Soushin Shoujo Matoi – 02
Riding on the bus to school with a kami…as one does…
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So, for Matoi’s FI, I said that White Fox had a bit of a sleeper hit, and by my reckoning this second episode has been hitting the snooze button a bit too much? Well, I guess there’s a lot to adjust to… |
Look after Matoi for me…
Pretty much everyone is looking after her now
Which is a good point to bring up again; how absent is Matoi’s mother, and what does her father know? Now on to the rest. So we spend some time both catching up with the events of the first episode and seeing to some of the fallout that goes along with it. They waste no time at all indulging in both the Comedy of Errors and Naked People Are Funny tropes; which get’s kinda sketchy when those two from a crossroads, but we all know that that is a part of mahou shoujo anime in a nutshell. From that we can see that the source of Matoi’s discomfort and new found power – isn’t her sudden fanservice but – is a kami that pretty much sticks around like an unwanted guest, coming and going as it pleases, with no one knowing where it came from or when it’s leaving, and no one else can see it, and that always comes up when it’s at odds with Matoi’s needs, and on and on…To make matters more interesting, Yuma is ever-present and boy is she pretty much steamed. She wants explanations as to why this power isn’t hers – along with Ms. Fanservice status – and neither she, nor we, get an answer to that quite yet.
I wear many faces…this one just happened to be very well connected…
But with that in mind, we (not those two) get some insight into the shadowing workings of this supernatural world’s hidden backstage. It’s pretty much a given that we dealing with a wainscotting/protect the Masquerade style magical world. Norms get the comfort of being norms, the initiated get to fight the battles – and have all the fun – and the fallout happens as it may, both paying a price, the norms never really knowing why. Our artist antagonist from last episode is claiming amnesia over his possession and it’s caused the police and Matoi’s dad, Shingo, no end of headaches. I bet the shotgun wielding back-robber will be more of the same. Now round this out with Haruka Lucia and her investigation as to exactly what is going on with Matoi and some of the big shadow players and the strings they’re pulling. That’s quite a bit of ground covered and I haven’t even mentioned the Big Guns.
She has two, and both of them back up one strong argument…
Claris and her associations mean business; no quarter asked or given, no mercy granted to any of the antagonists, and a no nonsense, strictly necessary approach to taking care of all the problems that crop up. There isn’t a “face” to smooth things over. The monsters have the same ideology, so why shouldn’t’ the defenders? In that, Claris is bordering a bit on the one dimensional as of this episode. That also speaks a great degree about who and what she is; of course she doesn’t think of spoonfuls of sugar to explain the situation, do as she says if you value your life and/or sanity. That’ a fine place to begin, but I do hope the story can evolve from that abruptness, otherwise they run the risk of making her into a dumb block of wood…
Almost like last time, eh?
But as it stands there are plenty of hijinks on both Matoi’s and Yuma’s side to provide a pleasant contrast. Yuma is unrelenting in her pursuit of Matoi sudden power, which didn’t make the crazy ‘net fame any easier for her friend to take. But, she will be a family exorcist or something like it no matter what it takes, even if that means finding and riding whatever coattails that kami visitor can provide. She drives a great deal of the situational comedy home, and doesn’t really give Matoi a moment of quiet to think very much. As for Matoi, her dreams of a normal family life fell a touch short to start with, her mother missing, her father to wrapped up in police business and mysteries, and Yuma just being Yuma. So when Claris does come in like a hammer, it does prove to be way more than Matoi can take, also her kami is fading along with her magic suit again. It seems her potential instant Twitter fame is just icing on a cake she neither wants, nor needs. But she did keep her dad from harm, and that’s the second victory she has had a hand in…
…forget about your worry and your strife…
Old Mother Nature’s recipes…
All in all, a pretty good time, even if I felt that it repeated much of the information and story beats from last episode. But honestly, I’m enjoying Matoi and Yuma’s growing relationship enough to allow that to provide a nice balance. We do get a confirmation that the shadowy figures aren’t random, but guided by a hidden will; it’s active and knows what it’s doing, and looks to be testing some waters her and ther. I do like how these stories are separate in many respects, which is a good place to start. It feels like Matoi and her powers are a bit of a mysterious spoiler that will come to fruition on down the path, and that will give the story some depth. Claris is much more mechanical and methodical in approach, cause that’s what works, and we’ll talk more about her character if more comes along, but I’ll say that a show starring just her would be boring. But, how these stories meet is something I hope they address, at least in part, next episode…
…which looks like some rather displeasing exposition… from where Yuma is sitting anyway…
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
