#renfred

[thornswoggled]

What do you think, would happen to Joseph, if Alice and renfred found out, that Chise has been casually keeping him, as pet in her backyard

so i dont think either of them would be happy about it, but i think renfred would be more willing to hear chise out. he knows very well that joseph cant be killed, so maybe the ideal resolution for him would be locking joseph away in a conclave cell somewhere. more importantly though, renfred wouldnt blame chise for this arrangement. in his eyes, chise is the child and elias has all the... power? or responsibility, in this case. i think renfred would chalk it up as more evidence that elias needs to be Dealt With, both as a bad influence on chise and as a monster harboring more monsters.

alice is coming at it from a more juvenile perspective though so shes more likely to crash out over it. not even just that hes being harbored, but that chise never told her. alice has failed multiple times to protect renfred from physical harm, and its why she crashes out so hard when she finds out he views her as a daughter. its evidence that he doesnt earnestly view her as someone whos responsible for his safety, aka her whole reason to keep living. so alice would view this betrayal as putting renfreds life at risk again, and withholding the means for her to enact revenge. im not sure if shes quite that bloodthirsty, but we dont know what blue flames been whispering in her ear

[my-balalaika]

DILFFFFfff

[that-otaku-witch]

He is done!

@chaikajpeg

[ghostap8calypse]

Little Maar(9), Renfred(10) and Izra(8) staying awake really late to check the latest amazing horror book Izra, the youngest and nerdiest of them, managed to snag from the adult section

[chaikajpeg]

Would you consider drawing chise x joseph?

anon you're not gonna believe what i've been doing the whole day today

[immanime]

Mahoutsukai no Yome Settei

[xxcrossroadsxx]

Fragment X has been translated!

Source: Mangadex

[chaika-jpeg-shitpost]

mahoyome s2e6: anime vs manga comparison

6th episode omitted a small piece of dialogue between Elias and Renfred from ch54 that showed a rather interesting side of their relationship: despite the hostility between them they influence each other quite a lot.

When Elias asked Renfred about marriage, he realised that Elias was talking about Chise and said this:

(in Czech translation he said "just tell her what you think and get a taste of disappointment")

And during the roof scene, Elias did actually ask Chise if she felt disappointed:

Same with Renfred. Back in s1e19 (ch34), when they all went to the auction to save the kidnapped dragon, Elias accused sorcerers of forcing their apprentices into following their footsteps:

And I believe that's exactly what Renfred was referring to during this scene with Alice:

Neither of them would probably believe that their words stick with the other for a long time, and that they recall them during personal, emotional conversations with their dear ones.

(we should account for possible translation differences, so take this post as my interpretation)(but im pretty sure yamazaki kore went for this on purpose)

[thornswoggled]

not to be extremely parasocial but i trust yamazaki so much man. i feel like so many people are ashamed of the authors of their favorite manga, theyll offer you this prostrating handwringing "ohh yeah well the creator is xyz BUT THE STORY IS GOOD" and i dont feel the need to do that at all. like i truly feel in my heart that yamazaki Gets it. and given that i try to eschew celebrity and creator idolization as a whole i think ive earned the right to think so

[anicastes]

Please stop shouting.

[pin-yao]

[animehouse-moe]

The Ancient Magus' Bride S2 Episode 6: Better Bend Than Break

Another episode of MahoYome has rolled around, and this time we take a break from the college setting to focus on Chise and Alice specifically. Not so much the pair as a connective story, but to take a closer look at their characters, and just what it is that they desire within their current lives.

In general, I think it's a really great approach because Alice and Chise occupy very different spaces in the lives of their masters. Alice was chosen by Renfred, while Chise was chosen by Elias. Yeah, hard to really denote the difference, but it's a rather significant piece in how they approach what they want.

So we'll start with Alice. It's pretty safe to say her character has been built around being of use and repaying a debt to Renfred. For taking her in, for saving her from harm, and so on and so forth. She wants to prove her use to her master, no matter what. But Renfred doesn't see it that way, and that hurts Alice. What she wanted to be in her life was, in a sense, denied by the person that she wanted to protect.

It breaks her down in defeat, because the person she's vowed to protect is the person that's protecting her. And Alice understands that Renfred means well and only wants the best for her, but at the same time he's denying Alice the role that she desires in Renfred's life. It's a tricky situation, and one that this episode dedicates itself to exploring.

I appreciate the dedication to keeping things "normal" though, because even if they go to a magic school and have done all this crazy stuff, they're still just people at the end of the day. So because of that, Chise helps Alice out as she gets out of her house to go spend a night with Chise mulling things over.

On the way over though, Simon has a really great monologue that helps the pair. What one person believes can differ from the next. Your definition of a friend is different than someone elses, but what remains are the truths of it all.

Anyways, back to Alice. I really love how they express themselves through the whole exchange. They're shy to open up about what's bothering them, but once Alice gets there she reverts to her usual energetic and stubborn self which is really nice to see. Even when she struggles with something important, she doesn't lose her character or what makes her, well, her. It's an easy thing to do when you're trying to make things dramatic, or are looking to pull as much as you can out of the story, but thankfully that's not the case here.

What I really love about Alice's venting of this though, is how it reflects on Chise. She has a similar confusion in terms of roles between herself and Elias, as hers are even more convoluted and confusing as she's bride, master, and apprentice all at once.

It's a great idea because Alice takes the lead, but what Alice is saying and doing is perfectly reflected on Chise. However, Chise here has a hard time opening up in a similar fashion to Alice. It tracks with her character, and I think it's a great piece to show where her own challenges and shortcomings appear from. She stumbles over her words, hides under the covers, and even fidgets and gets anxious. And in regards to that last point, I really like that Ruth gets up to comfort Chise while she's talking. It's a really subtle thing, but I think it really adds a great deal to how Chise comes across and is expressed during these moments.

Of course, Chise is more than just this awkward and anxious side, as she finds an odd sense of peace alongside Elias. Maybe it's that they share a similar isolation from the people around them, or maybe because they've never been great with people in the first place, but the pair has a special form of chemistry that lets them get through the hard to explain pieces.

In particular, I really liked how both Chise and Elias approached their roles and desires. Elias sees it in a far more childish and simplistic light, where these roles and their appearances are a more absolute experience, while Chise views them as something more fluid and inexplicable in regards to what Elias desires.

Neither wants to be alone, or separated too much from each other for that matter, but they can't arrive at a correct role for one another in their lives. It's a far more puzzling experience for them than it is for Alice and Renfred who don't see eye to eye, and I can really appreciate the nuance and care that they put into these moments between Chise and Elias.

Speaking of Elias, I really love how far he's come as a character now. Just simple things like how open he's been about how much he wants to keep Chise to himself, and how he wants her to stay by his side. Or even how quickly he accepts what happiness is and uses it to explain his own emotions. They're all really great pieces, but even if we've taken this many steps forward, that childish side of Elias still appears in his possessiveness of Chise, and I think it's an important piece to maintain. Elias has undoubtedly grown and developed in his own ways, but there are still vast swathes of immaturity and lack of understanding. Simply because he's made progress in one area, it doesn't mean he's improved across the board.

Now, coming all the way back to Alice (and to create a nice transition), it was really nice seeing Alice tackle her feelings in regards to her situation with Renfred head on. Very much like Alice, and a really nice way to end things off in the episode, especially with this cut.

So, to segue into direction and animation stuff now. Good episode overall, but definitely lots of little pieces that speak to a few standout staff members throughout. Lots of pieces of animation that have very similar styles (like the one above). I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a bad thing, or that it doesn't mesh with the episode in full, but just that it highlights the disparity and immaturity of Kafka as a studio.

Now, in terms of more straight laced direction stuff, this episode definitely plays into the strength of those few strong animators, as rotation is found throughout to sort of tie it together. I'm rather indifferent to that piece as it's neither here nor there in terms of being good though. What I do like is the continual input from Terasawa on these episodes to keep it together.

Their strong visual style is present throughout with all the top down camera angles we get.

In particular, I really like this sequence because it's the perfect combination of Terasawa's visual style, and using that in regards to the story. His penchant for top down shots lets us see Joseph's shadow, and how it begins as something small that stands at the feet of Alice when he's seen as harmless, but as soon as that fear sets in, his shadow extends to engulf Alice entirely.

Similarly, you also see quite a few scenes of those closeups on body parts (or in a few cases, objects) to hide facial expressions and reactions to various information.

Interestingly enough though, Terasawa's input is nearly at odds with the direction for this episode, though it comes off more like a dichotomy. The director for today's episode places a lot of focus and attention on the faces of the characters as they explore these emotions and thoughts, and creates this very interesting back and forth where entire bodies are used to convey emotion at different points in a conversation.

All in all, it makes for a good episode for sure, and goes to show how forms of direction that might seem at odds with each other can find a way to create a meaningful connection. I really loved how they balanced both ends to really sell the deep interactions and emotions between characters, and after writing this, have come to doubt that you'd get the same amount of feeling out of it if you were to only go for one of the two approaches to character expression from today.

[illyasfeel]

The Ancient Magus’ Bride S2 OP1

[chaikajpeg]

chise and renfred

[heavensdoorways]

‘Blue Dream,’ Long Island, New York,

Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS R)

[lewdnuagejuice]

I want to write, but I don’t know what to do! I have ideas but also not, y’know? Does anyone have some inspiration to give, please?