Backlog Dialogues

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad girl
To be the sad girl
Behind Kyute Eyes
And no one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated to hearing only lies
But my dreams they aren't as icky
As my heart seems to be
I have hours only lonely
My love is kyuteness
That's never free...
(Filk of Behind Blue Eyes, by the who)
This week on Backlog Dialogues, we get to learn about Rena.

This week brings another Minilog, with the sci fi kung fu multiverse flick, Everything Everywhere All At Once! We discuss the struggles of laundromat proprietress Evelyn Wang as she tries to file her taxes properly but keeps getting distracted by things such as her daughter coming out as a lesbian, her husband seemingly seeking a divorce, and the entire multiverse deciding that she needs to fight the mysterious omnidimensional supervillain Jobu Tupaki. We dig in to the film's sincere exultation at the concept of absurdism as a vessel for familial reconciliation, and also just laugh about silly things like hot dog fingers and worlds where life never happened but we are rocks.

All Cast Review Sessions may be done, but Ryukishi07 has some things to say to launch us into our first postgame discussion of an Answer Arc! We discuss all that we have learned, and John continues his exploration of the adaptations. From the excellent manga adaptation that elevates the work almost as well as Tatarigoroshi did and an almost good anime adaptation that has a good run for the first few episodes then perpetually steps on rakes as things go to shit, this time it runs the gamut. And of course, it's not a Godcast without heavily spoilery discussions for those who have seen all!

How did everything go so wrong for Shion? As victory over the three families approaches, she finds herself constantly thwarted. By Rika, strangely acting violent. By Satoko, refusing to give in to her torture. By Keiichi, who never gives up on her, even as she claims a demon has taken hold. And by her sister Mion, who reveals the terrifying truth that the three families have nothing to do with the strange happenings in Hinamizawa. Reveals abound in the emotional climax of Meakashi!

The year advances to 1983 and things start to get a little more familiar, as we experience some of the events of Watanagashi through Shion Sonozaki's eyes. It's still different in some places, but eerily similar in others, but with Shion's perspective we get to see her hearing mind Satoshi and getting closer and closer to the truth, guided by her intricate behind the scenes knowledge... and her stun gun. We have watched Shion ascend, now let's watch her crash in to the narrative from high above and see just how much she breaks...

Things take a turn for the worse for Shion, as Satoshi comes under the scrutiny of the law after killing his aunt and she reveals her true identity to cover for him, bringing the wrath of the wicked matriarch of the Sonozakis upon her. Fingernails are removed and old wounds start to open, and she becomes increasingly suspicious of all the murders that have been happening in town while the Sonozakis seem to do nothing. The persistent cop Ooishi and the mysterious researcher Miyo both influence her, but a fortunate encounter with her sister Mion turns the temperature down as we close out the first half of Meakashi.

Shion has a problem. The hot guy she likes is not doing well. He's skipping baseball practice and acting real strange. What's a girl to do? Why, pose as her sister to cause severe damage to her social life, of course! She encounters the peculiar Rena Ryuugu, who proselytizes for Oyashiro-sama as a way to show how much trouble she knows Satoshi is in, and then takes Mion's place at school to solve what's really causing Satoshi problems: a totally innocent and horribly abused nine year old child named Satoko.
What the fuck, Shion?

The answer arcs begin with our new Protagonist, Shion Sonozaki! This demon of a twin sister breaks out of catholic school to seek freedom in Okinomiya, no matter what her mafia boss grandma has to say about it! But this tough teenager has a weakness - cute boys with sad puppy faces that like to say 'mmph!' Can she navigate the politics of the Sonozaki Crime Family to get familiar with the hot stud who saved her from biker thugs (not that she needed saving), Satoshi Hojo?

We dive back in to Manga discussions for today's minilog, reviewing Tatsuki Fujimoto's Grindhouse-esque Shounen character study, Chainsaw Man! Continuing the theme of 'protagonists that kinda suck', we are covering the character growth of Denji, Id-driven loon and chainsaw monster. As we look over the Public Safety arc, we dig in to just why he works as an anti-hero, as well as which devils give us the jibblies....

The final godcast of the question arcs marks a turning point. For the last time, we go through an all cast review, as Shion stages a rebellion, which can only be countered by the dumbest antics imaginable. John goes through the interesting choices of adaptation made by the manga (including some rather unfortunate ones) and even has praise for the anime for once. And as always, for those who have seen all truths, the spoiler discussion awaits...