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atamascolily · 5 months

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One critique I have seen of the whole "Homura (or her double) is/becomes Walpurgisnacht" theory for WnK is that it's "too obvious and therefore won't happen". This is so funny to me because a certain degree of predictability is actually a sign of good writing--the best plot twists do not come randomly out of nowhere, they are heavily foreshadowed earlier in the work, even if this is only obvious in hindsight. Or, to quote one of my favorite pieces of writing advice ever from Kurt Vonnegut,

Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

In other words, as the story progresses, the number of possible routes dwindles, until only one path remains. The best endings not only make sense, they are inevitable.

From this perspective, the original Madoka Magica TV series is one of the most predictable shows I have ever watched, dropping exposition with remarkable precision and clarity at steady intervals. It's like watching a chess master at work, moving the characters from square to square until suddenly--CHECKMATE!

On my first viewing, I blinked when Mami demonstrates how a grief seed purifies a soul gem in Episode 2. "Wow, that looks just like a soul gem," I said to myself. "And it powers their magic, too? That can't possibly be a coincidence. Magical girls and witches are connected in a symbiotic relationship, but it's clearly meant to be a secret, so let's see where this goes." Later on, of course, the show makes a big deal of how Sayaka is refusing to purify her grief seed and the ominous but unnamed consequences that would come of it, and it was abundantly clear to me at that point that magical girls transformed into witches when they ran out of magic, several episodes before the actual reveal.

Likewise, when Madoka didn't immediately become a magical girl after hearing Kyubey's offer in episode 2, I took this to mean the show was actually about her journey to become a magical girl (and not being a magical girl, an important distinction), and she would only make her wish in the final episode after she was fully aware of the consequences. Sayaka's narrative role was to leap headlong into her wish, and show us exactly what the downsides were--through her failures, Madoka's hesitation would not only be justified, but that knowledge would inspire her to reform the clearly corrupt magical girl system entirely (an impression supported by Kyubey's speech by the fountain where he tells Madoka she has the power to become a god).

You might think that seeing these big plot twists coming would ruin my enjoyment, but quite the contrary--it was so refreshing to feel like I was on the same page as the author and that my careful attention to detail was rewarded. Paradoxically, it made me love the show even more precisely because I could see the twists before they happened--as if I was watching the show for the second or third time already. The best plot twists deepen the experience, allowing us to fully appreciate and savor them on subsequent viewings. It's why tragedies tell us in the beginning that the hero will die; the drama and suspense are not so much in what happens, but how and why.

I mention all of this not to try to impress people with how smart I am (when it comes to predictions about the future, past performance does not guarantee future success), merely to explain why I trust my instincts when it comes to this show, because they've served me so well before. Unless Gen Urobuchi and SHAFT have completely changed their approach with Walpurgis no Kaiten, I expect every single twist to be carefully foreshadowed in advance, just like previous installments--and therefore, inherently predictable, at least in theory. Whether we currently have all of the information and/or interpret it correctly are entirely different questions, of course.

Despite its reputation for obfuscation, I have found the original PMMM anime to be remarkably straightforward in its storytelling approach, and I hope that Walpurgis no Kaiten will be no different in this regard. Thus, I see no need to second-guess myself or to assume that the simplest approach is automatically off the table in favor of something more complicated.

That said, if you don't personally care for the idea that Homura and/or her double is Walpurgisnacht, or you are skeptical it will happen, that's fine. But "it's too predictable, therefore it can't happen" is not an argument I can take seriously given my own experiences.

#puella magi madoka magica #pmmm analysis #walpurgisnacht rising #walpurgis no kaiten #madoka magica

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majiburger · 8 months

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knb s2 rewatch

in s1, the characters were trying to fit into their new status quos, get along with their new teams and playing styles. however, s2 seems to be all about the past - and trying your best to make peace with it

obviously, our two new teams are yosen and rakuzan, with yosen holding special focus for kagami because he's reunited with himuro, his "brother." meanwhile, the ominous akashi foreshadowing begins more heavily here than it did in season 1. there's an implication that the generation of miracles were more than just a team that played a sport sometimes. they were also soldiers following a commander, chess pieces pawned around by their master. it's probably unfair to give akashi that much credit since he was a child, just like the rest of them, but the season does establish that under akashi, all the others played like they were under his spell - and that spell, to some extent, still has a hold on them.

speaking of which, when i was making my first season rewatch post, i wanted to have a separate section to actually talk about the generation of miracles, but we hadn't met murasakibara or akashi yet so i saved it for this one!

i've said this before, but murasakibara sometimes feels like a gimmicky character compared to kise, midorima and aomine, who, even with their eccentricities, seemed like believable characters with enough depth to keep you interested. as a standalone character, murasakibara falls a little short compared to the other miracles, but when you put them all together, his writing works for the most part. i like the idea of a group that was so talented, so above-the-ground, such a class apart from everyone else (and treated as such) that they're a little weird and stand out from everyone else. everyone likes to joke about the rainbow hair, but it works as an apt visual metaphor to really represent what a different breed they are. this gets played up a lot throughout the season, and i love it. the generation of miracles' appeal as a group isn't just that they were untouchable at basketball, but also that they were a clique with their own bizarre rules and roles. these guys are very out of touch with how kids their own age are supposed to be, and watching them take a stab at normalcy with their new teams is interesting. look at what furihata says here:

talk about hype! this is the first time we've seen them all together since middle school and it is goosebump-worthy (the music in this scene is phenomenal BTW). it's times like these where i understand why last game was made in the first place, but that understanding isn't enough for me to actually sympathize with the fact that the movie undoes all the development and messaging of the core series. oh well. not sure how other fans feel, but that last, touching scene with kuroko and kagami more than made up for it i guess (for me at least)

coming back to season 2 - while i think there are some parts of this season that drag it down a little (like the awful fanservice bits and the way the show sometimes overdoes the 'riko's dad is a creep' gag), i think the games in this season still keep you on your toes the way they did in season 1! it's hard to keep raising the stakes in a believable way and (so far), i think the series does a good job at doing that! not sure if i'll be saying the same thing when season 3 comes around, though, but for now i have no complaints! i'd even argue that we get some of our best, most memorable games throughout the show in this season, with the stand out obviously being seirin vs touou 2.0. any match with kagami, aomine and kuroko works because of how much of our attention aomine demands as an antagonist, and it's a little sad to say goodbye to him as we move on to the bigger (and final) antagonist – akashi.

as a parting note, i do want to talk about kagami and kuroko, who both show tremendous growth this season as characters. when we left them last season, they were still struggling to figure out what they could do for their team, and they seem to be getting there now. kagami is calmer, less reckless, willing to even be benched if it benefits the team at large. kuroko, on the other hand, has abandoned his comfort zone in the shadows and begun making independent plays. he even shoots baskets now, and seven out of ten times they actually go in! in sports, the guys who give up last are the ones that end up stealing your heart – regardless of victory or loss – and kuroko is just that guy. i'll save my full thoughts on kuroko as a character for my s3 post, but for now i'd love to reiterate that him, kagami and aomine really make the series what it is for me!

and lest we forget: some incredible things happened with the other miracles this season too. midorima smiles now, aomine looks forward to matches and murasakibara went into the zone. things are changing – and for the better! though kise didn't have a lot to do this season, the next one will have some great moments for him, and of course, we'll finally get to meet akashi on the court and answer some big questions like what actually happened at teiko and why kuroko quit after the championship game. it's going to be one big season of flashbacks and big reveals and idk! i'm excited!

#bee rewatches knb #kuroko no basket #god this season was so fun but i'm already excited for the next: shutoku vs rakuzan and kise vs haizaki #and obviously......the infamous and undefeated teiko arc😤#can't wait!

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sapphic-yang · 4 years

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RWBY Volume 7: Chapter 11 - Gravity

Thoughts & Theories

1. So Salem killed Summer...Ooof. I’ve been thinking for awhile that the reason people don’t about Salem is that she’s be en imprisoned for a long time. And since Salem hunts Silver-Eyed Warriors and she’s at least part Grimm, it stands to reason the SEWs keep petrifying her. I’m thinking Summer tried to and failed. Kudos to CRWBY though for making these shots of Summer chilling. Last volume we saw her on this cliff bathed in dawn light, smiling and happy. Now we see...the truth? Ominous dark clouds, the grass is wilting...

2. “Ironwood no! I trusted you!” said literally no one. Just as the cowardly lion couldn’t find his courage, the tin man couldn’t find his heart. He’s willing to do anything to stop Salem, but he refuses to learn that stopping Salem from burning the world doesn’t mean anything if you do it for her. Salem loves to Divide & Conquer. So Ironwood finally flipping out is not surprising, but I love the foreshadowing form episode 8 of Cinder’s chess piece troll.

And he does get bad-ass point for getting his skin burnt off. Not enough points to stop the girls from sending this dictator plummeting to earth before the volume’s done though.

3. Ironwood mentions the ‘timeline’ like Cinder did last episode. Not sure what to make of that...perhaps just artistic mirroring, or is their another level of this scheming we haven’t gotten to yet.

4. While JNR are obviously team RWBY ride or die, I’m curious how Clover will react. He seemed shocked, and I have a feeling because of his feelings for Qrow he’s going to turn on Ironwood. The theme of the Volume is Trust Love, the other Aesops refuse to have relationships that would cause them to follow their hearts, but now Clover does.

We also don’t really see how Penny and Winter react...could this split them up? I’m thinking yes.

5. Team RWBY vs the Ace-Ops. Oh Boy. Predicting Ruby vs Harriet & Yang vs Elm.

Marrow (he looks so sad to be doing this!) would be a cool fight vs either Weiss or Blake, not sure which will fight Vine. I doubt any of the Ace-Ops will die though. Or possibly, Just a straight up Blake and Yang vs Elm and vine, while Ruby races Harriet and Marrow...lets Weiss go. If Winter’s getting those Maiden powers, Weiss should be there.

6. Ruby was so good in this episode. Defying Ironwood at every turn, I’m so proud! Her writing has really improved over the last couple volumes and this scene is the new peak.

But I’m worried bout those eyes. She had trouble activating them last episode, and now we see her breakdown causing them go haywire, just like with Pyrrha. Will she be able to rein them it when it’s time?

7. I’m kinda worried about Jaune. Yang flipped when she found out Cinder was alive, he may explode. Especially since he’s undoubtedly having Beacon flashbacks.

And BOY IS THIS SHOT FAMILIAR!

8. Winter’s going to die...I get the feeling Penny is going to leave her to confront Ironwood about his BS and Cinder will follow her right to Fria.

It’s very possible she gets the powers before Cinder gets to her. But as we saw with Raven, experience matters. Cinder’s had her powers for, what, a year? I think Winter is done for sadly.

9. Well....shit, Oscar got kidnapped for realz this time! I’m guessing Neo??

10. Bees sighting of the week: I love that Yang immediately defends Blake when everyone leaps on her about Robyn. So cute, so hot, so loving. Also, the way she flinched back when Ironwood asked if she was with him...*Adam flashbacks* much?

#rwby #rwby 7 #rwby 7 spoilers #rwby volume 7 #rwby 7x11 #rwby spoilers #rwby bumblebee #rwby bumbleby #bumbleby #BmblB #rwby volume 7 spoilers #rwby thoughts & theories

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irarelypostanything · 5 years

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Song Analysis: “The Rise and Fall of Humanity”

Song: Deep Blue

Artist: Arcade Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDIRT_NEMxo

This song is most commonly known as the concluding piece in “Boyhood,” though I am honestly not sure why they chose this particular one. The tone is ominous and a bit dark, which I personally did not find very fitting, and the subject matter is very different. Am I missing some deep meaning in Boyhood? It’s quite possible. I discovered this song from a chess.com article, not from that movie...I liked the movie but for different reasons.

*****

Kasparov, Deep Blue, 1996. Some people on forums were quick to point out that this is the match in which Kasparov won. So why that particular year? Some thing it was a mistake, whereas others think this was a deliberate choice for Arcade Fire. Man’s final triumph.

Now I know “The Rise and Fall of Humanity” sounds like overkill, which I will confess to, but it hints at something I have been feeling for a while: If mankind falls at the hands of computers, it’s not going to be because of some Skynet or Matrix-like AI. We won’t make it that are. It’s going to be because some idiot software engineer at the DoD misprograms something, or because some genius senior engineer programs something correctly. One of my favorite movies is Fail-Safe, released right in the middle of the Cold War, and it features the premise of an unstoppable American computer program that is set to nuke Russia. Russia does not want this. The United States does not want this. The two world powers are in direct contact, but the so-called fail-safe system was so hellbent on retaliating against the Russians that no one considered how to stop it if it went off by accident.

Nowadays, all this talk of UAV’s and self-driving cars gives me pause. Ever hear of those two bidding programs that caught each other in a loop, and ended up screwing over both companies? Picture that, but with super-weapons.

Here in my place and time And here in my own skin I can finally begin Let the century pass me by, standing under the night sky Tomorrow means nothing

Whenever I hear this song, I picture the tech portion of some emerging market in San Francisco or a spot in the valley. Maybe you start with blood cells, maybe you start with the night sky, and then I just picture TOMORROW MEANS NOTHING as a giant subtitle. Because that’s the perfect line for the song, in a nutshell. There is nothing optimistic to be said about technology, about computer science, about software and AI and big data and what have you. It’s just something that eliminates passion, that makes us subhuman. I don’t completely agree. Maybe Arcade Fire doesn’t completely agree. But the speaker of this song, in those three words, states his position. We don’t matter. In the universe, we are insignificant.

We watched the end of the century Compressed on a tiny screen A dead star collapsing and we could see Something was ending Are you through pretending?

I’m not really sure if this part of the song foreshadows the chess game, or if it’s about what comes way after. Chess programs are better than humans. The best human alive, who was probably Kasparov for a long time but is now someone else, can’t even touch the computer chess programs we’ve developed. Is it really such a big deal that we’ve been surpassed in chess?

According to the speaker of the song, yes. This is like our final bow on the world stage, and the United States isn’t resigning to China or to Russia or to some future human power. No, the entire human race is about to take a final bow for the new dominant force.

You could have never predicted that it could see through you Kasparov, Deep Blue, 1996 Your mind's playing tricks now Show's over so take a bow And leave it in the shadows

Again, a bit strange that 1996 is the year. Is the focus still on chess? I think we shift away in the last stanza. Computers could beat us at chess by 1997 or so, but what about now?

Hey Put the cellphone down for a while In the night there is something wild Can you hear it breathing? And hey Put the laptop down for a while In the night there is something wild I feel it, it's leaving me

And there it is. The final stanza. Perhaps the ending note of the song is meant to be ominous...it does have this final echo, after all. But maybe, just maybe, the song is optimistic. There’s still something alive, something passionate, and we can find it if we look up from our screens. Is that all this song is? A plea to go outside more and look up from our screens?

Or is this ambiguous song suggesting that technology itself is alive, that the essence of what made us human is what’s leaving? Every time I look to the technology, the data metrics, the machine-generated graphs and those app stats our generation seems to love so much...it feels like a lack of passion. It feels like we’re not human anymore, but just entities that seek to drive up numbers of some kind.

And so, in that final bit, the song takes a stand.

Passion. That’s what might keep us from going cold.

#arcade fire #deep blue #20-minute freewrite #song analysis

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