The entire 3-minute city ambiance scene from Ghost in the Shell (1995) is already one of the best moments in all of cinema imo, but I NEED to talk about my absolute favorite part from it:
That brief moment when Major Kusanagi and a stranger with her exact same body model catch a glance at one another. How quickly the initial curiosity of seeing the doppelgänger turns into a feeling of unease as the boat carries her away.
She will never meet this stranger. She’ll never know anything about her other than the simple reminder that every piece of her cybernetic body is not unique to her. There is no part of her other than her brain and all its memories that she has any true ownership of, and even that isn’t immune to being hacked and potentially erased by outside forces. Despite being a part of a bustling city, all she can do is reflect on how utterly isolated she feels as a living being.
How can she possibly define her humanity when she herself is confined in the form of what is essentially a highly modified weapon? How can she relate to others when she has more in common with the mannequins on display in a shopping mall than with the any of the people walking the streets?
All of this inner turmoil at one’s own existence conveyed without a SINGLE word of dialogue spoken. Now that’s the power of cinema if I’ve ever seen it!
Ramblings about Candace in Chromatic Ode of Candies and Roses
I was going to add this to my cynodace culture post but since it’s mostly about Candace (and not all of it culture-related), I figured I might as well make it its own thing.
Candace and Music
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Candace and Nilou’s performance at the parade being a parallel to the legend of the first ever Sabzerus Festival is already cool on its own. It strengthens their already-existing ties to Deshret and Malikata, respectively, and even a reincarnation-theory-neutral like me can enjoy that.
What caught my interest even more, however, were Candace and Deshret’s instruments.
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Deshret’s is only described as an instrument with strings, while Candace’s is explicitly named as the tanbur.
In real life, tanbur refers to several instruments from some parts of Asia, including India, Iran, and Iraq – areas which heavily influence Sumeru’s rainforest, but not so much the desert (except for the Girdle of the Sands area/Pari lore). So I like to think that the tanbur in Genshin is primarily a rainforest instrument, and Candace chose to learn it in part to connect to her father’s cultural heritage.
Candace and Nahida
In a story primarily following Candace’s point of view and centered around Nahida’s birthday, it’s…disappointing that they didn’t so much as talk one on one.
But you could also argue that it might be intentional, at least on Candace’s part. If you squint at some things. Mainly her voiceline on Nahida, which seems a little distant.
Perhaps it is a testament to the Dendro Archon’s benevolence that I, a descendant of the Al-Ahmar bloodline, am able to live peacefully on this land. If so, I suppose I am grateful for this much, but… I am first and foremost a child of the desert.
Candace, “About Lesser Lord Kusanali”
She also wasn’t mentioned in Alhaitham’s Character Story 2 as one of the people who came to the Sanctuary of Surasthana to have discussions with him and Nahida. It seems she just… never really made contact with her even post-AQ (contrasted with Dehya who was part of the Surasthana meetings and has a voiceline about Kusanali being too light on the Sages).
Which makes her decision to take part in this parade interesting to me! It’s like Candace is a little behind from everyone else in getting to know Nahida, but she now chooses to anyway, even if she’s starting with silent observation and offerings of a performance. As someone who is steadfast in her duties even after finding out that the god who supposedly blessed her never did, she is probably the one least used to the concept of a god who is just…there, and not a distant thing of the past or something she could vaguely pray to.
It would be fun to see future Sumeru stories show her making progress on this. I would say I’m coping, but the fact that we got any Candace focus at all post-3.x has given me hope that anything’s possible.
(I ship them all queerplatonically but feel free to read as whatever flavor you prefer)
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Ouh her smile…
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Also Ms. “Trying to save rowdy mercs fron Candace’s wrath in her demo” Dehya is not immune to being a worrywart, I see. Very cute.
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“I will encourage them being Worse” and Cyno’s worse is “puns” and Candace’s worse is “terrifying to troublemakers”. I love them.
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And finally. This line is not about them, I know. But I really like it combined with the Alhaitham and Candace focus. They’re both very fond of their own “mundane” lives and have refused “better” job opportunities to keep said lives. Rotating this line in the Candace & Haitham corner of my mind constantly, I’m so glad we see them talk more.
Whew. Okay. Ramble over. Live laugh love Candace <3
Ok I’m being so brave about it but a couple of days ago I saw this post claiming that the Jedi saying ‘this weapon [your lightsaber] is your life’ is emblematic of ‘the Jedi’s failure as peacekeepers’ (not an exact quote but pretty close) because why would a weapon be the life of a peacekeeper?
And like. The Jedi are a culture. They’re a religion.
You know that, right? You know that many cultures, including generally peaceful ones, have sacred weapons, right? You know that the bond between a Jedi and their crystal(s) is an extremely sacred thing that requires the consent of both parties and is integral to their way of life, right?
You know that lightsabers are not intended to be only for killing, right? That the first thing Luke learns to do with his lightsaber is to shield and defend? You know that a culture having sacred weapons doesn’t mean that they view killing as sacred, right?
Not trying to start shit, I don’t even remember who said it, but ugh
lightsaber combat is literally a martial art. if you look at what wikipedia says martial arts are:
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I put special emphasis on “practiced for a number of reasons such as physical, mental and spiritual development; and the preservation of a nation’s intangible cultural heritage” because that’s exactly why the jedi have lightsaber combat: it’s part of their culture, as essential to it as the Force, and it’s a way to train and connect with themselves, each other, and the Force. plenty of martial arts use weapons like swords and staffs, and it’s most notable on asian martial arts like kendo, which is literally what lightsaber combat in the movies was inspired on. the weapons don’t mean they’re more violent than unarmed martial arts, or that they are meant to kill. they’re just a different style of martial art, much like music has so many different genres.
plus, lightsabers are extremely limited in range, they are obviously meant for defense over offense. they can only cut down people who get close enough to be within range of the blade, and even though they can deflect blaster shots they still need to have been shot at first. using a lightsaber to kill is easy. anyone who gets their hands on a lightsaber can do that. using a lightsaber to defend, to save lives? now that requires plenty of training, discipline and understanding of oneself and one’s weapon. that’s what lightsaber combat is. that’s why jedi carry lightsabers.
if the jedi were armed to kill, they’d be carrying blasters like the rest of the galaxy
Honestly, guys, reblog this version maulfucker said it WAY better
To add onto an already great explanation, this is exactly what Obi-Wan says in supplementary canon, in the Star Wars ongoing comic:
“It is about how we wish to be seen, Anakin, and how that ties into the central mission of the Jedi Order. We do not want to be powerful. We wish to stand tall against the dark. Our tools reflect that goal. Especially our chosen weapon. We all wield the same one, with minor variations. The lightsaber. We could make kyber bombs or blasters… indeed, it’s been tried. There are a few weapons like that in the sealed Archives. “But anyone can fire a blaster. Very few can safely and skillfully wield a lightsaber. Everyone in the galaxy knows this to be true. We want our opponents to know that we use a weapon that requires intention. Training, precision and choice. The lightsaber symbolizes the care with which we approach our gifts through the Force and the care with which we wield them. It reminds others that while we could do more… we very purposefully do not. “We choose a weapon with limitations–with difficulties. You cannot use a lightsaber to destroy a city or a planet. Every death or injury it reflects must be chosen. The lightsaber tells the galaxy that the Jedi are not destroyers. We are protectors.“
Star Wars: Lightsabers - A Guide To Weapons of The Force by Pablo Hidalgo
ANATOMY OF A LIGHTSABER notes of interest: (NOTE: This is the 2018 version, so this is a canon reference book.)
A true lightsaber cannot be assembled by a machine, only those sensitive to the Force can construct one.
“Once the energy is focused, it leaves the handle from a positively charged energy lens inside the blade emitter. The beam is trapped inside an energy field created by the kyber crystal, which bends the beam back towards a negatively charged high-energy flux aperture in the emitter. To an observer, it looks like the blade simply stops growing, but this loop of energy creates the lightsaber’s distinctive hum as well as the spinning effect in the blade’s movements, making the weapon difficult to control for those without training.”
(This is probably what makes the blades so bouncy against each other, because they’re–as someone once described them–a bit like energy chainsaws, in the way that they’re a loop going around and around, rather than a steady beam.)
“A lightsaber is an extention of a Jedi’s Force awareness. Becasue Jedi let the Force guide their selection of the crystal, the vibration the crystal creates in the lightsaber blade helps Jedi center themselves and find balance in the Force.”
MYTH: Only a Jedi or a Sith can wield a lightsaber. FACT: "Anyone could pick up a lightsaber and use it, but lightsabers are extremely difficult to wield. Those used to swinging solid swords often find using a weightless blade a challenge–one that can have dangerous consequences. Only through rigorous training and enhanced senses through the Force can a Jedi use a lightsaber to its full potential.“
“Training lightsabers emit low-intensity blades that cannot cut and are not lethal. Contact with a training blade will only sting or numb an opponent; however these blades do convey an accurate sensation of holding a real lightsaber.”
“Most lightsabers incorporate a pressure activation lever that causes it to power down if dropped. They may also have a ‘lock’ switch that keeps the blade active, so a Jedi can throw a lightsaber some distance and guide its path through the Force.”
“Beyond its use as a weapon or an instrument of meditation, a lightsaber is a practical tool. Given enough time, a lightsaber can cut through most substances. Even shield-rated blast doors will melt after extended exposure to a lightsaber blade, making it nearly impossible to imprison an armed Jedi Knight. Most Jedi will not risk slicing through bulkhead walls or high-energy force fields, though, because cutting into such a powerful source could be explosive.”
MYTH: A lightsaber can cut through anything. FACT: The key to creating a solid weapon that can clash with a lightsaber blade is not the metal used in construction but rather the energy the metal conducts. Energy transmitted across a metal blade or polearm can foritfy a weapon so it can block a lightsaber blade. The electrostaffs of the MagnaGuard droids or the energized weapons of Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guards, for example, pose a challenge to even trained lightsaber combatants.“
“Standard lightsabers and water don’t mix. While some protective measures do exist, such as flashback waterseals, lighting a lightsaber underwater can be a problem. The weapon may boil the surrounding water, spinning turbulance and making it difficult to control. Should a Jedi become submerged in water during the course of an assignment, he or she had best make sure the lightsaber is prepared for such a journey.”
“A Jedi who loses a lightsaber often builds another. In times of great need–such as the emergency of the Clone Wars–the Order kept replacement lightsabers for Jedi to use while they built a new one.”
“Above all, Jedi must keep track of their lightsabers. Should a lightsaber fall into the hands of an unpracticed or dishonorable person, it will almost always lead to tragedy.”
A brief look into the Hand seals (印) of Domain Expansions
The hand seal used by Domain expansion users is shirushi (印) or mudra of various bodhisattvas. In normal practice, these seals are performed while chanting the mantra for respective Bodhisattva.
1. Jougo, Domain: Coffin of Iron Mountain (蓋棺鉄囲山 / gaikan tecchizen); seal is associated with Daikokuten.
Also known as Mahakala, or “the Great Black one”, or “the Great Time”, Daikokuten is originated from Shiva in Hinduism, who plays role as the destroyer of all things as per his connection to “time” (kala), whose aspects later adopted by Buddhism. In Japan, Daikokuten is one of the seven lucky gods (七福神 / shichifukujin) associated with food and wealth.
2. Gojou Satoru, Domain: Unlimited Void (無量空処 / muryoukuusho); seal is associated with Taishakuten or Sakra
Sakra means “powerful” or “mighty”, and is originated from Indra. Taishakuten is often depicted as a pair with Brahma (or Bonten) as the greatest protector deities (dharmapala) of Buddhism. As Indra governs other devas in heaven, Taishakuten is also depicted to govern other 32 gods in heaven and served by the Four Heavenly Kings (四天王 / shitennou).
時 (toki, ji) means “time” - most likely referring to his technique which related to speed and time, 胞 (hou) relates to placenta, membrane, or things “inside the womb” - as seen in his domain shape which recalls the womb with its ovaries, while 月宮殿 (gekkyuden) is a palace in the moon that appears in several legends, such as Journey to the West
Hand sign: Ucchusma seal/shirushi
Ucchusma is one of the five Myou'ou (Great king) in esoteric Buddhism. He is known as a god of fire and guardian deity of the bathroom (yes, I’m serious). He is also believed to be able to purify filth with raging fire. One of his power is to be able to transform a girl inside the womb into a boy
Kanji breakdown: 胎蔵 (taizou), probably taken from 胎蔵界 (taizoukai), in Buddhism refer to Womb Realm, a space inhabited by Five Compassion Buddha, and said to encompass everything, and to nurture a person. 遍 (hen) means spreading or widespread. 野 means an area. The full name means something along “the spreading of the womb”.
Instead of the usual hand seals shirushi (印), Kenjaku’s hand seal is different. Unlike the other, his hand seal is one of the 十二合掌 (juunigassho) (literal translation; twelve Anjali mudra).
His hand seal forms 反叉合掌 (honsho gassho), interlocking fingers. In esoteric Buddhism, Twelve gassho reflects the process of Buddha Shakyamuni in defeating Mara and reaching enlightenment.
To be noted that in esoteric Buddhism, right hand reflects the Buddha world (金剛界 ; kongokai or vajradhatu; the diamond realm), while left hand reflects the human world (胎蔵界 ; taizoukai or garbhakosa; the womb realm). The symbolism of Kenjaku’s hand seal might refer to him reaching enlightenment (which has a strong association with Gojou) coming from the human world.
Kanji breakdown: 三重 (also read as sanjuu, or mie) means to triple, or triplicate. Also can refer to the highest pitch range in the three ranges of the Shoumyou, or Buddhist music. 疾苦 (shikku) means “suffering” or “affliction”, be from illness, or hardship in life.
The hand seal of Yorozu’s domain expansion is the shirushi (印) of 地蔵菩薩 (Jizou-bosatsu). Jizou-bosatsu was said to be entrusted by Shakyamuni with the salvation of sentient beings during the time when there is no bodhisattva, from the death of Shakyamuni until the Buddhahood of Maitreya. His name in Sanskrit is Kṣitigarbha (Kṣiti = “earth”, garbha = “womb”), symbolizing his endless compassion like the earth who nurtures all life. In Japan, Jizou-bosatsu is known as the guardian deity of children. People enshrined a lot of Jizou statues by the roadsides. In China, Jizou-bosatsu is the same as Enma, the lord of the underworld, and worshiped for salvation from hell after one’s death.
(and for note, Sukuna’s hand seal for his domain expansion is the seal of Enmaten)
The seal of Yuuji’s domain expansion seemed to be hand seal of Acala (不動明王), whose name means “Immovable Lord” in Sanskrit. He is a wrathful deity, known as destroyer of evil and has been theoretically connected to Shiva from Hinduism due to its role of destruction and reincarnation. Also interesting to note that Acala is known as one of the deities of Womb Realm, so this ties nicely to Kenjaku’s hand seal. A very fitting choice for Yuuji’s character.
Mentally, I’m still here….. I really love that this hidden scene gives us a glimpse of how much gentler they are with each other now; how they seem more comfortable around each other while they work and figure out things together (which I do think is likely reminiscent of their dynamic during their Akademiya student days before the fallout); and how Alhaitham still really loves being a deadpan playful tease with Kaveh because he’s always so quietly amused by his senpai’s dramatic reactions.
The JP dub particularly conveys Alhaitham’s subtle teasing tone really well too — especially with the way he says “まさか…?”, the way he voiced “….” more as hmmm (as though he’s seriously considering Kaveh’s question lmao), and then againat the end with his “see, this is how you do it (duh)” with just the slightest tilt of his head… thIS MAN IS SO UNSERIOUS SOMETIMES I HATE/LOVE HIM LOL.
(Umehara Yuuichirou and Yang Chao Ran’s voice-acting/portrayal of Alhaitham is truly peak deadpan comedy and dry witticism.)
I also love the way they both share the same brainwave and are thinking about getting coffee :“) Hoyo, how dare you not show me clips of Mehrak ordering and levitating the coffee back to them lol!
We do see the dallah and coffee cup set on their table later while they’re reading through the books together, though. Gotta love and appreciate that continuity.
And no, Cyno, you’re not hallucinating. I too can see that Kaveh and Alhaitham are engaged now—
Yes, tell me more about the cultural connotations of this word, tell me about this pun or double meaning that didn’t fully translate, tell me where the English translation took liberties. Can’t get enough of it.
I’d also add that cultural analysis during the time it’s happening is different to analysis done in the future, so timeliness changes our understanding of it. Meta analysis of fandoms and fandom in general is important to document too. And as someone fairly new to fandom I find it fascinating:)
I was looking for something completely unrelated when I came across a holy tag on AO3 with a multitude of resources. Behold:
Adding a few more tags to filter like Language, Linguistics, Translations, Meta, Essays and you can find some really interesting results! I love rummaging through tags. I’ve also found if you exclude tags like CSS, HTML, Work Skin from that result it will make it easier to filter for the meta and research. There’s a lot of incredible formatting tips and guides with the Work Skin-related tags though so whatever you’re looking for, filter accordingly!
Here’s just a few things I’ve found recently:
Meta: Linguistic Analysis of the Main Characters in The Old Guard by wingsdocx. ~9k. This is an analysis of the speech patterns of the main characters in The Old Guard. I’ve focused on syntax, although I’ve also looked at pragmatics and semantics, as well as sociolinguistics to a smaller extent.[….]
Ethuverazheise Reference Guide by Island_of_Reil. 20k. This is a list summarizing various worldbuilding aspects in both of Katherine Addison’s novels, one aspect per chapter[…]
50 Ways to Kill a Mermaid by SpinnerDolphin. 5k. A hopefully humorous guide to writing mermaids, by your friendly fannish neighbor who studied marine biology. WRITE MORE MERMS. AND PLEASE STOP PUTTING THEM IN BATHTUBS. <3
Representation of Deaf Characters and Sign Language use within Fanfiction by ResearchUnicorn. 12k. *This is a scientific paper - not a fic.* This paper looks into how D/deaf characters are portrayed in fanfiction, how sign language is portrayed in fanfiction, how this compares to mainstream medias, and lastly is an ode to fanfiction and what it can mean.
It’s just an incredible bounty of fandom and fandom-specific resources!
I plan on archiving my “how to find fanvids on tumblr/AO3” on under that tag since I can barely find my own tumblr post with my documentation.
Now that eugene is near death from that gut punch do you think he'll experience an awakening like Gojo? With the parallels with geto and gojo getting stronger with megumi getting taken over like geto I think it's possible
There’s the possibility, but since we’re talking about jjk not other shounen manga, my confidence on things like awakening happening is not very high. It’s just that I don’t think gege works like that. Yuuji for one, before he took in Sukuna’s finger, couldn’t even see curses, and couldn’t use curse technique. He only started to see curse because his grandfather died and he and Fushiguro was in a curse hotspot, which was his old school. The next question now is whether he still retains curse energy or not, because he only got it from eating Sukuna’s finger. Although I doubt his curse energy will go away completely, I also think that Sukuna moves out his body will take a good chunk of it.
So I think “awakening” have a low possibility for now to happen, but rather for Yuuji has to maximize more of his Blackflash or other martial arts technique that he currently has. Even against Mahito, who is practically his arch enemy, he doesn’t really do other thing, he just keeps doing what he can do. Of course this is just my opinion on the matter based on how jjk before, but I could be wrong and gege does something different later
Okay, been thinking about this today.
So, for Yuuji, I don’t think new curse technique is possible since he is never a sorcerer in the first place. Even if he somehow can manifest Sukuna’s cutting technique, I doubt he would be willing to use it since Sukuna has used it to massacre people in Shibuya, using Yuuji’s body.
However what Yuuji can possibly awaken to is, similar to Gojou in flashback arc, the reverse curse energy, and subsequently reverse curse technique. It would make a more plausible power-up for him since reverse curse technique not only would make Yuuji more resilient due to its healing properties, but there’s also a possibility for him to have more powerful Blackflash from reverse curse energy since it naturally has higher energy potential compared to normal curse technique.
“Reverse cursed technique” is trending currently in Jpn fandom, along with “Kurusu-chan” and “Fushiguro Megumi”. The japanese fans are speculating that Yuuji are unconsciously use reverse curse technique because his injured ear seems to be healing
YUUJI HAS ACTUALLY ACQUIRED REVERSE CURSED TECHNIQUE. FINALLY A POWER UP FOR MY BOY.
Gotta talk about Nanami to cope. I thought he already died when Jogo burned him and was stunned when it was so short. This made it so much worse but there’s so much to this scene that I want to breakdown. I will never recover.
First, there’s the sharp contrast between the beach and Nanami half dead fighting Mahito’s transformed souls. It’s this contrast of ideal versus reality. It’d be nice to be somewhere else relaxing, but something about Nanami’s character is that he feels this duty to do what is right. He has to go help Megumi because that’s the right thing to do. Even if he’s not in the state to do it. He can’t be daydreaming about beaches in Malaysia. And he’s so so tired. He’s already done so much but he continues to want to help others.
And Mahito, DAMN MAHITO, comes up behind him and reveals he was there the whole time. There’s so much futility in this moment. Mahito could have just killed Nanami instantly once he saw him, but he let him keep fighting. Fighting for what? Mahito was just going to kill him. This also enforces Mahito’s character and how he’s always seen humans as playthings.
Nanami feels this futility too. He doesn’t know why he even stayed in the jujutsu world. Then he sees his old friend. His friend who died too early to help anyone and who didn’t have the chance to do the work that Nanami did. And Nanami takes back what he said. He can’t regret what he did with his life when Haibara didn’t even have a chance at a life. Haibara embodies this sense of duty Nanami feels to do what is right.
“I shouldn’t.” Again, Nanami doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to die, but even in his finals moments he tries to do what is right. Ideally, you would die peacefully, but Haibara points Yuji out. There’s something Nanami still needs to do. He gives Yuji encouragement to keep going and stand up against Mahito.
And then Itadori has to watch Nanami die. He’s just had a breakdown after having Sukuna use his body to form a crater in Shibuya and feels lost. In his stupor, he comes across Nanami, who had guided him when he was still new to the jujutsu world. This is the last thing he needed. Gojo, the renowned strongest sorcerer and his teacher, is sealed and now Nanami, who acted as Yuji’s mentor, is dead. And Yuji screams at Mahito. The music change from silence to intensity is wild as they begin to fight.
Since Nanami is my favorite character from JJK, this hurt a lot. There’s something reassuring knowing he can rest now but painful that he couldn’t do that in life. I loved him because his desire to help people stood out compared to other characters. He didn’t enjoy being a jujutsu sorcerer, but it at least helped people. That’s why he stayed. And it hurts so much when someone who just wants to help people and meets their end because of it.
Yeah, let’s talk about the Ten shadows technique. Again.
Ten shadows technique is derived from the lore of Tokusa no kandakara (十種神宝) or Ten sacred treasures from the Shintoism lore. These are the symbols that depict them - and most of these can also be found engraved on the shikigami summoned using the technique
Okitsukagami (Mirror of the Deep) – Toad (Fushiguro’s)
Hetsukagami (Mirror of the Shore) – Max Elephant (both Fushiguro’s and Sukuna’s)
Yatsuka no tsurugi (Eight hands Long Sword) – Makora (not engraved clearly like most, but literally in its name when Fushiguro summoned it)
Ikutama (Jewel of Life)
Makarukaeshi no tama (Jewel of Resuscitation) – Round Deer (Sukuna’s; very perfect with its use for reverse curse energy)
Tarutama (Jewel of Plenty) – Black Jade Dog (Fushiguro’s)
Chikaeshi no tama (Jewel of turning back on the Road) – White Jade Dog (Fushiguro’s). The combination of Tarutama and Chikaeshi no tama’s symbols make up the symbol on Kon Jade Dog.
Orochi no hire (Snake[-repelling] Scarf)
Hachi no hire (Bee[-repelling] Scarf) – Piercing Ox (Sukuna’s)
Kusagusa no mono no hire (Scarf [to ward off] Various Things)
That leaves Nue, Escape Rabbit, and Serpent. Serpent should be ikutama by the glimpse of it, but it’s unclear. So Nue and Rabbit would be Orochi no hire and Kusagusa no mono no hire.
After a few years of guessing game, we finally have the full roster of shikigami army that the Ten Shadows technique can summon. Although with unexpected twist of not one, but two users.
Additional info from vol. 24 extra pages
The first is that the mark on Sukuna’s Nue on its forehead is the same as Orochi, which is ikutama (no 4).
Mark of Escape Rabbit is kusagusa no mono no hire (Scarf [to ward off] Various Things; symbol no 10). It says that the mark is only present on one rabbit out of many. If the marked rabbit is defeated, all of the other rabbits will disappear.
By way of elimination, the last symbol, orochi no hire (no 8) should be on the tiger
An Essay Exploring Psycho-Pass’s Most Controversial Character
I know I’m opening a huge, slimy can of worms and potentially incurring the wrath of half the Psycho-Pass fandom, but I feel compelled to share my feelings on Mika Shimotsuki and how I believe she serves as a lightning rod for fan culture misogyny. Now, before I start, let me just say that this essay isn’t targeted at any one individual, and it’s just my personal opinion, which you are more than welcome to disagree with. I’d also like to stress that, despite my love for Mika’s character, I’m going to try my very best to approach this topic from an academic standpoint rather than an emotional one. I recently picked Parasocial Relationships and their effect on female celebrities and fictional characters as a thesis for my Gender and Media course, and it really got me thinking about this anime in particular, so here we go –
This. I’ve not a lot to add if I’m being honest— I’ve loved Mika since day 1 and had many an argument with people on the internet over the years and I really commend you for making this well-written analysis that not only shows how much Mika has grown over the course of the show but also your clear love for her (we stan a queen 😌). Hopefully those who have looked at her in not such a great light will see this and maybe rethink their interpretation and the way they treat her character (hoping it does a better job than a long argument on discord for example 😂). Well done! 👏
A great breakdown of a controversial character. Mika didn’t strike me as particularly annoying in S2. She was a minor ffs, expected to do the job of an adult in the MPSWB. I was impressed by her guts to take the initiative to find out about Togane and her rivalry with Akane is very understandable. The problem is Akane and Kogami are two characters that are outliers to the one-track perspective of the Sybil System. Their viewpoints are so wholly unique, that it would be difficult for any ‘indoctrinated’ citizen to not freak out in their presence.
Mika and Ginoza are perfect examples of how an ordinary citizen inculcated in the Sybil System would react to the flaws in the System, and given the leverage that Togane and Kasei had over Mika, I didn’t expect her to behave differently.
She’s grown over time, The Sinners of the System Case 1 movie was a pivotal moment where she showed maturity. I enjoyed her moments in S3 and FI, where she was still bossy but capable and had grown to care about her senpai Akane, even when she could not understand her motives. It’s also clear from her actions that she holds a fair amount of guilt over being 'implicit’ in the death of Akane’s grandma and it’s Ginoza who offers her some kind of comfort or counseling.
To be fair though, the only time I was genuinely angry at Mika was during the scene where Risa Aoyanagi was killed, her inaction and unwillingness to act on her own to save the lives of the victims rubbed me wrongly.
THIS. Given both Mika’s history with latent criminals and the fact that she was born into a post-Sibyl society, almost everything she does in PP2 makes perfect sense, from distrusting Enforcers, to worrying about her Hue, to disapproving of Akane’s unconventional methods. The fact that Akane begins questioning Sibyl’s judgement on her first day as an Inspector and doesn’t harbor any ingrained prejudice against latent criminals is shocking. She and Kougami are true outliers, like you said, whereas Mika and Ginoza are your average, everyday citizens. They trust Sibyl implicitly, and that’s one of the things that makes them so interesting. Unlike Akane and Kougami, their arcs are dependent upon them waking up from a lifetime of brainwashing to see the system for what it truly is. And as of PP3, neither of them are there yet. Hopefully, if the showgets a fourth season, we’ll see them develop even further.
I also love that Mika’s retained a lot of her bossiness, stubbornness, and impatience, even though she’s grown into a much more compassionate and understanding character. Really makes her evolution feel natural. I hate it when strong female characters have their sharp edges dulled over time, as if they need to be nice to be good. Thankfully, the PP team has avoided doing this to Mika.
But yeah, I feel you on the care facility scene. I was so frustrated with Mika for twiddling her thumbs while Aoyanagi and the hostages were being murdered. I get why she waited, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch. To this day, I still think that’s Psycho-Pass’s most disturbing moment.
One of my favorite things about the game’s writing of Alhaitham and Kaveh:
The basic game text goes out of its way to convince us that the house is Alhaitham’s–it is literally called “Alhaitham’s Home” even during Kaveh’s hangout.
But in-universe, we never see Alhaitham in his house unless Kaveh is there.
Throughout Sumeru’s archon quests, we run into Alhaitham practically everywhere: in Port Ormos, in Aaru Village, in the Akademiya, at the Grand Bazaar. But never, despite the fact that the story wants to sell him as a homebody, in his own home. In fact, the only references we have to Alhaitham’s house at all throughout the entire lead up of the archon quests are mentions of Kaveh.
Alhaitham doesn’t suggest going there, doesn’t ever go home himself (at least that we’re explicitly told about) until the end of the archon quests, and has no cutscenes in his own house until Kaveh returns from the desert.
Then, all the sudden, Alhaitham literally can’t wait to go home and walks off in the middle of a conversation.
From that point on, every time we’re permitted to enter Alhaitham’s house, in story quests,the hangout, and the event, it’s either when he and Kaveh are together or with Kaveh alone.
Even during Alhaitham’s birthday skit of all things, they went out of their way to tell us that Alhaitham’s home, so of course Kaveh is there:
The map tag tells us the building is Alhaitham’s Home, but the story reinforces a different idea:
Hi! May I ask what do you think the butterfly cocoon imagery in the Shibuya OP song mean? And is there any easter eggs in the OP that you found interesting that you can share with us? Thank you!
I was gonna make a separate post, but let’s just do it here and answer this ask too. Heed for manga spoilers
1. Pretty sure the butterfly hatching from its cocoon refers to Mahito. He transforms during his fight with Yuuji to what he called “spirit body”. Not to mention this panel of butterfly drawn before his transformation
2. The general inspiration for the 2nd OP is probably Hyakki Yakou (Night of a Hundred Demons). Not the vol 0 thing, but the original lore. In the legend, Hyakki yakou refers to when numerous youkai and oni takes to the street, like a parade, from the walking scene to the literal chaos. These ukiyo-e style of cursed spirits illustration is also a nod to this (which I really love)
Not me, crying because I remembered the Windblume lines about people in Sumeru forming families through their academic research, which adds a whole other layer of meaning to Kaveh’s character story…
Kaveh tore his and Alhaitham’s thesis in half. Alhaitham removed his own name.
What really fell apart–a research project or yet another one of Kaveh’s hopes for a family?
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