Miyu Edelfelt the Supreme Kuudere

I made two prior posts on this blog discussing the Kuudere archetype of Anime and why it’s what I've in recent years chosen to username myself after.  

But in both I completely neglected to mention the character of Miyu Edelfelt from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya.  That is a massive oversight given how I have another post on this blog proclaiming Prisma Illya to be The Most Anime.

And I can certainly argue she should have qualified for the more specific premise of Kuudere are Stoics.  She is a very emotionally driven character in-spite of her cool and calm Stoic demeanor and very intelligent, both book smart and wise, seemingly very mature for her age.  And episode 9 of 3wei clarifies the Nasuverse's Magic system to be compatible with Stoic Metaphysics. However, since I made that post wanting to share it with people in Normie Stoicism Groups on Facebook it’s probably for the best that I didn't devote much of it to the least Normie Accessible Anime of all time.

She slipped my mind at the time because I hadn’t recently rewatched Prisma Illya and often my over analyzing of Prisma Illya focuses on how Illya works as an archetypical Pink Magical Girl rather than how Miyu works as a Blue.

The Blue is more flexible in terms of her personality type then the Pink (and they aren’t even always literally color coded as Blue), what’s important is that they contrast with the Pink, so a Kuudere certainly can play that role but usually not.

In the original Japanese she is voiced by Nazuka Kaori and in the English Dub she is voiced by Caitlyn French, both are excellent, however the English Dub only covered the first season, the Dance at the Sports Festival OVA, 2wei, 2wei Herz! and some of the shorts made with those seasons, so unfortunately the Onsen OVA, 3wei, the movies and Prisma Phantasm remain undubbed.  Caitlyn French also voiced Yakumo Tsukamoto in School Rumble, which isn’t the only other Dub I’ve watched she’s been in but the only time I instantly recognized her as Miyu, that character may also count as a Kuudere but its been awhile since I watched it and my thinking of her as sounding like Miyu may have influenced my perception.  French is also Shiro in No Game No Life who probably does count as a Kuudere but isn’t the kind I’m mainly thinking of when I reference the concept.

I keep feeling compelled to reiterate how the main reason for the 3 episode rule is that it can take 3 episodes for a show to fully set up what it even is, and expressing what I mean by that with merely the word “premise” before because that’s the word Trixie used was a mistake, it’s more than just the premise.  Miyu is the reason the three episode rule applies to Prisma Illya, she’s the Deuteragonist, so her not even showing up till the end of episode 2 is narratively necessary but still a reason what the show is actually like isn’t fully apparent from only two episodes.  The third episode is entirely about introducing Miyu and establishing her character and how she contrasts with Illya.

I have said before that I’d like to see someone make Fanart that recreates the Iconic “Don’t worry I’ve got you.”  “But who’s Got You” moment from Superman The Movie with Prisma Illya and Miyu.  The reason why that reference should work for fans of this show is because of episode 4.  

Update: Triekkie Post Script.

Comparing a Trio of main characters to the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic is one of the most generic comparisons nerds make.  But I couldn't stop thinking about how well it works here.

Illya refuses to accept a no win scenario, this is once we reach 3wei the core of her character.  This is what every Magical Girl Protagonist has in common with Kirk.

Miyu from what I said above is obviously the Spock, while Kuro's complete lack of hesitation to say she's sacrifice an entire world she doesn't know to save her friend is very McCoy.