Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Maria the Virgin Witch
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Durga
 Posts: 103 |
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Compared to Garo, Maria the Virgin Witch seems more interested in exploring its historical fiction setting. With Garo its European setting is vague, but Maria is using the actual Hundred Years War between France and Europe as its backdrop, as well as setting up a confrontation between the Catholic church and Maria. Not to diss Garo since I still enjoy it, but it's nice to see an anime that shows how well-researched it is and not use a vaguely European setting as generic fantasy dressing.
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Gina Szanboti
 Posts: 11696 |
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Well, I'm certainly on board for this one. I'm not clear whether Maria was able to rectify her omission with Priapos after being tossed into the lion's den to have a look, but I think that's what happened there. It seemed like that's what Artemis thought too, but then it got kind of jumbled up with the attack. Anyway, Artemis is a hoot and Priapos is a sweetie (who oddly reminds me of Alfonse Elric in his earnestness). And I just noticed the owls in the corner of the end credits. spoiler[I guess we haven't met the middle one yet (with a cross?) but I love how the other two finally get tired of its being out of sync].
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18572 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I saw what you did there. 
My only complaint so far is that the cut-off at the end of episode 2 seemed a bit awkward. Even with that, though, this is still far and away my favorite of the season so far, and it would have to really screw up in future episodes to not stay that way. The second episode gave me no reason to regret the 4.5/5 rating I gave the first episode. |
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Fronzel
Posts: 1906 |
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You're wasting a step; check out the gentleman himself. |
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Hobbiton Guard
Posts: 62 |
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I love this series so far, and I'm actually shocked that no one has brought up the fact that this adaptation is being directed by Goro Taniguchi.
He's got a very strong sense of how to use typically fanservice moments and not have them focus on that (unless that's the desired effect). Anyway, this series is probably my overall favourite of this season so far. Maybe only out-shined by Rolling Girls, but not by much (if at all). |
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CorneredAngel
 Posts: 854 Location: New York, NY |
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I dunno about you, but I think a lot of the appeal that anime still has is in "potentially offensive stereotypes" of the kind that don't really fly on American TV any more! |
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Poodicus
Posts: 4 |
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Agreed. Don't really know how to explain it other than it was nice to see something that wasn't so PC for once in such a long time. |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I'll second that. Every time I think anime has gone downhill and I consider not watching anymore something like this comes around. I hope all those cute little witches do better than the ones in our history did. |
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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First of all: U G H. You see the stereotype Gabriella is referring to in tons of popular media in the U.S., constantly. It's not edgy to put a "queen" character in a show and there's certainly no point in defending it like it's daring. 
Secondly, the portrayals of this stereotype you do see in a ton of lazy American comedies and Japanese anime are usually much worse than it was in Maria the Virgin Witch. The show isn't really making fun of the character for being gay because, well, he isn't. The real joke is that he's a pedophile and Priapus has a baby face. But he likes girls and boys, so the joke is mostly that he's just an aggressive pervert and not a good first challenge for an incubus with a handicap. It's a nasty joke, but it's still a much better one than "queen character cameo." More importantly, I'm pretty sure a lot of the appeal of anime is the exact opposite of this thing you described, actually. At least it's the one you hear stated more often. When you shrink the size of population responsible for pop culture, (Japan's home-grown entertainment is produced and consumed by fewer people total than America's,) the standard deviation allowed from homogeneous ideas tends to grow in both directions. In simpler words, anime has greater potential to be both better and worse in novelty than American television, and more progressive and regressive in thought, more shallow and more deep in complexity. More diversity in ideas slips through. Usually, people point out this trend in anime for its allowance of more nuanced and unique concepts in place of lazy cliches, and not because they miss the crappy and offensive stereotypes that get phased out of larger population-appeal works because they're crappy and offensive, though. That's a new one. I mean I'm sure it's not a unique sentiment in the hearts of many otaku, but you usually don't see it straight-up stated like that. Last edited by JacobC on Mon Jan 19, 2015 1:03 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Animelover12313
Posts: 278 |
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I don't think Garo cares about the settings at all, it's all about their characters and stories since that is how the series is based upon since its debut back in 2005. Maria the Virgin Witch though is probably the most underrated/underwatched series this season. I don't know what is up with the current generations of anime watchers but more and more of them are just not watching the goods stuffs and indulge their minds on the average products instead. It's kind of sad when barely anyone knows about shows like Garo and Maria the Virgin Witch but worship a badly executed show like Tokyo Ghoul like it was the best anime last year. |
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Wow, you're going to be put on moderation for this and you didn't even have the stones to say "bitch." Must feel disappointing. |
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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not-so-nice-people is censored too. (Not the singular) I think that there are others too.
I need to watch this show. I'm not a FUNImation subscriber ('subpass' decision deferred until next month), so I'm just catching up. It sounds sort of weird and a little uncomfortable in a good way. Besides, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis] and Garo have increased my attraction to fantasy. Maria the Virgin Witch is expressly historical, but, ummm, well, there's witches and stuff, so...
What are you two, fourteen or just resentful that anybody else has matured intellectually past that age? I can't access this mindset. At best it reads to me like dumb kids in the locker room snickering with self-satisfaction over sticking it to the man (trans: F**K YOU MOM!) about their DANGEROUS IDEAS and THE TRUTH, which mostly amounts to reveling in denigrating those who aren't like them or challenge their roles as definers of social or cultural norms. If there's a better explanation, I've never witnessed it be convincingly elucidated. Unironic use of the phrase, "politically correct," or its derivatives precludes being convincing. It doubly pisses me off because I believe that there are cases where the sort of things demeaned as 'PC" go into risible excess in ways that help nobody and are outright counter-productive, but the kind of people who complain about 'PC' aren't making a useful or insightful critique, they're launching an general assault that polarizes the debate. That's great for their interests, which benefit from increasing the volume of unpalatable radicalism, but pretty awful for anybody who sincerely wants to figure how things can be better out.
This is so perfectly awful of you that I almost consider a kindness for how well it reinforces my distaste for attitudes like yours. I've been having kind of an existential crisis of belief lately, but that made me feel better. Thanks, bud! You're still kind of terrible though. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4179 |
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The series fully sold itself with the dragon and the cauldron in the first episode, the way it was animated, actually animated, that you get its mass, size and power as it pulls itself out of the tiny, tiny portal. How quick it was, the instory implications were just icing on the actually event itself.
Superb animation craftsmanship, makes me hate Kill La Kill all the more. And I haven't even gotten into the character animation but I was gushing over that from its previews.
I keep looking back at that scene and all I see is top tier animation and design. Putting this in the same boat as the static Yuri Bear Storm/Love Bullet is almost as insulting to the medium as giving Kill La Kill an A for animation. The scale is small, yes, and it's isolated to its action scenes but even Love Bullet's action and, let's face it, movement scenes were just flourishes, though well designed ones. Anyone, the show itself is the best I've seen {of last year too; Saw bits and pieces of 50 plus shows, couldn't even pick a top five. A bottom five was easy though} and I want to see more of this world and Maria. Now. |
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Hellwarden
Posts: 321 |
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Maria is one of those shows that after two episodes I'm not quite sure how to define.
It seems at times too dark to call it a comedy, but boy does it love its sex humor. (I have to give credit, it's the rare type of sex humor that doesn't seem intent on mocking women, even if it does aim low in other regards.) The action is certainly there, but oddly unviolent save for a few scenes. Hell, when the French and English really do exchange blows, their weapons rend armor more than flesh. Maria herself is fairly basic so far, but not unlikable. Seems like a solid show. |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I was looking forward to Maria based on the mangaka, Masayuki Ishikawa, because he wrote Moyasimon. This show is even more rooted in history and research than I would've guessed. It also has very solid characterization. So much so that I just feel bad about what's coming spoiler[I just want Maria and Joseph to be happy, and "archangel" Michael is going to ruin it!]
Why are people already assuming that Maria will be overlooked and underwatched? We're only at the second episode, people! Give word-of-mouth (and Funi marketing) some time to work its magic. A good show will find its audience. As for Garo, it was over shadowed by some great fall season anime, but, again, it still has time to build an audience by the time its dubbed and ready to ship. Don't give up on it yet! |
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