#pbear analysis

[pbear]

Julius Reinberg analysis post because I can't stop rotating him in my head like a rotisserie chicken

(I was going to call it an appreciation post but he’s kind of a jerk. Love him anyways though.)

Lots and lots of manga spoilers so read at your own discretion

Julius is introduced as one of the most skilled wizards in Will's class. He's able to cast one of Elfaria's spells (albeit half as good as her). Another notable trait is his ego. He thinks he's better than others and looks down on them. At first, he's a massive jerk, but the story has him stick around after Will humbles him in their fight, and I honestly love what they do with him even though he's just a side character.

To me, Julius plays a similar to Sion as one of Will’s rivals. Both of them won’t let themselves be bested by Will which also pushes them to improve. The difference is that Sion is much more fair (I think he also kind of has an inferiority complex when it comes to Will but we won’t be talking about that today). As shown later in the manga, Julius isn't afraid to use Will to climb the tower himself.

One of my favorite moments showing Julius’ growth. Edward tells the dwarves to help the wizards even if they may die in the process and, oh look at that, Julius gets a reaction panel. He’s seemingly just as shocked as the dwarves to hear this. And then, he calls out to Gina as one of the monsters attacks, worried for her safety.

Part of Will defeating him earlier was that he had to work in the dwarves' tavern after disrespecting them earlier. And this moment shows how that affected his character. Julius didn't just take his punishment and turn back to his old ways. He came to respect and care about those he previously looked down on.

I think this is the moment that really made Julius intriguing to me because we get see what's below the surface of his character. The choice to not be kind because showing kindness only seemed to bring pain. You find out why he acts the way he acts.

It’s a moment that could definitely make him come as more unlikeable. He admits he likes looking down on others and showing off, but I think it more reveals how on the fence he is about this decision. He’s constantly reminded of when Anna told him how she loves how kind he was. He kept the pendant she gave him when he could have easily thrown it away and fully discarded the notion of ever being kind again. He hates that Will reminds him of Anna. Despite how much he wants to abandon his kindness, he’s reminded of how much it was valued. Julius is a very interesting character because there are times where he falls on one side of the fence and chooses to not be kind, but he also has times where he does because he can’t seem to fully get rid of it.

And I think this moment also shows Will's strength as a protagonist since he is able to draw out this other side of Julius (this happens with other characters like Wignall and Lihanna too). This boy is so good at seeing others’ strengths. He notices Julius’ resolve and how he follows through on his promises. He picks up on the kindness Julius thought he had left behind.

I'm so sad, HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!!! And Will says, "Julius was kind enough to leave us a clue." Despite Julius not believing in his own kindness, his final moments are spent creating a guardian that will help the others find out the truth.

In conclusion, I came to like Julius a lot as a character. He's initially an antagonist, but he grows and we come to learn more about his motivations. He says he only cares about himself and not others, but his actions reflect someone who's hardworking, always follows through on their promises, and can be kind.

[pbear]

Gotta talk about Nanami to cope. I thought he already died when Jogo burned him and was stunned when it was so short. This made it so much worse but there’s so much to this scene that I want to breakdown. I will never recover.

First, there’s the sharp contrast between the beach and Nanami half dead fighting Mahito’s transformed souls. It’s this contrast of ideal versus reality. It’d be nice to be somewhere else relaxing, but something about Nanami’s character is that he feels this duty to do what is right. He has to go help Megumi because that’s the right thing to do. Even if he's not in the state to do it. He can’t be daydreaming about beaches in Malaysia. And he’s so so tired. He’s already done so much but he continues to want to help others.

And Mahito, DAMN MAHITO, comes up behind him and reveals he was there the whole time. There’s so much futility in this moment. Mahito could have just killed Nanami instantly once he saw him, but he let him keep fighting. Fighting for what? Mahito was just going to kill him. This also enforces Mahito's character and how he's always seen humans as playthings.

Nanami feels this futility too. He doesn’t know why he even stayed in the jujutsu world. Then he sees his old friend. His friend who died too early to help anyone and who didn’t have the chance to do the work that Nanami did. And Nanami takes back what he said. He can’t regret what he did with his life when Haibara didn’t even have a chance at a life. Haibara embodies this sense of duty Nanami feels to do what is right.

"I shouldn't." Again, Nanami doesn't want to be here. He doesn't want to die, but even in his final moments he tries to do what is right. Ideally, you would die peacefully, but Haibara points Yuji out. There's something Nanami still needs to do. He gives Yuji encouragement to keep going and stand up against Mahito.

And then Itadori has to watch Nanami die. He’s just had a breakdown after having Sukuna use his body to form a crater in Shibuya and feels lost. In his stupor, he comes across Nanami, who had guided him when he was still new to the jujutsu world. This is the last thing he needed. Gojo, the renowned strongest sorcerer and his teacher, is sealed and now Nanami, who acted as Yuji's mentor, is dead. And Yuji screams at Mahito. The music change from silence to intensity is wild as they begin to fight.

Since Nanami is my favorite character from JJK, this hurt a lot. There's something reassuring knowing he can rest now but painful that he couldn't do that in life. I loved him because his desire to help people stood out compared to other characters. He didn't enjoy being a jujutsu sorcerer, but it at least helped people. That's why he stayed. And it hurts so much when someone just wants to help people and meets their end because of it.

[pbear]

One thing I've always felt about Miraculous is that it has good potential and the ideas are there but they're not developed in the right ways that make it a good series. After watching the movie, I just felt it even more.

The animation. Gorgeous. Looking at this movie felt good.

The songs. Not great. Especially since they didn't get Cristina Vee to sing (why?). They weren't bad songs but they weren't anything special to me. Although, I did like how the song about Marinette first becoming Ladybug was to the tune of the theme song.

I've seen so many people saying how Movie!Gabriel is better than Show!Gabriel and they're right. I felt like I got his motivation a little better from the scenes where he remembers Emilie.

Master Fu is so extra in this. It's funny.

I'm not sure how I felt about Tikki and Plagg running off to find their own users. In the show, I liked that Master Fu chose Marinette and Adrien after they showed him kindness (and that happens with Marinette), but I also do like that these mystical creatures have their own judgment on who holds their power.

Honestly, more Alya and Nino wanted. More of Marinette and Adrien in their everyday lives instead of as superheroes would have been interesting too.

Definitely more magical aspects to the powers of the Miraculous. Like, that yo-yo was dragging Marinette everywhere before she had control over it. Cat Noir didn't show as much as that which was something I liked from the show. That Adrien felt more comfortable in the superhero role before Marinette.

Also, NO LUCKY CHARM????

We saw Cataclysm once, although it didn't work out in their favor and Ladybug fixed everything at the end but I was waiting on that Lucky Charm.

Also, no Chat Noir transformation sequence. I would have liked if he got at least one dramatic one like Ladybug.

Bro, they're finally equals and working as partners and that's the importance of taking down villains is to work together. The show could never.

The intro painted the Butterfly miraculous as inherently evil which I get because you need it for the plot. But I always believed that the Miraculous were powerful objects and that one is not evil or good. It depends on the person wielding it whether that power is used for good or bad.

The movie shows you can have a satisfying reveal without needing over a hundred episodes for it.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It summed up the parts I liked about the show and put them together nicely. The show isn't bad. The biggest problem I have with it is that it's unsatisfying because everything is drawn out and it feels like we're going nowhere at times. That's why I dropped it so to be fair I cannot speak on most of season 5.

I don't know if we'll get another movie like this one (the ending suggested something). I don't think we need one if we don't because this wrapped things up well.

[pbear]

Now that I’ve caught up in the manga, it’s time to talk about Nacht. I ranked him at the bottom of my Black Bulls ranking because he gets introduced at the end of the anime but I do really like him after seeing him in the manga.

One of Nacht’s biggest traits is he’s very critical of people who he deems “not good”. Often, these can be small traits in comparison to one’s overall character like how he criticizes the other Black Bulls even though they are overall good people.

I called him an asshole before for his criticizing attitude, but I love the complexity that that same attitude extends to himself. He knows he’s not good himself and hates himself for it. Morgen was someone he found truly good and he’s the reason his brother is gone. He’ll never forgive himself for what happened to Morgen and thinks that in comparison to his brother, he can never be as good. (Even before Morgen’s death, he’d already accepted himself as his brother’s opposite and if his brother is good, he’s not.)

Still, he tries to do what is right even if he thinks redemption will never be possible for him.

[pbear]

One of the things I find so beautiful yet sad about Cowboy Bebop is it’s transience. You start out introduced to Spike and Jet. Then, through crazy hijinks, they pick up Ein. Then, Faye joins the ship. And finally, Edward. For a moment of time, we have the Bebop crew we all know and love and follow their adventures. It doesn’t last though. Eventually, Edward takes Ein and they go off on their own. Spike sets off and faces his past, leaving Faye and Jet on the ship.

People come and go and even though you spent good times together that doesn’t mean you stay in each others’ lives forever.

[pbear]

OKAY I GOT TO THE MAGNA AND DANTE FIGHT AND IT’S AMAZING

So obviously, I have to break down why I love it so much

After watching all of the anime, I was kind of disappointed where they left Magna’s character.

He begs Yami to go the Heart Kingdom and they show he can’t keep up with the others there so he just gets sent home. Then, it’s briefly mentioned he goes off with Zora and that’s it.

And I was like “Okay, you kind of just said Magna sucks and left it at that”. I didn’t expect him to be able to learn as quickly as Luck but Magna’s one of the most determined characters in the series so I thought he’d pull through it. Yet he just immediately goes back to the Clover Kingdom which didn’t sit right with me.

It all sets up for a great moment though and he comes back GLORIOUSLY.

“I know you’re tough and I know I’m weak but I can’t just go back to everyone else and pretend it doesn’t bother me.” Magna knows he’s weak and it bothers him. Awareness can make such a difference for a character and this line kills me.

Still, Magna is determined to become stronger. He wants to be able to go back to the rest of the squad and show that.

Despite not being able to use Mana Method, Zora teaches him how to build arrays the long and hard way.

“It took me half a year to make and I managed it because I’m me.” And it comes back to this incredible determination. The ability to not stay knocked down. That’s what makes him special and Yami saw it in him when he chose him for the Black Bulls.

Magna creates a spell that basically puts him on the same playing field as his opponent. He mentioned in the fight against Luck (Elven Invasion arc) that he’s more resilient and can take a hit. HE DOESN’T JUST MAKE A POWERFUL SPELL BUT ONE THAT PLAYS TO HIS STRENGTHS TOO.

And he wasn’t able to use Mana Method but he found a way to fight and be strong in a different way. In his own way.

And the way determination plays into this fight is done perfectly. It could have been so cliche with Magna somehow continuing to fight against a superpowered devil on determination only. But it’s better this way because you get to see how all the hard work leading up to this moment paid off.

And then, after he delivers the final blow and wins, Asta and Luck show up. Asta, who looks up to Magna, and Luck, who Magna doesn’t want to fall behind, get to see this victory.

AND IT’S SUCH A BIG WIN FOR HIM AND I’M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD

[pbear]

I’ve gotten really into the Blue Lock anime so I decided to start the manga too and this parallel intrigued me, especially with the current state of Nagi and Reo’s relationship in the anime.

Both of them are looking for a way to cure their boredom. With Reo, he aims to get the World Cup but he also specifically mentions Nagi in association with that. Nagi wants to challenge himself and experiment with his plays, but it’s clear he doesn’t need Reo for that. In fact, Isagi’s the one that fulfills that desire for him later on. While it’s shown that he stills likes Reo and thinks he’s a good player, Nagi goes after someone who inspires that curiosity in him. “We’ll be on the same team but it won’t excite us” is what he says when his team chooses Chigiri in the 2nd Selection.

Playing with Nagi is what excites Reo but playing with someone that challenges him is what excites Nagi. Their different goals is what’s causing conflict between them.

[pbear]

Why I love this scene so much

I just want to break it down

Firstly, Luck is one of my favorite characters. He has been since the start of the show. I'm not sure exactly why I latched onto him so early (it was even before the Dungeon arc) but it probably makes me biased for this scene.

I want to start at the part where we begin to see what's happening inside Luck's mind. He faintly hears the voices of Magna and Vanessa but doesn't recognize them.

Then he sees his mother. "My mother is the only person who can love me." We know that's not true. We know the Black Bulls are his family, especially after his mother ingrained in him that he needs to win to be loved. And they don't need him to win to love him.

In his mind, Luck is portrayed as a child. It's representative of what he was like before meeting the Black Bulls so it's also easy to see why he's drawn to his mother.

"Despite what I am, I found something important to me." This is one of the lines that kills me. Luck knows he's not normal. And he thinks that stands in the way of finding something/someone he cares about who will care about him back. It sounds like a near impossibility the way he phrases it. That's another reason why he latches onto his mother. She showed him love when he won.

But knowing the Black Bulls are out there is what makes him finally turn away from his mother. He hears them call out to them and knows he has to go to them because they’re important to him.

He jumps into this cloud of lightning to go find his friends and as he runs he remembers each one of them. We see Yami, Vanessa, Finral, Gordon, Grey, Gauche, and Charmy in moments close to when Luck joined the Black Bulls, welcoming him to the squad. Asta and Noelle are the newest members so their moments come from points we've seen in the story. Then Magna's the last one because they're best friends.

As Luck finally returns, right before he regains consciousness, we see him go from that little kid to the person we know and love, bearing the cloak of the Black Bulls. It just shows how the people on the squad, his friends, made him who he is.

"I'm still one of the Black Bulls, right?" Another line that absolutely kills me. It was so hard for Luck to think that someone could love him and he thinks that the thing he's finally found is going to be taken away from him.

And then he cries. We've only ever seen him smile. The fact that he keeps smiling even in the darkest situations is what made him strange. And we see him cry at the thought of losing the Black Bulls.

And of course, Magna (woohoo) hugs him. "Of course you are, you dumbass." There was never a doubt that he was and will continue to be one of them.

The idea that others will never care about you the way you care about them is a fear of mine that I think about sometimes. I see it a lot in Luck and being part of the Black Bulls is the answer to it in his case. He’s important to them and they’re important to him. It comes across so beautifully in this scene.

And that is why this scene means a lot to me and makes me cry

I don’t think you understand how hard I’m sobbing right now