#ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

Dieter's probably my favourite child sidekick in animanga

When you're on a dangerous mission and a stray orphan adopts you

Little bit of analytic rambling below (nothing too specific, but light spoilers)

Honestly, I thought I'd dislike Dieter when he was first introduced in Monster (I was surprised when I actually found myself happy that Tenma had failed to get Dieter to stay behind). I'm not a huge fan of children in anime in general - they're usually pretty one-note and forgettable (the adorable innocent kid or cookie-cutter bully) or unrealistic (genius child who understands all the subtleties and intricacies of situations and interactions, i.e. basically a pint-sized adult).

However, Dieter is a pretty realistic take on an actual human child (ground-breaking, I know). He has a personality that's not a carbon-copy of every other child shown in the series. He's headstrong and ignores the adults around him when it suits him. In dangerous situations, he usually insists on helping (despite the fact that he shouldn't because he could die), but sometimes he's scared enough to listen and run away or stay put as he's told.

When he does help, he doesn't suddenly pull extreme feats (be it due to far-fetched/unlikely skills or luck). He pulls injured people to safety (with great difficulty). Throws a rug on a fire. Walks a long distance to give a warning. All things that show his bravery, his willingness to help and his determination, but also all things a child could realistically do.

Plus — I love Dieter's resilience and positivity. The kid has a messed up past and every reason in the world to distrust adults and his caretakers, but he's fully willing to trust and love adults who show they're worthy of it. Not that he trusts them blindly; he doesn't hesitate to tell Tenma or Nina when he thinks something they're planning on doing is wrong. He sees the good in people first, and even when he sees the bad (like in Martin, the rooftop kid), he tries his best to help them see things positively too. He's quite empathetic: hard to rattle when it comes to himself, but quick to tear up when someone he cares for is in danger or sad.

Cute as hell to see him embrace and echo Tenma's words too — insisting that you can make your own happy memories if you don't have any, and that "tomorrow's gonna be a good day."

I'm glad this kid got his happy ending.

#Monster #Monster Anime #Dieter #Tenma Kenzo #Kenzo Tenma #Analysis #Anime Analysis #ish #I guess more just rambling again #ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

Blue Period - Rant/Thoughts

I just binge read Blue Period (which is currently at Chapter 48) earlier this week, and just. Wow. Going to put my thoughts down in writing while it's still fresh in my memory.

Yatora is painfully relatable. Seriously, I shed tears more than once while reading. Not because anything particularly sad happens, but because I've felt the same way so many times, and it really touched something in me to see it all laid out on paper.

(PS — The text below is fairly vague and doesn't contain any concrete plot-related spoilers)

This manga is absolutely fantastic. There's a ton of dialogue and characters (and there's definitely a sense of excitement for what's going to happen next plot-wise), but the bulk of what you read is what's going on in Yatora's head. It gets you to know the character really intimately in a way I haven't really felt reading manga before — something more akin to what you'd get from reading a novel.

He feels like he's spent his whole life lacking some kind of fire in him. Like his day-to-day is mostly just pretending and being agreeable since people around him wouldn't like him if he was true to himself (and he doesn't know what being "true to himself" really entails, either). He sets hard goals for himself and typically reaches them through a lot of hard work. But whenever he does reach a goal, he feels like an imposter (like he's lacking something others have inside of them, and that he's fooled people into thinking he has it too), like he could've done better. Lost now he's reached his goal (What's his next one? And why is he setting those goals in the first place? What does he even get out of it once he reaches them? He doesn't know, but he wants to find out).

His journey isn't linear either. Yatora is confident about his potential and his diligence, but doubts his skills and everything he produces. He makes breakthrough realizations, then doubts them. He alternates between feeling bad for being insecure, then feeling bad for being arrogant about thinking anything positive about his own skills. He's never as miserable as when he makes something good that's well received, because the happiness he feels is quickly replaced by doubt — can he do it again? Was it good in the first place? Did he trick people into thinking it was good?

Does he even like what he's doing and working towards?

Ahh, just. The self-doubt. The shaky sense of self. The working tirelessly towards reaching that something, then doubting why you're chasing it in the first place. The wins often somehow feeling worse than the losses. Like I said - relatable.

Yatora's story may be about art on the surface, but it's also about so much more. I think anyone who has a similar personality and similar struggles will really relate to him and be moved by the story, even if what they're working towards is a completely different creative medium or a corporate career.

#Blue Period #Yatora Yaguchi #Yaguchi Yatora #Manga #Analysis #-ish #Ramble #ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

Do you think Askeladd may have tried following Thorfinn instead of Canute, if Thorfinn had changed while he was still alive?

I know it's unlikely Thorfinn would've changed (or changed so drastically) if Askeladd hadn't died (and not at his hand to boot)... and probably also unlikely that Askeladd would've seriously considered Thorfinn's total pacifism to be a viable path. But it's an interesting concept to think about.

Someone had started a fic about older Thorfinn waking up in his teenage body (with his newer pacifist views) and Askeladd pondering if he should gamble on Canute or Thorfinn. It looked quite interesting, but unfortunately it doesn't look like it'll be continued!

#vinland saga #vinland saga spoilers #thorfinn #askeladd #canute #artorius #lucius artorius castus #ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

Mini Analysis: Askeladd's Motivations (Vinland Saga)

Warning: Spoilers for all of S1/Chapters 1-54 (obviously).

This is a little ramble/analysis to address something I see suggested/implied online quite a bit: that Askeladd had always been working towards saving Wales.

My interpretation of Askeladd’s motivations: Askeladd was not always out to save Wales, nor is it something he worked for his whole life. Askeladd did not have a plan prior to seeing an opportunity to rescue/use Canute. Having earned higher status after being taken in by his father (and later killing him), Askeladd assimilated into Viking society simply because he is good at being a Viking. He half believed he would one day find someone worthy of embodying Artorius's myth, but did not actively seek our someone who could do it. I think Askeladd was largely aimless for most of his life — semi-content to be a successful Viking captain/leader and to take it day-by-day, despite despising Vikings (and himself). Seeing the end of man draw near (Judgement Day/Ragnarok) and he himself growing older, Askeladd takes a last gamble with Canute when he sees the opportunity. Does he work in Wales's best interest after that, and die trying to save Wales? Yes. Was it his plan all along? No. If the opportunity with Canute hadn't come along, I believe Askeladd probably would've kept being a Viking captain until he got killed or got too old to fight (probably the former).

Keep going for some background/screenshots/"evidence"/ramblings:

1- When his mother Lydia is about to be killed by his estranged father Olaf, Askeladd realizes that the hero Artorius is not someone that would heroically come and save them all, but rather anyone capable who would just do it. Although it seems Askeladd keeps half-thinking someone will eventually fill that role, he has a more realistic outlook about it going forward. He however clearly does not believe he himself can fill that role, nor does he ever try to step up to it in adulthood (Chapter 47)

2- Askeladd has two goals when he is taken in by his father Olaf as a child — to kill his father (mostly as vengeance for the way he treated his mother Lydia), and a right to his fortune. I take the fortune part mostly as Askeladd taking what he felt he was owed, and seizing the opportunity to live more comfortably (it likely would have helped him bring his mother out of slavery and poverty as well, since she was still alive at the time) (Chapter 47). Although we later see Askeladd does have a station (when wintering at Lord Gorm's village), he seems content to just keep plundering with his band, and isn't seen employing money to try to better/save Wales at any point

3- When he is fourteen, Askeladd brings his dying mother to Wales (Chapter 26). Thing is, after she passes, he doesn't stay in Wales. He returns to the Danes (presumably to Gorm's village) and leads his own band of Vikings by his early 30s, if not earlier. Meanwhile, Wales frequently gets raided by England, particularly Mercia (Chapter 24). Could Askeladd have been fighting with the Danes against the English to protect Wales all along? Well, maybe. But it doesn't seem like he was particularly concentrating on squashing the English in areas near Wales, nor was he fighting on Wales's side

4- When he meets Thors, Askeladd realizes he could be the kind of person who could fill Artorius's shoes - or at the very least, someone with a better path whom he could follow. However, when he asks him to lead the band, he quickly realizes Thors will not say yes or be easily swayed. Rather than try to convince him or find another way, Askeladd plays his request off as a joke and proceeds with fulfilling his contract with Floki (Chapter 15)

5- When he realizes there is an opportunity to rescue Canute and use him, Askeladd makes a very sudden decision (beheading the messenger and seizing the glory with his men alone) with only the barebones of a plan in mind. Especially after his rather gloomy talk with Thorfinn by the Roman ruins earlier on in the chapter, Askeladd truly seems like he's taking a gamble, believing the end of the world is coming up anyway. This seems like a seized opportunity, not part of a long-awaiting, premeditated plan (Chapter 20)

6- Once he starts to fashion more of a concrete plan, Askeladd realizes that Canute is simply too weak to be a King and something will need to be done (Chapter 23). We see later that he plans to get rid of Ragnar, who shelters and spoils Canute too much

7- When Askeladd shares his plan with Asser, it's easy to see that it is, no doubt, a very bold plan. It's entirely based on recent events (and entirely dependent on a variety of very small things that could easily go very wrong) (Chapter 26). Not exactly the result of a lifetime of planning and premeditation. I find it unlikely that Askeladd going around with a band, plundering villages and fighting for the highest bidder for over a decade, was part of a plan to secure status among Danish society. If you recall his conversation with Bjorn at the Battle of London Bridge, we know his band actually just recently decided to back King Sweyn (which might be for the first time, or indicate they actively battled on the Danish side only intermittently)

"But that's just it, Sir Asser. My mixed blood is the key. I've assimilated into Nordic society. With this latest success, I will secure even greater status among them. The lords of Wales will have a powerful agent rising through the ranks of the mighty Danish army. At this rate, I'll be a principal figure within the faction of Prince Canute, the second prince in line for the throne of Denmark. I could be a flagbearer in the cause against the reactionary elder prince when the matter of succession is raised. If we can plop that sickly prince's soft arse on the throne... I could be in a position important enough to dictate the direction of Denmark's politics."

8- After he has Ragnar killed, it surprisingly turns out that rather than hoping to simply place someone he can easily control on the throne, Askeladd would rather have someone he wants to follow, and that he hopes Ragnar's death will be a catalyst that leads Canute to becoming a new man. Again, this is pretty threadbare for a plan, as it relies on a ton of "what-ifs", and ends with Askeladd cutting Canute lose if he's not worthy of him (thus losing the main piece of his plan entirely) (Chapter 31)

9 - Having fully integrated into the Viking lifestyle, Askeladd truly does think of himself as a Viking, despite hating them (Chapter 47). If he'd wish to gain power and save Wales all along, he likely wouldn't actually think of himself as one of them

Conclusion

I've run out of pictures I can include and I'm rambling, so I'll cut it here. To summarize again in slightly different words — I think Askeladd had resigned himself to living his life as a Viking and going through the motions until the world ended or death took him. He may not come off as barbaric and blood-thirsty as some of his men, but he does seem to enjoy pillaging and getting riches, and content to continue to do so. Although he seems to still half-believe in the myth of Artorius, he doesn't exactly do much to pursue it or find someone to fill that role. It is only when he sees an opportunity (through rescuing/shaping Canute) that he decides to pursue the protection of Wales and to actively help someone become a person who can change things.

I know a lot of people love Askeladd's character, but some tend to interpret him as smarter and nicer than he actually is because of it. I agree with a lot of the Askeladd analyses, but not the proposition that he was always striving to save Wales and had some kind of master plan all along. I think Askeladd was largely living without aim for most of his life, and didn't try to pursue anything that really mattered until he gambled on an opportunity towards the end of his life. Honestly, it's kind of tragic that he died just as what he may have hoped for started to realize itself — mainly, both Canute and Thorfinn becoming the kind of somebody that comes to change things for the better, as the mythical Artorius was foretold to do.

#vinland saga #askeladd #vinland saga analysis #vinland saga manga #vinland saga anime #lucius artorius castus #ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

Reactions: Watching Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time (25F)

***

Episodes 1-24

- Oh wow, good show. I feel like I'm being thrown into an actual world with no preamble, but I like that

- Cool to have a protagonist that's not a super badass child genius

- Ok so they really just said "we have 20 minutes of footage and 24 minutes to fill, let's just take this one frame and extend it by 3 minutes more than could possibly be comfortable. Let us do this several times throughout this series, for reasons

- Oh new character, she's loud af but alright

- Wish the dub used "child" instead of "children"

- This show is making me feel uncomfortable and upset, but in a really interesting way, this is the shit language teachers would have a field day with when it comes to analysis

- Kay so is Rei both Gendo's replacement child and replacement wife? Is he grooming her? Man, he's such a dick

- Holy shit glad Toji is alive but man is Gendo ever an asshole

- Wait, Ritsuko and her mom were both sleeping with Gendo?? Ew

- Holy shit Gendo is SUCH A DICK, hopefully he'll get some development

- Okay even with the ambiguous dub, Kaworu is REAL GAY and Shinji does not dislike that

- This is absolutely great, there's a lot happening but I don't get how the conclusion can possibly be as bad and confusing as everyone says it is

Episodes 25-26

- Oh I wonder where they're going with this

- Oh I guess the style is changing for this scene

- Oh no it kept going

- AM I ON ACID, IS THIS A FEVER DREAM

- I UNDERSTAND NOTHING

- WTF HAPPENED, HOW IS THIS THE LAST EPISODE

- Yeah ok it ended I guess, and Gendo is still a massive dick, that's it that's his arc, "asshole dad acts like asshole"

End of Evangelion

- I was not ready for that hospital scene, I feel violated and gross, Shinji you dick, I believed in you, can't you show the fact that you're an empty shell by sitting quietely in the corner instead

- I'M STARTING TO UNDERSTAND THINGS

- I don't like Asuka much, but damn is it badass to see her chuck a whole ass ship at enemies

- Wait why the FUCK did grown ass Misato kiss Shinji and imply she'd fuck him later, I get that she probably thinks it's going to motivate him and that she'll die anyway, but NO MISATO YOU WERE MY FAVOURITE (no more, no more), you were supposed to be like a mother figure to him, kid's gonna be even more fucked up than he already is, noooo, nooooo!

- Ok not sure why Gendo had to get to Rei's insides by the tittay

- Giant naked people

- Ok wait so is Shinji imagining choking Asuka to death, seeing as she just died in a different way? It's a vision?

- 'Ight, now everyone is exploding like oranges in the microwave

- Well at least we got a smidge of reason for Gendo

- In conclusion, infinitely more satisfying and informative than eps 24 and 25, still a confusing acid trip

- Is this epileptic seizure inducing montage what they show people à la Clockwork Orange style when they want to brainwash them?

- We've transcended into live action?

- Is this a dream? Is this the end? Did things work out for the best, or did Shinji fuck over the whole world? Idk there's just a lot of lights and exploding things. Everyone is dead? Or everyone is immortal? Everyone is one?

- SHINJI, STOP CHOKING ASUKA

#spoilers #neon genesis evangelion #end of evangelion #reactions #first thoughts #i know people could write me an essay about the whats and whys #these are just my gut reactions though #i knew nothing about evangelion going in #except that the ending was controversial and that there were mechas #anime reaction #anime reactions #idk man I'm just rambling #ladyvgrey analysis

[ladyvgrey]

(!Spoilers)

Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin Ending Predictions

SURVEY RESULTS

#attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #predictions #aot predictions #snk predictions #aot chapter 127 #snk chapter 127 #aot ending #snk ending #attack on titan ending #shingeki no kyojin ending #reddit #survey #attack on titan survey #aot survey #shingeki no kyojin survey #snk survey #ladyvgrey analysis