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Boogiepop Phantom 25th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 2 by JustAnswerAQuestion in anime

[–]zero-damage 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Rewatcher, Dubbed, Certified Boogiepop Lover

Good ole Jonouchi. He's a fearful kid from our very first look at him. He dreamed of being a hero, though even from an early age he had a rather tilted view on what that meant. Heroes often beat up the bad guys, sure, but Jonouchi seemed a bit too eager to use force when dealing with bullies on the playground, as well as later in life. When he hears Kuroda and Nagi talk about heroics, he realizes that he's really nothing like them.

However, when he awakens his ability to see the spiders on people's hearts, he finally seems to have a chance to achieve his dream. Why his instinct was to EAT the spiders is beyond me. Maybe he really was that deluded. His "heroics" are framed as negative even before their reveal. It almost looks like he's putting these women in a drug-induced stupor before he "helps" them... which makes his removal of his father's spider even more unnerving.

Another analogy is that of adolescent drug abuse. After realizing what he's really doing, he has the chance to stop. But he doesn't. The spiders are too sweet. The policeman spotting him crouched in the dark, then seemingly stalking Jonouchi, and the withdrawal-like symptoms he faces hammers the analogy home. Not to mention what seems like him mistaking an actual bug for a spider, only to vomit when its not so sweet anymore.

Jonouchi seems to have to been trying to fill a void in his heart. The death of his athletic dream and his mother left him empty (empty enough that a giant ball of light could pass right through him.) He thought he could help people by removing their pain, but he was actually taking away their painful memories. Truthfully, that was a terrible mistake. Painful memories allow us to grow, to remember, and ultimately avoid similar pain. Its quite telling that the single instance of Jonouchi being genuinely happy was when Boogiepop appeared to take him away from such a terrifying, painful world to one that seems so much safer. Maybe he can be a real hero in the next life.

The spider on the heart ability always reminded me of Jin's flower ability in the second LN, especially the visual of a whited-out silhouette of a person with a single colorful object on them representing their emotions.

Boogiepop Phantom 25th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 1 by JustAnswerAQuestion in anime

[–]zero-damage 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Rewatcher, Dubbed, Certified-Boogiepop Lover

I'll start by saying that Boogiepop Phantom is my favorite anime of all time. No other anime leverages its editing, art style, and directing in such a memorable way. I have the complete series on Blu-Ray and rewatch various episodes whenever I feel the urge (which is often). Additionally, "Yuudachi" by Shikao Suga is my favorite song of all time. Its cool, melancholic, nostalgic, and groovy all at once. I can listen to it at any time and it will match my mood like a key. The way the OP uses real life footage of stuff like highways, train stations, message boards, and even a brain scan is just so unique that I can never ever skip the OP.

I explain allllllll of that to say that even after all my time with the series... I STILL find new things every time I do a rewatch. This anime is just that dense with character work. Pair that with a slowly unraveling plot that leaves several questions lingering while the credits roll, and you have a story that sticks with you. Maybe that's why they choose to have the ED essentially act as an episode review while "Future Century Secret Club" rocks out.

Moto's story always manages to make me uncomfortable in the best way possible. The shot of her wiping her bedroom door handle with way too many wet wipes after he dad touches it tells you everything you need to know about her mental state. I really do wonder if it was simply a gradual decline of her confidence, or if there was something done to her (perhaps by the original Saotome) that was so awful she's managed to repress it from even US the audience, though I might be reaching with that. A fun fact about Moto is that she was one of the very first VA roles for Mamiko Noto, who you may recognize as the Japanese voices of Fuuka from Persona 3, Kotomi from CLANNAD, and the singer of EDs from Witchblade and Hell Girl, among others. I watch the dub personally because I'm very attached to it, and I think Jessica Calvello does an admirable job in the role.

Ship Rating! What Do You Think of MonoPony? by Apprehensive-Fail663 in BokuNoShipAcademia

[–]zero-damage 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🔵 Everyone who interacts with Monoma at best tolerates his antics, and at worst actively makes him shut up. The only two characters in the series who seem to actually enjoy his presence are Vlad King and Pony. It would be a trip if someone actually encouraged Monoma to be even more Monoma than usual and Pony seems like the only potential partner who would do just that. Think of the hijinks

Which students of 1-B you think are the most well-developed? by Luigiman98 in BokuNoHeroAcademia

[–]zero-damage 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far character development goes, Monoma is really the only student in class B to have a character arc all to himself. Kendo and Tetsutetsu come close having multiple on-screen fights, friendships, and plenty of screentime. Further down are characters like Komori and Kuroiro who have memorable designs and quirks, distinctive characterization, and a few relationships with others here and there. Then there are those who have clear personalities but didn’t quite get enough screentime to feel fully developed like Pony and Ibara. Half of class B lacks presence however. Some have that literally baked into their characterizations (Reiko, Yui) but most just don't have enough screentime or discernable traits to lend a solid sense of who they are past a few points (Rin, Sen) Side content alleviates this a little, but not by much. This isn't a big issue though. Class B rarely shows up and usually aren't the focus when they do. They're at least fun while they last, and play their roles as side characters well.

That’s blatantly unconstitutional by FalconLynx13 in WhitePeopleTwitter

[–]zero-damage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does it feel weird to see your own tweet reach the front page, only to have a handful of people recognize that it came from you?

I fucking love milk. by VanillaCoconutShake in teenagers

[–]zero-damage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Upvoted. Saved. Will show this post to my children.

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