Musaigen no Phantom World – 06
Mahou Shouju Bear Pillow Rake Princess!
 |
As I said last week, we are queued up for Kurumi’s story this time around. Again, I’m happy to see that she isn’t being treated as the Awesome McCapable |
“Are you keeping up, Kurumi-chan?” *
Well, are you?
I loved that Ruru, of all characters, asked her that. It’s Kurumi’s story, it’s in her head, but an outsider (or an insider, depending on the context?) has to stop and ask her if she’s understanding what it going on so far. That shows me that Ruru is still an unknown despite her comedic sidekick styling, and that all is not as it appears to Kurumi, and there is a great deal she has taken for granted in some ways.
So did Kurumi wish his this much tech?
Fairy tales are about empowerment and morality as much as anything, and so are magical girl tales. Heck, you can ask our resident PreCure expert on magical girl shows borrowing from fairy tales. Despite that a show like PreCure is right in Kurumi and her peers’ wheelhouse of interest for shows they watch, so it’s not at all surprising her power center is shaped just like that.
I liked how they didn’t have to have anyone save her. Ichijou is about as useful as a rubber crutch most of the time, and except for one really smooth move at the beginning, and a cunningly laid trap near the end, Albrecht himself was out of action for the most part. This leads Kurumi to stepping up and putting on the big girl pants, so to speak. Albrecht may have spurned her on with his past deeds, his smooth demeanor, and his calm reassurances, but it was Kurumi that had to take it all to task.
I’m glad she passed the test that the Grand Loli Council gave her….
I also like how they paced her thinking about the reality of her own inner mind and her own life as she has already lived it. She realized that Albrecht is a focus for her power, just as the cold open pointed out that a stuffed toy or soft blanket helps as a coping mechanism. So by giving aid to her toy bear inside her own mind, she’s realizing her own power.
Now, she’s put it in a magic sand box rake, but that has a connection to a real life memory at least, and one that connects a shy person to other people, which is the problem whe was facing. They wrote her just right. She isn’t helpless nor hopeless, and only needs that little nudge to assure her that she’s on the right path. And yeah, she can even step off the white lines and into the puddles, no problem….(that was a great inclusion….little kids think like that!)
Extra Phantoms
Overall I really really enjoyed this episode. Kurumi is a good character and I’m happy to see they are writing her well, and keeping her out of the obvious tropes they could be exploiting; no not those, but the stupid obvious ones like making her cute just for the sake of it, being lost and helpless to make a hero look good, or being just an easy one and done mark to fill up the time with mascot style mini-moe.
Did the bear leave her a note?
She has an awesome power, and I’m also happy to see that it isn’t clearly defined as of yet. Is Albrecht an escapee from her inner world, a phantom caught in her problems and is now free? Or is he working himself free and/or might be happy to be with her? Why is a girl that likes bears afraid of salmon or it’s roe? And for that matter how much of her tale is metaphor and how much is covering up something real? Where are her parents? Is that part true in some fashion and she’s hiding much deeper pain? They’re keeping it mysterious, not spelling it out, and letting the character come out natural. Which is a narrative I really enjoy, as they can say quite a bit with very little so far.
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: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Kurumi in Bear Wonderland! So many bear references surrounding her, you’ve got to ask if she isn’t cursed. And of all things, what’s a mech doing roaming a fantasy world? That’s a clear breach of a specific dimension.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…it’s a land of pure imagination.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Reminds me of the LOLi in Non non Biyori.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Renge is her own loli…..back it out you…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nipaaasuu.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Renge is unique among lolis. No others can compare to her.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Renge is not a loli. She is a child.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
By that logic, neither is Kurumi…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
That’s correct.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Yes, you’re right. But when Renge reaches loli status she’s going to really be something.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I also raise the stakes with this:
https://youtu.be/Gllu0i7MzUc?t=24s
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I can do this to my own posts!!!!!