#high_guardian_spice

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ENG

Parsley and Amaryllis are from High Guardian Spice

Happy New Year

РУС

Петрушка и Амариллис из Как Стать Высшим Стражем

С Новым Годом

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ENG

Look at how cute Zinnia is.

This is from High Guardian Spice, "Cave of Vinca"

РУС

Посмотри, какая Зинниа милая.

Это из Как Стать Высшим Стражем, "Пещера Барвинок"

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ENG I am not the original artist of this image. It was made by a deviantArt user named WeirdOUGHDOTcom. Because his account has been deactivated, I am posting here to preserve it, and to show how pretty he made Rosemary. She is from High Guardian Spice.

РУС Я не оригинальный художник этого образа. Это было сделано deviantArt пользователем с именем WeirdOUGHDOTcom. Потому что его учетная запись была деактивирована, я публикую это здесь, чтобы сохранить его, и показать, как красива он сделал Розмари. Она из мультфильма Как Стать Высшим Стражем.

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ENG

Look at how cute she is.

Parsley is from High Guardian Spice, from the episode "Lost Cause"

РУС

Смотри, как она милая

Петрушка из мультфильма Как Стать Высшим Стражем, из серии "Пропащий человек"

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The End of Hiatus

(Return of the Saint)

Alright, the moment you were (weren't?) waiting for.

Some time ago, I said I would be returning with new images in September, but that didn't happen. The main reason being very obvious, art block and just being unable to make higher-quality images.

Like before, I will upload every tuesday. This time, it may be once every week or once every two weeks, but it will always be on a tuesday. I will still be uploading fanart of Regal Academy, Lolirock, DC Super Hero Girls as well as other series, so if you are watching me for those reasons, I have returned.

And while I'm at it, I will be reviewing the following shows sometime this year.

High Guardian Spice (oh yeah!)

Polly Pocket season 1

Mia and Me seasons 1-2

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ENG

Heauxy: Parsley, why are you still looking at me like that?

(High Guardian Spice fan art. This is a re-make)

РУС

Хови: Петрушка, почему ты ещё так на меня смотрите?

(Как Стать Высшим Стражем фан образ. Это римейк)

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Rainy Day Memories Episode Review

"You wanna help your dad. You wanna see if you can save the Fairy Woods together. I get as much of it as I can. You can't hide this from a friend." - Parsley, talking to Thyme at the beginning of the episode

"I have stuff to do too! But unlike some people, I don't feel the need to announce it!" - Amaryllis, wanting Snapdragon's attention by (hypocritically) announcing her intention of leaving

"Imagine, sad Sage, all her embarrassing memories of wearing dumb hats and being boring and stuff - I don't know - are out in the open. Who will she confide to but the friend who knows her best?" - Amaryllis, manipulating Rosemary into accepting her plan

"Ok, yes! It looks bad! If anyone asks, it was just homework!" - Amaryllis, after the memory spell backfires on her and Rosemary

What could have been my least favorite episode of the show is actually not. In fact, it is my absolute favorite of the series.

The color palette of "Rainy Day Memories" is darker, to tell a darker story, and the weather reflects the dark period of time between, or among the girls. Despite how different the episode is from the rest of the show, it maintains the show's identity very well.

Every element of the plot falls into place due to the events of previous episodes. Having a strong adherence to continuity, these include Amaryllis losing Zinnia as her roommate, Thyme attempting to contact her father about the healing waters, and most importantly, the rift between Rosemary and Sage.

It also has the best cold opening of the series. Aside from establishing the B plot while introducing the A plot; Rosemary, and by extension, her voice actress, is good at spooky storytelling. This sets up the atmosphere of the B plot.

As for the A plot, Amaryllis is the deuteragonist, despite previously being either a secondary character or an antagonist. By doing this, the episode is all the more unique; and it doesn't stop there. Slimeboy and Parnelle are also important to the plot as they help her and Rosemary with their plan.

Amaryllis is already an entertaining character, and because this is her most significant episode in the series, she has more screentime here. If she is one of your favorite characters, then I highly recommend this episode.

Despite her' bad intentions, she is ironically helpful to Rosemary; albeit by manipulating her into using a memory spell on Sage. However, because Rosemary refuses to go along with her plan, at the last second, the spell backfires on them. Funnily enough, this causes all of their most embarrassing memories to leak out to the school.

Their hijink goes completely wrong, and as Parnelle says, it is "poetic justice." While the other students are laughing hysterically at them, Amaryllis and Rosemary have to capture their memories and seal them in bottles.

When a memory of young Rosemary runs off crying, Sage finds her, as well as Rosemary herself. Sympathizing with young Rose, Sage finally listens to Rosemary apologize to her. Afterwards, they reconcile; and funnily enough, Amaryllis' plan technically worked out in the end while simultaneously keeping Sage safe. Amaryllis herself reconciles with Snapdragon.

As for the B plot, it is good in its own right. Thyme seeks to contact her father about the healing waters in order to save the Fairy Woods. Unlike her mother, he is the one parent that she respects.

This is best seen in the flashback, which also shows who Thyme was when she was younger. Her eagerness to go to the archery course exemplifies her innocence, as well as how energetic she was. She was much happier than she is in the present, and difference between her younger and older self is striking, but fascinating.

Despite Parsley volunteering to help her, Thyme only considers her a roommate, and not a friend. Parsley however, tags along with her anyways and risks death in order to help her out. This is another reason why she is my favorite character of the show.

When Thyme inadvertently destroys the salt circle, they end up in a fight against the demon and it is tense. While she failed to contact her father, she and Parsley at least work together to kill it. In the process, they become closer as roommates, in the same vain as Rosemary and Sage.

There are only three issues I have with the episode. Even though Rosemary and her group use bottles to "capture" their memories, this is actually unnecessary. It would be easier, and more entertaining if Rosemary and Amaryllis smashed all memories. After all, Olive throws her book at young Rosemary and she disappears.

My other gripe is a considerable gap of time between Thyme summoning the demon and when the demon attacks. It gives the impression that she and Parsley were standing and waiting for him to move. This is due to the A plot going on for too long.

Rosemary also should not have been the one to apologize. Even though she bravely went after Olive in the previous episode, Sage holds a grudge against her for two weeks.

And one minor issue is how the demon, who is part mist, bleeds when Thyme shoots an arrow at him. The blood looks bad, and I must also mention that Parsley uses her hammer to slice his arm off, which should not happen unless she had an axe.

But overall, I love how everything about the show coalesces into one good episode that will leave you entertained. If you haven't seen the rain, you're missing out.

previous episode review: Festival of Fall

next episode review: Attack on High Guardian Academy

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High Guardian Spice Series Review

[reviewing the show as a whole]

"So what exactly was all the fuss about?" "Is this review a food?"

[If you haven't already, I recommend reading some of my episode reviews for this series]

Scandalous and infamous, High Guardian Spice is notorious for everything that it is. If you're reading this, chances are, you are already aware of its nasty reputation. The series has received so much negative press, so much vitriol, that I was encouraged to watch it for myself. For this reason, it received much more attention than it is probably deserving of.

As a result, I actually love how provocative it is, because there are worse shows and better shows that have never achieved the same level of attention or infamy as High Guardian Spice. If you want a show that's even worse, just watch Angel's Friends. Critics are quick to point out the irony of the show's title, because all four protagonists are named after herbs, and not spices. However, the reason behind the name is revealed at the very end of the series. Rosemary, being the leader of her team, comes up with it; and as established, she is impulsive, and may even have below-average intelligence. But even after knowing the names of each herb, I never had a problem with the name of the series.

Critics are also harsh on the show's intro for being generic with simplistic lyrics. Yet, I'm surprised that they didn't mention Windy Wagner slurring the vocals. Even though another take would've been nice, and the fact I still don't know what's "warm and bright," I actually like intro theme for its optimism and sense of adventure; and the fact that opening sequence is synched to the lyrics.

To "become the light" means to become a hero, what the girls, especially Rosemary, intend to do. Just look at her face when she looks in the mirror. Her expression shows absolute determination and will. For the reasons above, I find myself listening to the intro on repeat and wanting to watch it for every episode.

Interestingly, High Guardian Spice is nowhere to be found on Windy's official website. In spite of this, I actually love the work she did for it.

However, I have a lower opinion towards the credits. While it expresses the joy of friendship, it just sounds too childish. While it does work for the majority of episodes, it absolutely does not when placed after episodes like "Festival of Fall" or "Scypith." The shift in mood is absolutely jarring and I don't know why anyone at Ellation Studios didn't notice. Both parts of the Autumn Processional conclude on dark endings, and after the scypith is killed, the girls melodramatically cry over its death before suddenly becoming happy again in the closing sequence.

It's even more bizarre considering the content warning before each episode. If the show is not meant for children, then why does every episode have an ending designed for toddlers? Raye has said that the advisory is not his doing; instead, Crunchyroll is responsible, even though the show is nothing a ten-year old cannot handle, save for a bit of profanity.

[the show's advisory, although what for?]

Although speaking of, I definitely dislike the swearing, not because I am a prude; but because the characters look too cute to use foul language. One exception is Rosemary calling Mandrake an asshole. It's not only funny, but she is clearly the kind of girl to use that word.

The major conflict in the world of High Guardian Spice is the battle between old magic and new magic. Despite this, the show is extremely vague about the difference between them. It is not clearly explained or even demonstrated beyond their names and how powerful they are. The best I understand is, terrasphere are new magic, and they amplify magic powers. If I am wrong about this, it's the show's fault for not being more clear.

Going beyond its allegory or metaphor for technology, new magic is a recent development in the show's universe, and the fact it can do anything, it should be causing problems in the world; i.e. new magic is causing new problems that have never been seen before, especially if it's more powerful than old magic for the world to responsibly handle. New magic is more powerful, but also more dangerous.

A lot of viewers speculate that new magic is behind the Fairy Rot; and in all likelihood, they are correct. For the reasons described above, new magic is causing the destruction of the Fairy Woods. All of this however, is in the subtext, or background.

I should also mention that I still don't know what a guardian is, beyond protecting someone or something. I'm willing to guess that a guardian is someone that defends Lyngarth, or it may even be a special class of people with special privileges. For that matter, High Guardian Academy might even be a military school.

Similarly, an explanation for why Rose's parents switched gender roles would've been nice. Likewise, it also would have been nice to know more about Chicory, Rosemary's older brother; because surely, he is an important person in Rosemary's life. But for whatever reason, he is not attending High Guardian Academy just like her, and he doesn't even show up in Rosemary's flashback in the third episode. Even though he could easily be written out the show without consequence, I don't want him to.

For the reasons above, the world-building is terrible. The most crucial elements of the story are not clearly explained or just as bad, under-developed.

Each of the four main characters have their own personal issue that suits their overall personality; Rosemary coping with losing her mother, Sage being caught between old magic and new magic as well as dealing with a school bully, Parsley needing to assume maternal responsibilities at home, and lastly, Thyme looking for a solution to the rot that is destroying her home in the Fairy Woods.

Initially, I didn't like Rosemary, not because critics say she is stupid and annoying; but because of her character design. Her hairstyle and frilly skirt are completely impractical for combat. However, I have eventually come to respect her for multiple reasons.

In the first episode, she wants to chase after an animal she believes has rabies. While this is obviously an extremely dangerous thing to do in real life and should have probably been replaced with something milder, this demonstrates her curiosity about the world, even if it is reckless.

She is an energetic tomboy that idolizes her mother; and wanting to be just like her, has a strong sense of justice and virtue, as well as perseverance and determination. This is best demonstrated in the second part of "Festival of Fall." Despite her feuding with Sage in the episode, Rosemary goes after Olive anyways and fights her.

As for Sage, she could've been my favorite character of the show. Despite ostensibly being the smart girl, the early episodes show how innocent and naive she is. Her stubbornness to adapt to new magic is actually her clinging on to her naivety and her desire to honor old magic.

While I have heard critics deride her outfit for being generic, this actually demonstrates the conservative nature of tradition. Despite being dressed modestly, she still looks cute anyways.

But all of this begs the question of why her parents send her to High Guardian to begin with if the curriculum is exclusively new magic. However, I speculate that they're so conservative that they are completely oblivious to the new standards, and even the fact that the world is changing.

Unfortunately, Sage loses her initial characterization in the episode "Crushing Obstacles." She comes across as condescending when she claims that guys do not talk about their feelings, despite Parnelle talking about his feelings to her in the previous episode, and even crying. Worst of all, Sage's behavior is triggered by Rosemary having a crush on Aster.

While it turns out that he is not a good match for her (at least according to what the writers intended), how Sage behaves is such a bizarre contrast to what she is like in the previous episodes. The reasons above are why I like Rosemary more than Sage, despite having a personality that is the polar opposite of mine; and despite Sage being a character I have more in common with.

Now would be a bad time to mention that I actually like Amaryllis. What I like is how, despite being much smaller than the entire student population, she dominates the school in spite of her height, and has a ton of fun doing it. Small, fearless, and proud, she is so entertaining that even the fandom likes her.

But my absolute favorite character is Parsley. Aside from being short and adorable, and also doing it with short hair, she is the most likeable protagonist for being optimistic, friendly, and cheerful. Having a great personality, she is the one main character that most people, even critics, are fine with. I also need to mention how she laughs in the episode "Transformations." Her laugh is so angelic, I find myself re-watching Rosemary burp just to hear it again.

But compared to the other girls, she has no meaningful conflict to face. Additionally, she has been a blacksmith since birth, she doesn't need schooling. The second episode shows that she is already proficient.

For this reason, I had to speculate why Parsley would like to attend High Guardian Academy. Her enrollment is redundant, and she can just get an apprenticeship under her father. However, another user I spoke to has speculated that, by going to High Guardian, she will be able to become her own blacksmith sooner. By doing this, she will be able to help her family out by earning a higher income.

I have also guessed that her life at home prevents her making friends. After all, before attending, it was her responsibility to look after her brothers. Without her, her parents will have more trouble taking care of the boys, although this could be mitigated if her parents had less. But by living away from home, Parsley does not struggle like the other girls do.

As for Thyme, I don't have any strong opinion on her. Part of the problem is that she is stoic; and as a minor criticism, her bow makes no sense whatsoever. The strings come out from the top and bottom, but then they magically connect.

[either she is distressed, or she had a bowel movement, from the episode "Festival of Fall, part one"]

The show is not formulaic; and because each episode is unique, I can easily identify any episode just by looking at a screenshot. I also love how each one begins with a cold opening, as a way to build anticipation for the next adventure that Rosemary and the girls will have. The best teaser is the one for "Rainy Day Memories."

While I prefer shows without a central story arc; and despite High Guardian Spice's linear nature, it is short enough that this is not a problem. And because there's only twelve episodes, the show has relatively strong continuity.

And even when the show's harshest critics have seen everything wrong with the show, it still has personality. Even if you think the show is terrible, it's still unique for what it is. You could even argue it's so bad it's good.

Overall, High Guardian Spice feels like a very rough draft that Raye and his studio weren't allowed to proofread or revise. The writing, being all over the place, encompasses an entire gamut from bad, to clumsy, to unfinished. What complicates everything is how the show was under-financed, badly promoted and rushed. After all, the production crew had to start the storyboard process for the first episode before the script was even finished.

A part of me believes everything would have been explained with a second season, but at the time of writing this, there are no plans for season two. And at the time of writing this, Ellation Studios has shut down. Interestingly, Raye would like to reboot the show instead of continuing it. I can only imagine how badly Crunchyroll (mis)treated the series as badly as it did.

In spite of all of this, the show looks great, and I absolutely adore the aesthetics. This includes the character designs and the environments; and at least the show doesn't use flash animation all that often. But High Guardian Spice is so cute, it's clumsy; or, it's so clumsy, it's cute. For these reasons, I actually like the show.

However, there is a caveat to note. Because I already knew a lot about the show before watching a single episode, I was already aware of its problems; so I accepted most of them without question and didn't take it all that seriously. Having low expectations, I just didn't find myself hating it as the average person.

Although, if you have seen my image of Parsley and Heauxy, you already know that I like the show enough to make fanart out of it, and the fact I posted screenshots from it.

There are easy fixes for most of its problems; and in fact, I could probably fix them myself. The most effective would be to remove old magic and new magic completely or to explain the difference between them more clearly.

And besides, with how much hatred it has received, it has a unique, but highly provocative identity, even when the production studio was not trying to make it that way. I actually like it for what it is. But what I really dislike is how difficult this review was to write.

With (or even because of) the amount of vitriol against it, there is still charm to be found in the world of High Guardian Spice. In fact, I'm in the mood to watch it again to see if my opinion sours.

For most critics, the show has left a bitter taste in their mouths; but for me, the show just doesn't taste all that bad. This particular spice is not meant for everyone; but at the same time, not all spices need to taste like cinnamon.

Grade: B - (is the internet going to kill me for this?)

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ENG Even though this scene happens during a serious moment, I can't help but laugh at how silly Thyme looks. This from High Guardian Spice, "Festival of Fall, part one."

РУС Несмотря на то, что эта сцена происходит в серьезный момент, я не могу удержаться от смеха над тем, как смешно выглядит Тимьян. Это из Как Стать Высшим Стражем, "Осенний Фестиваль, часть первая"

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High Guardian Spice Poll

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ENG (His name is pronouned "Hoe - We") Professor Heauxy: Miss Parsley, why are you looking at me like that? [Parsley does not answer] Professor Heauxy: Miss Parsley? Parsley: Oh, has anyone told you you look like my best friend? [This is from the first episode of season two of High Guardian Spice. The episode name is "Parsley's True Love."]

Истинная Любовь Парслея

РУС (Его имя произносится "Хо - Вы") Профессор Ховый: Мисс Парслей, почему ты так на меня смотришь? (Парслей не отвечает) Профессор Ховый: Мисс Парслей? Парслей: О, тебе кто-нибудь говорил что вы похожа на мою лучшую подругу? (Это из первый эпизод сезона два Хай Гардиан Спайс. Название эпизода такое "Истинная Любовь Парслея")

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All High Guardian Academy students

ENG

I didn't think it was possible to stitch this image together because the students in the back rows move at a different rate.

And surprisingly, this only took an hour to do.

This is from the intro of High Guardian Spice.

РУС

Я не думал, что возможно сшить это изображение воедино, потому что ученики в задних рядах двигаются с разной скоростью.

 И, что удивительно, на это ушел всего час.

Это из вступления к Как Стать Высшим Стражем.

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High Guardian Spice Poll

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ENG

This is the making-of for last week's image. I should have made Heauxy's arms longer, but maybe next time. This isn't the last of him.

РУС

Это процесс создания изображения, представленного на прошлой неделе. Мне следовало бы сделать руки Ховея длиннее, но, может быть, в следующий раз. Это будет не последний раз, когда он появляется.

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ENG

Parsley is from High Guardian Spice

РУС

Петрушка из Как Стать Высшим Стражем

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The Game Plan

Now that I am finished reviewing High Guardian Spice, I will resume with uploading new images. The caveat is, it will be one image every two weeks instead of once a week. I have been much busier in general, and will continue to be. While this might seem disappointing, it's also because higher-quality art takes more time, and you're going to see how much I have improved.

As promised, the Polly Pocket season one review will come later this year; but I won't be able to review the first two seasons of Mia and Me before the end. Both seasons combined have fifty-two episodes. It is double the length of Polly Pocket, and more than Polly Pocket and High Guardian Spice combined. However, I can promise that the Mia and Me review will come next year. Here on tumblr, I know how fans are really eager to hear what I have to say about the show. Surprisingly, its fanbase is still relatively active. So, that's the game plan for the future.