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rangetsuryuu · 6 months ago

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my favorite 1cour anime

You know what, I could pick like a good one like. Death Parade. Lycoris Recoil. Madoka. The Promised Neverland. or I could pick a mediocre one. like Revstar. Rolling Girls. SSSS Gridman. Gatchaman Crowds.

but my actual favourite 1cour anime is actually. Akuma no Riddle. that's right, riddle story of devil (2014). ngl it's shitty in so many ways, but for a huge ensemble cast it does so much? in 12 episodes? revstar could never???

Like when I first watched it, I thought it was a really cut down adaptation, but I recently rewatched it and now I'm thinking like. They did a LOT with 12 episodes and actually. it's. good. And they somehow still had a lot of action, a great OST and individualized ending songs for each character? How?

Like dedicated focus episodes for each character while still being able to throw in plot threads to lead into later plot lines?

The manga itself laid out the framework and story beats in a condensed enough way anyways, but the anime actually elevates the best characteristics of the manga while turning down a lot of the sillier, extraneous parts and cutting away the filler and it's GREAT? It's so much more focused and that's saying a lot because the manga was already pretty short?

the manga does have plenty of scenes that are cut that I do miss. All the scenes with Sumireko and Mahiru? Tragic loss. Any Isuke scene that's cut I'm sad about BUT. In return the anime really nails and refines the characterization. You lose the character's interpersonal relationships, but you boost their actual individual storylines and characterization. While still maintaining all the aspects that make each of them sympathetic?

Kaminaga's character gets really buffed by the anime especially. Just a few small changes, like adding the scene with the secret 'room' and the superstition about a writing your name in a checkout card to grant happiness? letting Haru writing the villian's name in to that checkout was just like. Really? Good? Like bro what?

Every addition or change the anime makes either enhances the character of the week, or the actual main leads and doesn't actually sacrifice anything that couldn't be sacrificed.

It waters down the more explicity gay scenes, yes, I know. Especially any non Haru/Tokaku or Kirigaya/Chitaru relationship. But. In context, the cut scenes that could improve the interpersonal relationships of the side characters do not actually meaningfully impact their relationships with each other. While it's nice that we can see the cast being sympathetic towards each other in the manga, it doesn't actually add anything to the plot or change how they interact with the main leads at all.

And to be honest... in the manga, the relationships the characters have with their respective love interests are kinda shallow or one-sided? They usually get a single scene with each other where one person expresses SOME degree of concern/sympathy/acknowledgement of the other person's circumstances but no actual back and forth or reciprocration.

Isuke acknowledges Haruki's duty is not worth it. No reciprocating scene from Haruki's POV.

Shuutou regrets that Kaminaga has a lot on her plate. No reciprocating POV from Kaminaga.

Sumireko feels like, she has to look after Mahiru I guess? IDK this one just reads more like a one-sided crush which is hilarious.

Despite. The cuts. The anime actually still maintains a pretty gay subtext in regards to the actual main couple?

I don't think anyone that watches Akuma no Riddle thinks that Tokaku is protecting Haru out of the exclusive platonic goodness of her heart. Yes, anime!Tokaku does not give off the same overprotective boyfriend vibes that manga!Tokaku does, but. She's still intensely single-mindedly protective of Haru's survival, if not her happiness. Playing more into the role of bodyguard, but still alluding to a feeling beyond just a professional relationship.

Tokaku in the anime is a lot colder, a lot more serious, not as emotional, but still single-minded in her focus. Protect Haru, that's it, the rest of it all will come together later. She's still impulsive in the anime, doing things just because she wants to and still short with peple. And the way they actually framed the final fight actually made her emotions much more intense in the anime. AND how they framed her as the final assassin in the anime was soooo much cleaner. It was AWESOME.

The anime also restructured Tokaku's personal dilemma in a way that unfolded in a more intense way for Haru. Like it was shocking... speaking of Haru.

When I first watched the anime like years ago, I thought the final scene in the anime was the worse scene. But young me was wrong, okay. They're both kinda EXCELLENT?

In the manga's finale, Haru embraces her role as the queen bee, if that means giving Tokaku the release and closure that she needs. Tokaku has to go through with killing Haru to prove that her own love and motivation hasn't been a delusion. Her actions are real, her feelings are real, and to prove they're real she must kill Haru. Romantic as hell, in a very tragic way. But the issue I take with this. For Haru to accept the queen bee's powers feels inconsistent with her character's arc in one way. But at the same time. for Haru to accept the power she's rejected for the sake of someone she loves ALSO is big to me. Haru embracing the pwoer she hates e because it can save the person she loves? Alright, I can fuck with that.

But. I still ended up loving the anime scene more? To me, the anime has the penultimate scene for both Tokaku and Haru. They both have something to prove. Neither of them can back down. But the anime version is the better version because Tokaku actually gets to be the protagonist in the anime.

Haru who's never compromised on her ideals, has to go always go through with doing something she hates, no matter how hard it is. She must survive, no matter what. Even if it means hurting someone she loves, she can't change course now, or everything she's done until now would be for nothing. She must always survive.

Then there's Tokaku who's never had anything to belive in her whole life. For the first time in her life, she's had something to prove for herself and no one else. Not as the esteemed heir of an age old clan, or the prodigy assassin. Not as somene defined by other people, but as someone she has decided herself to be.

They clash together and who comes out on top ? BOTH OF THEM. . . ? No one's ideals actually supercede the other's? They both come out, rsking everything but still not losing anything? Sure, in some stories this would be bad maybe for neither character to lose? But in this context... GOOD. FOR. THEM. They both still had to face the worst case scenario for their happiness, AND still come out with the ending they wanted? They get? A happy ending?

This whole time, Haru's never been able to actually be close to anyone despite wanting it, because she's marked for death no matter what. She wants to be close to people, even if that means putting herself in danger and this time she really WAS about to die. She's cursed with the will of others to LIVE no matter what. So even when she doesn't want too, she forces herself to choose life over any bonds. She wants to choose her bonds over herself but she can't because her family wanted her to LIVE.

Tokaku, this whole time has never been able to choose anything for herself. She's the heir of the Azuma's, her whole existence was nurtured to KILL people. Her curse, is that she's supposed to KILL but she can't. Physically she's incapable, and bound by someone else's will. Her whole life is bound by other people's wills. Until she finally chooses what she wants for herself.

Alright, fine. You could say that it's literally the same scenario as the manga, they clash, and end up getting their happy endings.

But the manga puts the suggestion ni that the Primer might have been responsible for it. That Haru's embraced her role as a queen bee, if that means keeping Tokaku. But like... that just feels a little bit boring to me? Don't get me wrong, I know Haru and Tokaku's love has nothing to do with some bullshit pheromones. And the scene itself was extremely emotional to me, and I'm not kidding because I did cry when I read it for the first time years ago.

But the emotional high of this scene does kinda strip away my favourite parts of Tokaku and Haru's character. They clash, but it's their love for each other and sheer dumb luck that ends up bringing them to their happy ending. Tokaku's willingness to die right after, puts a completely different spin on her whole arc than the anime.

She's finally overcome her curse of being unable to kill. She's finally found something to live for but she has to kill it to prove her feelings are real. And then. She wants to STOP LIVING? Bro what was the point of your ARC!? Did you not listen to any of Kaiba's lessons?! Did you finally unbind yourself from your curse, break free of your bonds, embrace that you have free will, just to bind your whole existence to someone ELSE? Tokaku PLEASE.

Ahem.

The anime actually lets Tokaku completely and fully embrace her newfound free will, by removing that part. They let her decide for herself that Haru has to die, and they let her decide for herself to carry the consequences of that forever. Nobody is forcing her to do this, but it's all she can do to prove that she loves Haru. THIS is way more romantic to me okay. She got to realize her character FULLY even if that meant doing something she would regret for her whole life.

Now on the flipside, Haru is someone who doesn't break free from her own curse. If anything she embraces it fully, and goes full blast with it. It's Haru who will do anything to survive, even if that means she is the one that has to kill Tokaku? Haru goes AT HER.

Now it's Haru who's doing somethign she doesn't want to. Haru's who's pretty much the ultimate pacifist, is very much willing to kill Tokaku to survive. Isn't that wild? She's been pushed that far, and is that deeply attached to her family's will for her to live.

But that's the thing that makes the anime adapation the ultimate adapation version?

The anime puts Haru and Tokaku at idealistic odds with each other. For Tokaku to prove her feelings and actions are real, Haru must die. For Haru to prove that her life hasn't been meaningless, she must live. Tokaku's finally been able to overcome her curse but Haru still hasn't.

But in the anime and manga both, despite how Haru's cultivated her relationships with her classmates, she's never challenged in her desire to live. She regrets the death, she regrets the loss, but she will not compromise on her will to survive.

Everyone actions in this show are dictated by their relationships to others. Haru's and Tokaku's especially are dictated very strictly by their family's.

But unlike Haru, Tokaku broke free from that completely in the anime. Tokaku's not indebted to anyone, she's not responsible for anyone's will, she just has to worry about herself. She broke free of her curse. She can choose her own future now, and even if that future means killing she can do it.

But Haru? She CAN'T break free of her curse. And she CAN"T embrace her supposed powers. Even if she loves Tokaku, she's still trapped by her family's desire for her to live. She can't see an ending where she can be happy and live. She has to smile even in misery, because that's what her curse is. LIVE, no matter how painful.

The anime actually lets Tokaku be the one to overcome her flaws, while everyone else is brought down by their unwillingness to change. Kinda. Everyone still gets a happy ending so.

If you think the ensemble relationships are important I feel like the manga would be your favourite version. But if you are a Haru main like me maybe anime is actually the best version of this story.

(haru main? what do you mean? Well, let me tell you, Haru is my favourite character actually. Her being dogmatically obsessed with her survival over her idea of happiness is very important to contrast Tokaku, who's also had her entire existence dictated by other people. For Haru to find LOVE and want LOVE over her CURSE? And still choose her CURSE? I'm sorry, how can I not adore a character who feels doomed by their own obligation to pursue self-dictated martydom over their own happiness? I love Haru. She's completely a tragedy of her own making, noone actually told her to live like this, okay. The anime lets her be obsessed with ehr own survival, because Tokaku will love her even in death and they will let Tokaku live on with that. And that's why I love the anime. It forces Haru to reconcile with being loved even in death.)

Anyways. The artstyle of the anime doesn't really translate the sheer ferocity or feral nature of the manga BUT. The anime still brings a lot of style to the table and it's got a banger of an OST. No, I don't think the image songs are god tier, they do a lot of work for the characterization alright and tha's half the battle.

Long story short, the anime is actually the best version of this story.

#akuma no riddle #murloc noises #idk man i just recently found out nakamura kanata did the ED lyrics and im like #THAT NAKAMARU KANATA? REVSTAR NAKAMURA KANATA?#anyways i can't believe moca and chitaru have the same seiyuu #also isuke and laphicet like bro fucking how #saijou claudine was actually a kenmochi shiena expy this whole time

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