Oct 9, 2020 6:45 PM
Redemption Arc II Pt.2 - Demi-chan wa Kataritai
Anime Relations:
Demi-chan wa Kataritai
Title: Demi-chan wa Kataritai
Original Viewing Date: January 2017 (3 episodes)
Original Score: Mid 5
Redemption Viewing Date: 10/04/2020 - 10/07/2020 (4 episodes)
New Score: Mid 5
Now I could take this write-up in a similar direction to the last ones, going through my feelings on the show chronologically specifically to build up to this lofty societal observation. But as opposed to the other two shows, Demi-chan is much more upfront about its subtext. Thus, it seems more fitting for me to be more blunt about my take; cut the pretense, let’s just get down to the nitty gritty.
There is obvious intent by the creator’s to portray demi-humans as a minority population that’s been historically discriminated against. While seemingly novel, this idea is not without precedent. I’m by no means a film historian, but one idea that I’ve seen thrown around many times both within American and Japanese cultural studies is that monster movies are built to encapsulate and explore the anxieties of a population. Specifically, vampires have a rich history representing a cavalcade of concerns, most prominently a fear of sexual deviancy, secular drift of morals, and avaristic tendencies. Dullahans are meant to remind of ritual sacrifice and the lingering regrets of things left behind after death (more research needed, I’m admittedly not versed at all in this section of folklore). Yuki-onna often are used to show the duality of beauty and harsh loneliness of winter. So naturally, these symbols are recontextualized in this anime to address one of the most prominent sources of anxiety for modern society as a whole: Sensitivity and assimilation of neglected or marginalized people towards normalcy. Personally, interactions often reminded me of LGBTQ+ issues, especially the ways in which the human students conversed with the demis. But that really may be more due to my proximity to those problems than to specific authorial intent.
The point is, I really understand and respect what’s going on here. The way that the mythology is blended to this point both through gags and character traits is seamlessly brilliant. But if I take off my social justice glasses and really look at what’s being presented on the surface level, I’m just not feeling it. Demi-chan format-wise constantly feels like it's trying to split the difference between CGDCT sensibilities and harem sensibilities, which to me, has a very ugly, undesirable cross-section. You get CGDCT time with a bland male obtrusively shoved into frame as well as male sex fantasy with a kawaii atmosphere that makes you feel gross for humoring its implications. Two bad ideas for the price of one! On top of that, every other aspect of the show is exceedingly middling. Not huge on any characters (Machi is pretty good, I guess), music is forgettable, and art fits squarely in conventions. I’m really just given no reason outside of subtext to really keep going, which is both the impression I had back in 2017 and the one I have now.
Obviously this ain’t bad. I could probably make my way through this relatively painlessly, but I fundamentally get the point and heart behind the show already. To me, the best anime are the ones that are able to both entertain and leave an impression on you, making you think about it after it’s over. While the second point is way harder and more impressive to achieve, that doesn’t mean you can leave the first point behind.
Original Viewing Date: January 2017 (3 episodes)
Original Score: Mid 5
Redemption Viewing Date: 10/04/2020 - 10/07/2020 (4 episodes)
New Score: Mid 5
Now I could take this write-up in a similar direction to the last ones, going through my feelings on the show chronologically specifically to build up to this lofty societal observation. But as opposed to the other two shows, Demi-chan is much more upfront about its subtext. Thus, it seems more fitting for me to be more blunt about my take; cut the pretense, let’s just get down to the nitty gritty.
There is obvious intent by the creator’s to portray demi-humans as a minority population that’s been historically discriminated against. While seemingly novel, this idea is not without precedent. I’m by no means a film historian, but one idea that I’ve seen thrown around many times both within American and Japanese cultural studies is that monster movies are built to encapsulate and explore the anxieties of a population. Specifically, vampires have a rich history representing a cavalcade of concerns, most prominently a fear of sexual deviancy, secular drift of morals, and avaristic tendencies. Dullahans are meant to remind of ritual sacrifice and the lingering regrets of things left behind after death (more research needed, I’m admittedly not versed at all in this section of folklore). Yuki-onna often are used to show the duality of beauty and harsh loneliness of winter. So naturally, these symbols are recontextualized in this anime to address one of the most prominent sources of anxiety for modern society as a whole: Sensitivity and assimilation of neglected or marginalized people towards normalcy. Personally, interactions often reminded me of LGBTQ+ issues, especially the ways in which the human students conversed with the demis. But that really may be more due to my proximity to those problems than to specific authorial intent.
The point is, I really understand and respect what’s going on here. The way that the mythology is blended to this point both through gags and character traits is seamlessly brilliant. But if I take off my social justice glasses and really look at what’s being presented on the surface level, I’m just not feeling it. Demi-chan format-wise constantly feels like it's trying to split the difference between CGDCT sensibilities and harem sensibilities, which to me, has a very ugly, undesirable cross-section. You get CGDCT time with a bland male obtrusively shoved into frame as well as male sex fantasy with a kawaii atmosphere that makes you feel gross for humoring its implications. Two bad ideas for the price of one! On top of that, every other aspect of the show is exceedingly middling. Not huge on any characters (Machi is pretty good, I guess), music is forgettable, and art fits squarely in conventions. I’m really just given no reason outside of subtext to really keep going, which is both the impression I had back in 2017 and the one I have now.
Obviously this ain’t bad. I could probably make my way through this relatively painlessly, but I fundamentally get the point and heart behind the show already. To me, the best anime are the ones that are able to both entertain and leave an impression on you, making you think about it after it’s over. While the second point is way harder and more impressive to achieve, that doesn’t mean you can leave the first point behind.
Posted by
CureEtude
| Oct 9, 2020 6:45 PM |
Add a comment