#md3 watches ascendance of a bookworm

[mysticdragon3md3]

reactions to Ascendance of a Bookworm ep10-11

6:15 PM 12/22/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 10 – To the Second Winter

Is the trombe connected to The Devouring? 

So Benno convinced Lutz that the way he can help Main is to make lots of money by selling her products as best he can?  I don't know what's with me lately, but I haven't been able to immediately grasp the wording in some of these subtitles.  

Aw man!  The episode ended right when she collapsed!  ;o;! 

I think it's really sweet how Benno is becoming protective of Main.  

Looks like I finally found a way to stop pausing anime every 2 minutes to write reactions:  Just eat while watching, and be very hungry.  lol

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6:41 PM 12/22/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 11 – Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings

Frieda already agreed to become a concubine/mistress?  Jeeze, no wonder she seems so mature.  Actually all the kids in this show are really mature.  Mostly.  Maybe I've been watching too much Shonen anime/manga, but I expected Main to jump up and declare that she's going to find a 3rd option to survive the Devouring.  ...Wait a minute...Did Frieda essentially get sold as a sex slave???  O___o

I feel kind of bad that Main didn't give her family the chance to try a ritzy meal, but it's really cute how close that family is becoming.  

Things to keep nobles preoccupied during winter?  You mean like board games?  

I don't care if all these cute moments with Main's family are some kind of setup for tragedy.  It's still super cute to see them laughing together.  

Congratulations show, you're making me cry.  

So Main has decided not to become a noble's concubine to pay for her chronic illness.  Now has to be the time when she'll make a declaration about making enough money to keep herself alive, without being separated from her family.  Like a Shonen protagonist!  lol

"Can I stay right here with my family?"

So Main didn't reassure her family about making enough money with her products to buy cures for her disease.  I hope her dad doesn't make some foolish deals, trying to get the money.  It's really unfortunate that a lot of dads feel like it's not their place to talk about emotional stuff or get cuddly sometimes, like with Main's mom and sister hugging Main while they sleep.  

Y'know, I've never actually stayed for the ending illustration art after the previews.  Why wait after a commercial just to watch an ending theme and previews, when the next episode was already available, right?  But is that illustration of Main serving pancakes also a preview?  Are they going to start selling pancakes to get money for the magical items to help vs The Devouring?  Are they going to go into the restaurant business?  lol  Or maybe just sell the recipe?  

Well, I'm watching the free version of Crunchyroll, so I can't watch past this preview clip of ep12.  ...Aaaaand...Done.  

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendance of a Bookworm ep7-9

10:35 PM 12/8/2019 Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 7 – Seeds of Suspicion Wow.  Lunch meeting.   I know I'm dumb, but how would it make Benno look bad as an employer that Main and Lutz went to Otto first?  No one else knows that it happened.  And from the development of the plant-based paper and onward, Main and Lutz will then be working with Benno and only that part will be public to the rest of the company.  o.o?   Merchants have ears everywhere!  LOL   I know Main is an adult's mind in a 5 year old's body, but it's still so funny to see Lutz, who is her same age, at least keeping quiet and thoughtful throughout the meetings. What's with this contract magic?  Is it to bybass worldbuilding big legal system in case people break contracts?  That doesn't sound like this series.  It's pretty meticulous about its world building.  Maybe it's a hint to something wrong with the world?   "Are you saying I sem like someone else to you?"  Jeeze, she threw it right back on him and Lutz immediately backed down.  I thought something bad was about to get revealed.   I didn't notice Lutz stopped calling her Main either.  That's an example of necessary narration.   ------------------------------------ 11:18 PM 12/8/2019 Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 8 – Lutz's Main Why are they whitling splints of bamboo?  I thought you're supposed to just split the top of a big chunk of bamboo and it splits naturally downward, along the fibers?   Aren't they going to work in the shop?  Where are they taking the equipment---Oh.  Riber.   Trombe.  So is this how they're going to leach out Main's extra mana before it kills her? Lutz still seems suspicious of Main not really being Main.  I hope that's what it is and not his insecurity about not being needed.  That sounds like some Revolutionary Girl Utena antagonist issues.  o~o  I keep worrying about what was the episode that everyone on social media kept implying was troubling.  What was wrong?  Was it this subplot coming to a head?   Why am I checking Twitter and Google?  Tumblr will know better whatever outraged a fandom.  ... It's really cool that they've finally finished some paper, but it's really overshadowed by Lutz's suspicions.   Oh wow.  She' actually telling Lutz.   Yeah!  Yell back!  Motosu Urano didn't want to take over some little girl's life! She's just as much a victim as whatever put her in that body.  I can't believe Lutz blamed her. As if she was some magical being who could consciously choose such things.  I mean, it makes sense to assume that as one of teh options, from his perspective, but jeeze, that stung.  I know people feel better when they have something to blame and someone to hate as a cause, but that's usually one of the stupidest traits of humanity.   I thought it's been several years, after all the times Mian's talking about seasons passing and "next spring"...Oh, wait. They baptize at 7 years old...But that means it had to have been almost 2 years since the series started Main/Urano at 5 years old and everyone is now saying her baptism is next year...  I'm stupid.   "So... You can stil be Main to me." MOst of his memories of Main are from after this series started?  So they didn't interact much before then?  I had assumed they did.  Huh.  I just realized that Main sounds a lot like "mine".  Is that a theme of this overall story?  Who someone is to someone else? I guess using Trombe is out.  Unless some HIGH paying customer REALLY needs higher quality paper.  LOL   I should go to sleep, but I want to watch what happens next.   11:56 PM 12/8/2019 ---------------------------------------------- 11:56 PM 12/8/2019 Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 9 – The Guild Master's Granddaughter Aw, man...Is that the pink haired girl I've seen on social media?  There have been a lot of sweet and quiet series like this that I've watched in the past, which suddenly added a really abrasive (usually tsundere) character, for extra "drama", and I've had to drop those series.  I'm into a series for the joy while watching it.  But if a character gets added to a main cast, becomes a regular, and makes each episode excruciating every time they're on screen, then I just have to drop the series.  I save my empathy and patience for real life people; abrasive fictional characters can get out of my sight.   I was a little confused before, but last episode proved it.  There's a difference between a "travelling merchant" and a "merchant".  That's probably why Benno has a base of operations inside the city.   Ooh.  Magic lock. So this isn't about filling a form or another interview???  Why is everything making registration sound ominous? Watch. This old guy guild master will turn out to be the type of softie who'll do anything a cute little girl tells him.  LOL Benno sure can put on a dramatic show.  LOL Gustaf is doing all this to get a surprise gift for his granddaughter.  What'd I tell ya?  But I do understand what Main is talking about.  I used to put so much care into secretly weaseling my giftees' preferences, that whenever someone gave me something that they didn't put much thought into, especially concerning my opinions, I read all the bad implications the gift carried.  I had to remind myself that they didn't mean anything by the gift, it had to implied meaning, because the giver didn't put thought into who I was or what I liked; they just wanted to give any gift thing.  So Main has a point.  Though, that reconaissance to secretly weasel information about what your giftee likes, is tricky.  ^_~   "I'll repay him for you."  LOL!!!!! Wait.  Are those guild licenses working as "tap cards"?  LOL Are they depositing part of their salary with the guild by taping their license cards together?  They have credit cards in a fantasy world!  LOL   Well, isn't Lutz a paper craftsman right now?  In the future when it turns into merchant work, it should happen gradually enough that his family will probably not notice.   It's so nice when they give you the same thread used in the outfit!  ;u; Just let her pay you more!  LOL   Discount.  Lutz has the right idea.  It's nice that he can contribute to the business part of their dealings.   Making as much money as you can is one thing, but discounts get you customer loyalty.  ^_~   If I was making her hairpins, I'd add some miniature coins.  Maybe even something like those sparking hairpins that maiko wear, with the hanging plates of metal decor.  She even likes the sound of coins scraping together.  Yup.  Definitely add coins to her hairpin.   It's the exact same script.  LOL Yesh, Benno sure does yell at Main a lot.  I'm gladd Frieda turned out to not be an abrasive tsunere or any other type of abrasive character, just to add drama.  Benno's yelling is more than enough for me, and that's not even very often.   So the illness is kept away by staying motivated, never aimless, and never losing heart.  Ok.  If this series wasn't so cute already, I'll call that too much of a plot device.  And does Main really need that consequence to motivate her?  She's already super motivated.  Unless this series is going to start really crushing her spriti.  o__O  Am I going to have to get scared off this series after all???  O~O?!??? I like how Frieda's eyes are downcast in teh last frames of the epsiode.  It's like she's overemphasizing or performing her mercenary spirit so she doesn't get sick from The Devouring.   But wow, I didn't expect Main to learn about the Devouring in an exposition dump without much dramatic framing.   12:40 AM 12/9/2019 I was going to postpone going to bed for another episode, but I've reached the Premium Membership episode already.  ^^;  

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendance of a Bookworm ep6

7:46 PM 12/7/2019 Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 6 – Meeting It's funny how Main's conversations with Lutz before meeting Otto, are like practice questions before a job interview.  She's preparing him for the exact questions to expect. Time to make some tools then.  ^_^ But aren't there wood joinery techniques that bypass nails in woodworking? Especially in Japan? Then again, if Main and Lutz had so much trouble carving wooden slates to an even surface, wood joinery techniques might be too much to ask for.   it's weird how I have less to write when I watch clips that I already spoiled for myself on YouTube.  I'm sure I had reactions when I first saw them.  And the whole reason I write these reactions is teh record my fandom experiences.  Maybe I'll write what I remember later. Oh, so Lutz's family are craftsmen.   "The Devouring".  It's odd how suddenly harsh things appear in this show, after long tones of iyashikei.   8:17 PM 12/7/2019

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendance of a Bookworm ep5

12:48 AM 12/6/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 5 – Baptisms and Strange Fevers

Everyone in the family helping make Turi look nice for her baptism is such cute and fluffy goodness!  ;u;  

Storytelling lesson:  If you're going to spend so much of a series with the protagonist strugging and repeatedly failing, it's good to begin the story with in medias res, that spoils everything will eventually be ok/achieved in the future.  

I can't tell if this commercial is crashing Crunchyroll again or just buffering for a loooooooooong time.  o_o;

12:55 AM 12/6/2019

Oh, it's back.

Can't ink be made out of charcoal dust?

Her wood slates are going to get used as firewood, huh?  x_x;  

How did the soot get on their faces? LOL

They're going to explain the glowing and rainbow eyes at some point, right?  

I've been thinking that Main should try making rag paper out of her mom's scrap fibers.  But maybe she could make a simple book right now out of broad dried leaves?  

Hey, I don't get it either, Main.  

1:17 AM 12/6/2019

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendance of a Bookworm eps2-4

2:45 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 2 – Life Improvements and Slates

I feel less compellted to stop the ep every few minutes to write my reaction notes, since I already watched these clips before on YOuTube.  I feel like I can finally relax and watch this series.  I should watch spoilers more often.  LOL  

I've been warry for a little while now, but I wonder if this is it...  I've been seeing AniTube vids latey alluding to "that scene" from this series.  Though I have no idea what they're talking about, it sounds like something problematic sprang up in the story.  And more and more, I wonder if it's this romance that the show is pushing between Main (I don't like that Crunchyroll spelling; my brain keeps wanting to read "main") and Lutz.  I mean, if they take that to fruition without time skips, then that means this adult lady from our world, trapped in the body of a 5 year old, will be in a romantic relationship with a 5 year old boy from this fantasy world.  O____o;;;;;;;;;;;;  I hope they don't do that.  ...But knowing how often incest has been pushed as the romantic subplot, more often in anime this past decade or so....I'm afraid that may be the case.  x__x;  I really hope I'm just being paranoid!  ;o;!  

Also, this whole shampoo/sniffing hair reminds me of when I was younger and I did understand that it's weird/intrusive if a guy does that to a girl.  Up until that point in my life, women had frequently commented on my shampoo scent and sniffed my hair.  And I just came to learn that it must be a normal thing.  Then the first time a guy asked if he could sniff my hair, my first thought was, "Well, I don't want to change my response, just because of his gender."  I had spent a lot of my childhood sexist against males, and I was trying very hard to grow out of it.  So I let him pick up a lock of my hair and sniff it.  Granted, my hair was so freaking long that even picking it up, kept him at a good 3-4 foot distance away from me.  So I didn't realize it was anything considered intimate.  But in retrospect, and after guys kept approaching me more than once in the hardware store, while I was still in my church clothes,...What kind of weirdo chases after girls running errands in a store, whenever she happens to be in a nice dress, then strikes up random conversations and asks to sniff her hair?!  In retrospect, that was weird.  And as an asexual, I am retroactively creeped-out.  

3:15 PM 12/4/2019

Well, Crunchyroll crashed during the commercial break again.  Do I have to stop watching now?  Like I did yesterday during Dr. Stone?  ;o;?  If this keeps happening, maybe I'll just watch fansubs on YouTube.  ;_;  I really don't want to though!  I'll try reloading the page and see if it'll let me skip to the middle of the episode, where I left off.  

3:31 PM 12/4/2019

She forgot her papyrus idea?

Well, I'm not going to wait through another commercial break that'll probably crash or buffer like all the others.  I'm going straight to the next episode.  And I just hope there isn't more to ep2 besides the ending theme and previews.

3:32 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 3 – The Events of Winter

omg Give Main some tools!  LOL  

Aw, poor Turi.  She should be proud of all the things she was able to help Main do, that Main so obviously couldn't do alone.  Instead she feels sad that Main is better at weaving than her. ;_;

I learned a long time ago that age doesn't matter, just experience.  Being the older sister isn't some kind of automatic hierarchy that makes you naturally better at everything vs your younger sister.  I have so much social anxiety that I've been paralyzed with inexperience for most of my life, so growing up, it was only logical to me that my outgoing sister had lots of experience and capabilities that I couldn't do.  I never felt sore at her about it.  Instead I recognized that I could rely on her to help me with the things she did better than me.  I just got lucky that the pseudo-philosophical blabbering I naturally do is for some reason very useful to her (per her words).  Sisters is a team thing, not a hierarchy.

Gotta say, there's a lot of scenes in this anime that suddenly stop.  Like I expect the characters to do an action, but they freeze instead.  I know there's a lot of limited animation and a series needs to save their budget.  But this series does it so well, that during the times when they cut corners, it's really unexpected.  Not bad, which is what makes their choices for when to place the limited animation, still good direction.  Just unexpected, after the series/episode has been able to fool you so far, with the other limited animation corner cutting it placed so well that it was unnoticable.  It didn't impede the natural flow of the episode/series so far.  It's pretty impressive.  ^-^!  Like when Turi was warming the parue tree's branch to pick the fruit, or when Lutz was about to flip the pancake/paruecake.  

I love that Main straight up called her dad's jealousy by acting innocent.  

I love when Main talks like an adult in that tiny body.  LOL  "I'm not the type of person to work without compensation."  LOL Wow.  She really had him make a crochet hook.  I thought she'd use knitting needles instead.  Ambitious!

LOL  Her dad's so silly!  LOL  

4:04 PM 12/4/2019

Ok.  No time for ending credits or ending themes.  I gotta get on with my day.  

4:58 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 4 – Forests and Clay Tablets

Back from my daily walk.  Maybe I can watch this ep without sitting and typing at my laptop?  (Feh.  Heard that one beofre. x_x; )  

"Officially going there to learn to read and write."  Yosha!!!!!!!!!

I keep forgetting Main's dad is the captain.  lol

When I first saw this scene on YouTube, I was confused because I thought clay soil was most prevalent around water.  o.o?  Isn't it that layer that's usually exposed on the sides of creeks and rivers? But in this series Main says, "He took em to a spot with very little vegetation ro drainage." I'll have to research later.  

"With books, you can learn what people in the past were thinking, and experience so much mroe than you normally could in an average lifespan."  Damn straight.  Whenever spoilsports start denegrating 2nd hand experience and blabbing on about how "you can only really learn stuff first-hand" and whatever, I always end up shouting, "Then what the hell are libraries for!?!"  Second-hand experiences have value, damn it!  "Experience so much more than you normally could in an average lifespan."

Why is their first instinct to jump onto those tablets when they didn't know what they were?!  This is why there are so many fairtales about people doing random stupid stuff, then getting cursed!

I didn't expect them to introduce magic like this.  Why is she glowing?

Well, because they owed her, now she has more hands to produce more clay.  

Damn.  Rain.  

Oh no!  No no no no no no!  As somone who as tried to speed up ceramics baking by cheating with fireplaces and ovens before the actual kiln, please don't just toss your clay tablets into a stove fire!  o~o!!!

...and kablamo.  ^^;;;;

5:28 PM 12/4/2019

Well, that's enough new anime for right now.  I've got stuff to do.  

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendence of a Bookworm ep1

5:24 PM 11/27/2019 Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 1 – A World Without Books

I'm here because I watched Mother's Basement's review of this series yesterday. ^__^  

Everyone seems likable enough, but it's 5:33 PM 11/27/2019 and I'm already more interested in looking at my bowl of pie vs the screen.  Usually when I watched subtitled, I keep my eyes glued to the screen, in fear of of missing out on anything.  But...Maybe because I watched a review of this series beforehand, I've been spoiled, so it's not that essential for me to pay attention to understand the setting/premise.  

Aw, Main is about to cry after just realizing there are no books.  Ok.  I felt that.  

I mean, it's cute, and I do like iyashikei and sugary "slice of life" series where seemingly nothing happens.  But maybe I'll watch Dr. Stone instead after this first episode.  

Oops.  They've just introduced the culture clash that Mother's Basement described.  I don't know why, but whether it's anachronistic lifestyles from time travelers or just the clash of modern lifestyle vs fantasy world's colloquial cultures, I'm amused.  Maybe it's because such contrast highlights the little unnoticed things we do in real life, every day.  I've always also loved series/stories that analyze or appreciate "mundane" daily life things.  Maybe this is like that.  So you put your hair up in a Japanese style that the fantasy world inhabitants don't understand, Main.  ^-^  And please do, have a whole scene about it for several minutes.  Because I am eating this up.  ^o^  

When Main's sister butts up against her Japanese mannerisms with little bits about how that doesn't fit into their fantasy world's culture, is this what they call "world building"?  I mean, it's soooooooo much better than an exposition dump.  And I can't quite understand why it's so fascinating to me.  

I love how all these questions Main has for her new mom, while shopping, are the same you'd expect from an actual 5 year old.  But little does that mom know, her daughter is actually from another world and needs to know how this fantasy world works!  LOL  ^o^  I find that double-reading hilarious.  

Noticing that no signs have writing is also a nice subtle world-building technique.

Why is she freaking out at dead chicken?  And here I had been bragging that we Asians are more accustomed to seeing the dead faces of the animals we eat, vs my more Americanized cousins' kids who freak out at seeing whole roasted pig' faces or whole "dead fish".  ~_~;  

Ok.  It's cute.  I'll watch more of this series.  

One thing though.  Ever since the scene where Main was still laying in bed and began to realize she was not only reincarnated into another world, but was thinking about how her original mom had also lost Motosu's dream/happiness as a librarian...The music didn't quite fit.  Wasn't that a sad moment?  Instead, the music became very grand and hopeful.  I watch a lot of iyashikei series and I'd expect this series to have music more along the lines of Natsume Yuujinchou, Restaurant to Another World, or something with a much more appropriate atmosphere.  One where the music guides every moment to be gentle and full of wonder, appreciating every mundane detail.  So that nothing feels slow.  This series could have used more of that.  

[mysticdragon3md3]

MD3 watches Carole & Tuesday season 1 part 2

I didn't write any reaction notes while watching eps13-14 because I wasn't at my laptop at the time.  And I didn't write any during ep15, because I was trying to not be so distracted.  By by ep16, I couldn't not write reactions anymore.  ^^;;;;

Also, I watched this half of the season mostly in English dub.  I thought if I did, I wouldn't get so distracted. And it did help me be able to watch while I ate.  Yet I ended up marathoning the rest of the series all day.  ^^;;;;;  

2:26 PM 12/27/2019

Carole and Tuesday ep16

"Where can we find a band that will play for free?"  *Turns corner and finds a band playing for free*  LOL  I love this show!  LOL  ^o^  No, but seriously, I love how virtually conflict-free it is.  Whatever obstacles there are, get resolved quickly or by the end of an episode or 2.  ^o^  I used to be the type who was all about the "demon hunter" subgenre and Shonen anime.  But yesterday, I had to admit that maybe I'm not that anymore.  Yesterday, I had been trying to get myself to catch up on Dr. Stone and Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba, but instead I watched more Ascendance of a Bookworm and Carole & Tuesday.  ~.~;  For a few years now, I've found myself unable to watch anything outside of the iyashikei genre: moe shows, slice of life, "feel good" series, etc.  Hell, Natsume Yuujinchou is one of my top 3 favorite anime.  And now I can't stop watching Carole & Tuesday...but I can't get myself to watch more of a good show like Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba.  x~x;  I guess this means my anxiety has gotten really bad if I have to exclusively watch soothing series with no traumatic drama.  I recently heard a movie reviewer (reviewing Uncut Gems and) describing the Drama genre as supposed to make you tense and uncomfortable, and I was like, "Nope.  Not for me.  No wonder I can't watch dramas."  But I don't want people to mistake me as saying series like Carole & Tuesday and Natsume Yuujinchou are "shallow".  I cry at every episode of Natsume Yuujinchou.  Carole & Tuesday constantly move me inside.  It's just not the manufactued drama and glorification of meanspiritedness that seems to be on display in the Drama genre (for dramam series/movies outside of iyashikei category).  

"She was born poor.  Her parents both died when she was young."  What?  I saw this clip subtitled before Netflix US was able to premier it.  And the translator said that Flora's parents died because they couldn't afford their hospital bills.  And that really struck me.  It's a real thing going on in the US.  So I'm sad that Netflix didn't have the same translation in their subtitles.  

Oh, wow.  The dub translated it as "She lost both her parents at a young age, becuase they couldn't afford a hospital."

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Carole & Tuesday ep17

Ertegun is so stupid.  LOL  He doesn't even realize that the one thing he has left is his name, and he could use that to make money.  

I was so sure Aaron was the black_knight.  Well, at least we can ID the stalker by his fingernails.  

LOL  They both thought they could get away with playing the same song.  LOL  

You tell her, Spencer.

Woah.  It just turned into Perfect Blue.  

6:51 PM 12/27/2019

Continuing the ep.

Well, you sure ARE going to die soon. I don't care if Ertegun has been mostly an antagonist during the first half of this series.  That Pinocchio needs to get pummeled.  lol  But don't kick him into the air!  Take him to jail!

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6:57 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep18

They're not going to try to interrogate Aaron?  Sounds like he has an idea who the stalker is.

They didn't ALREADY tell the police?!????

Hofner!  I like when Gus reconnects with his old friends.  Even if it is business. It's like a glimpse of these guys being rag-tag musicians back in the day, contrasted against them now, is kind of amusing.  

Why is she interviewing him?  I thought Tuesday wanted to ask him what he's been covering about her mom.

I should look up Kyle's voice actor.  He sounds familiar.  

Now that I think about it, Angela has been really preoccupied by this stalker stubplot.  Usually she's more of an antagonist towards Carole and Tuesday.  

Well, the phone is bugged.  ...Or is it the car?

"Anti-Mars" terrorists?  

Please don't tell me Jerry caused the exploison.

Well, I didn't expect Tao to get pulled into this political subplot.  

I kind of wish I hadn't seen this clip of "Threads" beforehand.  Then I wouldn't have been reading for when Tuesday was crushing on Kyle.  Still, even while watching it, if it wasn't for Tuesday's blushing, I probably wouldn't have gotten the hint that she was forming a crush on him, because I didn't really see why anyone would crush on him for the few interactions they've had.  I mean, Tuesday finally talked about her mom and even fears that she's afraid to burden Carole with.  So maybe she confused "friendship-like therapy sessions" with a deep connection?  

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7:33 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep19

I hope Alba City's infrasstructure is built for snow and whatever run-off water it might cause.  

They don't have money for a big stage show!  LOL

I wonder if Tao and BlackKnight know each other from past programming industry.  

Bilboard status!

Aw, don't call Ertigun a traitor...

I'm surprised Carole recognized Amer.  Boys' facial bone structures can change a lot as they grow.  

Whenever Angela and Carole&Tuesday have their little stand-offs, it reminds me of a "battle anime".  lol

"If you tell us, maybe I'll stop calling you a traitor."  Oh, poor Roddy!  LOL

I actually really like this idea of Tao's programming skills, how the analytical psychology programs apply to both music and politics, all this AI, and hacking.  If they made a whole series about that, I'd be very interested.  

Dun dun DUN!

Even though Ertigun is an idiot and can be a jerk, it still is sad to see someone sad.  

I wonder if the Black Knight set up this hoodie guy---and there we go.

Oh!  So that's why that lcip I saw of Carole & Tuesday's song from this ep seemed like most of their electronics were out of comission.  I'm surprised Tao's microwave emitter didn't blow out Ertigun's electronic equipment too.  ----Wait.  So all their equipment wasn't blown out?  They chose to go low fi?  Good.  It's like what that Chinese cinema movie critic said: It's better to contrast a superstar vs trying to copy cat Bruce Lee; that's why Jackie Chan was able to stand out.  But it's really sweet that Carole & Tuesday prefaced their performance with "this is how we play at home for each other".  ;u;  Even if it's quiet, it's cool to see the crowd so perfectly captivated.  

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7:58 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep20

Jeeze, this is getting serious.  As in uncomfortably plausable in real life.  Big companies being behind a political candidate, so they can manipulate laws to get away with whatever they want...  Yeek.  

"Popcorn Bomb"?  ^o^

Wait a second...  I switched to Japanese dub so I could check out his seiyuu...  Is that...Keiji Fujiwara?  No way...  Wikipedia says Subaru Kimura.  

I like that this series is discussing how rap is used as a protest tool.  I'm not that familiar with the genre, so I wasn't aware of how entrenched it is in politics until I saw some reports recently.  Apparently, there are even authoritarian governments trying to create their own rappers, in an attempt to drown out all the dissident popular rappers.  

I know "I don't have time to be sad" is framed as some kind of "admirable" resilience, but it seems kind of sad to me.  

It's funny how little characterization their band is given, other than their character design and a few short moments, but I guess this series doesn't have much time for that on top of everything else.  

Well, that's a target on Amer's back.

Angela's adopted?  

Maybe I haven't noted this yet, but it's really creative all the ways this series finds to save its budget. Like keeping Angela in essentially the same outfit as one of her previous standard costume designs, but just changing the color of her strapless top.  And they get away with it; it really does look very different, just by changing the color (and probably symolizes the darker turn her story is taking.)  It's impressive.  It's how studio Bones can afford all this rotoscoping and so much more animation that other series.  

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8:25 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep21

"Nevermind the serious darma going on in Angela's B plot.  Let's get on with our A plot."  LOL

Y'know there's a lot of anime where a girls says, "Will you go somewhere with me?"  And she's framed really cute.  Then cut, and there's supposed to be some kind of scene of them hanging out that the characters say isn't a date, but the direction/framing and the male protagonist treat like a date.  Is that phrase "Wanna go somewhere with me?" like a common phrase in Japanese used to ask someone out on a date?  

HOw did Roddy make that promise without already knowing how much a natural Christmas tree costs?  lol

Wow. So many pills. This escalated quickly.

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8:43 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep22

I"m so glad we have protagonists who can worry about their "rival".  

"You don't have time to be worrying about other people."  But that's why I like Carole & Tuesday!  ;o;!

Now that I think about it, isn't it weird that they're meeting and having this complicated discussions with Crystal in a hotel lobby instead of a conference room?  But hey, if it saves studio Bones money to reuse the same set designs, rather than design a whole new conference room and hall to a conference room, then it's an impressive budget cutting technique.  

They're so cute!  Jumping up and down and giggling.  ^o^

Look how flabergasted Carole looks while Tuesday sings "happy birthday" to her! ^o^ And Ziggy is so cute!  Cooing/singing along too.  ^o^

Professor Zeeman?  Who's that?

Whole scene stopped so Roddy can compliment their dresses...  Dawwwwww.... ^___^

Omg someone really studied US award ceremony monologues.  All the cheesey cringe and shout-outs to the audience and everything. O_o

OMG  The host is outsing Tuesday's relation to Valerie?!  Did peopel know that before???

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9:04 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep23

Aw, Angela's #1 fan/manager is back.  

Dang.  Skip-tachi getting arrested for just walking down the street.  I know I started off watching this show because "nothing really bad happens", but as these last few episodes come up, it's sure escalating into "real world problems" territory.  o_o  I can't even look at the "MICE" on the cops' backs and this whole subplot about refugees and immigration being used as a political talking point for an election more than as anything else, without thinking of real world problems right now.  

Just a second ago, I thought it was really cool that Spencer was actually in Carole & Tuesday's apartment.  But now EVERYBODY'S there!  LOL

I like that they mentioned "scaring people into self-censorship" and not just banning freedom of speech.  

At first, this speech sounded like unrealistic slice of life fluff.  "Saving the world through a song"?  Isn't that what won the war in Macross?  That level of unrealism.  But when Tuesday said, "If we can all sing freely, none of us will be silenced," then it all made sense as a unified protest song.  Like, "I dare you to arrest the entire industry".  

"But a person who's not idealistic is nothing but a slave!" turned into "Although, if you don't defend what you believe in, then what's the use in living."  o.o

Well, I didn't expect Valerie to confront Jerry about the bombing.

Well, now we know why the first episodes introduced the Immigration Hall.

Wow.  there's a whole cyberpunk corporate espionage movie going on in the B plot.  lol

Oh..."Mother Earth"...I saw spoilers of that song before I actually watched this episode.  That was the one interpretation I didn't consider.  

I love when the cuts go to Ziggy with the sleepy eyes.

I'm really glad they brought back Angela's #1 fan/manager to be there to listen to Angela's emotional breakdown.  

I like that Tao and his AI exchanged some semblence of "human"/empathic concern in saying goodbye to each other.

Is Tao really going to disappear?

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9:34 PM 12/27/2019

Carole & Tuesday ep24

So Pr. Zeeman is a designer baby creator.  

Oh, wow.  Tao and Angela are like siblings.  

Don't people die by jumping off bridges?????? O~O!

LOL  Scream from the rooftops then "SHUT UP!"  LOL

The landlord finally spoke!  ^o^

Aw, their idol Crystal is fangirling over their other idol Flora.  And then Desmond appears to overshadow them all.  LOL

AW, they even brought back Carole's friend working security at the Immigration Hall.  ;u;

Finally watching this song in context.  ;U;

Well, if Shinichiro Watanabe wanted to make a series about the music industry and all its tropes, he did it.  It's got that "We Are the World" moment and everything.  

The lyrics of "Mother" really mean something different after realizing they're protesting for freedom of speech.  o.O

9:56 PM 12/27/2019

And now, done.  That was Carole and Tuesday.  ^___^