Thoughts on the last Ayashi No Ceres eps
Feb. 24th, 2006 11:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieOK, here is my thoughts on the final batch of Ayashi No Ceres episodes. It’s a pity about the ending because up until the last two minutes or so I was all excited and thinking “grim but good, definitely rewatch.”
So, Toya is definitely not human. He’s created by the robe to protect/return it to its owner (Ceres). He is actually kinda like a sexy violent Jesus, down to the immaculate conception. Aya and Toya’s child is going to be genetically really interesting. And his weird name makes sense now too, since he grew up in 10 days. And he was found by that fisherman and lived in isolation seeing no other people until he saw Aya when she was a child, 10 years ago, and she gave him a seashell and he wanted to leave the island to find her (because he was lonely) and did so after the old man died, even though he was warned about the human world. And it’s his dropping the shell and bending to pick it up on the highway (yup, definitely an otherworldly being) that resulted in his accident/amnesia. And it would explain why the only two things he remembered were “Toya” and “Mikage.” And he tells her that and she runs into his arms and I melt. Or I would if it wasn’t for the ending. Which I HATE.
I do love that when he left, earlier, he left her his knife to protect her and she wears it under her clothes (how does she sit down) and it protects her from evil Progenitor’s attempted rape. He is a useful boyfriend (a random comment, but I love the realistic progression of Toya’s wounds: bandages don’t disappear overnight, but get progressively smaller and last a long time). Others give their girls jewelry, he gives her a glowy magic knife (Also, Progenitor, shut up. I know you “want your woman.” Now shut about it for two seconds). And I love Toya hijacking the helicopter that was sent after him and crashing the facility and getting Aya out and taking her to this little fishing hut (I guess he is hot and deadly but not possessed of great amounts of cash) and just holding her in his arms all night, willing for her to wake up, and angsting. And I love it when she does, when the sun rises. I think they are so earnest and desperate in their love and hope for each other, because neither of them has anyone or anything else. Outside of each other, it’s desolation. By the way, have I mentioned the ending? Because HATE.
And I love when they decide to live together. Of course, I am rather amused about there not being a sex scene: they start kissing horizontally on the bed and the camera cuts away to a very Bollywoodish montage of ocean and falling snow. I am fine with it, but they had a sex scene in the freaking credits, so the sudden reticence seems kinda bizarre.
I do love it when they have their months of happiness: little things like their toothbrushes in the same cup, or the fact that she comes home and cooks. And then she worries he is depressed (because he remembered something) and worries, worries (and I want to ask: “he’s depressed? How can you tell?” :P) and then she faints (I guess early pregnancy signs?) and he is so worried that he made her worry and he asks her “how can I make you happy? I’ll do anything” and she replies (paraphrase) “Call out a greeting when you come home. Eat my cooking and tell me it’s good. Let me see your sleeping face next to me when I wake up. Or if you wake up first, call my name and I will wake up too. Or even be like now, when I can see my reflection in your eyes. It’s everyday moments that I love” and then she adds that no matter who he is or what he remembers, she will always love him. I melt and he holds her tightly. Oh, and you know that ending I keep talking about? Yup, still HATE.
And then of course we get to Yuuhi and Toya teaming up to rescue Chinari and her little brother. And Chinari dies taking the bullet meant for Yuuhi and it’s so freaking depressing as he carries her as she is dying and then he just howls. And Toya (who went after the little brother) sees Progenitor hold a gun to the kid’s head so he tells him to let the kid go and he’ll turn himself in. And basically the Progenitor (whose hatred for Toya is irrational) gets a gun and just starts shooting at him, not to kill, but to maim and cause pain: bullets in the shoulders, arms, legs. And Toya keeps asking him, even as he is being shot, to return the robe to Ceres or Ceres (and Aya) will die and finally the Progenitor is so freaked out by it, he goes “I was going to keep you as bait for Aya but if you are so eager to die” and shoots him right between the eyes. And Aki inside is horrified, even though he is so far gone, that the Aki’s body is crying because Toya was a friend. And I bawl. I love that Aya (when evil cousin gives her Toya’s cross choker) keeps wearing it constantly from then on, even though she becomes non-resistant and rather catatonic. I love the shots of their life together that she sees in the apartment afterwards. It’s so bleak at that point in the show. It’s interesting how Toya, as he regains his memory and finds love, gradually reverts to his former, unworldly, very nice self. This is really depressing. But not as bad as the ending. Which I HATE.
And I love when he comes back, wings and all, because he is created by the robe and is regenerated. And looks HOT. And he finds Aya and they are in a Church with a big cross (subtle symbolism? What’s that?) and she tells him about being pregnant with his child and he is so ecstatic because he always wanted a family, to belong. And he tells her about finding out his true purpose: to return the robe. And she is flipping because if he returns it he will die and he says he wants to save her and he wants to be a normal human. And then the Progenitor interrupts and there is a mother of all fights. Btw, Progenitor, I know you are evil and can take care of yourself, but just a hint: don’t tell a guy you are fighting and who is already really good, that you are going to kill the love of his life and his unborn child. That will make him fight harder. Not too encumbered by brains, are you?
And of course, Progenitor is defeated by Ceres and Aki coming out. Yay. And the Kool-Aid girls (aka Ceres wannabes) all die. I would be all chirpy, except the ENDING pissed me OFF.
Oh, evil Mikage cousin was abused as a child? I so don’t care. Hate, hate, hate him.
The one thing that I loved and didn’t make me spit nails even after the ending was the Ceres-Mikagi story, because it was so much more complex than the initial ‘stole her robe, raped her, she killed him’ thing we were presented with initially. He saw her bathing and gave her the robe she left and she, even though she was basically looking for sperm donor (they never explain who or what these celestial beings are, do they?) fell in love with him for his kindness and gentleness and they lived happily for years. And then his village was attacked and family killed and she saved him by using her power. And he felt so ashamed he couldn’t protect her so she gave him some of her power (which wasn’t natural and zen blah blah) and he changed from then on and became aggressive and cruel and more and more obsessed with anyone coming between them and he took her robe and threw it in the ocean because he thought it would take her away (even though she needs it to live) and he hit their child and he marital raped her and she killed him. Bt the whole thing is, there was so much love there at first, and all the horribleness happened as a result of this love being twisted, because even at the end it was dysfunctional and wrong and evil but the underpinning was love, however frelled up. I love the last shot of them, both dead/dying, and his asking if she loved him and she says yes and her asking him if he ever loved her and he tells her that he loved her so much, all the stuff he did arose out of initial desire to protect her and being afraid of losing her. And she just goes “now we’ll go to sleep” and it’s tender and sad and finally, at peace.
But the ending? With Toya and Aya? Hate HATE HATE. But already ranted about that. In MY world, they live happily ever after. Forever.
So, Toya is definitely not human. He’s created by the robe to protect/return it to its owner (Ceres). He is actually kinda like a sexy violent Jesus, down to the immaculate conception. Aya and Toya’s child is going to be genetically really interesting. And his weird name makes sense now too, since he grew up in 10 days. And he was found by that fisherman and lived in isolation seeing no other people until he saw Aya when she was a child, 10 years ago, and she gave him a seashell and he wanted to leave the island to find her (because he was lonely) and did so after the old man died, even though he was warned about the human world. And it’s his dropping the shell and bending to pick it up on the highway (yup, definitely an otherworldly being) that resulted in his accident/amnesia. And it would explain why the only two things he remembered were “Toya” and “Mikage.” And he tells her that and she runs into his arms and I melt. Or I would if it wasn’t for the ending. Which I HATE.
I do love that when he left, earlier, he left her his knife to protect her and she wears it under her clothes (how does she sit down) and it protects her from evil Progenitor’s attempted rape. He is a useful boyfriend (a random comment, but I love the realistic progression of Toya’s wounds: bandages don’t disappear overnight, but get progressively smaller and last a long time). Others give their girls jewelry, he gives her a glowy magic knife (Also, Progenitor, shut up. I know you “want your woman.” Now shut about it for two seconds). And I love Toya hijacking the helicopter that was sent after him and crashing the facility and getting Aya out and taking her to this little fishing hut (I guess he is hot and deadly but not possessed of great amounts of cash) and just holding her in his arms all night, willing for her to wake up, and angsting. And I love it when she does, when the sun rises. I think they are so earnest and desperate in their love and hope for each other, because neither of them has anyone or anything else. Outside of each other, it’s desolation. By the way, have I mentioned the ending? Because HATE.
And I love when they decide to live together. Of course, I am rather amused about there not being a sex scene: they start kissing horizontally on the bed and the camera cuts away to a very Bollywoodish montage of ocean and falling snow. I am fine with it, but they had a sex scene in the freaking credits, so the sudden reticence seems kinda bizarre.
I do love it when they have their months of happiness: little things like their toothbrushes in the same cup, or the fact that she comes home and cooks. And then she worries he is depressed (because he remembered something) and worries, worries (and I want to ask: “he’s depressed? How can you tell?” :P) and then she faints (I guess early pregnancy signs?) and he is so worried that he made her worry and he asks her “how can I make you happy? I’ll do anything” and she replies (paraphrase) “Call out a greeting when you come home. Eat my cooking and tell me it’s good. Let me see your sleeping face next to me when I wake up. Or if you wake up first, call my name and I will wake up too. Or even be like now, when I can see my reflection in your eyes. It’s everyday moments that I love” and then she adds that no matter who he is or what he remembers, she will always love him. I melt and he holds her tightly. Oh, and you know that ending I keep talking about? Yup, still HATE.
And then of course we get to Yuuhi and Toya teaming up to rescue Chinari and her little brother. And Chinari dies taking the bullet meant for Yuuhi and it’s so freaking depressing as he carries her as she is dying and then he just howls. And Toya (who went after the little brother) sees Progenitor hold a gun to the kid’s head so he tells him to let the kid go and he’ll turn himself in. And basically the Progenitor (whose hatred for Toya is irrational) gets a gun and just starts shooting at him, not to kill, but to maim and cause pain: bullets in the shoulders, arms, legs. And Toya keeps asking him, even as he is being shot, to return the robe to Ceres or Ceres (and Aya) will die and finally the Progenitor is so freaked out by it, he goes “I was going to keep you as bait for Aya but if you are so eager to die” and shoots him right between the eyes. And Aki inside is horrified, even though he is so far gone, that the Aki’s body is crying because Toya was a friend. And I bawl. I love that Aya (when evil cousin gives her Toya’s cross choker) keeps wearing it constantly from then on, even though she becomes non-resistant and rather catatonic. I love the shots of their life together that she sees in the apartment afterwards. It’s so bleak at that point in the show. It’s interesting how Toya, as he regains his memory and finds love, gradually reverts to his former, unworldly, very nice self. This is really depressing. But not as bad as the ending. Which I HATE.
And I love when he comes back, wings and all, because he is created by the robe and is regenerated. And looks HOT. And he finds Aya and they are in a Church with a big cross (subtle symbolism? What’s that?) and she tells him about being pregnant with his child and he is so ecstatic because he always wanted a family, to belong. And he tells her about finding out his true purpose: to return the robe. And she is flipping because if he returns it he will die and he says he wants to save her and he wants to be a normal human. And then the Progenitor interrupts and there is a mother of all fights. Btw, Progenitor, I know you are evil and can take care of yourself, but just a hint: don’t tell a guy you are fighting and who is already really good, that you are going to kill the love of his life and his unborn child. That will make him fight harder. Not too encumbered by brains, are you?
And of course, Progenitor is defeated by Ceres and Aki coming out. Yay. And the Kool-Aid girls (aka Ceres wannabes) all die. I would be all chirpy, except the ENDING pissed me OFF.
Oh, evil Mikage cousin was abused as a child? I so don’t care. Hate, hate, hate him.
The one thing that I loved and didn’t make me spit nails even after the ending was the Ceres-Mikagi story, because it was so much more complex than the initial ‘stole her robe, raped her, she killed him’ thing we were presented with initially. He saw her bathing and gave her the robe she left and she, even though she was basically looking for sperm donor (they never explain who or what these celestial beings are, do they?) fell in love with him for his kindness and gentleness and they lived happily for years. And then his village was attacked and family killed and she saved him by using her power. And he felt so ashamed he couldn’t protect her so she gave him some of her power (which wasn’t natural and zen blah blah) and he changed from then on and became aggressive and cruel and more and more obsessed with anyone coming between them and he took her robe and threw it in the ocean because he thought it would take her away (even though she needs it to live) and he hit their child and he marital raped her and she killed him. Bt the whole thing is, there was so much love there at first, and all the horribleness happened as a result of this love being twisted, because even at the end it was dysfunctional and wrong and evil but the underpinning was love, however frelled up. I love the last shot of them, both dead/dying, and his asking if she loved him and she says yes and her asking him if he ever loved her and he tells her that he loved her so much, all the stuff he did arose out of initial desire to protect her and being afraid of losing her. And she just goes “now we’ll go to sleep” and it’s tender and sad and finally, at peace.
But the ending? With Toya and Aya? Hate HATE HATE. But already ranted about that. In MY world, they live happily ever after. Forever.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:03 pm (UTC)I believe Watase's warning that she's going to axe a character can be determined by how fast that character's significant other gets a bun in the oven.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:13 pm (UTC)Of course, I like that she got pregnant as it's realistic because: sexing lke bunnies + no exhinited concern for birth control = baby. Which is...awwww.
I believe Watase's warning that she's going to axe a character can be determined by how fast that character's significant other gets a bun in the oven.
Well, that certainly worked for Hotohori and Toya. Argh. Of course, at this rate, if someone told me I'd have to be a Watase character, I'd kill myself painlessly and spare myself later agony.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:31 pm (UTC)Though I can't say I blame Aya...
I'd kill myself painlessly and spare myself later agony.
Because you know you're going to have plenty of angst and misery before you get to death's door. Might as well try to beat the system.
Other things you rarely see in anime:
1. Bishounen who are widowers. Generally they're too young, but even the older ones tend to only have one love and if she's dead, they were never married. The only exception I've ever found is Byakuya (in the icon), who IS a widower, a main character and not a villain.
2. Any question about the genetic proclivities of human/supernatural being progeny. Can a woman and a half dog demon HAVE kids? I'm going to assume so since we know a dog demon can have a kid with a woman, but weeeeird genetics, man.
3. Anyone having a normal paying job. Why work at Wal-Mart when you can have a career as an assassin, demon killer or god of death?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:45 pm (UTC)Yeah, I am amazed she let him out of bed long enough to work :)
Anyone having a normal paying job. Why work at Wal-Mart when you can have a career as an assassin, demon killer or god of death?
ROFL. And it's not as if supernatural jobs seem to pay better...
Any question about the genetic proclivities of human/supernatural being progeny
I am still wondering about Aya and Toya as she is part angel and he isn't human at all (he was created by a robe!!!) and yet apparently they are having a normal offspring...
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:55 pm (UTC)(The hilarious part about the half dog demon issue is that the full blooded dog demons look more human than the half breed does as the half breed is sort of stuck between dog transformation and human)
And really, probably good there are no bishounen in the world as no one would get out of the bedroom long enough to get anything done.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:57 pm (UTC)That doesn't sound too bad :)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:56 pm (UTC)2. No argument here.
3. Also true enough. XD Though I can think of a few counter-examples to this, but not a great many.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:58 pm (UTC)The genetics of anime boggle my mind repeatedly.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 06:07 pm (UTC)Cue me going 'what?'
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 06:11 pm (UTC)Aaaaaah. I want to have anime genetics, dammit!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 06:14 pm (UTC)And sometimes you have a normal job AND a crazy job (yeah, I'm looking at you Weiss Kruetz assassins).
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 08:26 pm (UTC)The last: yeah, seriously. (Although I'm not sure I would count Weiss Kreuz, because, come on. It's Weiss Kreuz. And they don't seem to spend much time being florists.) I feel the sorriest for those who have jobs, and crazy jobs, /and/ have to go to high school too. c.c;
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 08:58 pm (UTC)have to go to high school too
Or you could just take a page out of the Gundam Wing boys book and not bother with the whole school thing most of the time. I never could figure out how Heero just sort of waltzed into schools and out with no one commenting.
OT: You really like Gin, don't you.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 09:38 pm (UTC)I would argue that it's also more of a challenge to get people to care about old loves or dead widows, unless it really focuses on that issue, so maybe most creators don't want to deal with it.
That, or considering the average age of most anime heroes, the idea of someone already having gotten married and had their spouse killed is a little much. (Although considering everything else they do by 20, I'm not sure being married is that much more of a stretch. But anyway.)
I never could figure out how Heero just sort of waltzed into schools and out with no one commenting.
They're stunned into insensibility by his fashion sense (or lack thereof) and the biker tights of doom.
OT: You really like Gin, don't you.
He is nifty and scheming and snakelike. 8) So yes, I ♥ him much. But he's not my favorite character in Bleach, actually. I prefer having icon sets of all one character at a time, and I've already cycled through my more favored characters in Bleach--Ishida, Yoruichi, Orihime in turn.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 09:58 pm (UTC)I always figured he threatened to stab them with his hair. And the biker shorts of doom were the reason he was so cranky all the time...they were cutting off his circulation. I certainly hope Relena isn't counting on kids...
And he was so anorexically skinny. They all sort of were except Zechs. Every time they'd show a little skin I'd be all "oh gawd, put some clothing on!"
Ishida, Yoruichi, Orihime
Poor Ishida's sort of in everyone's bad books right now. Even Shuuhei is more popular than him right now (which is hilarious because Shuuhei doesn't DO anything). I'm personally a Byakuya fan myself (he's in and out of everyone's bad books all the time because he's just such an ass sometimes, but I love him). I'm fond of Hitsu too, simply because he generally has a lot of sense most of the time.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 10:25 pm (UTC)They all sort of were except Zechs. Every time they'd show a little skin I'd be all "oh gawd, put some clothing on!"
...yes. XD This seems to be an issue with most Gundam series--I mean, Kira and Athrun are pretty noodly themselves.
Poor Ishida's sort of in everyone's bad books right now.
Truly told? I'd had the impression he was still reasonably looked upon, just... kind of forgotten about except by the more hardcore fans, on account of his loooong absence. ._. Then again I guess there is the whole 'sure, I'll turn my back on my friends in exchange for power' aspect. But but still. /Shuuhei/ more popular? His only action so far has been to be hot and, apparently, gifted--but then, who among the Gotei 13 isn't?
Byakuya's all right. I was never really all that intrigued by him, although the fact that he was married, and the reason for adopting Rukia, were interesting and made me look on him a little more favorably. (Plus his expression when he mused that Ichigo didn't address him with an honorific was hilarious.) I like Hitsugaya a lot, too--being such an old man in a kid's body can't be easy. Hell, I like pretty much all of the characters (with the exception of Mayuri and maybe Ryuuken; I'm reserving some judgment on Ryuuken until we see more of him.) Just that in comparison to a lot of the characters, he's fun, but he doesn't shine as much to me as some of the others.
That being said, I still think Division 10 is my favorite of the divisions, if only because of the great captain/vice-captain interaction they have going on. XD It's a lot more equal than some of the other C/VC interactions we see, and the physical disparity between the two is fun. ... I'm not sure why that last should make me like it more than, say, 11 or 8, except maybe that, as individuals, I like Hitsugaya and Matsumoto more than Kenpachi and Yachiru, or Shunsui and Nanao.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 10:49 pm (UTC)Last poll run had him at like number 9 or something with Shuuhei at number 7. It's the face tattoos and the fact that one of them is a blatant "69".
His only action so far has been to be hot and, apparently, gifted
There was also that time he got the crap kicked out of him.
I was never really all that intrigued by him
I think that has a lot to do with his personality. The very fact that his face might break if he smiles sort of puts a damper on him being endearing in any manner. He's tough though, and he's intrensically a good guy. He's loosening up a bit too. I'm left thinking anyone that repressed must have *some* qualities when the lights go out ;-p
I like Hitsugaya a lot, too--being such an old man in a kid's body can't be easy.
I get the feeling he's mentally *facepalm*ing a lot. The fact that he's half everyone's height too can't be fun. He's surprisingly observant and intelligent for one so cute.
I generally like all of them even though I want to beat Renji around the head with something a lot of the time. And I must say Ryuuken is hot, if nothing else.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 11:47 pm (UTC)All the normal-life anime has an abundance of fairly regular waitress/shopclerk/office/etc jobs.
Though even in fantasy anime, people often take waitressing jobs.