Junketsu no Maria – 02
They see your…
Welcome back to the Hundred Years War. Today we find ourselves at the Crossroads of Ecchi and Angel, of Succubus and Incubus, of Free Will and Responsibility and all the roads lead to the challenge to come. You know, the one we know all about thanks to marketers writing ad-copy for the show….
Contra Mundum – Against the World
…mukashimukashi…
Well, in the world of Maria it looks like we have something of a fantasy kitchen sink. In a addition to witches plying their trade, we also got a minor dose of Valkyries plying theirs, and a very prominent Archangel plying his as well. But, all is as the god of this world ordered. I have to admit, that I am a fan of this sort of treatment. Free will and human agency is given a great deal of attention, along with selfish action and the responsibility that comes with it. It has an odd feel to it in the end. That the witches are free to do as they wish, so long as they do so without a higher purpose? That there is such a thing as too much? These are interesting question, and the episode leads us off rather strong with them.
Ecchi, Succubus, and Incubus
Artemis has had better receptions
I kinda dig how they give us some of the most hotbed of human choices in who we frame our sexuality. I find it interesting that Artemis isn’t judgmental at all, just putting it out there, with the need to find a solution. Well, she needs to find a great many solutions in all these affairs. At some point, she is more caretaker to Maria than a servant, and that includes introducing her master to the larger aspects of the world. Well at the very least to the shape of things. Or at least one specific thing….
I’m still wondering…will the steam disappear on BD?
But rather than have this come off as a one time joke at Maria’s sake, it does play into her overall sense of inexperience and innocence. I don’t know if they will discuss later on the factors of this scene in the anime, but in the manga Artemis does ask Maria who the template for her human body is…I’ll save that for later. But the possible model for Priapus (wonderful work by Mikako Komatsu) is Greek myth. I swear, this poor kid will probably never catch a break in that department.
…some folk aren’t at all picky…
But I love that point when Artemis reaches her limit. Toss ’em both in; let’s get this birds and bees business over one and done. But how much that comes back to bite her master is another thing entirely; it’s nice to see how well the proceedings come off, giant snake indeed. It’s here where we get another glimpse into Maria’s impetus nature, and how quickly she wants to use her power to solve her problems; and indeed lots of other problems besides.
Because all the ecchi business aside, the crux of the episode does come down to the power that is being wielded. Now, it’s very much up to debate. With great power comes great responsibility…and that is learning when and where to use it to it’s much judicious outcome. Part of me wants to be angry with Micheal, but honestly, when he stacks it all up, I have a tendency to agree with him, at least in part. I do not agree with the “do not interfere” ideology one bit.
Heavenly Ordinance
You are so overpowered Maria…
So how and where does that lie? Just because she can’t be everywhere at once, does that mean she has to limit her scope? I find the answer the same why Micheal did. Maria, did not foresee the outcome that the blinded soldiers would become targets of vengeance from the very villagers they had preyed upon. So she would be responsible for their actions. Or would she? It’s probably a very long debate, because….who exactly ordered this world?
A bit more ecchi…
Final Thoughts
So, what did you think? Now, a bit of disclosure, I am non-religious. So in saying that, you know what my opinion is on a creator and the order of the world created. But I feel that this episode provided more than enough food for thought, along with a great many questions. Those questions endure, as history has taught us. This war the story is centered on was built on questions surrounding power and responsibility. I don’t have any easy answers to it. I’m no angel, nor a witch, I only have the power of one human, and all the responsibility, and more than a little of my own selfishness. Oh, would I be a witch with just one village…?
Next Time: The LOLi Hanakana Angel-Pigeon Virus….
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 Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
They can see your pantsu. I am holding out for a Jibril appearance to join Mikael.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…when worlds collide, eh?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Ninja Turtle Raphael too.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I wouldn’t hold my breath.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Hence the need for a Holy Grail War. Wait. Wrong show.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Why wait until next episode…I’m gonna summon Ezekiel.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I summon: Kane! For the Technology of Peace!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Once it’s a war, it’s fine.
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
I am not into the argument of religion in anime! The use of the Cathoilic Church is fair as they used power as an absoulte in the past with abuse!
Now anime does potray prayer and God in a good kught too!
However Christany seems to be potayed in a negative light and hatdly never if at all Juadism / Shinto and Buddhism/ and forget Islam! That is always an oversight!
You asked for thoughts and I tried to be fair! It just seem one religious group is always targeted! That’s all!
I actually like the show because Maria is just trying to be good and hates war!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Thank you for the contribution, 15fan.
I think being targeted is a matter of perspective, and it probably more complicated than a simple matter of where the spotlight goes…
I also enjoy Maria for the same aspect. It’s asking us what would we do if we weren’t so jaded…
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
>Michael
>voiced by Inoue Kikuko
So which is it: a he or a she? At least we know Michael’s age.
Caption contest: Slap, slap, slap, clap, clap, clap.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
We had the same inquiry in Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis. To this day, it’s still left unresolved.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Angels are sexless (as per Lucifer the series). Though my avatar is female. And the usual depictions are male.
So… they are whatever you want them to be. ^__^
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I know for a fact that the only angel usually portrayed as a female is Gabriel. Any other depictions of Michael were usually as a male, but this depiction is obviously male. Weirdly, too. And it’s worst after watching Bahamut and seeing that glorious long-haired pool of testosterone kissing Jeanne.
OMG, maybe Michael is so mad because they just killed Jeanne. Bahamut and Maria are in the same world, IT’S CANON!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A better episode, though personally with things I wish weren’t there. *cough
yaoi bitscough* I pity that incubus. Just got created (though incomplete), doesn’t look like he’d harm a fly and he gets a hellish first experience. Artemis was altruistic here. If homosexuality is in vogue as she says, she shouldn’t have any problems extending her expertise to girls should such an obstacle present itself.I didn’t say this in the First Impression because the thought popped up late, but for a girl reluctant to give up her innocence, her attire doesn’t match her mindset. Witches to my knowledge, are always dressed down with most everything about their body covered. Maria’s outfit on the other hand is very scantily clad which in my opinion can cause people to think she’s contradicting herself. She shows almost as much skin as her succubus Artemis.
Michael’s reasoning behind interfering with Maria doesn’t completely make sense to me. She tries to prevent conflict but gets scolded and almost have her powers stripped as the end result. Already the men she stopped had the intent to kill, which is considered a sin so that at least should’ve been taken into account.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
It was pointed out in the episode that the soldiers she stopped from looting, raping and murdering in the village she protects are just going to attack another village once they recover. So she didn’t really prevent sin, just delayed it and moved it elsewhere. So she doesn’t really deserve any credit in that regard.
I went into a little more detail about this in my comment Spammy ate, so when it gets rescued I’ll say more on this.
I think the first girl Artemis needs to help is Maria.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Damn! Spammy ate another comment of mine!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Something has him up and running.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Well, that’s a one sided viewpoint for witches. Didn’t you see all the other witches past episode? She’s probably at the same level as them. In this world, witches walk around with scandalous clothes and everybody knows about that.
She’s at least with more clothes than Artemis. If Ann had seen her, she would be like “OMG, IS THAT HER BUTT?”… ok, no.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…everybody got one…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Touché on mentioning the others but they so have yet to be developed, they easily slipped my mind. A show that’s freshly started and so far only one appearance won’t guarantee any remembrance. Something that couldn’t be helped. Still, like what you and I are pointing out, these witches in their dress code are of the norm where our general consensus on witches is concerned.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
As someone raised Catholic, but no longer practicing, I have no trouble with how the Church is portrayed here. It did use its authority and religion to support the nobles and maintain its position, suppressing anything that might challenge it. And it did treat women badly.
Some very good points raised here about Maria and her actions. Of course the villagers would want revenge on the soldiers she blinded. And of course once they recovered they’d just go attack another village. So her high-mindedness of not shedding blood just serves to make her feel superior, but does not really solve the problem of war and its violence. It just moves it somewhere else out of her sight.
She obviously can’t protect everywhere, so just focusing her efforts on the village near her is okay and laudable. At least she’s using her power to help someone. But her refusal to shed blood just makes it someone else’s problem. She has to learn that she’s not really solving anything.
I like what we’ve seen of the other witches. I’d like to see more of them and their interactions with each other and the armies. It does seem we’re going to be seeing more of the English witch at least.
Caption: “Good thing I’ve got buns of steel!”
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think the argument that “Well, they’re just going to do it somewhere else” is a specious one. It’s never certain that actions will be repeated. Stopping a bad act now is stopping a bad act now, and is always justified. What, Maria should just let the mercenaries terrorize and rape the villagers? Just throw up her hands because “Well, they’ll just do it somewhere else.” I think she’s entirely justified in pointing out Micheal’s moral bankruptcy. No, Maria can’t save everyone, but blaming her for shoving bad actors onto other people is inappropriate blame shifting. The bad actors are the ones to blame for the bad acts. And Maria not committing her own bad acts, as in killing the bad actors, is not something she should be condemned for.
“You can’t fix the whole problem, so you shouldn’t even try” is so wrought with errors. The Purity of Maria extends to much more than just her sexual experience.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I did say it was laudable of Maria to save the village near her. But it really doesn’t solve the root of the problem, which is the war. The problem will just move elsewhere. I’m afraid the only way to end the war is for one side to be thoroughly beaten. Otherwise the war and the attacks upon innocent villages will just go on somewhere away from her. And unfortunately, the only way for one side to be thoroughly beaten will require considerable bloodshed.
Maria is a virgin not only sexually, but also in her innocence about the world. To protect the greatest number she must take sides in the war and help her side to win. And that will almost certainly require her to shed blood at some point, but in the long run it’d save more lives than it would take by ending the war.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
As for Michael’s moral bankruptcy, you could make the case it comes down to the whole free will thing. People are free to make their own decisions, even terrible and evil ones. Heaven watches and judges, but does not interfere. But, yeah, condemning Maria for not liking war and trying to stop the battles is a bit much.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and it is more than likely going to be the crux of the story. Which does make me a bit concerned as the series goes on…catching up to and surpassing the manga and all…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Two things:
1) There is no right or wrong; only points of views.
2) Religion is a good excuse to kill an infidel/heretic/etc2. If you compare 3 unnamed yet obvious religions: “Thou shalt not kill (not applicable outside sect as per fine print).”
Without going into any further discussion that will inevitably end up as a multipart dissertation-thesis that can end up as many PhDs: Religion is an imperfect but decent set of guidelines on how to live life.
Always, CATholicism is the best. 😛
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Looks like Spammy ate my comment.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Caption: Artemis: “I’ve got a world class ass”
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Caption: You can kiss my ass goodbye~
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
An incubus without a d**k is like a pizza without cheese.
Maria really needs to woman up on this one.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, it’s indicative of her character. For Artemis, it was all somewhat by the book. Just make a succubus, they know what to do, right? At least that is what I think of when I think of Maria’s state of mind.
For Priapus, she has to think a bit outside her mindset. She gave him the name of a god of fertility, and one portrayed…with a permanent erection at that. Is her memory selective? Or is this a something deeper in the storytelling…
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I KNEW HIS NAME HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH PENISES! Priapism is the name for the sickness of permanent erection!
Ah, and don’t look for Priapus in the Google Images. It’s awful. There are penises everywhere… THEY MADE STATUES WITH GIANT PENISES TO WORSHIP HIM, WTH?!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, don’t look up the title of the book Maria was reading last episode….or the statues depicting it…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Stop right there!! Enough of this talk!! Minds will be fractured if you continue!!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
You guys seriously didn’t know about Priapus? I thought he was the most famous god for teenage boys.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…for me it, back in the day, it was the goddesses from the old AD&D manual Deities and Demigods…the proper one before they nerfed it…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Nope, never heard of him so this is news to me.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Same as above. From the greek gods, I’m familiar with very few, mostly the ones featured in GoW series.
I would be very creeped out by any teenage who reveres such a god hahahahaha
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I said famous, not revered. It’s more of a “hur hur hur, he’s got a huge boner” thing.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah… that’s a “special” kind of fame.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’ve known about him for decades. But I might not have learned about him until my 20s. God, that’s so long ago it’s hard to remember.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I think an entity that disturbing should best be forgotten.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
c’mon people, leave the poor guy alone, just because he’s the god of Boner’s doesn’t mean he’s bad…i think
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
What a disturbing analogy.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
What the fu… This thread has degenerated.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Glad I’m not the only one who noticed. It’s all gone to the dogs. 😉
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
So what exactly was Michael trying to say? That powerful beings such as angels only serve as cosmic observers, not to meddle in human affairs?
But how does Maria ruin Michael’s balance, if the other witches are offering services for war profit?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This has been the most vexing point for me as well, and it will only get more complicated as the series goes on. Pripus will get several moments to shine in the face of similar adversity of thought.
As for what Micheal, and indeed his creator is up too. Well, I’ve said I’m non-religious, so my greater opinion of it is somewhat guessable. But I will look at it with the fiction it presents clearly in mind. It somewhat reminds me of The Doctor vs. The Time Lords…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
My take on it is thus:
God desires things to be in his order. Part of that order is that armies fight for the glory of god (remember that both the French and English are fighting believing they are the ones blessed by god). Now, I don’t know what god gets out of this directly in this ficton (I doubt it’s like on Discworld where gods are more powerful in direct relation to the number of followers they have), but it’s certainly better than being forgotten.
Maria is upsetting this order by interfering with the battles. We saw the confounding nature of her “meddling” in the local priest contorting himself trying to find a way to praise her without blasphemy.
Maria cares about the micro. god cares about the macro. The difference in worldview is what sets up their conflict.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
So the god in this fiction is a narcissist…Sounds like par for the heavenly course…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Aren’t they always?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I am being cautious about going of into the offensive zone..
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Since this takes place long before the Protestant Reformation, the French and English follow the same god and the same interpretation of him. So unlike the various Crusades (some of which took place against declared heretics or heathens in Europe), you can’t really make the case that one side or the other winning advances him. True, both sides believe he’s on their side, but they’re fighting over the French throne, not over religion.
But it does raise the point of what is god getting out of this and why is heaven dead set against what Maria is doing, but so far doesn’t seem to care about what the other witches are doing. It may be that free will thing again. Humanity must decide its own destiny for good or ill. And there may be some jealousy involved. Maria is using supernatural powers that are meant to be reserved for heaven.
That still doesn’t explain why the other witches seem to be getting a pass. Because god wants the two sides to fight for some reason? The Hundred Years War did help coalesce the various parts of what we now know as France into one country. And it pretty much brought an end to England trying to enforce its claims to parts of mainland Europe. Which meant the English turned inwards and after the follow-on War of the Roses began to develop into a modern country themselves. So Maria is actually preventing the war from coming to a conclusion by stopping battles and countering god’s plan?
I hope this issue is gone into further detail in the series and it get explained to us.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…but the claims to the French Throne would last up until the French Revolution…whereas the Committee for Public Safety told the Church to shove it, and by extension, god…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
The claims lasted that long, but the English no longer went to war to try and enforce the claim.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Oh, wait, I forgot about Henry VIII’s war with the French. It was probably over other matters (I’d have to look it up), but no doubt he cited a claim to the French throne as part of his justification for the war. Regardless, after the Hundred Years War the English claim was pretty much pro forma and not something actively pursued.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Damn Spammy again. He really has it in for me today on this thread.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…for the most part, our good king I am I am got into that war to secure his legitimacy, both for his throne and for a potential dynasty…it was kinda shoe-stringy there at the beginning…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think that some of why the other witches aren’t getting flak from god is that they’re not interfering with the battles in an obvious way. They’re not openly contradicting the bishops. They’re not out there making the army leaders look bad. They’re working behind the scenes, changing minds, keeping the battles from happening. And that’s part of the order.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
That is certainly possible. As I said I hope this is gone into in the series.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Dragon, Behemoth, Cyclops and Big Blindy Dude…Maria doesn’t know subtlety…
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
true…but the show makes me want to hit Michael so much, his logic is twisted and wrong, if they don’t meddle why in the world are they caring about her interfering, she’s a living being in the world, if she wants to meddle she has every right
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Of course the cloud will be in the BDs. That’s the joke (unless you think they’d just mosaic it, but I think the cloud is funnier).
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…I think it would be funnier to have the cloud when Maria is looking….lose the cloud when she turns away…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
That’s the wrong joke. It’s not that Maria doesn’t want to see it. It’s that he doesn’t have anything there because she doesn’t know what goes there.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
At least they didn’t go Ken Doll.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and if they do, I’m sure a certain sub group would “fix” it…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
All that and they never once considered the kid’s mental state.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…he used to be an owl…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
And birds don’t have penises, apart from at least some ducks, who keep theirs inside their bodies until needed.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and now the disgust has gone full circle…from the horror of priapism to duck dongs…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I learned about the duck dongs reading a book on dinosaurs in a chapter devoted to whether or not they had them. The conclusion was there were dino dicks. If you think Priapus with a hard-on is a horror, imagine T-Rex with a stiffy. No, maybe it’s best not to.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Ducks are horrible rapey birds.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
BB (not the Extra/CCC version) would agree here. The subthread has gone to wtf…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I do agree. What’s happened here?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
To quote: A Shota Is Fine Too!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
The characters look like they’re out of Dragon Quest (8, or Toriyama Akira’s works). I like the designs ^^.
So far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this show. It wasn’t what I was expecting (more ecchi less everything else) – it’s been interesting and showing promise (not that there’s anything wrong with ecchi shows, just different than what I was expecting).
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
If they hold true to the manga, then this is the height of the ecchi moments. There will be a bit here and there, but not to this level, I think.
…not that there is anything wrong with ecchi shows, yes…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Do you usually read the manga first before the anime? I usually put a manga on pause until I see the anime (if/when the latter is announced), then resume the manga – I find that doing the reverse lessens my enjoyment of the anime for me.
Though to be honest my total backlog has grown so large that I haven’t touched any of my manga backlog in quite some time, with anime getting preferential treatment.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I usually do. In the case of Maria, I couldn’t help myself, I had to run with it until I ran out. In the case of Gakkou Garashi, I will pretty much spoiled on it’s adaptation as I’ve read all available and keep up with it. Same goes for Tsugumomo, as nothing can hold me back from reading that. Now, if only that could get an anime adapation. With shows like Trin7 and Shigatsu I keep pace with the show, for just two example. That feels about typical for me.
I recently got the Manga Rock payed app for my tablet, and my backlog seems to grow daily 🙂
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
i’m liking this show more and more, Maria is a MC that actually charms people, i want to bully her so much T-T
i wonder what a incubus is made of…i want to know, that aside…some parts of this episode were just wrong…Japan, please!
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 261 comments
I was questioning about the Character names Like…Maria…Joseph…Michael…Ezekiel…Wait
Maria…Joseph…
Maria…Joseph…
Maria…Joseph…
GASP…..!
Well, Cant Resist Guys…=O
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…so we have a timeline for Jesus-Kirito-sama….SAO fanbois gonna be ticked….