doubleaspectrum

[doubleaspectrum]

Something I’m trying to do is get into the horror genre. I’m having a nice time doing that; it exposes me to good and so-bad-it’s-good movies, and it works well as something to analyze when determining success or failure of writing and tropes.

Something about it that I’ve gotten attached to is the Final Girl trope. The sole female survivor who becomes responsible for killing or escaping from the villain in the end. Since I am an action fan, I can never deny the rush of a scared underdog claiming the advantage against the embodiment of pure evil. But my “horror movies are action movies in reverse” thesis can wait for another day.

I’m here for the analysis of the Final Girl herself.

When I think about what it takes to be a Final Girl, I tend towards thinking about the ones that defeat the villain and the reasons they pull it off.

What comes to mind is that most Final Girls tend to be clever. When you’re up against someone impossible to fight head-on, cleverness becomes a necessity; ambush tactics, trap setting, psychological warfare, improvised weapons, nothing is off the table for beating the villain. The key phrase I want you to notice is “nothing is off the table.”

Which leads into the next point, the Final Girl needs to be vicious to face the main villain. This can be to an equal or a greater extent when compared to a slasher. Those cheesy long-running horror franchises show that you’ve only beaten the slasher when he stays dead; and to stay dead, he has to be dead. A Final Girl who finishes off the villain doesn’t have the luxury of contemplating sparing the monster, otherwise they’ll reclaim the advantage and continue killing, starting anew with her.

All of this ties to why the Final Girl beats the slasher, but not why the Final Girl beats the slasher.

For those older movies, a trend is set where the victims who die first are bad in some way. As mentioned in Randy Meeks’ ruleset from Scream 1, they’re either promiscuous or they consume drugs or alcohol. By contrast, the Final Girl abstains from all three and is thus clean of body and soul. It very much embraces Black-and-White Morality as a survival system where the purest of heart end up surviving.

I work this understanding into a Foil system where a slasher embodies pure evil while a Final Girl embodies pure good, which I see as adding some more overarching stakes to their conflict, final battle, and status as arch-enemies. For a better understanding of my view, it’s akin to Nagito Komeada’s philosophy on Hope and Despair. Despair rises so that Hope can rise to conquer Despair and become all the stronger for it.

For those of you wondering how a pure good character can embrace viciousness and still be pure good, it makes me happy to know you’re paying attention. The truth is that such a thing makes no sense whatsoever; it’s paradoxical.

Where it all comes together is that this concept already existed before horror films. Heroes who are pure good in personality and choices while also being so unrepentantly ballsy that they don’t blink at decapitating an enemy. The concept? Arthurian Knights.

A good reference for what I’m talking about would be this video from FOBEquestria. Its narration is “The Necessity of Chivalry” by C.S. Lewis and it describes the concept well.

Admittedly, I prefer Galahad over Lancelot, but that’s not the point here.

The point is that a Final Girl can stand as an example of Arthurian Chivalry, being the purest good against the purest evil and fighting like hell to end it (hopefully for good).

It’s like the essay was saying, the Final Girl’s goodness ultimately stands out from the crowd. It almost expands the concept of being the villain’s Foil to being everyone’s Foil. It is because of that unique nature that they become the only one who can end (whether temporarily or permanently) the threat.

The only thing that’s missing is artwork of prominent Final Girls as Knights of the Round Table. Believe me, I checked.

Yes, that is an open invitation. I shared the idea with my little brother, and he added the idea that they should carry their iconic weapons.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 13 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

To Episode 8 Review.

To Episode 9 Review.

To Episode 10 Review.

To Episode 11 Review.

To Episode 12 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 13: Haruhi in Wonderland!

Have I Seen This Before?

No.

A Recap:

We open to a flashback showing Haruhi at an entrance interview for attending Ouran High School. After highlighting once again that Haruhi is self-sufficient, the scene transitions into a dream.

Haruhi’s mind takes her on a journey using the contents of previous episodes and imagining her friends as characters from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.”

Highlights of this journey includes: some Looney Tunes shenanigans with banana peels, an escape from alligators in a pool of tears, the forever-goth Umehito turning into a baby, Renge adopting a freshly babied Umehito, Anayokoji lamenting that she’s always the villain, a slightly less freshly babied Umehito turning into a cat doll, a set of twins having their “teleporting” magic trick fail, and a tea party where this show’s greatest mystery is almost revealed (thanks for nothing Tamaki).

Everything comes to a head when it gets revealed that Renge is on trial in the royal court for abandoning her cat-doll-child. Haruhi volunteers as Renge’s lawyer and defends Renge by claiming that a child can understand when a parent has to leave for work. The dream then starts expressing self-awareness as the prior cast members point out that Haruhi recognized the characters as her friends, even though the episode’s context should prevent that kind of recognition.

The trial ends with the reveal that the king and queen of Wonderland are Haruhi’s parents, with Haruhi being stunned to see her dead mother. The mother apologizes for not being present and asks Haruhi to enjoy her life. Haruhi then wakes up in the clubroom before she can hug her mother.

The episode ends with the reveal that the club members are dressing up as Alice in Wonderland characters, with Haruhi noting that reality is not that different from her dreams.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Haruhi.

While this episode didn’t cover any new aspects of her character, I did find a few points to analyze regarding her dream.

For a starting point, as the ending of the dream highlighted, Haruhi knows her friends well. Each dream character was an accurate depiction of their real-life counterpart. This shows that all the time Haruhi has spent with her peers is important to her character; she knows them well enough to accurately re-create them in her mind. This is good from a writing standpoint as it makes all the past events relevant to Haruhi.

Speaking of making past events relevant, the fact that her mind conjured images from past episode strengthens the continuity by guaranteeing that nothing prior to this episode is a one-off to write off. A good way to put it is that Haruhi’s dream rewards the viewer for seeing the past episodes.

Another point involves the pool scene amongst the highlights in Haruhi’s journey. After analyzing that scene, I realized that it can be seen as proof that Haruhi has been traumatized by water. That scene begins with Haruhi falling into the pool from a great height; I found that it resembled the scene in Episode 8 when Haruhi was almost murdered by being thrown of a cliff and into the ocean. There’s also the matter of the alligators that show up, with their basis being the memory of the alligator attack on the club from Episode 7.

When I remember the above two points and recall that Haruhi had faced bullying in Episode 1 (with her belongings being thrown into a fountain), I find that the dream is a good reflection on how every bad point in Haruhi’s school life is tied to water. I rather like the idea that Haruhi develops thalassophobia over the course of the show.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

I pointed out above that Haruhi’s dream stands as evidence that she knows her clubmates well, and that it strengthens the show’s continuity. So, the answer is: Haruhi and the rest of the club.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Something I find funny is the argument that there is only one character present for most of the episode. That character being Haruhi.

Since everything else is her dream, it means she never interacted with the other cast members, only herself.

Aside from that obscure philosophy session, I have nothing meaningful to complain about with the cast.

The only gripe I’d have is that Tamaki interrupted Haruhi before she could answer the question about why she wanted to attend Ouran High. But that’s less a writing problem and more me being annoyed with his usual antics. After all, it’s in-character of Tamaki to create three minor problems whilst he solves one major problem.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None of them. Again, there only one character throughout most of the episode and she’s showing that she understands the people in her life to a great degree. There’s not much I can comment on with that.

How is the Conflict?

There doesn’t feel like much in terms of conflict when anything that can generate turmoil is rendered moot quickly.

The trial being about a mother abandoning a child could have some power if it was meant to imply that Haruhi has any ambivalence to the absence of her mother. However, Haruhi has made it clear that there is no ambivalence and she loves her mother unconditionally.

The tea party scene has Tamaki question Haruhi on if she intends to have any fun in her high school years. This could have had some power if Haruhi was at odds with the club’s silliness. However, Haruhi has long since adapted to being part of the club, so there’s no ideological conflict about school being fun or serious anymore.

The dream itself could have also had power as an avenue to show if Haruhi has anything she dislikes about herself. However, the dream has only reinforced the image of Haruhi’s pre-existing self-assurance.

Overall, there’s no inner or outer fights to generate drama. It’s fitting for an episode that’s a long set of goofy shenanigans, but it doesn’t feel as meaningful.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

Unique take on the Recap Episode:

Most anime pulls out what tropers call the Recap Episode when it reaches the halfway point. They aren’t that interesting considering that they’re a retelling of events the audience has already seen. But this episode takes that concept and makes it interesting.

As I’ve said before, Haruhi’s mind conjures up objects and people from the past episodes and it strengthens the continuity because it proves that these events and people are important enough for Haruhi to remember in her dream.

I also see it as more of a bonus that rewards the viewer for seeing the past episodes, since they are being trusted to remember everything and to know why it’s all important now.

A harsher way to put it would be that this episode is expecting the viewer to be smart enough to remember everything they’ve seen. I can appreciate that the show is making a point not to treat its viewers like idiots.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

This episode works as an example of making continuity work.

As I kept stating, we can see that all prior episodes matter because Haruhi remembers them and they show relevance in the dream world.

Now, I’m not saying that every character should dream up their past, but the writer has to show that the past matters. Having characters remember past events is key to making the totality of a story matter; because if it matters to the cast, then it matters period.

In short, show that your characters remember what they’ve been through. But do not make it a retelling of the past stories. Your audience is smart enough to remember what already happened, and they won’t be impressed with the old materials being recycled with no alterations.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 12 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

To Episode 8 Review.

To Episode 9 Review.

To Episode 10 Review.

To Episode 11 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 12: Honey’s Three Bitter Days!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope.

A Recap:

Following their formation of the “I love Haruhi and am also stupid” subsection of the Host Club, the twins and Tamaki create easily resolvable and preventable shenanigans with their bad decisions. Specifically, they stain Honey’s plush toy Usa with tea and spend most of their time cowering in fear of an angry top-level marital artist. Fortunately, Mori is there to keep them from feeling the consequences of their actions.

Some time later, Honey develops a cavity due to his unhealthy eating habits and the Host Club enforces a ban on sweets until Honey recovers. Don’t ask me why they didn’t send Honey to a dentist, because I don’t know. In an attempt to subvert the ban, Honey begins to lie, manipulate, and guilt-trip his peers and clientele, but his tactics fail every time.

On two sidenotes, Renge has taken over the peanut gallery and Mori is dealing with a romantic subplot.

Everything comes to a head when Honey starts lashing out and attacks Mori. After Honey leaves, Haruhi deduces that Mori was riling Honey up as a form of self-punishment; Mori confirms this and admits that he feels responsible for Honey’s cavity because he forgot to remind Honey to brush his teeth. Fortunately for Mori, Honey overhears everything, apologizes for the attack, and promising to be more careful with his oral hygiene.

The episode ends with the romantic subplot being resolved when the girl crushing on Mori joins Renge’s peanut gallery.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Honey.

It shown right at the start with the idiot trio’s fears about Honey that this episode is meant to be about exploring more about Honey as a person. One of the best ways they did this is by making Honey the antagonist of this episode.

Bear in mind, I’m not saying that Honey is evil. In terms of writing, the Host Club carries the protagonist role because they have a well-intentioned goal that they strive towards, while Honey carries the antagonist role because he attempts to subvert the goal for selfish reasons. I can see an argument being made that Honey is the villain of this episode, as long as it’s being acknowledged that Honey is not evil.

Making Honey the antagonist was a good decision because we got to see what kind of person he is when he opposes the Host Club; and he is someone who proved every concern that Tamaki and the twins had about him to be correct.

Case in point, the three idiots were afraid that upsetting Honey could cause him to throw a tantrum and resort to violence against his peers. Honey proves this concern to be correct when he attacked Tamaki’s teddy bear to express his frustration, attacked Tamaki without provocation, and attacked Mori out of frustration.

As another point, the trio of lovesick morons also put Honey and Kyoya on a comparative level, and Honey proves those concerns correct too. Over the course of the episode, Honey lies to Mori, manipulates the club’s clientele, and guilt-trips Haruhi in an attempt to get the sweets that the club is denying him.

Another way to summarize what happened with Honey is that he validated the bully image that Renge gave him in Episode 4. He showed that he’s not above violence or emotional blackmail when he doesn’t get what he wants.

As a matter of fact, seeing Honey’s capacity for manipulation, dishonesty, and violence made me think that his character comes with an inherent dilemma; because the idiots were right, Honey is dangerous. Moreover, he’s not above using his martial arts expertise when angered, so the Host Club is less trusting of him and more afraid of him. The question this leaves is, “Can Honey be trusted?” Is he the Host Club’s most precious ally? Or is he a time bomb waiting to go off? The idiot trio certainly think that latter, while the episode’s ending suggests the former.

Any concerns I have with Honey are settled since he apologized to Mori. Maybe Honey should give Tamaki lessons, he certainly showed how easy it was to recognize being in the wrong and say, “I’m sorry.”

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

I’m torn between Honey’s relationship with Mori, and Honey’s relationship with the greater Host Club.

Honey and Mori:

There are three areas of focus with this episode which are shown as the episode starts, continues, and ends.

First, the beginning of the episode demonstrated that Mori is a key part of keeping Honey from destroying the Host Club. He was aware of how to defuse the situation with Honey when Haruhi’s love interests started causing trouble. Most importantly, Honey listened to Mori and calmed down right away. This suggests a relationship akin to a grenade and the pin. If Honey is a bomb, Mori is the reason the bomb doesn’t explode.

Second, as the episode carried on and Mori enforced the sweets ban, the relationship started to take on the image of a misbehaving child and an ever-patient parent. The best examples of this involved Honey’s attempts to smuggle sweets into the club, and his attempt to lie about being cured. On both accounts, Mori knew Honey was lying but never made the direct accusation. Instead, Mori played into the lie and physically acted to prevent Honey’s schemes from working.

The last area of focus was after Mori admitted to his self-punishment by earning Honey’s ire. Mori admits that he worries about Honey constantly and sees himself as the problem if Honey goes through anything difficult. It’s an unreasonable amount of pressure, but it’s clear that Mori takes on that self-made pressure out of love for Honey. Honey himself was clearly touched to know that Mori loves him that much.

Honey and the Rest of the Club:

With the exception of Mori and Haruhi, this episode suggested that the rest of the club operates under the assumption that Honey could betray and brutalize them at any given moment. In other words, most of the Club doesn’t trust Honey, they’re scared of him.

With Tamaki and the twins, they made it clear that they expected Honey to rearrange their skeletal structure after the ordeal with Usa. Given the contents of this episode, it’s suggested that our three airheads were right to be afraid, since Honey isn’t above attacking his friends when angered.

The case is more subtle with Kyoya but I believe he’s scared of Honey too. This interpretation would explain why Kyoya doesn’t remove the money sink that is Honey’s snacks. This interpretation also adds another dimension to Kyoya’s episode-wide happiness; not only did he not have to buy Honey any snacks, he was clear from any retaliation since Mori enforced the ban.

As of the end of this episode, it seems that Haruhi and Mori are still the only ones not actively afraid of Honey. This could make for a good spot of drama in a follow-up episode.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Renge.

Renge wasn’t just being annoying, she was unnecessary!

As I said in the recap, Renge’s role was a narrator in the peanut gallery. This only functioned to add humour, but it wasn’t funny at all. Every time she showed up, I just wanted her to leave.

To make things worse, Renge’s peanut gallery routine is the only reason the romantic subplot exists, and I hated the romantic subplot (I’ll explain later), so this whole routine isn’t doing me any favours.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Nothing comes to mind here.

How is the Conflict?

If I look at the Conflict’s content, it all seems petty. It really was just a misbehaving child not listening to the authority figures looking out for them.

However, the drama of the Conflict was everything.

This episode carried the question of what Honey could do to the club if he used his powers for evil, and it left some chilling answers. Honey is capable of lashing out, hurting others, disregarding his capacity for harm, and even stooping to emotional manipulation. Honey could be a terrifying opponent if he had a reason to oppose his peers.

Moreover, Mori was important to the Conflict because we got a view of the emotional effect Honey has on him. This conflict was important to him because Honey’s friendship is important to him. This conflict wasn’t just about if the Host Club could fall, it was about if Mori could lose his will to live.

Honey has too much power, and it’s scary how it could be misused.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

The Romantic Subplot:

I hated it.

When the subplot first showed up, I was wary of the girl talking to Mori. The language she used made me very uncomfortable. For instance, “I need you to accept my feelings.” I didn’t like seeing that because it suggests less that she cares about if Mori reciprocates and more about if he’ll indulge her. That’s a pretty selfish way to go about starting a relationship.

Moreover, I inferred from that sentence that the girl had already confessed and was turned down. If she’s being persistent when already turned down, then I’m worried for Mori’s safety. No means no, end of story.

 There was also the part of her asking if Mori’s refusal to accept was if he had someone else. That’s a really narrow-minded and narcissistic view of the whole thing! It suggests that she can’t comprehend that Mori would say no out of a lack of attraction to her, and it enforces an amatonormative image onto the whole ordeal! Speaking as a biased asexual, I’m not happy with that.

There’s one last reason I hate this subplot. That reason being IT WAS COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS! The whole thing amounted to a joke where the girl joined Renge’s peanut gallery and cooed over the homosexual subtext between Honey and Mori! That’s all it was! A joke! Nothing meant anything here!

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

This episode was a good demonstration of using how the character is perceived to expand their characterization and create drama. This episode did this using Honey. Instead of viewing him as the cutesy child as per usual, it changed the view of Honey by making him technically the villain. And by using the villain role, I got a more three-dimensional view of Honey as a person and even got to ask some interesting questions about the structure of the Host Club.

So, the lesson here is to consider how the characters view each other, and lean into a viewpoint that is valid and suggests a different side to the character.

Or to pull a simpler variation, try to imagine the hero as a villain in a different character’s point of view. It could make for a revelatory view of an existing relationship or the hero’s characterization.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 11 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

To Episode 8 Review.

To Episode 9 Review.

To Episode 10 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 11: Big Brother is a Prince!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope.

A Recap:

Kirimi Nekozawa comes to the Host Club looking for her older brother and finds the Host Club instead. Kirimi lets her inner nerd shine and proceeds to mistake Tamaki for her older brother Umehito Nekozawa since they are superficially identical when Umehito isn’t gothing it up.

It is then revealed that Umehito was born with an inner goth so stubborn that he’s can’t stand in direct sunlight, and that Kirimi is afraid of the dark. Since these issues keep the siblings from forming a meaningful connection, Tamaki decides to call in Renge to change Umehito’s character, even though Renge’s methods never work.

True to form, Renge’s methods fail and the Host Club prove unable to change Umehito’s inner goth. However, Umehito manages to secure a win for himself when he jumps out of a window to protect his sister from a cat before collapsing in the sunlight.

The episode ends with the Host Club accepting that they lost this one, but with a reveal that Kirimi accepted Umehito, darkness and all, because she can trust him to go to bat for her.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

For once, it’s not the Host Club members. It’s Umehito Nekozawa.

I’ll admit to having forgotten that he existed before, but with the reveal of his backstory and his issues being central to the episode I can say that’s he’s well-established as a member of Ouran lore.

General points aside, it was nice to see some depth be added to his character. Giving him a beloved little sister, a reason for his nature, and still letting him keep his occult interests makes him feel less like a joke and more like a human being.

I’ll admit that if he doesn’t pop in every now and again, I’ll likely forget he exists. However, with the focus he got here, I feel that this episode managed to do him some justice.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

There’s only one relationship in focus here. It’s between the Nekozawa siblings.

I’ll admit that the relationship feels really goofy because it felt like this episode was running with an extra nerd factor. On one side, a mega goth and on the other a tiny nerd who’s afraid of the dark. I can’t look at the basics too seriously and not say that it feels too nerdy.

Goofiness aside, it does capture the drama and glory of siblinghood very well, especially on Umehito’s end. As the older sibling, Umehito is called to be something of a hero to Kirimi and he fails at it until the end.  When the twins said that Umehito should have been making the effort for Kirimi instead of expecting the effort from her, they were right. Fortunately, Umehito spends the episode making up for his failures.

Umehito proved himself to be a good older sibling when he showed how well he knows Kirmi and how seriously he’ll take her opinions. Others would have called Kirimi melodramatic for having a fear of animals since that the cat she encountered didn’t seem violent, but Umehito took his little sister’s fears seriously and didn’t hesitate to take action. That is very much the ideal image of an older brother, and I’m rather proud of him for taking up that image.

I feel that the happy ending between them was both heartwarming and well-earned. Umehito put in the effort to be the good brother he wanted to be while Kirimi was honorable enough to recognize this effort and respect her brother for making it.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

The Host Club.

Interestingly enough, I don’t consider their failure to be a bad thing. It’s humanizing to see that the Host Club can’t get all of the answers and solve every problem they come across. However, this comes at a cost. Since their contributions to the solution was negligible, I’m left wondering if they even needed to be in this episode.

The only thing they offer in terms of the plot is Tamaki’s superficial resemblance to Umehito and the whole character change shenanigans, but that’s it. And it’s worth clarifying that the character change shenanigans did nothing in the end.

When I look at the general story, the Host Club feels more like a collection of background characters that are trying (and failing) to be main characters. This isn’t a bad thing, but it makes them feel unimportant to the episode’s narrative. It’s something of a double-edged sword and I’m not sure what to feel about it.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Again, there was only one relationship to focus on, and it was written well. I have no complaint with anyone else.

How is the Conflict?

Silly, but nice.

As I stated before, this episode seems to take an extra nerd factor with Kirimi and Umehito’s problems and their characters, this can make their problem hard to take seriously. However, there’s still some good elements that the conflict managed to pull off.

First of all, bringing Renge into the Conflict was a good idea. The nerd factor works as a theme and bringing a nerd in to help and treating it like an extreme measure fits with that theme. The “extreme measure” aspect is helped with Renge’s character being an extreme type of person.

Another good thing about bringing Renge into the Conflict is that her methods fail like they usually do. In her debut, it was established that her methods are extreme, unreliable, dehumanizing, and nobody likes going through them. Keeping that consistency also reinforces the idea that it’s bad to treat people like manga characters.

The second element that was good is the Host Club failing to help in any way. When Tamaki took on the mission of helping the siblings, I was getting the sense that such a problem is beyond the Club’s capacities.

Whether Umehito’s problems with sunlight are a physical or mental condition, I couldn’t see any way the Host Club could cure it; especially since Umehito’s family is rich and had already tried to help him themselves. It’s humanizing to acknowledge that just because the Host Club is good at problem-solving doesn’t mean they can solve every problem.

The last element is how the Conflict was resolved. I already praised it earlier by taking siblinghood seriously and having those elements contribute to Umehito’s victory. Since I am an older sibling, I can see the value of how this was written and I can appreciate the message it gives the audience.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

I’ve already acknowledged all of the other elements I liked or questioned.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

Despite my feelings of the Host Club’s presence being weak in this episode, I will stand by the idea that it was good for them to lose their battle.

Having characters lose in some aspects of their Conflicts is humanizing. The heroes shouldn’t have all the answers or should face challenges that they have difficulty with, this is how drama is created. Having the heroes lose is also important to prevent them from becoming a Mary Sue. Heroes who don’t struggle are boring, and writers should strive to never bore their audience.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 10 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

To Episode 8 Review.

To Episode 9 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 10: A Day in the Life of the Fujioka Family!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope!

A Recap:

Tamaki has a nightmare that Haruhi lives just above the poverty line, and his solution is to invade her privacy with the rest of the Host Club. This is quickly resolved when it is revealed that Haruhi’s lives a more middle-class life. Her three love interests proceed to spend the rest of the visit trying not to make fools of themselves and failing miserably.

The comedy and drama start to pick up when Haruhi’s father shows up and steals the show.

Ranka establishes three pieces of information. First, he hates Tamaki. Second, he’s been in contact with Kyoya to keep tabs on Haruhi. And third, Haruhi has been independent and altruistic from a young age following the death of her mother.

The episode ends with the Host Club tailing Haruhi to the supermarket and establishing the idea that Ranka and Tamaki have a lot in common.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

There’s a three-way argument between why it’s Haruhi, Tamaki, or Ranka.

Why it’s Haruhi:

This episode is making a point to establish the foundation of Haruhi’s character. We now know that she’s middle-class, has been independent from a young age, has dealt with Tamaki-esque nonsense thanks to her father, and is still dealing with the loss of her mother even if she’s not grieving.

While Haruhi has always been an altruist, it was the flashback with her father that has emphasized most of all that it comes from a place of love rather than a second-nature reflex.

And what catches my attention most of all is the emphasis on the mystery of why she entered Ouran High. The most that’s been revealed is that she signed up for it herself, but there’s still no answer on why she did it. Much like the last episode, this is fostering my curiosity.

Why it’s Tamaki:

Despite this episode being about revealing more about Haruhi, Tamaki steals the show by being the focal character and having his good moments.

One early part that I loved seeing is his inner monologue stating that he never questions his clubmates on their personal lives. I can see both the greatness and the problem of that mindset. On the one hand, Tamaki is trying to be honorable with his clubmates and professional with his club. On the other, this signals that he isn’t friends with his clubmates.

To explain the latter, I realized that his fear of pushing the envelope is holding him back. He isn’t being social with his clubmates, so he doesn’t actually know them that well. Moreover, this would hold back his relationship with Haruhi and it explains why he can barely understand her as a person despite both his interest and the time he’s spent with her so far.

This is a good establishment of an unexpected flaw. Despite all of Tamaki’s charisma and his insistence on teamwork, his fear of taking the extra step to be friends means that he actually has no friends.

Why it’s Ranka:

Ranka hits the ground running with establishing his character. We quickly learn his backstory, his ideals, his practices, his passions, his job, and even his sexual orientation.

It was really good to know that Haruhi mentions the club members to him and that he’s been in contact with Kyoya, because it keeps him outside of a narrative vacuum. To establish that characters are doing their own activities and have their own involvements offscreen helps to make them feel more three-dimensional.

Something else that I like is that Ranka has it out for Tamaki and isn’t in the wrong for his judgements. Tamaki really is an idiot who has little understanding of Haruhi as a person, so when Ranka calls Tamaki out on these he’s not being a jerk, he’s making a point. I also see it as karma for the victim-blaming incident. Tamaki may have gotten away with picking on Haruhi, but her dad will give no quarter.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

One of my favorite writing devices is the Foil. Having characters who are comparable yet contrastable makes for interesting revelations and interaction if they come together. Tamaki and Ranka are no exception to this.

It’s clear that Tamaki and Ranka have similar personalities and views on Haruhi as a person, and that Ranka himself recognizes this at the end of the episode when Tamaki parrots the shopping basket excuse that Ranka used in a flashback. What makes this interesting is that Ranka refuses to get along with Tamaki anyways. This comes with an aspect of protective parenting, but there is also their contrasting aspect that justifies this animosity.

The one thing that sets Tamaki and Ranka apart is that Ranka has a full comprehension of Haruhi as a person, while Tamaki does not. Tamaki’s constant fantasizing of Haruhi acting girly and his insistence that she conform to those fantasies presents how little he’s come to understand her.

Case in point, in this episode Tamaki and the twins kept acting like they were in a social minefield while the other club members could be casual with Haruhi. While Tamaki’s common sense is a problem, he hasn’t come to understand that he doesn’t need to overdo anything or worry about offending her because she’s not the woman he thinks she is.

On the opposite side, Ranka has a full comprehension on who Haruhi is and has chosen a compromise; he chose to allow Haruhi’s independence, but act as a backup to keep her out of mortal danger. When I look at that previous sentence, I can see that he’s trying to be a good parent.

The difference between our flamboyant goofs is their understanding and general intelligence, and I can see that Ranka understands that Tamaki is lacking in both areas in regards to Haruhi. So, Ranka’s active hatred for Tamaki is an interesting twist on a relationship between Foils, but it is a relationship that makes sense.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Nobody.

None of the cast members bought the episode down at all.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None of them.

How is the Conflict?

The Conflict was nice. Tamaki being overly worried was accurate to his character, helped to bring the plot forward, and got Haruhi’s backstory established so I can’t complain about anything.

As for Ranka showing up, I’ve made it pretty clear that I respect him and all the shade he throws at Tamaki. Not to mention throwing Tamaki at the nearby wall, call me salty but he had it coming.

So yeah, good Conflict all around.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

Outdated Views:

Man, this show really likes taking the early 2000s and having it rear its ugly head. I know that everything here is a product of its time, but that doesn’t make the twins feel any less punch-able when they use derogatory terms to Ranka’s face.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

Ranka stands as a good example of keeping characters out of a narrative vacuum. When he’s introduced, we quickly learn that he’s busy with other things, but not uninvolved in Haruhi’s life.

This is a good way to introduce a new character. You have to justify why they weren’t present before and establish why they’re important to the overall narrative in a way that doesn’t make their existence seem sudden.

Keep this in mind when you want to bring in the new cast members. Justify their absence, then justify their place in the narrative. Do not keep them in the narrative vacuum, that’s just too cruel.

[doubleaspectrum]

current fan creation landscape is kinda like if you went to a party with a homemade cake and everyone takes a slice and silently thumbs up at you with no attempt to start a conversation except for occasionally some guy sits in the corner with a tape recorder critiquing the cake as though he was a restaurant critic and another guy is handing the cake to an uber driver like "yeah i need you to find a restaurant that makes cake like this so i can have more of it" and the only person that's talked to you in 30 minutes is a very sweet little guy who was like "hey i liked your cake" and then ran away apologizing for bothering you the moment you said thank you.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 9 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

To Episode 8 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 9: A Challenge from Lobelia Girls’ Academy!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope.

A Recap:

A big cultural event at Ouran High brings the Zuka Club to the school. The Zuka Club is a theatre club from Lobelia Academy, but they are otherwise considered an all-female version of the Host Club. The Zuka Club establishes themselves as hyper-feminist lesbians who: hate the Host Club, can deduce Haruhi’s identity within nanoseconds, and want to battle for custody over Haruhi.

The Host Club refuses to take the Zuka Club as a serious threat and undermine any attempt Haruhi makes to stop the fight and defend her clubmates. Afterwards, Tamaki points out that Haruhi might thrive in the Zuka Club and everyone begins to overcompensate for their earlier apathy by dressing in drag.

This plan fails to convince Haruhi to stay with the Host Club… mainly because she was never planning on leaving them in the first place. The only thing Haruhi explains about her choice is that she has a personal reason to stay at Ouran High and nobody asks what that reason is.

The Zuka Club leaves with a “you haven’t heard the last of us” villain speech, and the episode ends with an implication that Renge masterminded the conflict.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

As per usual, I have nothing but respect for Haruhi.

However, there is something very important that Haruhi does for the writing. She introduced her personal motivation, but didn’t say what it was. This is a good hook; it adds a mystery aspect, and the promise of providing the answer will get me to keep watching the series. It’s a very good idea for writers to foster the audience’s curiosity. And since Haruhi’s character is already very likable, I have a reason to care about seeing the answer.

Whether looking at Haruhi as a person or as writing, I can proudly say that she’s never let me down.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

At first, I was baffled during the moment when the Host Club shot down any attempt Haruhi made to defend them from the Zuka Club’s criticism. While I came to see this as a sign of how little the Host Club took the Zuka Club as a threat, I was also able to realize that the scene was a demonstration of the flaws in Haruhi’s relationship with the Host Club.

For the specifics, the Host Club members stopped Haruhi from arguing about: Tamaki’s half-Japanese ancestry, the time the Host Club has been around, and the profits the club makes. When these got bought up, I realized that it was emphasizing how little Haruhi knows about the Club and the members. She’s not on a social basis with Tamaki, so it’s not surprising that she knows very little about his family. She’s also the newest member of the Host Club, so she has no idea about its inner working, like how their profit is generated. The problem is that Haruhi’s involvement with the club is still minimal, she’s not getting involved in their inner workings and her clubmates aren’t keeping her informed.

On the opposite side, I came to the realization that the Host Club not bothering to fight the custody battle until later was a sign of their own apathy in their relationship with Haruhi. Until Tamaki bought it up, the Host Club wasn’t concerned with the possibility that Haruhi could leave them. They were taking Haruhi’s independence for granted until they realized the threat of losing her was real.

Emphasizing that the relationship is flawed due to the inaction on both sides helps strengthen the writing quality of the relationship. It generates drama by showing us a problem, and it promises more as it works to a solution. It also justifies the length of the story and any future events, because now we know that these characters need to go through more in order to resolve the relationship problems. This is also satisfying for me on a personal level because I’m still mad at the Host Club for their victim-blaming antics, but now they’re being held responsible for how they’ve taken Haruhi’s agency for granted.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

The Zuka Club as a collective. I couldn’t tell you anything about them as individuals because they’re barely portrayed as individuals. Only the leader stands out for having one scene where she’s without her clubmates… and also because she’s tall. In addition, I can’t remember their names. The most I can recall is that the leader’s name starts with the letter “B” and might be a nickname, but that’s it. It’s not a good sign if the character’s name doesn’t stick because it means they can’t be considered important enough to remember. I can only remember the club’s name because it’s easy to remember and it’s important to the story. In short, the characters are important as a club, but not as people.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None. I can’t think of any relationships that were badly written in this episode.

How is the Conflict?

This conflict comes with one notable problem; they tried too hard to make the Zuka Club seem evil when they actually aren’t. This isn’t just about how Tamaki’s homophobia has aged poorly; the show portrayed them as literal Nazis for wanting to take the Host Club down. Honestly, as soon as I saw that I realized that the show is trying to make them look evil, when they have no reason to be evil. To put it differently, the show’s reason for the Zuka Club being the villains is, “Because I said so.” That’s not a strong way to establish a villainous identity, that’s lazy writing.

Honestly, the Zuka Club has no evil traits, just very human flaws. They’re overzealous enough to pick needless fights, and they’re hypocrites who claim to be above lust only to openly declare their sexual involvements.

The fact that I’m speaking as a biased asexual and this show espouses outdated views does not help; it’s just a sad fact that this aspect of the writing has aged poorly.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

Reactions to the Zuka Club Performance:

Something I liked seeing was the aftermath of the Zuka Club performing for both schools. Particularly, while their students were cheering from the front, the Ouran students can be seen looking baffled from the back of the hall. That was very humanizing to see because it’s a demonstration of both schools having different values and overall cultures that they follow and are defined by.

The scene also comes across as realistic because it’s hard to find anything that can be considered universally beloved. Chances are there’s always one detractor, or someone that can’t get passionate about a particular work. It’s a nice slice of reality when you see that not everyone in the crowd is cheering.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

The Zuka Club stands as a good anti-example of writing characters who are supposed to be villains. Portraying them as Nazis was a lazy way to establish a villainous identity, especially when nothing they’ve done throughout the episode was actually evil. Making a villain takes more than just saying someone is evil and being done with it, the writer and the character both have to put in the work to be the bad guy.

An alternative solution would be to abandon the villainous angle altogether. The Zuka Club had everything to be the antagonists since they were motivated to separate Haruhi from the Host Club. All that had to change was portraying the Zuka Club as evil for doing what they wanted to do.

In short, if you want to make your antagonist evil, it’s not enough to just say they’re evil. “Show, don’t tell” applies to writing your villains. But it’s also valid to have an antagonist who isn’t a villain; if you do it right you can make them an interesting and likable three-dimensional character in their own right.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 8 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

To Episode 7 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 8: The Sun, The Sea and the Host Club!

Have I Seen This Before?

No, but I’ve been forewarned that this episode is widely hated because it includes instances of victim-blaming.

A Recap:

The Host Club makes good on the ending of the previous episode and they choose to go to the beach along with their clientele. We get our mandated fluff with a seafood hunt, a get-rich-quick scheme, and some contest to determine what Haruhi is afraid of.

Afterwards, thugs begin to sexually harass the club’s clientele. Since Haruhi is the only one present during this attack, she stands up to the thugs and is forced to fend for herself. After narrowly being murdered, the club members unanimously blame Haruhi for the sin of… standing up to some bullies, protecting innocent people, almost getting killed in the process, and being a girl… What?!

Haruhi stands by her actions until her clubmates peer-pressure her into apologizing. Also, Kyoya threatens to sexually assault her and is not vilified for it because he invokes the power of “It was just a prank, bro!”

In a relationship focused moment, Haruhi is revealed to be afraid of lightning and Tamaki realizes that Haruhi has a habit of facing terrible ordeals on her own, which is why she never asks for help. Tamaki gives a non-apology for his part in the victim-blaming, and promises to be active in helping Haruhi. This event flag is then torn up when Tamaki is accused of being into BDSM.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

I’m not in the mood to think highly of any character that isn’t Haruhi, and it’s the writer’s fault. The writer has stopped focusing on plot importance and character development to make some kind of point about an inherent wrongness in Haruhi; however, that didn’t work because I only think better of Haruhi now.

This episode tries to show Haruhi’s lack of respect for the gender binary and her altruistic love for humanity as a character flaw, when such traits have only been portrayed as strengths in the past episodes. We even know what her actual flaws are! Right from the start of the series we see that Haruhi’s flaws are that she’s an apathetic grouch who distances herself from others. In Episode 1 we even see that she thinks of bullying in particular as nothing more than an inconvenience that’s not worth speaking up against.

When Haruhi stands up to the thugs in this episode, she’s showing signs of Character Development. We’ve gotten to a point where this apathetic grouch is a protective altruist who won’t back down when someone tries to make her feel small, AND THE NARRATIVE IS PUNISHING HER FOR IT! Let me say that again, the narrative is punishing Haruhi for the character development that it has been encouraging for the past couple of episodes!

Honestly, this episode feels like it was written by someone who hates Haruhi and wants to make her look like the bad guy for being herself. Given that she’s portrayed as being in the wrong for being a better person than she once was, it harms the writing because it makes the story seem indecisive about: it’s goal for Haruhi, the point it’s hoping to make, and if character development is even a good thing anymore.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

If the scene with Tamaki comforting Haruhi while she’s scared of the storm happened on its own it would’ve been a great scene. It has some good elements that show the progression of a romantic relationship: Tamaki develops a new understanding of Haruhi; he realizes that he has failed her in some capacity; and he promises to make things right by putting in the effort to improve her circumstances. The only thing wrong with it is that he doesn’t apologize for mistreating her as soon as he understands her reasons. The closest we get to that is “I lose” which is not the same as “I’m sorry.” To put it simply… yes, I can recognize good writing when I see it, but I’m also still mad.

The only thing that’s wrong with this scene is the context that led up to it; aside from that, it’s perfect.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

The entire Host Club sans Haruhi. My opinion of all of them was tanked thanks to them victim-blaming Haruhi and being shown narrative favoritism for it.

Something I was told about in a writing class is that you must never play favorites with your character because you’ll spare them any torment that could lead to good drama. But this episode shows the flipside of that lesson. The Host Club is shown favoritism because the narrative is making no secret that it agrees with their view. This comes at Haruhi’s cost since the narrative is tormenting her when she’s done nothing wrong.

It also comes at the cost of the audience’s respect because humanity is inherently intelligent and inherently argumentative. Whenever a writer espouses any views, they’re throwing it out into a world that can not only argue back against them, but can make the argument convincing.

Case in point, it’s easy to say that Haruhi isn’t to blame.

Tamaki has espoused since Episode 2 that the Host Club’s goal is to bring happiness to girls. Thus, it can be argued that Haruhi standing up to the thugs reflects that principle because she was protecting the Club’s clientele. To have run away from the danger would have betrayed that principle and even damaged the Host Club’s reputation if Haruhi was labelled cowardly for running away to get help. Thus, Haruhi is innocent and Tamaki is a hypocrite for judging Haruhi when she kept true to the Club’s standards as a host.

Kyoya’s family owns the private beach, and his security force was present when the thugs intruded and began harassing the club’s clientele. Thus, Kyoya’s lax security measures resulted in the near-death of one of his clubmates (again) and he is to blame for the entire incident.

As for the others, Tamaki claims that everyone was close by and all Haruhi would need to do is come to them for help, but they weren’t. If everyone was really close enough to the point where Haruhi wouldn’t need to step in, they’d have already been fighting the thugs. If Haruhi ran off to get the others, it could have wasted precious time and the clientele would be suffering under a more serious crime that Haruhi didn’t prevent by virtue of not being there. As it stands, Haruhi facing the thugs bought the others time to get involved themselves and resulted in the clientele escaping unharmed. Moreover, it bought Tamaki time to comes to her rescue and prevent the thug’s murder attempt. Thus, Haruhi’s actions led to a utilitarian outcome and she is not to blame for the incident.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

I’m making no secret that I don’t think highly of how the Club views Haruhi, and I feel I’ve already made my point as to why that is.

How is the Conflict?

I’ve only just reached this section and I feel I’ve said my piece.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

No. The two big things I took away from this episode are that Haruhi’s clubmates are victim-blamers and that the relationship scene at the end would work perfectly without the context of the rest of the episode bringing it down. And I’ve already talked plenty about those.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

Never play favorites with your characters, especially if you want to use them to espouse some kind of personal viewpoint. The fandom is smart enough to tear you apart, and depending on what your viewpoint is you might end up deserving it.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 7 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

To Episode 6 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 7: Jungle Pool SOS!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope. This is a blind review.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

The obvious answer would be Mori or Honey given that they received the most focus, character expansion, and even a reveal of their backstories. But I’d like to explore the more subtle option, Kyoya.

He caught my attention the most through this episode by being the primary instigator of this episode’s drama, showing his responses to the situations, and having moments of character expansion when I read between the lines.

The first point that caught my attention was Kyoya explaining that his family’s multiple businesses primarily focus on the happiness of their consumers. This is important because Kyoya has no established reason for being either a member or the secret leader of the Host Club, but now I can see hints of a possible answer.

Said answer being that Kyoya is in the Host Club because he sees it as a form of his family business. This also explains why he’s secretly running the club. Perhaps it’s practice for his future or habit from his past. What’s important is that the Host Club reflects a big part of Kyoya’s background, future, and identity.

The second point was Kyoya needing to see the Host Club face the danger from the crocodiles to know that he has to start actively containing them. I always assumed that Kyoya is the smartest character at any given point in time, but this moment challenged that view because it suggested that Kyoya lacks common sense.

The idea that Kyoya lacks common sense is only furthered by his delay in calling his private police force and his realization (which he subsequently disregards) that he sent a fully armed platoon of trigger-happy professionals into the field with vague instructions and incomplete information. It didn’t seem to occur to him after the fact that he put his peers in mortal danger.

This also makes me rethink my evaluation of him in Episode 5. When the twins tricked everyone with their elaborate lie, I saw it as a testament to their capacity to lie. But now that I know that Kyoya isn’t the smartest member of the Host Club, I realized that he’s just not smart enough to know when he’s being lied to. I had the wrong idea about Kyoya this whole time.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Mori and Honey. It was good to have their relationship expanded upon and to explain why they’re always together. It gives me a fuller picture of both of them, and it helps their dynamic make sense.

One thing I enjoyed was that their families’ backstory mentioned that one family served the other and how all the club members thought that Mori was keeping that tradition alive as Honey’s unofficial servant. When I saw that, I immediately pegged it as a setup to a plot twist where Honey is Mori’s servant. However, that twist did not happen.

After some time thinking about it, I am glad that the twist did not happen. If it did, it would have invalidated the dissolution of the master-servant relationship in their backstories. And the fact that these two care for each other while not presenting a master-servant relationship works well to emphasize that they are friends because of their friendship, not because of their families’ mutual pasts. It makes their bond more valuable that it’s defined by them and not their history.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Renge. I did appreciate her setup for a conflict driven by Honey’s insecurity over Shiro, but that became meaningless since the idea was never explored afterwards. That conflict was thrown out in favour of the rescue mission. So, it never mattered that Renge bought anything up in the first place. Renge could be removed from this episode and it would change nothing.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None of them. When I call a relationship weak, what I’m really saying is that it brings the story down. But there wasn’t any relationship drama that ruined this episode for me.

How is the Conflict?

The whole ordeal with Honey turned out to be dull. The issue with Shiro making Honey insecure about his place in the Host Club is never addressed after it’s introduced, so the whole subject is rendered pointless. And the issue with Honey being lost in the river is made meaningless when the episode’s ending reveals that his combat talent means he was never in danger to begin with.

But that is the obvious conflict; the subtler conflict was far more meaningful.

The subtle conflict is between Tamaki and the twins as they act out against each other over their 4-person love triangle drama. The conflict is interesting in that it proves self-destructive in two ways and is not resolved by the episode’s end.

The first way the conflict is self-destructive is that the fighting is what led to all of the danger the Host Club faced in this episode. The twins and Tamaki having their water battle and making it about Haruhi is what led to Tamaki tripping into the switch that sent Honey down the river. In other words, if these boys had behaved themselves, this episode wouldn’t have happened.

The second way is more significant to the overarching narrative. It stands out the most when Haruhi leaves the group to find Honey with Mori and her love interests don’t notice because they’re having a meaningless circular argument. This was when I realized that Haruhi isn’t important to her love interests.

Allow me to elaborate, in Disney’s “Aladdin” Jasmine walks in to see Prince Ali, The Sultan, and Jafar having an argument over her. Her response is to say, “I’m not some prize to be won.” What Jasmine saw was her personhood being disregarded because the men fighting over her were more interested in winning the argument than showing that she mattered to any of them.

This same principle applies to why none of Haruhi’s love interests saw her leave. Tamaki and the twins aren’t getting a relationship with Haruhi because they’re prioritizing one-upping each other over showing Haruhi that she matters to any of them. In the end, Haruhi is less their love interest and more their prize, and I’m sure she won’t appreciate that.

Another way to put it is that this episode showed me why nobody is worthy of Haruhi’s love.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

Nope. Everything I said before captured my feelings.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

I like to think of this episode as a subplot. While we have hints of the main plot with Tamaki and the twins having their spat, it really is shown as less important compared to the current episode’s current events. Just to clarify, I see this as a good thing since this episode stood well on its own while not ignoring the main plot or the continuity. So, I look at this episode as a good example on how to write a subplot.

[doubleaspectrum]

Here's an analysis on how this trailer alone is improving on the original game's writing.

Updating the Setting:

Something bothersome about Story Mode’s beginning, is that the low-level threats that our heroes faced were supposed to be taken seriously.

I particularly think back to the first two episodes where the greatest threats to our heroes were zombies, skeletons, and a ghast. Now, while skeletons can be annoying to deal with, zombies and ghasts aren’t that threatening to anyone with Minecraft experience. By trying to treat low-level monsters as a threat it put the heroes on a beginner level; and considering they live in this world that doesn’t reflect highly on them.

Something that doesn’t help is that the aforementioned threats weren’t that dangerous in Story Mode. It’s the fault of the gameplay, but it still didn’t help us take the situation seriously.

By including Phantoms and having a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip of a Piglin horde it is implied that all of the other dangers present from our modern up-to-date Minecraft exists, which is enough to make Minecraft veterans wary. This does a very good job of raising the stakes, and even acknowledging how deadly the world of Minecraft could be in the context of people who live in such a world.

Changing to an Ensemble Cast:

I like that the trailer shows our heroes as independent agents.

In Story Mode, our heroes were immediately established as housemates and outcasts to force their friendship and an underdog image without explaining anything about them as people. The trailer showing that our heroes live separately helps to give a sense that they’re independent, with their team moments showing that they’re capable of forming meaningful relationships with others. It makes their images feel less forced, and promises that any interactions will come across as natural without relying on clichés.

Another improvement this makes reflects on Jesse in particular. In Story Mode, being the main character in a video game means that Jesse is forced to do the most work, make every decision, and is the most celebrated as the hero while everyone else tags along for the ride and only helps out some of the time. So, the story comes across less as being about the New Order of the Stone, and more about Jesse and those guys who follow him around. In short, it’s easy to accuse Jesse of being a Mary Sue.

By changing to an ensemble cast, the burden of heroism is equally distributed to the cast. This felt best emphasized when we saw Olivia, Petra, and Lukas in Redstonia with the notable absence of Jesse. In other words, unlike Story Mode where Jesse’s absence causes events to be glossed over, this trailer is showing that everything the cast does matters, even when Jesse isn’t with them. In short, everyone is important.

Another point I’d like to acknowledge is the image of the heroes wearing Elytras and jumping of the platform together. I really love how it makes them look like a team of superheroes. Fitting with the ensemble cast image, it made me realize what this story will be. Unlike Story Mode which was the story of Jesse, Block by Block is going to be the origin story of the New Order of the Stone.

Petra:

I like that we’re seeing more involvement from Petra in the trailer. Particularly with her being present in Redstonia, and making the Elytra jump with the others. One big problem in Story Mode is that despite being established as a widely respected adventurer/mercenary, she ends up being the Damsel in Distress more often than not. Even outside of the Wither arc, she’s a go-to character for when Jesse needs to make a choice on who to rescue.

The images of her being a badass and her needing to be rescued aren’t easy for a viewer to reconcile, especially since Petra herself is never bothered by these clashing images within herself.

With the Wither arc, there is another problem from Story Mode. Petra is either uninvolved for most of the plot or she catches the Wither Sickness and is reduced to the Damsel in Distress role. This didn’t do her warrior identity any favours. Thanks to the Redstonia and Elytra Jump bits from the trailer, it’s pretty clear that Petra won’t suffer the problems of either being missing or being given the Lieutenant Worf treatment.

To put it differently, I’m suspecting that the Wither Sickness subplot is going to be cut, and I see that as an unambiguously good thing because it means Petra will still be able to act in the plot and can have the cool moments she deserves, instead of having the dramatic worth of a lamp that the protagonist needs to carry around and admire every few minutes or so.

Summing it Up:

When I look at this trailer, I see a project that knows what the original Story Mode did wrong and is acting to put things right. I see the work of someone who loves this story and these characters and has figured out how to make them better.

And above all, I see potential for something truly amazing.

MINECRAFT STORY MODE: THE REMAKE Trailer Out Now! When one story ends. Another one begins. Block By Block: The Amulet Join the discord server here! https://discord.gg/Z3cYqcck6b

[doubleaspectrum]

Hating a story isn't the mark of it's failure, its the mark of it's success. A story succeeds when it makes it's audience emotionally invested; both love and hatred are forms of emotional investment as both are a form of fixated passion.

Fixated passions define our interests. Think about it like taking your favorite class in school. You think strongly of what you feel strongly about, and when you think strongly you start to learn. The knowledge we learn becomes a part of us. We parrot information, expand on it, change it, we let what we know define our actions and reactions, what we learn constitutes the totality of our lives.

To put it in a Jedi's terms, "Feeling leads to thought, thought leads to learning, learning leads to you."

When you find a story that makes you angry, think about why it does that. There's always a lesson to be learned, whether it's from what you love or what you hate.

The only bad kind of story is a boring one. Think about it like a terrible class. The teacher is droning on, you're more tired than you've ever been, and chances are that you're failing the class. This is because of boredom.

Boredom is the opposite of passion because it is passion's complete absence. Without passion, there is no feeling; without feeling, there is no thought; without thought, there is no learning; without learning, there is no you.

We have to stop thinking that stories are bad because we hate them, because even hatred can have value. It's boredom that should bother us the most. Boredom is the closest thing we have to emotional emptiness, there is no value to be held in it.

I think some people forget that some literature and some media is meant to be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling. It's meant to make you have a very visceral reaction to it. If you genuinely can't handle these stories then you are under no obligation to consume them but acting as if they have no purpose or as if people don't have a right to tell these stories, stories that often relate to the darkest or most disturbing parts of life, then you should do some introspection.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 6 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

To Episode 5 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 6: The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope. This is a blind review.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

There is room to make arguments here.

Shiro was a believable instigator of the conflict because of his immaturity. It made him hostile to the other members, and it explains why he was behaving as though his problems are obvious despite not explaining himself.

Tamaki chastising Shiro for taking the wrong approach to impressing Hina and explaining his reasoning helped demonstrate his emotional depths. And showing his skill with the piano helped suggest more about Tamaki’s past experiences. It also helps that Tamaki was made a Foil to Shiro as a way to open suggestions about Tamaki’s own backstory.

But I’d argue that the strongest character was Haruhi.

It was Haruhi who was intelligent enough to listen to Shiro and help the Club realize they misunderstood his problem. When I saw this moment, I was starting to think we’d see Haruhi’s initiate a Host Club Heist to help Shiro. She didn’t but I can see why.

It’s still too early in the story for Haruhi to take charge of a heist, if she did it would mean her character arc is complete. Pointing out the hints to Shiro’s real problem acts as a compromise between planning the heist and staying out of it. In other words, it’s a good way to emphasize an in-between point in her character arc.

Pre-Host Club Haruhi might have just ignored the problem, so we can see that her character is changing. Once she starts organizing her own heists, we can say that her character arc is complete.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

There wasn’t much focus on relationships or relationship development in this episode. I can only call Haruhi’s and Tamaki’s relationship the strongest because it’s the only one that received focus.

For Tamaki’s side, when he told Shiro he needed to impress Hina as himself it proved that Tamaki values putting effort in a romantic relationship. Everything he said to Shiro in that moment is just as applicable to himself. It’s also applicable to the twins since all three characters are shown to be attracted to Haruhi, but they’re all are otherwise inactive in improving their relationships with her. Honestly, if Tamaki took his own advice to heart and stopped making a fool of himself, he’d likely win Haruhi’s affections.

On Haruhi’s side, she showed a greater appreciation for Tamaki by complimenting his loving nature when she said that he has that in common with Shiro. This shows that even if Haruhi can’t take Tamaki seriously 100% of the time, she at least values the times when she can.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

I’d argue that it was Renge. I didn’t like anything in the episode that took place before the Host Club started a heist to help Shiro, and Renge was no help in that department. Her discussion of the Boy Lolita trope was something that I was very uncomfortable witnessing. When she said that there was no explanation for the attractiveness of that trope my immediate response was, “Actually, there is an explanation. It’s a mental condition that makes everyone uncomfortable.”

I don’t want to say more on this subject.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None of them. And it’s more for lack of trying than anything else. This episode only had two relationships to focus on, and neither of them were particularly weak. Those two relationships were: the one between Tamaki and Haruhi, and the one between Shiro and Hina.

How is the Conflict?

I said earlier that I didn’t like any part of the episode before the Host Club started the heist, and the Conflict is a part of that.

Throughout the beginning of the episode, it is obvious that Shiro came to the Host Club to solve a specific personal problem. It was easy to catch on to since (as Haruhi noticed) Shiro’s wording was highly specific. I realized this quickly so when the Host Club faffed about instead of seeing what was right in front of them, I lost my patience. That being said, I’ll acknowledge that Shiro’s age made the dragging believable since he’s immature enough to assume his problem is obvious despite never explaining what he wanted.

On the plus side, everything picked up after Haruhi pointed out what I already noticed. From there it was all uphill. I consider the Host Club’s heisting and displays of emotional and intellectual maturity to be the highlights of this series, and this was no exception. I was especially taken with Tamaki’s speech about how Shiro can only impress Hina if he makes the effort to do it himself.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

Shiro’s Homophobia:

As I keep pointing out, the pre-heist section of this episode is its worst aspect. I already noted that Renge and the dragging Conflict did not help, but another offender was Shiro and his homophobia. I’m guessing this was meant to be funny at the time the episode was made, but (speaking as a biased party) this isn’t funny anymore.

The Twins’ Attraction to Haruhi:

I’m still angry at Hikaru and Kaoru for wasting most of Episode 5 with their lie, but this episode took a little time to acknowledge that the hinted attraction to Haruhi was real for both of them. This justifies Episode 5’s place in the show’s continuity, and fixes my worries of that episode being rendered irrelevant.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

Haruhi stands as a good example of showing points in a character arc. As I said before, she’s advanced from how she started since she’s taking an interest in other’s problems, but she’s not heading any efforts to solve the problem. This is a compromise between the start and end of her arc. And that compromise is important because it allows for advancement as she progresses, without giving her the end of her arc before she’s earned it. This is a good example to follow if you want to write character development that comes gradually. You just need to change them step-by-step, not all at once.

[doubleaspectrum]

I remember this story mom told me and my sister when we were little. Two frogs fall into a milk churn, and start swimming to stay on the surface. After a long time, one of the frogs tells the other that it's tired of swimming, and is just going to give up now. The frog sinks and drowns, while the other frog keeps swimming. Eventually the surviving frog that never gave up has been swimming for so long that the milk has been churned into butter, and the frog can hop out. The moral of the story is that life feels hopeless a lot, but if you give in to despair, you fucking die.

I had two aunts from my father's side. I don't remember anything about one of them, she died when I was three years old. We were never lied to about how it happened. She killed herself, jumped out of a window. She gave in to despair. My paternal grandmother lost her mind over the grief, developing dementia overnight. I never knew her as a sane, coherent person. She gave in to the despair. That's what I was taught, that's how I was raised. Life is pain, but if you give in to the despair, you fucking die.

I am an optimist. Always have been. I had to be. Indulging in pessimistic fatalism was a luxury that I could not afford. I'm not an optimist out of some naive lack of awareness that life can be bad sometimes. I grew up very familiar with how bad life can be. I was an optimist in believing - against all the proof of the contrary - that life could be other things, too. That it's possible that there could be a life that doesn't hurt all the time.

I can't afford to be a pessimist. I don't pretend to believe that things will never get bad, but I have no choice but to believe that no matter how bad things will get, there can be good things in life, no matter what. I don't talk to my family anymore, but I did survive being raised by them. The ones who give up hope don't make it. If you let the darkness seep in, and give in to despair, you die.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 5 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

To Episode 4 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 5: The Twins Fight!

Have I Seen This Before?

Nope. This is a blind review.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Haruhi.

Outside of the twins (whose actions amount to nothing) Haruhi has the most agency, focus, and significance in this episode. To put it simply, Haruhi accomplished the most in this episode.

Haruhi demonstrated great intelligence when she determined that the twins don’t know how to settle a fight. She also saw the logic in Tamaki’s argument that the fight was good for the twins in the long run while realizing that he was wrong about the conflict resolving itself.

Haruhi also strengthened her heroic identity by being the one to break up the fight when it went too far. Stepping in reflects well on her. Though I will admit that it comes at everyone else’s cost since she stepped in and they didn’t.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Here’s a bit of a confession. While I’m blind on a lot of this series, I did accidentally find out that Hikaru has feelings for Haruhi. Oops.

However, this does come with benefits. This knowledge adds power to the final scene which implied that Hikaru has feelings for Haruhi. For all of the nonsense the twins’ lying caused this episode, I at least know that was real. This knowledge is also important for seeing how this episode can play to a future relationship.

The power comes from how earlier points play to the future narrative. What has already been established is that Haruhi is an idealist. She’s apathetic at times, grouchy during others, but Haruhi has an otherwise unshakeable faith that the human race is inherently good. This contrasts with what this episode established about Hikaru (alongside Kaoru, but I’m focusing on Hikaru at the moment). I specifically mean that Hikaru doesn’t believe in humanity. He establishes early on that he sees people as playthings, and he demonstrates that this belief applies to his own peers by organizing an elaborate lie out of self-interest.

The importance of Haruhi and Hikaru having opposing beliefs is a sign that they won’t work as an endgame couple. This is a defiance of the “Opposites Attract” trope because the opposing points aren’t surface-level details, they are deep-seated ideologies that are diametrically opposed. This makes their differences too irreconcilable for a relationship to work. If I’m right about this, then this episode is working towards making Tamaki and Haruhi the endgame couple by showing why Hikaru can’t make it work with Haruhi.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Despite this episode being made to send greater focus to Hikaru and Kaoru, I’d argue that this episode worked to their detriment. This episode did establish new things about them, but I don’t see these as good in the long run.

First, they’re compulsive liars. This is a problem because if they can lie on a level where their motivations and personalities can be falsified, then I can never be sure what to get invested in. Case in point, I was getting invested in their potential Character Development through their conflict. But it amounted to nothing because all of it was a lie. And when all the effort into seeing more to a person amounts to nothing, then what was the point of the effort in the first place?

Another note on the lying is that my point is demonstrated by the episode itself. Hikaru and Kaoru’s guessing game is shown to be rigged because they’ll lie about the results. There is no point to guessing because Hikaru and Kaoru will simply decide who wins or loses based on their own whims. This removes all the power of playing the game because the player can never win of their own accord; any effort put forward is meaningless because the game cannot be won through effort. Everything is set up to be pointless, and pointlessness is the enemy of good writing.

The second point that’s bad in the long run is that they admit to seeing people as toys. As soon as this was introduced, I immediately got worried about their mental states. The rest of the episode didn’t help with this. Their past selves as seen by Haruhi and Tamaki are unemotive when left to their own devices, yet they managed to fake anger so convincingly that their smartest peers were fooled.

After the episode was over, I was making Google searches on sociopathy and psychopathy. Either way, I’m still worried, especially from a writing standpoint. When writing a character with a mental condition, some writers just take the symptoms and call it a day. This makes it harder for such a character to receive a three-dimensional portrayal. This episode shows that my worries do apply to the twins because they rendered all of their character focus irrelevant and made me feel like the episode was a waste of time.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

I already criticized the twins as characters, now I’m coming for their relationship.

Something I liked in this episode is when Tamaki and Haruhi reflected on the significance of the twins having a fight. Tamaki said that it would be good to “expand their worlds” by removing their comfort zone. Haruhi agreed but correctly made a point that if they don’t know how to fight then they won’t know how to stop. These ideas contained a lot of power because they are feasible. Both Tamaki and Haruhi made strong points that were right and that could act as a basis for exploring how the twins deal with a struggle between themselves.

And then the conflict was revealed to be a lie.

This wasted some perfectly good drama and a perfectly good demonstration of both Haruhi’s and Tamaki’s intelligences. None of their ideas matter now because they weren’t going to be used. And as an audience member, I haven’t learned anything about the twins that I think will be valuable later. And if anything in this episode can be valuable, whose to say the twins won’t lie to make that irrelevant too?

How is the Conflict?

Interesting as it played out, but ultimately upsetting.

I dislike that the conflict was a lie because it means that everything that occurred in this episode was meaningless. Hikaru and Kaoru’s fight was a waste of an episode because it introduced nothing and changed nothing. I feel I could skip this episode and nothing would be lost.

It’s worth noting that I bought up this point with a fan of the series, and they assured me that this episode’s events would have importance later. This could add more power to the conflict, but only if the execution is done well.

Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?

I’ll admit that I don’t like Renge, but it is a good thing that she showed up again. I praised her ideas in the last episode because I knew they would play into the overall narrative. But now that it’s clear that Renge is still around, I can be assured that she isn’t a one-off. To put it differently, if Renge is a recurring character then her intro episode can’t be skipped because she’s too important to the overall narrative to dismiss.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

This episode is a good demonstration on how not to do a twist ending. A twist ending should recontextualize a story; it must never throw the story away. The best kind of twist ending is one that transforms a story by making every previous event matter in a new light. The perception of events changes, but nobody can say the events never mattered prior to the twist or following the twist.

This episode performs a bad twist ending by making us think everything mattered only to show us that it never did. It made everything pointless and nothing is pointless in a good story.

So, if you want to make twist endings, do one that transforms a story and enhances the plot. Do not throw away your story with the twist, or you’ll anger the audience by proving that you were wasting their time.

[doubleaspectrum]

Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider

Government & authority:

Types of government: What type of government exists (monarchy, democracy, theocracy, etc.)? Is it centralised or decentralised?

Leadership: Who holds power and how is it acquired (inheritance, election, divine right, conquest)?

Law enforcement: Who enforces the laws (military, police, magical entities)?

Legal system: How are laws made, interpreted, and enforced? Are there courts, judges, or councils?

Laws:

Criminal laws: What constitutes a crime? What are the punishments?

Civil laws: How are disputes between individuals resolved?

Cultural norms: How do customs and traditions influence the laws?

Magic/supernatural: Are there laws governing the use of magic or interaction with supernatural beings?

Social structure:

Class/status: How is society divided (nobility, commoners, slaves)? Are there caste systems or social mobility?

Rights & freedoms: What rights do individuals have (speech, religion, property)?

Discrimination: Are there laws that protect or discriminate against certain groups (race, gender, species, culture)?

Economy & trade:

Currency: What is used as currency? Is it standardised?

Trade laws: Are there regulations on trade, tariffs, or embargoes?

Property laws: How is ownership determined and transferred? Are there inheritance laws?

Religion/belief systems:

Religious authority: What role does religion play in governance? Are religious leaders also political leaders?

Freedom of religion: Are citizens free to practice different religions? If not, which are taboo?

Holy laws: Are there laws based on religious texts or teachings?

Military & defense:

Standing army: Is there a professional military or a militia? Who serves, and how are they recruited?

War & peace: What are the laws regarding war, peace treaties, and diplomacy?

Weapons: Are there restrictions or laws regarding weapons for civilians? What is used as a weapon? Who has access to them?

Technology & magic:

Technological advancements: How advanced is the technology (medieval, steampunk, futuristic, etc.)?

Magical laws: Are there regulations on the use of magic, magical creatures, or artifacts?

Innovation & research: How are inventors and researchers treated? Are there laws protecting intellectual property?

Environmental/resource management:

Natural resources: How are resources like water, minerals, and forests managed and protected, if at all?

Environmental laws: Are there protections for the environment? How are they enforced? Are there consequences for violations?

Cultural & ethical considerations:

Cultural diversity: How does the law accommodate or suppress cultural diversity?

Ethics: What are the ethical foundations of the laws? Are there philosophical or moral principles that underpin them?

Traditions vs. change: Does the society balance tradition with progress? How?

Happy writing ❤

Previous | Next

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 4 Review

Previous Reviews:

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

To Episode 3 Review.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 4: Attack of the Lady Manager!

Have I Seen This Before?

Once.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Interestingly enough, Renge is simultaneously the strongest and weakest character of the episode. I’ll talk more on the weak points later, but for now I’ll focus on the strong points.

Renge is strong because she’s well-written. Her character is one that infuriates me very much, but the way she’s written helps her make sense. Throughout the episode, Renge is presented as being a shut-in, a jerk, a romcom trope aficionado, and being incapable of distinguishing reality from fiction. We see in the beginning of the episode why this makes sense.

Everything comes down to Renge having a rich and coddling father. Not many people can successfully become shut-ins because something will catch up to them. It can be hunger, rent-payments, hygiene, disease, family, or friends. Simply put, a shut-in isn’t something you can feasibly be in the real world because internal or external influences will intervene. But Renge is a character who can realistically get away with it because her father is rich and is coddling her. Though to be honest, when I say “coddling” the truth of the matter is more the right combination of care and neglect.

Renge’s father keeps his daughter alive and happy, while also doing nothing to help her mature. This explains every other aspect of her character. She is a jerk because she was raised to be enabled at every turn, effectively making her a total brat. She can’t distinguish between fiction and reality because she’s taken her nerdy obsessions too far and her father has done nothing to mitigate it.

Outside of Renge’s father justifying her character by being his own flavour of a terrible parent, there is one thing that adds to the strength of Renge’s character.

I accidentally read a trope on Renge’s TV Tropes character page that reveals that she was right about each Host Club member when assigning their “dark sides” to them. This means that her place in the overall canon is justified because she’s foreshadowed how each character will be explored. Something I’d like to say about this is that the trope description only said that she was accurate, nothing else was specified. To put it simply, I know that she was right, I do not know how she was right.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Haruhi and Tamaki.

Their dynamic remains the same; Tamaki is a drama queen spouting fluff while showing an occasional serious side to his romantic feelings while Haruhi thinks he’s full of himself and tries to avoid his nonsense. The difference is that they get more one-on-one moments to contribute to their growing romance. It is particularly emphasized that Tamaki’s romantic feelings for Haruhi are serious. He was genuinely touched when she said she preferred him as he is (even if she said that to avoid more drama). Also, while we have seen Tamaki become defensive of Haruhi, this episode marks the first time he was shown losing his temper on her behalf. This furthers the emotional drama of the relationship and makes their endgame status more believable.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

As I said before, Renge is a strong character because she’s a character that makes sense and she contributes to the greater canon. However, she is also the weakest character of the episode for one reason. She’s dumb.

As I stated before, Renge is unable to tell reality from fiction. While her background shows why she thinks this way, it comes with two problems that weakens the episode.

The first problem is that this creates a conflict that is reliant on the Idiot Plot with none of the reasons it worked in Episode 2. In Episode 2, the conflict was successful because it was deliberately dumb to address the stupidity of romcom clichés. In this episode, Renge’s inability to distinguish reality from fiction isn’t a romcom cliché, it’s just Renge being dumb. And when the conflict boils down to an Idiot Plot, it is not compelling. Instead, the conflict is either frustrating because of how dumb it is or tiring because of how dumb it is.

The second problem is a trope known as the Anti-Escapism Aesop. When this trope shows up it uses nerdy characters like Renge and shows their problematic relationship with fiction to make a point that fiction is bad and people shouldn’t enjoy it. There are two problems with this. First, this kind of lesson is presented in a fictional medium, which is hypocritical. Second, this trope has set a long-standing history wherein the nerdy character like Renge is a stand-in for the audience. This is a very bad idea. It’s an insult to the audience when writers try to say, “This character who likes fiction is a problematic person, therefore you are a problematic person because you like fiction.”

I’ll admit that I don’t know if Renge is meant to be an example of the Anti-Escapism Aesop, but that trope has already set a pattern of insulting the audience. Either way, I see Renge’s problematic behaviour as a bad writing decision, because it carries an insult that an audience wouldn’t take kindly to.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

Nothing comes to mind. There is no relationship that brings the episode down.

How is the Conflict?

It’s stupid. The basis of this episode’s conflict is an Idiot Plot, with Renge’s inability to distinguish fiction from reality being the source of it all. This idea of the “inability to distinguish fiction from reality” is especially bad to have a key character presenting in a story, because the existence of the Anti-Escapism Aesop has set a pattern where that characteristic is a reflection of the audience. What I mean is that by having a character who is fiction-obsessed and showing them as an idiot, the writer can be seen as saying, “That idiot is you” to the audience.

Let it be known that I despise the Anti-Escapism Aesop and all that it implies. It always brings a work down by insulting audience members for daring to enjoy stories, and artists for writing them.

The only saving grace for this conflict is that when Renge gets called out for her nonsense, Haruhi is making a point that people are better than what Renge believes.

Is there Anything Else I can Praise or Criticize?

I didn’t give enough credit to Haruhi calling Renge out for her nonsense. Haruhi’s ultimate message to Renge was less about calling her an idiot and more about saying that humanity is good. This is something I can appreciate because it fits into an overall theme of the show. This moment fits in conjunction with Haruhi telling Suzushima that people can change the moment they choose to, and Tamaki choosing to give Yabu a fair chance to talk to his daughter. All three of these moments fit a pattern of the show’s formula. Part of that formula is the moral lesson ending with a message that humanity is inherently good. This presents the show’s intention of spreading an idealistic message and trying to restore faith in humanity. And that is something I can get behind.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

I’d recommend never using the Anti-Escapism Aesop. It has set too much of an insulting example for too long, so I can’t see it being welcome anywhere. If you choose to use it anyways then be very careful.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 3 Review

To Episode 1 Review.

To Episode 2 Review.

Beware of unmarked spoilers.

What Am I Reviewing?

Ouran High School Host Club – Episode 3: Beware the Physical Exam!

Have I Seen This Before?

Once.

Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?

Tamaki. Everyone feels stronger than they used to, but Tamaki still keeps his emotional range, the limelight, and his hidden depths.

Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?

There’s a contest here. The strongest relationship is either Tamaki or Haruhi with the remainder of the Host Club.

Why it’s Tamaki & the Host Club:

Most of the character interactions in this episode are between Tamaki and the remainder of the club.

Tamaki and the twins develop a minor animosity since Tamaki is jealous of the time they spend with Haruhi, and the twins prank Tamaki since he called them the homosexual supporting cast alongside the other club members. However, the twins were also the first on board when Tamaki started planning a new heist to maintain Haruhi’s secret, which shows that they’re loyal to Tamaki’s ideals if not Tamaki himself.

Tamaki has a similar relationship with Kyoya. Much like the twins, Kyoya establishes that he wanted revenge for Tamaki calling him a homosexual. Aside from that, their most important interaction is their reactions and responses to Yabu. Tamaki sympathized with Yabu while Kyoya refused to. This disagreement is important because even though Kyoya thought lowly of Yabu, he didn’t refuse to help the man when Tamaki asked him to. Compromising one’s ideals when asked to is a great display of loyalty, so I don’t doubt that Kyoya is loyal to Tamaki.

As for Honey and Mori, they quietly went along with the plan which can suggest that they are loyal to Tamaki.

Why it’s Haruhi & the Host Club:

The entirety of the episode is dedicated to the Host Club being protective of Haruhi, both in terms of keeping her gender a secret and in terms of physical defense when they thought Yabu was attacking her. Haruhi may carry a general sense of apathy, but there’s no doubt that the club members love her, whether as a friend or a potential lover. A good way to put it is that this episode reminds us that Haruhi is not loyal to the club, since she didn’t care about being kicked out of it. However, the club is loyal to her. No questions asked.

Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

I’d argue that it’s Haruhi. This is specifically because of her apathy at being kicked out of the Host Club. The past two episodes established that she was already growing respect for the Club and its members, even if she still has moment of apathy and confrontation.

In the second episode she complied with getting dance lessons so that Tamaki wouldn’t make her an errand girl again. Whereas here, she’s unbothered by the thought of losing her position and being forced to find alternate means to pay her debt. For an earlier event not to matter for the sake of this episode’s conflict is too jarring for me to comprehend.

This episode is clear that the previous events did happen thanks to Mori and Tamaki talking about Haruhi’s love of fancy tuna and how it was established “last episode” (Tamaki’s actual words, not mine). So, it’s not an issue of continuity.

I could see a potential argument that everything still matters because Haruhi is meant to slowly become more loyal to the Club. But if that was the point, it would have been better for her sense of respect to have been presented as more gradual instead her respect being presented as epiphanies every time. An epiphany is a sudden change from an idea, not a gradual one.

Now that I think about it, I’d have less problems with this issue if this episode’s events were in the second episode. At that point, it would be easier to believe that Haruhi has no investment in the club, and this would be the start of showing that she’s meant to gradually come to like the club.

Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?

None of them. There was no relationship that damaged the writing of this episode. In fact, the dynamic of the club as a whole got a good deal of attention, so I have nothing to complain about.

How is the Conflict?

Since Haruhi is the biggest agent of the Conflict and I already criticized her, I’m going to criticize the Conflict. The biggest aspect of Haruhi going against the Club is her apathy towards them even though she was shown to grow respect for them following: Tamaki defending her from Ayanokoji and the love heist to get Kasuga and Suzushima together. And she was already opposed to losing her position when Tamaki threatened to expose her unless she took dance lessons. So, for her to suddenly be in the “I won’t try to stay” camp in a conflict that threatens her place in the Host Club doesn’t add up. Even if it makes sense for her character since she is an apathetic person, I can’t see it being the case after those experiences because those experiences were shown to be important to her.

Is there Anything Else I can Praise or Criticize?

I can’t see why this episode is important. What is this episode trying to accomplish that the previous ones didn’t?

If the accomplishment is to make Haruhi develop more respect for the Host Club, then that was already accomplished in Episode 1 when she declared that they “aren’t so bad,” and it was furthered in Episode 2 after taking part in the love heist and realizing their capacity for altruism/utilitarianism.

If it was to give Haruhi motivation to hide her identity, that was already accomplished in Episode 2 when Tamaki threatened to expose her and reduce her to the Host Club’s “dog” again. It was clear that she wanted to avoid it.

Honestly, this episode works well as an episode dedicated to shenanigans, but as an entry in a serialized anime… I’m having trouble seeing its significance.

What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?

An epiphany would work well as a sudden turning point in a relationship, so it should not be used to present points that gradually change a relationship. If you do use an epiphany, make sure to counterbalance its results. For example, you can counterbalance a “they aren’t so bad” moment by inserting an “I still can’t trust them” moment afterwards.