#when they have demonstrably in the plot done nothing massively supernatural

[silverskye13]

Lady Merrewin: You have to make him respect you. Cut off his arm if you have to.

King Eliam the Everlasting, watching from fantasy heaven probably:

[capricornsicle]

Per your pinned post, how about your take on Satomi Ito?

Excellent icon (Supercorp!!) and username, first of all!

Satomi is a fucking BADASS. Lady survived internment camp, government cover-ups, at least 60 years of white boy bullshit, the worst racism the US had to offer against Japanese-American citizens, at least 60 years of werewolfing, and many, many attempts on her life by not-unskilled hunters and other genocide-curious people.

Satomi was one of the most powerful characters in the wolfverse (and, since her death was so weak-sauce and lacking, I’m choosing to believe she still is). She had a massive pack, about two dozen if I recall correctly, and had a habit of adopting orphaned werewolves, like Brett and Lori or Jiang and Tierney, regardless of what they may have done in the past. She was uniquely understanding of the difficulty werewolves had with controlling their violent impulses. In 3b, we learn that Satomi spent her time in the internment camp playing Go almost non-stop so she’d never be tempted towards violence. Massive respect for both boring herself and condemning herself to a life sitting around staring at a board, and for being good at Go, which I’ve always sucked at. She also defeated countless assassins in the deadpool storyline circa s4 without losing control or taking a hit. Seriously, the woman can dodge bullets.

My admiration for Satomi is to the same degree as my outrage at her treatment by J*ff D*vis and the “casual” racism of the show and the writing. She was this incredibly powerful alpha, the oldest known werewolf and the one who taught her pack and her friends how to hide their scent, and introduced the “what three things” mantra that was the only thing able to calm down werewolves without anchors or werewolves who still struggled with their anger. She dodged bullets. She was a known friend and advisor of Talia freaking Hale.

Being killed off by Monroe and her followers in a fight that was more about Jiang and Tierney than anyone else was disrespecting the story that had already been told. I don’t think it was necessary for Satomi to die, she just died because the hunters had to kill a bunch of people for, uh, reasons. Satomi Ito was a mastermind and an incredibly wise woman, not some inexperienced werewolf who’d go to a peace summit with hunters and get shot while her back was turned. She was significantly too clever to get tricked and killed by Gerard, of all people. That we don’t see her death is even more insulting -- killing off all your characters of color is despicable enough, but mentioning that they’re killed off in passing for the purpose of talking about other characters even more so. She wasn’t given a funeral, or a burial, or even any acknowledgement. She was used for “oh no the hunters are so evil and dangerous” and nothing more.

Satomi could (and should) have been an advisor for Scott and his pack. She should have had significantly more scenes, more of her intelligence and cunning should have appeared on-screen than we learned from what other characters who got screentime learned from her, and if she had to die, she should have had an epic ending in which neither plot armor nor miracle could have saved her. She should have died how she lived, choosing non-violence over personal gain and helping other supernaturals realize that having claws and fangs doesn’t make them monsters.

Imagine the following scene:

Satomi arrives at the location for the peace summit between the wolves and the hunters. Gerard and Monroe are there with their hunters, perhaps some of the named ones who didn’t get nearly enough exploration of what sounded like really interesting stories, like Gabe and/or Nolan (also two non-white characters but who’s counting). They talk, and Gerard incites violence. The hunters attack Satomi, who came alone as asked so as not to endanger her pack and in pursuit of genuine, truthful peace. She dodges their bullets and evades their attacks, but refuses to kill them. Eventually she is compelled to strike back, but she stops herself and turns back into human form, making a point of not taking the life of a hunter who wants nothing more than to exterminate her kind, and when she stands back to let the hunter up Gerard slits her throat from behind, or something equally Gerard-y.

That kind of scene would have spurred on the final battle. It would have made very clear to Monroe and to the hunters that Gerard was not “protecting” anyone, just committing genocide. That could have been the moment that divided the hunters and allowed them to be defeated when they were unstoppable in the same situation a few episodes before the final fight. It would have been gut-wrenching and heartbreaking and horrifying, as well her death should have been. It would have said, “werewolves are not monsters, people who want genocide are”. The murder of such an important and powerful werewolf would have inspired a lot in our favorite Scooby Gang, turned neutral characters against the hunters and given the audience a much better sense of how evil Gerard was supposed to be than the “I murder werewolves for sadistic fun” we got. Instead, we got the lazy, half-assed “oh Satomi’s dead” that inspired nothing and just made the audience confused to how tired she had to be to get tricked by a couple of novice hunters.

The treatment of Satomi, as well as other Japanese (or Korean, or Black, or... well, Kali was played by a Black actress, and the various Latinx and/or Native/Indigenous actors/characters [Melissa, Scott, Nolan, Theo, Gabe, Hayden, I could go on] are white-passing to a lot of viewers and/or have little screen time and backstory, you get the idea) characters was another demonstration of how popular media favors white-passing and lighter-skinned characters of color, and Teen Wolf and its creators made no attempts to try and be better. They and darker and non-passing characters are used as motivation for the white main characters’ goals, they are killed off with weak reasoning and death scenes that, if they exist, only incite anger in the treatment of non-white characters in the audience. Those that survive for longer stretches of time are reduced to stereotypes and racist tropes. Satomi plays the wise old Asian. Deaton is reduced to the Magical Negro trope after a season or two. Boyd is stingy and unhelpful to the white mains. Monroe is violent, aggressive, and evil. Morrell is untrustworthy and self-centered (and Deaton’s sister, even though she’s way lighter? okay screenwriters). Even those characters of color who are with the good guys have small roles, meaningless deaths, and never deep and meaningful backstories. Those characters that pass may have some of those. Satomi is a great example of how Teen Wolf’s “casual” racism wasn’t nearly as casual as it appeared. It went deeper, all characters of color were affected by it, those darker and less passing even more so, and it was unfair. You’re not representing someone by giving them one character that looks like them and then whisking them away after a few minutes of screentime. The only meaningful thing said by false representation and racist stereotypes is that you’re just another racist.

TL;DR: I loved Satomi as a wise and powerful character of color, one that lived for a hundred years or more and learned and taught things that saved the characters we knew and loved in the epic final fights. I’m also angry she died so quietly and meaninglessly. I’m angry she was reduced to the role of “wise Asian” and barely got screentime. I’m very angry how representative her treatment is of the treatment of all characters of color on Teen Wolf and in other popular media, and what I’m super angry about is that this fandom and others love to gloss over racism or call it “casual” and pay no attention to the non-white characters in the source material. Characters of color are not there for representation points. They should be there because they’re important to the story and fans who do or don’t look like them can relate to and enjoy them. Satomi deserved better treatment on the show, and she deserves better treatment from the fandom.

[sparda3g]

The Ancient Magus' Bride Manga Impression - Sparda's Lounge

The Ancient Magus Bride is a series that I took interest without knowing people’s opinions. The first volume cover left me intrigued, yet I don’t really know why. It could be the artwork or how it was addressed to be whimsical. It made me curious enough to pick up and read. I owe all the volumes that are currently released at this time, with an included bonus. With the advent of the anime debut, I am anticipated to see how this universe will translate. That all said what is it about this series that compels the audience that will soon expand significantly. Let’s take a closer look into this magical world of a bride.

Story

A sixteen-year-old Hatori Chise is a poor lost soul in an empty shell of her former self. She has no family to return to, no friends to seek for help, and no hope for ever receiving a gentle life. Auctioned out like an object, a Magus named Ainsworth Elias buys her out and offers her a new beginning. Despite his appearance leans towards a demon than human, Chise may have found a new path to light that she has longed seeking for. Will she find it?

I have to come out and say it. First and foremost, this is not an action series. I appreciated the thrill of the anime trailer, but people shouldn’t think this as an explosive action genre. It is a slice of life series that explores the entity of its universe. The magical beings like fairies, the alchemy use for experiments, and the exploration of characters. It’s similar to another series, Natsume: Book of Friends, even the concept. Both protagonists can see mythical creatures, but no one else can, and they are miserable by it. It’s quite similar; only this one is Shounen.

I can’t help but think that because of this series is adapted by Wit Studio some would assume that it is action heavy. Going by my research, the studio has worked on plenty of action genre recently with very few other different genre projects. Seraph of the End, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and the most notable one, Attack on Titan. I was surprised that they will be the one to adapt this, so I am hoping people can understand the actual nature of the series; as they should.

There are plenty of majestic materials to explore in a well-developed lore. It covers the small yet significant aspect, because it wants to exploit that life is precious with cherish memories. Even in the darkest time, the light will glow. Step-by-step, the transformation becomes apparent and it is rewarding.  It takes its time to give you a reason to care, even for a simple task that should be easily dealt with yet challenging for the fallen one. The more it progresses, the more you start to wish more happiness along the way.

There is a main plot behind it as well, antagonist and all, but it will arrive when it is ready to exploit. It is slice of life first, plot later, and it’s not a bad thing. Once you begin to understand its world, it will take you for a deeper journey. It’s appealing with its sheer nature. It may take time to develop as it carefully explains the lore detail-by-detail, but you eventually will start feeling right at home.

Characters

Chise is the protagonist, so naturally the focus of her is to regain humanity. She starts off looking like a lifeless doll, but regains life as many depths explored. It doesn’t take long for her to appear differently, which is good since I could imagine people wouldn’t like a lifeless or robotic character for a protagonist. It’s not that she will transform immediately; it portrays that one piece of humanity can make a massive difference than nothing at all.

She’s a character that has my full attention; because the narrative drags us to feel like we are learning again. How to be gentle, how to help others, how to understand the environment, how to live again. She doesn’t stay mute or broken for long, so the more she developed, the more you begin to connect. You understand her lessons, hardships, and cold reality the more she begins to feel human again.

She will start off clingy to Elias, but understandably so. It’s not because of romantic love, at least not yet maybe. It’s the feeling of opportunity to relive again under his offering. She grows more at home and become more independent to her own decisions and actions. It only made me feel proud, but worried. She is a gentle character that slowly learns to cherish life and feel the change that she long waited for.

Elias is a mysterious creature. While there are plenty of missing holes to fill in with his background and agenda to “rescue” Chise, let alone marrying her in the future, he is pretty amusing. He can look menacing by design, but charming and comical when called for one. He is best described as a man-child or a child in a man-sized demon body. He can be thoughtful and wise in many cases, but his curiosity is seen like a child.

What evaluates the chemistry between him and her is the fascination of understanding their worlds. Chise is regaining life within her as well as adapting to the supernatural environment with magical entity as Elias is teaching her the basics and explore depth of humanity. Essentially, they develop the student-teacher relationship as both play both roles, creating a pleasant bond. Elias can be intimidating, but it makes you wish that he could handle himself better. He’s charming and smart, but then, he has flaws that wish to be erased.

There are other kind characters that add more to its environment. It may not have everyone involved with the main plot, but for slice of life, it can bring in the heartwarming foundation. Like Silky, the housekeeper, for example; there’s a chapter that is nearly completely mute, but it has a good amount of meaningful display that set the tone of depression but ends on a tender note. That alone had me surprisingly touched by her character.

There are many more to explore, including the one that will only show up once in a while and many if not all are kindhearted. Excluding the antagonist; at least from what I have read so far. Even there are characters that should be evil or cruel, but there’s more to them than their initial impression. It could be from humans, fairies, or even demons. As slice of life goes, it nails the core of its nature.

Content

Despite the writing is slice of life style, it does contain action with the use of magic elements and science such as alchemy. The series does a swell job to explain each of its lore functionality. There will be items that put a special cast, there will be set of rules of tributes and limitations, and there will be many different ways for whimsical use.

Because Chise is learning magic for the first time, we start from the basic and progress further to the more advanced stage at a steady pace. Elias is the teacher, so we are following the lessons along with her. It leaves us enough time to digest the functionality and begin to appreciate its lore. While there are more potential for other type of magic, so far, it has been done in a compelling way. Even a simple magic use such as Link to Mind and Memory can be demonstrated in a meaningful connection. There is alchemy use as well, though it’s done by side characters, so it’s not highly focus. When it does explore, it is interesting to say the least.

I have once heard that the world building and the use of magic can be described as Harry Potter-esque. In my opinion, it does seem that way, regardless of obvious differences. There may be no school as of this time, but it certainly has the learning process. That all said the use of magic in the action scenery is done in a slow and steady process for the most part; meaning that it won’t be as frenzy as battle shounen series.

As mentioned before, the trailer portrayed it as intense and fast paced. While it can be intense, it is not the main objective to be explosive. You can’t expect the action to be on the caliber of Full Metal Alchemist, Fairy Tail, or Black Clover. It plays more on the emotional and tensed aspect, which could be a breaking point of that character’s action. It’s nothing wrong with the said series and its action pace; it’s not this series’ protocol.

My favorite perk is how much of an emotional impact it has towards the character; whether it is from Chise, Elias, or anyone in general. By the time the main plot begins, you already gain enough senses of who they are and what they are capable of. It has that great sense of accomplishment of what they have learned and at what price they paid. The saddest time can bring in the rewarding feeling because not only you learned the morality, but the character grows with you.

The cooperation of its world with magic and alchemy and real life aspects are profound. We can learn a deep meaningful lesson as well as escaping reality to its world. Despite the title with bride in it, the romance isn’t really focused; it is taking its time to develop the chemistry and perhaps one day, it will. It is appealing to explore further with its expandable magical elements. The series is not too young, but it has plenty of room to dive deeper. The recent development shows new promises, so you can bet that we are only getting started.

Presentation

It’s reasonable to count on the artwork to be visually impressive to exploit its delighting world. Fortunately, Yamazaki does a terrific job. The environment can be delightful on one hand, then the next, horrifying. Since it’s magical, it’s expected to see many mythical creatures. Each of them stands out differently and has its own identity to separate from other creatures. It opens for plenty of imagination to add in for the future.

The detail can be really pretty to look at, including the living beings. Dragon design can never look old. It has that larger than life feeling that passes through you. The atmosphere tone is easily noted with its light and dark nature. It’s not afraid to go really dark on life including drug use and serial killer. The action is steady, so it’s easy to pick up on what’s happening. The world is welcoming to any who wishes to learn more. In the volume, it has descriptive interior area to make you feel right at home.

The real perk is the sublime design of the character’s expression. Chise is easy to notice since her character begins as a loner. Each time you see something new from her reaction, you grasp the warm feeling just by seeing it. These characters can be expressive and bring a tender feel. Even character like Elias who has no real expression, but the body language and monologue can bring just about the same meaningful length as expressions. There are other moments that will send you to feel something strong, which is the beauty of a good writing slice of life. It could make you teary, but much like hardship path, the end can bring you happiness.

As of Now

As of now, The Ancient Magus Bride has been a really great series. From what I have read so far, it has many new promises to explore new magical elements and new challenges. Beyond that, it is not easy to say that the series will grow stronger or weaker, but if it keeps up the writing quality, it can be very charming series in the end. I recommend it; that is if you are fine with the slice of life style. Believe me you will be glad with its focus before entering the main plot. I cannot wait for the anime debut; I’m happy to see how far it has come and begin to bloom to a wonderful work. The world is vast but it’s worth entering for its whimsical charm.