Ruggahissy wrote:

The poofy uniform sleeves always bothered me. When I first saw the show my first thought was "WTF is up with those sleeves?"

omg, this just reminded me that I made this not that long ago.

dollface wrote:

lololololol Napoleon Dynamite reference!

I was hoping someone would get it.

I fucking hate those uniforms.  Granted, they did do well by not making it the generic red-white-blue sailor suit, but come on.  When I first saw the series (the dub, unfortunately), that was one of the first things I noticed, besides the huge chins and extremely long legs.  I understand a slight puff on some sleeves, but damn!  Those things are ridonkulous!

I always took the uniforms to further illustrate the suckiness that is Ohtori Academy and how everyone is brainwashed.  I mean all the girls, wearing that, look happy!  You CANNOT tell me there isn't something wrong with that.

You could make a good argument that the sleeves add even more unreality and the motivation to revolutionize the world to the series.

I agree about the uniforms. And the male version bothered me even more--it's just a sea of hideous green...


Also, did the movie have to be so crazy? My best friend tried to get her boyfriend into the series, but because he wandered in when she was watching the movie he wants nothing to do with it. We used to say that the movie would confuse the hell out of you whether you put the subtitles on or not. It's so pretty, but...seriously?


ETA: Just remembered this in the shower. The character design for Miki's piano teacher. "OH HI MIKI, MY CHILD-MOLESTER MUSTACHE AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU."

Last edited by Katieryn (12-08-2009 08:26:02 PM)

^

I always thought Keiko going after Nanami and Tsuwabuki going after Touga would have made more sense for their Black Rose Duels.

Sat posted an absolutely delicious essay on the analysis section of EM concerning just how the whole Black Rose pulling swords business works and why Tatsuya was turned away -it's pretty enlightening.  And I believe somewhere on the SKU Symbolism Thread (NOW ARCHIVED DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME) there are huge pieces of analysis by the lovely Razara that go into delicious detail the symbolism and meaning behind both Mitsuru and Keiko's Black Rose Duels.

Trust me, Mitsuru is messed.  The fuck.  Up. 

And really, when it comes down to it, every duelist has a rather stupid reason for dueling in the show, and even if it they weren't, dueling with swords in order to fix them is dumb enough in its own right, which is teh point SKU tries to make.  That doesn't make their motives less complicated or deep, however.  Which is part of why it's so hard for them to see how childish they are all acting.

Touga cares nothing for Keiko, and Nanami doesn't truly hold that much affection for Mitsuru.

I agree with you completely on Touga, but Nanami is probably nicer to Tsuwabuki at some points in the series than she is with anyone else. She does show signs of genuine caring. During his dueling episode, she lays her hand on his head tenderly and tells him that she likes him just the way he is. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it seemed authentic. She goes out of her way to save him from the kangaroo as well. True, he'll never have a hold on her like Touga, but there is at least some kind of a connection there.

KillerxXxQueen wrote:

It seriously bugs me that all of the female cast are supposed to be in their early, budding teen years and they flounce about with perfect, 25-year-old boobs and enviable hourglass figures and shit. And have freaky-weird pubescent sex [cough, Kozue] without anyone seeming to care about statutory rape charges. I dunno, maybe I'm the crazy one, but it drives me insane.

I agree, but I have to add the same for the male characters too. When they take off their shirts (which is often) Touga and Saionji are pretty buff for high-schoolers.

The legal age in Japan is 13 , and all the characters on the show but Tsuwabuki are 13+, which is prolly why statutory rape isn't addressed. Honestly, though, if there's any anime which can handle teenage sex tastefully, it's RGU. Kozue might be the middle school's female whore, but her emotions, her fears, her wants, they're addressed. She's treated as a full-out character, rather than fanservice, and the same is true for all the other characters; they're physically unrealistic, but not emotionally or mentally so. RGU explores an underside to the psychology of sex that most anime authors, or authors in general, aren't aware of and never will be. And that's why I'm not annoyed by the series' perversity. To an extent, I even welcome it.

Katieryn wrote:

I agree about the uniforms. And the male version bothered me even more--it's just a sea of hideous green...


Also, did the movie have to be so crazy? My best friend tried to get her boyfriend into the series, but because he wandered in when she was watching the movie he wants nothing to do with it. We used to say that the movie would confuse the hell out of you whether you put the subtitles on or not. It's so pretty, but...seriously?


ETA: Just remembered this in the shower. The character design for Miki's piano teacher. "OH HI MIKI, MY CHILD-MOLESTER MUSTACHE AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU."

Meh, it's not like the series is the height of sanity either. The main reason for dislike of the movie tends to be the characterization. Akio fans hate the reality of their idol being shoved into their faces.

winksniper wrote:

Yeah, the movie is kinda out of whack, but I see it as a way of explaining the series in a different light.

I just thought of this - what pisses me off a ton is how Tsuwabuki and Keiko get Black Rose duels.  I mean, what the fuck?!?!
Everyone else with a black rose signet on their finger has a good reason to duel except for those two, imho. 
Let's see... Kanae hates Anthy because she won't call her "big sister".  Kozue hates Anthy because all her brother's attention is being focused on her.  Shiori duels because she feels inferior to Juri and wants to finally beat her.   Wakaba hates Anthy because Saionji loves her.  Mikage duels because he just wants Anthy dead.
Tsuwabuki...???
Keiko...???
What, the desire to be an adult and wanting a man? 
For me, that's just not "deep" enough to be real reasons to actually be a black rose duelist, compared to the rest.
They might as well have let Tatsuya duel.

That's precisely why Tsuwabuki and Keiko were chosen, because they weren't deep.

Remember Ep10, when Nanami joined the duels, and there was a shadow girl play about naming a cat? Ako and Bko kept thinking up grander and grander names when a simple one would've sufficed. Like Tsuwabuki and Keiko, Nanami isn't as deep as the other characters either. Up until the Akio Car arc, she's driven by a single-minded obsession for one person, but it doesn't matter how deep she is, because the pain and the drive she feels to Revolutionize the World is just as strong as that of the other duelists. People like Nanami, Tsuwabuki, and Keiko show that not everyone needs smart motivations or goals in order to want to change those around them. Sometimes, people will try to do ridiculously grand things for ridiculously stupid reasons. As long as Tsuwabuki and Keiko love/envy Nanami and Touga enough to pull out their soul swords, they qualify as Black Rose Duelists.

Last edited by Nights1stStar (12-10-2009 06:30:50 AM)

After awhile, most of the outfits kind of grew on me, but it's hard to get people into this show when they first see it and are all EWW WTF ARE THEY WEARING? 

What pisses me off is that the style works (sharp lines for cute little skirts and various military touches = love), I really wouldn't alter much on the student council uniforms, it's the colors.  Nanami's horrid president's uniform could have been more palatable if they hadn't colored it that hideous, hideous, mustard yellow.  In some of the series artwork, it's a much brighter, more electric yellow, and it looks a lot better, but in the series.... just yuck.


Speaking of Nanami...anyone else wonder why the whites of her eyes aren't colored?  It's just flesh tone where white should be.

winksniper wrote:

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Speaking of Nanami...anyone else wonder why the whites of her eyes aren't colored?  It's just flesh tone where white should be.

Yeah, that's what I hate about Nanami's design the most.  Her eyes.  Not only does she have no whites in her eyes, but did anyone else notice that she's the only character who has black in her eyes?  Everyone else just has darker/lighter shades of the same color.

Huh... I wonder if that's why all this time she reminded me of "little green men". She did look prettier in her second and last duel against Utena, though. That episode, she looked... "matured". I wonder if that was intentional.

Thanks for the information poet...and I decided to try not to think of

Nanami's horrid president's uniform could have been more palatable if they hadn't colored it that hideous, hideous, mustard yellow... just yuck.

... I fully agree just no.

Last edited by SexingTouga24/7/365 (12-14-2009 08:39:48 PM)