Junketsu no Maria – 10
…still defiant…
“Does the wheat ever rebuke the humans, saying it is too early to start the sowing of seeds? Even if the wheat spoke, would the humans ever heed its words?” – Archangel Micheal.
Odi et Amo : I hate and I love
Ah, Brave Viv takes one for Team Maria
I will rebuke Micheal here. If not in the fashion that our mad Viv does, then in my own. If that human wants to eat, then they bloody well better listen to what the wheat has to say. Wheat has a tendency to speak it’s own language, it would be wise to listen to it. But that does rather show the myopic vision that heaven seems to apply in the most broad of all manner possible. But back to Viv. I don’t think that fight is any where near over, as the other player on the field, Eze, is still on the fence about her place in the battle.
Wow, the pacing on this one knocked it out of the park for me. It was incredibly tense. By giving us a slow build up, and pulling a few baits and switches, they were able to maximize the final scenes. First, Le Comte fools Josef into thinking his glory in the upcoming battle will be an equivalent exchange for Maria’s life. The truth is that Maria’s judgment is no-where near his hands; this is compounded by Josef’s doubts in this plan, and his doubts for what comes after he set’s Maria “free”. This place’s him at the “final battle”. Next, they play us well with the Chuuni witch, Edwina and her freakin’ awesome cat! I honestly thought she would play a support to a weakened Viv, only to see the British witch die in a rescue attempt. But color me fooled. That was a fantastic moment.
Team Maria’s Big Damn Hero
But if there was a part of the plot that got to me the most, that was the exchange between both Edwina and Maria, and the elements that lead up to it. Maria has been suffering doubts for the past few episodes, and is still questioning why. She runs through the gamut of the reasons why, and the torture that goes with them before being lead to the stake. Did she do it all for praise and recognition? I think she would be a different person, and we would see a different character were that the issue. This dovetails into the question of power, same outcome. Even in the face of those that now despise her, and cheer her execution, in it all the simplest of reasons gets lost. It’s the right thing to do. And it does take bravery to follow that path. War be damned, just look up the peace movements the world has seen in the 20th century. Plenty of bravery there….
A Tale of One Kitty
Well, doesn’t she look familiar
To continue. Oh my goodness, Edwina is more than just a big damn hero. She’s like the most awesome of silent characters in the whole series. Taking into account her past actions with medicines, and how her familiar has been distributing them a whole new plot line just opens up rather nicely. I wish I could find more information on her cat, whom I will just call Meow. But Meow’s been with us since the OP! And she has surely been in contact with Gilbert as part of that past plan to discredit Maria’s medicines. This makes me wonder if Gilbert still has a part to play as Inquisitor. It also puts a different stance on how Edwina chastises Maria. “Witches should be feared”. Is this in her playbook? Is the guilt for that bad medicine something both Edwin and Eze share? For that matter, what playbook is Bernard going by?
On the Battlefield
Oh, does it get ugly
I give Maria a metric ton of credit. She could have scurried of to safety and no one would have said anything to the contrary. In fact, the contrary attitude comes when she immediately demands to be taken to the battlefield post haste. If there is any place for her to find herself, this is surely it. It’s what she does, and it’s what she does best despite Micheal’s ban, and despite Ezekiel’s protests.
Who will be saved? The last person to give this gesture in the show, died…
A longer view
Oh, this was one hell of a moment for the series, perhaps the best they’ve done so far. With two more episodes to go, I’m still on the edge of my seat. There are still some unanswered questions that will be well worth answering, the chief of “witch” is Maria’s powers. Are they truly gone? With her familiars still a going concern, there is doubt. With that in mind, I think there is one crazy possibility to visit. If her powers are gone will she proceed as she has always done? In other words, does she want to stop the fighting because she has the powers of a witch to stop it, or is that who she really is, power or no? That answer and many more are still in the air at this moment….
I think Viv understands this statement more than anyone else…
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
Things were really getting hot under the collar for Maria but at least Edwina managed to pull a save at the last minute. I previously had one theory about why Maria’s powers aren’t working but now I’m at a loss.
Viv couldn’t have picked a worse opponent to antagonize. You can’t tell me she honestly thought she had a chance against Michael.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I honestly think she did. Now what kind of roll she possibly thought she was on is her strict business for now, that’s why I didn’t count her out of the fight yet…
YAY EDWINA!
…and yeah, mystery no-powers is mystery…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I expect her to in reality a Puella Magi. QB hiding in the shadows somewhere.
And upon her death, she becomes a Counter Guardian, deep in cynicism much like a certain red-clothed fellow. 😛
Can’t say it wasn’t going to happen though, given the traditional burning at the stake for people of dubious magical powers during this time period.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, QB did a contract with Joan, does he have a thing for La Pucelle d’Orleans?
Oh, in honor of the passing of Sir Terry Pratchett I wanted her to go out Nutter style…wait, what am I saying?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I prefer Granny Weatherwax. Try to burn her and I don’t think a mob would survive…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, much better choice. But I had been listening to Neil and Terry’s Good Omens on the Beeb, so I had Nice and Accurate on my mind.
The mob would give up in shame I think. Granny has all the dirt, and if she doesn’t Nanny does…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Granny’s Headology works wonders. Nanny Ogg otoh would…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Today on Junketsu no Maria….Catching up with Discworld…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It is sad to see the best British author of recent times pass rather prematurely. His wit, satirical take and characters that you can relate to make his works enjoyable. Even Death has a human side to HIM.
Death asked: SIR PRATCHETT, HOW MANY LUMPS OF SUGAR WOULD YOU LIKE IN YOUR TEA? And so did the morning pass in Death’s House.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Indeed. I think I’ve often dropped Discworld references here and there. So, everyone, go out and read one of them. They are a treat, and there will never be ones like them…..
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Nanny Ogg would be in the crowd seeming to egg them on, but instead ending up turning the popular opinion otherwise.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…oh, she’s a scamp…here have a boiled sweet…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
And the would be a one-eyed sexy guy in the corner named Greebo…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Holy shit, keep Meow away from him…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Meow… cannot… resist… Greebo!!!! -censored-
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Don’t forget the mindless mob drunk on fear clapping in the distance. Honestly, they’re idiots.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
If I had to be at a burning, and I mean had to, I would want a belt or two…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I would be more afraid of the Omnian Quisition.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, in Confidential burning, the victim passed from oxygen deprivation first, and that dulled the burn (though how much, I don’t care to venture). Omnian is based on more esoteric forms, like…gulp….roasting alive….so that fear is quite honest…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Any form of inquisition should be considered frightening.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That would be disturbing to be at. You’d smell burning meat in the air, then you’d realize that’s the scent of a person. What gave me the idea, you ask? Watch Doomsday.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Smells like… chicken. 😛
Actually more like burnt carbon, nitrogen.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
This anime really takes the cake in downright idiotic behavior by pretty much all sides, always “justified” by raging beliefs and emotions. I’m not surprised that Michael is getting the hate, because his behavior is too rational for this show.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It’s a show based on reallife and in fact, there is an analog to Michael in this current day.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
What makes this show unique is that it can be a little too real at times.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…people rarely act according to plan…silly people…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I like some of the little historical touches they put in this show. Like when the executioner asked if Maria was to be given mercy. (Which was denied.) Sometimes a person condemned to burn at the stake was strangled as an act of mercy before the fire was lit.
OTOH, they had that ridiculous part where the count was lifted onto his horse with a pulley. Uhm, no. Even full plate armor intended for the battlefield only weighed around 60-70 lbs, less than modern soldiers often have to carry. After all, if you were unhorsed in battle you didn’t want to lie there helpless. You wanted to be able to get up and if possible remount, which you’d have to do without aid. Or get back on your feet and put up a fight rather than lie there helpless to be killed.
Tourney armor in the late Middle Ages and in the early Renaissance was the really heavy stuff. After all, who wants to die in what was essentially a rough sport?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Just for the sake of full disclosure, I had wanted to talk a bit about some of the details surrounding burning at the stake, but then my fingers forgot how to work until I decided to talk about something else…..It’s my thing.
Isn’t that pulley system based on how we thought we understood knights in armor, and then proved to be false? Kinda like how we just assume that quick-draws just had to have happened in the Old West.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I believe we got that idea from the fact that tourney armor and parade armor were more likely to survive than battle armor. As I said, tourney armor was the heavy stuff, which may have required a pulley or other aid to put a knight into his saddle. And parade armor was the ornate stuff with all kinds of embellishments that did not exist on battle armor. One, you wanted your battle armor nice and smooth so blows would tend to slide off. Two, why spend money for embellishments on armor that was going to get beat on?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That reminds me of A Knight’s Tale. Simply for a jousting tournament, the armors were so thick and heavy it took at least two people to help the knight mount his horse every time.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Frederick Barbarossa drowned in his armour while on his way to the Third Crusade.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
And the useless bit of trivia above happened to be 2k….
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It helped you make the milestone so it can’t be useless. 😉
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That had to be unpleasant. I mean armor is supposed to protect you. Not do the enemy’s dirty work for them. The guy might as well had marched to the battlefield without any sort of platting at all.
Anyway, congrats on 2000 comments!!! Quite a while it has been since we’ve seen anyone score this high. Kudos to you.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
People can drown with a lot less weight on them than armor. I knew about poor Fred the Red, but what we don’t know is how swift the river was and could the guy swim? Even if he could swim while armor wasn’t restrictive it wasn’t meant for swimming.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Hey, I made 1,000!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Excellent!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Everything is going according to keikaku…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Welcome to the thousand club, HannoX!! Here’s a complimentary club cigar!!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.
You’re gonna go far, you’re gonna fly high…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Tell me that once I’ve reached another thousand comments. 😉 Still got a long way to go.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Spammy.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Gotcha…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Thank you.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Look at your comment count! One more, just one more!! 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I completely fell behind and ended up marathoning about 7 episodes in a row and mannnn this show just gets better and better. I almost didn’t watch it at all because of the name but I’m so glad I did.
I love Edwina! She may just be a side character who looks like someone who stumbled out of Hufflepuff, but she’s so sweet. It means a lot for a hermit to work up enough energy to actually go outside let alone save someone and fight off soldiers! Witches gotta help other witches out!
Also…Maria better get her powers back soon. I’ll be so mad if the show ends without a certain someone getting a proper dick. u_u
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yay! Glad to see here for Team Maria!
Edwina is sooooo very Hufflepuff, and that ain’t ever a just. She’s my Hero.
IKR! I think that thematically she ends without her powers, but as you say, she needs them back to kick ass the proper way…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
The house of Slytherin demands more screentime! Unfairly demonized! 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Go to 2:30….
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 163 comments
Meh, I debate with atheists on the Internet other places. I don’t want to do it here too.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
That’s a ironic stance by a few degrees, as I don’t think there has been many pro or con statements in the ten weeks I’ve covered it here. If any at all. We’ve mostly focused on characters, story, and motivation.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 163 comments
I don’t disagree, and I’m not criticizing.
It was more a reminder to myself than anything that there’s some stuff I don’t need crossing over into my hobbies.