Forum - View topicREVIEW: Maria the Virgin Witch BD+DVD
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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I enjoyed Maria a lot at the time. That said, for as good as it was, my main memory is how the final two episodes pretty much went full derp in trying to pull a Disney style happy ever after ending out of its arse.
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jroa
Posts: 537 |
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On the contrary, I thought the ending was a good conclusion to the themes of the show as well as a valid resolution to the personal challenges the characters had faced. Nobody can hope to end all war by him/herself, but it's still worth fighting for peace, with or without magic, and enjoying life along with those who are dear to you.
So I really don't share any sort of excessively cynical stance towards the ending, neither personally nor intellectually. Not everything needs to end in either open tragedy or Warhammer 40k-style endless hell. |
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maximilianjenus
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My favorite part was when the apparently fantic priest, is hinted to actually be a very utilitarian man, when it's implied that to make the world a ebtter place he is not limited to use persons but even religion.
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Parsifal24
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I really enjoyed until the theory about making Maria powerless that I they would never do spoiler[i.e. rape or threaten the heroine with rape] is what they actually did in episode nine. That made me drop it and never pick it up.
Last edited by Parsifal24 on Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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jroa
Posts: 537 |
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It's actually episode nine. I can't force you to finish the show, because every person will have his or her own perspective about such matters, but I will say that the entire topic was ultimately handled in a far better way than that description suggests. Better than many other anime that have dealt with the subject. I think Gabriella Ekens put it best in her review of said episode. |
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Chocoreto
Posts: 105 |
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A day will come when ANN will stop trying to promote Maria (and Izetta) like crazy.
Alas, it is not this day. |
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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That's not my issue at all. To be specific: 1. When Maria gets her powers back, it's because spoiler[the guy she likes asks her to marry him] 2. To get around Ezekiel being punished by Michael, they spoiler[force impregnate Maria with Ezekiel's spirit so she can give birth to her at some future date] 3. While Bernard deserved to be punished for his sins, they chose to have Michael do so spoiler[ just at the point where he in effect develops humanism after his exchange with Maria & burn his treatise on the subject for good measure] 4. Despite most of the show being about women defying conservative gender roles & expectations in various ways, it in effect ends with spoiler[Maria going off to live the good life as a good wife.]] Yay! |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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A day might also come when some users decide to simply ignore titles that do not interest them instead of baiting discussions with pointless comments that serve no purpose.. Alas, it is not this day. |
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jroa
Posts: 537 |
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That's part of the sequence of events, but I would say the interpretation may not be quite correct. spoiler[ There are a small number of scenes sprinkled throughout the series which indicate that the power of belief, including belief in oneself, is what truly fuels magic in this world. Finding Joseph and saving him simply gave Maria back her self-confidence in more ways than one. Therefore, it's neither illogical nor entirely arbitrary.]
Once again, I disagree with your interpretation. spoiler[Rather than a matter of blunt punishment, it's more about formally recognizing what has already happened in practice. Ezekiel clearly no longer wants to be just an angel, so actually giving her a chance to be human is ultimately more of a reward than a limitation. In fact, she has earned the genuine friendship, to put it lightly, of Maria and the others. They're quite close now and Maria herself realized this pretty quickly. I think you're reaching by assuming that there was an instant impregnation too. It'll happen when it happens, simply with the baby effectively having Ezekiel's soul. Maria clearly loves Joseph. Furthermore, she has remained true to her ideals, with or without magic. That's arguably the most important part, nor her physical virginity, and her role in the world was explicitly not rejected.]
Yet another difference in our views here. spoiler[Based on how the narrative was framed, right from the first or second episode...it appears that at least one copy of Bernard's scroll may have survived. Probably never became widespread knowledge though.]
I'd say there are several women among the audience, including the weekly reviewer on this very website, that don't necessarily share your understanding of gender roles...nor your portrayal of the ending either. spoiler[ One, Maria has not given up her beliefs and will continue working towards them. Once again, that goes beyond having magic or not. Two, that's not incompatible with being able to share a life with those she loves. You're also assuming that she will be automatically subservient to Joseph and not in an equal partnership.] Last edited by jroa on Thu Dec 08, 2016 12:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Spike Terra
 Subscriber Posts: 358 Location: Maryland |
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I loved this series, it was my high point of Winter 2015. I ended up buying the blu-rays but I haven't watched them yet. I'm a little sad that they didn't try to french up the dub as much as possible.
I think the aspect of this show that appeals to me the most is their approach concerning Christianity. Most Japanese media that I have seen tends to either use Christianity as nice window dressing or the root of all evil (thanks megaten). While not an extensive look into the religion, I found it refreshing to see a show that researched the inner workings of the Church as well as highlighted some of the principled themes of Christianity such as loving thy neighbor or forgiving those who have wronged you (granted these are values shared by most people with a moral compass and not just exclusive to one religion). My favorite moment in Maria occurs in the last episode. spoiler[It's when you see Michael laugh after Maria tells him that she is willing to forgive God. ] It was a very humanizing moment for him and it was also the moment where I realized that Michael was my favorite character. While the central antagonist of the series, I never saw Micheal as a villain. I always saw him as a soldier who always wanted to preserve the public order at all costs but also having a general curiosity for the ways of men. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yeah, a lot of things in the series - especially why Maria is regarded as being more powerful than the other witches - make more sense with this interpretation. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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 Well put. Ya gotta love how "providing a review of" has now become synonymous with "promoting like crazy" in the ... "minds" ... of some people.
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Lactobacillus yogurti
 Posts: 845 Location: Latin America |
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Maria, promoted nonstop? I guess I've been living under a rock, because I barely remember anyone saying much about this series (especially when everyone was raving over that year's hit series... Can't remember which one, though).
It was a pretty good story, and I'm glad to see Theron giving a good review of it. |
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Nitsugalego
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To be honest, the reviews do feel a little biased... The reason is pretty obvious, so I probably don't need to tell you why.spoiler[ I wonder if I'm gonna get banned for saying this.] |
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Eldritcho
 Posts: 260 |
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You clearly weren't here last year, then. ANN was probably the only site which talked about this show past the first episode, and the discussions could get pretty heated. By comparison, even /a/ didn't talk about this series as much, and they'll talk about anything with cute girls in it! I wouldnt say ANN is necessarily "pushing" the series, but it did receive what felt like a disproportionate level of promotion while it was still running, as it seems to be a favorite among the ANN staff. |
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