![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Genius 358 Redux: The Meta-ing
I've been thinking and thinking and pacing around and thinking some more.
Disclaimer: These are not real kids and Prince of Tennis isn't a real sports series. It's mystical, it's samurai-ical, there are no girl managers. So I'm not considering whether or not this is realistic. It's not. But it's pretty damn interesting.
This match has nothing to do with tennis. Kirihara and Kaidoh are both fucking amazing players who keep getting better and better. But we already knew that. Inui and Kaidoh have a bond of trust that is good and noble and pure and true. But we already knew that. (Not that I'm complaining about having it reinforced!)
This match is Inui vs Yanagi and, unlike their previous match, it's about which one is stronger.
All of the tennis action has been between Kirihara and Kaidoh, where Konomi, employing a subtlety worthy of George Lucas, shows us that Kaidoh has matured but Kirihara has not. Kaidoh is much better at controlling his anger than before, he is more inclined to reason than to bash his head against a wall, he is a sportsman. Kirihara, though, is still childish and cruel.
(It's interesting that Kirihara has lost to both Ryoma and Fuji and is still unchanged. But Fuji's non-transformative tennis is a subject for another day.)
Kirihara goes into freaky evil demon mode and targets Inui, beating him to a bloody pulp. This finally breaks Kaidoh down and triggers his own demon mode (which did seem strange -- I would have expected him to go berserk and jump over the net and whale on Kirihara instead).
But Inui stops Kaidoh. Yanagi did not stop Kirihara. Yukimura did not stop Kirihara. Whatever the outcome of the match (and I can't imagine that Inui will be able to continue), Seigaku has won and Rikkai has lost. Inui is stronger than Yanagi.
If Kirihara is still like this, it's not his own fault, it's the fault of his teammates, his senpais. It's their responsibility to correct and socialize him. And clearly, even if they tried, they failed.
Rikkai has an interesting pragmatism — always win, Rikkaidai — that isn't entirely at odds with the whole shounen sports spirit. Or at least until now. But they've gone too far. I'm reminded of the eeeevil coach in H2, talking to his eeeevil pitcher: I don't want players who love baseball; I want players who love to win.
I'm actually deeply disappointed. I didn't want Rikkai to come off like this. I didn't want Yanagi to look so bad. And I wanted more for Kirihara.
But Inui and Kaidoh: your love is true, so very true, and ever shall be so. Your whole story arc, from the first moment I saw you, has moved me so much. You are so weird and so beautiful and you make me cry.
Like now. ♥
Disclaimer: These are not real kids and Prince of Tennis isn't a real sports series. It's mystical, it's samurai-ical, there are no girl managers. So I'm not considering whether or not this is realistic. It's not. But it's pretty damn interesting.
This match has nothing to do with tennis. Kirihara and Kaidoh are both fucking amazing players who keep getting better and better. But we already knew that. Inui and Kaidoh have a bond of trust that is good and noble and pure and true. But we already knew that. (Not that I'm complaining about having it reinforced!)
This match is Inui vs Yanagi and, unlike their previous match, it's about which one is stronger.
All of the tennis action has been between Kirihara and Kaidoh, where Konomi, employing a subtlety worthy of George Lucas, shows us that Kaidoh has matured but Kirihara has not. Kaidoh is much better at controlling his anger than before, he is more inclined to reason than to bash his head against a wall, he is a sportsman. Kirihara, though, is still childish and cruel.
(It's interesting that Kirihara has lost to both Ryoma and Fuji and is still unchanged. But Fuji's non-transformative tennis is a subject for another day.)
Kirihara goes into freaky evil demon mode and targets Inui, beating him to a bloody pulp. This finally breaks Kaidoh down and triggers his own demon mode (which did seem strange -- I would have expected him to go berserk and jump over the net and whale on Kirihara instead).
But Inui stops Kaidoh. Yanagi did not stop Kirihara. Yukimura did not stop Kirihara. Whatever the outcome of the match (and I can't imagine that Inui will be able to continue), Seigaku has won and Rikkai has lost. Inui is stronger than Yanagi.
If Kirihara is still like this, it's not his own fault, it's the fault of his teammates, his senpais. It's their responsibility to correct and socialize him. And clearly, even if they tried, they failed.
Rikkai has an interesting pragmatism — always win, Rikkaidai — that isn't entirely at odds with the whole shounen sports spirit. Or at least until now. But they've gone too far. I'm reminded of the eeeevil coach in H2, talking to his eeeevil pitcher: I don't want players who love baseball; I want players who love to win.
I'm actually deeply disappointed. I didn't want Rikkai to come off like this. I didn't want Yanagi to look so bad. And I wanted more for Kirihara.
But Inui and Kaidoh: your love is true, so very true, and ever shall be so. Your whole story arc, from the first moment I saw you, has moved me so much. You are so weird and so beautiful and you make me cry.
Like now. ♥
no subject
In other words, I am neither surprised nor disappointed that Kirihara's strength of mind or moral fiber seems to have gotten worse, not better.
As for mister Yanagi, technically skilled as he might be, I already had a full understanding of him being a level, or even several levels weaker than his counterpart, Inui. Mentally he comes off as more vulnerable, more defensive and cold and so therefore more unstable. After having delved into him quite a bit more than I thought I ever would, I find myself completely unsurprised at his utter reluctance to let himself go emotionally even for such an important moment. I find myself wanting to smash his balls in for it, but all the same, there's no surprise.
I do not think Rikkai is an honorable team, and the opening match of Sanada vs Tezuka is false advertisement to that. Sanada has a sense of honor (a twisted, sadistic/masochistic one), but Rikkai does not, necessarily. No one has ever reprimanded Kirihara for violence or losing control, only for losing matches. There is certainly an extreme level of pride in their skill, but that doesn't mean they're above playing dirty. It's an odd mix.
In simplest terms, what I mean to say is...Rikkai is not redeeming themselves here, but I have a fascination for that as much as I'd have a fascination for a climb upwards. I don't think any of the screwed up members on that team are easy or direct saves, psychologically. Good lord I'd be frightened to even begin to try to figure out what was wrong with Yukimura, let alone try to heal him. Rikkai is a sick, sick little baby, and even if it's likely to stay that way, I sure as hell will love it to the end.
no subject