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liri
Watched the rest of Madoka Magica. No wonder the music's so damn good - it's by Yuki Kaijura! That's an OST I have to get.
I find it interesting that they cast Cleopatra as a magical girl - apparently, she was extremely effective, assuming she started at the semi-traditional magical-girl age of 14, because she was 39 or 40 when she died. That's a long time of neither getting killed nor giving in to despair. Not sure they actually did their homework on her, since they seem to have most of the magical girls finishing their tenure quite young. I'd prefer to believe the female pharaoh to be Hatshepsut, but the snakebite was visible in one shot (and later, you see the two attendants - Charmian and Iras), so clearly she's Cleopatra.
Man, Puella Magi Cleopatra Magica, historically accurate save for the magical-girling, would be fantastic. I just read a biography of Cleopatra, not to mention covering Antony and Cleopatra (and Dryden's All For Love) a couple of times in college, so I'm especially amused by this. I desperately wish I could draw so I could make my ideas visible. If only I thought doujinshi artists would oblige me I would pretty much sell a kidney to get one, but I'm pretty sure all the doujinshi for this series will be FBI watchlist material.
I do think my experience of the show suffered a bit from being so thoroughly spoiled. It was done well enough to still be moving (especially Homura's grief in the later episodes, the last most of all) but I wasn't so emotionally involved that I couldn't think about what Cleopatra's magical girl costume would look like (and if she'd be able to take maternity leave - she had four kids!) while it was all going on.
Sayaka was my favorite (and I liked her relationship with Kyoko) so I was especially sad that Madoka's changes couldn't save her. Madoka's mom also made me sad; that scene where Madoka's drinking juice while her mom's drinking alcohol, and Madoka expresses the hope that someday they'll be able to drink together once she's grown. I liked the part early in the series where Madoka was asking her father about her mom's career and dreams. Her father says that she might not have dreamed of this job growing up, but the life she has now is what she always wanted - being the wage-earner, having a career - and that he respects and admires her. I just really wanted a series about Madoka's parents, and to see Madoka growing up and being able to relate to her mom as an equal, and then at the very end, Madoka's mother says a bit wistfully that if she had a daughter, she'd give her the ribbons Homura's wearing, the ones she got from Madoka... I guess that's where the series worked best for me. But I was, you know, a bit sad, not bawling my eyes out.
Things I noticed: Public spaces are always mostly empty, whether it's the bar where Madoka's mom and the teacher are drinking (I don't think there was even a bartender) or the train where the only people are the two disgusting misogynists and Sayaka. Not faceless crowds, totally vacant. I don't know what to make of it, but it was definitely noticeable. There was a shot early on (first or second episode, maybe?) of a bunch of empty chairs that I thought echoed Bokurano, just like the transformation sequence in the opening reminded me of Utena.
The series world-building was really intriguing - all that glass and open space everywhere, and the emptiness in a setting that's clearly identified as Japan - but it was frustrating to see nothing more than hints. I guess that's the kind of thing that often moves me to fanfic, but part of what I liked was the visual effect. I want to see Madoka's mom's office, or a movie theater, or... I don't know, more places. I wanted to see greater detail of the witch spaces and the other magical girls from history. I don't want to come up with it myself, I want to see it.
I'm on an anime kick lately, so I'm probably going to be posting a lot as I work through my backlog. It may also be time to finish watching The Adventures of Yuriko Star and That Idiot, if I can peel the husband off of Civ IV (or actually, off the Fall From Heaven mod, which is what he's been playing for the last month.) Mushi-shi didn't really stick; I may just be in the wrong mood for it.
I find it interesting that they cast Cleopatra as a magical girl - apparently, she was extremely effective, assuming she started at the semi-traditional magical-girl age of 14, because she was 39 or 40 when she died. That's a long time of neither getting killed nor giving in to despair. Not sure they actually did their homework on her, since they seem to have most of the magical girls finishing their tenure quite young. I'd prefer to believe the female pharaoh to be Hatshepsut, but the snakebite was visible in one shot (and later, you see the two attendants - Charmian and Iras), so clearly she's Cleopatra.
Man, Puella Magi Cleopatra Magica, historically accurate save for the magical-girling, would be fantastic. I just read a biography of Cleopatra, not to mention covering Antony and Cleopatra (and Dryden's All For Love) a couple of times in college, so I'm especially amused by this. I desperately wish I could draw so I could make my ideas visible. If only I thought doujinshi artists would oblige me I would pretty much sell a kidney to get one, but I'm pretty sure all the doujinshi for this series will be FBI watchlist material.
I do think my experience of the show suffered a bit from being so thoroughly spoiled. It was done well enough to still be moving (especially Homura's grief in the later episodes, the last most of all) but I wasn't so emotionally involved that I couldn't think about what Cleopatra's magical girl costume would look like (and if she'd be able to take maternity leave - she had four kids!) while it was all going on.
Sayaka was my favorite (and I liked her relationship with Kyoko) so I was especially sad that Madoka's changes couldn't save her. Madoka's mom also made me sad; that scene where Madoka's drinking juice while her mom's drinking alcohol, and Madoka expresses the hope that someday they'll be able to drink together once she's grown. I liked the part early in the series where Madoka was asking her father about her mom's career and dreams. Her father says that she might not have dreamed of this job growing up, but the life she has now is what she always wanted - being the wage-earner, having a career - and that he respects and admires her. I just really wanted a series about Madoka's parents, and to see Madoka growing up and being able to relate to her mom as an equal, and then at the very end, Madoka's mother says a bit wistfully that if she had a daughter, she'd give her the ribbons Homura's wearing, the ones she got from Madoka... I guess that's where the series worked best for me. But I was, you know, a bit sad, not bawling my eyes out.
Things I noticed: Public spaces are always mostly empty, whether it's the bar where Madoka's mom and the teacher are drinking (I don't think there was even a bartender) or the train where the only people are the two disgusting misogynists and Sayaka. Not faceless crowds, totally vacant. I don't know what to make of it, but it was definitely noticeable. There was a shot early on (first or second episode, maybe?) of a bunch of empty chairs that I thought echoed Bokurano, just like the transformation sequence in the opening reminded me of Utena.
The series world-building was really intriguing - all that glass and open space everywhere, and the emptiness in a setting that's clearly identified as Japan - but it was frustrating to see nothing more than hints. I guess that's the kind of thing that often moves me to fanfic, but part of what I liked was the visual effect. I want to see Madoka's mom's office, or a movie theater, or... I don't know, more places. I wanted to see greater detail of the witch spaces and the other magical girls from history. I don't want to come up with it myself, I want to see it.
I'm on an anime kick lately, so I'm probably going to be posting a lot as I work through my backlog. It may also be time to finish watching The Adventures of Yuriko Star and That Idiot, if I can peel the husband off of Civ IV (or actually, off the Fall From Heaven mod, which is what he's been playing for the last month.) Mushi-shi didn't really stick; I may just be in the wrong mood for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-30 02:26 pm (UTC)I was lucky enough to go into the series only spoiled for Happenings In Episode 3, since it was still coming out. It made it clear to me what kind of show this was going to be, without lessening the impact when learning that Homura Really Needs A Hug.
Watching it as it was still coming out was interesting in another way, because episodes 11 and 12 were delayed by the Tsunami. Early depictions of Walpurgisnacht had lots of water in the city. Episodes 11 and 12 were made after the tsunami and show relatively dry devastation.
Apparently, some of the architecture is taken from famous buildings (their school is apparently based on an Australian jail); the MPMM wiki has more details.
On the subject of Cleopatra: Have you read anything by Esther Friesner? She's been writing YA mythical/historical fantasy novels about princesses from antiquity. So far she's got two about Helen of Troy (Nobody's Princess and Nobody's Prize, both of which I've read and enjoyed), and two that I _think_ are about Cleopatra, although I haven't heard anything but the titles (Sphinx's Princess and Sphinx's Queen).
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-04 08:41 pm (UTC)I wish I hadn't read so many spoilers, but I didn't think I'd actually watch it anytime soon.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-05 12:13 am (UTC)Yeah, I know how that goes. I've stopped reading your Tiger and Bunny posts (sorry), because it was starting to sound interesting enough to watch once I can track downloadable fansubs for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-05 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-05 01:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-05 07:46 am (UTC)It's actually a four-hour delay. There may be some fansubbers from areas excluded by Hulu, but it's definitely already licensed. Waiting for rentable discs may be the best option.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-05 06:12 pm (UTC)Oh, dur, I guess Hulu wouldn't show it if it weren't licensed. I guess I'll have to wait for rentable discs or for the US release company to put it on YouTube.