This is always the most trippy, dream-like series of this season. It honestly does mirror the fact that it is a stage production. We as the audience can only see into this production via the window of the stage. Everything that exists behind the partition is a mystery until it is revealed. We are watching a play about players in a play who are putting on a play with the events in the play they are putting on correlating to the events of the actual play we as the audience are watching. Appreciate the untangling of all the cryptic details because I always find it hard for my thoughts about this show to stay coherent long enough for my to type about them.
Haha, yeah it definitely is getting as much mileage as it can out of the natural theatre parallels and presentation. This is what makes it very different from other shows people compare it to due to its Takarazuka Revue link (such as Rose of Versailles, Revolutionary Girl Utena), as Revue Starlight is about what happens 'offstage' while the others are inspired by the stories that are put 'onstage.' Especially interesting now that the onstage production of Starlight is showing more and more to mirror the girls themselves.
I personally loved this episode because of how it overturned the power dynamics and the way it established a memorable villain. I'm a big sucker for well-written power dynamics (kinda why I got into anime) and I have a special spot in my heart for the "underdog villain" or the "unexpected sleeping giant". Banana has a villain motive I've never seen before. While the "twisted sense of protection", "love of the status quo", and the "unhealthy attachment to the past" (coupled with the "fear of the future and/or change") motives aren't exactly uncommon, I don't think I've ever seen these motives combined and intertwined together like this. Banana's motive also seems to be the most unhealthy or unnatural compared to the rest of the cast's motives. While everyone seems to have motives that are all within the realm of reality, all common in competitive environments, and all pretty relatable to most people, Banana's motive seems kinda psychotic. While it is based in the universal feelings of nostalgia and fear of change, Banana seems to have twisted these into some sort of fetishization of the past. She's become crazy enough to actually START and MAINTAIN a time loop. (In other time loop stories, most characters are UNWILLINGLY TRAPPED into a time loop either because the timeline simply resets or because the timeline leads to an undesirable outcome). I think this break from the usual relatable coming-of-age characters seen with the rest of the cast can also be interpreted as the show either breaking free from its own genre or simply trying something different. At the very least, I think this is the point where I should stop thinking about this show as "Love Live but with fights and giraffes" and instead as some sort of Shounen tournament arc with heavy Shoujo elements. I also really like how Banana's power was established. The show has been setting up a clear power hierarchy (Maya > Claudine > Kaoruko > Maya > Karen, Hikari > Mahiru > Juuna), and it maintained that power hierarchy well, making sure each fight properly reflects the power dynamic between the two fighters while also keeping the power structure fluid enough to account for individual growth in skill and character. Banana, however, goes straight to the top. We see her beating Maya, already having an episode of her own establishing her power, and the shot makes it seem that Banana did so almost effortlessly (although we don't actually see how much effort she puts in). This is the classic Worf effect in action, and while it can get pretty stale if used over and over again in longer shows, a well-executed Worf effect fight just gets me hyped up in a special way.
That aside, I really love your videos. You're the only person recently who consistently manages to point out connections, characterizations, or themes I've missed myself. However, it's a big shame not many people are watching your videos and I personally think your video naming scheme is holding you back a bit. I think when people see stuff like "(NQ)DS Sum18 Ep11", they tend to assume that this is some sort of weird obscure series they wouldn't get or assume that there are a lot of episodes one would have to keep track of. I think simply spelling "(Not Quite) Daily Show" instead of "(NQ)DS" would do a lot. I also think moving the "Sum18 Ep11" part to the description would be helpful because I don't think it's very important information. Anyway, it's your channel and I wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to do. Keep up the good work! :D
Great point about her actively 'maintaining' the time-loop versus feeling like she's stuck in one, that would have made my point more clear about why she's different than the type of character we usually see in these scenarios. It definitely makes her psychology really interesting. She seemed to slip into it so innocently as well, so despite transitioning into someone a little disturbing we find ourselves uncomfortable thinking of the helpful and earnest Banana as the villain. Her motive (as you say) is complex but unfamiliar. We are used to the idea of 'good intentions gone astray' where a character does increasingly antagonistic things to prop up an initial healthy goal, but Banana still behaves much the same, still wants to genuinely enjoy her friends and experiences. It's just the part where she denies their future that shifts her into antagonist. Maybe she will change if she starts to feel her loop threatened? Definitely Worf Effect and a great usage. We guessed before she would have potential because of her height and the Takarazuka Revue tie-ins; having her not just beat Maya but shock Maya leaves her supremacy unquestioned. The almost total lack of fight-scene means they are saving the first 'performance' of hers for us to see at a special moment. "I think simply spelling "(Not Quite) Daily Show" instead of "(NQ)DS" would do a lot. I also think moving the "Sum18 Ep11" part to the description would be helpful because I don't think it's very important information." Probably solid advice. I am working on a few other whole-look changes here and there (like changing thumbnail scheme, section-dividing animations, etc), but I like to be consistent with whatever I am doing at the time. I hate it when people's structure and quality and meta-elements change randomly and at unpredictable intervals. Thus whenever I do roll out a change (like thumbnails), I'll probably change every single video at the same time. But, altering the end of the title isn't that major of a change, so I'll try it out for a bit. Title-changing is easy and reversible after all. Thanks for the great discussion :)
Oh wow. You actually read my comments. Thanks! :) I do genuinely hope the title change gets you more views, but, alas, I can't ever guarantee anything.
I try to read all of them, but I often have to choose between responding and working on the next script, alas! Well the title thing doesn't hurt to try, only took ~30 minutes to convert all of them after all. Once I have finished the backlog and rejoin the community, I'll probably actually spend time seeing how to self-promote / attract a wider audience (my least favorite activity but what can you do). Still months away on that, but I can at least plan in the meantime and try little things like this :)
This line 11:42 really stumped me. It made the whole Banana situation a 100 times sadder because it's clear she just doesn't know how to move on. Like an elephant that is tied to a tree since birth. Instead, she ends up "acting" the entire year over again, repeating the same lines and treating daily life like it's just a play-a play that lasts for a year. Seeing it from this perspective really highlights the weight of her psyche.
Hey, thanks a lot! :) I'm still in a community-blackout (I have unfinished series that I'm avoiding spoilers for), so I always appreciate hearing how people find me :)
I laughted at the beginning. Well, at the end I was kinda wrong with my speculation about Banana, but that's a good thing. The direction of this episode was fantastic even without a Revue, and they're promising five new songs for the rest of the season. I'ts too bright already, is it even possible to make it brighter? Hikari on the other hand is definitely another time traveller, but to what degree we'll have to wait and see.
Yeah I like that there's a sense SOMETHING has happened before, but it's not obviously one thing. Much like we knew there was something up with Banana, yet didn't have a good reason to jump to 'time loop.' Once it's revealed, though, it completely fits what we know about her. Suddenly knowing so little about Hikari seems increasingly deliberate.
It might be that Hikari has a different motivation or drive this time around, depending on what the original circumstance was. Perhaps she didn't know the consequences of failing the audition process the first time, but now she does, and it screws with her motivation.
@@NearlyOnRed maybe, but ever since her renewed desire after Karen and her went to the Tokyo Towers she is seen struggling against Claudine in ep5 again when Mahiru ran across their stage. Which is why I felt Hikari haven't reached her full potential yet despite her new desires.
Oh no, I agree that she doesn't seem like a favorite to win right now. I'm just wondering if she might have looked differently back before she knew more about the Revue (in some timeline we haven't seen).
Humorous and fitting intro, man! That last scene with Nana was surprisingly creepy. I knew something was going to happen with Banana but time loop/travel was unexpected, for me. The giraffes abilities are greater than I thought. Also I would like to thank you for recommending Sakurasou. I binge watched the entire show and really enjoyed it. Anime has essentially turned me into a hopeless romantic.
Haha, sorry for inadvertently inflicting a binge session on you! I enjoyed that series' unique spin on the normal anime-highschool-rom-com setup. I also didn't expect that the Top Star 'power' would be so dramatic/potent, but I think I like that they didn't ease us in, they just took us right to something as huge as time-travel. We are set up for such an interesting second half I think :D
That was such an amazing episode, Banana's love for the Starlight performance they made was way bigger than we could have expected, and Hikari's character is now more of a mystery than ever, I can't wait to know more about how she managed to enter here in order to stop the events from repeating indefinitely. I'm also a big lover of time loop stories so seeing one appearing in this anime only has me even more hooked, the next weeks can't come soon enough. Enjoy your well deserved vacations, nice meta start of the video btw!
Great episode, both Revue Starlight and (NQ)DS. I like the idea of Hikari having rewound time herself, it fits nearly perfectly. I think Hikari might have won Top Star by competing normally the "first" time around, but this also means that she fought against Karen and won, as such subjecting Karen to whatever fate the losers suffer (Hikari herself seems to think it's pretty terrible). After she sees what happens to Karen due to her victory she simply cannot stand hurting her friend and as such uses her wish to break their shared fate by rewinding time and making it so that Hikari herself ends up in England and they are separated. If Hikari isn't there to defeat Karen and Karen has no motivation to participate anyway, then Karen remains safe. With Hikari and Karen out of the competition, Banana wins and her time loop takes place. Not sure how or why Hikari gets back unless Giraffe gets involved. Now that Hikari *is* back though, Karen immediately joins the auditions. Hikari doesn't want this, because this is probably what got Karen hurt the first time. She seems to especially dread fighting Karen but immediately accepts Karen's idea for them to win together (episode 4), which is what makes me think that Hikari is the one who originally defeated Karen. She has to keep Karen out so that she does not have to fight her again, but if Karen says they'll win together instead of competing against each other, then there's really no problem anymore. Also, damn. I was very curious about Banana but never expected her to end up maintaining a time loop, yet it was all so very nicely executed and there's all kinds of now-ominous foreshadowing to recognize in older episodes.
you are amazing. it is a pleasure to watch this video. thanks for producing it. i can't even express how satisfied i am with the amount of info you brought in this video. it was godlike
This episode had me on the edge of my seat. Whoever says this is a boring show is just plain wrong. The tension, the relationships, the psychology of the characters, it's all so great, and now that timeloops are a thing things can go even crazier. Banana turned out to be the final boss as you predicted too. Damn you're good at this.
Creators just did a good job foreshadowing! Knew to expect something, but didn't spoil the surprise -- A+ work. I hate that this show isn't more popular, because it's really been living up to my expectations after the craftsmanship of that first episode. But I like to get to talk about it anyway! Haha
I know, right? My timing was terrible back during the Darling in the Franxx analyses as well (I had less time to work on both Episodes 13 and 14, probably the two I would have wanted the MOST time for). I'll at least watch it and start thinking about what to talk about the next time! Thank you!
Unfortunately, I didn't save the picture, but there was one, in which it is shown that Karen and Hikari's sitting positions in the audience (from when they were kids) are mirrored in two different episodes, since the flashback was shown twice. This could imply that there two timelines already and Hikari and Karen remember different ones, since the flashbacks (if I remember correctly) were shown once from Karen's perspective and once from Hikari's one.
Yeah, the opening scene has Karen on our left, while the one at the beginning of episode 4 has Karen on our right. The two staircase scenes are different as well (absent Karen in Ep1 but both present in Ep4). The opening is implied to be from Karen's POV (both old and young her are watching), but the episode 4 one is a little more ambiguous I think.
Bananightmare. Even knowing the signs pointed this way the delivery just nailed it. I'm really loving how this show isn't afraid to get a little surreal, to show diagrams and allude to things in some obscure ways. It's almost like it's vilifying Takarazuka but I won't go that far. See you next week.
I think some Takarazuka Revue criticism could definitely be part of what they are doing here. Banana's love of repetition/status quo could be read as a critique of the whole Top Star system (where the same leads are the leads for every production during their tenure), as well as the whole idea of doing the same performance over and over. The exaggerated focus on their Top Stars might be great from the audience point of view, but what about all the non-Top Stars who are also there every day, putting in just as much effort? Revue Starlight seems to spend a LOT of time on these 'background characters' and the reasons they aspire to the top, even though they can never reach it (I can't wait to talk about Maya's speech from this episode, but I'm sure she's going to get a focus at some point). That said, I always shy away from extrapolating from a story and applying it back to the real world; Interpretation with a capital 'I' as I call it. I don't discourage anyone else from doing it, and I even feel that it's one of the purposes of storytelling. But I find 'applicability' to be a personal rather than universal phenomena, so at least in my videos I don't want to poison the well too much and alter how someone else might compare a story to the non-story world. Sorry, tangent, but I totally agree about the possible critique of Takarazuka, even if I might never say so in the videos themselves.
Criticisms was the word I was looking for, vilify plainly sets out a good and bad, but critique is generally not an attack. I feel like there's a lot of details missing to really stick the landing on the commentary the show may be making. It's definitely there and I could absolutely see Banana's desire for the status quo as a reflection of that. You can even see her desire in the return to status quo in the scene just after Maya is done scolding Banana, she opens up to flip through the photos and is greeted by Maya's glare. Other things I'd like to see is the public perception, how certain girls are seen by the audience. We've seen some of this by proxy through Hikari and Karen reminiscing in episode 4, but this is coming from girls already interested in the art by engaging in it. Speaking of that scene, it was a really natural feeling conversation despite jumping around like it did. I'm priming for the show to start to engage in some really meaningful solutions, all too often I see critique of works of through works but rarely any solutions proposed. Hikari and Karen acting as a shared star, bringing everyone to a new height (or at least, Karen is) seems to be the kind of solution the show is pushing for despite its potential critique. I'd be curious to look into the director a little more, considering there's also a stage adaptation of the anime. Anyway, you have a good vacation! Do something fun for those of us who don't get time off.
Haven't watched your video yet but when I finished the episode I was extremely interested to hear what you would think about that. I did not expect this sort of development in the plot.
Ahhh! Time loop speculations! My only question is has Maya not won by being in the number 1 spot and gotten to choose her stage? Or is it a case where she held onto the spot but lost the final battle that decides the winner?
My best guess is that here is end date for the 'auditions,' and the one on top at that point takes Top Star. Maybe like a Swiss Pairs tournament format? This seems reinforced by the way they are doing the auditions for the next Starlight, doing them in rounds rather than a single audition. That first round (that Kaoruko missed and thus caused episode 6's shenanigans) has 10 names on it, even though there are only 8 parts.
@@NearlyOnRed digibro uploaded a video yesterday titled "how they marketed b the beginning" which has commercial breaks where his patreons could promote anything they wanted. anonymousi chose to promote you and digi showed the timeloop opening from this episode for it.
Wow, I guess I have to go find that. Someone somewhere else mentioned an 'ad' and that really confused me, but this clears it up I think. Thanks a lot! :)
I was a fan of the theory that Banana was the Finale Boss and that Hikari was a Homura (from Madoka) clone. Turns out it was so close to the truth than I thought.
In my very first script for the first Revue video, I kept referring to Hikari as Homura and then correcting myself. I took it out since I decided it was low-effort humor, but now I have the editor's remorse! Haha.
i hope you can make a subs for us because we can understand what you say but anime fan ( who dont know Eng ) cant understand so we can translate it to our language to share it
We know that Maya and Caludine is probably close to their full potential so they likely can't beat Banana; Futaba and Juuna lacks talent to compete with the others that are way more talented than they are. Hikari's arrival kicks starts Karen to become a contender for Top Star, and then that in turn makes Mahiru renew her interest and goal in her life; also due to the giraffe asking if Kaoruko and Futaba are making the revue personal last episode, that can be because they saw how Mahiru used the revue to do the same thing. I think with renewed interest and desire, Hikari, Karen, Mahiru and Kaoruko all have a fair chance to beat Banana in the end.
Mahiru is also someone who wants to help everyone and become a kind star, Kaoruko also promised to become star together with Futaba, so they are both supportive of Karen's idea, so it wouldn't be surprising even if they win and then do what Karen will do.
I doubt Mahiro and Kaoruko have any chance at beating Claudine or Maya let alone Banana, yes they're talented but I don't think anybody works as hard as Claudine/Maya and they're already really talented. For Hikari she was shown getting rekt by Claudine at ep 5 so prolly not happening unless something happens, we'll see next episode cause it'll be focused on her.
@@Mo-55 disagreed, the thing is Mahiru lacked desire and Kaoruko lacked both desire and effort as Th8a would put it from last week, they only just found it recently, its weird to count them out prematurely. You seem to forget Talent can't change but the other metrics of the triangle can and in this case has changed in the last 2 episodes.
Damn, that seamless transition at 2 minutes, both this anime and this man are smarter than I can handle. I'm a bit frustrated, in the past I would obsess with an anime like this one and would spent the entire week re-watching thinking about every little detail. I really need to watched the OP and ED though! So, it was Madoka all along! Shocked. I thought the same about Banana's frustration. Everything is the same except her. She is not the same anymore, what makes it impossible to relive that original performance like it was the first time. It can never be the first time again. And of course, what she liked was the emotions and happiness she felt, not what caused those emotions and happiness. Hope she'll realized this this time and be even happier at the end. edit: some people commented the detail of Nana "photographing" with her phone, and that she could be happier doing cinema.
Someone should tell Banana that you can't swim in the same river twice! This is why I think the key to beating Banana is not necessarily being 'better' than her at the performances. Rather, someone (and Karen is the odds-on favorite) needs to convince her that the future could surpass the past. It might be that even the novelty and excitement of Hikari changing things up for her can begin that argument in her mind. Then her Desire will change and she might become beatable. As to her photographs, I was really hoping we'd get to see if she takes pictures of the same things each time or not. Like, I could see her taking pictures of every little deviation from what she's seen before, but I don't have any basis for that. At the very least it reinforces how much she values memories and mementos of those memories.
Right… Now I understand what is going on for the past 7 episodes. Like Passerby, I’m inclined to wards Nana being the main antagonist of the show. I really never expected Nana to be antagonistic though I have to say… The subtle build up of her antagonistic apathetic nature was built up well throughout the entire episode. The revue and her wish does reminds me of the infamous Endless Eight but I’m to say that it is closer towards Akemi Homura’s time reversal than Haruhi’s Endless Eight. We all knew what happened ultimately to Homura. It seems like Nana is going down that path as well. The lighting, those eyes and her vocals in that scene… It might not be as bone chilling as Happy Sugar Life but it is as cold and as unfeeling like Ayano Hanesaki. If Okabe seens to break the endless loop of despair to reach Steins Gate, than Nana’s ultimate aim is to keep her bird cage going and keeping her friends in the endless Revue. I sure like to see Okabe go up against Nana and her Revue.
It's kind of a weird mix of the two, as in Haruhi's case she wasn't the one bearing the brunt of the time-loop memories (it was Yuki) and also seemed unaware that she was doing it. Homura was absolutely doing it on purpose AND bearing the brunt of it, yet she wasn't trying to preserve a past scenario. Rather, part of what makes her story heartbreaking is that she finally decides she can't save Madoka unless she makes it impossible for them to be friends afterwards (since Madoka will always self-sacrifice). Okabe also finally figures out that he can't save both girls by resetting to the original moment, but by changing it in a different way, even though it means he has no idea how it will go from then on (or if he and Kurisu will ever even meet again). I might like time-loop stories, haha.
This is always the most trippy, dream-like series of this season. It honestly does mirror the fact that it is a stage production. We as the audience can only see into this production via the window of the stage. Everything that exists behind the partition is a mystery until it is revealed. We are watching a play about players in a play who are putting on a play with the events in the play they are putting on correlating to the events of the actual play we as the audience are watching. Appreciate the untangling of all the cryptic details because I always find it hard for my thoughts about this show to stay coherent long enough for my to type about them.
Haha, yeah it definitely is getting as much mileage as it can out of the natural theatre parallels and presentation. This is what makes it very different from other shows people compare it to due to its Takarazuka Revue link (such as Rose of Versailles, Revolutionary Girl Utena), as Revue Starlight is about what happens 'offstage' while the others are inspired by the stories that are put 'onstage.'
Especially interesting now that the onstage production of Starlight is showing more and more to mirror the girls themselves.
I personally loved this episode because of how it overturned the power dynamics and the way it established a memorable villain. I'm a big sucker for well-written power dynamics (kinda why I got into anime) and I have a special spot in my heart for the "underdog villain" or the "unexpected sleeping giant".
Banana has a villain motive I've never seen before. While the "twisted sense of protection", "love of the status quo", and the "unhealthy attachment to the past" (coupled with the "fear of the future and/or change") motives aren't exactly uncommon, I don't think I've ever seen these motives combined and intertwined together like this.
Banana's motive also seems to be the most unhealthy or unnatural compared to the rest of the cast's motives. While everyone seems to have motives that are all within the realm of reality, all common in competitive environments, and all pretty relatable to most people, Banana's motive seems kinda psychotic. While it is based in the universal feelings of nostalgia and fear of change, Banana seems to have twisted these into some sort of fetishization of the past. She's become crazy enough to actually START and MAINTAIN a time loop. (In other time loop stories, most characters are UNWILLINGLY TRAPPED into a time loop either because the timeline simply resets or because the timeline leads to an undesirable outcome). I think this break from the usual relatable coming-of-age characters seen with the rest of the cast can also be interpreted as the show either breaking free from its own genre or simply trying something different. At the very least, I think this is the point where I should stop thinking about this show as "Love Live but with fights and giraffes" and instead as some sort of Shounen tournament arc with heavy Shoujo elements.
I also really like how Banana's power was established. The show has been setting up a clear power hierarchy (Maya > Claudine > Kaoruko > Maya > Karen, Hikari > Mahiru > Juuna), and it maintained that power hierarchy well, making sure each fight properly reflects the power dynamic between the two fighters while also keeping the power structure fluid enough to account for individual growth in skill and character. Banana, however, goes straight to the top. We see her beating Maya, already having an episode of her own establishing her power, and the shot makes it seem that Banana did so almost effortlessly (although we don't actually see how much effort she puts in). This is the classic Worf effect in action, and while it can get pretty stale if used over and over again in longer shows, a well-executed Worf effect fight just gets me hyped up in a special way.
That aside, I really love your videos. You're the only person recently who consistently manages to point out connections, characterizations, or themes I've missed myself.
However, it's a big shame not many people are watching your videos and I personally think your video naming scheme is holding you back a bit. I think when people see stuff like "(NQ)DS Sum18 Ep11", they tend to assume that this is some sort of weird obscure series they wouldn't get or assume that there are a lot of episodes one would have to keep track of.
I think simply spelling "(Not Quite) Daily Show" instead of "(NQ)DS" would do a lot. I also think moving the "Sum18 Ep11" part to the description would be helpful because I don't think it's very important information.
Anyway, it's your channel and I wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to do. Keep up the good work! :D
Great point about her actively 'maintaining' the time-loop versus feeling like she's stuck in one, that would have made my point more clear about why she's different than the type of character we usually see in these scenarios. It definitely makes her psychology really interesting. She seemed to slip into it so innocently as well, so despite transitioning into someone a little disturbing we find ourselves uncomfortable thinking of the helpful and earnest Banana as the villain. Her motive (as you say) is complex but unfamiliar. We are used to the idea of 'good intentions gone astray' where a character does increasingly antagonistic things to prop up an initial healthy goal, but Banana still behaves much the same, still wants to genuinely enjoy her friends and experiences. It's just the part where she denies their future that shifts her into antagonist. Maybe she will change if she starts to feel her loop threatened?
Definitely Worf Effect and a great usage. We guessed before she would have potential because of her height and the Takarazuka Revue tie-ins; having her not just beat Maya but shock Maya leaves her supremacy unquestioned. The almost total lack of fight-scene means they are saving the first 'performance' of hers for us to see at a special moment.
"I think simply spelling "(Not Quite) Daily Show" instead of "(NQ)DS" would do a lot. I also think moving the "Sum18 Ep11" part to the description would be helpful because I don't think it's very important information."
Probably solid advice. I am working on a few other whole-look changes here and there (like changing thumbnail scheme, section-dividing animations, etc), but I like to be consistent with whatever I am doing at the time. I hate it when people's structure and quality and meta-elements change randomly and at unpredictable intervals. Thus whenever I do roll out a change (like thumbnails), I'll probably change every single video at the same time.
But, altering the end of the title isn't that major of a change, so I'll try it out for a bit. Title-changing is easy and reversible after all.
Thanks for the great discussion :)
Actually, I'm going to go change all the titles now out of curiosity; I'll be offline for over a week and can come back and look at it again. Thanks!
Oh wow. You actually read my comments. Thanks! :) I do genuinely hope the title change gets you more views, but, alas, I can't ever guarantee anything.
I try to read all of them, but I often have to choose between responding and working on the next script, alas!
Well the title thing doesn't hurt to try, only took ~30 minutes to convert all of them after all. Once I have finished the backlog and rejoin the community, I'll probably actually spend time seeing how to self-promote / attract a wider audience (my least favorite activity but what can you do). Still months away on that, but I can at least plan in the meantime and try little things like this :)
I'm just surprised to see how "professional" this video is. This channel is just as underrated as Starlight anime.
Ima be real with you chief, this video has the best thumbnail I've ever seen
Haha, well, I couldn't NOT do it once I realized :)
This line 11:42 really stumped me. It made the whole Banana situation a 100 times sadder because it's clear she just doesn't know how to move on. Like an elephant that is tied to a tree since birth. Instead, she ends up "acting" the entire year over again, repeating the same lines and treating daily life like it's just a play-a play that lasts for a year. Seeing it from this perspective really highlights the weight of her psyche.
I'm very impressed by the clarity of your writing (which your way of speaking only emphasizes further). Good work!
Just found your video from a Reddit thread. Amazing analysis, and you deserve many more viewers!
Hey, thanks a lot! :) I'm still in a community-blackout (I have unfinished series that I'm avoiding spoilers for), so I always appreciate hearing how people find me :)
I laughted at the beginning.
Well, at the end I was kinda wrong with my speculation about Banana, but that's a good thing. The direction of this episode was fantastic even without a Revue, and they're promising five new songs for the rest of the season. I'ts too bright already, is it even possible to make it brighter?
Hikari on the other hand is definitely another time traveller, but to what degree we'll have to wait and see.
Yeah I like that there's a sense SOMETHING has happened before, but it's not obviously one thing. Much like we knew there was something up with Banana, yet didn't have a good reason to jump to 'time loop.' Once it's revealed, though, it completely fits what we know about her.
Suddenly knowing so little about Hikari seems increasingly deliberate.
I doubt Hikari is another time traveller due to her nearly loss to Juuna, if she won the Revue once its hard to lose to Juuna
It might be that Hikari has a different motivation or drive this time around, depending on what the original circumstance was. Perhaps she didn't know the consequences of failing the audition process the first time, but now she does, and it screws with her motivation.
@@NearlyOnRed maybe, but ever since her renewed desire after Karen and her went to the Tokyo Towers she is seen struggling against Claudine in ep5 again when Mahiru ran across their stage. Which is why I felt Hikari haven't reached her full potential yet despite her new desires.
Oh no, I agree that she doesn't seem like a favorite to win right now. I'm just wondering if she might have looked differently back before she knew more about the Revue (in some timeline we haven't seen).
Humorous and fitting intro, man! That last scene with Nana was surprisingly creepy. I knew something was going to happen with Banana but time loop/travel was unexpected, for me. The giraffes abilities are greater than I thought. Also I would like to thank you for recommending Sakurasou. I binge watched the entire show and really enjoyed it. Anime has essentially turned me into a hopeless romantic.
Haha, sorry for inadvertently inflicting a binge session on you! I enjoyed that series' unique spin on the normal anime-highschool-rom-com setup.
I also didn't expect that the Top Star 'power' would be so dramatic/potent, but I think I like that they didn't ease us in, they just took us right to something as huge as time-travel. We are set up for such an interesting second half I think :D
That was such an amazing episode, Banana's love for the Starlight performance they made was way bigger than we could have expected, and Hikari's character is now more of a mystery than ever, I can't wait to know more about how she managed to enter here in order to stop the events from repeating indefinitely.
I'm also a big lover of time loop stories so seeing one appearing in this anime only has me even more hooked, the next weeks can't come soon enough.
Enjoy your well deserved vacations, nice meta start of the video btw!
Great episode, both Revue Starlight and (NQ)DS.
I like the idea of Hikari having rewound time herself, it fits nearly perfectly. I think Hikari might have won Top Star by competing normally the "first" time around, but this also means that she fought against Karen and won, as such subjecting Karen to whatever fate the losers suffer (Hikari herself seems to think it's pretty terrible). After she sees what happens to Karen due to her victory she simply cannot stand hurting her friend and as such uses her wish to break their shared fate by rewinding time and making it so that Hikari herself ends up in England and they are separated. If Hikari isn't there to defeat Karen and Karen has no motivation to participate anyway, then Karen remains safe. With Hikari and Karen out of the competition, Banana wins and her time loop takes place.
Not sure how or why Hikari gets back unless Giraffe gets involved. Now that Hikari *is* back though, Karen immediately joins the auditions. Hikari doesn't want this, because this is probably what got Karen hurt the first time. She seems to especially dread fighting Karen but immediately accepts Karen's idea for them to win together (episode 4), which is what makes me think that Hikari is the one who originally defeated Karen. She has to keep Karen out so that she does not have to fight her again, but if Karen says they'll win together instead of competing against each other, then there's really no problem anymore.
Also, damn. I was very curious about Banana but never expected her to end up maintaining a time loop, yet it was all so very nicely executed and there's all kinds of now-ominous foreshadowing to recognize in older episodes.
you are amazing. it is a pleasure to watch this video. thanks for producing it. i can't even express how satisfied i am with the amount of info you brought in this video. it was godlike
You are a god and are incredibly intelligent for clearing this up and making note of everything like this. Thank you SO much for this!!!
This episode had me on the edge of my seat. Whoever says this is a boring show is just plain wrong. The tension, the relationships, the psychology of the characters, it's all so great, and now that timeloops are a thing things can go even crazier.
Banana turned out to be the final boss as you predicted too. Damn you're good at this.
Creators just did a good job foreshadowing! Knew to expect something, but didn't spoil the surprise -- A+ work.
I hate that this show isn't more popular, because it's really been living up to my expectations after the craftsmanship of that first episode. But I like to get to talk about it anyway! Haha
3 Bananas disliked.
or banana goes bananas
Thank you for making this week's video! Shame we will miss next week because you are on vacation! It seems to be such a bad one to miss!
I know, right? My timing was terrible back during the Darling in the Franxx analyses as well (I had less time to work on both Episodes 13 and 14, probably the two I would have wanted the MOST time for).
I'll at least watch it and start thinking about what to talk about the next time! Thank you!
Unfortunately, I didn't save the picture, but there was one, in which it is shown that Karen and Hikari's sitting positions in the audience (from when they were kids) are mirrored in two different episodes, since the flashback was shown twice. This could imply that there two timelines already and Hikari and Karen remember different ones, since the flashbacks (if I remember correctly) were shown once from Karen's perspective and once from Hikari's one.
Yeah, the opening scene has Karen on our left, while the one at the beginning of episode 4 has Karen on our right. The two staircase scenes are different as well (absent Karen in Ep1 but both present in Ep4). The opening is implied to be from Karen's POV (both old and young her are watching), but the episode 4 one is a little more ambiguous I think.
Bananightmare. Even knowing the signs pointed this way the delivery just nailed it. I'm really loving how this show isn't afraid to get a little surreal, to show diagrams and allude to things in some obscure ways. It's almost like it's vilifying Takarazuka but I won't go that far. See you next week.
I think some Takarazuka Revue criticism could definitely be part of what they are doing here. Banana's love of repetition/status quo could be read as a critique of the whole Top Star system (where the same leads are the leads for every production during their tenure), as well as the whole idea of doing the same performance over and over. The exaggerated focus on their Top Stars might be great from the audience point of view, but what about all the non-Top Stars who are also there every day, putting in just as much effort? Revue Starlight seems to spend a LOT of time on these 'background characters' and the reasons they aspire to the top, even though they can never reach it (I can't wait to talk about Maya's speech from this episode, but I'm sure she's going to get a focus at some point).
That said, I always shy away from extrapolating from a story and applying it back to the real world; Interpretation with a capital 'I' as I call it. I don't discourage anyone else from doing it, and I even feel that it's one of the purposes of storytelling. But I find 'applicability' to be a personal rather than universal phenomena, so at least in my videos I don't want to poison the well too much and alter how someone else might compare a story to the non-story world. Sorry, tangent, but I totally agree about the possible critique of Takarazuka, even if I might never say so in the videos themselves.
Criticisms was the word I was looking for, vilify plainly sets out a good and bad, but critique is generally not an attack. I feel like there's a lot of details missing to really stick the landing on the commentary the show may be making. It's definitely there and I could absolutely see Banana's desire for the status quo as a reflection of that. You can even see her desire in the return to status quo in the scene just after Maya is done scolding Banana, she opens up to flip through the photos and is greeted by Maya's glare. Other things I'd like to see is the public perception, how certain girls are seen by the audience. We've seen some of this by proxy through Hikari and Karen reminiscing in episode 4, but this is coming from girls already interested in the art by engaging in it. Speaking of that scene, it was a really natural feeling conversation despite jumping around like it did.
I'm priming for the show to start to engage in some really meaningful solutions, all too often I see critique of works of through works but rarely any solutions proposed. Hikari and Karen acting as a shared star, bringing everyone to a new height (or at least, Karen is) seems to be the kind of solution the show is pushing for despite its potential critique. I'd be curious to look into the director a little more, considering there's also a stage adaptation of the anime.
Anyway, you have a good vacation! Do something fun for those of us who don't get time off.
Damn, I didn't know how the calendar's symbols works.
Haven't watched your video yet but when I finished the episode I was extremely interested to hear what you would think about that. I did not expect this sort of development in the plot.
Ahhh! Time loop speculations! My only question is has Maya not won by being in the number 1 spot and gotten to choose her stage? Or is it a case where she held onto the spot but lost the final battle that decides the winner?
My best guess is that here is end date for the 'auditions,' and the one on top at that point takes Top Star. Maybe like a Swiss Pairs tournament format? This seems reinforced by the way they are doing the auditions for the next Starlight, doing them in rounds rather than a single audition. That first round (that Kaoruko missed and thus caused episode 6's shenanigans) has 10 names on it, even though there are only 8 parts.
Loved the Stein gate and re:zero callback
at 0:30 i close the video, too mental damage
Hahaha. The rewriting and editing process is basically the same mental burden; I sympathize with time-loopers :)
This episode was banaNice!
How they marketed brought me here
that add caught me so hard off guard hahaha
thought i were transported to yesterday for a sec.
I do not understand these comments!
@@NearlyOnRed digibro uploaded a video yesterday titled "how they marketed b the beginning" which has commercial breaks where his patreons could promote anything they wanted. anonymousi chose to promote you and digi showed the timeloop opening from this episode for it.
Wow, I guess I have to go find that. Someone somewhere else mentioned an 'ad' and that really confused me, but this clears it up I think. Thanks a lot! :)
holy shit this video’s editing 👏
Wwwwwwooooooooooowwwwwwwwww
I think the moment Banana turn the heat to US she broke the 4 wall, like Monika in Doki Doki literature club.
I was a fan of the theory that Banana was the Finale Boss and that Hikari was a Homura (from Madoka) clone. Turns out it was so close to the truth than I thought.
In my very first script for the first Revue video, I kept referring to Hikari as Homura and then correcting myself. I took it out since I decided it was low-effort humor, but now I have the editor's remorse! Haha.
is there a time frame for when we can expect the next episode of made in abyss?
This coming weekend, so that I have something to release while I'm on vacation :)
so. freakin. meta.
My own thoughts about banana's character for short is "banana gone bananas"
Where can I buy that shirt? Also as always, great video!
I think this one is from 6dollar shirts? And thanks!
i hope you can make a subs for us because we can understand what you say but anime fan ( who dont know Eng ) cant understand so we can translate it to our language to share it
Nice video, bananice!
bananice
We know that Maya and Caludine is probably close to their full potential so they likely can't beat Banana; Futaba and Juuna lacks talent to compete with the others that are way more talented than they are.
Hikari's arrival kicks starts Karen to become a contender for Top Star, and then that in turn makes Mahiru renew her interest and goal in her life; also due to the giraffe asking if Kaoruko and Futaba are making the revue personal last episode, that can be because they saw how Mahiru used the revue to do the same thing. I think with renewed interest and desire, Hikari, Karen, Mahiru and Kaoruko all have a fair chance to beat Banana in the end.
Mahiru is also someone who wants to help everyone and become a kind star, Kaoruko also promised to become star together with Futaba, so they are both supportive of Karen's idea, so it wouldn't be surprising even if they win and then do what Karen will do.
I doubt Mahiro and Kaoruko have any chance at beating Claudine or Maya let alone Banana, yes they're talented but I don't think anybody works as hard as Claudine/Maya and they're already really talented.
For Hikari she was shown getting rekt by Claudine at ep 5 so prolly not happening unless something happens, we'll see next episode cause it'll be focused on her.
@@Mo-55 disagreed, the thing is Mahiru lacked desire and Kaoruko lacked both desire and effort as Th8a would put it from last week, they only just found it recently, its weird to count them out prematurely.
You seem to forget Talent can't change but the other metrics of the triangle can and in this case has changed in the last 2 episodes.
While they might have the desire now, they definitely don't want to be top star as badly as others.
@@Mo-55 how did you know that?
Damn, that seamless transition at 2 minutes, both this anime and this man are smarter than I can handle. I'm a bit frustrated, in the past I would obsess with an anime like this one and would spent the entire week re-watching thinking about every little detail.
I really need to watched the OP and ED though!
So, it was Madoka all along! Shocked.
I thought the same about Banana's frustration.
Everything is the same except her. She is not the same anymore, what makes it impossible to relive that original performance like it was the first time. It can never be the first time again. And of course, what she liked was the emotions and happiness she felt, not what caused those emotions and happiness. Hope she'll realized this this time and be even happier at the end.
edit: some people commented the detail of Nana "photographing" with her phone, and that she could be happier doing cinema.
Someone should tell Banana that you can't swim in the same river twice!
This is why I think the key to beating Banana is not necessarily being 'better' than her at the performances. Rather, someone (and Karen is the odds-on favorite) needs to convince her that the future could surpass the past. It might be that even the novelty and excitement of Hikari changing things up for her can begin that argument in her mind. Then her Desire will change and she might become beatable.
As to her photographs, I was really hoping we'd get to see if she takes pictures of the same things each time or not. Like, I could see her taking pictures of every little deviation from what she's seen before, but I don't have any basis for that. At the very least it reinforces how much she values memories and mementos of those memories.
Psychonana not as Bananice.
She is Bananot
Right… Now I understand what is going on for the past 7 episodes. Like Passerby, I’m inclined to wards Nana being the main antagonist of the show.
I really never expected Nana to be antagonistic though I have to say… The subtle build up of her antagonistic apathetic nature was built up well throughout the entire episode. The revue and her wish does reminds me of the infamous Endless Eight but I’m to say that it is closer towards Akemi Homura’s time reversal than Haruhi’s Endless Eight.
We all knew what happened ultimately to Homura. It seems like Nana is going down that path as well. The lighting, those eyes and her vocals in that scene… It might not be as bone chilling as Happy Sugar Life but it is as cold and as unfeeling like Ayano Hanesaki.
If Okabe seens to break the endless loop of despair to reach Steins Gate, than Nana’s ultimate aim is to keep her bird cage going and keeping her friends in the endless Revue. I sure like to see Okabe go up against Nana and her Revue.
It's more like Haruhi, not Homura.
Nana (and Haruhi) wants to preserve a moment, not save someone (though in Haruhi's case she was a bit unsatisfied).
It's kind of a weird mix of the two, as in Haruhi's case she wasn't the one bearing the brunt of the time-loop memories (it was Yuki) and also seemed unaware that she was doing it. Homura was absolutely doing it on purpose AND bearing the brunt of it, yet she wasn't trying to preserve a past scenario. Rather, part of what makes her story heartbreaking is that she finally decides she can't save Madoka unless she makes it impossible for them to be friends afterwards (since Madoka will always self-sacrifice). Okabe also finally figures out that he can't save both girls by resetting to the original moment, but by changing it in a different way, even though it means he has no idea how it will go from then on (or if he and Kurisu will ever even meet again).
I might like time-loop stories, haha.
So who in Revue Starlight will strive to reach Starlight Gate?