DiscoShark
Banned
Going internetless for 3-4 weeks is a great way to burn through a backlog! Just wanted to throw some of my thoughts down on ...
Aura Maryuuinkouga Saigo no Tatakai -
On the surface I think comparisons to Chuunibyou are pretty apt, it's pulling a lot of the same themes with an MC who's gotten "out" of the 8th grade syndrome style delusions who is confronted with other characters who've maintained them while making that transition. At that point though the two narratives distinctly diverge, where as chuunib was content with making a fun and lighthearted rom/com set in the idealized higschool environment Aura goes and takes a more realistic extension of what being eccentric in a highschool world really means. It's distinctly Flower of Evil-esque in its refusal to gloss over or completely ignore some of the nastier aspects of that environment and there are scenes that will actively make you uncomfortable if for no other reason than bringing back flashbacks of "that odd/weird guy in class". Rarely have I seen bullying ever really depicted as brutally as it was in Aura and the dynamic between the "normal" MC and the female lead is most certainly strengthened as the result of the external pressure put on their relationship. There's an angle here that's fully explored that Chuu-2 never attempted to tackle and as a piece dealing with this specific subject material it's much stronger as a result.
If you're at all familiar with Chu-2 or are otherwise interested in a work that turns the typical idealization of the highschool environment on its head then you owe it to yourself to check out Aura in your spare time, it does not disappoint.
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Now to go catch up on a month of new episodes of like 10 new shows. Yay?
Aura Maryuuinkouga Saigo no Tatakai -
On the surface I think comparisons to Chuunibyou are pretty apt, it's pulling a lot of the same themes with an MC who's gotten "out" of the 8th grade syndrome style delusions who is confronted with other characters who've maintained them while making that transition. At that point though the two narratives distinctly diverge, where as chuunib was content with making a fun and lighthearted rom/com set in the idealized higschool environment Aura goes and takes a more realistic extension of what being eccentric in a highschool world really means. It's distinctly Flower of Evil-esque in its refusal to gloss over or completely ignore some of the nastier aspects of that environment and there are scenes that will actively make you uncomfortable if for no other reason than bringing back flashbacks of "that odd/weird guy in class". Rarely have I seen bullying ever really depicted as brutally as it was in Aura and the dynamic between the "normal" MC and the female lead is most certainly strengthened as the result of the external pressure put on their relationship. There's an angle here that's fully explored that Chuu-2 never attempted to tackle and as a piece dealing with this specific subject material it's much stronger as a result.
If you're at all familiar with Chu-2 or are otherwise interested in a work that turns the typical idealization of the highschool environment on its head then you owe it to yourself to check out Aura in your spare time, it does not disappoint.
---
Now to go catch up on a month of new episodes of like 10 new shows. Yay?
