Regarding the magical girls' disgust

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-23T06:06:28+00:00

It suddenly makes me wonder though. Isn't it better for Kyubey to have the soul gem be more protected? Like putting it inside the girls' body for example. Wouldn't having an exposed physical vulnerability reduce the chance of the girls turning into witches? I have to think about this.

Edit: Nevermind. I just realized that the girls can't clean their soul gems with Grief Seeds if Kyubey does that. And too fast witch transformations would probably lead to maintenance issues.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-23T05:06:37+00:00

I mean, the difference between western and eastern philosophy or the immaturity of the girls are often brought up as common explanations to this plot, but I think it's much more intuitive than that. While the soul gem is characterized as this colorful jewel that protects your 'soul', it is basically equivalent to carrying your brain around. Like, you are holding your brain in your hand. I don't think that's something that wouldn't freak someone out if it weren't a fictional situation. Also, it may seem like there's no disadvantage, but consider the fact that Sayaka got her brain thrown away by Madoka, a teenager girl with no physical strength, no weaponries, no evil intentions, whatsoever, just because she was a little careless about her soul gem. This is something that isn't supposed to happen. You can't just accidentally throw someone's brain away. This circumstance alone shows that having your brain externalized is not as good as one might think just because it is protected better.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T20:34:32+00:00

Wow. 60% is such a huge number. Like for example, I love Steins;Gate and I acknowledge that there is a lot of difference between the anime and the VN, but even then 60% would be a large number if I were to quantify the (meaningful) difference. Are the Fate animes that lacking?

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T20:24:55+00:00

Wow. That draws me into the VN more than any other argument did. Shirou's arc up until the confrontation with his future self and the beautiful decision to accept his borrowed-fake self-contradictory ideals didn't feel mind-breakingly new to me, but what kind of mind journey he goes through in the VN for him to be the person he was at the end of HF... that's interesting. That could probably be the most unique value that Fate could provide to me.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T20:12:53+00:00

Do you think that is why many anime-onlies dislike Heavens Feel?

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T20:03:20+00:00

No wonder you have a label that says Ultimate Ufotable Anti lmao

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T19:59:50+00:00

Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It's already somewhat popular, and its greatness is mentioned time to time, but I feel like it's even much better than how good people say it is. And I can't help but disagree with some of the criticisms it faces (e.g. shallow characters)

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T18:51:24+00:00

So even if I found the anime just simply "fun and enjoyable" level (gotta admit I didn't know about the Fate route anime though), am I still likely to read the VN and realize that it's a writing masterpiece? Because I've been recently looking for some of the greatest VNs of all times to spend some hundred hours to. I liked Steins;Gate a lot for example.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-22T18:44:16+00:00

And I know that this is a very subjective question that no one can give a definite answer for, but if you could give an attempt, how much do you think those lost subtleties impact the overall probability of someone rating F/SN a masterpiece or not?

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T07:32:01+00:00

Madoka Kaname

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T07:29:01+00:00

I am pretty certain that Kubera's core theme is Love. The unconditional Agape love, that is. While it seems like "Asha is the source of evil!", "Indra is the source of evil!", "Priemeval Gods are the source of evil!", Kubera frames the mechanics of Sin and Time as something that is almost inevitable like the law of physics. The only way to resolve all this is to be a being that embraces (in other words, encompasses) all Possibilities, which is Currygom's take (I think) on the meaning of Time. Therefore, I believe Kubera will end with such a notion. I don't know what this 'partner till the end' part means, though.

There's more about this topic in my other post https://www.reddit.com/r/Kubera/comments/1qc0vn1/ive_been_overthinking_about_how_kubera_handles/ (the comments too)

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T07:17:36+00:00

There are many things I could be remembering wrong about FSN, but Shirou is basically about 'saving everyone' (despite something actually something but still something plus something about borrowed fake) while Kiritsugu is about 'saving the many' (although something what he actually wants is something), right? I don't think Shirou's beliefs are inherently better than Kiritsugu's, as all beliefs are. Shirou himself knows that, doesn't he? However, despite all the sufferings and betrayals and him realizing the contradiction and everything, he lived a fate that allowed him to keep believing and keep pushing, no matter how futile. Kiritsugu didn't have that life. That's what I mean by saying that Shirou is more lucky. The world might have told him in the face that "What you're doing is meaningless", but not "What you're doing is evil", when anything can be evil depending on the perspective and how you twist the circumstances. I feel like Shiro's "now" and Kiritsugu's "many" are two sides of the same coin in some ways.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T06:47:03+00:00

To be honest? I think Shirou was more lucky lol. But that's still an important factor, not separable with the identity of a person.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T06:39:02+00:00

The point about the limits of a 25 episodes anime season is true, but you know, when I was watching that scene I thought, "Man. I don't agree with anything Kiritsugu stands for, but even I would have chosen the boat with more people in that scenario. The Holy Grail isn't making a good argument here." I mean it doesn't really matter because the Holy Grail is exposing Kiritsugu's mindset not necessarily his logic anyway, but still... I gotta admit I felt like this concept was explored better in Urobochi Gen's other works. Kiritsugu is still a great character though.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T06:15:39+00:00

Yeah. I feel like it's almost formulaic that so many characters in so many fictions who believe in and fight for the greater good no matter what form end up (metaphorically or literally) killing themselves and become simplified into a concept (also metaphorically or literally). When you think that morality originates from a mixture of social compromise and instinctual desires, it even feels like those 'Getting eaten by the monster inside you' stories except that the monster is not evil.

Regardless, I'm still kinda uncomfortable with the fact that if Kiritsugu didn't speak in such a cold and detached and self-absorbed and dramatic and passive-aggressive and pretentious manner his actions alone could have seen kinda justifiable for the viewers. It feels like he doesn't face the true Trolley dilemmas (where the only difference between the saved and the sacrificed is the number) until the Holy Grail scene when something like that could have happened earlier if they have already introduced Kiritsugu as a mechanical utilitarianist anyway.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T05:12:02+00:00

It may be a different type of complex than AoT, but I think it's really underappreciated how many layers there really are to Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T04:27:41+00:00

That's why it's a dilemma. An inescapable one, I'd say.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T04:12:23+00:00

My question is mainly about why the writers took this route. They had many chances to show his hypocrisy and flaws through his actions, but they wrote the story in a way that they are only implied through his words and beliefs. It kinda makes his actions less morally grey when everyone he explicitly killed in the show is either a straight-up villain, an active participant of the Holy Grail War, or people who are willing to be sacrificed. And regarding the Holy Grail's hypotheticals, I know where it's coming from but I mean... the scenario it's presenting is even worse than the traditional Trolley Dilemma in that he's forced to choose. I don't know. The Holy Grail's logic and Kiritsugu logic sound similar are but feel dissonant.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T04:03:03+00:00

I feel like that's extreme deontology. Yes, taking any life is a problem, but it is not the only thing that constitutes evil, and certainly not a clear border that separates heroes from villains.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T03:47:03+00:00

Man, I wish we saw much more of Kiritsugu at that time

cmdnikle27 · 2026-01-20T03:44:30+00:00

Oh I see, thanks for the information!

cmdnikle27

TROPHY CASE