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fandomonymousI've decided to not hold myself quite as steadfastly to the "one post per series" concept because there are some things that just deserve more in depth discussion. I'll still try to limit myself somewhat - this is 50 thoughts on anime and 50 thoughts on games, not 50 thoughts on SHAFT and GitS and 50 thoughts on Minecraft, FF6, and roguelikes, haha - but I think I'm more likely to, you know, FINISH this way.
SPOILERS AHEAD for most of Bakemonogatari, especially episode 12.
I'm sure there are people out there a bit annoyed with the character of Senjougahara Hitagi, people who interpret her character arc as one where a woman's psychological traumas are all magically fixed by men. But to tell you the truth, I never interpreted it that way.
Yes, she is a broken woman when we first meet her. She is distant and angry and lonely, a product of repeated trauma. She has trouble making sense of the world around her, understanding how to interact with people. Yes, Araragi Koyomi is central to her healing process - and yes, it's partially through the power of love, as stereotypical as it is.
But the difference for me is that of asking permission.
She is the one who declares Koyomi her boyfriend; she is the one who takes the lead. She chooses him, she chooses to let him into her life and into her heart, slowly, bit by bit. She does not act sexy purely to please him - if anything, it is to please herself, her own desire to be feminine and beautiful and sexy, and she even teases him about his own prudishness just because she can. It's the difference between putting on makeup because you feel pressure to look a certain way and putting on makeup because you yourself feel like playing with color and texture on the contours of your face.
She feels no pressure to give anything to him - he never asks anything of her, only acting to support her every step of the way. When she does give him something of herself - finally, under starlight - she gives because she wishes to, because she is finally ready to open her heart and her mind. And even then, her barriers are in place - she refuses to give him her body, not just yet, and her social akwardness is still on display - but she chooses to give, to give her love and her memories and the depths of her emotion. Koyomi is grateful - and we should be too.
SPOILERS AHEAD for most of Bakemonogatari, especially episode 12.
I'm sure there are people out there a bit annoyed with the character of Senjougahara Hitagi, people who interpret her character arc as one where a woman's psychological traumas are all magically fixed by men. But to tell you the truth, I never interpreted it that way.
Yes, she is a broken woman when we first meet her. She is distant and angry and lonely, a product of repeated trauma. She has trouble making sense of the world around her, understanding how to interact with people. Yes, Araragi Koyomi is central to her healing process - and yes, it's partially through the power of love, as stereotypical as it is.
But the difference for me is that of asking permission.
She is the one who declares Koyomi her boyfriend; she is the one who takes the lead. She chooses him, she chooses to let him into her life and into her heart, slowly, bit by bit. She does not act sexy purely to please him - if anything, it is to please herself, her own desire to be feminine and beautiful and sexy, and she even teases him about his own prudishness just because she can. It's the difference between putting on makeup because you feel pressure to look a certain way and putting on makeup because you yourself feel like playing with color and texture on the contours of your face.
She feels no pressure to give anything to him - he never asks anything of her, only acting to support her every step of the way. When she does give him something of herself - finally, under starlight - she gives because she wishes to, because she is finally ready to open her heart and her mind. And even then, her barriers are in place - she refuses to give him her body, not just yet, and her social akwardness is still on display - but she chooses to give, to give her love and her memories and the depths of her emotion. Koyomi is grateful - and we should be too.