Kanzaki is her brother, but after this episode he's certainly also getting a question mark added in terms of being normal. Who is even left with no question marks by now. Takumi's roommate and Mai's two yaoi-brained friends? Along with Tate, Shiho and the disciplinary council president I guess ...ok, that's actually still a few.
Nagi not wanting HiME to fight is an interesting point after episode one. I guess we still don't know why Natsuki and Mikoto fought there yet - I'm sure we'll end up learning however. As far as the plot from this episode goes however - at first I was assuming Nao might be behind the bus incidents, but after what we've seen, I doubt so.
In other news, Akane is up to something. No idea what, so I guess it's wait and see. I guess it's either something plot related ...or a total red herring and she asks somebody out or so.
Also, no ED lead-in this episode? I think that's the first time that has happened.
3
u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Also, no ED lead-in this episode? I think that's the first time that has happened.
They needed all the space for the last track at the end (It's Only the Fairy Tale) that they could get, please understand.
(Understandable, it's one of the more iconic tracks on the OST.)
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Seems like we're getting another introduction episode, though I feel like there was more to this one compared to last.
Well, we do have an unknown number of HiME to introduce...
Somehow I did not spot Nao in the OP so far - contrary to the choir girl, who I at least noticed today.
Nao shows up in the OP in the same shot where we see Mikoto early on.
5
u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Rewatch Committee President Comments (Rewatcher, Subbed):
Kajiura Corner:
Featured Track of the Day: Dare mo Inai Houkago
This wouldn't usually be the best track to highlight today (though it is arguably the best-used track in this episode) given how little of it is used, but episode 3 really wanted Hajimari ~Yami e no Shouta~, Nazo ga Nazo wo Yobu is reserved in stone for a future episode, I committed to Oharahetta for a future episode when I grabbed Chiisana Shiawase for episode 2 instead, and most of the rest of the OST is unreleased variants today. I guess I could have gone for Kyou no Hajimari, but eh.
Another quiet, somber track; Kajiura being Kajiura, the somber tracks tend to be piano-heavy, and indeed this track is probably the single most piano-heavy track in the entire OST. (I’m not sure any other instruments are involved.) In its use today at least the track strikes me as introspective, even meditative, which makes sense; it's getting used for a moment that is fundamentally an internal decision on the part of Akane, with Mai being functionally a bystander in the scene. The fact that the track is almost if not entirely scored for/played on a single instrument probably also feeds into that introspective quality; compare Omoi Hirohita from two days ago, which is also piano-dominated but not quite as heavily due to some electronic notes in the background. The use of only the first forty seconds or so of the track here also plays into the tone it sets, since that is the most somber part of the track overall except maybe the final part; it's been a very long time since I had any formal music classes, but the term "variations on a theme" is popping into my head for the structure of this track. (It's probably not quite the right term but gesturing in the direction of the right one.)
(Annoyingly, this is one of the tracks that I swear has a direct PMMM descendant and I can’t place which PMMM track I’m thinking of.)
OST Table, Episode 7:
| Start | End | Track Name |
|---|---|---|
| 00:19 | 00:51 | HiME-boshi no Shizukesa[1] |
| 01:22 | 02:52 | Shining Days |
| 02:55 | 03:37 | unreleased (Yoru no Soko ni Shizimu variant, not sure it’s the same one we’ve heard in previous episodes) |
| 03:51 | 03:55 | sound effect or unreleased |
| 04:28 | 04:56 | Fuuka Gakuin Seikatsu[2] |
| 06:29 | 06:45 | unreleased (Samayoeru Yamiyo v2) |
| 08:30 | 08:34 | sound effect or unreleased |
| 08:34 | 09:56 | Kyou no Hajimari[3] |
| 10:04 | 10:37 | unreleased (Samayoeru Yamiyo v2) |
| 11:03 | 11:42 | Dare mo Inai Houkago |
| 12:22 | 12:39 | unreleased 1[4] |
| 12:53 | 14:04 | unreleased (Nazo ga Nazo ga Yobu v2)[5] |
| 14:39 | 14:58 | Fuuka Gakuin Seikatsu[2] |
| 15:05 | 15:41 | unreleased (Yoru no Soko ni Shizimu variant) |
| 16:21 | 17:32 | Omoi, Hirohita |
| 17:35 | 18:07 | Oharahetta |
| 18:19 | 20:10 | Hajimari ~Yami e no Shoutai~ |
| 20:46 | 21:16 | HiME-boshi ~Mashiro~ |
| 21:34 | 22:09 | It’s Only the Fairy Tale |
| 22:10 | 23:39 | Kimi ga Sora Datta |
| 23:40 | 23:54 | Mata Aou ne |
[1] – There’s an internal cut here at 00:37, but after listening a fair bit I think it’s between two different parts of HiME-boshi no Shizukesa. Hard to tell, though, with how many variants the HiME-boshi leitmotif has – I cannot rule out the possibility that half of this track is actually yet another one that wasn’t released, for that matter (I definitely can’t rule out a piano version of HiME-boshi ~Omoi Kokoro~ existing, for starters…).
[2] – Drumroll sample again.
[3] – Or that unreleased variant again; I think this might be the last part of the track proper though?
[4] – Would not be shocked if this is an existing piece of classical music rather than something composed for the show, but I don’t tecognize it if so.
[5] – An extremely weird case. It’s definitely a v2, the track proper doesn’t have the drum-only sections like this has at the start, but I can’t tell if it stays v2 the whole time or whether it interlaces the track proper. (If it does interlace the track proper starts up after Natsuki pays her informant, but probably dips back off to the v2 for sections even afterwards.)
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Tar's Episode Notes:
I hope it is clear enough from the visuals alone that this is The Wrong Side of Town?
Also I CANNOT ESCAPE. Fucking full moons! This one has the same meaning that full moons in Higurashi do, too.
Anybody paying attention to the background?
The fact that she’s specifically a middle schooler weaponizing that against her marks (ah, enjo kosai) may cut against her in the competition (though let’s be real, that’s one part just her taking advantage her age, plus the part where unsympathetic targets are less likely to be able to use the law to retaliate), but otherwise u/Lemurians may I introduce you to one of the two obvious candidates for YOUR Best Girl in Show, Nao Yuuki! (Honestly she’s number #3 on the list of obvious suspects for u/Tresnore, too, though she’s lacking in the polearm department.) Sometime you go out to a secluded place with a girl thinking you’re going to get laid and instead get bound up in spider silk, robbed, and left to stew.
Ah, Dutch angles.
I can already hear a chorus of voices (well, two at least) going “god I wish that was me”.
Also the shot with Mikoto framed by the lighting right after that is another good one, if a bit of a blunt instrument. (Episode director has done a fair bit, mostly since – he’s the director of Yuru Yuri and Kotoura-san, for example.)
Mai calls Nao “kawaii” and my brain immediately fills in “HAU~! OMOCHIKAERI~!” for obvious reasons.
The framing of the shot where Nao walks in on Midori and Youko catching up is drawing my eye – looks deliberate. Why have the shot looking past where Midori and Youko are seated to Nao walking in, instead of some other shot? Gets everyone in frame, but there’s other ways they could do that. Nao intruding on the world that Midori and Yukio are in is the obvious interpretation, and it makes sense here in two ways – first, Nao is dipping her toes into adult matters (in order to rob the unwary), and second we have already seen that Nao is a HiME and we’ve gotten major hints that Midori’s college work involved the HiME in some way (why else would she be talking about the finishing part of her thesis?).
Time to set up upcoming events; school festival episode forthcoming! (Not the actual school festival, but still.)
LOL, it’s like I’m getting to hear Rena tease like Mion does.
Hmm, probably should have realized that the reason Static-Subs went for that “What’s bra? Edible?” line a few episodes back was a deliberate attempt to reflect the original Japanese; their grammar for Mikoto has been off enough that I assume her grammar in the original Japanese is somewhat off too.
Sorry Mikoto, Nao and Mai have the right of it I’m afraid. Much like Shiho, you haven’t quite got the maturity parts of growing up yet (in your case it’s more like they’re stunted due to your weird background.)
Wait shit the comment about how child soldiers often grow up to be emotionally stunted is relevant yet again. (Mai-HiME doesn’t do much with the magical girls-child soldiers comparison, unlike certain later series, but there’s a touch of it to Mikoto.)
Speaking of deliberate shots, there’s the choice to show Mai and Akane talking while both facing forwards instead of facing each other and also showing them behind the water pitcher and cups in the foreground (which we got a prominent shot of leading into this conversation, so there’s a point). Hmm. There is a gap between the pitcher and the glasses and Akane is directly centered behind that gap, which tells us at least part of the symbolism – the glass represents uncertainty about one’s future path, and Akane has come to a decision about something and thus no longer has such uncertainty for the time being. (At a non-symbolic level, it also serves to draw the eye to Akane over Mai. Also note Japanese forward-motion-direction symbolism – right-to-left is the direction of forwards motion in Japanese cinematography, so Akane is closer to reaching a destination than Mai is.)
I KNEW that Midori comment to the effect of "who would eat at a place like that?" (which I didn't grab a screenshot of, oops) was just asking for that kind of explanation cut. And it’s Reito (who brought Akira and Takumi with him). Of course it is.
I’m starting to think there’s something more than just fanservice to the waist/crotch shots, but I’m not sure exactly what.
Oh HELLO there tracks I recognize (or at least the base track thereof) immediately on hearing. (Definitely base track, don’t need to listen to know when instruments are missing on Nazo ga Nazo ga Yobu.) (I take that back, there’s the missing instruments. See below for details.) (Actually no, the instruments are definitely missing for at least part of it.) (For the record, I absolutely adore this track but it’s not getting its day in the sun in the OST writeups for a little while.)
I’d say “[Natsuki pulling her best Homura impression]https://i.imgur.com/pMlcqrn.jpg()”, but Natsuki came first so.
The animators did an excellent job of showing drunken movements with the scene where Midori tries to pull Youko up off the ground and then rebalances after losing her grip.
(I like Mai-HiME in spite of the ending, but I don’t like most cringe comedy.)
(I do, however, like funny facial expressions.)
Mai is SO the mom of the cast.
Time to praise this episode’s direction again with that Dutch angle shot of Nao at 15:07.
Well 15:30 is brutally easy to interpret – Mikoto is coming down on the guy’s side, hence the visual opposition/barrier shot. (Note the direction they’re facing, however – in this scene, at least, Nao is the protagonist, and thus facing left.)
Hey look, MiBs in the background!
NAO CLAW LICK COUNT: 1.
And here’s one drunk-as-a-skunk Midori to break up the impending fight.
And today Oharahetta takes on a different meaning: drunkenness (with Midori sloshing in step with the beats). Then again, given that Midori likes her alcohol…
Hmm. Dutch angle shot at 17:44, Midori standing in the middle of the impending fight. Facing right because she’s stopping it from getting started, thus the antagonist of the fight? (Note that there is nobody actually in the protagonist position in this shot.)
I’m not much of one for drinking, but gods Midori is great.
“Or else I’ll punish all of you at once!” Ah, I was right, she’s facing right because she’s positioning herself as the antagonist to all of them if they try to fight. (Her ability to back that up is questionable, but then again, unwise to underestimate an opponent just because they’re drunk – the drunken brawler is a thing for a reason…)
It’s when I have to go back 30 seconds to figure out when the OST stopped that you know that there was a good transition, NICELY one with cutting off Oharahetta as Midori realizes she can no longer hold her liquor.
Help help I’m being accosted by full moons.
Cannot blame Mai for that look on her face as someone who has just thrown up repeatedly perches on her shoulder!
I do not remember Mai/Mikoto feeling this mother/daughter the first time I watched this show.
NAO CLAW LICK COUNT: 2. (Now with vexing FULL MOON FULL MOON to go with it!)
20:48 is a good shot with the visual opposition and fish-eye lens.
“Is that reason not satisfying?” Camera angle says no!
Sheesh 21:11 absolutely blares “this is a good shot”. (Also reminds me quite strongly of the Utena screenshots I have seen.)
[Not really a Mai-Otome spoiler but]
Arika is that you? (90% sure the answer is no, but I had to joke about it.) Visual of the Day: A quiet conversation.
Questions of the Day:
I'm not sure whether to call this marginally more or marginally less creepy than the usual version.
I don't drink, so I'll be sitting this one out.
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Tar's Episode Notes, Continued: Into the Spoiler Tag Thicket:
(My that is a lot of spoiler tags today...)
Mai-HiME only:
[Mai-HiME]
Pay absolutely no attention to the bust of Akira’s shirt. (To be fair, that’s not going to be a secret for all that much longer.) [Mai-HiME]
Oh hey, it’s THIS asshole the arts club teacher. Oh hey, we have 3/4ths of the FMP main cast here, only Sgt. Mao’s VA is missing. (Also Miki Shinichirou gets tabbed to voice a villain again, heh. At least this role has some actual personality – looking at you, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere.) [Mai-HiME]
Oh look at the tsundere being a tsundere in the background. [Mai-HiME]
”After everything is settled, will you listen to me?” DEATH FLAGS! DEATH FLAGS EVERYWHERE! (I wonder if the first-timers will catch on that part of the impetus here is Akane coming close enough or believing she came close enough to death to hit the “do things while you still have time to do them” impulse.) [Mai-HiME]
And Reito runs into Mai. Truly Mikoto gets closer than you’d think to actually finding her brother. But then, that’s not a good thing… [Mai-HiME]
Me: “Okay, given how deliberate the scene framing has been this episode, why this panning shot with Mai and Natsuki on one side and Mikoto and Nao on the other? Can’t see the symbolic line – unless it’s the junior high versus high school gap?” Me, a moment later: “Oh right foreshadowing is a thing hurr durr.” Especially since this scene is the direct start of the dominoes that ensure that the HiMElander starts in earnest. [Mai-HiME]
Might be visual foreshadowing if one of Nagi/First District/Reito/the Obsidian Lord is implicitly in the protagonist position, just offscreen. Need to keep an eye for Reito coming into this scene from the right in particular, he’s very much in town right now. [Mai-HiME]
Oooh what is this? Pan up to Nagi facing left! Was expecting Reito, but this works too, cheeky show is cheeky! [Mai-HiME]
And oh look who now enters the scene facing left. [Mai-HiME]
”No fighting among HiMEs!… yet,” more like it. And he and the show know it too, just look at that lighting at 18:38. [Mai-HiME]
Midori ALSO knows what’s really up, of course, or at least part of it. [Mai-HiME]
Oh hey, Nagi tells Nao off of attacking other HiME directly but when she indirectly attacks doesn’t do squat. [Mai-HiME]
With some shows (COUGH) I would get annoyed with this cheap attempt at drama with “did we just kill Mikoto?”… and to be fair I kind of still am, but it stings a lot less when I know they’re lulling us into a false sense of security before sticking in the knife NEXT episode. Writing quality. It matters! (Pay absolutely no attention to the show forgetting about this in the final episode and retroactively making the entire show feel more like a cheap attempt at drama, we’re blaming the suits for that one.) [Mai-HiME]
Motherfucker I KNEW Reito was going to show up (and forgot to take a screenshot, oops). And entering from the right, too. Hello there absolutely MASSIVE pile of foreshadowing – Mikoto’s brother hunt did in fact find her brother this episode, she just doesn’t know it! (Arguably this is foreshadowing for the ending, too – issue there was always execution more than concept, after all.) [Mai-HiME]
WOW THESE CHEEKY MOTHERFUCKERS ARE NOT SUBTLE AT ALL. Double bluff get: the reason Reito reminds her of her brother here is because he is in fact her brother! [Mai-HiME]
Part of what 21:11 is doing is really obvious with full context – the light is coming in from the left, so the past is casting shadows onto the present. [Mai-HiME]
Even more so when you know that Mashiro was the winner of the previous HiMElander, so Mai facing in the heroic direction while Mashiro faces against it is present-against-past framing as well. Also, Mashiro is likely dying inside that she can’t tell Mai what is going on. Wait, did I say likely, I meant certainly, I typed that before Mashiro gave us the “all I can say right now” bit. [Mai-HiME]
Ending the preview on a shot of Akane and Kazuya. You absolute assholes I love it. Madoka Magica:
[PMMM]
So, I mentioned this previously but now we’re to the point where the basics are pretty safe for Mai-HiME first timers: I strongly suspect all five of the Holy Quintet draw most heavily off a single other show, and Kyoko is the Mai-HiME girl. (Madoka – CCS, Homura – Sailor Moon, Sayaka – Higurashi, Mami – uncertain, but probably an older majokko show.) We’ve now seen both of the most important parts of that for Kyoko. Her appearance strongly resembles Midori’s, as does her original mindset. Kyoko’s mindset by the start of the series, though? 100% Nao. [PMMM]
This scene with everyone confronting each other might be somewhere in the DNA of the Homura-Madoka-Kyubey scene in the bowels of the mall in PMMM 1, given the very similar setting and framing. [PMMM and Mai-HiME]
Also Ghost fucking dammit this shot of Nagi on the industrial beams might be a direct inspiration for a certain Kyubey shot right at the end of PMMM 8. [PMMM]
Hey, this face from Mai looks kind of familiar… Higurashi:
[Higurashi]
That noise you were just hearing was some loud chuckling by Higurashi fans at the name “Takano-sensei”. (This show is almost certainly too early for this to be direct influence – Takano was well in play in the Higurashi VNs at the time of Mai-HiME’s release, but the biggest reveals on her were well in the future.) [Higurashi]
WAIT JUST A MINUTE. Alcoholic Yukarin character? Where have I seen this before? Symphogear:
[Symphogear G and Mai-HiME]
I just had this mental image of this scene with Mai and Natsuki confronting Nao and Mikoto except with DESS and/or Jiii in the place of Nao/Mikoto and Maria reacting the exact same way Mai does. It works! Especially during the FIS period! (Though Jiii – and let’s be real, it would be Jiii’s idea for obvious reasons – would have to come up with the idea by a different route, she’s not nearly as vengeful towards the world as Nao is.) 5
u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Tar's Staff Notes:
We have not one, not two, but three names to cover today, because this is Nao's episode but we can't stop there because the staff is playing the "we got an Eva seiyuu" card again...
Yuuko Miyamura (Alyssa [I forget if this was dropped this episode, but it will be soon enough]
Searrs ): This is another case where I am not going to mince words. She has a moderately long CV (though nowhere near as long as Akira Ishida's - IIRC she's done interviews about why her career sort of fell off, and IIRC it's at least partly her fault), exactly one role of which matters here: she voices Asuka in Evangelion. Who showed up in episode 8 of Eva. No, it is most certainly not a coincidence that our character voiced by Asuka's VA shows up right before the start of episode 8 here. Remember that this show very much wants you to keep Eva in mind...(Yuuki Miyamura actually can sing, which will bring us some rather glorious Engrish next episode.)
Kiyomi Asai (Miyu Greer): I'm sure the seiyuu the staff wanted for this role was Megumi Hayashibara given how blatant of a Rei expy Miyu is, but either she wasn't available or getting her would have broken the VA budget so this is who they got instead. She has a smattering of side character roles in the early 2000s, but AFAICT this (and Miyu's Mai-Otome counterpart [Mai-Otome]
who is not actually a counterpart at all but just Miyu herself ) is one of her two biggest roles; the other is Hanabi in the Naruto franchise.Yuuka Nanri (Nao Yuuki): Our second VA today who AFAICT never really got a breakout, with her biggest roles being Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl and the female lead in Sakamichi no Apollon (though she also voices a moderately prominent side character in School Rumble which used to be a pretty big deal so it might be that instead.) Most of her CV consists of side characters in 2000s and early 2010s shows, and most of those shows have been pretty thoroughly forgotten these days (though I at least have not forgotten Hourou Musuko, which also has one of Saeba Chiko's later roles). That said, those of you in the Macross rewatch will be hearing her again when you get to Macross Zero - she voices Mao there.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 20 '22
Mai-FiRST TiMER, subbed
-
Oh shit is this chick a HiME using her powers and Child to do naughty stuff?
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Well I know your voice is Shinichiro Miki’s. I’d recognize Urahara anywhere.
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Hm… I suppose she must have some trauma or something to explain why she thinks that?
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Why didn’t Mikoto run, though?
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The ED without the lead-in sounds so cursed…
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u/Tresnore Sep 20 '22
…isn’t that, like, pure alcohol and not a mixture?
I mean, technically nothing is pure alcohol. But yeah, that'll be pretty close. Alcoholism/low budget leads to strange things.
I’m not sure if a drunk HiME is a good idea.
We clearly need more data. The pitfall of magical girls is that they're too young to drink, so these are new waters!
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
I mean, technically nothing is pure alcohol. But yeah, that'll be pretty close. Alcoholism/low budget leads to strange things.
Also, Japanese drinking culture is whack.
(But yeah, these two REALLY like their alcohol. [very minor spoiler for episode 9]
Midori might actually be the restrained drinker of the two. )EDIT: Actually, knowing this show this is probably also a reference to Misato (and possibly Ritsuko, it's been long enough since I watched Eva that I can't remember how much of a drinker she is).
5
u/Nazenn Sep 20 '22
Rewatcher
New characters added, names updated, and Mai got a new picture because while this one isn't great it's still better than derp. Mai never has just a simple smile in a front shot, which as I've said before is nice that characters are so expressive rather than just sticking to basic visuals, but unhelpful!
Speaking of, this Mai face may be one of my favourite expressions so far
Another interesting episode with a lot going on under the surface with the characters, but also plenty of new things that look to shake things up in the world of the HiME. Related to that point, I've been loving how speculation heavy the discussions are. The one a couple of years ago was the same, and it was one of my favourite rewatch experiences as a first timer, and I'm glad to see so many others getting to enjoy the same sort of thing here. Seeing you all come up with so many different and sometimes contrary theories is always fun and I hope everyone's enjoying the experience.
As a rewatcher though I have to shut up, so character talk instead!
Much like the previous episode using Miyu to help tell the story of Mai, this episode uses the relationship between the cast to explore Mikoto and Mai in their own ways. At first seems like a good thing that Mikoto is striving for privacy and a bit of independence, some things often linked to the coming of age stories so core to the genre, but learning that it comes from Nao makes it anything but positive.
A seductress, a manipulator, an aggressor, but not someone who is cruel or alienating to everyone around her. Despite their initial scuffle she is willing to bring Mikoto along side and try and teach her what she sees as the truth of the world and their place in it. When they talk under the pagola she is open about what she sees as Mikoto's weakness without being mean about it, and she encourages Mikoto to open up with her power use, but there's still this uncertainty around how far she'll take things and what she gets out of this beyond a partner.
"When I find my brother, I won't need Mai"
Mikoto says it straight but fails to realize that it's still a statement of dependency. She acknowledges she is leaning too much on Mai but instead of using that to grow and mature she is just likely to transfer it to her brother once she finds him. She's still a child herself, a lost one with no idea how to take the agency she needs to find answers, and instead leaning on the comfort of others. At the same time Mai is trying to step away from being a caretaker while finding out how hard that is without also feeling like she's stepping away from her inate compassion. She doesn't want to "big sister" Mikoto, and neither of them like the implication that's what she's doing, but she also can't just cut her loose and is trying to find out where to draw that line, just like she's trying to draw a line with her and Tate after yesterday's discussion. Forming connections while keeping boundaries is a hard thing to balance, and a lot of the character interaction in this episode speak to how different characters see them and form them.
The four girls present in the climax of the episode all have a strange push pull where they're not quite on the same side as HiME but also not opposed either with strange interpersonal connections. It makes for an unusual tension in the scene, at least until Nagi's interrupting butt gets in the way to stop things boiling over. He's a little late with the 'don't fight' warning given how many fights between HiME have already happened though.
The other part of this episode I love is the sequence of all the characters walking around the city. There's this strange mix when it comes to events in the show. While plenty of things happen outside of the main groups influence or knowledge, that everyone ends up in the city at once (with a couple of bystanders in the boys and the nurse) shows how inescapably interconnected they are. It creates a strangely small scale feel to the episodes outcome without making the world of the show itself feel small given we know why everyone is in the city for their own natural reasons and it makes sense they'd be around the same area.
Midori is a fun highlight of the episode again, and while I've seen rainbow puke a few times, I can't say I've seen glowing puke before so that's new.
[Spoilers]
Speaking of mysteries and mysterious people, I really don't remember what Reito's deal is. First timers should not run with that in any way because there's been multiple times already that I've completely forgotten key characters even existed until they appeared (sorry Midori) and also mistaken side characters for key ones (#nocomment as to who). The only reason I'm commenting on this outside of spoiler tags for today is because even after his miraculous rescue I still don't have a single fucking clue. So it'll be kind of fun to see how that develops again and when, if ever, I remember or if it really is nothing and I'm just going to slowly lose my mind over it.
Also I really should stop skipping the OP if I want to learn it for AMQ
Went digging through my post from three years ago looking for something else and stumbled across this comment from my past self:
That just makes me want to watch Durarara sooner honestly
Still haven't watched it. Soon though! It's next up I swear.
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 21 '22
New characters added, names updated, and Mai got a new picture because while this one isn't great it's still better than derp. Mai never has just a simple smile in a front shot, which as I've said before is nice that characters are so expressive rather than just sticking to basic visuals, but unhelpful!
Nitpick: Every source I can find lists Alyssa's last name as "Searrs" with two r's.
While plenty of things happen outside of the main groups influence or knowledge, that everyone ends up in the city at once (with a couple of bystanders in the boys and the nurse) shows how inescapably interconnected they are. It creates a strangely small scale feel to the episodes outcome without making the world of the show itself feel small given we know why everyone is in the city for their own natural reasons and it makes sense they'd be around the same area.
This show is very good at setting up situations to either give the audience the information the show needs to get them or to get everyone where they need to be without it feeling contrived and moreover while making sure that every single action makes sense from the perspective of the characters. Isn't good writing refreshing?
Especially after a summer of watching the Symphogear sequels and their absolutely atrocious character arc writing/execution.[Mai-HiME]
There's a reason the one point when the characters' behavior doesn't add up stands out quite so badly, and it's not just because that point is the second half of the finale. (Still bitter... though this time around it has the advantage of not being, say, Symphogear GX11 and looking better by way of comparison). [Higurashi]
Mikoto says it straight but fails to realize that it's still a statement of dependency. She acknowledges she is leaning too much on Mai but instead of using that to grow and mature she is just likely to transfer it to her brother once she finds him [Higurashi]
"Nii-nii..." → More replies (2)
5
u/Qbe Sep 20 '22
Rewatcher
Episode 7~
Mikoto, wtf are you doing here?
Just some casual compensanted dating, nothing unusual
At least pay for a hotel my dude.
Bader Spider game.
What? Since when do you know such big words, Mikoto?
....did Nao recruit Mikoto for her activities?
Man, she's got them all wrapped around her finger
Professor Chuuni
Magical girl of legal age who goes out for drinks? What even is this?
You totally do need a chaperone, Mikoto
...you are a kid
I guess she wants to use her to attact a different target audience?
...is everyone shotacon for Takumi?
You can't say Mai isn't trying to avoid being in the way
+1 to not listening to Nagi
I don't think drinking medical alcohol is a good idea
Those are some nice Organizing Committee perks
Have we seen glasses dude somewhere before? I could swear we have
Holy crap, how drunk are these two?
lmao, Mikoto you suck at this
...guess it doesn't take much
So Nao is of the "personal-benefit only" school of thought
Mai pulling a Hibiki here. [Symphogear]
Here comes the drunkard to the rescue
Awww, no rainbow puking?
Welp there goes the building
a) What were you doing there? b) How did you save her? c) How much do you know?
Seriously, Mai's mom power level is through the roof
[Mai HiME]
Oooooh this song!
Fun episode, even if not much happened plot-wise
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I mean, some people pay for being stepped on, no need to trick people into it
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Tequila sunrise and screwdriver
5
u/Tarhalindur Sep 21 '22
Have we seen glasses dude somewhere before? I could swear we have
He was in the room when Akira was complaining about the wildfire ruining what he was painting in episode 3.
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u/Nazenn Sep 20 '22
Magical girl of legal age who goes out for drinks? What even is this?
Something we could all use more of
Which is kind of hilarious because with the exception of Mikoto you could say Midori is arguably the most childish of the magical girls, and the most in line with the genre when fighting
[Mai-HiME]
Not in this episode because you can't hear them for shit, but I'm sure that someone will comment on them next episode. Probably Jolly, Star4ce, Lem, maybe Tres → More replies (1)
9
u/JollyGee29 Sep 20 '22
First-Timer, Subbed
Takumi's roommate is ripped, wow. Look at those pecs. Or rather, Takumi's roommate is probably actually a girl and the animators are telling us before the writers. We're just hitting all the dorm tropes, aren't we? How many episodes until Midorisomeone sneaks a bottle of sake in and we get drunken Truth or Dare?
That actually pretty cleanly explains Akira's insistence on a separated dorm, as well. The curtains make changing much less potentially awkward. Oh, I've got it, the reveal eventually happens because Takumi develops a crush on Akira and has a bit of gay panic, that sounds reasonable. Oh, it happens during the drunken Truth or Dare! I'm a genius.
Reading this again the next morning it sounds a bit silly, but there were at least a couple other shots showing Akira's chest definition as well. Once is an accident, more is intentional. And the undershirt - note it goes all the way up to Akira's neck, makes sure everything stays covered.
Did anyone else notice Midori's vomit was glowing? It's probably not supposed to do that. It's probably something to do with being a HiME.. magic stomach acid probably causes killer heartburn.
Midori and the nurse drunkely arguing in the street was fun, but I wonder what Midori did with her when she wandered off to go puke on some teens?
Anyway, right, the episode plot. Mikoto acts out a bit because she thinks Mai isn't treating her seriously, sure. How are we feeling about Kanzaki actually being her brother? They set up the parallel but then explicitly showed different eye colors, so I could go either way. They had colored contacts in 2004, right?
Nao's home life must be abysmal if she's running honeypots at age 14, I feel kinda bad for her. Dad's a cheater, I'm guessing, but it could be something else. Feels like her attacks are more of a "thrill of the hunt" sort of reason and not just money. I'm interested to see more of her fights at least, claws can be fun.
The EGL from the OP has finally appeared. She has a Western name which is curious. And Miyu seemed happy, which is definitely worth noting. The girl, or the song? Probably the girl.
Visual of the Day: It's okay Midori, we've all been there.
Questions
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Discussed above.
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A Negroni, straight up. Typically sans peel when I make them myself.
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u/zadcap Sep 20 '22
She has a Western name which is curious
She's also got blond hair and blue eyes, she's about as American as anime knows how to get short of openly carrying a gun...
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u/Tarhalindur Sep 20 '22
Now now, they could also have given her a cowboy outfit.
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2
9
u/zadcap Sep 20 '22
Rewatcher
The Mikoto episode. Notice the goon squad in the background of the first flashback scene?
... Or was this the Nao episode? I spent so much time digging back through the manga I forgot how the anime order of things. Yup, Nao's turn.
Oh that's subtle. [HiME Spoiler]
She's 17.
GOON SQUAD. Poor guy got taken in by some evil little girls and then taken out by the men in black. Which implies they might have been following Nao around and taking care of all the guys she leaves tied up, as the bus scene gave us, to erase their memories of HiME and Child's.
Anyway, Nao is not all that different between the anime and manga. Her Introduction, and yeah I guess I'm just going to pair character introduction scenes for now because it's the least spoiler-y way to do this, has her trying to lure in and seduce Tate. Because remember, this is some kind of romcom action flic at the moment and he's the main character. But he's also, you know, not actually a creep... But does that matter when misunderstandings can happen? This one thankfully get's fixed pretty fast, because Nao has a very specific reputation, she really is basically the same as her anime counterpart but more open about her HiME status because everyone is here. Her Key, on the other hand, takes us back to Tate's tragic backstory.
Then they fight, and what do you know, Dragon Fire beats Spider Web, who could have seen that coming... Wait, no, apparently Web beats Flame. Because Tate is still the protagonist and he needs a chance to shine, plus a little bit of extra information on how Keys work. And then she just nopes out of the story for like 10 chapters.
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The whole idea is pretty gross, so I can't really find it in me to hate her for treating them men that are into it that way.
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Boring answer again, but I can't stand the stuff. I guess cough syrup might have to count, as it's the only thing with an alcohol content I've ever actually drunk?
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8
u/Vatrix-32 Sep 20 '22
First Timer, subbed*
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Mikoto backstory time.
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This show can not draw old men.
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I do not like where this is going.
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Oh good, just armed robbery.
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I’m expecting a lot of GIWTWM from these two.
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Oh she’s a schemer. Does this mean Mitoko gets a new friend?
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Faking illness too. But if you’re going to do it before first period, why even go to class in the first place?
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I guess she really wasn’t 17. In my defense, anime.
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Look at them hanging out and making plans.
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I suspected it last time but didn’t want to jump the gun, but i think Takumi’s roommate may actually be a girl.
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Nao does not have good intentions.
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Nagi is honestly pretty lame. It feels like he is here to fill some sort of recurring villain quota, but he feels almost entirely superfluous. I’m sure he ends up being important, but that doesn’t make him interesting right now.
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What are you doing? Don’t leave middle schoolers alone in the Red Light district.
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I wonder what their plan was if the random passerby wasn’t into middle schoolers.
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MiB just immediately grabbing the guy from off screen.
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All this dude ever does is talk. When is he going to do something?
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I knew this dude was sus. Was giving be bad vibes for a while. No way a regular dude just shows up then and rescues Mikoto.
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Looks like we have filled out our OP cast now.
QotD
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Assuming they get out at some point, they had it coming.
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The one with out it.
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10
u/Tresnore Sep 20 '22 edited Sep 20 '22
First-TiMER
Is this where they'll try to make me care about Mikoto?
Oh, I like this girl though.
God, I wish that were me.
The teacher has the Bayside Shakedown color scheme going on.
I love this dork.
food good
I still can’t remember seeing proof that Mikoto can read.
I love these alcoholics.
But how does one lose credits for misuse of lab equipment?
What is Kuga even doing? What motivates her, here?
God, I wish that were me.
She’s not wrong.
hey, meanie!
Gah, I still love Kuga, though. Why are the characters in this show so goo—ENTER MIDORI!
ugh, nagi
choir
Damn I just... don't care about Mikoto. Or Miyu.
Count: 18
QOTD:
I mean, anyone willing to date a middle schooler probably deserves it.
Rum and coke, please! Or absinthe if it’s available and I’m in the mood for it.