#I love milgram so much it's unreal

[milgramenjoyer]

Happy 3rd MILGRAM anniversary!!!

[snakes-and-fluff]

Milgram Trial 1 cover shuffle! If all the songs chosen were the same, but the order of who sung them was mixed up, what would it look like? Based on... vibes, mostly (and the lyrics a little bit). (Also assuming they'd get all-new instrumentals, not the current instrumentals with new vocals.)

Haruka – Yowamushi Montblanc Yuno – Two Breaths Walking Fuuta – Psychogram Muu – Mosaik Role Shidou – Otome Dissection Mahiru – Sticky Bug Kazui – Liar Dance Amane – Anti Beat Mikoto – Positive Parade Kotoko – Monopoisoner

More detailed explanation under the cut (in order of how well they fit - which is also the order in which I wrote my ideas down)

Kazui – Liar Dance. This one was easy: my genuine reaction when seeing it was a Shidou song was, "Wait it's not Kazui's?" The song itself would fit his voice and of course there's the whole liar thing he's got going on. Perfect fit

Shidou – Otome Dissection. Look. I know the lyrics don't make much sense with him but. But consider. Dissection = medicine. Also that one frame from Otome Dissection's original MV would look great with Shidou. I want to see him dancing with a dissolving skeleton

Mikoto – Positive Parade. Mikoto ignores anything bad that might be happening, seemingly genuinely believing that Milgram is all a prank. The second line of Positive Parade is literally "It’s not normal for you to pretend that everything’s fine" which is also fun with Mikoto because who is saying it? And to whom? Mikoto to a third party? Orekoto to Mikoto?

Haruka – Yowamushi Montblanc. The lyrics have the singer calling themself a "coward" like in Weakness when Haruka says, "I wanted to be a pitied and loved weakling". T1 Haruka was very self-pitying and playing up how "weak" he was, even if I don't think he did it on purpose

Kotoko – Monopoisoner. The lyrics are from the POV of the one who violently abuses their partner, and we know Kotoko has a... tendency to turn to physical violence, let's say

Mahiru – Sticky Bug. It's just a genuine love song, as far as I can tell. So yeah, it goes to Mahiru for her love of love and desire to be loved

Amane – Anti Beat. “The atmosphere is terrible when you are nearby.” Yeah, I don’t think her home life was… pleasant, even if she doesn't know how to articulate it or doesn't want to face it

Fuuta – Psychogram. The lyrics feature a focus on fables and playing, like how in Bring It On there's a veneer of unreality and game-ifying the whole thing. (Also I won't lie I just need to hear how this sounds now. His vocals with this song would be insane)

Muu – Mosaik Role. "And I just described the liquid leaked from the wound as 'love'.", which reminded me of her killing Rei right after she says "I love you" in After Pain. That's it that's the logic

Yuno – Two Breaths Walking. I. I have to be honest. I don't think I get Two Breaths Walking? As far as I can tell it might be about co-dependency, so I gave it to Yuno for her reliance on other people (even if she might not like that part of her much) - "Just me alone, it really is lonely. Let's reload the warmth"

[purgemarchlockdown]

Hello, I really love reading your analyzes of Amane 💓 and I would be very interested to know your opinion about one very interesting moment in Magic.  Why do you think not all but the key moments in the video look like a paper cartoon?  Moments at the beginning and end where Amane is on the clouds with everyone else;  the moment where she treats the cat;  her punishments and subsequent transformation.  this seems important but I just can't figure it out yet

Oh thanks for the ask! I have an idea for Why their like that but I'm not super sure.

So those parts are depicted like children's storybooks. For a while I've been trying to figure out What Specifically they reminded me of (as the texture used for those scenes seemed felt-like) but then I remembered that when I was younger I had this felt storybook that looked actually pretty similar.

Uh I don't remember what it was called but google gives me this image that looks vaguely like it.

The felt thing might just be me though as this does also look like a papercut illustration...

What this does is lend an additional layer of separation between the real events.

and fiction.

A lot of people didn't realize Amane was Actually Electrocuted for a while and I think that was on purpose. The sheer trauma and Horribleness of the situation being depicted as something unreal and imaginary, abstracted and cartoonified.

This is not the first time Magic does this In The MV see:

This cat which is both The Cat and Amane Momose.

Or the whole premise of the MV, where it's events are portrayed as a TV Show that Amane is Watching.

Now that explains the later scenes but then we still have the first few scenes to question and to be honest I'm not super sure.

However, Milgram also uses texture/filter to highlight when there is something inaccurate/distorted that the Prisoner Themselves knows is inaccurate/distorted.

We have...a lot of reason to believe Amane is not nearly as good of a girl as she says she is. And if were going off the idea that filters are used to hint at a prisoner's own awareness of an inaccurate depiction of reality then it would make a ton of sense that these shots are done in this style.

With the first half being comfortably placed in the idea that Amane Momose is a very good girl (who just needs to learn sometimes!) and the second half trying it's hardest to distance itself from the Horrible Horrible things that happen during it.

We know Amane is Aware to some extent of the hopelessness of the whole game.

After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless “I’m sorry”

And we know that she isn't fully willing to accept the Bad Stuff that Has Happened to Her.

(...Ive used this Same Diagram three different times but in my defense it works)

Even though we know she is Aware to some extent that it was Bad Stuff.

Amane: Okay! I’m kind, so I shall forgive you. That’s nice, isn’t it? If my parents were in my place, you would have been lectured for another hour.

(I bring up this line so much but in my defense again I love Amane subtly calling her parents mean...I hope she straight up calls them mean and horrible one day)

So it would fit Pretty Well into this pattern Milgram established.

Plus...that first scene also just works Really Well as a children's show opening.

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO NEFE COSMIA, MUU KUSUNOKI. 🌓

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: mary age: 20+ pronouns: he/she ooc contact: memelt_snail @ twitter other characters in xc: tiphereth

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: muu kusunoki age: 16 pronouns: she / he series: milgram canon point: at the second trial, up to date content warnings: bullying, murder, suicidal ideation, suicide baiting.

personality: pain, pain, go away — mantra, repeat :  until my heart breaks. ( it still hurts. )

an immature mirror-image in the shape of a young girl, wearing a theatre-goer's mask that she deems appropriate for the current situation — simple-minded, someone who craves love and attention no matter the cost. easy to scare to obedience … to easy to validate to overconfidence, a scale too delicate to tip over to one edge or another, an extreme waiting for it's turn.

infant queen bee — blunt, honest, naive. fed so much ideological honey that she burst into the creature she is now. a girl who was spoiled ever since the day she was born who grew up into an entitled person who knows nothing more beyond getting what she wants. an unfortunate worldview coddled by her peers and family.

and here :  a note of importance. muu can't stand— hates pain.

any pain : emotional, physical. she'll bury herself deep in denial, she'll do anything as long as it stops and everything goes back to her perception of normal, as shattered as it may be. push down the agony, lest you feel it ever again. bury it deep, until you forget about how much it hurt that day. control, control, release — desperately safe, another's ego is her shield.

the true core hidden behind mille-layers of false cream. the loved will meet no harm and instead be showered in love : what's the point in being genuine, then? even if this chrysalis means tossing

people away or giving in to impulse … what comes above all is herself. ——— 'all i have to do is gain your favour, right? i'm sorry, i said i was sorry.' repeat, recite : it's not my fault. perhaps, one day, you'll believe.

something your muse struggles with: impulsive and emotional, to the point of extremes. ( + whiny )

your muse’s greatest strength: obedient, listens to what she's told — even if there's a complaint, here and there. she's also generous … in her own way? most likely. 

history / background:

papa is kind, mama generous.  i want to be like them, one day.

a silver spoon on her tongue isn't a fair replacement for the warmth of a cradle. muu may have it all but one : the presence of those that she needed most an empty canvas through her youth. warmth was a foreign idea, only words half-meant and half-said.

gifts and allowance see her doorstep more than her parents ever did. it's not like they didn't love her, it's just that there was no time.

——— so, tell me :  why?

school was full of scary people  —  words that tasted like the bitter cold medicine she swallowed one humid summer night. foreigner, cry the stares of her classmates. prideful, vain, stupid-looking.

to her, companionship was considered a world so unreal. it is a strange, foreign place that she never viewed as something material, but high-school was fast to prove that it is. her classmates — they hover over her like drunk bees on ripened fruit :  you use me, i use you. isn't it great - a benefactory relationship?

this wasn't always the case. once, there was rei — a girl who sat next to her in class, a girl who saw her as she is and not for the gifts and money and unusual features. … was she genuine? those days were warm, like the morning sun — nostalgic, quiet paradise where it was only rei and muu tailing at her like a lost, pathetic puppy. that was the only thing she was sure of. then, the swarm comes. the girls that would stare at rei with disdain in their eyes approach her with honeyed smiles. the temptation of sickly-sweet royal jelly offered up begs for her to take it ; a fleeting bite. then, she's falling.

——— but, maybe…

in hushed tones, they whisper to her of what friendship truly is :  give, then we'll give back to you. companionship like this is friendship. it's not exploitation if anyone benefits, don't you agree? ' what rei and i did was nothing, then? ' they insist so. if they say so, it must be right.

rei sees her laughing with them and a flash of hurt and worry is in her eyes. her— rei's expression is far from placid as she approaches her and talks to her again : a warning, she says. muu dismissed her with a scoff. she's just jealous of her new friends. is that it? that's it. she hates her, she hates her being happy. fine, she'll forget about her and everything, then.

——— hey, tell me.

one day, the world as she knew it changed. her friends that would be by her side are now against her. why? what did she do? she did nothing wrong — she has never done something wrong, she's never laid a hand on anyone else, all she did was speak and give gifts and look pretty. and yet, she apologises. they keep pushing her down, even as she begs for them to step. it's lonely. no more warmth.

the honey has dried up, and the half-born queen is starving. she sees rei and approaches her with an apology-- ——— even if… 

' please rethink this, please forgive me — i'm sorry, i said i am! ' ' why are you looking away — i thought we were… friends? we're friends. ' ' you should accept that i'm sorry — then, i'll accept that you are, too. why? ' the way rei casts her gaze towards her was so cold. there was no regret on her features, only deafening silence. is this how it feels, to be a living corpse? …at least it will be over, soon.

lately, she always considered herself to be one foot in the grave. then, the world she knew as changed became shattered, the very moment rei ripped her arm away from her shaking hands. her cries of help and pity fell on deafened ears — ' hey, rei… look. please, don't let go… ' she begged for her to stop, as she brought out the box cutter from her pocket. her words felt like bile on her throat. sunset's fading light downcast. ' do you really not care for me? fine, i'll— you know what i want to do, right? why are you going away? fine, i'll stab myself. i'll stab myself right now… i mean it, you did this. '

( the way you look at me. it's so cold, now. … i can't take it, please— look at me. look at me! )

her body, her instincts — at that very moment, they were nothing more but a desperate mechanism. she saw nothing but red, as she lunged towards rei with a desperate scream. an already fragile hold on her emotions made more apparent as she lashes out — that very same boxcutter that she used to threaten herself with was now plunged into the other's torso.

when she came to, she was breathing heavily, clutching her weapon now drenched in blood. desperation and rage were now brushed over : replaced by pure regret and agony. she would say that she's sorry, but perhaps she was not? …rei was the one that hurt her first. that's it. it's simply … revenge. a fitting punishment for a girl who always acted like the heroine.

i'll decorate your corpse with flowers and egotism. was this her favourite — white lillies?

in the coming days, rumors start to circulate around the school : ' ah, i've heard that kusunoki killed someone. that poverty-stricken girl. ' ' … oh? that's horrifying, actually. it's good that we stayed away. ' ' i knew that she was volatile from the very start! '

when a monarch starts to become reprehensible, what is left to do other than to get rid of her?

…

she wakes up in a plane so frightening, sterile and cold surrounded by others like her: murderers. who wouldn't be frightened in a situation like this? yet, she was forgiven.

then whispers began to start. it wasn't your fault, you poor thing. was it painful? ( … that's right. it's not my fault. it was never my fault in the first place, i'm faultless. )

lies layered on like her favourite dessert. a sweet cream to protect her fragile heart already at the risk of breaking, elevated to a mask of non-concern. her misery will eat her alive, if she didn't.

—

sometimes, i still see her in my dreams… i still see rei. i would never forget her name, you know. there's the way she stares at me. standing in the distance. drenched in stagnant water. watching. maybe she's angry. she haunts me — bound to me and my fate, herself and her image.

powers / abilities: n/a

inherent abilities: n/a

items / weapons:

an orange boxcutter that almost appears yellow in the sunlight. a reminder of torment and guilt. her already present discomfort with sharp objects made stronger by the memory.

starting ability: n/a

starting item: the boxcutter. 😀 she'll probably throw it in a ditch right away, but you know.

extra: you made it. happy birthday!

everything is subjective and prone to change. as is the nature of milgram. t3 & more could change what i have written down to the foundation — guesswork is fun. nothing is "complete" until you make it so.

summertime in the north hemisphere is ending soon, it's slightly nostalgic, from the smell of fresh grass and the warm light of sunset … it's a feeling i wanted to portray with this application. a large amount of what i wrote is personal theory crafted by personal feeling. i'm sorry. ( pien ↑↑ )

" isn't friendship supposed to be all about letting them do what they want? it's only beneficial for each other, isn't it? " tread with caution with this one.

16 year olds are scary creatures. i'm scared, i'm scared.

discord id: lovemedont

[purgemarchlockdown]

MY PSONIC WARRIORS MAGIC IS LOSING!!!! I already wrote Magic Propaganda (I'm the first one :D) but I'm writing More!!!!

There's a lot of fantastic bits and pieces to Magic. It's such a cheery and happy song but it's also noticeably Emotionally Subdued, especially compared to Purge March. The song is overall very even in tone and mood, even in the darker parts of the song. Creating this really effective sense of dissonance at the end.

There's a really fun detail in Magic that's easy to miss at the end right before the credits. You can actually hear another Amane singing the line again in the background, forlorn and exhausted. Highlighting this contrast even more. And it really is details like that, that make Magic one of the best MVs in this entire series to me! There's just so much to be found everywhere no matter how you look! And it's not even hiding anything!

Like look over here:

The Amane Cat Parallels were established even Before Purge March revealed that the Cat's injuries in Magic are Amane's and not its actual injuries.

There's also Amane's Admittance of her own inability to be a good girl in the Lyrics.

Only if, only if, only if I could be a good girl I hope, I hope everyone can be happy and smile Forever, forever together would be a dream

She never Says she's a good girl in Magic. Never in it! Only that she could be or that a good girl Would do that or that she could become better and the MV reflects that! Constantly putting her down and infantilizing her!

But it’s not scary at all, because it’s love I can actually think of it as a good thing, see isn’t it a great thing?

She's being too "sensitive," can't they see their just trying to help her?

And Magic throws another element into the mix, awareness!

Amane is Aware of the fictionalized nature of this world and the MV Also reflects that!

You know the super cartoony scenes in Magic?

They have a texture laid over it and consistently whenever there's a texture laid onto a scene in Milgram it reflects a level of disconnect/abstraction from reality that a character is Aware of:

This artstyle is used in two parts: The transition scenes between the characters and the Cat and the punishments.

Before this all the punishments were shown in Extremely cartoony and comedic ways. Amane's pain is supposed to be Funny, it's not supposed to be taken seriously.

Yet the Cat and what happened was so deeply traumatic that it gets put into the cute felt-puppet storybook like art...and it still doesn't diminish the horror of the situation!

It's so Abstracted and Unreal and Still Just as Devastating and Emotional. No matter how hard she tries she can't lessen the impact it Has On Her.

AND THERE'S STILL MORE!

This stagelight is such a fantastical little detail. Your inclined to believe it's real because it looks real compared to everything else you've seen in the MV.

But with information gained by Purge March I'm pretty sure this is one of the few things in the MV that does not have a real world equivalent. A lot of the MV can be taken at face value, the cat was an actual cat, Amane did really get electrocuted.

But this real-looking stagelight seems to be a visual metaphor, and it makes sense because Magic presented itself as a show! The stagelight was Always part of Magic's visual library, a show needs something to light it after all.

The stagelight breaking (The cat's injury and subsequent death) is an intrusion on the vaguely peaceful reality of Magic. The set is Falling Apart. Rudely reminding both the audience And Amane that this isn't real.

It's also probably a reference to the Truman Show, since the stagelight breaking there is also a hint to the secrets of the life Truman was living.

I could go on forever- Magic is one of the most well-crafted MVs in this series and I refuse to let it go down without a fight!

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 4 HALF vs. MAGIC

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for HALF:

kazui may just be an old gay man but HE CAN SING.

its. literally stunning.

like aside from his character and everything else, half is just really really beautifully written

THE INSTRUMENTALS.

HIS V O I C E??? its so pretty

heartbreaking lyrics. i dont love kazui as a character but i have bawled to half

GAY RIGHTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love amane but she will undoubtedly win when her purge march poll rolls around, so lets let the old man have a win shall we?

---

half propaganda let's goooo sorry i'm sobern't in true kazui style so this probably won't make a bit of sense

theatre kid man. i love him, incredible mv.

this song is pure ASMR to me

visually aligned with Cat and it's so lovely to see that continuity

the GRAINY MOVIE DOTS THING ON THE MV <3

kazui is so dramatic. i love him i love him

dapper gentleman. such clothes

the key change is so well done

AND THE . THE PART WITH THE. THE ENDING SORT OF LYRICS OVERLAID WITH SPEAKING. and then his quieter singing and, and, and o h my god. im sorry. im not very coherent abt this rn

every part of the song is amazing but once it gets to the key change and after it keeps stepping up the amount of being perfect

kazui is in it

um

kazui is in it

go my psionic warriors vote for everyone's favourite failhusband

no children were tortured in the making of this MV (cough looking at You magic)

---

Allow me to present my Half propaganda!

- The slower tempo adds a very relaxing feeling to the song. Kinda ironic, but I like it! It sort of reminds of old indie songs from 2012 (especially with what I think is whistling added in the instrumental in-between chorus and verses.)

- Kazui’s voice. Enough said.

- It’s very easy to listen to, and I find it’s one of the only songs from Milgram that I like to listen to out of context (besides After Pain, Backdraft, and Purge March, oddly enough.)

- The MV is rife with imagery, and is used to beautiful effect. It really makes you feel for Kazui and his situation.

- The scene with him and Hinako before the key change… that makes me so emo.

- The overlapping part at the end… the lyrics combined with the dialogue in the background makes me really sad in a way I can’t explain.

Propaganda for MAGIC:

MAGIC MY BELOVED MAGIC!!! Its one of the best MVs in the entire series, even including T2. Magic is visually stunning and has some fantastic art direction but also is very clever in how it conveys its themes and ideas. Magic doesn't really hide anything from you, not really. It's all symbolic but it Tells You Things. It shows you the abuse, it shows you the cat. There's a fun little relationship going on here where, In Magic. Amane's pain and suffering isn't taken seriously by the people around her and the Audience we are discouraged to take it at face value due to the fictionalized nature of Magic. It's so cool. I'm so fond of the song as well, it's one of the best in the series purely cause of the Layers in it. The implications of this Inability to be good is seeped into Magic. Amane knows this isn't reality, Magic knows it's a show, she watches it at the end. And it's so Sad to me that even in her fictionalized happy world she Cannot be a good girl. It's a standard completely out of reach for her and that idea is just conveyed so well visually.

Im not even talking about the goddamn cat yet- the cat symbolism goes Deep. That cat is HER it has the same wounds Amane has in Purge March. I- I cant talk about the intertextuality of Purge March and Magic here this is Magic propaganda only- I- there's so much good stuff to Magic. I Re watched it over and over again. It has some the Best Writing and Visual Communication in Milgram and I will Die on this Hill.

---

shoutout to magic for having pretty props AND being vague as fuck about the crime! diversity win!

seriously though amane looks SO cute in it! the mv has such a pretty and colorful style and even with that it's able to show the horrors of what amane went through.

adding onto my last point. that scene where the cat is hyperventilating and you see the camera shaking???? that scene where the mascots find amane helping the cat and they're all standing over her? CHILLS. im repeating myself but the fact that they were able to portray the awful things amane went through in a genuinely emotional way while still keeping the cute cartoon look is soo impressive

there are SO many layers to itill the entire cartoony style making it look like a tv show… utilizing the cartoony effects and bright colors to show amane downplaying her own pain… the transformation after she gets punished barely changing anything to show just how manipulated she was from the start… ueueueue

ALSO ALSO ALSO THE SCENE AT THE END WITH AMANE STARING AT THE SCENE? OHHH ITS SO GOOD it adds such a feeling of dread and reminds you on top of this whole thing that all of this is truly horrifying! something is going on here!

this song is so catchy it gets stuck in my head CONSTANTLY

"Dear wise one, Am I worthy? Is it ok to spoil myself?" AMANE... UEUEUUEUE

the little ding sound effects in the instrumental?????

amanes voice is ADORABLE

THE INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT PART WHERE SHES HELPING THE CAT HAS THAT GODLY TYPE SOUND YOUD TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE WITH CHURCHES AND STUFF AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY BUT JUST RELISTEN TO IT AND YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I MEAN. ITS SUCH A NEAT DETAIL

i could go on about this mv for days but i am not a theorist unfortunately. just. magic sweep

[purgemarchlockdown]

I am BRINGING out my old propaganda for this I am NOT letting Magic die in vain.

----------------------------

There's a lot of fantastic bits and pieces to Magic. It's such a cheery and happy song but it's also noticeably Emotionally Subdued, especially compared to Purge March. The song is overall very even in tone and mood, even in the darker parts of the song. Creating this really effective sense of dissonance at the end.

There's a really fun detail in Magic that's easy to miss at the end right before the credits. You can actually hear another Amane singing the line again in the background, forlorn and exhausted. Highlighting this contrast even more. And it really is details like that, that make Magic one of the best MVs in this entire series to me! There's just so much to be found everywhere no matter how you look! And it's not even hiding anything!

Like look over here:

The Amane Cat Parallels were established even Before Purge March revealed that the Cat's injuries in Magic are Amane's and not its actual injuries.

There's also Amane's Admittance of her own inability to be a good girl in the Lyrics.

Only if, only if, only if I could be a good girl I hope, I hope everyone can be happy and smile Forever, forever together would be a dream

She never Says she's a good girl in Magic. Never in it! Only that she could be or that a good girl Would do that or that she could become better and the MV reflects that! Constantly putting her down and infantilizing her!

But it’s not scary at all, because it’s love I can actually think of it as a good thing, see isn’t it a great thing?

She's being too "sensitive," can't they see their just trying to help her?

And Magic throws another element into the mix, awareness!

Amane is Aware of the fictionalized nature of this world and the MV Also reflects that!

You know the super cartoony scenes in Magic?

They have a texture laid over it and consistently whenever there's a texture laid onto a scene in Milgram it reflects a level of disconnect/abstraction from reality that a character is Aware of (uh- most likely):

This artstyle is used in two parts: The transition scenes between the characters and the Cat and the punishments.

Before this all the punishments were shown in Extremely cartoony and comedic ways. Amane's pain is supposed to be Funny, it's not supposed to be taken seriously.

Yet the Cat and what happened was so deeply traumatic that it gets put into the cute felt-puppet storybook like art...and it still doesn't diminish the horror of the situation!

It's so Abstracted and Unreal and Still Just as Devastating and Emotional. No matter how hard she tries she can't lessen the impact it Has On Her.

AND THERE'S STILL MORE!

This stagelight is such a fantastical little detail. Your inclined to believe it's real because it looks real compared to everything else you've seen in the MV.

But with information gained by Purge March I'm pretty sure this is one of the few things in the MV that does not have a real world equivalent. A lot of the MV can be taken at face value, the cat was an actual cat, Amane did really get electrocuted.

But this real-looking stagelight seems to be a visual metaphor, and it makes sense because Magic presented itself as a show! The stagelight was Always part of Magic's visual library, a show needs something to light it after all.

The stagelight breaking (The cat's injury and subsequent death) is an intrusion on the vaguely peaceful reality of Magic. The set is Falling Apart. Rudely reminding both the audience And Amane that this isn't real.

It's also probably a reference to the Truman Show, since the stagelight breaking there is also a hint to the secrets of the life Truman was living.

I could go on forever- Magic is one of the most well-crafted MVs in this series and I refuse to let it go down without a fight!

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 3 MAGIC vs. MEME

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for MAGIC:

MAGIC MY BELOVED MAGIC!!! Its one of the best MVs in the entire series, even including T2. Magic is visually stunning and has some fantastic art direction but also is very clever in how it conveys its themes and ideas. Magic doesn't really hide anything from you, not really. It's all symbolic but it Tells You Things. It shows you the abuse, it shows you the cat. There's a fun little relationship going on here where, In Magic. Amane's pain and suffering isn't taken seriously by the people around her and the Audience we are discouraged to take it at face value due to the fictionalized nature of Magic. It's so cool. I'm so fond of the song as well, it's one of the best in the series purely cause of the Layers in it. The implications of this Inability to be good is seeped into Magic. Amane knows this isn't reality, Magic knows it's a show, she watches it at the end. And it's so Sad to me that even in her fictionalized happy world she Cannot be a good girl. It's a standard completely out of reach for her and that idea is just conveyed so well visually.

Im not even talking about the goddamn cat yet- the cat symbolism goes Deep. That cat is HER it has the same wounds Amane has in Purge March. I- I cant talk about the intertextuality of Purge March and Magic here this is Magic propaganda only- I- there's so much good stuff to Magic. I Re watched it over and over again. It has some the Best Writing and Visual Communication in Milgram and I will Die on this Hill.

---

shoutout to magic for having pretty props AND being vague as fuck about the crime! diversity win!

seriously though amane looks SO cute in it! the mv has such a pretty and colorful style and even with that it's able to show the horrors of what amane went through.

adding onto my last point. that scene where the cat is hyperventilating and you see the camera shaking???? that scene where the mascots find amane helping the cat and they're all standing over her? CHILLS. im repeating myself but the fact that they were able to portray the awful things amane went through in a genuinely emotional way while still keeping the cute cartoon look is soo impressive

there are SO many layers to itill the entire cartoony style making it look like a tv show… utilizing the cartoony effects and bright colors to show amane downplaying her own pain… the transformation after she gets punished barely changing anything to show just how manipulated she was from the start… ueueueue

ALSO ALSO ALSO THE SCENE AT THE END WITH AMANE STARING AT THE SCENE? OHHH ITS SO GOOD it adds such a feeling of dread and reminds you on top of this whole thing that all of this is truly horrifying! something is going on here!

this song is so catchy it gets stuck in my head CONSTANTLY

"Dear wise one, Am I worthy? Is it ok to spoil myself?" AMANE... UEUEUUEUE

the little ding sound effects in the instrumental?????

amanes voice is ADORABLE

THE INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT PART WHERE SHES HELPING THE CAT HAS THAT GODLY TYPE SOUND YOUD TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE WITH CHURCHES AND STUFF AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY BUT JUST RELISTEN TO IT AND YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I MEAN. ITS SUCH A NEAT DETAIL

i could go on about this mv for days but i am not a theorist unfortunately. just. magic sweep

Propaganda for MEME:

"MeMe is fantastic because it plays off the audience’s assumptions about Mikoto as a character and tells a “double story”. There’s layers to it and it’s deliberately deceptive in the way it presents the events out of order. Even the instrumentals themselves tell a story. The shift from piano in the second chorus climax is so good - and the way they combine in the last chorus, plus the addition of a violin culminates the song perfectly."

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"For propaganda: I love meme so much because even the music alone tells as whole story. It goes from heavy metal to calm to heavy metal to calm and that happens a few times and then there’s an epic and creepy intermission with an amazing guitar and a scary of sound of Mikoto’s heavy breathing. And then the psychedelic music and BAM the final chorus. The final chorus of meme just gives me the absolute chills. Like it’s the calmer chorus we see earlier but with epic symphonic metal and an amazing build up and climax like it’s perfectly encapsulates a story through music alone I just love it so much. Also it’s literally called meme lmao."

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"I could go on about the motifs in MeMe - like identity loss, living and dying, dreaming etc. It's a song, more than with any other character, about the inner self and what hides from the surface. Of the fear that comes with one's identity and place in the world being challenged and crumbling. The intricate designs on the tarot cards have so much depth to them"