radio414

←Previous Post -- Next Post→ Duel 33 -- The Prince Who Runs Through the Night Or: “The Episode” Content Warning: Not going to beat around the bush here, Akio rapes Utena at the end of this episode while she disassociates. It’s not graphic, but it’s certainly more explicit than anything we’ve seen or will see in the show. Fortunately, the rest of this episode is a recap episode, so this is also the most skippable episode. I called this the most talked-about episode of the show last week (yeah, we’re not doing any introductory meta-analysis, we’re just diving right in) and that content warning is almost certainly the reason why. It looms large over the rest of the series and is a not-insignificant barrier to recommending the show. Most of the episode is those recap sequences, recounting the duels of this arc so far, but the last four minutes are the show’s rubicon in a few ways. First and most obvious is the change in Utena. There are a lot of garbage takes about this episode that I won’t get into (and a lot of good takes I won’t have time for), but the most seemingly-innocent bad take I’ve found is that this is the episode where Utena loses her innocence, or that this is the moment that she becomes an adult. Parts of this take I even agree with! The show has always had this “sex equals adulthood” undercurrent -- see Mitsuru’s Impertinence for where that rises to the forefront -- that hasn’t aged well, but the biggest gripe I have is that this take seems to imply that this was in any way Utena’s fault. I don’t mean this in an “I have never done anything wrong in my entire life” “I know this and I love you” meme sort of way either. Utena is fourteen (and has done tons of wrong stuff). Akio is coded as in his thirties, is the chairman of her school, and has been grooming her for the past four episodes. Closer, then (and I’m not positive this is still entirely correct for many of the same reasons I disagreed with the take above) would be to say that it was taken from her, that he took it from her. In a way, that read would make it similar to Touga’s plan from way back in the Student Council arc, getting Utena to doubt her assumptions about how the world worked in an effort to claim her. In Touga’s case, Utena had to remember why she presented as a prince in the first place; a prince is someone who saves and protects princesses, and she had a princess to protect. Twenty-some episodes later, Akio’s grooming has once again sown doubt. One might even define it as the same question the manga asked of its Utena: Is being a prince worth it? Even when it leads to pain? I admit I am not positive about this interpretation either -- it seems to imply that what happens in this episode is a necessity, that things had to happen this way for the show to end how it does, which I find wrong for similar reasons. A workaround might be that some sort of pain was inevitable when dealing with an abuser like Akio -- for example, if the manga and anime intersected there as well -- but I’ll just stick with the show we’ve got right now. The second narrative rubicon crossed here involves Anthy, who we have known is in some way complicit in Akio’s manipulations since the Black Rose Saga, is pretty against Akio in this one moment. In this episode, though, it is implied that such complicity is forced. One of Akio’s motifs is the stars -- his name means “the Morning Star,” remember -- and Anthy, while in Akio’s observatory, says, “I didn’t want to look at the real ones.” Again, we can draw from the manga here as well, recalling the stories surrounding Akio and Dios. It’s the latter that Anthy wants to remember, even if he isn’t real anymore. But it’s also the first time she speaks out in such a way. Previously, her agency was limited to passive-aggressive remarks while still able to maintain an air of politeness (Kanae was driven to the Black Roses by this, remember, so it was at least useful to her brother too), but now it is far closer to a direct rebellion. She knew what would happen if she had Utena deliver those roses and now wishes to deny the consequences, retreating instead to memories of someone who has not been on earth in an eternity. “What is eternity?” Utena asks. This is also the closest the show has gotten to answering this question thus far. In this case, I think the question might be one of hope. Seeing something eternal was what got Utena out of the coffin in those flashbacks. Just the same here, what happens to Utena can be something you survive. -r Next time: The shadow girls are real and they’re putting on a play! ←Previous Post -- Link to Episode -- Next Post→

7.5/10 pretty fun i have to assume the girl in front is the leader because she's t-posing. 7/10OP suggestion: Noise Rock band Magik Markers just rose from a seven-year grave so of course it gets a 7/10

not the greate- whoa, deja vu The innate joke that there isn't a greatest song (not even Metallica's "One") is always really good. I'm not a fan of some of the nonsense lyrics ("one and one make two, two and one make three, it was destiny" is just kind of weird) but I understand that's kind of a rock staple as well so I don't really dock it for that. 8.5/10 mostly because I just don't go seeking it out even if I enjoy when it comes up. 8/10 mostly for Friend Like Me as a song in general. I know there are differences between the two versions but they're both good, you know? Not sure all of this mashup meshes well (the ending is a little sus) but hey that's whatever. Seems fine but I couldn't really get into it more than that, couldn't tell you why 6.5/10 Congratulations on making page two happen, though.OP suggestion: In case election blues have got you down here's a song about hope. 7.5/10

Melissa helped the shifting form to their feet. They were lighter than she expected, but then again she wasn’t exactly sure why she was expecting anything right now. There seemed to be little sense to anything still. Of course, names were good -- Melissa picked up Fen’s as she walked by, and Masaru and Trevor were talking nearby -- but everything else? That “willing to accept anything and everything” feeling was wearing off quick, replaced only by, you know, normal feelings like anxiety. “I don’t know what any of this is, and it doesn’t seem like any of y’all… you all do either except that one guy claiming to be a demon. So I…” She was especially worried about this amorphous mass, who, after hoisting themselves up had stumbled forward a few steps, almost like they were in a rage, before manifesting a hoodie, pulling a hood over where the eyes were, and collapsing again. She also wasn’t entirely sure if they had heard her at all -- they seemed to have repeated the exact same sentiments she had just expressed -- but that was something she was used to, really. Her bigger focus was on the first thing, that they were back to lying prone on the ground, and she rushed over to offer assistance again. Wait, what was that about a demon? “My name is Roy Westlock, Honored knight-captain of the Britannian Cavalry.” The pronouncement drew Melissa’s attention over to a tree, next to which the apparent bearer of such titles (whatever they stood for) had their boot pressed against the other, who still had flames coming out of their mouth. Worse still, there were others nearby who didn’t seem to really- they were just watching on as it happened, and some weren’t even doing that! They were just talking amongst themselves casually, as if this were nothing new. And these were the people who had just expressed they too had no idea what was going on! There were two obvious paths forward in Melissa’s mind. She could run to wherever that gut feeling was calling her, but that meant charging past everyone else, including two incredibly hostile individuals, one of whom was apparently a demon? Of course, she could also go the opposite way, but that meant going into a city she had no knowledge of and with no resources. And all of that was still discounting… She looked back down at the one lying in the grass. “I’d like to get out of here, but I would also like to get you out of here before things get any worse,” she said. “Do you- can you stand, at least? I can try to carry you if it comes to that, but…” “I can probably stand…” the shifter replied. “I… don’t want to shrink down right now, even if my memories say I can...” They pushed themselves up a little bit. “And I don’t think you can carry me as-is…?” Oh, that’s interesting. Melissa bit her lip. “Alright, well, um…” There was a lot to process in there, from them saying what she already knew -- that she wasn’t built to carry an additional hundred-plus pounds for any distance longer than a few feet -- to the idea that there was even more to them than she or they knew, to even the odd interjection from voices she had almost forgotten about in the meantime. She tried to put all her focus onto the first thing, though, and she crouched down and tried to lift the shifter back up. She couldn’t even get them off the ground, or at least, she couldn’t in any way that mattered. Maybe if the weight were more evenly distributed, like maybe she asked them to climb up on her back, but that also felt like asking more than they were willing to contribute and it probably wouldn’t work anyway. But also when she looked back at the fight she saw that it was dangerously close to escalating further. There really wasn’t much time to try other solutions. Melissa, is it permissible to try something? “What?” she muttered under her breath. It may be possible to generate a physical manifestation, something that could temporarily come to your aid. “Temporarily?” The process would likely require overriding your consciousness. Your body would still live, and when the manifestation disappears, you would likely wake up as well. Likely? She didn’t say it this time, she just thought it. This would be a new process for everyone involved. It is understandable if you do not find these risks acceptable.There may even be more than the ones given so far. You were looking for solutions, however, and this may be one of them. It would certainly be the quickest if it were to succeed. Okay. She understood all the words that echoed around in her head, but it was still a bit difficult to fully visualize what was supposed to happen. With her other ideas, she could at least see what was supposed to happen, and she was especially good at coming up with ways that they wouldn’t. But this one was different. It felt beyond the scope of her comprehension. She wasn’t even going to be conscious for it, according to the voices in her head. And yet, that almost made it seem better than the more tangible ideas. Not being able to visualize the consequences meant she couldn’t agonize over them, and the voices’ monotone at least made it seem like they were confident. It was something she could leech off of, even if the surety was only a veneer. “You know where we would like to go?” she said. The pull you feel towards that direction is perhaps even stronger here in your head, was the reply, as is the desire for some form of answer to what has happened. “Just get to the edge of the park,” Melissa said. “We just need to get past that fight.” If it was as these voices described, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be under for longer than she had to. But she accepted it, and took a deep breath, exhaling sharply before turning her attention to the shifter. “Alright, well, I guess we’re going to try something. Don’t be afraid.” She closed her eyes and let her consciousness fade away. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. -Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) It feels a lot like a dream. The Melissa kneeling in front of the shifter is still there, but she -- her perception -- is standing behind her, looking down on both of them. It is a difficult thing to get used to. Not that she has much time to do so, though, because just as suddenly, there is a corona of light in front of her -- a new presence has made itself known. She has read about beings like this. This is a cherub, she thinks. It has all the traits of one, from the four faces -- one for each of God’s dominions -- to the four wings and arms, to the straightened legs, shining like polished brass. She can see that it has weapons sheathed by its hip, but in her familiarity with this form, she does not feel fear, and she hopes that the shifter took her final words to them to heart as well. The cherub’s moves are smooth and deliberate; It crouches down and takes Melissa’s body with two of its arms, cradling her underneath its oxen head, and the shifter underneath the head of the lion. Its skin, still gleaming in the midday sun, is odd to the touch; it is surprisingly cool, a sensation further muted by the state her perception is in. Just as smoothly too, is how it lifts off again, leaping into the air with a flap of its wings and carrying them across the park. Her consciousness goes with them, flying just behind. She wonders how she would feel if she were awake, looking down at the other strangers who had been summoned to this place. But the cherub flies too swiftly for her to contemplate for too long, and soon they are touching down at the park’s border. The cherub places both her and the shifter as it had found them, her just kneeling over them, and vanishes in another flash of light. It was a surprisingly odd feeling to wake up back in her own body, but Melissa was still glad that she did. She let out an exultant gasp and let the waves of relief wash over her. It had worked! Still, though, they weren’t quite out of the woods yet. She looked down at the shifter and said, “You said you can stand? Do you think you can lean on me the rest of the way, then? On the way, we can maybe try to jog your memory a bit more.” She offered her hand again, and gestured out into the city proper with the other. “If you do remember a place, did it look like this?”

what's a pokemon

I'm not going to call JJ the worst character in the show because there were a number in those last few episodes that just didn't get enough attention so who knows what they're like, but he's certainly near the bottom. Cover is good though 7/10 Didn't I just do a Panic! song? Both songs are bangers, only thing it's missing is that unexpected factor that a mashup actually works 7.5/10 Yeah like this one, although at five years since (this version of) Megalovania, I shouldn't be really surprised anymore. 9/10OP suggestion: I heard someone describe Mr. Bungle as that band that one weird kid in high school kept walking up to other people saying things like "Wanna hear something cool?" And, like, I guess? Wanna hear something cool? 8/10

I admit I haven't actually been to a circus in probably a decade but yeah, something like that, sure. 7/10 I appreciate that both Hadestown and now Hades have made the creative decision to replace whatever the hell (pun intended) a lyre is with a guitar and making Orpheus a high singing voice. That being said, that means I'm expecting a lot from Darren Korb to sound like Reeve Carney, and he doesn't quite. It's still good, just doesn't match some probably unrealistic expectations. 7/10 OP suggestion: What Reeve Carney sounds like. Sure, the rating is probably biased because I've heard the entire musical, but ehhhhh 8/10. Also listen to Hadestown

not the greatest sorry Remember when they were marketing this movie and the premier selling point was "from the songwriters of La La Land" like, yeah, Another Day of Sun and Audition are bangers but that was not the reason I liked La La Land. Anyway, Brendon Panic has a good voice for this sort of upbeat anthem but I don't really feel the circus energy. 7/10 Better in some places, worse in others. I think my biggest problem is the meter in every couplet is different so when they're strung together it can feel weird. 4.5/10OP suggestion: "How do I break you before you break me?" Lingua Ignota with the feel-good summer anthem of 2019 /s. Definitely not going to be everybody's cup of tea but I feel everybody should at least give it a listen (though it is about abuse so also maybe not) 8/10

It's from Mother and says as much but puts Ness, the protagonist of Earthbound, in the thumbnail. I guess he looks like Ninten? It's a fun song though 7/10 It's a good concept for a songwriting thing and I'm glad it exists but also I'm not a biggest fan of the result? 4/10 The intro leaves something to be desired, but the rest of the song is pretty good 7/10OP suggestion: A French song about vagabond Antoine Rouge and the status quo. English lyrics are on their bandcamp if you search for them. 7.5/10

Oh is this the demasking thread now too? I liked the idea of keeping it a secret forever, especially since, like, half the active userbase of the site already knew, but if everyone else is doing it, I was Chuck Tingle. Preparation was pretty easy, you just have to skim his twitter feed or his four rebbit AMAs (and one hilarious post in the Dead by Daylight subreddit) and you can get a pretty good sense his personality and personal mythos. There are things I didn't touch on, though. I didn't mention the entirety of the Tingleverse outside of one AMA question, nor did I ever really mention Void Crabs or Reverse Twins. Chuck -- the real Chuck Tingle -- really is a great person to follow, and every Amazon link I posted is because I do want more people to actually read some of this stuff. I guess I should talk briefly about Rammed by the Realization... too. I don't think it's to the standard of most of Chuck's tinglers, but it does follow the same sort of formula. I wasn't able to completely break from my personal writing style, but I did manage enough for it to feel actually kind of freeing to write, so I'm glad that people enjoyed it.

Looked up the lyrics because I was going to make a snark and wanted to make sure I wasn't wildly misinterpreting something, and I noticed Genius Lyrics tags this as a pop song when it's obviously not. I mean, genres are as illusory as the wind and "pop" is pretty broad but I definitely don't think "Power Metal" when someone says "Pop". Anyway, fun song, a bit exhausting to listen to though (or maybe I'm just exhausted irl) 6.5/10 Is the implication that all five are listening to the ED on their headphones simultaneously? As something to play a show out it works but I'm not really feeling it outside of that context, 5/10OP Suggestion: Being David Bowie is impossible to everyone not named David Bowie, but the person that comes the closest is probably Nick Cave. 7/10

Everytime I listen to this remix I get this compulsion to seek out the original again to compare, and I've started to notice the other changes besides the original drop being completely excised. It really does completely turn it from an electro swing/trap hybrid to just the former. And the hook is fun! Basically all I need out of electro swing. 7/10OP suggestion: I mean, the album is called "Goths" and this song is goth af. 7.5/10

i've posted this before in discords but related:

credit Kaye Ballard for singing it first next to songwriter Bart Howard you cowards Maybe it's because I watched Evangelion on Netflix, but I really don't associate this song with the show at all, which means I had this weird reaction I still need to interrogate when I saw "Frank Sinatra / Evangelion" in the header. Song's still good, though, and Jonathan has a good voice, even if I didn't really appreciate the vocal flourishes the cover added. 8/10 I've seen better uses of Jimmy Barnes as a meme and I've seen better 10 hour loops OP suggestion: New King Gizz! Very exciting. 9/10

Yeah, so I changed my mind One song at a time No length limit Don't expect the ratings to be consistent If you try to meme me at least be funny Here's one to start the thread off: Probably one of the more "conventional" songs (not that any of this album is conventional) on this album, and even then it plays around. Reminds me of Sunwatchers, another avante-garde (their pretentious genre name, not mine) band. 8/10