Your analysis of the current main cast of Dandadan is brilliant. Each one of them has something fundamentally wrong with them and overcoming that one thing is where we see their growth and how they come closer together - writing 101, but executed in an exceptionally satisfying way in the manga, and now, in the anime.
Also a side note: pay attention to whenever Momo's earrings sparkle. It's pretty consistent that something is happening to her emotionally, and it only happens when she talks to Okarun.
Comedies especially can 'hide' a lot of what they're doing with jokes and bits, and one day you look up and find fully-realized characters you didn't even notice were being so fleshed out!
Nurses being associated with fetish play is pretty established in pop culture because of the sexy nurse trope. We could go down a whole rabbit hole of how nurses exist at the intersection of caring for you and power over you but I think that explains itself tbh.
Alas, I did not win one of the coveted stream slots this time around or I would have angled for Th8a to cover Look Back. I was talking about it back in the Discord with a few people, but if you can wait around til our next film festival, Look Back seems to have a strong amount of support going into next summer.
Another week, another chance for me to enjoy the fact that I get to bounce thoughts off of Th8a. Similar to last week, I am struck by how in certain segments this week (Blue Box) it feels like Th8a read my mind, while in others (Girls Band Cry) we hone in on and read into storytelling elements that are quite different from each other. Dan Da Dan: I was happy to see Th8a devote so much time to finally addressing the running thematic through line that had been present in the story since the beginning, that being about not making assumptions and judging things as they appear to be. This honestly did feel like the perfect episode to elaborate on this theme what with Queen-Sensei, Aira, and the Mantisian challenging assumptions in different ways all through out the episode. Queen-Sensei subverts the expectation that the trio might be facing serious consequences (like suspension) for their naked episode. Aira subverts the expectation that she will go right back to treating Momo like she is some evil demon when she risks her reputation for the sake of upholding Momo's. The Mantisian subverts the idea that the Alien side of Dan Da Dan can't have sympathetic backstories based on our experience with the Serpoians and the Flatwoods Monster. The way the story plays with assumptions and expectations while still maintaining a genuine beating heart at its core is part of what makes this series so special to me. Blue Box: Th8a basically covered every thought I had about this episode. I was so glad Th8a focused on the idea that Chinatsu is likely scared to do anything that will risk hurting or unbalancing the Inomata household. The conversation Chinatsu has with Taiki's father was one of my absolute favorite moments and it seemed to me that Chinatsu was visibly touched by the Inomata family's attempts to treat her... like family. The pride they have in her accomplishments, the efforts to protect her last 2 years of high school, the kindness of wanting her to enjoy their family traditions, all compound to drive home the idea that the Inomata household genuinely loves her and knowing Chinatsu the way we do, it is clear that she would never want to do anything that would risk bringing hurt or awkwardness to this family. I think it is pretty clear based on things like body language, words spoken and unspoken, and vocal tone, that Chinatsu has clearly developed some level of feelings for Taiki beyond simply being a friend and "good housemate." Unfortunately, Chinatsu is currently trapped by the fear of what actually acknowledging and putting those feelings out in the open could do. In her attempt to repay the Inomata family with kindness and consideration, she has seemingly unknowingly added on to the anxieties and worries of someone she cares a great deal about. Girls Band Cry: Th8a and I talked about this in the Discord for a bit, but based on the way the scene between Nina and Momoka is constructed, I tend to be more on the side that the major reason Momoka left Diamond Dust was due primarily to creative differences and not due to something like a member cheating on a boyfriend or her being driven out for having too much control. In my case, I pointed to things like the delivery of the line, "I don't hate them (her former bandmates) or anything." and "I honestly wish them the best," being stated much more like a matter of fact than with any bitterness or resentment in them. I also took notice of the tone of the music that was used in the scene with the guitar carrying with it this wistful and nostalgic tune suggesting more melancholy and unresolved feelings than anger or frustration. My read was that though Momoka doesn't hold anything against Diamond Dust, she can't help but see them now and think, "Man, I wish things could have worked out between us because the moments when we were actually creating music together were some of the happiest of my life." Like the episode title, 'Appreciation,' suggests, I think Momoka has a deep appreciation for her time with Diamond Dust, but certainly doesn't regret her choice to split with them. It just felt more likely to me that Momoka left the band due to her own views about what creating music should be like/mean than her having some major fight with her former band mates. She likely wouldn't be able to make a genuine smile when recounting her history with Diamond Dust if she had any actual hate towards them.
Blue Box is one where keeping montage theory in mind really helps with interpretation, I think. Which scenes/shots are next to one another are consistently meaningful, even if we only have confirmation later. I largely agree about what Momoka is feeling in GBC, but I still would be surprised that simple creative differences is something to be so cagey about, and in that mindset wonder what else was involved for her to act this way, or even want to quit music altogether.
Your analysis of the current main cast of Dandadan is brilliant. Each one of them has something fundamentally wrong with them and overcoming that one thing is where we see their growth and how they come closer together - writing 101, but executed in an exceptionally satisfying way in the manga, and now, in the anime.
Also a side note: pay attention to whenever Momo's earrings sparkle. It's pretty consistent that something is happening to her emotionally, and it only happens when she talks to Okarun.
Comedies especially can 'hide' a lot of what they're doing with jokes and bits, and one day you look up and find fully-realized characters you didn't even notice were being so fleshed out!
Bro never misses
...so long as you don't count editing, heh.
man im so addicted to these videos, never seen these type of full in depth breakdowns. so good
Thanks for the coverage, Th8a!
You're welcome! But I do just enjoy it :D
These videos are wonderful, I look forward to them every week.
Love this, especially your take on DDD
Weekly GBC posting RAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
Have loved out complex it's turned out, the community chose well.
Another masterpiece
An exceptional analysis of the story and narrative. It leads to a better understanding and appreciation of the show and medium in anime.
Great stuff! Thank you for the hard work you put into everything you make!
Awa Subaru best girl
What is going on in Japan's school nurse offices
Every anime nurse is the biggest freak in any respective teaching body that doesn't include Onizuka
Nurses being associated with fetish play is pretty established in pop culture because of the sexy nurse trope. We could go down a whole rabbit hole of how nurses exist at the intersection of caring for you and power over you but I think that explains itself tbh.
If you do the Lotr movie you could also do Look Back, just sayin...
Alas, I did not win one of the coveted stream slots this time around or I would have angled for Th8a to cover Look Back. I was talking about it back in the Discord with a few people, but if you can wait around til our next film festival, Look Back seems to have a strong amount of support going into next summer.
In this case the movie just fell into a good slot, plus I'm a longtime Tolkien fan and wanted the opportunity to merge my interests!
Another week, another chance for me to enjoy the fact that I get to bounce thoughts off of Th8a. Similar to last week, I am struck by how in certain segments this week (Blue Box) it feels like Th8a read my mind, while in others (Girls Band Cry) we hone in on and read into storytelling elements that are quite different from each other.
Dan Da Dan: I was happy to see Th8a devote so much time to finally addressing the running thematic through line that had been present in the story since the beginning, that being about not making assumptions and judging things as they appear to be. This honestly did feel like the perfect episode to elaborate on this theme what with Queen-Sensei, Aira, and the Mantisian challenging assumptions in different ways all through out the episode. Queen-Sensei subverts the expectation that the trio might be facing serious consequences (like suspension) for their naked episode. Aira subverts the expectation that she will go right back to treating Momo like she is some evil demon when she risks her reputation for the sake of upholding Momo's. The Mantisian subverts the idea that the Alien side of Dan Da Dan can't have sympathetic backstories based on our experience with the Serpoians and the Flatwoods Monster. The way the story plays with assumptions and expectations while still maintaining a genuine beating heart at its core is part of what makes this series so special to me.
Blue Box: Th8a basically covered every thought I had about this episode. I was so glad Th8a focused on the idea that Chinatsu is likely scared to do anything that will risk hurting or unbalancing the Inomata household. The conversation Chinatsu has with Taiki's father was one of my absolute favorite moments and it seemed to me that Chinatsu was visibly touched by the Inomata family's attempts to treat her... like family. The pride they have in her accomplishments, the efforts to protect her last 2 years of high school, the kindness of wanting her to enjoy their family traditions, all compound to drive home the idea that the Inomata household genuinely loves her and knowing Chinatsu the way we do, it is clear that she would never want to do anything that would risk bringing hurt or awkwardness to this family.
I think it is pretty clear based on things like body language, words spoken and unspoken, and vocal tone, that Chinatsu has clearly developed some level of feelings for Taiki beyond simply being a friend and "good housemate." Unfortunately, Chinatsu is currently trapped by the fear of what actually acknowledging and putting those feelings out in the open could do. In her attempt to repay the Inomata family with kindness and consideration, she has seemingly unknowingly added on to the anxieties and worries of someone she cares a great deal about.
Girls Band Cry: Th8a and I talked about this in the Discord for a bit, but based on the way the scene between Nina and Momoka is constructed, I tend to be more on the side that the major reason Momoka left Diamond Dust was due primarily to creative differences and not due to something like a member cheating on a boyfriend or her being driven out for having too much control. In my case, I pointed to things like the delivery of the line, "I don't hate them (her former bandmates) or anything." and "I honestly wish them the best," being stated much more like a matter of fact than with any bitterness or resentment in them. I also took notice of the tone of the music that was used in the scene with the guitar carrying with it this wistful and nostalgic tune suggesting more melancholy and unresolved feelings than anger or frustration.
My read was that though Momoka doesn't hold anything against Diamond Dust, she can't help but see them now and think, "Man, I wish things could have worked out between us because the moments when we were actually creating music together were some of the happiest of my life." Like the episode title, 'Appreciation,' suggests, I think Momoka has a deep appreciation for her time with Diamond Dust, but certainly doesn't regret her choice to split with them. It just felt more likely to me that Momoka left the band due to her own views about what creating music should be like/mean than her having some major fight with her former band mates. She likely wouldn't be able to make a genuine smile when recounting her history with Diamond Dust if she had any actual hate towards them.
Blue Box is one where keeping montage theory in mind really helps with interpretation, I think. Which scenes/shots are next to one another are consistently meaningful, even if we only have confirmation later.
I largely agree about what Momoka is feeling in GBC, but I still would be surprised that simple creative differences is something to be so cagey about, and in that mindset wonder what else was involved for her to act this way, or even want to quit music altogether.