canyouheatmeuponafrozennight

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Iliad and Odyssey

Mirror images of Crime and Punishment

When the Iliad ended, I honestly got confused, because that's not how I expected it'd end. To me it was obvious it'd end with Paris shooting Achilles and what ensued. However, it concludes with Hector's corpse being returned to King Priam. That's when I started thinking, and how did the story start? And what was the midway climax? Achilles' anger at the Achaens, then achilles heading to the battlefield finally.

This wasn't a tale of war, nor of a hero, but a tale of one man's feelings. Anger and sadness, stubbornness, his injured pride and honor. His heart was closed to the Achaens, his allies. When disaster strikes and Patroclus is lost, this new pain in his heart sets him into motion, he becomes the slayer of Troyans, furiously searching for Hector. Not satisfied with annihilating Hector, he continues to humiliate the corpse, in hopes that this would calm Patroclus' soul down in Hades.

Priam walks into his enemy's HQ and begs for the body to be returned. And the murderous lamenting demigod listens to his resquest, remembering his own father, relating to the feeling of loss the poor old man exhibits. His heart was closed to Achaeans, but he could find in the enemy, the father of the killer of his beloved, someone whose heart he could connect to, someone that validates his sorrow.

Achilles' great journey was entirely about his feelings, across a few weeks in the battlefield. Anger, regret, grief, then forgiving. I didn't notice it at all while reading, lost in the rage of war, invested in the killing, thinking this was a tale of killing the enemy, killing those who take from you.

Punishing Hector's dead body for day after day didn't help Achilles move on, but forgiving him, allowing his father to respect this body which he dragged around, giving the troyans time to grief this enemy of his, he found himself finding a shard of peace. In a time of war, he finds inner peace by allowing himself to forget the anger.

And we find the opposite direction in the Odyssey. Odysseus finds men who live in an age of peace and are rotten to the core, and in his heart there's no forgival. Was what the suitors did worse than what Hector did? Perhaps not, but were they as great as Hector for there them to be deserving of respect, of forgival? Perhaps that is the abyss separating one man from a group of men. 108 of them together didn't have as much worth in their character, in their feats, as this singular hero. Which isn't to say Great Men Have The Right To Eliminate Parasites To Make The World Better, but explains Odysseus not stepping back and being satisfied with eliminating Antinous, but needing to eradicate them all, accepting of the price he'd pay for it.

Secondary to that, there is a second unforgiving rage which guides the story, which is Poseidon's. Odysseus sinned against Polyphemus, and thus Poseidon brings him ruin whenever he is at sea, punishing him endlessly, and even those who help him achieve his goal. Nothing can calm Poseidon's rage, just as nothing could stop Odysseus'. The suitors came into his home and to it brought harm, as did he to the cyclops, setting him as the man of pain, inflicter and inflicted. And as the seer forecast, when he is old, the ocean will fall on him and take his life, showing how Poseidon's rage won't end until this life he takes with his own hands.

Achille's great enemy was Hector, while Odysseus was never matched by the suitors, making his true great enemy Poseidon, and the many horrors he faced on the way, the many temptations he was offered in place of venturing into the unknown, not only meaning unknown waters, but an unknown homeland, and unknown home, an unknown son, a wife that might not have waited for him all this time. Time and again he could have stayed in a paradise with a goddess or queen by his side, yet he once more chose to try to return home. The book doesn't show him thinking about, hesitating on which path to take, because to him, those weren't options at all, but where us, weaker and less noble people in his place, would we so easily and promptly reject Calypso, Circe and Nausicaa, to return to someone who we don't know is waiting for us? Odysseus determination and love wasn't told in words, but shown constantly through and through, much like The Iliad didn't spell out how Achilles' inner turmoil was much more relevant than the war taking place outside.

The heart and soul of both stories lies on what isn't said, perhaps that's what made Homer the main root of western literature, these two stories really were masterful works.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Reviewing Kamen Rider Gotchard Pre-Finale

Or "How does one make a story with this little depth?"

I thought of rewriting the characters since I don't think Houtaro is the protagonist this story needed, but instead I'll just leave it as is and just go about how it could work for me. Starting from the edges and moving towards the center.

Minato's story and himself don't need to be that important, though I do think he is Houtaro's Virgilius. His past could remain the same, but the ends could be tied together, and the friend he let die ages ago was Houtaro's father, explaining why the old man is gone with no explanation (he died and the memories were erased to keep alchemy secrets, so Houtaro and the mom think he's just off traveling somewhere. In a way, this storyline would draw from Den-O's Zeronos subplot, a beloved family member that's been forgotten, but different enough to not feel like a rerun). He feels responsible for Houtaro, and at the same time wants to make up for his past mistake, making him paradoxically desire to bring him into the world of alchemy and distance him from the dark parts of it. While Houtaro and crew are hunting Chemy and having fun, he's cheering for them, but fighting and investigating Gryon's forces. When Houtaro insists too much on joining the true battle he closes his heart and goes Dread on him, as he knows too much now and wants to walk the same path his father did, which he can't allow.

Sabimaru could have had a great story with the beats given in the show, he is the chemy lover, the original gotta catch 'em all of the academy, but he couldn't communicate with them like H does, nor can he fuse with the Chemy and turn into a Kamen Rider and that developed in an inferiority complex, which would be exploited by the sisters to turn him into Dread. While he wants to reject the power, he is finally on par with H and can even defeat him a few times, so he must come to terms with his own negative side to properly overcome that he enjoyed being Dread for a while. He then gets better at using Chemy to at least support H (it could be like the Zukkyunpire trick they used once, except meaningful and across the show; his role would be like Kasumi no Joe, a friend and a fighter that doesnt need to be a Kamen Rider)

Renge doesn't need to exist I'm sorry if you like her but she just exists, they didn't give her a role in the show and i won't be the one to make one up (though if you put a gun to my head I'd say that, going from her line about wanting to become an alchemist to become rich, she could be a bit of a gryon sympathizer since he's a gold lover and she betrays the team halfway through because she's tempted by the golds radiance. In this show alchemy is bullshit magic, but at the center of it should be indeed the desire to turn things into gold, so she and gryon in a way would be alchemist boomers keeping things the good old way instead of being magicians 2.0)

Kurogane has many interesting storylines to approach, I'll start by listing everything that goes on with him. Has the dark flames that belong to the main villain, had his parents killed by the villain, 1st class alchemist but tertiary rider, nonhuman gf, adopted son of the crazy scientist and a realist that contrasts the MC's idealist. He's almost got too much going on, now that I think about it. If we wrote with the dark flames in mind from the beginning, he should have burst in flames from his first fight with H, in a fit of rage over him not being the Kamen Rider, and his pride being hurt as he lost to a non-alchemist. As they're forced to work together, instead of controlling the flames and fearing them, he learns how to hone them, culminating with the purification of them into white flames. His parents were killed by Gryon when they attacked him after finding out he put the dark flames in him, as an experiment to find out if a human vessel could handle the power of the Abyss. As he fears the flames, he was always distant from people, even more so upon finding out they were the power of the Abyss, he didn't feel human anymore due to the power running in his veins, which is why he bonds that way with Lachesis, who shares with him a bond with the Abyss and mirrors him, being a doll who wants to become human, while he is a human that can feel the villains strings tugging at his limbs from time to time. Both can keep the other in check, and remind each other who they are when the darkness tries to take over. Him giving a chance to idealism (I think this would also tie with the alchemy theme in a way; turning ones ideals into something else) also would make sense, not framing it as idealism > realism simply, but it's about embracing the hope for the future instead of drowning in the despair of the present. a doll can become human, there's no reason to accept things are as they are and forever will be as they are.

Rinne is the daughter of a traitor, so she plays by the rules much more than anyone else, because she fears walking outside of the lines because of the stigma she carries. A situation relatable to many demographics, to say the least, and now that I think about it, she could probably have a story with Hijiri too, being the sister of a criminal, she knows the stigma too, and they could bond over that claustrophobic feeling of living, and the paranoia that comes with it. But I digress. She has no friends, normal kids don't like how straightlaced she is, Spanner comes around, but she knows(thinks) he's spying on her to make sure she doesn't try anything weird like her father. H is a dumbass, knows nothing about the rules and got his powers from her father, so he has no ill will towards him. With all those pieces together, it was easy for him to become a friend to her, a pillar in her crumbling world. Would be fun if even at home she felt watched, resulting in her visiting, staying over and eventually working at ichinose's because it gave back to her the warmth of a home. With these budding feelings of a possible love, romantic or not, towards this boy and his family that accepted her after the entire world suspected her, the episode with H's childhood friend would make more sense, and would serve a purpose in that she needs to face her feelings and realize she's grown dependant of the ichinose's, she felt caged before, now she's putting others in a cage together with her because this one is happier and warmer for her. To me, this would be her pivotal arc, and after this she'd start trying to make other friends to break out of her shell. By having more choices, she can finally get to the conclusion that it's not that she needs the ichinose family, she wants to be with them. I don't think she needs the Atropos storyline exactly, but it does work as a good mirror. She can tell Atropos comes pester her because she wants a friend, and thatd serve for her to see her own desire to make friends, and upon setting out to make more friends, she could finally accept Atropos approaching her, instead of shoving her away like she always did.

Houtaro... a tough character to walk with, he is almost as blank as a slate as Renge is. He says MC things, he does the kamen rider/pokemon hero speeches, but there's no Houtaro in there. It's "what a hero would say" not "what this individual character" would say. When in trouble, make him say gotcha and call it a day. I left him for last (for the main cast) because I wanted to find him through the others. In this world, then, he probably heard about Chemys as child from his dad, and even now he thinks his father is chasing a legendary chemy, or traveling while riding in one. He even learned a bit of basic alchemy, despite not knowing what it is at first, but he never used it in public because he promised it. His father planned to bring him into the world of alchemy, but died before he could do that (Minato knew of this plan, which is why he becomes H's guide). While most alchemists only used Chemys as tools or saw them as pests, H's Dad was the original "chemys are our friends" ideologist, and he passed that onto Houtaro while he was a kid, and he continued to believe that. When Abyss attacks and Rinne's dad gives him the driver, he can use his basic knowledge and his love to fuse with a Chemy and become Kamen Rider, an art that had been lost for millennia (because alchemists forgot how to love chemy, so they became unable to combine). H's shallow heroic speeches can stay in, but it's because he's actually modulating his father. He started the act at home when dad was gone, to cheer his mom up, but eventually forgot his real face while lost in the act. He knows what his dad would say, what his dad would do, but at times he wishes he could know what he wants to do, what he should say. He learns to find his own words through the alchemy academy crowd of course, Rinne becomes a friend, Minato a guide, sabimaru a teacher, Spanner a rival, and through these chemical reactions, he finds out who he is again. And his foil in Clotho is formed as she is the most emotionless of the dolls, she's just performing the role that was assigned to her, she has no ideals or goals of her own. Seeing the ruthless doll and fighting with her many times, he couldn't help but see himself in her, he can't criticize her way of being, and what other says about her bounces off and hits him too, as others might not know, but he knows that he's also just acting the part he thinks he should play. The goal of his arc is actually to find words of his own to say to Clotho, to reach out to her and release her from the protocol that binds her. His intent was to feel he could also be free if she became free, but ultimately he reverts the order, becoming free (by which I mean, finding his own words) in order to free her.

Villains would be Gryon and the three sisters. Gryon is extremely conservative in what is true alchemy, if you're not turning things into gold, you're not doing it right. In this version, only some chemys are the Midas type and have a gold touch, while others can convent matter too, but in simpler ways, changing texture taste and so on, while others convert matter into non-gold elements, and gryon thinks any non Midas Type are trash chemys and should be erased. At first he was a good chemy hunter and the alchemists loved him, but his views grew more extreme with time, and instead of erasing the pest type chemys, he started going for everything, and was eventually shunned, which pushed him off the deepest ends. He created his automatons that would capture chemys and eliminate the non-Midas ones, as well as any alchemists who stood in their way. He was doing the world a favor, and the world dared to exile him, so now he'll turn this whole worthless world into gold, the only way he could find to make it worth anything again. (This set of beliefs would make Houtaro being a hopper user more antagonistic to him, not only he is fusing with a worthless chemy, it's a biblical plague even). The three sisters are foils to the three riders and bond with them through their battles, Lachesis deserting to be with Spanner, Atropos making friends with Rinne in their own awkward way and Clotho finding her own heart through Houtaro's original words (listed in the order the events take place in my imaginary timeline).

Got a little excited and wrote much more than I intended to, but that's all I have.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff is an Orpheus and a Romeo. Unable to turn back and let her ghost go, unable to die with her, he rages and rages and unleashes a blind vengeance. Towards Lintons, towards Earnshaws, he drives his anger towards names that did nothing to him, because of what these names once did to him.

A lone creature in this world, deprived of the one treasure he once held, by his own fault as well as the world's fault, his journey ends with him turning to the ghost and choosing his own end.

I see him as having found his peace in Hareton. Or rather, he saw his possibility, a world where the brute, uneducated loner hated by his guardian could still be worth of Catherine's love. She was a Linton, she was a Heathcliff, and was heading back to Earnshaw. His world must have crumbled like a sand castle, his vengeance, his rage, all the flames within him were erased by the rain of their love. And seeing that in front of him, as well as the eyes of Catherine in their faces, he could no longer ignore the ghost which followed him for two decades. And thus, he decided to go towards where she waits, and find peace, happiness, rest, once more. He doesn't deserve punishment for his crime, as his own life had been such punishment until the day of his death.

In the end, makes sense that only Catherine could bring change and closure to Wuthering Heights. In her forgiving Hareton and growing close to him, he could save himself, and him being saved in turn saved/doomed Heathcliff. The original Catherine learned with the Lintons that her and Heath weren't the same, and couldn't be loyal to her love to him, while Little Catherine could forget her sorrows and animosity to open her heart to Hareton. She saved her heart, and by saving it, she saved Hareton's and Heathcliff's too.

I love Nelly too, but I'll store my feelings for her in my chest.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Argento Soma

Words are what connect people, which isn't to say as long as you talk things will work out, but that the words of the talker must be heard by the listener.

"If you told me" "Why didn't you tell me?"

We can use these words to blind ourselves and act as if it was someone's choice to not talk to us, when we are the ones who didn't create a relationship, a space, a trust, where they could feel comfortable telling us. Words unspoken aren't the others fault, but more likely ours. We teach others to fear us, we react to their words, we show them what they're worth or how they affect us, and that in turn shifts their words. The listener is a seemingly passive role, but it can hurt the speaker just as much as a speaker can hurt a listener.

I've lived a hypocritical life and know I've said expected and requested things of others that I myself couldn't offer, and felt offended that it wasn't provided to me. It's hard to notice such things as you do them, much less admit it, but I've come a long way from those days, I want to think.

Of course, I'm still far from perfect, but I want to become better at listening, or perhaps I should say I want to be a kinder listener, someone others can trust to talk to, to say the truth and share their hearts when they're in need. Or, being more honest, there's one person whose trust I don't want to betray, and to continue being a worthy confidant.

I could see much of my younger self in Ryu, at times it was tough to watch, so his whole struggle was very relatable. While I saw myself in him he saw himself in Frank and we both didn't like what we saw.

A very good anime from start to finish, I'm glad I didn't watch it years ago, I feel I wouldn't understand it this well, I wouldn't feel it this deeply, had I watched it sooner.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: Markheim

Came as an extra in my Jekyll and Hyde and I entered it without expecting anything, but it was a really great short story.

Once stained by sin it is easy to go ever ever deeper into it, since it won't come off, might as well bask in it. Is that human nature? I wouldn't know to say if it is or not, maybe it's just gravity. Maybe it's like what Itadori said, you kill once, and killing becomes an option at all times. Doing it once is enough for you to consider it as many times as it takes, our brains get used to it, it's acceptance, not nature, I'd say. In that loop of bad behaviors, we also enable ourselves, we say it couldn't be helped, it is not by my hand I fell to this point, we live in a society, blah blah blah, the list goes on. In some 30 pages, this tale gives a simple message: You can be whatever you are, for whatever reason, but you don't need to bask in it once you're dirty. You can hate the negativity you've surrounded yourself with, and fight against it, even if it'll be harder that way.

This story simultaneously evokes Dorian Gray and Crime and Punishment, an amazing feat. I personally found it better than the main story of Jekyll and Hyde even, uncanny. Might have to read more Stevenson because his writing in this story really enthralled me, the talk with "the devil" was really interesting, in prose and content.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Shame I couldn't experience reading this not knowing they're the same person, I didn't expect the whole book to be a mystery on what went on between Jekyll and Hyde (I thought itd be about coming to terms with the monster inside or something). So this is a case of spoilers really ruin the work, huh

Anyway, there are still things I managed to think about on the last chapter, which is most of the pulp of the story once the mystery element is removed.

"Man must be better and more evil" - Having an oversoul of your evil side walking around to keep your good side, well, good does sound somewhat philosophical, but perhaps it's more akin to ventilating stress than making way for the overman. I like how it's not a clear split, Hyde is evil and Jekyll is good, Jekyll is mixed, just a natural, but having this scapegoat in Hyde and fortress in Jekyll keeps him balanced. This way of life is in no way alien to us in reality and modernity, as it's still how some of us live. A good person IRL gets online and spews vile thoughts, attacks and humiliates others for no reason other than their amusement, to vent, to have fun, because the internet isn't reality, because the people they might hurt aren't real. If you saw what someone you like does under anonimity, you might feel the same disgust people feel when looking at Hyde, which is probably not something Stevenson was imagining would happen at the time, which is a bit funny to me. People turn into Hyde much more frequently and don't get punished for it by turning forever into Hyde (in some cases, they do, I suppose), the wonders of science and technology.

Addiction - Jekyll "could have stopped at any time, just one more day as Hyde," and eventually never returned. As a metaphor for how addiction takes over one's lives, it's also very effective. Be it gambling, porn, alcohol or whatever, it's difficult for most to stay clean. Jekyll's suicide then becomes that much more melancholic, as he chose death over the shame of letting his peers see him at rockbottom, better be dead than have everyone know and treat me like an addict.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: L'étranger

Three deaths. A loved one, a stranger and oneself. If all lives are equal, all three deaths matter the same, if death is inevitable and we must accept it, there's nothing to be sad about any of those deaths. Through a long chain of this equals that, the whole universe comes out seeming meaningless. Maybe it is. Why care when the universe doesn't care? Naturally, all things which are very easy to say conceptually. I had prepared for it, so I thought I'd be fine when my cat died, when my father was sent to the ER, but I cried in both instances and felt my soul shrinking (and saying it in reverse, you could argue my cat's life and father's life are equally precious to me. to someone out there that could make me a stranger by itself, crying for a cat as much as for a father probably makes no sense to most. people in my family itself said "sure sure ill give you two cats so you forget that one" when it happened. theyd never say that about a father for sure, in the great scheme, that life only mattered to me, and I don't need anyone else to feel the same or understand my feeling. if anything, id be happy enough if they just didn't deny it.)

Meursault tried to block the sun when his mother died. A stranger even to himself, he could not process his own feelings. He overhears his neighbor crying over his lost dog, and thinks of his mother, but can't tell why. He smiles when looking at his reflection, yet it remains somber.

The multitude had no place in his world and, likewise, the multitude also rejected him. Though even if given more time, he'd probably only continue averting his eyes from the sun, instead of one day understanding at least himself. Only his death could make him understand himself, his anger, his violence and, at the same time, come to terms with his mother's death. And perhaps more importantly, understand the last of her life. He couldn't love Marie (or at least understand if he did so or not properly), but managed to see why his mother got a boyfriend at the end of her life.

"Nobody had the right to cry for her" to me reads like a loving statement. She lived, and lived again in her golden years. What joy did he see that, what peace he must have seen in the way she lived. He sees not the loss he suffered, but what she achieved, what she had before leaving, and thus wishes none to look at her with tears, with sadness. "Maman lived and died happily, don't stain that with tears!" is what his heart screams to me. If at first he didn't understand his own sadness, at the end he understands there is nothing to be sad about. Run or walk, the sun will get you.

"We're all privileged, but one day we'll be condemned." Great equalizer is the death In his outburst he finally takes the wheel of his life. The trial took place with him apart from it, he had no place in deciding his own fate in the world of men. But in front of (a man of) God, he finally expressed his anger, his violence, his beliefs. He seeks not redemption or forgival or such earthly, humane values, because he's seen through the intrinsic value of reality. Nothing matters, everything matters, it's all the same (Letters, from Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet). Zarathustra also advocates one to find their own truth, which is what Meursault seized for himself and found peace in it (He is no pale criminal, however, as his act did not terrify him, but I digress), therefore placing Meursault closer to overman than man.

We will live, make choices on how to live, and one day we shall die. Be it our best life or our worst life, it'll end one day. If that brings you hope or despair or indifference, it doesn't matter to me, it won't affect me. To you, it only matters how you feel, and to me, it only matters how I feel about it. We're strangers to one another, we can open our hearts, but never share our qualia. Someone might choose to not open their umbrella and instead dance when it rains. That's what it means to have free will.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Also Sprach Zarathustra x Crime and Punishment

hard to not think of raskol's theory and the overman

or at least so I thought at first, but as ASZ went on, I didn't think there was much to do, but it crosses over sometimes.

Of The Pale Criminal, for one, feels very much like a straight look into Raskol. He killed to prove his theory, blood for the sake of blood. But Zarathustra doesn't admonish the criminal, he admires his insanity for allowing him to go beyond, and wishes more people had it. (But considering how he advocates one is only as great as the enemy, and thus you owe them some respect, it conflicts with Raskol's argument that killing a leech isn't a crime. To dehumanize the enemy is to make you, their killer, smaller too, I'd say. A true Napoleon needs great enemies, there's no admiration in history for a hero that didn't topple great foes.)

In Of The Priests, he talks about how having spilled blood doesn't prove the truth of your beliefs. While his message is against Christian values, does this not also apply to a theory that would claim a hero has the right to eliminate those in the way of their greatness? While it doesn't deny that right per se, I believe it denies that it makes such a man extraordinary. Killing, winning and proving yourself right doesn't prove one has surpassed man, it doesn't set one above man. At the same time, the insanity to go beyond the limits of good and evil, to seize that power, doesn't sound like a denial of Rodion's theory. Rodion probably would feel validated by Zarathustra, but Zarathustra wouldn't affirm Rodion.

Of the Sublime Men speaks of great men that don't know joy. Putting it in Gash Bell terms, Zarathustra wishes for great men to be hippos, not lions. All animals run away from the lion, but a hippo gets birds and fish to clean their teeth. A force to be reckoned with must know kindness, must have levity, must know how to dance. This is probably how Sonya sees Rodya, these words are the salvation she offers him. If Zarathustra saw Rodion at the end of the book, he'd probably acknowledge his growth, if nothing else.

Zarathustra's overman isn't a Napoleon (he doesn't want us to become heroes, but gods), and Raskol's theory is flawed to begin with, so naturally they're not walking the same path ideologically, but I still love how much ASZ and C&P mutually give each other depth through through the ideals displayed in both works.

P.S: God is dead, we killed him. God died because he loved man too much. In these lines, having read Paradise Lost, I can read it as the death of a conceptual being through self-denial. For God to be a perfect being, he can't make mistakes. However, his beloved child, Man, was a mistake. To keep existing, God would have to kill man, but his love was too deep to do that. Therefore God allowed himself to die for man to live. (know how in monogatari theres that black orb that kills oddities that stopped acting their role? think theres one of these that can devour god?)

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Lonely Castle in the Mirror

There's so much I'd like to say, but more than speak it to the void I'd like to talk about it with someone, so I won't say much here.

The more I thought about it, more I realized how heartfelt and intelligent the movie was, through what it displayed, through what it said.

Glass children need the support of adults and of fellow children to recover. Sometimes these types of movies can try to be just too hopeful and everything is solved magically, or too out of touch and bullies/abusers just reform when the plot needs it (or the children forgive their enemies and then the problem vanishes without any weight to it), so seeing how this movie portrays the fear felt by children and how the world may not be kind, but there will be someone on your side and one's battle is about staying on the side that loves you, instead of surrendering to the one that will devour you alive was very refreshing, very good.

Personally, my favorite part was the teacher who didn't care about Kokoro's situation, enraging her mother with his dismissiveness. It's a hopeful realism, your teacher may not care, but your mother will protect you, it's a message of hope for children. And in a more broad interpretation, it says that not every adult will be ignorant to your plight.

There are good adults and bad adults, good children and bad children; when despairing one might grow distrustful and see all around them as the enemy, but this movie is almost screaming how this world has enemies and allies, and you should rely, trust and believe in those who will look out for you, because no one is an island, there are things you can't overcome by yourself, try as you might.

Believe in others and pass it forward, grow to become an adult an endangered child can rely on.

Lastly

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: Crime and Punishment

One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds, Napoleon, Obtaining Paradise. There are many angles to approach this story from, many ideas to discuss about it, I don't feel like I'm literate enough to speak of them all. Anyway, let's talk about sins and sinners.

Rodion, the murderer. Poor and depressed, unemployed and lost, but above all, a smart dumbass. Living in a small cubicle, sleeping and doing nothing all day, Rodion wanted to prove to himself he was worth something. A hero is a murderer that history justified, he took his own theory and turned it around, inverting the cause and effect and murdering someone to prove he wasn't a nobody, that he could achieve greatness.

Amidst the whole cast, and the many people who tried to understand him, I feel the only person who really saw completely through him was Porfiri. Not only he knew how fragile Rodya's heart was, he could tell how dettached to life he was, and pleaded with him to not give up on living. He knew Rodion was a criminal, he had nothing to gain from it, and just out of his own morals, his own wish for this young man to live, he went out of his way to give him a better chance to recover.

To surpass limits and take hold of power, this is what drove Rodion to murdering. I think all the key characters of C&P have done that, but Porfiri's "limit break" was the one without a shred of "sin" in it. The greatest enemy before Rodion, the one that broke down his crime, was one such extraordinary person, and a virtuous foil of Rodion.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Arkadi, the pedo-rapist. From his very introduction, I thought he was a mirror to Rodion. Both somewhat insane broken men, uncaring about others thoughts and opinions, self-centered and arrogant, but while Rodion was so from a low social position, Arkadi was rich. At first, that's all I thought he was, just a rich Rodion. Nothing prepared me for him to be that much of a mirror image, the same figure with inverted values, pretty much. While Rodion couldn't even put into words his love for Sonya until the end, Arkadi had multiple wives and lovers. Rodion couldn't tell why Sonya would follow him anywhere he went, while Arkadi was this sure Dunya also loved him. Rodion saw the pawnbroker as less than human and thus could kill her, Arkadi saw a child as tempting, and proceeded to defile her. Last and most important, Rodion couldn't kill himself and chose to accept punishment for his crime, while Arkadi decided he should kill himself.

Arkadi's limit break was entirely sinful, he went above and beyond in his lust, in his debauchery, and felt no regret over it (as Rodion over his own murder). He wasn't just Rodion if he had money, he was Rodion if he never accepted punishment, if he hid and ran from all the pain that comes with the crime. He helped many with his (wife's) money, but hundreds of good deeds can't erase even one sin, so he could no longer live with himself, also knowing he couldn't change his nature. He himself told Rodion only a bullet to the temple could stop him, and he committed to it.

Lastly, we have the purest sinner, Sonya, the harlot. At first I couldn't tell why Rodion liked her and respected her so much just from hearing Marmieladov talk about her, but in hindsight, it's clear that he felt in her his ideal, she was a limit breaker. She became a prostitute for her family, she drenched herself in sin to protect her stepfamily. She didn't murder another to achieve greatness, she allowed herself to be murdered, if it meant their happiness. Upon killing another and falling apart, Rodion needed to know how she, who took all the pain unto herself, didn't, and to him, an atheist, it must have felt conflicting to see that it was her faith that kept her together. I feel that, at the same time he wanted to see her faith break (and her too), he wanted to find the will to believe and keep himself together too, resulting in the Ressurection of Lazarus Reading scene, that was akin to his "battles" with Porfiri, in that moment he was trying to find out which of them was justice, does justice lie with the one that believes or the one that doesn't?

Sonya doesn't mirror Rodya, she is what lies beyond his flawed theory of greatness. He, who believes himself to be great, could not befriend anyone in prison or find himself having any will to live. She, who suffered even more than him, who holds herself humbly, is loved by all. When he killed the pawnbroker, he already knew his theory was shattering, and Porfiri continued to smash it, to force him to see reality, but that wasn't enough to save him. Porfiri could only break his world, Sonya can be there to show him what a great person can be once his antiquated mindset is gone.

Without her, he'd easily return to who he was before the murder, a depressed man in a coffin-like room, in a world of darkness. What probably made him aware of her importance, of what she represented in his world, was her illness making her not visit for a while. In prison, without her, he was just who he was before murdering the pawnbroker. And that simple change, that single realization, could change who he was and his view towards the future.

It isn't the courage to kill that allows him to surpass his limits, it's the courage to love. Love himself, even if he is mediocre, to then allow himself to consider himself worthy of the love given to him by others, and ultimately be able to love them back properly.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: Paradise Lost

Satan, Adam, God, Paradise and Family

Satan

Making Satan too sympathetic got Milton in trouble at the time, which at first indeed might seem like a wild stance to take, especially at the time. Too human for Christians, too pitiful for a satanist. People need their icons to be perfect, even if for that they must be dehumanized or have their darkness hidden (Even Christ is treated that way, as some don't allow him to have feared death or have loved a prostitute and so on). I've seen commentary that says everything Satan speaks is a lie, the sympathy one might feel for him stems from his gaslighting, but I don't think that's what Milton was writing with him.

The reason he is the protagonist for half the book, the reason he is drawn sympathetically, is because Satan is Adam. If we're being technical, Satan, Adam and Christ are all brothers (I'd even argue Man's knowledge of good and evil, the possibility of swinging either way itself works within that metaphor. The neutral path that is man, the evil that is Satan and the good that is Christ, these are the three paths created by God through his direct children) but the biggest parallels are drawn between Satan and Adam, that's why it matters that we meet and know him. (Sin is born from Satan, and from their incestuous union comes Death. Eve is born from Adam, and from their incestuous union comes humankind, for one.)

Second, both are expelled from paradise, both are rejected by their father. Satan, unable to accept his younger brother as superior (was Hokuto no Ken Paradise Lost-inspired?) rebels against his father and falls to a hell of his making. Still, ruling over hell sounds greater than serving God in Heaven, therefore he accepts that punishment pretending it doesn't even hurt. However, still bitter and looking to frustrate God in return nevertheless, he departs to ruin God's new plan. In other words, he must corrupt his youngest brother to piss God off.

One passage that feels very much like a convoluted family drama, is how God feels conflicted on Man's punishment because erasing man would allow Satan to mock him for throwing away his favorite children the moment they cross him once. A father pressured by the judgemental eyes of the eldest son, the only child old and wise enough to be able to call out his wrongdoings.

Satan is bitter and childish, but paradoxically, also the only adult in the story that can talk back to God, that can challenge providence. As the corruptor of Man, our greatest-uncle did leave this gift for us, the power of evil to confront those who might be mightier than ourselves for our own sake. Satan is self-tempted, he chose for himself to go against God, which I do have to say is more admirable behavior than Adam and Eve's being tempted by another (but also the reason why Satan's punishment was more severe; they could be excused as someone else was to blame at least). Jeanne D'arc ending up as she did might not be a surprise, as the strength to stand up by yourself is indeed a satanic trait.

Satan is very much a prototype of Adam, human-like and sinful, angry and rebellious, he can't see his punishment as his fault, he can't see his failures as his failures. Powerful enough to fight against God, but not pure enough to recognize what he's done, what he has broken; he can't see that he lost Paradise.

Adam

Our greatest-father, Satan with a bit less bite. Personally, a character that always existed within me, perhaps one of the first literature character I've met, but to me never a person, just a symbol. Adam and Eve started mankind, that line is all they were to me, until this book.

I feel the need to start with the line that moved me most, that connected me the most to Adam: When I saw [Eve], all that was beautiful until now, no longer was. The rest of his descriptions of Eve, of being with Eve all rung true within my heart to. I know how it was because he was just like me; a man in love with a woman (Hadestown)

It's easy to say "these two lived in Eden but then lost it all," but what lies before, between and after that, isn't something the Bible makes you think about, but Paradise Lost does. The solitude of a man alone in Paradise for God knows how long, meeting with his soulmate and getting to experience life by her side in a place you two know nothing but peace and joy and good. Thinking about experiencing that, and losing that, makes a short line about the original progenitor which has no meaning gain much more weight, gain significance.

When a now sinful Eve approaches him and tempts him into also consuming the fruit, he thinks about how he can't live without her, and would rather betray God than her. Once he obtains evil he lashes out and says it's her fault this happened, but what I see drawn here is the shape of true love. Before he knew evil, he'd rather die than be without her, once he did, he felt like arguing and playing the blame game. When we love someone to the point of doing anything for them, to be with them, that's Adam within us, the purest, God-betraying love that rests within us is also his gift.

Scared and regretful, Adam, unlike Satan, can tell he lost Paradise, that things won't be good anymore, not only for him and Eve, but to their children. They'll know death, they'll know illness, they'll know pain. Is it worth bringing a child into this world, knowing this is what awaits them? Milton a father himself, in an age much less kind than ours, probably could write that feeling with much more personal investment than one might infer from the text. To answer that question, Raphael comes to Adam and shows him the future, sins, war and plague, but also salvation, redemption and forgival.

When a tragedy occurs, it's not the end of the world. You can make good out of evil. Satan's betrayal created man. Man's betrayal brought Jesus and many other heroes. Mankind was born in sin, but doesn't need to live in sin. That is the positive, existentialist meaning of this journey, when Paradise is Lost (the end of the book), the real story (history) begins.

God, Paradise and Family

Seeing God as a father and Paradise as the nest, the story of Genesis is much more familiar than holy. The father/mother provides all they can to give their children happiness while they're immature, but one day they'll grow and develop, until they no longer can sleep on that same nest. The kids one day will leave and become Gods of their own Paradises, maybe create and provide for their Adams until these are ready to also leave and become gods too. When the fruit makes Adam and Eve become like gods, this is what it means, that these children now will fend for themselves, instead of live under their parent's wings.

Adam's sorrow, however, is probably a feeling that can't be done justice. I'll speak of not being in talking terms with your father, and we'll know our feelings, the feelings of our peers who went through that, the portrayal of characters that went through that. Adam, however, was the first person to experience that "loss," that "grief," even. He prayed because he knew his father would listen, but God would never talk to him again. For 900 years, Adam lived regretting and trying to reconnect, trying to obtain forgival. He was at his happiest when God visited, everyday, always at the same time; what is this if not a child who waits for his dad to get home again? His sin innocent, his punishment eternal and heartwrenching, a torture of the soul probably heavier than the shadow of death and the guilt of sin.

My mother often talks about wanting to see her late mother again, wanting to talk about things which happened, happy and sad. Is that sadness one that can be sublimated in 900 years, or one that only grows with time? Do you think it'd be silly to pray for Adam today, and ask God to forgive him? As a timeless being, perhaps something done today can still change the past. Maybe something can still be done about God and Adam. At least I want to believe that, because otherwise the melancholy is just too overwhelming.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Kamen Rider Gaim

Growth (Evolution) and Temptation (The power of words)

Growth (Evolution)

The first evident theme in Gaim, the cast is (i can't see it in most of them but I'll believe what they're telling me) composed of young adults still lost on the limbus between childhood and adulthood; mostly called children by the older cast. They're on the battlefield to try to become someone different, and the expectations around them is that they should become good and proper responsible adults. We either know the feeling or will know eventually, as its a moment everyone grows through (some for longer than others, perhaps).

At some point that theme seems to be forgotten, but one of Helheim's lines made me realize how the theme had been recontextualized. "I want reptiles to become monkeys and monkeys to become humans. There's no reason for it." How different is Helheim's wish from the wish adults place on children? Nobody questions an adult because that is the status quo, once you're 18-20, you're supposed to be an adult and act accordingly, you had enough time to learn how you're supposed to change now (or something). Turning to Inves or Overlords, to Helheim, is the same transition, something that must eventually happen to a species.

Would it be hypocritical to think what Helheim does is wrong, while what we adults do is correct? I would say yes, but accepting something "common" in your culture while refusing what is alien is a natural behavior, so even if there's hypocrisy in it, who can be blamed for being against it? Like a child goes through a rebellious phase when growing and we it is accepted as being "just a phase", humans also have the right to rebel against the forced evolution brought by an alien forest.

What Kaito desired was a world without the status quo (a world where the weak don't need to fear the strong [weak and strong replaceable by children and adults]) and evolved into an Overlord for it, Mitsuzane wished for him and his friends to not have to grow, or at least have a place where they could still be children, and for that he tried to grow into an adult as fast as possible, backfiring more often than not. Kota didn't know if he wanted to grow or how he wanted to grow, but he could always answer that protecting the growth of those around him was the top priority. As he said to Takatora, perhaps what he sought was not rejecting growth or the status quo, but embracing change. He protected those who were still cocoons around him with the intent of seeing them become butterflies, which might now be completely different from a caterpillar, but that doesn't make them no longer who they once were.

Fitting that Mitsuzane couldn't obtain the power the other two did, as his greater goal was to have nothing change, while Kaito and Kota wanted change from different POVs (Kaito wanted the world to change, while Kota wanted people to change; the outside and the inside, environment and individual, they perfectly opposed each other in their ideals.)

Temptation (The power of words)

Another constant theme in Gaim is how often people use their words to drive others, be it to ruin or success; While it is easy to point to Helheim (which while only called Snake, seems to be both god and snake[perhaps an interpretation of god setting up the forbidden fruit and satan as an extension of god tempting even to eat to it to bring a bespoke singularity to mankind]) as the tempter, as he constantly gives Kota gifts to move him forward and groom him into properly being Adam (as Mai's future interference made him aware that Kota is the chosen one), many other cast members also do it.

Mitsuzane, too, attempts to tempt others to get them to do his bidding, which mostly doesn't go as he expects. That is the true essence of his powerlessness, he simply doesn't have the words that drive others into motion, ultimately, the only person he can dedicate words to is himself, through the ghost of Takatora which haunts him (and you could say he wants himself to shut up too, so absolutely 0 hits on this man).

Ryouma was the character that made me notice this temptation theme, he is the properly powerful version of Mitsuzane, both try to manipulate others for mostly selfish reasons, but Ryouma does get his way. Ryouma being the one who gives Micchi a speech on adults and children is probably for this reason, whether he sees it or not aside, they're the same, so his words are the the most relatable to Mitsuzane.

Early in the series, Pierre does some tempting too, mostly to bystanders as he does a campaign against Beat Riders, but his words are most important to Jonouchi. I'm using the word tempt since it's the overall theme, and I'm not sure if it should be used for a positive connotation too, but I mean it in a good way, his words guide a lost Jonouchi and help him grow.

Speaking of good temptations, Kota is the star of this section, as what he constantly does is positively tempt people. Mitsuzane said it, Kota's hope is a disease which infects everyone he talks to. He tempts people with words of hope, to make them believe in the future; not for his personal gain, but because that is his justice. In a way, Mitsuzane's hatred for him stems from that, his words don't reach anyone, while Kota can give hope to anyone. Micchi is ailed by an inferiority complex, it started with his brother and expanded to Kota too, as not only Mai chose Kota, but even Takatora connected with Kota better than he did with Micchi. He wants Mai's love and Kota's praise, but both gave that to Kota instead of him, which drives him over the edge.

Kaito, to me, is the most complex character in this sense, because I think he is immune to temptation and doesn't use it at all, but at the same time, he's already been tempted long before the series started. The words that tempted him were his own, and, at the same time the world's. The world said the weak have no place, he tells himself he can't be weak. And those words are his driving force through and through, he doesn't listen to what anyone else has to say because those are the only words in his mind. He doesn't need to convince anyone with his words, as people naturally flock to him, or distance themselves from him from his way of life alone. He focused so much on the POWER part of "power of words," that he no longer needed words to bring temptation. In the same way he isn't using words, he himself is the manifestation of the word. (My favorite character if you need me to say it)

EXTRAS

Ironic how Faiz had two paradise-titled movies and yet Gaim embodies paradise lost much better than either without having it in its title

Why wasn't Ryugen Yomi a pomegranate? You had one job

My translation of Hajimari no Onna/Otoko would have been Eve and Adam, if someone complained I localized it too much I'd make it First Woman and Man though. Man/Woman of the beginning sure is a mouthful

Very good series, terrible filler, this was roughly a 36 episode series but they signed a contract for 49 episodes didnt they? Since I was batch watching I skipped kikaider and soccer, so I guess it wasn't that bad, but if I watched it as it aired I might have been upset when my reward for a week was a filler episode.

I like MC becomes God storylines and I'll have to say Kota was the best one I've had the pleasure to witness, the slowburn and how much he earned it doesn't compare to how most series do it.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Perfect Days

essential worker ojisan slice of life

No two equal days exist, regardless of the sameness of everyday life. Sometimes there's more work, sometimes there's less work, sometimes a street cat lets you pet it. People can be nicer today, people may be rude tomorrow. Panta Chorei.

In this world of days that don't change but aren't the same, can you find your happiness? I don't believe in a picture of happiness, but in gathering shards of small happiness, a patchwork of small episodes you can use to say a day was happy.

I needn't 24h of joy after joy, but a single moment I can hold onto for days. Simple words of affection, appreciation or acknowledgement go a long way.

And if you turn it around, you can think you're also a random element on other's people days. The same way you walk gathering small shards, other people are looking for them too, and realizing that can make you kinder. You don't need to randomly give a million dollars to someone to make them happy, a positive interaction can be enough to change their day. (I wonder if my memories of moving for someone else are also in their memories to this day; namely I'm a freak with an absurd memory so probably not, but I imagine that for a day or two at least they had it in their mind, or perhaps they randomly remember it and then forget it again. id like to think even that surfacing memory could be a fragment of happiness that travels through time)

I think the finale scene is very great. Why does he cry? Probably for no reason, and probably because of everything. Work, his family, his love life, the shadows, the trees, the music. There's pain and joy to be found in all these things, and somedays you're just overwhelmed by everything you feel and felt, and that rampaging feeling can only be expressed through tears.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Kingohger

You ever think it's good but don't like it for real, from the bottom of your heart? Not that it had something bad or unforgivable, it really just didn't invoke any emotion within after a whole year? I want to explore why I feel this way.

Story

If I had to choose, I'd say Part 1 pleased me more than Part 2; a clearer pair of villains, Racles and Deathnarak, plus the drama of the kings not getting along well. Racles' generals were weaker than Deathnarak's, as Kamejin also had my eyes on him because I kept waiting for his betrayal (in my prediction he was the real final boss though). The first episode of part 2 was easily a favorite of all time to me, a perfect formula to introduce villains and heroes, it could easily be the first episode of the show (or any show), but after that I felt my interest for it decrease. Dagded was very one dimensional, and I feel his generals were much more devices for the gimmick of the week than characters. Glodi was the closest one to being someone, but ultimately was 3:7 on the character:device scale.

I think maybe to some extent, once the scale grows to we are saving the world, my heart disconnects a little from the narrative. A war between races, the constant political plotting of Racles felt much more drawing to me than what Part 2 offered altogether on the battle for the world. I don't think they mishandled it, there were still very good moments, and as, to begin with, the kingdoms were characters themselves, there is grounds for one to be invested in them enough to care for the world, it just didn't happen to me. Only the loss of Ncosopa really felt like something at the time, but I don't think there was much realism to the destruction of kingdoms. Dagded drops a rain of meteors on the city, and in a few episodes everyone is living normally in Shugoddam again, until another threat befalls it and for an episode it's in ruins again. (A part of me wants to say the sets being mostly/often CG distanced my heart from it, but Im not sure that could be it)

Conclusion-wise, Part 1 also had a much better finale than Part 2, I was crying with Gira apologizing to Deathnarak, while Dagded died without any particular emotion. (and to think the robot sacrificing itself is one my of fetishes, it had grounds to be something I liked, yet it didn't move me. maybe they shouldve been a little more characterized if that was their endgame? maybe be little precure fairies around the rangers? maybe make them a little more like the right hand of each king? only gira understood and saw them as people from beginning to end, hard for me to care when only gira cared [and gira only cared every 15 episodes either?])

Characters

It's very much a character-driven show (perhaps that can be said of all sentai, but i felt kingohger was placing almost all chips on its characters), and the chars are indeed good. Wouldn't say they're complex, they're straightforward with their goals, gimmicks and actions. Putting it into words like this, I think that's a world that summarizes Kingohger very well, it is sincere from head to toe. (Maybe that could be it? I talked about it to a friend once, and mentioned how it's the perfect good show, but its exactly because it was crafted so perfectly that I couldnt resonate with the soul of the show. For it to reach me, it had to be a little more twisted, a little dirtier, a little worse even maybe, for something to reach beyond the screen and touch my heartstrings)

At first I liked Yanma the most, but Kaguragi was who grew the most on me. His final character episode, with Iroki, was my favorite episode in the show, easily. Considering how sincere the show is, it's funny that one of the main cast is a compulsive liar(-like creature) who plays on all sides. If I had to rank them, Yanma and Kaguragi would be top tier, Himeno and Rita mid tier, and Gira and Jellamy the bottom one. On some focus episodes they move a tier above, but never fall one, so the writing was consistent and didn't lose sight of the characters (except for that one incident with Yanma and Jellamy what were they thinking).

Shiokara is the best right hand, but I think all of them are fantastic. My dream finale (and insincere probably) was that the kings are defeated and Gira spends a century holding back Dagded while their people run away, and the final battle takes place with the right hands becoming the kingohgers and defeating Dagded, carrying on the wills and legacy of their kings. So much of the show was spent crafting them, I'd have loved for their payoff to be something beyond just happily forever being the support cast.

Humor

Forgive me but this entry was criminally unfunny. From Kira to Donbros there was plenty of comedy, and some episodes entirely dedicated to the comedy, and even if some jokes didn't land well, the overall output was so good that it didn't stick out, only rhythm game players die over a bad rating amidst 100 perfects. Kingohger, however, occasionally hit a good after 100 misses and bads, making me pray for the serious episodes never to end. This however isn't a dealbreaker and isn't what made me not feel much for the series, I just find it incredible how bad the comedy was. Never hire whoever wrote the jokes for this show again Toei.

In Conclusion

I guess it was just too clean and too sincere for me. Someone with a pure soul will clearly take this and accept it as the kino it is, with their minds and their souls, but I'm a bit twisted and can think with my mind that it's great, but my soul couldn't connect with this world, much to my chagrin.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Read: No Longer Human

The opposite of a sin, and what should the jester do when he wants to speak the truth?

The Jester

What constitutes the jester is absolute fear of others. Unable to understand their right to possess a "self", they perform to please those around them, as that is their only method of survival. In assimilation, in mirroring the "other," the alien feels part of this world. How can one who can't understand others hope to be understood? Without ever being taught that people can understand each other, and finding that understanding between both identities is what constitutes much of the positive human experience, they'll find themselves forever using their one weapon, the performance of being "human".

How long is it realistic to perform for? When can the jester show their face? Can trust really bring them salvation? Waiting until you can trust someone and thus deciding to show your true face can bring a heartbreak that'll probably make it even more difficult to want to show your face again, while a positive one can save your soul. For an average person, this exchange happens early on a relationship, people meet and show each other their faces, and immediately decide what they think of someone. Trying to protect themselves, the jester actually plays a much riskier game in waiting to trust someone before exposing themselves. (Why does a class with downsides get extra risk to go with it? Patch this) But ultimately, most jesters just decide to not trust anyone and never reveal themselves, the only way to live on when your heart is made of glass is to never let anyone touch it. Yet, at the same time, the love of the "other" is also what they need to remain human.

The life of the jester is a russian roulette, but, even if they choose to not pull the trigger ever, one day someone can pull it on them. Hopefully, someone who goes out of their way to do that wants to love them, not kill them. My wish is for all the lonely people in this world to be loved.

The opposite of sin (note: i read it in japanese)

罪 reads as both crime and sin, so Horiki says the opposite of it is law, and Youzou says prayer, god, confession, good etc (and also fires shots at dosto in case he meant for punishment to be the opposite of crime), but throws his hands up as they're all synonyms to him.

My personal answer is penitence. If a sin is an act which directs your soul towards evil, its opposite is the road towards good. I don't think of it really in a "do one bad thing and cancel it out with one good thing," but more in a via dolorosa. Someone who has sinned gains that one cross, to not carry it is to continue sinning (youzou refused to carry it i'd say, going from addiction to addiction, sex, alcohol, drugs, the whole shebang), to choose to carry it is to start that road. Not trying to be extreme here, but I don't think sins should be forgiven, carrying that weight is the duty of the sinner, being allowed to let go of it, be it because they think they've done enough or someone said so, is betraying their crime (I'm saying this spiritually not in a "keep them in prison forever" way). In order for them to opposites, a momentary sin has to result in eternal penitence.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Kamen Rider Faiz Paradise Regained

"What is the answer?" "The answer... is to keep asking that question." "Are you trying to play it off?" "I am"

A shallow, awkward, pointless, meaningless, weightless movie, which raises the question if they even still knew what Faiz was as they made it. (namely, Faiz itself fell off halfway through, but instead of trying to save face after that, it only sunk itself deeper)

None of the characters in this movie have a role, but let's start by talking about Kamen Rider Muse. At first her "don't look, that's so embarassing" gimmick made no sense to me, but after a while I figured it was meant to be an Eve imagery, the shame of being naked, and later she regains Paradise, no longer feeling shame of baring herself. Which makes absolutely no sense in multiple layers. First and foremost, she isn't naked, she isn't getting naked, she's going from dressed to armored. To make this symbolism? metaphor? work, what needed to be done was either the henshin actually ripping her clothes off, or the inverse, she feels shame of being untransformed. She arrives on the battlefield transformed, and at the end of battle de-transforms and runs away embarassed because she wants not to be seen as anything other than KR Muse. And once she regains her Paradise, she doesn't run away or shows her face without thinking anything of it. And why did she regain Paradise even? Offering Mari to Smartbrain made her obtain "God's forgiveness"? It might be pointless to even try to think about it, as I think most of this movie's beats were made on a whim, not with a purpose.

Paradise Lost, while still barebones, constructed a barely passable Adam in Takumi, but Paradise Regained had a void. He says so many empty lines that try to sound deep or philosophical that one would think he is pre-Loss Adam though, as there's not a drop of knowledge in him. Is Takumi being a husk of his former self, not the guardian of dreams or a fighter with any reason, meant to represent Adam's ignorance pre-loss? Which is a complete denial of his story in the show, and thus makes the fact this is a sequel pointless? And if you think about it, Orphenochs are a new humankind, yes, but there's so many of them and they reproduce by killing humans, why are we making Takumi an Adam and Muse/Mari his Eves? (Paradise Lost used the Adam/Eve images very well, its final scene being truly worth of the title) Muse has no backstory, no reason to her love for Takumi, she simply enters the story, says she loves him and dies. If that's the use for the character, it could simply be written so: She was created to be his partner, being conditioned to be obsessed with him. Then in reality she was just there to watch him not step out of line and deal with it accordingly if he ever showed signs of no longer wanting to be SB's dog, but when it happens, she's grown too affectionate to eliminate him and lets him go. Not anything ground breaking or amazing, but at least would make her story have a drop of sense, there'd be some writing to it, not just hollow loose statements disguised as a character.

Onto the other Eve, why is Mari suddenly Takumi's love interest? What was great about Faiz (to me) was that they never had anything going on. Takumi protected her, meddled a little with her love affairs, but was never part of it himself. Why do they have Orphnoch sex? Whose fetish was it to have two monster suits making out? SHOW YOURSELF Takumi isn't the guardian of dreams, is in love with Mari, doesn't have a single thought in his mind, did someone write this movie after watching one episode of Faiz or reading a series summary? Also I hate how they turn letting someone blow his food into a love language, feels even worse now that he's this old. 50yo man gets his gf to blow his food because he's too sensitive DELETE THIS MOVIE NOW ⚡️⚡️⚡️ I SAY IT WITH 100% 1000%

EXTRAS

oh kusaka is in this movie too but it's so stupid and forced that it's obvious they just wanted to sell a new Kaixa toy and have some "i clapped because i know that" when Kusaka smiles funny. He has no arc no role and no point in this movie, an insult to all Kusaka stands for (nothing but respect for my main villain that happens to be a kamen rider). Writing room must hate him, because neither movies or show bothered to treat him with respect when he carries the show. I don't think I need to say it, but the "twist" is braindead. No excuses.

The new characters are even more worthless and pointless than him, doing nothing for the story and being ugly suits. My favorite thing about Faiz was how every orphnoch was beautifully designed and looked great, that original designer probably wasn't available or might not be alive anymore, so they hired someone who does modern suits and we got those awfully ugly orphnochs.

RATING

0.5/10 because I liked listening to Justifaiz, but I think it should have played when he transformed using the original Faiz Gear, not a few minutes later when the final battle starts.

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Watched: Precure All Stars F

"This light isn't a weapon for fighting, it's the radiance of shining hope" (five colors from star twinkle)

A Precure isn't a fighter, being a precure isn't about being strong and beating up the villain.

A Precure is love, a precure is a friend, a precure is a feeling, a memory of happiness. Supreme traveled the worlds to affirm her supremacy, that was how she proved her existence. Facing the cures and seeing this power which wasn't simple power, she changed herself to taste it herself.

Admiration, a feeling not unknown to most, especially to people who watch hero content such as precure or tokusatsu. Seeing a hero makes us want to be better, kinder person, makes us want to change. Supreme represents us viewers, I choose to believe, outsiders who'd like to be a part of this fantastical world with a clear evil to defeat and the power to do so. And what Supreme's defeat means is that we shouldn't think we need to be in the world of precure with a clear cut enemy to fight to truly be like those heroes we admire. The words of cures aren't limited to their world; all their beliefs, their messages, are driven towards chasing a simple happiness, through simple mindsets. Smiling when you're happy, doing the things you love when you want to do them, pursuing your own happiness in your own terms, in your own pace, with your own words.

That's what 20 years of precure want to tells us via the battle with Supreme, that all the messages from the past two decades are still alive, that the cures still root for us and believe we can be better every day.

⚠️Hirogaru Critique Below Beware⚠️

A small digression, but this could have been an interesting and better way to approach the hero girl theme of Hirogaru Sky, it made me realize. The show would need to be kind of Decade-y for it to work, but Sora's handbook and the many lessons left by older cures could become an anthology of all the show stood and stands for, all to culminate with the meaning of being a hero, both in how to become one and what one does.

A precure approach to "A hero is just man who knows he is free" per se.