03.21
It's so epic until you realize the Honnouji logo looks a bit like Goatse.
This week, we get spectacle and joy raining down for the penultimate episode. In all honesty, I’m finding it hard to talk about the series when the episodes are like this. I wish I knew how to discuss anime fights better. Like I can describe the final fight in Fate/Zero as a battle of attrition where both opponents are at their peak. That’s something. But here, I’m perplexed. It’s a fight where both sides pull out everything they have previously used for a showdown, with guys like the Tennis Club President coming back for a brawl. It’s a clash where little is held back, up until Shinra-Kotetsu is unveiled.
I like how Shinra-Kotetsu is a giant wedding gown. Where the Kamuis are outfits that reveal skin and stylize their fabric as spiky and jagged, this outfit looks so elegant. It’s the ultimatum of what Ragyo’s been planning for the entire world, by presenting an outfit that reveals less than a nun outfit. And by looking so heavenly in its design, it gains a few inevitable comparisons to Final Fantasy, especially with Shinra in the name. The dress is akin to how the final bosses in those games like Kefka take angelic forms before striking down the heroes, to make the final fight seem like the main characters are up against the Gods themselves. Like after all these fights, Ryuko’s up against a holy mother who wants to throw her back into the spiritual womb.
And the religious allegory gets laid on thick with “In Heaven’s Stead, I Smite Clothing” and the 999-Mount Emergency Rescue Motion Device (turn the number upside down). This all plays off like a Twilight of the Gods scenario, where a victory from either side will change the fate of the world. But that gets intertwined with the silly scenes, where Mako eats her mom’s croquettes in order to gain energy. While it undermines the bravado from action, it also puts the show in perspective. Even putting the characters in world-threatening circumstances, Trigger wants to remind that it’s still a goofy series. It’s all for fun, in contrast to the fans who keep expecting the entire cast to come to grips with Mako’s death or something tragic like that.
Speaking of people who think the show is something it’s not, Foggle gave me an idea for how Ragyo symbolizes the critics of the series who complain about perceived vulgarity from all the costumes. After all, Ragyo’s plan to cover the world with life fibers sounds a tad similar to viewers wishing for Ryuko to wear a less-revealing outfit. While that’s understandable, it means forcing the characters to wear something against their ideal. I know there could be a balance in making sure Senketsu fully covers Ryuko’s chest, but that’s too subtle to hit home Trigger’s message. Subtlety is the last thing this show comprehends, preferring to slam its ideas through your skull with the force of an H-bomb. Ryuko’s outfit is unsubtle because the show’s direction is unsubtle. Otherwise, you would have a regular action show that goes for mediocrity instead of absurdity.
Off track but still related to the episode, I also appreciated how this episode closed off Sanageyama’s arc in a sense. He’s finally let all inhibitions go, being able to see while also serving as a prime warrior. He even drinks tea with Satsuki like he promised all those months ago, and that was neat how they had time to give him some decent closure before the finale. After a while of being treated like the chew toy of the show, seldom getting a decent hit before being mocked by someone like Harime, Sanageyama finally gets a chance to shine.