#ALSO YUI IS SHORTER THAN ME OMG

[sexysilverstrider]

a little height chart video of yui with the dialova boys - kino!

[littlepurinsesu]

V Watches MagiReco - Episode 3 Review

*Spoilers for Magia Record Anime Episode 3*

And so the Rena and Kaede friendship-ending plotline comes to a very satisfying conclusion! This episode actually had me in tears quite a few times (;Д;)

So many things to talk about and unpack so I’m going to try and keep it as succinct as possible >_< Starting with the most obvious: OH MY GOSH THOSE TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCES. I LOVE THEM. SO MUCH. HOLY CHEESE (♥ω♥*)

Yachiyo was the most elegant water goddess ever. True beauty right there. I have nothing else to say. Perfection. Momoko’s was super BADASS I LOVED IT omg all the flames and kicks!!! They really did a good job showcasing the duality of her tomboyish image and her gentler, “girly” side. Rena’s was like a cuter and more whimsical version of Yachiyo’s (since they have the same water theme), and I really love how the anime took the mirrors in her doppel and featured the imagery so heavily in her transformation! That last shot with the thunder was also super cool! And Iroha leaping off the building with all the feathers was so pretty *___* The bird imagery is as heavy as ever with this transformation, especially with the fact that she’s literally “flying” as she “falls” off the building. I also find it quite interesting how the cloak always comes last with a slight delay, especially with how the cloak was depicted as being almost “its own thing” before she caught up and merged with it!

All in all, these transformations were top-notch, and I love them even more than the ones we saw in Rebellion. They definitely lean more towards traditional magical girl transformations (which I personally prefer), while still retaining a decent amount of the trippy look of the Rebellion transformation style and overall PMMM aesthetic - a really good balance that encapsulates the tone of MagiReco quite well, in my opinion ^^

Okay enough rambling about transformations and onto some plot xD

Mitama finally appeared! Her voice is as Mitama as ever, and I really like the touch they had with how all her movements seem very deliberate and calculated, and very flamboyant. She gives off the impression of a very friendly and approachable person, but you can’t quite tell what she’s thinking or hiding, and get the feeling that there’s definitely more to her than meets the eye. Which is basically Mitama in a nutshell, so A+ for her portrayal. I do wish we saw her do a bit more, though, but it was only her introduction this week, so hopefully we’ll see more of her in the coming episodes :) The Mayu cameo was shorter than the Ren one, but I do like this method of “debuting” characters without shoehorning too many girls into the main plot, so I hope they keep this pattern up.

One small issue I had with the episode was the fact that they seemed to either change or gloss over the tension between Yachiyo and Momoko? This is biased because I’m a viewer who’s familiar with the game story, so seeing them getting along fine threw me off for a moment. But I guess it wouldn’t be an issue with anime-only fans, especially if they really did decide to just do away with the tension and have the two of them as perfectly amicable friends. Which is fine, too. I was just confused for a moment because of my expectations (one of the interesting things when you watch an anime with a preconception of the plot and characters) ^^;; I did like their tension and the way they made up in the game, though, so I’d be a teeny bit sad if they really did cut it, but that’s more of a personal preference, so not really an actual problem :)

Momoko’s super awkward and stiff “apology” was hilarious to watch, though xD Also, Momoko with her hair out!!! Definitely wasn’t expecting that! I thought it was supposed to show how stressed or tired she was worrying about Kaede, but no, seems like she sometimes just walks around with her hair like that. While I prefer her with the ponytail, I always appreciate it when anime (especially magical girl anime) show the characters with different hairstyles; makes things so much more realistic :3 And Mitama doing her hair was super cute, too ^^

The way they went about showing Rena’s internal struggles was really well-done. One thing I’ve always liked about PMMM is how you often get a sense of things being either “not quite right,” or you just have no idea what’s going on. I felt that in the scene with Rena watching TV in her room (Sayuki cameo!), transforming in and out of different characters. It’s strange and eerie, and it disorients you because you’re wondering what’s going on and what’s even real. But it’s a really nice kind of confusion that keeps you on edge, which PMMM is really good at, and I think it was captured very well in this episode.

I personally don’t relate to Rena’s personality or struggles at all, but for some reason she always manages to make me cry. I bawled when I read her Magical Girl Story in the game for the first time, and the little bits of it they incorporated here (much appreciated) got me sobbing as well... I really hope they don’t stop developing her character after the main five enter the scene and Team Momoko takes a backseat. There’s so much to explore with Rena, and I think they’ve done a really good job so far.

Kaede is as precious as ever, and her interactions with Rena were super sweet. I think it’s nice that Rena has a friend who’s so open and patient when she’s trying her hardest to open up and express herself well. The past two episodes really showcased the relationship dynamic between these two, including all of its strengths and weaknesses. I did, however, furrow my eyebrows slightly when they found Kaede. It’s understandable if they wanted to change the brainwashing from the game version of events, but the fact that Kaede seemed so chill and undisturbed when they found her seemed kind of weird to me, and frankly, didn’t make much sense xD I’d expect her to be a bit more scared or even traumatiised after being stuck in a place like that all alone, especially considering her timid nature xD

But the fight against the Rumour was definitely a feast for the eyes. The Rumour looked quite different from the game version, but in this case I think the creative liberty they took actually made the Rumour seem more distinct from a Witch. The barriers aren’t exactly identical in nature, the the huge winding staircases extending into the sky really go to show how large the scale of a Rumour can be. Iroha didn’t do much, but Yachiyo and Momoko had amazing teamwork; the water and fire looked amazing together! And again, I loved the use of mirrors in Rena’s attacks! It’s a unique and aesthetically interesting choice, and also helps differentiate her water-based attacks from Yachiyo’s. Kaede’s trees and leaves also looked lovely!

Backtracking a bit to the very beginning, but I wasn’t expecting Touka and Nemu to make an appearance so soon! That short scene did a pretty good job at showing the basic facets of their personalities, especially Touka’s, as well as their relationship dynamic. It was a really nice way to parallel and lead into the friendship-ending dilemma that Rena and Kaede are experiencing.

And on the topic of things I was not expecting... that Mami appearance at the very end!!! She showed up earlier here than in the game, but I think that scene provided some pretty important information that the game glossed over. Here we aren’t just told that Kyubey can’t enter Kamihama for mysterious, unknown reasons; we’re actually shown what happens when he tries. And seeing Kyubey openly asking Mami to go to Kamihama and investigate gives her a very logical reason to be there when she eventually gets introduced to the game’s main cast. But yeah, seeing Mami definitely had me feeling all nostalgic again ;___; I don’t even remember the last time I saw her, or any of the Holy Quintet  members, moving in anime form (;Д;)

Oh, and Lil Kyubey is possibly one of the world’s most adorable creatures ever and I WANT ONE AS A PET OMG (ᗒᗨᗕ)

This week’s review turned out a lot longer than the ones in the past weeks (and I just keep jumping all over the place between topics and not even going in chronological order) ^^;; Probably because I just had too much to scream about because of the transformation sequences ^3^ So I’ll quickly end this now by saying how excited I am to finally see the mightiest magical girl Tsuruno Yui debut next week!!! (*≧▽≦)

[sailorzakuro]

Sera Myu Tag 2

Thanks @vampiru-chan for this! :D

1) Favourite Bandai Myu?

LAST DRACUL JOKYOKU FOREVER AND ALWAYS <3.

2) Least Favourite Bandai Myu?

Ai no Senshi e no Michi, the only good thing about it is Misako and Kanoko really XD.

3) Favourite Nelke Myu?

Does NogiMyu count? If not... Amour Eternal. Better cast (for the inners anyway outers never really changed), great songs and I fkn LOVE Yumi-Fish Eye.

4) Least Favourite Nelke Myu?

LA RECONQUISTA LIKE IT WAS JUST BAD OMG NO I NEVER WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN.

5) Hotaru Nomoto or Mizuki Yamashita as Sailor Moon?

Ohh, my dear Mizuki... she’s SO GOOD and underrated I love her sm <3.

6) Momoyo Koyama or Miria Watanabe as Sailor Mercury?

Momoyo, cos Miria was a worse singer. Their Mercurys are kinda similar, over-excitable and too cute, but Momoyo wins on singing so there you go.

7) Karen Kobayashi or Ranze Terada as Sailor Mars?

KAREN Karen is amazing honestly my favourite Mars since... Megumi I think... shit. Ranze, Mars was not her role for me, idk why they put her in that role tbh.

8) Kaede or Ami Nojo as Sailor Jupiter?

I’m gonna say Kaede, while Ami is a better singer and technically a better actor Kaede made Jupiter less annoying for me.

9) Rimo Hasegawa or Hina Higuchi as Sailor Venus?

HINA MY QUEEN HINA the only Venus Hina can’t beat is Ayumi but HINA I LOVE HER I still love Rimo but gosh Hina gets so much of my love she’s my favourite Nogizaka46 member, she’s my favourite NogiMyu actress, she’s just... omg I love her.

10) Yui Ito or Shion Nakamaru as Black Lady?

SHION IS THE BEST BLACK LADY FIGHT ME I can’t decide if I prefer Yui or Mao for second? But Shion is my FAVOURITE she’s soooo gooooood.

11) Which NogiMyu song would you like to see in a previous musical?

Ooo... maybe the one where all the senshi introduce themselves? Like Shira Tsuki but shorter, you know the one I mean XD.

12) Who is your favourite Prof. Tomoe and why?

Kaname Aokiiiiiiiiii he is the PERFECT Tomoe to me, he was insane professor but also super caring Dad but, like, not too much of either.

13) Which former Chibi Moon Actress(es) you can imagine as Sailor Moon (or another senshi)?

Omg I’d kinda like Ayano Gunji to be Jupiter idk why... I feel like she’d fit it well.

14) What do think about a Black Moon Arc related NogiMyu?

OMG YES idk who they’d replace Ami with in Team Moon though...? But I want Maiyan back as Black Lady please so she gets something to do XD and omg who for Pluto?? Erika Ikuta? She’s pretty short though... Misa’s voice is too sweet... Sayuri’s the same height as Yuki Kamiya but her voice is also too sweet... Junna Ito?? Idk XD.

15) Rank the 4 senshi costume styles: Bandai, Nelke, Nogizaka46 ver. and Super Live.

4 - NogiMyu (soz but they are awful XD) 3 - Super Live 2 - Nelke 1 - Bandai

16) Kessen - Transylvania no Mori original or Kaiteiban?

ORIGINAL cos Mariya Izawa and Emi Kuriyama XD although I do like Kaiteiban for Haruka’s adorable test failing moment... god Nao you make my little heart go.

17) Favourite role of Riona Tatemichi?

Ummm... Rubeus? Idk Hawk’s Eye was okay, Taiki wasn’t amazing and I haven’t seen her Tux so Rubeus it is XD.

18) Least favourite role of Riona Tatemichi?

As I said, Taiki XD only Hikari has ever made her likeable.

19) Favourite role of Hikari Ono?

Think I’m gonna go Loof Merrow...? Or Vampiru... Demande-Announcer? Idk XD.

20) Least favourite role of Hikari Ono?

Prince Demande cos I don’t like him as a character, Hikari did nothing wrong but Demande I wanna punch in the face XD.

21) Give 3 senshi actresses a new role.

Sayuri Inoue as Sailor Mercury (yeah fight me), Nao Takagi as Mistress 9 (I’m a thirsty bitch okay) and Risa Honma as Sailor Saturn.

22) Do you like Miki Kawasaki better as Esmeraude or Kaolinite?

KAOLINITE she’s legit the best Kaolinite in all of Myu XD.

23) Do you like Mikako Iishi better as Sailor Pluto or Tuxedo Mask?

Huhuh Tux I do noooot like her Pluto... XD.

24) Which anime songs would you like to have as service numbers?

Omg Kakumei wa Night & Day, Star on Stars, Eternal Eternity, Moon Revenge, Route Venus, and it’s PGSM I know but Sakura Fubuki.

25) What did Sera Myu better than the anime or manga?

Ummm... yes?

26) Who is your 2nd favourite actor/actress?

Well, it is Yuuka, but she comes with Nao? So Ayumi? But I prefer Nao over Yuuka so I guess it is Yuuka? Idk I love a lot XD.

27) Favourite female Tuxedo Mask actress?

Mikakoooooo gosh do not make me talk about Yuga.

28) Some free space for your thoughts about Myu.

WHY DID THEY SPEAK OVER NAO’S GALAXIA GORGEOUS THEN CUT IT SHORT SAME WITH YUUKA’S JUST LOVE WASURERARENAI can’t they just give us the full versions with no commentary and make us happy. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Uhhhhhh @myutoni and @missemperor you do it now! And if anyone else wants to say I tagged you!