Moving On from the Past (An Analysis of Lelouch of the Re;surrection)

I finally have the chance to watch the entirety of Code Geass, including the Lelouch of the Re;surrection movie, within the last week (I have to thank Netflix and Anione on that one). With the movie in particular, I worried that the whole thing is going to be a lazy fanservice, where the strength of the narrative only comes in allowing fans to see their favorite characters once again. To my surprise, Lelouch of the Re;surrection is probably the best kind of fanservice. Not only did it captures the key strength of the original series (coherent action set pieces, strong ensemble), it also actually has a theme that felt mostly cohesive with a complete arc.

That theme is moving on from the past.

How Tomozaki Becomes my Favorite Loner (From Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki)

When I saw the premise of Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki, I felt a bit… iffy. Reading the synopsis gave me the impression that the show is going to be some kind of self-help guide for lonely nerds where a girl helps a guy in order to be the most popular normie at school. I was worried that would be a certain vapidity in the proceeding. Now that I’ve watched the show, well, the show is technically what the synopsis said, but also something more.

More importantly it kind of cements Tomozaki as my favorite loner type characters. This is largely due to his honesty and earnestness which can be seen in the way he ties his motivation to his gamer identity.

What Makes a “Good” Death (Jujutsu Kaisen’s Analysis)

Jujutsu Kaisen‘s protagonist, Itadori Yuji, reflected quite a numerous times about the nature of death. As an example, the fact that he did not want his Senpai at school to experience a “bad” death is what initially spurred him into action, plunging him deep into the supernatural battle against the Cursed Spirits. It’s an odd phrasing, but wanting a “good” death basically means wanting an end to a life that feels satisfactory to you. Everybody is destined to die, so the least we can do is to choose how we die (until we somehow achieve immortality at least).

But that does brings up an obvious question, one that Yuji, and Jujutsu Kaisen as a whole, tries to explore: What exactly makes a “good” death?

In the Face of The Unknown (Analysis of Attack on Titan’s Female Titan Arc)

(Warning: Spoilers for The Female Titan arc)

Given how much has been revealed now that Attack on Titan is on its final season, it’s easy to forget that there are a lot of mysteries in the beginning of the series. So much in fact that it’s almost overwhelming. Examples of which includes the mystery of the basement, the origin of the titans, Eren’s mysterious capability to transform into a titan and his father involvement in it, and the wall religion secret cover up regarding the titan inside the wall. With so many questions hanging over the story, it’s only appropriate that one of Attack on Titan‘s earlier major story arc, The Female Titan arc, tackles the question of how does humanity both confront or deal with the unknown.

The answer to that is… not pretty.

Why Is Harem Protagonist So Dense?

Harem protagonist is perhaps one of the most magical creature in the world.

There’s their sheer capability of attracting girls attention despite their zero charisma and charm. How rescuing that one girl from that one mean neighborhood dog somehow makes them worthy of earning the privilege of love. What makes them so frustrating however is the fact that they are so clueless of the showering affection that has been granted to them. Good lord, why can’t you notice those girls really likes you man?!

Despite the frustration that this lack of social awareness can entail, the density of harem protagonist remains. Having the main protagonist of a harem genre be completely unaware of girls attraction toward them is basically expected of them, a trope as common as panty shots as far genre staples goes.

So, frustrating as it is, why is the trope so popular?