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OTAKU_DUSK
May 9, 2012
Via crunchyroll.com,
I started watching a few I wonder about the title "Dusk
episodes of "Dusk Maiden Maiden"... Might the original
of Amnesia", and was Japanese be more like "Autumn"
initially disappointed at (the opening visuals show the
it being such an obvious ghost dancing in a classroom
rip-off of "The Melancoly carpeted with autumnal leaves).
of Haruhi Suzimiya". You might feel that "Autumn" or
"Autumnal" sounded awkward-- and
"Fall Maiden" has some funny
double meanings ("fallen maiden"?).
MELANCOLY
The bossy, magical girl (in this case, SPOLILERS
she's a ghost), who forms a school club
(a paranormal investigation society) and
cajoles the reluctant (for no apparent The ghost does some heavy
reason) male main character into going flirtation that he's very
along with her... disconcerted by (again for no
apparent reason, except maybe
The third player is a bumbling hey, she's dead).
young girl who, though she can't
see the ghost at all, takes the
investigations seriously. She
also seems enamored of the male
main character...
None of this looks very
promising at this stage: a
ghost that can't remember
how she died and is becoming
interested in finding out, a
romantic triangle with
little to keep it stable I can't possibly be the only
throughout the series. one who finds it a strange
convention: the shy young
teenage boy that runs away
from sexual situations.
It doesn't take a lot of
this before the entire
audience starts holding
up "JFH" signs.
Despite the similarites to "Haruhi",
I held off on judging "Dusk Maiden"
too harshly:
In this realm there's always an
original that's been imitated, to
the point where it's hard to say
what was original, anywhere, ever.
And really, it wasn't *so* badly done:
the artwork was decent, the timing
of jokes was tight enough, the j-pop
theme listenable.
And then in the third episode,
they nail it, they introduce a
fourth character, and raise an
entirely new issue: the ghost's Myself, I wonder about the
appearance changes radically, mental age of the ghost: she
reflecting the fears of the looks like a young girl,
observer... so what is her true but she's had half-a-century
nature? to watch human interaction,
to eavesdrop on classes, etc.
It's possible that the old stories going Did she really spend
around the school about a ghost that tries half-a-century
to lure you into the underworld are correct without speaking to
on some level, and her heavy-handed anyone? How did she
flirtation is the attack-mode of a stay sane?
succubus. (Dangerbaby likes that theory.)
Or is "being dead"
Or it could be that the ghost's behavior all about stasis,
is entirely as she represents it: it's been in which case how
decades since she met anyone who could can she remember
see and touch her, why wouldn't she be what was said the
enthusiastic about meeting a boy who can? day before?
Then the theme is the way an individual's
perception can be poisoned by someone
else's opinion. (I like this theory.)
I wouldn't be surprised if this
element of ambiguity has been used
before in other ghost stories, but
it's a new addition in this
setting, a deviation from the
(watered-down) Haruhi Suzimiya
formula they'd been following.
Now this, to me, Just Worked,
and from the middle of that episode Though it could be if
I could see how it would work: I knew my way around
j-ghosts better it
The main character would all just seem
conquers his fears, and like more cliches to me.
learns to see the ghost
as a beautiful young
woman again; the hostile
young relative with the
dark suspicions is
recruited into the club;
And yes: both shoes
drop by the end of Myself, I would have
the third episode. them explain to the
young investigator
that there's really a
Now that the ghost has a ghost on the scene,
scary aspect, they can play but I suspect, as per
that up periodically to the Haruhi formula,
rationalize why the male main they won't be able
character tries to keep his to resist keeping that
distance. no-brainer generator
of dumb jokes.
And they're all set
for the traditional Not that they need
"harem" scenario, any help coming up
a grouping where all with dumb jokes,
the women are focused not with gigundo
on the one male. ghost tits to play
with.
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