Meeting Date: 11/10/2018
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
Samantha Ferreira: Same
So let’s get rolling!
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Herald Anime Club! I’m Samantha, and I’m here with L.B. Bryant and Lydia Rivers
L.B. Bryant: Hello!
Lydia Rivers: Hiii everyone
Samantha Ferreira: Tonight, we’re back to murder puppets, but not really, as we discuss Karakuri Circus Episode 5: “What the hell was that?”
Alternate title: “The one where Shirogane fantasizes about murdering kids with Arlequin”
L.B. Bryant: Alternate, Alternate title: I’d like to sue for whiplash
So from what I understand, the anime just skipped about 40 chapters of manga material and landed us straight in school comedy land.
Samantha Ferreira: … … … WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!
Lydia Rivers: We can tell.
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed
The tonal dissonance is just… It’s beyond jarring
Lydia Rivers: What is not clear is why an 18 year old is going back to school, nor how she fit through a basketball hoop. Is she ok? I’m worried…
L.B. Bryant: She has magic circus powers, that’s how.
Lydia Rivers: I mean, those things are only 18 inches in diameter. Being that most runway models have hips of 33″, I REALLY AM WORRIED
Samantha Ferreira: Either those kids really suck at basketball or Shirogane is malnourished
Lydia Rivers: Well, it was really hard to make the switch to preteen boy fantasy land that’s for sure.
Samantha Ferreira: That’s saying it lightly
Shirogane was a fascinating character through the first four episodes
But now? She’s literally “onee-sama: the trope: the anime”
Right down to the whole “cooking a full 5-course meal in home ec” gag
Lydia Rivers: She is a prop, who feels guilty she couldn’t spit blood and make herself smile to save the day
And I’m super bitter about it
Samantha Ferreira: I think that’s the best way to phrase it
This show treats her like a piece of the furniture now
Lydia Rivers: It’s the Asuna treatment, except this came before Asuna, so
Samantha Ferreira: So Asuna got the Shirogane treatment?
Lydia Rivers: I really hope we get to the puppet battles soon. Please be like Bleach with puppets so we can just watch fight scenes all day
Samantha Ferreira: Shirogane: (v.) “The act of sucking agency away from a character so she becomes a vehicle for pre-teen boys and maladjusted men to project their desires.”
L.B. Bryant: Submit it to Urban Dictionary before someone else does. : )
Lydia Rivers: In before all the hate mail you get for that statement x3
Samantha Ferreira: Screw that. I get enough as it is.
Shirogane (v.): The act of sucking agency away from a character so she becomes a vehicle for pre-teen boys and maladjusted men to project their desires.
Lydia Rivers: YA SO I’M BORED NOW
LB, are you bored now?
or do you see some hope
L.B. Bryant: I’m not sure. I’m plenty bothered with the direction it’s gone this week but there are about 30 episodes left so I guess there’s a chance they’ll go back to the murder puppets at some point? Questions are, how long and do any of us have the patience to wait that long?
Lydia Rivers: I do like the murder puppets
Aloquin best boy
Samantha Ferreira: I love murder puppets
Best part was when Shirogane and Arlequin were peering into the classroom together, because of course they were, but it was a cute visual
Lydia Rivers: I loved that
L.B. Bryant: My mind keeps going back to the circus that Shirogane joins at the end of the episode… a circus that is apparently on the verge of bankruptcy… and has only four people running it… including an animal trainer that may or may not actually have any animals.
Lydia Rivers: ….
Samantha Ferreira: It’s… a creepy circus
Lydia Rivers: Maybe it’s going bankrupt because the performers can’t admire a woman’s beauty without losing control of their faces?
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed.
Or talk to their landlord without being assholes
Lydia Rivers: Well, now Shirogane has an excuse to wear tight clothes and stuff, which is more than a lot of anime girls get. We should be grateful * sarcasm *
Samantha Ferreira: Such respect!
Lydia Rivers: Honestly, I think her athletecism is an awesome thing. It’s just, when blended together with her unnecessarily suggestive postures when she’s trying to force her servitude onto a preteen boy (like bending at a 90 degree angle to place a napkin), it’s just kind of suspect and I am way too old to appreciate it.
If fan service isn’t subtle (and only featuring adults), I generally hate it. Unless you happen to be the team behind Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann. Then just go crazy!
Samantha Ferreira: Yeah, but the Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann team does everything to 15 – we can forgive that
Lydia Rivers: Plus they’re pretty equal about it. Every gender is fair game
Samantha Ferreira: This was skeevy. And not in that good John Waters way, either
Exactly
KLK had the massive boner gun, for crying out loud
Lydia Rivers: AHAHAHAH! Oh my god.
Who puts a nudist teacher in the position of a hero? THOSE GUYS
Samantha Ferreira: Exactly!
Lydia Rivers: He was pretty sleazy too, but our lesbian main punished him each time, which was refreshing.
Samantha Ferreira: True that.
I think the worst part of this is that we’re going to be right there for the puppet battles, if they ever start again. Like… “OH MY GAH I LOVE THIS :open_mouth: Why did we…? … … … Oh. Shirogane is bending over to fit into a length of industrial tubing.”
L.B. Bryant: I’m sure we’ll get more murder puppets before too long though with the series turning into a school comedy, I’m worried about what context we’re going to see them in again next. For all I know they could be used in a ‘make the classroom blow up in an effort to protect Masaru’ gag.
Which would ruin them forever.
Samantha Ferreira: True that.
Let it be known that Shirogane is willing to straight-up murder a room full of small children because Masaru was being bullied.
L.B. Bryant: Indeed.
Also, her advice to Masaru to just not stick out so that he doesn’t get bullied is pretty much the stupidest advice I’ve heard in a very long time.
Samantha Ferreira: It’s because of her EYES though!
Don’t you see? her eyes!
They made her stand out in CIRCUS SCHOOL!
Lydia Rivers: Ugh. Because the circus isn’t filled with people who stand out on purpose
Samantha Ferreira: It’s like
“Who the hell was day drinking at this point?!”
Lydia Rivers: Also Masaru ignored her advice and was just blunt with everyone, which was kinda neat, in a simple sort of way
Samantha Ferreira: yeah
Lydia Rivers: Especially with the scar stigma that seems to pervade anime and manga
People are always saying ‘I hope it doesn’t scar” and “Girls shouldn’t have scars” and “Whoa, he’s got a scar, he must be a criminal!”
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed
Lydia Rivers: Well that’s all I have to say about this episode. There wasn’t much! And of what there was…a resounding MEH.
L.B. Bryant: I’m pretty much tapped out for this week as well.
Samantha Ferreira: All I can say is “what the hell was up with that final shot?”
L.B. Bryant: No clue. It was kind of weird to end a comedy episode with that though.
Samantha Ferreira: lol
Lydia Rivers: They showed us that ridiculous death scene, only to be like “nope sorry, it was an anime death after all! :D”
Samantha Ferreira: Ugh…
That stank arm is magic
It teleported its owner away
Lydia Rivers: No no, the FIRE was magic
It teleported him, and left the stank arm
…In Masaru’s lap
Samantha Ferreira: God… so now
Let me predict this
Instead of being the goofy broken man we love
He’ll be this buff, angry, evil guy whom Shirogane will have to fight
Lydia Rivers: Ohh, you think his memories will be gone?
Samantha Ferreira: Of course :O
This is shonen
L.B. Bryant: That wouldn’t shock me in the least.
Lydia Rivers: But then Shirogane will smile, and he’ll suddenly remember everything! GASP
Samantha Ferreira: Exactly!
Lydia Rivers: Hopefully she feels like it this time, or I will flip tables at how “touching” the scene is. I’ll be reminded of the meme that comes every Halloween, saying “Ladies, remember to buy discount blood caplets for when people tell you to smile.”
Samantha Ferreira: Likewise.
And to our readers: We’re so angry because we care about these idiots. We like these characters, and hate how they’ve been treated
But anyway… I think that about wraps it up this week. Until next time, remember: Don’t bully Masaru, or a murder puppet wielding acrobat will straight-up kill you
Have a great night!
L.B. Bryant: Laters! : )
Lydia Rivers: Stay shiny everyone!
After the meeting…
Samantha Ferreira: So this is going to be one of those roller coaster shows where we go from loving it to straight-up hating it, lol
Lydia Rivers: Hopefully it will turn into bleach after they’re done half-assing the universe setup
Samantha Ferreira: Indeed
Lydia Rivers: And we’ll get acceptably thin excuses for murder puppet battles and be happy
Samantha Ferreira: “I hate Bleach” “Yeah, just deal with the first few episodes and skip the ones with character development. =_=”
