Anti-Magic Academy #06 — Smirking, Talking, and Attempted Rape

November 11th, 2015

 

Hitting all the high points this week.

Impressions:

This season's light novel faire is having a real issue with antagonists. In case you were worried that the first two arcs' child butchering psychopaths would go unmatched, this one turns out to be a rapist with a wedding dress fetish. And following in Cavalry's footsteps, the merest hint of resistance makes their ridiculously sadistic persona crumble into weeping and sobbing, although I think perhaps I find it slightly more insulting that it was only due to friendship power that Usagi decided to not lie back and let herself be raped. As I've said about 98,712 times before, it's so much easier to get behind characters who are actually trying and struggling rather than ones permanently trapped in inaction by handwaving psychological trauma, especially considering how prevalent that is in anime. You also end up with characters overcoming goddamned everything as soon as they bother to try, which makes the paralyzing fear that they always try to retcon in through flashbacks saying "No, really, it was totally a part of their character the entire time," the more mystifying. Try, fail, learn a valuable lesson, try again applying newly learned lesson, succeed. It's a simple formula that works marvelously, especially when you have more lessons available than "believe in yourself/your friends." I suggest basic physics. It's worked wonders for every goddamned Western superhero show in the history of ever.

Maybe Possessed Otori was supposed to be the true antagonist here, but honestly, aside from giving them someone to fight since the 'main' antagonist had already collapsed into a sniveling wreck from being bitten and having a sword waved in his general direction, they could've pretty much cut that entire half of the episode and we'd have all been none the wiser, especially since there was next to no actual fighting there at all, just a lot of standing around, smirking, and/or explaining things. As it stands, it comes out of nowhere, next to nothing is done with it, and then it disappears again. Kind of like Rape-Boy's transformation! So at least they're consistent if nothing else.

Posted in Anti-Magic Academy | 1 Comment »

One Lonely Comment

  • Sanjuro says:

    Everyone is so quick to rape nowadays. It must be the water.