Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Morose Mononokean
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JaggedAuthor
 Posts: 981 |
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Not sure I like the limited mouth movement on the yokai. I suppose it kind of works for some of the more otherworldly ones (i.e., Boss Scree), but it didn't really suit the short-fused street merchant from the fourth episode.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Aw, I thought it added to the charm and cuteness of the big, fuzzy capybara teddy bear look. I couldn't take him seriously as a threat because he was too cute, and I think that was the point (despite the sword).
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11355 |
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Episode 5
He looked pretty dangerous when he got mad at Fuzzy getting hurt. If Abeno hadn't come along when he did to snap him out of it, it looked like he could have and might have killed the capybara with whatever power was snaking around his hand. Glad the puffball is a permanent addition now. I want to live in the Legislator's house. I also want one of these. |
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wolf10
 Posts: 905 |
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One, he's named after Ashiya Douman, and people keep picking up on that name getting dropped. Two, the beginning of the review seems to have missed that by the time Abeno got there, it was the capybara who needed saving from Ashiya, and not the other way around. The "why" is still basically unanswered, though. |
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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The way I see it, Ashiya was basically pregnant with Fuzzy, and now he's a loving mother (father?) to his beloved little yokai. Hear me out: my sister once told me that her OB/GYN described pregnancy to her as harboring a parasite "but it's a parasite we like." A fetus literally takes nutrition from its mother as it develops, leaving most expectant mothers exhausted and sick. But once the baby's born, most mothers bond with them despite that (which, considering how tough human development is after we are born, we're all very lucky for). So at least Ashiya didn't have to go through childbirth (and the "gestation" period was considerably shorter than a human's), and he's left with an adorable pet--er, coworker!
So, Ashiya has some kind of dangerous supernatural power that he isn't even aware of. Why isn't Abeno telling him about it? He's so stubborn, keeping Ashiya's abilities from him will definitely come back to bite them.both, and probably put others at risk, too. quote="Gina Szanboti"]Episode 5 I want to live in the Legislator's house.[/quote] I'd prefer to live in the Mononokean, myself. Not having to commute anywhere is a great perk, and your house can talk to you! Theory on the former Mononokean Master: He was a yokai who got stuck on Earth and killed in a manner that Abeno feels responsible for, thus his reaction to the Legislature's statement about how he doesn't think Abeno's responsible. Also, I would take everything Abeno says about the Legislature with a grain of salt. He obviously doesn't like him. I personally hope the siscon accusations are exaggerated. |
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iatheia
Posts: 130 |
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There is another theory floating about that the name of the first Master of Mononokean was also Ashiya, implying some sort of connection between them, which is why everyone gets so startled when they first hear it (from Abeno in episode one - we assumed he knew that name as his classmate, which is why he immediately dropped his objections to the exorcism, but what if there is more than that? To the Legislator - he gets a pensive look, and Abeno immediately follows saying that there was a reason he hired him.)
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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Can people posting spoilers please put spoiler tags on them? I don't want to hear about rumors put forth by people who've read the manga etc, and information we'll find out later in the anime.
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iatheia
Posts: 130 |
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a) they are not spoilers, just speculations, b) they are based only on the information the episodes have already covered
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CrowLia
 Posts: 5505 Location: Mexico |
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Did anyone actually assume that? I was pretty sure everyone had drawn the connection between Abeno/Abe no Seimei and Ashiya/Ashiya Douman. At least I'm pretty sure Japanese viewers were expected to. Honestly my money is on Hanae being a descendant of Douman (and Itsuki of Seimei), which is where his "dangerous" aura -and probably some sort of dark magic power ha hasn't discovered yet- come from |
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iatheia
Posts: 130 |
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I wouldn't necessarily assume that the out-universe stuff applies to the in-universe stuff. As such, so far there is no indication that these people even existed in the world that is portrayed in this series. Sure, this is where the author came up with these specific names, and most of the audience is probably in on the reference, but it isn't exactly an uncommon thing to do in the stories featuring spirits, often just replacing them (particularly if the story is not set in the Heian era) rather than directly building on them existing in real life. I love stories of reincarnation and far removed ancestry as much as any other person, but I sincerely doubt that this is the exact direction in which they will go.
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Jellooo
Posts: 3 |
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spoiler[It's because no one is aware of his dormant powers. His power that no one is aware of is not what makes him dangerous as to what they are referring him to. The revelation of him being dangerous can be known in the latest chapter of the manga.] |
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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^I think my analogy works no matter why Fuzzy specifically targeted Ashiya. I'm using pregnancy as an analogy to explain how Ashiya can be so emotionally attached to a creature that literally sucked the life out of him for weeks on end--every mom does that! And since I personally love pregnancy & childbirth stories, I think it's absolutely adorable that Ashiya is so parental towards Fuzzy. Bringing the analogy a little bit further, this is as close to a domestic BL/yaoi MPreg/domestic story as we're probably ever gonna see in a relatively mainstream anime.
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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Judging by what the Legislator said to Abeno before he left, i'my guessing that something happened to the previous Master which Abeno blames himself for. So I don't think he literally killed him, but he most likely didn't die of old age either (and from all we know, he probably was a youkai). I really like this show, i'my a big Natsume fan, so this is a nice way to pass the time until the new season. 
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I think Ashiya and Abeno's argument in episode 6 was supposed to illustrate how Abeno's practice of being guarded from not only yokai (by keeping his true identity as a human from them), but from humans, by keeping the existence of yokai from his fellow humans unless he is explicitly sure they can see yokai, too (which means he doesn't open up to very many people at all). I got the impression that his guardedness stems from a deep trauma, possibly related to telling people about yokai in the past and being disbelieved or even treated with suspicion. Abeno seems to care more about yokai than humans, and he feels he can't get close to people of either species, which makes for a very lonely and uptight life. Ashiya is forcing him to question that and change his stance on human/yokai connections, his role as mediator between them, and his ability to open up to people--yokai and human alike. I'm looking forward to where this is going.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11355 |
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Episode 6
Ok, now I'm not sure whether the writers intended for us to wonder about Manjiro's relationship to the ring until the end as Rose did, or not, because to me it was obvious from the beginning that the spirit haunting the ring was her husband, even before they went to meet him. What hadn't occurred to me was that returning the ring would be a problem.
I also think that Ashiya's ability to locate metals (or jewelry and scissors?  ) is going to be important. The writing so far makes me believe they wouldn't stoop to such a deus ex just to move things along.
The old woman was so expertly characterized that she made the most of her brief screen time. Her laughter and Manjiro's happy face tugged my heartstrings just fine. But since they didn't exorcise him yet, I suspect they'll get another shot next week at those who remained unmoved. I don't see any slump here. From where I'm sitting, Mononokean is still sailing smoothly along. |
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