Every week, I visit over 275 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. These are my five favorite posts for the week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
You can see a list of the sites I check here: Massive List of Sites!
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
THE POWER OF THREE: NANA
If you want to write books, at some point, you’re going to come across the idea of writing to market. That means you give readers what they expect. Sounds great, right? Well, yeah — it’s great. If you can do it. If you, as a writer, want to do it. I found something interesting as I tried to write my most recent novel to market. I’m more terrified of being trite than I am of not having a best seller. In other words, I to mix genres; I want to play with tropes. I’m not saying you can’t do that and write to market. But I am saying I haven’t found out how to do that. Not yet.
That’s why I take a lot of hope from this post by The Overage Otaku on the site Confessions of an Overage Otaku. This post talks about the series Nana. It talks about how that series took tropes and made them dance and sing. That gave me hope that someday, folks might speak of my work that way! Now, if you’re not a novelist, that might not be a compelling reason for you to read the post. So, how’s this? It was a blast to read! Go see what I mean!
Get More XP
Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Review: This is Why the Shield Is a Hero
I watched Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 this season. You know everything you’ve read about it? Yeah, not much of that made sense to me. It was like all of were watching a different show than I was. I’m not sure what’s up with that. But I know one thing: I’m not the only one to notice two distinct things about this season, because I just read this post by Getmorexp on the site Get More XP. Guess what? Getmorexp noticed the same things! What were these things? There’s one great way to find out!
Jonah’s Daily Rants
Ideals VS Reality: The Tragedy of Itadori Yuji
In last week’s post, I talked about how Jonah Alexander Hunt (on the site Jonah’s Daily Rants) turned my opinion around about the series Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. Well, he was apparently not satisfied with that feat, because now he’s gone and completely upended how I see Itadori Yuji. I never thought badly of that character. But I never thought much of him, either. Now, after reading Jonah Alexander Hunt’s interpretation, I have to say: I’m fired up about the character. There’re reviews that make you think, and there’re reviews that inspire. And then there’s reviews like this that do both. Go see what I mean!
The Magic Planet
Seasonal First Impressions: Munch Squad for Monsters in DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
We’re at the very beginning of the 2024 Winter season. I’ve been all through LiveChart’s listing, and I have to say: I literally did not give Delicious in Dungeon a second thought. I took one quick look at its key art and description (my In Real Life schedule this season is insane), and noped right past it. Then I read this review by planet Jane on The Magic Planet. And now I’m conflicted. How in the world will I make time to watch this show? Or does it — gasp! — have to go onto my back log? The thing’s about to evolve into a higher life form as it is. And I don’t think it’ll have the most pleasant of dispositions. Well, that’s my problem. As you celebrate not being me, head on over and read this post on The Magic Planet!
Shallow Dives in Anime
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: Dewbond Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Loved this Show.
I think of myself as a harem anime connoisseur. I’ll bet that’s the first time you’ve seen the words “harem anime” and “connoisseur” in the same sentence, isn’t it? Be that as it may, I like the genre. I consider Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls to be the gold standard. Now, I’m not saying I’m changing my mind. But I am saying that Dewbond, on his site Shallow Dives in Anime, makes a compelling case that another series should wear the crown. The series? The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. I’ll say this for his review: he nailed everything I liked about the show — and more! If you have any doubts about the quality of this show, then check out this post. You’ll be glad you did!
Want to Read More of My Favorite Anime Post Lists?
Want to explore more amazing anime blog posts? Check out the previous editions of My Favorite Anime Community Posts!
Want to Read Favorite Posts from Other Sites?
- Anime Feminist: Weekly Round-Up, 27 December 2023 – 2 January 2024: Year-End Lists, Yoko Taro Letter, and A Sign of Affection
- LESLEY’S ANIME AND MANGA CORNER: Anime and Manga Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (January 5, 2024)
TCrow, I call bullshit on what she told Petelgeuse and Fortuna about her commending or respecting their bravery in refusing to undo Petelgeuse taking in the Sloth Witch Factor. I do not believe what Pandora said has anything to do with a character trait that can be taken advantage of because it was likely a load of malarkey.
It is a fact that Pandora told Regulus that his purpose for having been brought along by her was fulfilled, so she just made it so that he was never really there. I therefore surmise his purpose was to force Petelgeuse to take in the Sloth Witch Factor and separate Emilia from Petelgeuse and Fortuna, leading to the unfortunate death of Fortuna when Petelgeuse found Emilia and Fortuna and inadvertently killed Fortuna, which caused Emilia to go berserk.
I believe Pandora was acting purposefully at the instruction of her Gospel, which I believe updates beyond the first loop of Subaru’s labours because Echidna specifically chooses for Pandora to have that information because they are in league with each other rather than regular Witch Cult Gospels having some built-in limitation.
Yeah, I know some people will point to Ryuzu Shima speaking with Echidna’s voice meaning that Echidna’s resurrection meant that Roswaal’s wish was fulfilled, meaning it’s just like any other Gospel, but I do believe that the main purpose of the Gospels and Roswaal’s not-quite-Tome of Wisdom are not to make the holder’s wish come true but to set the stage for Subaru and sometimes Emilia’s labours. I am calling them labours since labours sound more epic than trials.
I fully believe Pandora and Echidna have followed a mutually agreed-upon plan from many characters 400 years ago where they shepherd the world to a very specific future leading to Satella’s death after the Seal in Elior Forest is opened which heavily involves Subaru and Emilia, and since Subaru wasn’t around for hundreds of years, Pandora used her Authority of Vainglory to undo things that deviated from the text in her Gospel or were contrary to the plan since that was the only way of making sure that things didn’t go wrong.
I believe the characters from the past have significant knowledge of the future due to Echidna’s Authority of Greed: Tome of Wisdom and probably saw that with no intervention the world would eventually come to the end with the Seal in Elior Forest opening in unfavourable conditions, so their plan is to open the Seal on their terms with Satella’s power being a counter to what comes out of the Seal.
I think Pandora’s ability to rewrite events is limited to things she directly caused, such as bringing Regulus along to Elior Forest. We know for a fact that she cannot just open the Seal without Emilia because her power is not almighty.
If Pandora were to directly cause a war, I believe she could undo the death of any one single participant in it by undoing the actions of that person’s killer, so if someone who needed to be alive in the distant future died somehow, she could undo it to make things go as planned. This is what I speculate would be the limit of her power and the height of what she can do.
I know in Season 2 that Pandora seemingly died many times, but I don’t think Pandora actually died any of those times she was portrayed to have died. She did say that Fortuna’s eyes deceived her when Fortuna said that she should be dead (because Regulus had apparently turned her into a bloody mist), and we already know Pandora has the power to mess with people’s vision as seen when Petelgeuse was made to believe that Fortuna is Pandora.
Maybe Pandora just has never been standing in the spot people believed she was at aside from when she came from above to put Regulus into the ground and when she whispered something to Petelgeuse, probably to make him transfer all his love for Fortuna to Satella.
Nevertheless, I do believe Pandora is extremely crucial to the plan succeeding if my speculation is correct, and she probably won’t die until close to the end of the series.
If one of Subaru’s allies were to become a Witch Cult member and gain a Gospel, I believe it would seemingly make that person’s desires come true but would mostly serve Subaru’s benefit on the down-low since I believe these texts are meant to push the world to one specific future.
I believe that although Subaru’s actions can change many people’s actions, which makes Subaru seem like a huge wild card, as along as he is helping to bring the future to the path Echidna, Satella, and Pandora desire I believe they are completely fine with how things have turned out so far as of the end of Season 2.
“but I do believe that the main purpose of the Gospels and Roswaal’s not-quite-Tome of Wisdom are not to make the holder’s wish come true but to set the stage for Subaru and sometimes Emilia’s labours. ”
I can see how this could be true. I still wonder why.
This isn’t a criticism of your deductions. Instead, I’m wondering how Tappei Nagatsuki will justify making everything so complex. For example — Roswaal was committed to waking Echidna, right? So, why not just read him into the plan? Why do anything so convoluted? After a certain point, it seems confusing for confusion’s sake.
I fully admit that might be because I’m missing nuances of how the world’s setup.
For example: is Satella really the bad guy here? Or did the victors write the history?
“I believe they are completely fine with how things have turned out so far as of the end of Season 2.”
That also makes sense to me. But the story has gotten so complex that I’m struggling to main fully invested, beyond the characters just in front of me. The world at times seems too big or complex. I mean, look at the effort you’ve invested to decode it — and you’re still coming up with ideas and possibilities that seem to me to be completely consistent with the story.
I wonder how Tappei Nagatsuki is going to bring this all together in a coherent way!
TCrow, I do have an answer for why the Gospels and the copies of the not-quite-Tome of Wisdom’s main purpose is not to lead the holders to their desired future but to set the stage for Subaru and sometimes Emilia’s labours if you recall from my previous speculation.
As we know, the regular Witch Cult Gospels do not update after Subaru dies and starts again, which is why Petelgeuse’s Gospel had no mention of Subaru since he died before ever meeting Petelgeuse in the first loop of that arc. I believe the reason for this is that Echidna just has 0 interest in having the Witch Cult defeat Subaru.
This is also why I believe Roswaal’s not-quite-Tome of WIsdom did not account for Otto’s actions as a text that updates with future happenings should not have that sort of weakness unless the source of the text’s knowledge just didn’t want Roswaal to have that information and intended for Otto to be the key to defeating Roswaal.
If you recall from last year, I speculated that it’s possible that multiple characters from 400 years ago, including Satella, Pandora, Echidna, and any of the other Witches of Sin who were also involved, aside from Hector since if he had succeeded in coming after Echidna the whole plan would have failed, agreed to shepherd the world to a very specific future because all other routes would lead to a bad ending just like with the battle against Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I surmise they would come to this agreement because at least one of the characters from 400 years ago peered into Echidna’s Authority of Greed: Tome of Wisdom and saw countless futures where the world came to an end to the future and finally saw one future in which that didn’t happen, which involved Subaru and Return by Death and the eventual death of Satella.
Now this is where I have come up with new material for my theory. I believe that the reason they decided to kill Satella 400 years later instead of in the past is because Subaru himself prevented that choice from being an option in the past. For clarity, I will first state that I believe that if the world’s people were left to their own devices, I believe the Seal in Elior Forest would eventually be broken, leading to the destruction of the world. Thus, the plan from a group of characters 400 years ago involves opening the Seal on their own terms instead of unfavourable conditions and using Satella’s power and possibly prodigious talent to defeat what comes out of the Seal before having the need to strike down Satella after that to prevent the second world-ending threat from destroying the world.
This would be why the Gospels and the copies of the not-quite-Tome of Wisdom are necessary, as a forceful intervention in people’s lives to drive them toward making the choices they foresaw in Echidna’s Tome of Wisdom. We know Subaru has a 99.9% chance of having dormant memories of Satella given that Episode 18 and Episode 25 show that Subaru knows the exact number of shadow hands that Satella can generate. Puck said to Petelgeuse in Episode 18 that if Petelgeuse wants to kill him then he needs to summon a thousand shadows, half of what Satella could, and Subaru specifically said in Episode 25 that if Emilia hates herself then he’ll say two thousand things he loves about her, which shows he likely was heads over heels in love with Satella 400 years ago.
I therefore put it out there that the reason the characters had no choice but to defer the task of killing Satella to 400 years later instead of in the past is because to Subaru Satella was his whole world, and he just would never be able to bring himself to kill her to what might have been his low self-worth or if not low self-worth than excessive selfishness. Given that Flugel planted what was known as Flugel’s Tree in the exact spot Subaru needed it to be to defeat the White Whale, Flugel from centuries ago was likely a part of the grand plan I have speculated about. And if you recall from a few weeks back, I speculated that Kenichi is Flugel. Perhaps Kenichi was tasked with cutting a piece of Subaru’s soul out with a magical sword or magical shears, whether Subaru was originally part of Kenichi, which I am leaning towards, or whether Subaru was his own person, and raising Subaru when he was born again in a very specific way that would require Subaru to hit rock bottom due to an inferiority complex he would develop from being compared to the handsome and athletic Kenichi.
Thus, the reason why Subaru is the main character might be because the whole plan from 400 years involves building up Subaru into a self-confident and respectable hero who needed to hit hit rock bottom so that he could understand hardship and emphasize with others who struggle, one who wouldn’t sacrifice the world for one woman. Maybe the whole reason Satella even became the Witch of Envy was to specifically have half the world be destroyed so that Subaru doesn’t get any fancy ideas in the future about saving Satella.
Emilia would also need to brought down to rock bottom like she had been in the story and built up so that one day she can, as I have speculated, willingly sacrifice her entire life’s potential to be possessed by Satella, who probably also sacrificed her entire life’s potential 400 years ago just to ensure that the world can be saved. You had mentioned in reply to one of my theory posts that you wondered whether Tappei had read Dune, and I believe if my speculation is correct, Dune was one the inspirations behind Re:zero.
“For example — Roswaal was committed to waking Echidna, right? So, why not just read him into the plan? Why do anything so convoluted? After a certain point, it seems confusing for confusion’s sake.”
I think this plan required a level of selflessness that Roswaal will just never have, and not bringing Roswaal into the plan was necessary if the one hopeful future they saw in Echidna’s Tome of Wisdom mandated that Echidna to do this to Roswaal. Plus, Roswaal was traumatized by his defeat to Hector 400 years ago as shown by how Puck said that way Roswaal was speaking reminded him of someone he knows well and when Puck said that you’ll never be that devil (Referring to Hector, who Crunchyroll labelled as the Devil of Melancholy. Why they decided to go with Devil instead of Warlock I will never know), and for someone to be in on the plan, they needed to be fully committed to the future instead of constantly looking toward the past like Roswaal is.
I don’t think Satella is the big bad of the series, but I do believe that she, Echidna (with how she stated something outrageously evil about why she had Beatrice wait for that person), and Pandora are willingly playing the role of villain all in an effort to bring about their desired future. I believe it’s even possible that the entities who sealed Satella, the legendary dragon, hero, and sage, were also a part of the plan from the group of characters from 400 years ago, so it could be the case that they deliberately wrote the history in a way to paint Satella as a villain as part of the grand plan. That could be why Crusch and most of Lugunica’s citizens believed that mabeasts were created by Satella even though it was Daphne who actually created them.
I forgot to mention that in Echidna’s case it wouldn’t be selflessness but a greed for knowledge and to experience what happens beyond the bad endings that has her going along with the plan.
I also forgot to mention that we definitely know that Echidna is keeping tabs on the immediate future given how she turned Petra’s handkerchief into a spirit knife for Subaru to kill himself, so she is very vested in his success. I do not belief she ever favoured Subaru accepting the contract she proposed to him, but having him make the decision to turn it down might have been important to Subaru’s character development.
Also one reason I lean towards Subaru preventing the killing of Satella 400 years ago is because it would make a great redemption story if his past self couldn’t do it, but his current incarnation can do it if he has more self-confidence. It would show that you’re not destined to repeat the same mistakes you did in the past.
Maybe in time one of the characters from 400 years ago that were part of the plan even tell him the plan, and Subaru forgives his past self while also deciding to respect the plan they formulated and the choice they want him to make. He would then no longer be a pawn of other characters since he has the choice to do what he wants to do.