4Minutes EP. 4 - My Takeaways
For the sake of organization: my future takeaways will be under #mambo.4minyap (get it? hehehehehe) cause it seems to be hitting the radar for lots of folks. It's also an interesting series, and I like talking and taking the scenic route while doing so!
Compositional Framing: The Relationship of Oppression
We got the most information about Korn's character and status within the story from this episode thus far: but the visual devices popped out the most for me (I am an artist after all LOL). I mentioned camera angles, specifically bird's eye view in my episode 1 takeaways, but we're met with a different element: shot sizes! I'm not a filmmaker so please go easy on me (my credentials include my storyboarding and animated illustration classes so my knowledge is limited), but what remains consistent throughout this episode is Korn's relationship with authority and power through the usage of establishing shot size, which lots of his scenes with various characters have varying heights.
Tonkla (Authoritarian) vs. Great (Equals)
The way Korn approaches these two characters have their obvious differences in relation to himself, but the common thread is that these two characters are individuals Korn should love. It's expected to love your family unconditionally, and arguably, love your partner even more than that. But as we've seen the story play out, starting from Korn and Great's family dynamics (which I've also covered in episode 1!): love has always been conditional.
Their relationship is revealed from a flashback that Korn and Tonkla are established boyfriends since their university days, however, dating in secrecy. This further contributes to Tonkla's stress and anxiety within the relationship, slowly escalating once he realizes the mistreatment he's tolerating. I found the symbolism between the pet cat's collar and Korn's "senior chief" sash interesting: there is ownership involved, which is mistaken for partnership.
From the jump, Korn doesn't view Tonkla as an equal partner to him, but someone who he can assert dominance over (which is primarily physical but also emotional). By displaying acts of love such as helping Tonkla through his first time and being present during Tonkla's loss with his deceased pet cat, what seems innocent and kindhearted on the surface actually has more context (which due to the 30 image limit, y'all are going to have to watch the episode for yourself and take my word for it LOL).
In the university flashback, Korn mentions keeping the cat's collar as a memento, but he's not the one reaching in and taking the collar off the cat: Tonkla is. Tonkla also isn't the one who puts on the "senior chief" sash himself: Korn is. In both scenarios, Korn is the one making decisions for Tonkla during his moments of vulnerability (both in a state of grief and during a sexual act). I checked out this article to make sure my facts are straight (got too many fun facts up my sleeve), but this approach is how cults target and recruit their victims:
Possible situational vulnerabilities include illness, the death of a loved one, breakup of an important relationship, loss of a job, or moving to another city, state or country.
Is this deliberate, or is it Korn's act of kindness? We can only infer at this moment where Korn falls on the value spectrum, but he's definitely a morally gray character (you can argue with your mom idc). During the after care scene, Tonkla mentions his father (which is alive during this flashback, but not presently living during the funeral ceremony) and moving to a new place with his younger brother due to his father's alcoholism (and possible physical abuse but this is only an assumption). Korn handles this interaction by providing financial stability (cough cough financial abuse) for Tonkla in the meantime, establishing a relationship rooted in give-and-take, debt and IOUs, under the guise of a caring romantic relationship. Given that Tonkla and his brother have suffered from trauma relating to family dynamics and enduring dysfunction into adulthood, I can see why Tonkla had become completely blindsided to this level of power imbalance that is simply all too familiar.
Once Tonkla realizes that Korn is only present in his life for his own self-interest, and access, he stands up against his oppressor, recognizing that there is another individual that is displaying signs of love and care (which isn't 100% healthy, but it's progress nonetheless) that Korn has bread crumbed him for all these years.
This confrontational scene is highly intense and emotional, which is reinforced by Korn's physical stature towering over Tonkla in most of the scenes we've seen thus far in each episode and usually ending with Korn continuing to be enabled. These scenes are usually shot at angles such as panning from above to reveal Korn's power over Tonkla, who's usually shot from over-the-shoulder and panned down. However, once Tonkla finally takes his stand against him, the camera follows him and frames the shot as a close up, tightening the gap between Korn as the oppressor and Tonkla as the oppressed.
Once Korn leaves and returns to question Nan about the leaked information: we're shown a similar staging of Korn physically towering over his victim, but from a cowboy shot slightly panned upward. However, the framing suggests from size relationship alone: Korn is nothing more but a victim himself playing the role of the villain. He is in the same predicament as his own victims, but living in a state of falsehood and denial as he has been trained to believe it is his birth right to take over his father's business (not even taking the time to question the morality behind such a business). What remains behind choosing moral righteousness over injustice: the disappointment of living as a failure and abandonment of his family system, the only consistently good thing in his life that is his younger brother Great. It's heartbreaking because we can see somewhat of goodness from his beaconing of retrieving information without the reliance of violent methods (which is unsuccessful and out of context, rather pitiful?), and I really do hope that he will be able to redeem himself (but I wouldn't completely write off the series if he does not deserve redemption).
However, the greatest loss is Tonkla's revelation of his own entrapment: reminiscing the memories held by the collar but in an entirely new perspective. The composition of him looking at himself in the mirror is hauntingly beautiful but full of melancholy: the mirror serves as a moment of literal self reflection, the collar reminding him of living as a possession rather than a person, the frame of the mirror serves as a metaphorical cage. Now it's a matter of whether or not Tonkla will reclaim his power again and recognize that he's simply a bird confined in his cage, but the door is now wide open. Will he realize soon that he has his own wings to fly?
Moral Value: A Hidden Responsibility
We've seen in this episode Great having a better understanding of his gift, establishing his moral compass and duty to act with integrity and with a strong sense of justice. Seeing such strong character development within these past few episodes is breathtaking (especially if you've been a long time supporter of Bible and just his journey as an actor). We have a good sense of Great recognizing his autonomy and relationship with free will, contrasted to how passive and reluctant he was in doing the "right" thing and being given a second chance to make a different decision.
Tyme's motive reveal (I love being right hehe) after being confronted by Great's demand for why he attacked his brother became a turning point for Great to finally tap in and establish his innate desire for moral justice, especially after being told about Nan's captivity and being foreshown her demise once he found her location. What I found most interesting during the initial rescue of Nan from Samarn was just how "normal" his conduct was when addressing Great as the son of his upper head. How polite his language was while holding a gun and standing next to a pool of his victim's blood, to just before Tyme's appearance where Great becomes the voice of reason amongst the chaos.
"Why can't I?"
It's such a simple response, but it's so loaded with depth and hidden meaning: it makes you sit back and also wonder...why can't I?
Great becomes an individual questioning the circumstances surrounding him, enabling himself to experience change. When his "friend" attempted murder and brought him along for the ride, when he experienced his first few heart attacks and hitting the woman seeking unalivement, when he is confronted by his brother's attacker and doesn't blindly dedicate his loyalty to his brother for the mere fact that he's family, when he sees Nan's predestined death in the hands of the enemy (which you can say that it really be your own people).
What makes Great such a fascinating character to me is just how dynamic and determined he's become after being gifted with foreseeing the future. Having such excitement in his awareness to his free will makes me enjoy him more as a character, that our lives are not predetermined to live and die for, that we have morals and values that must be considered and analyzed for its legitimacy, that we have integrity to do what's right without entitlement to self-interest, that we have the shared responsibility to criticize the world in which was built for us, but our jobs to upkeep and maintain. I'm excited to see what's in store for Great moving forward, and I'm so happy for Bible and Jes to play such characters.
Even though the lighting is similar to how Korn and Tonkla's flashback was, the visible warmth is even more obvious with how these two established their relationship. That in contrast to KornTonkla's ownership, TymeGreat is partnership (we haven't reached boyfriend status yet but it's coming!) How Tyme is willing to accept and make room for Great's excitement and passion, to hold it gently, to cherish it as a fleeting moment. Their NC scene in comparison to KornTonkla and WinTonkla is simply ethereal: the level of shared vulnerability and intimacy warmed my heart. From the lighting to the shots and down to the chosen score, the director does a fantastic job of creating such dissonance between all the pairs (which lots of people like to write off NC scenes as unnecessary and vulgar but it's just blatant purity cultural standards imposing on all of us and I need to dedicate another time to talk about it). The visual storytelling thus far has me anticipating more from the story as the details continue to establish the worlds revealed to us.
Tonkla's Brother: The Arrival of Home
I'm sure we all saw this coming but the reveal is heartwrenching. To see such a sweet face and scene filled with hope and longing with its immediate contrast to harsh reality, my heart goes out to Tonkla. Some may infer that there's a separate timeline that exists alongside reality, but I think it's possibly a hyperrealistic hallucination or dream by Tonkla (since the last scene we see of him was just before heading to bed for the night but also his intense codependency on drugs). Of course on the surface, people can infer that this is simply Dome returning home from recovering from his injuries: however, I interpreted it philosophically. Dome arrived home for his soul to rest.
We're shown in the first half of the episode of Tonkla mourning after Dome's body is cremated (I'm also Buddhist but I'm nationally American and ethnically Vietnamese so my interpretation of the religion will have its differences), which now establishes Dome's physical remains returning to the earth which his soul can no longer return to. I imagined Dome's soul has reincarnated and given access to the Western Pureland (since Tonkla was physically outside in the warm sunlight versus his more cool toned coloring within his scenes), only hoping that he actually experienced resting on his deathbed ready to enter the afterlife with a smile. Now we know that Tonkla's fingerprints were already in the investigation database: we need to know why and what crimes he had already committed before the murder shown as the opening in episode 2. This is definitely going to affect Win's current dynamic with Tonkla, given that they're now living together and he has access to Tonkla's home and possessions. Maybe we'll experience another shift in character development like how Great was, but possibly targeting Korn if the company is involved in Dome's case somehow.
Honorable Mentions: Heart Attack Transition
This scene was literally so fucking cool. The match cuts and in and outs of the inversion (def going to have trigger warnings for future GIF sets) were literally out of this world, especially when I find out it's from the freaking painting within the hospital hallway that is just a prop on the surface. I wonder who suggested such a transition and I wonder how they'll depict Great's future heart attacks and visions. The VFX team is working overtime and I'm so impressed so please give them their flowers!
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Suddenly Magical Boys?! - Ruikasa Week 2024
Day 3: First Meeting
(ft. Colofes magical girl au & mentioned of April Fools 2024)
Magic was something Tsukasa never really considered in life.
It wasn't that he disliked fantasy. No, complete the opposite. He loves fantasy. His favorite plays and stories are fantasy. But he has his limit. He's not a child anymore. He's 17! The perfect adolescent age! He's too old to wish upon a star! He has things to do! Places to be! The cafe to run! Auditions to go!
...
He has an audition to go!
"TOUYA! MINORI! I'm going now!" Tsukasa tossed his apron, accidentally hitting Touya in the face as he reached for his jacket. "There's the pecan pie in the oven!"
"Good luck, Tsukasa-senpai." Touya waved his hand, not even bothering to remove the apron from his face.
"You can do it, Tsukasa!" Minori cheered as she rolled past him on her rollerskate to carry a pudding order.
Tsukasa flashed them a smile as he ran out of the Booo! Cafe. His mind has only one target. There was no time to take in the view of the town Tsukasa had come to be acquainted with in just a few months. This town known as Kazamatsuri is a town at the foot of a mountain. While it is different than his modern hometown of Tokyo City, it doesn't lose its charm for its very environmentally conscious inhabitants. It is as if you're living in a forest; greenery in every corner as the gardening committee takes their positions very seriously. Thus, the air in Kazamatsuri, despite being more advanced in technology, is still as fresh as when you live in the countryside, making it a perfect town for his sister, Saki. It was also a coincidence that their other siblings, Touya and Kanade, also live there.
So now all of them live under one roof and Tsukasa, of course, being the responsible older sibling, took it upon himself to take care of them. Booo! Cafe, where he works together with Minori and Touya, is his source of income as Saki and Kanade help in their own way; Saki with her alien investigation team and Kanade with her band.
But when the local theater, the Devil's Manner, decided to do an open audition for their new production, Tsukasa knew he couldn't miss it.
And thus how he finally arrived at the venue, nearly out of breath. Darn, his legend almost ended before it could begin.
"Alright!" Someone clapped their hand, gaining everyone's attention. A blue-haired man stood in front of the auditionees along with a purple-haired teen who Tsukasa was sure is a the same age as him. "Welcome, everyone. I'm Shion Kaito, the head of Devils' Manner Theater. And this is Kamishiro Rui, our director."
Already a director at that young age?! Ugh! It was like a stab in the heart for Tsukasa. He needs to do better! He hadn't accomplished great anything yet!
"We'll start with introducing youself." Kamishiro clicked his pen. Oh, wow. His voice is kinda nice- what the heck, Tsukasa?! Get over yourself! "Starting from the right, okay?"
Tsukasa nodded to himself. Alright. First impressions are important. He has to go big.
"Alright." Kamishiro pointed at him. "Your turn."
Tsukasa cleared his throat and stepped forward with a hand on his chest. "My first name is written with the character for ruling, and second with the character for pegasus." He spun around. "I am Tsukasa Tenma, the soaring pegasus born to rule the showbiz world!" And stretched out his hand toward Kamishiro. "Allow me to take my first steps to stardom on one of your stages, and I shall repay you with a plethora of incredible shows the crowds will fall in love with!"
Kamishiro's eyes widened ever so slightly. Good. He made him speechless. "Incredible shows, you say?"
Tsukasa nodded. "I am not merely a star, I am a supernova! I am the miracle-bringer! And now, I am at your service! Give me any role, and I will perform it to 12,000% satisfaction!"
Kamishiro giggled. "We'll see about that, Tenma-kun."
*****
Hours went by and Tsukasa could finally breath. The sun has started to set as he stepped out of the theater. It went better than he expected. Stardom here we come!
'Hey owari wo koete zutto paatii wo Hey mawaritsuzukeru meriigooraundo'
Oh, that was his phone. He picked it up. "Hello."
"Onii-chan!" It was Saki! "How was the audition?"
"It went great!" Tsukasa cheered as he started to walk away. "We'll just hope for the best for now."
"I knew you could do it! We should celebrate! Pizza and movies?"
Tsukasa nodded. "Pizza and movies, as tradition. I'll grab the drinks. Any request?"
He could hear Saki's shout followed by some mumblings from presumably Touya and Kanade. "Milk tea for me and Kanade and Touya wanted iced coffee as usual."
"Alright them, I'll see you later."
"See you!" Tsukasa smiled at his phone screen. He might be the oldest sibling, but that doesn't mean the little ones won't help him back. They only have each other in this town. Tsukasa would do anything to protect them.
To protect. To keep their smile.
He has to...
It's all he can do...
And then, the world shifted.
Dong... Dong...
"Eh?" Where did that bell come from?
The wind picked up. A cherry blossom petal hit his face.
And then, it happened.
Runes of white light hit the street.
A kid carrying a soda can tripped on top of it, but before his mother or Tsukasa could help him, time stopped.
Everything froze in a red hue like the sky. An old lady walking a street. Teens roughhousing playfully. A vendor selling takoyaki to a little girl. Nothing moved.
Except for Tsukasa.
"What the..." He looked around, dashing to find anyone who wasn't frozen. "What's going on?!"
The earth cracked and when Tsukasa turned around.
A giant baby with sharp teeth. "OkAy, pRePaRaTiOnS CoMpLeTe!"
A floating ball with millions of heads stood. "ThErE ArEn'T MaNy pEoPlE BuT It'S EnOuGh. LeTs hAvE ThEm."
"ChOw tImE! ChOw tImE!" The baby opened its mouth and people started to glow, covering them with white flame. The flame got sucked into its mouth.
"ItS So dElIcIoUs, sO DeLiCiOuS!" the baby cheered.
"DoNt tAlK WiTh yOuR MoUtH FuLl." the faces scolded it. "ShAmE On yOu."
"OkAy..."
The heads also opened their millions of mouths and sucked more flame from the people.
And Tsukasa just froze there. He couldn't move. Too much in shock.
This must be a dream. A nightmare. A hallucination from the build-up of nervousness of the audition.
There was no way this was real.
"There's no way..."
One of the many faces on the ball finally noticed him. "WhAt iS ThIs? A HuMaN StIlL RoAmInG ArOuNd tHe rEd nIgHt?"
The baby stopped its feast to turn to Tsukasa. "Is iT A MaGiCaL GiRl?"
"CoUlD Be. AnD A StUpId oNe tHaT Is."
The baby giggled and loomed over Tsukasa. "NoT GoInG To tRaNsFoRm?"
And he couldn't do anything as its hand wrapped around him. "CaUgHt yOu! NeVeR HaD A MaGiCaL GiRl bEfOrE. ChOw tImE!"
It opened its mouth and Tsukasa could feel himself getting sleepy. Flames came out from him and flowed into the baby's mouth.
Oh.
This is just a dream, isn't it?
A nightmare.
He'll wake up, right?
Someone... Saki... Touya... Kanade...
Wake him up, please.
A twinkle appeared in the distance.
And a shooting star hit the baby in the face.
It screamed, releasing Tsukasa from its garps.
Someone caught him before he could hit the ground.
In his dazed state, he could see his savior; purple hair with two cyan stripes. A marking of a crescent moon over his right eye. A suit that reminded him of space.
"What are you thinking?!" His savior scolded him. "Why are you doing just standing there?!"
"Huh...?"
"Did you forget to transform? What kind of Magical Boy are you?!"
Magical... "Magic doesn't exist..."
"Then explain all of this."
"A nightmare?"
"A MaGiCaL GiRl..." The ball of a million heads. "A ReAl oNe tHiS OnE."
Tsukasa could feel his savior clutching him tighter. "Time to go."
"Wha-"
The baby raised its hand about to hit Tsukasa and his savior, but they jumped out of the way. Well, it was more like his savior jumped while carrying Tsukasa's bridal style. That certainly woke Tsukasa up.
"Wait!" He put his arms around his savior's neck, securing himself from falling. "What's going on?"
"Are you new to this job?" his savior asked. "Does no one ever taught you about this stuff?"
"I didn't even know magic even existed!" Tsukasa shouted. "There's no such thing as Magical Girls!"
"You're being saved by one."
"There's no way!"
"Look, whether you want to believe or not, this is real." His savior looked down at him and Tsukasa could see constellations in his golden eyes. "Magic is real. Us Magical Boys and Girls are real. And those creatures, the Eaters, are real. They brought upon the Red Night where time stop so they could feast upon humans' soul like your. When a human lost their soul, they will disappear from existence and no one will remember them. Humans aren't supposed to be able to walk around the Red Night, so either you're also a Magical Boy or you have something with magical power to make you move around here."
"But... I don't..."
"I know now you aren't one."
They landed on the roof of a building and his savior put him down. "When the Red Night ends, you'll be transported back to your original spot when it was activated. So, stay here."
Just as he was about to leave, Tsukasa caught his hand. "Wait! What about you?"
His savior looked ahead toward their previous enemies. "I need to make sure they don't reach you and stop this Red Night early."
"Why?"
He chuckled. "I've taken an interest in you. Even if we won't meet again in this condition."
Right. Tsukasa wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to get involved in this mess. "Can I at least know your name?"
His savior shook his head. "If we meet again in this Red Night. I'll tell you my name. But I'll be sure to look after you in one way or another."
With that, his savior jumped into battle. With the spectacles that was the shooting stars when Tsukasa gasp-
And then, the world shifted.
Dong... Dong...
Everything returned to normal.
Everything started to move again.
But he knew some things were missing.
There was a single teen missing from the roughhousing group. The vendor never sold anything. And the mother whose child previously fallen down just walked passed him.
They were gone.
Those who were eaten by those monsters, the Eaters, were gone. As if they never existed in the first place.
And Magical Boys and Girls, like his savior, were fighting against them.
Magic... Exists...
"Tsukasa-senpai!"
Someone caught him before he could fall down, clutching him for their dear life. "Tou...Ya...?" Wasn't Touya supposed to be back home?
"You're alright." Touya hugged him tight and close. "You're alright..."
"How did you get here?"
"I ran." That's strange. Touya was never one good with physical activity. "You haven't home for a while so I thought-"
"But time stopped."
Touya let out a gasp and pulled out from the hug. "How did you-"
"Are you...magic too?"
Touya started at him with shock and Tsukasa begged that Touya would laugh or be confused, because this is just too ridiculous to be real.
Magic doesn't exist and everything he saw of Red Night and Eaters and his Magical Boy savior are just a hallucination.
And yet, Touya reached for Tsukasa's jacket pocket. Touya and Tsukasa's jacket are identical, thus they would often got mixed. It wouldn't be surprise that in earlier rush, Tsukasa took Touya's jacket instead of his own. But it was still a surprise when Touya pulled back his hand while holding something.
A hairpin. A simple hairpin with two small black orb.
A hairpin that Touya would wear often.
"Humans aren't supposed to be able to walk around the Red Night, so either you're also a Magical Boy or you have something with magical power to make you move around here."
That was what the Magical Boy said.
Is that Touya's magical item? So Touya is really is a...
"I promise I will explain everything." Touya said as he pulled Tsukasa into another hug. "I'm glad you're safe..."
Magic was something Tsukasa never really considered in life.
But after taking a glimpse of it and knowing how dangerous it is, of how his own siblings in involved, Tsukasa knows there no way he could stay ignorant.
Perhaps one day, once he learns more about this magical conundrum, he could meet with his savior again.
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