It's commonly said that Tolkien's Elves are the inspiration for most Elves in fantasy stories written since, in novels like the Dragonlance series, or Dungeons and Dragons and other Table Role Playing Games, which leads to Role Playing Video Games including JRPGs which in turn influences a lot of Anime, Manga, and Light Novels that then get adapted into Anime.
The thing is, these supposedly Tolkien like Elves seem to me to be.... demoted in terms of their importance to the Lore. They're now just another one of many Human like Fantasy Races, not Humanity's other half. They're Elves but they're not The Eldar. Tolkien's Elves are meant to be kinda similar to what Humans might have been like if Adam hadn't fallen. While in a lot of Anime they're basically just Cute Girls with pointy ears.
I suppose to some extent it's full circle, they're back to being more like the Ljósálfar of Norse Mythology. Tolkien's Elves are largely a product of combining them with certain beliefs about the Fae/Tuatha De Dannan of Irish Mythology. And some older Judeo-Christian conceptions of a hypothetical Pre-Adamic race (before compromising with Evolution turned hypothetical Pre-Adamic races into Cave Men and Ape Men).
I think the most interesting take on Elves in Anime would be No Game No Life, where I'm convinced they're an unflattering allegory for The United States. The reason I relate to Nilvalen so much is because she's an Elf who hates her own country. But as interesting as that is, it's not very Tolkien like.
Who I do feel are similar to Tolkien's Elves are some fantasy races not called Elves. The Cetra in Final Fantasy VII. How the Amazons were presented in the Wonder Woman and Justice League films of 2017. There are others I think, but they escape my memory at the moment.
What's Problematic is how Tolkien's Elves can come off as similar to the Aryans of the racist theosophical ideas that inspired Hitler and Himmler. But that's why I'd like to see Fantasy races with a similar mystical gravitas be depicted with more ethnic variety. You can already find a decent amount of Fan Art depicting some of Tolkien's characters as being less white then he probably envisioned.
Fortunately we're unsure what human ethnicity the Cetra would most resemble, we only ever see Aerith, who's only half Cetra, and briefly her mother in a flashback. Westerners are inclined to see a Caucasian when we look at Aerith but the original Japanese audience might not have (Westerners have accused Anime characters of looking White when they were modeled after specific Japanese celebrities).
I've contemplated in any fantasy story I might write depicting the Ljósálfar as white looking but the Dökkálfar as Japanese looking and the Svartálfar as Nubian (or maybe swap the latter two).
Now Biblically I don't believe in any Pre-Adamic Race, I oppose the Gap Theory. I've contemplated having the hypothetical Elves of any fictional mythology I'd create descend from Cain in order to deconstruct the assumption that descendants of Cain were inherently Evil. The problem is it'd also be playing into the rhetoric of certain Racists to associate any descendants of Cain with Non-White especially African ethnic features.
I know for certain that if I ever made any fiction set in the Pre-Flood world I'd depict the tribes of Enosh Ben Seth (from whom came Enoch and Noah's Family) as looking Middle Eastern.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Anime Weekly Updates, Omer 21: I can't think of a title for this post
Katana Maidens took a week off it seems, that annoyed me a bit.
Overlord II had a pretty satisfying finale.
Hugtto Precure has started a new story-line. One that might prove to be pretty predictable for the Genre, but I can enjoy the predictable just fine.
The first episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes managed to spark my interest. I actually like that all three Planets look like Earth, that is certainly more realistic then single environment planets managing to stay inhabitable. Expect my coverage of the show to make lots of Star Wars and Dune Comparisons, maybe this will make me more consistently happy then the actual Star Wars we've been getting.
I'm enjoying Magical Girl Site, I really don't care how much that will annoy some people. It's definitely distinguished itself from it's Dark Magical Girl predecessors. I hope it has a happy ending, but may be willing to respect what it's trying to say even without one, it all depends on execution.
That's the thing though, it's gonna get criticized both for every similarity to Madoka and for every difference. Like so many other works that are easy to view as a cash in on some earlier hit. They get criticized for being an imitator but also for "not getting the real point" of why the original worked. I've seen the same thing over and over again with every dark Superhero comic that's post Watchmen and DKR, or every dark Superhero film that's post Nolan's Batman franchise.
I think this show like those Comics should be judged on it's own merits and not be constantly compared positively or negatively to Madoka at every turn. Cause lots of gritty Comics that came out this long after Watchmen were constantly seen as cashing in on that trend at the time, but are Comics 90s kids are nostalgic for now.
Outside of my weekly shows. I watched all of Oneechan ga Kita, and four episodes of Oniichan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne!. I see you looking at me funny and I don't care. They are both amusing shows, but the latter is more inclined to delve into the Anime Style Fanservice I dislike.
I also watched the fourth episode of Amagi Briliant Park. Which reminds me that I really should at least try to catch up on Full Metal Panic before the new season starts. Though since I know SFDebris will be covering some it at least this Summer I'm of half a mind to wait and watch it along with them, then just continue from there.
Overlord II had a pretty satisfying finale.
Hugtto Precure has started a new story-line. One that might prove to be pretty predictable for the Genre, but I can enjoy the predictable just fine.
The first episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes managed to spark my interest. I actually like that all three Planets look like Earth, that is certainly more realistic then single environment planets managing to stay inhabitable. Expect my coverage of the show to make lots of Star Wars and Dune Comparisons, maybe this will make me more consistently happy then the actual Star Wars we've been getting.
I'm enjoying Magical Girl Site, I really don't care how much that will annoy some people. It's definitely distinguished itself from it's Dark Magical Girl predecessors. I hope it has a happy ending, but may be willing to respect what it's trying to say even without one, it all depends on execution.
That's the thing though, it's gonna get criticized both for every similarity to Madoka and for every difference. Like so many other works that are easy to view as a cash in on some earlier hit. They get criticized for being an imitator but also for "not getting the real point" of why the original worked. I've seen the same thing over and over again with every dark Superhero comic that's post Watchmen and DKR, or every dark Superhero film that's post Nolan's Batman franchise.
I think this show like those Comics should be judged on it's own merits and not be constantly compared positively or negatively to Madoka at every turn. Cause lots of gritty Comics that came out this long after Watchmen were constantly seen as cashing in on that trend at the time, but are Comics 90s kids are nostalgic for now.
Outside of my weekly shows. I watched all of Oneechan ga Kita, and four episodes of Oniichan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne!. I see you looking at me funny and I don't care. They are both amusing shows, but the latter is more inclined to delve into the Anime Style Fanservice I dislike.
I also watched the fourth episode of Amagi Briliant Park. Which reminds me that I really should at least try to catch up on Full Metal Panic before the new season starts. Though since I know SFDebris will be covering some it at least this Summer I'm of half a mind to wait and watch it along with them, then just continue from there.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
I hate Boss Rushes in Video Games.
They are always tedious to me, and a very unimaginative way to try and force in a penultimate challenge before the final Boss.
And they don't work plot wise either, the equivalent of it never happens in other mediums, unless it's like one of those Batman stories making him gauntlet through all of Arkham. But guess what, many fans tend to find those annoying. But it's considered acceptable in Games, so much so that some Rom Hacks will add one to a game that didn't originally have this problem.
The only thing like a Boss Rush I've ever actually liked was what Super Mario RPG: The Legend of The Seven Stars did with The Factory at the end. Lesser forms of earlier Smithy Gang bosses now appear as just normal enemies, just as dodge-able as any others. (I also like that this RPG doesn't have random encounters.) And if you bought the SeeYa item from the Frog Coin merchant in Seasside Town you can run away from ones you unintentionally run into. So only one Yaridavictch battle is truly required.
It makes sense plot wise, because they were pretty clearly Mechs of some sort to begin with (for some reason people on Mario Message Boards back in the early internet didn't get this, they couldn't even even tell Smithy's true form was a Robot). So it makes sense to see unfinished prototypes roaming the home base.
You can avoid them if you want, but they are also good for grinding if you want. If you want to you can battle an endless supply of Macks.
Mario RPG managed to be a good exception to a lot of my personal rules. I mean in general Mario role playing games are the only ones I can really play.
I did a post once on how I feel it hurts the story telling when the final boss has no character presence before you fight him. But Smithy managed to work in-spite of being that very problem.
Mario RPG is also a game where Status Effect moves at least sometimes work on bosses. I always use Toadstool's Silence on Czar Dragon, as well as it's second form.
And they don't work plot wise either, the equivalent of it never happens in other mediums, unless it's like one of those Batman stories making him gauntlet through all of Arkham. But guess what, many fans tend to find those annoying. But it's considered acceptable in Games, so much so that some Rom Hacks will add one to a game that didn't originally have this problem.
The only thing like a Boss Rush I've ever actually liked was what Super Mario RPG: The Legend of The Seven Stars did with The Factory at the end. Lesser forms of earlier Smithy Gang bosses now appear as just normal enemies, just as dodge-able as any others. (I also like that this RPG doesn't have random encounters.) And if you bought the SeeYa item from the Frog Coin merchant in Seasside Town you can run away from ones you unintentionally run into. So only one Yaridavictch battle is truly required.
It makes sense plot wise, because they were pretty clearly Mechs of some sort to begin with (for some reason people on Mario Message Boards back in the early internet didn't get this, they couldn't even even tell Smithy's true form was a Robot). So it makes sense to see unfinished prototypes roaming the home base.
You can avoid them if you want, but they are also good for grinding if you want. If you want to you can battle an endless supply of Macks.
Mario RPG managed to be a good exception to a lot of my personal rules. I mean in general Mario role playing games are the only ones I can really play.
I did a post once on how I feel it hurts the story telling when the final boss has no character presence before you fight him. But Smithy managed to work in-spite of being that very problem.
Mario RPG is also a game where Status Effect moves at least sometimes work on bosses. I always use Toadstool's Silence on Czar Dragon, as well as it's second form.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Anime Weekly Updates, Omer 14: Transitioning from Winter to Spring is slow in Wisconsin.
I've now seen three episodes of Magical Girl Site. It seems much of what I liked about the first episode was only for the first episode. But I'm gonna keep up with it for now.
They actually Dubbed the Recap episode for Katana Maidens, that's become generally pretty rare. It was an adequate Recap.
Did I mention in the last update that I'd watched all of Fate/Extra? Or did I watch that later? Fate/Extra Last Encore I think is the most disappointing Fate/ show so far. It wasn't too concerned with making itself accessible to people who didn't play the games. And my main interest was Type Moon's take on Nero which really wasn't explored much. So it has lots of cool trippy Madoka esque visuals, but that's about it.
Death March to a Parallel Wold Rhapsody finished. I will say it was a perfectly okay show, but nothing on Smartphone.
Overlord II has one episode left, I'd say it's exciting conclusion has made up for a lot of the slowness before.
Hugto Precure is remaining pretty good.
For Spring few of what interests me is getting Simuldubbed. The SAO spin off and Lupin III I'm gonna wait for the Dub no matter what. So if I feel up to it I'm gonna try to watch Subbed the ones with the best Yuri Potential. But before that I want to re-watch some old favorites, and maybe revisit some 2017 shows I dropped or put on hold.
They actually Dubbed the Recap episode for Katana Maidens, that's become generally pretty rare. It was an adequate Recap.
Did I mention in the last update that I'd watched all of Fate/Extra? Or did I watch that later? Fate/Extra Last Encore I think is the most disappointing Fate/ show so far. It wasn't too concerned with making itself accessible to people who didn't play the games. And my main interest was Type Moon's take on Nero which really wasn't explored much. So it has lots of cool trippy Madoka esque visuals, but that's about it.
Death March to a Parallel Wold Rhapsody finished. I will say it was a perfectly okay show, but nothing on Smartphone.
Overlord II has one episode left, I'd say it's exciting conclusion has made up for a lot of the slowness before.
Hugto Precure is remaining pretty good.
For Spring few of what interests me is getting Simuldubbed. The SAO spin off and Lupin III I'm gonna wait for the Dub no matter what. So if I feel up to it I'm gonna try to watch Subbed the ones with the best Yuri Potential. But before that I want to re-watch some old favorites, and maybe revisit some 2017 shows I dropped or put on hold.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Astolfo is unique among Gender Bending Anime characters
[[Update 2023: This is now my more definitive Astolfo post. I don't much stand by this old one anymore.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Anime Weekly Updates, Omer 6: Citrus has ended
I finally got to see the Simuldub of the last episode of Citrus. I have given the show a 10 on MAL. That may seem overly generous, but it was a perfectly solid adaptation of my favorite Manga.
I watched the permire of Cutey Honey Universe, which was fun, but I was never able to get that into Cutey Honey so I don't know if I'll be sticking with it.
I'm gonna try out some Fate/Extra.
Core 1 of Katana Maidens ended, and it was pretty good. I hope Core 2 ups the ante because I really want this to become the Anime of the year.
The shows that I know FUNimation will be Simuldubbing I'm waiting for the Simuldub for, as usual. I know I'll be checking out Steins;Gate 0 and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I may try to catch up on Full Metal Panic in time but I doubt it.
I'm not sure I'll watch episode 2 of Magical Girl Site right when it drops, but I will continue watching it. I have decided to simply judge it on it's own merits, not caring what it says about the Magical Girl Genre or Madoka or whatever. Being nominally a Magical Girl show is why I checked it out, but what interests me about it was more it providing a not at all sugar coated depiction of bullying.
I watched the permire of Cutey Honey Universe, which was fun, but I was never able to get that into Cutey Honey so I don't know if I'll be sticking with it.
I'm gonna try out some Fate/Extra.
Core 1 of Katana Maidens ended, and it was pretty good. I hope Core 2 ups the ante because I really want this to become the Anime of the year.
The shows that I know FUNimation will be Simuldubbing I'm waiting for the Simuldub for, as usual. I know I'll be checking out Steins;Gate 0 and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I may try to catch up on Full Metal Panic in time but I doubt it.
I'm not sure I'll watch episode 2 of Magical Girl Site right when it drops, but I will continue watching it. I have decided to simply judge it on it's own merits, not caring what it says about the Magical Girl Genre or Madoka or whatever. Being nominally a Magical Girl show is why I checked it out, but what interests me about it was more it providing a not at all sugar coated depiction of bullying.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Superhero Genre Flexibility
One of the things talked about a lot with Superhero movies is how they can be combined with many different genres. Now this is something that some including I have been saying since before the MCU started. But over the course of MCU Phrase Three it's become a greater emphasis in how people praise the genre then ever before.
It's primarily the Films where this aspect becomes a big part of their very promotion, and perhaps sometimes other Comic Book adaptations. And that's Ironic because in a way the adaptations have been less flexible.
You see this ability to experiment with genre has always been in the Comics. One of many things Frank Miller is endlessly mocked for his Film Noir obsession. But the films especially have been fixated on designating specific genres to specific heroes, if a Genre has two Superheros it's because Marvel and DC each threw one at it.
It is apparent right from the comics how some genres suit certain Superheros more then others. But it's not as rigid. Wonder Woman and Thor aren't the only Superheros who've encountered ancient mythologies. Spiderman (and Superman in Prequels) isn't the only one to deal with High School Drama. And obviously Frank Miller isn't the only writer to draw from the Film Noir well.
Now the serialized nature of Comics gives it more room to let the same Superhero have different kinds of stories, which is why TV sometimes does more of this, or used to. Smallville did a lot of experimentation.
But even understanding that reason for it. It bothers me to hear things like the WB being concerned Wonder Woman and Aquaman can't both be about mythology and so they decided to down play the Greek Mythology aspect of Wonder Woman, and that's probably why the gods were killed off in the back story.
This is another reason why I'm glad I've gotten into Anime. Anime truly surpasses even Superhero comics with it's ability to flat out defy Genre.
It's primarily the Films where this aspect becomes a big part of their very promotion, and perhaps sometimes other Comic Book adaptations. And that's Ironic because in a way the adaptations have been less flexible.
You see this ability to experiment with genre has always been in the Comics. One of many things Frank Miller is endlessly mocked for his Film Noir obsession. But the films especially have been fixated on designating specific genres to specific heroes, if a Genre has two Superheros it's because Marvel and DC each threw one at it.
It is apparent right from the comics how some genres suit certain Superheros more then others. But it's not as rigid. Wonder Woman and Thor aren't the only Superheros who've encountered ancient mythologies. Spiderman (and Superman in Prequels) isn't the only one to deal with High School Drama. And obviously Frank Miller isn't the only writer to draw from the Film Noir well.
Now the serialized nature of Comics gives it more room to let the same Superhero have different kinds of stories, which is why TV sometimes does more of this, or used to. Smallville did a lot of experimentation.
But even understanding that reason for it. It bothers me to hear things like the WB being concerned Wonder Woman and Aquaman can't both be about mythology and so they decided to down play the Greek Mythology aspect of Wonder Woman, and that's probably why the gods were killed off in the back story.
This is another reason why I'm glad I've gotten into Anime. Anime truly surpasses even Superhero comics with it's ability to flat out defy Genre.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Anime Weekly Updates, Omer 1: Magical Girl Site and others.
If your confused by the title I'm using the Karaite reckoning of the Omer, today is the Feast of First Fruits and so the first day of the Omer. Also the last day of Unleavened Bread. Though by the time I actually post this on the Blog it might actually be past Sunset and thus Omer 2 already. I have no idea if I'll keep this naming formula all the way through Pentecost.
First of all I decided today to watch the first episode of Magical Girl Site. The buzz on twitter is that this is the latest Dark Magical Girl show, the latest Madoka imitator, and to some who've read the Manga the truly worst extreme. Something a Madoka defender like me should be arguing against blaming Madoka for.
I actually liked the first episode. It's dark in a very different way, and those people who want Anime to do more to provide commentary on Japanese culture this show is actually doing that more then any other Dark Magical Girl show does.
It provides a graphic brutal depiction of bullying, reminds me of why I love the movie Odd Girl Out and am annoyed by the massive praise of Mean Girls which is still ultimately a cartoony depiction of the issue.
As I've said, a big factor in my opinion on any Dark story is how it ends. What people who seem to already know the Manga are saying is that this story is totally hopeless, but it wouldn't be the first time I've disagreed with people making that assessment of something, just look at my endlessly complicated relationship with Batman V Superman.
And the very start already has my Yuri Googles shipping them.
Prior to today, I watched more episodes of X and have put it on hold. I watched the High School Fleet OVAs which were fun.
I added Dragon Ball Z and Full Metal Panic to my MAL even though I haven't watched any of them recently.
I haven't watched this week's Simuldubs of Katana Maidens or Death March yet. Katana Maidens may get it's own post on reaching it's half way point.
For Citrus I'm enjoying the Silver Twins arc, and for Overlord II I'm loving how it's picking up now.
First of all I decided today to watch the first episode of Magical Girl Site. The buzz on twitter is that this is the latest Dark Magical Girl show, the latest Madoka imitator, and to some who've read the Manga the truly worst extreme. Something a Madoka defender like me should be arguing against blaming Madoka for.
I actually liked the first episode. It's dark in a very different way, and those people who want Anime to do more to provide commentary on Japanese culture this show is actually doing that more then any other Dark Magical Girl show does.
It provides a graphic brutal depiction of bullying, reminds me of why I love the movie Odd Girl Out and am annoyed by the massive praise of Mean Girls which is still ultimately a cartoony depiction of the issue.
As I've said, a big factor in my opinion on any Dark story is how it ends. What people who seem to already know the Manga are saying is that this story is totally hopeless, but it wouldn't be the first time I've disagreed with people making that assessment of something, just look at my endlessly complicated relationship with Batman V Superman.
And the very start already has my Yuri Googles shipping them.
Prior to today, I watched more episodes of X and have put it on hold. I watched the High School Fleet OVAs which were fun.
I added Dragon Ball Z and Full Metal Panic to my MAL even though I haven't watched any of them recently.
I haven't watched this week's Simuldubs of Katana Maidens or Death March yet. Katana Maidens may get it's own post on reaching it's half way point.
For Citrus I'm enjoying the Silver Twins arc, and for Overlord II I'm loving how it's picking up now.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
I was cited in an Academic Paper about Madoka Magica.
And I learned about this because of the comments section on Digibro's Subreddit.
Shoujo Versus Seinen? Address and Reception in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) Catherine Butler
It's a good article even though I'm not sure yet how much I agree with it's conclusions. So I am recommending it in-spite of how I'm about to get a little reactionary concerning how I was referenced.
I'm referenced in the footnotes of Page 8. Later in the References section the specific blog post they link to is my post from December of 2015 titled Is Madoka Magica a Deconstruction? And that's unfortunate since back then I defended classifying Madoka as a Deconstruction but have changed my mind on that since as shown by everything I had to say about the show in 2017. In posts like Anime Deconstructions and Subversions and Madoka Magica was not Mean Spirited. [Update 2021: and now I have a more definitive take on that debate.]
In general I'm uncomfortable with being classified as a "Senien" (Does my age actually qualify me for that label? I honestly don't know, I turned 30 on Halloween of 2015 and when I first watched Madoka was either earlier that year or in 2014,) Western Male who likes the show because of it's perceived rejection of traditional Mahou Shoujo which was never me even when I made that 2015 post. I have been a Sailor Moon fan since long before Madoka existed, there was a time when I would have hid that, but that's long since gone. I even defend Wedding Peach. I like most of what I've seen so far of Pretty Cure and Cardcaptor Sakura, and I'm very interested in Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. In fact it's only because of my watching Sailor Moon on Hulu that I wound up checking out Madoka to begin with.
I'm not sure it's fair to classify Glass Reflections in that context either, he has a positive review of Sailor Moon up now as well.
My objective throughout my Madoka posting of 2017 was to fight against the perception that it's very existence is some attack on the Magical Girl Genre. And I intend to do that more, one is an idea that can only work as a YouTube video however. And I also want to write something about how Madoka uses Faust on my Comparative Mythology Blog.
To me Madoka, Yuki Yuna, Nanoha and Prisma Illya may be officially marketed at males, but they still ultimately embrace the values of the traditional Magical Girl genre, no matter how different the approach is.
Still, I appreciate the Free Publicity.
Shoujo Versus Seinen? Address and Reception in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) Catherine Butler
It's a good article even though I'm not sure yet how much I agree with it's conclusions. So I am recommending it in-spite of how I'm about to get a little reactionary concerning how I was referenced.
I'm referenced in the footnotes of Page 8. Later in the References section the specific blog post they link to is my post from December of 2015 titled Is Madoka Magica a Deconstruction? And that's unfortunate since back then I defended classifying Madoka as a Deconstruction but have changed my mind on that since as shown by everything I had to say about the show in 2017. In posts like Anime Deconstructions and Subversions and Madoka Magica was not Mean Spirited. [Update 2021: and now I have a more definitive take on that debate.]
In general I'm uncomfortable with being classified as a "Senien" (Does my age actually qualify me for that label? I honestly don't know, I turned 30 on Halloween of 2015 and when I first watched Madoka was either earlier that year or in 2014,) Western Male who likes the show because of it's perceived rejection of traditional Mahou Shoujo which was never me even when I made that 2015 post. I have been a Sailor Moon fan since long before Madoka existed, there was a time when I would have hid that, but that's long since gone. I even defend Wedding Peach. I like most of what I've seen so far of Pretty Cure and Cardcaptor Sakura, and I'm very interested in Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. In fact it's only because of my watching Sailor Moon on Hulu that I wound up checking out Madoka to begin with.
I'm not sure it's fair to classify Glass Reflections in that context either, he has a positive review of Sailor Moon up now as well.
My objective throughout my Madoka posting of 2017 was to fight against the perception that it's very existence is some attack on the Magical Girl Genre. And I intend to do that more, one is an idea that can only work as a YouTube video however. And I also want to write something about how Madoka uses Faust on my Comparative Mythology Blog.
To me Madoka, Yuki Yuna, Nanoha and Prisma Illya may be officially marketed at males, but they still ultimately embrace the values of the traditional Magical Girl genre, no matter how different the approach is.
Still, I appreciate the Free Publicity.
Monday, April 2, 2018
I'm still Watching Anime
Now that the Winter season has ended I decided to start checking out some stuff that wasn't Dubbed.
I watched three episodes of Slow Start, it's a solid Cute Girls show I'll probably watch more later.
I've watched the four Episodes released so far of that Fate/ Cooking show. It's an amusing little side story.
I watched a few episodes of A.I.C.O. and have mixed feeling about it.
Hugtto PreCure remains a pretty solid Magical Girl Show.
For Simuldubs I gave up on PopTeamEpic, the rest I'd been covering I'm still following. Katana Maidens is still the best.
The lack of activity on this Blog lately has been a combination of a sudden surge of things I wanted to do on my other Blogs. Combined with my starting to do what others are doing and use Twitter for expressing random thoughts on stuff I recently watched. Like this Pretty Sammy Thread.
Some of what I plan to do on the Comparative Mythology Blog is Anime related.
I'll hopefully have a lot more to say once the Spring Simuldubs start.
I watched three episodes of Slow Start, it's a solid Cute Girls show I'll probably watch more later.
I've watched the four Episodes released so far of that Fate/ Cooking show. It's an amusing little side story.
I watched a few episodes of A.I.C.O. and have mixed feeling about it.
Hugtto PreCure remains a pretty solid Magical Girl Show.
For Simuldubs I gave up on PopTeamEpic, the rest I'd been covering I'm still following. Katana Maidens is still the best.
The lack of activity on this Blog lately has been a combination of a sudden surge of things I wanted to do on my other Blogs. Combined with my starting to do what others are doing and use Twitter for expressing random thoughts on stuff I recently watched. Like this Pretty Sammy Thread.
Some of what I plan to do on the Comparative Mythology Blog is Anime related.
I'll hopefully have a lot more to say once the Spring Simuldubs start.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Barry Dennen is still the best Pontius Pilate
I just watched the NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live Performance of Easter April 1st 2018. I enjoyed it, it was very good.
Ben Daniels as Pilate was solid, but Barry Dennen is still the best.
My parents had the original LP of Jesus Christ Superstar back in the day, and we'd rented the movie a few times. So this Musical was a big part of my childhood. Me and my brother used to sort of act it all out as we listened to the Album.
There was a phase in my time as an Evangelical Fundamentalist that I came to share the same hostility many of my fellow Fundamentalists have for it. One disparaging reference to it exists on my Prophecy Blog. But while I still consider myself a Fundamentalist I've mellowed on things like that. Yes some Biblical Inaccuracies in it make me a little uncomfortable then others, mainly the "heal yourselves" part. And Andrew Loyd Webber probably doesn't share my theology, but the Author is Dead and so there is plenty of value someone who does think Jesus was God Incarnate can take from this musical. Because we also Believe Jesus was Human and sometimes we downplay that out of fear of disrespecting His Divinity.
So before the start of this year I hadn't watched or listened to it for quite awhile actually. Then it so happened that a month or so ago we obtained the 73 movie on DVD and watched it. And then I started looking for related YouTube videos of various kinds. If anyone actually follows my Twitter you may have noticed my Tweeting about it a bit, like saying I'd like to see productions that get creative with the genders of the characters since Mary as the only Woman is a dated aspect of the Play that could use some updating. And I've said plenty on my Blogs that can justify even having Jesus be played by a Woman.
If there is one area where I feel Jesus Christ Superstar is more Biblically accurate then most dramatizations of The Passion you see now days, it's in the characterization of Pontius Pilate.
The Gospels paint a relatively sympathetic picture of Pilate. Many feel the Gospels inherently contradict what Josephus had to say about Pilate, but I feel that ignore the context of the picture Josephus paints. And Josephus was not an eyewitness to Pilate's Governorship anyway.
Hollywood has a tendency, especially in the Old Epics, to have Rome=Fascism. Since Mussolini was a wannabe Caesar anyway he and Hitler both borrowed a lot of Roman Imagery, so it happens to come naturally for Roman imagery to evoke Fascism. And since Pilate kind of represents Rome in The Passion narrative, plenty of film depictions have him be like Conrad Veidt in Casablanca wearing a Toga.
And then Mel Gibson's attempt to capture the Gospel's more sympathetic characterization kind of made him come off as...... I don't wanna say "weak" but as not someone you'd expect be a military Governor.
This Musical manages to find the right balance for how to depict Pilate. And much of the credit for that goes to Barry Dennen playing the role in the original LP, the original Broadway run and the 73 film. And so when I say he's the best Pontius Pilate performance, I don't just mean in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, I mean period.
It's interesting even to compare the different performances Dennen gave. He seems kind of like he was cast for his acting more then singing, though he had been in other Musicals. So on the original Concept Album his performance isn't quite as polished yet. You need to see the 73 film to really see him shine.
He has that particular kind of Accent that I see Actors use only when they're playing Patrician Romans, and that Nerds of my kind always love listening too. I'm not an expect on counting Meter, but I think some of the Trial Before Pilate is in Iambic Pentameter. But I also like the more subtle things that he was only able to do in the Movie. Like how he uses his Hands during the flogging scene.
However I feel the key place where other Pilates fail in comparison is in those last few Lines he has at the very end. Which Barry Dennen delivered very intensely and loudly, what some might call "overacting" but he sells it perfectly. And it's those final lines that make me as a fan of Anime Dubs kind of want to hear the role portrayed by Crispan Freeman (something else I already mentioned on Twitter), maybe he's the one person who could compete at delivering those lines.
Ben Daniels as Pilate was solid, but Barry Dennen is still the best.
My parents had the original LP of Jesus Christ Superstar back in the day, and we'd rented the movie a few times. So this Musical was a big part of my childhood. Me and my brother used to sort of act it all out as we listened to the Album.
There was a phase in my time as an Evangelical Fundamentalist that I came to share the same hostility many of my fellow Fundamentalists have for it. One disparaging reference to it exists on my Prophecy Blog. But while I still consider myself a Fundamentalist I've mellowed on things like that. Yes some Biblical Inaccuracies in it make me a little uncomfortable then others, mainly the "heal yourselves" part. And Andrew Loyd Webber probably doesn't share my theology, but the Author is Dead and so there is plenty of value someone who does think Jesus was God Incarnate can take from this musical. Because we also Believe Jesus was Human and sometimes we downplay that out of fear of disrespecting His Divinity.
So before the start of this year I hadn't watched or listened to it for quite awhile actually. Then it so happened that a month or so ago we obtained the 73 movie on DVD and watched it. And then I started looking for related YouTube videos of various kinds. If anyone actually follows my Twitter you may have noticed my Tweeting about it a bit, like saying I'd like to see productions that get creative with the genders of the characters since Mary as the only Woman is a dated aspect of the Play that could use some updating. And I've said plenty on my Blogs that can justify even having Jesus be played by a Woman.
If there is one area where I feel Jesus Christ Superstar is more Biblically accurate then most dramatizations of The Passion you see now days, it's in the characterization of Pontius Pilate.
The Gospels paint a relatively sympathetic picture of Pilate. Many feel the Gospels inherently contradict what Josephus had to say about Pilate, but I feel that ignore the context of the picture Josephus paints. And Josephus was not an eyewitness to Pilate's Governorship anyway.
Hollywood has a tendency, especially in the Old Epics, to have Rome=Fascism. Since Mussolini was a wannabe Caesar anyway he and Hitler both borrowed a lot of Roman Imagery, so it happens to come naturally for Roman imagery to evoke Fascism. And since Pilate kind of represents Rome in The Passion narrative, plenty of film depictions have him be like Conrad Veidt in Casablanca wearing a Toga.
And then Mel Gibson's attempt to capture the Gospel's more sympathetic characterization kind of made him come off as...... I don't wanna say "weak" but as not someone you'd expect be a military Governor.
This Musical manages to find the right balance for how to depict Pilate. And much of the credit for that goes to Barry Dennen playing the role in the original LP, the original Broadway run and the 73 film. And so when I say he's the best Pontius Pilate performance, I don't just mean in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, I mean period.
It's interesting even to compare the different performances Dennen gave. He seems kind of like he was cast for his acting more then singing, though he had been in other Musicals. So on the original Concept Album his performance isn't quite as polished yet. You need to see the 73 film to really see him shine.
He has that particular kind of Accent that I see Actors use only when they're playing Patrician Romans, and that Nerds of my kind always love listening too. I'm not an expect on counting Meter, but I think some of the Trial Before Pilate is in Iambic Pentameter. But I also like the more subtle things that he was only able to do in the Movie. Like how he uses his Hands during the flogging scene.
However I feel the key place where other Pilates fail in comparison is in those last few Lines he has at the very end. Which Barry Dennen delivered very intensely and loudly, what some might call "overacting" but he sells it perfectly. And it's those final lines that make me as a fan of Anime Dubs kind of want to hear the role portrayed by Crispan Freeman (something else I already mentioned on Twitter), maybe he's the one person who could compete at delivering those lines.
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