Junketsu no Maria – 03
Ezekiel is in a peck of trouble…and they peck hard…
Welcome back to the Hundred Years War! Well, this time around we get introduced to a few important characters, one via the HanaKana Virus, and a few important wrinkles in the proceedings….
Fide, non Armis – By Faith, not Arms
#mysteriousways
When last we left Maria, she was at the tender mercies of the Archangel Micheal, with Joseph making a very brave intervention on her behalf. I have to hand it too our reluctant soldier, he has some brass in quite a few departments. The most important at this juncture being his reminder of “loving thy neighbor” in respects to showing Maria the ultimate mercy. But at what point is this heaven taking the cake and eating it as well? With so much ballywho over the natural order of things, it seems that Maria does have a place in it. Provided she stay low key. And provided she maintain her virginity.
Now that gotcha clause has been apparent since the show started making publicity rounds last year, so it’s hardly a surprise at this point. Now this appears to be mostly because of her name. But she hardly had any control over that. To me the whole business seems like an overly written cliche from the start. But before I set fire to the idea, I’ll let it build up to a steam; they might be able to get a good story out of it, and so far, I’m not seeing any slack in the writing department.
A Heavenly Pain in the Ass
…not exactly the nicest thing I could say about a LOLi…
But after handing down the heavenly decrees of keep all the witchy business on the QT and no hanky panky or you lose your powers, Micheal shuffles off to do other angel business. And so he enacts Skylion’s Rule of LOLi’s #2…A LOLi is neither late nor early, she arrives exactly when she means to; voiced by Hana Kanazawa no less. I like Ezekiel’s overall character. She’s fiesty, boisterous, and one tracked. Wait….what is there to like about that? Well, there isn’t is there…very much the point. As of this episode she had very little to do but get bullied by the owls, belittled by Maria, and get the wool pulled over her eyes tout de suite.
But that probably has a great deal to do with the overall plot as well. It seems that Micheal is just waiting, bidding his time until Maria really screws the pooch. Until heaven’s LOLi can get herself into the witches pecking order, I’m afraid it’s going to be a case of later, rinse, and repeat while in Maria presence.
On Earth…
Saying no like a boss <—–click for stitch
But, for all the hue and cry over heaven and natural order, there is just enough time for some good old fashioned double dealing and odd church law. I had to do a double take over the pig’s trial. Such a showboat of so-called justice, nicely underling the scene that Maria would share with Brother Bernard. He’s happy to see that she is doing some good, and is only somewhat reluctant to see her continue, but does he really think she would still do it under the church’s aegis? It’s a complicated deal for both of them. But Maria stands by not making a hypocrite of herself.
…a cat is fine, too
Because despite how much it throws the armies into disarray, she isn’t exactly changing the shape of the world that much. It’s not like any of her summons have gone on a rampage, or have stuck around long enough to really go beyond “tales of wonder” type old wives tales. Heck, they’ve yet to show how insane early gunpowder weapons will be in this age, and that’s a much bigger game changer in the order of things, natural or unnatural. At this point, given that we are looking at micro vs. macro, the sayer of the natural order seems to be the one with the most power at that given point.
Recycle
….the circle of life…
You know, I thought it was just a random effect they had floating around the first episode, I didn’t make much note of it. But it looks like Maria has more than just one observer hanging around. Just when she is trying to get her head wrapped around her new status, something else just has to come along and put it’s two cents in. I find it very chilling that she gets that from Cernnonous, a Celtic good of the hunt, and of the cycle of life and death. Much like god is depicted in the heavens, Cern has much the same reputation. Revered, worshiped, but didn’t intervene. He very much lays it on thick. Maria can struggle all she will to save lives. But death is the final option. It’s all the same. Perhaps more of that moral bankruptcy we found in Micheal last episode…
Final Thoughts
So, what exactly is a witch to do? If next week’s preview is anything to go by, she’l have to deal with more ecchi hijinks, and a visit from an English witch; who will probably be one more in the line of folk to convince Maria to get it all over with and lose her powers. Which does bring to my mind an important thematic element being explored here, and that is a young woman’s power, her self-identification, and her self-direction. Now that has some might big handles attached to it, but honestly the church has a bad history of this with women. So far they’ve not gone for outright condemnation, but for allowing the metaphor to settle in and frame the story. When it’s this lively, it’s bound to be good fun…
Geez, Pri just cannot catch a break…
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
My approach would’ve been to take the priest’s offer(for now) but all the while you’re secretly using him to advance your own agenda and come out the top.
Of course, I always love heroes who (sometimes) play dirty. ψ(｀∇´)ψ
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Given that Maria has already attracted the personal attention of Saint Michael, it might be a spectacularly dangerous thing for her to double-deal like that. At least now she’s not breaking any vows that she has made. And despite Bernard’s claims of altruism (not to get into that argument again), there is definitely a benefit to the church to having Maria not be a heretic: They don’t have to explain why someone they claim is “evil” is helping people a lot more than they are. That’s a hard thing to reconcile, especially when Maria’s not actually doing anything wrong besides saying “I don’t agree with the church.” Heck, it’s not even like she doesn’t believe in god, even though she wouldn’t be described as having faith in god.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
There is no path that is completely just and does no harm. That’s the reality of the world.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I like heroes that bend the rules as well, but lies like this rarely remain simple…
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
True, I never said it was going to be easy…¯\_(ツ)_/¯
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This is so very true…but to add, it doesn’t seem much like Maria’s forte…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Maria is too straightforward to try any kind of double-dealing. If she was that type she’d prevent battles by manipulating the opposing leaders rather than ending them by summoning specters to scare the soldiers off. Even sending her succubus to seduce the top brass of the armies is kind of straightforward in her thinking if they’re satiated they’ll be too happy and tired to fight a battle.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
So, Ezekiel. A man’s name voiced by HanaKana.
Boy or girl? Both? Neither? Either? Any way you want it to be?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…a dove among owls…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
At this point, I’m inclined to believe Ezekiel is a girl. Wouldn’t be the first time a girl got a masculine name. Like “Shane” or “Jordan” for instance.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A little news for the skylion: Is the order a rabbit? Anime Gets 2nd Season
And while Kana Hanazawa is a subject on this post: Voice Actress Kana Hanazawa Stars in Her 1st Live-Action Feature
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, love to see the SoL love. This along with Non Non Biyori 2 and Kiniro Mosaic 2 should make things mighty comfy.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Man, I really wish they weren’t making KinMoza 2. They were out of jokes, heck, anything funny after 6 episodes. There’s a LOT better SoL out there (like Acchi Kocchi)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…What…you are a heartless monster! LOL. No, it’s a far cop on KinMoza.
::sigh:: Acchi Kocchi needs more love…and meat, and cats, and bears, and….and….Frisbee’s!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Suprisingly, these slices of life shows make good H-doujin.That did not happen. >_>
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I guess I’m even more of a heartless monster, then. That series never lasted past the first episode with me.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
You need to taste the rainbow!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
More like The Ahoge. or was it Ahegao?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Glad to be of service. Enjoy the news. While you’re getting your fixes, I’ll be getting some of my own in the very near future. 😀
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That header should’ve had a caption contest. It would’ve been like this:
Artemis: “Pri, I’ll take the front and you’ll take the back”. 😀
I still find Michael’s reasoning pretty whacked and this ridiculous condition placed on Maria is just plain unfair. Like she told Ezekiel, she’s of the world so they had no right interfering with her if all they’re doing is observing. From here on out, it’s obvious Ezekiel will be the representation of a noose tightening around Maria’s neck when she doesn’t keep herself in check.
I don’t blame Maria for turning down Bernard’s offer right away. It was more like he was pressuring her than giving options. His words sound too good to be true and you can’t shake off the feel there’s an ulterior motive. Once again, Takahiro Sakurai’s voice cannot be hidden and he’s testing all kinds of water every season. Played a fallen angel for Fall 2014 (Shingeki no Bahamut’s Lucifer), playing a clergyman (Junketsu no Maria’s Bernard) for Winter 2015 and will play a sadistic vampire noble for Spring 2015 (Seraph of the End’s Felid).
Honestly, was the population back then actually this witless? I fail to see the necessity to try and sentence a boar. Not to mention it was clothed. Yes, it trampled someone to death. It’s an animal, it doesn’t know any better, probably felt threatened and if you’re not careful around it, you’re going to get hurt. Simple as that.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Don’t you think it’s quite odd how they hang so much on the name, Maria? And the opposition is based, by my reasoning, on how has the biggest stick….that’s who get’s to say what the natural order is.
Witless? Well, everything from your birth to your death was the church’s business. It was part of every, or nearly, ever aspect of daily life from the high born to the low. And as scriptures point out, man has judgement over all the beasts. It was a show. Its showed who was in charge.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’ll buy that but the idea of processing a boar for a crime is beyond silly. It’s not like it had any laws drilled into its head that it was obligated to obey.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, in this context the animals do have it “in their heads” cause god made that law. Hey, I’m not saying it makes any sense at all. Heck, Roman Emperors making horses into Senators makes more sense if we apply a sliding scale of silly vs. sillier.
But, the real context in this episode, again, was were the power was. I found it to be an interesting device, perhaps even a foreshadowing. Along with the dead bee in the honey. Accidents do happen as well.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I believe it was only one Roman Emperor who made his horse a senator and it was probably done just as much to show his power over the Senate and his contempt for the senators as out of insanity.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The act alone is enough grounds to declare insanity. Worse, there were no therapists back then so those under his rule were royally screwed.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I believe it was either Caligula or Nero who did that and neither was exactly sane, even by the standards of Roman emperors.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
@HannoX: From what I understand, Nero killed off his own family to take the throne. So it’s already clear he wasn’t good in the head.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
@BlackBriar: Killing off family members to take the throne or to prevent them from killing you to take the throne was pretty standard back then. But Nero did kill his mother who was no threat to him on the throne (and had helped him sit on it), so he was pretty bad. But then, so was she.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
AESTUS DOMUS AUREA!
‘Behold my glorious Noble Phantasm!’ quipped Nero.
Nero was also female. Do not believe the history books. >_>
For all we know his haha-ue plotted against him. All the excerpts have come from anti-Nero third parties. There was a NatGeo expose on Nero a few months back and they did note that most of what we assume is based on his detractors.
– survives to this day in another form: Political assassinations. Not as messy but equally as brutal though it doesn’t get of the problem permanently…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
@ Di Gi. History is written by the winners that hate you…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Have a Nero. :3
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
@Di Gi: I subscribe to NatGeo and read the article. Yes, Nero almost certainly didn’t burn down Rome and he did try to get housing built as quickly as possible for those who were left homeless by the fire. But to say he wasn’t so bad because there were other emperors who were more murderous, like one of his modern Italian apologists said in the article, is like saying Pol Pot wasn’t so bad because Hitler and Stalin killed more.
The article did point out there was the good Nero in about the first half of his reign and the bad Nero in the last half. The first does not mean the second wasn’t all that bad.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
All pale in comparison to mai #1 heero: Genghis Khan. :3 You do not piss him off by killing his ambassadors who came to make friends.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and it all stared when they stole his waifu…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I was happy at the inclusion of the boar’s trial and execution. People during the Middle Ages DID NOT think the same way we do and don’t make the mistake of thinking they did. They had an entirely different mindset. They did think that animals also should know right from wrong and they did sometimes try and execute animals for committing crimes. I don’t know what the clothes were about–perhaps they were to humanize the boar some to emphasize that like a person it could be guilty of a crime.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That’s what made them look so dangerous from our point of view. They’re too gung-ho on whatever conclusion comes to mind and don’t give any second thoughts about it. And the punishments weren’t pretty either.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Let’s not forget that we also put down animals that are considered dangerous. At least the boar got a trial. But you’re right that the punishments were generally pretty awful. Considering the thickness of a swine’s neck, I’d imagine hanging would be a case of slow strangulation for the boar.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The boar died with its eyes open. An understatement to call the ordeal “unpleasant”.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It unfortunately failed to save its own bacon… 🙁
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Spammy!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This tells me it was quite a large comment.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Not really. It wasn’t much longer than my one about Maria not having it in her nature to engage in double dealing.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Don’t you think it’s quite odd how they hang so much on the name, Maria? And the opposition is based, by my reasoning, on how has the biggest stick….that’s who get’s to say what the natural order is.
Witless? Well, everything from your birth to your death was the church’s business. It was part of every, or nearly, ever aspect of daily life from the high born to the low. And as scriptures point out, man has judgement over all the beasts. It was a show. Its showed who was in charge.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Nice Loli addition here hahaha.
It’s so weird how these heaven guys acts as if nothing applies to them. Right, as they said, they never interfere with stuff, so this “hide the skin” culture is something they never had a say on. But still…
Cernnonous introduction was really weird… It was kinda like a shadow and Maria just asked who is he, and then came that rushed line “I’m not who, nor what”… I guess if the VA had spoken this line slower and with a deeper voice, it would sound a lot better.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
A LOLi is fine, too…
I think the way witches dress in the series is a big old lampshade to how much the uberpatriachy had a fear of sexuality at the time….do things really change?
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
It was female sexuality that the Church feared. I’ve read that during the Middle Ages because they thought of women being further from the Devine than men they actually thought women were more sexually driven than men. (Probably something only supposed male celibates could come up with.) And there’s that stuff in the Bible about Eve, Delilah, Jezebel, Salome, etc.
So the way the witches, including Maria dress, probably does have something to do with a comment by the anime on the Church’s view of female sexuality and on the witches’ part a statement of rebellion against the Church.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Yet it was the women that saved men’s asses when it mattered.
Judith
Esther
Lot’s poor virgin daughters
And let’s not forget: 12 chickens ran. The women were the ones that were with him throughout the ordeal. I’m sure the second coming would have him have the 12 BodyGuards instead.
Adam – showed the weakness of men by being seduced.
Samson – showed the weakness of men by being seduced.
Jezebel – Hubby was equally as bad.
Salome – again, men showing weakness.
Essentially its blame shifting because the men could have said “No.” (More like ‘No dickins if you don’t submit’.)
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
True, but what do you think got emphasized during the Middle Ages–the weakness of men or the seductive wiles of women? Heck, for that matter there’s still many today who put the blame on women. Like blaming the rape victim because of how she dressed.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
FYI, men prefer to rape women who are dressed in perfect compliance with the aurat rules rather than the skimpily dressed ones.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 261 comments
So that’s Saint Michael huh…but where are the other 3, (Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel) and Hmmm., i see that lady don’t trust a religious guys there like that monk, i mean she waste that apple cider.
Man, That was one Tasty Cider there
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t know about Raph and Gabe, but I hope Uriel stays put…isn’t that one the End Times angel?