Twelve Days of Anime #11 – Katyusha

Girls und Panzer is a truly fascinating show, and while there are so many other aspects that are brilliant, it is the series use of music that I find particularly fascinating. Music is used in this series wonderfully, setting the scene and adding an extra emotional element that helps to situate what is about to happen. The use of music from classic WWII films, along with old pieces of music that are also heavily involved with the war further adds a certain gravitas to certain scenes.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! 11 – Colourless World

It is a supreme irony that the one thing apparently hurting Rikka was also filling her world with colour and laughter. Her Chuunibyou, while extreme and often nonsensical was nevertheless an essential part of her life and the one constant that allowed her to make friends and create a club out of her widening social group. Without it she has become, not only normal, but also boring and lacking the liveliness that we have become used to over the course of the series. Rikka is a character that has had to deal with the loss of her father at a young age, thus resulting in her Chuunibyou, that she was going to come back to ‘reality’ sooner or later was also obvious, but the way she has gone about it seems to be far more damaging than her Chuunibyou ever could be. Throughout the series Touka has talked about Rikka using her Chuunibyou to run away from reality and simply ignore the truth that is before her eyes. She has viewed Rikka’s Chuunibyou as dangerous and also annoying at times, especially during the summer holiday arc where she tried to force the issue of their father’s death onto Rikka. Furthermore, Touka’s attitude towards Rikka doesn’t help matters, and by constantly attempting to force her own reality onto Rikka, Touka inevitably strengthens Rikka’s dependence on her alter ego and dream world. Rikka’s world and her alter ego as the wielder of the Tyrant’s Eye become central to her everyday life precisely because her family, through their rejection of Chuunibyou has alienated her.

Twelve Days of Anime #12 – Beware the Unspeakable Bar Thing!

Apparently it has become tradition among anime bloggers to share their favourite moments over the past year of anime. I wasn’t really involved with it last year, but decided to try it this year, while also being fashionably late and a day behind everyone else.