No Pants, No Service, or WTB Skirts?
Well, this guy gets it.
I think it isn’t really a problem (some might even find it funny) per se that there’s an overall lack of pants in Strike Witches. In fact when Mio beseeched Yoshika’s mother in traditional old Japanese swordsman manners, it was good juxtaposition.
And comparing seifuku over sukumizu against the pantsless + leather jacket combo that was the eyesore of GITS SAC season one is unfair because in the latter case it was really a per se, aesthetics problem. In Strike Witches, even while stuffing the audience’s face with close-up crotch shots, Yoshika and her friends-to-be are still relatively palatable characters and designs. To me, what’s really weird is seeing how everyone else is equally in such fetish-catering attires that the whole experience feels like a cheap yaruge.
Is this what Strike Witches is going for? Maybe in parts. At least we know it is trying to cram in every single otaku fetish, archetypes, and moe triggers that invariably the whole experience feels very flat. It is as if the audience of the show is like some kind of dating sim where there are flags and buttons to be pressed to get us interested.
And maybe that is fine–if that’s what you expect out of it. My problem with Strike Witches is that I expect it to entertain along the lines of this anime. I guess if I was to draw comparisons, the two shows are opposite takes on the same mechamusume fetish; Sky Girls take it relatively seriously and is actually borderline outside the genre. Strike Witches…well. I want to say it is hardcore somehow; the girls in the show are actually not mechanized (save me, Chise!) so in some sense it is just like Sky Girls, or Code Geass, or any show with the attractive female character bending over to pilot a mechanized weapon. But at least Strike Witches is true to the mechamusume fetish.
I guess the first episode did well to lower my expectation, so it has succeeded in that front. It’s a common thing to say that the show is not to be taken seriously and put off negative comments on a stupid show for being what it is, but that’s still inexcusable when we’ve seen very stupid shows like this that still shine even under scrutiny. Just because the premise is ludicrous doesn’t mean there’s a license to goof around.
In my case, the only expectations I had for this were from the OVA, so seeing this didn’t really change anything for me. I’ll still be watching the whole thing if things work out anyway. It would be nice if we get an idea as to why pants/skirts aren’t necessary for the girls in the world in this case, even if it’s something like, “because we just felt like it” from the creators. I’d be fine with that, but judging from the responses of others, that probably wouldn’t be enough. As I’ve said before, it helps for me that none of the characters point out this oddity that we see from our viewpoint, as it seems to be the status quo over there. Or rather, because it’s not a big deal to them, it doesn’t raise any important flags in my head. :P
I do also wonder why people who won’t watch continue watching the show knock it for being what it is, or for who the target audience is, as was the case with Kanokon. I guess I’m more used to people knocking a show for what it isn’t, like Lucky Star. :/
You hit it right on the money with Sky Girls. It was a wholesome take on a ridiculous (and fanservicey) premise. Strike Witches isn’t the exact opposite and that’s why I can’t stand it
What do you mean, goof around? On the contrary, they’re focusing on the essential: loli crotches and awesome pantsless magic-assisted air combat. Watching young girls looking dead serious while NOT WEARING ANYTHING BELOW WAISTLINE beats plot development anyday.
I agree that Sky Girls and Strike Witches take opposite approaches to the fetish, but Strike Witches is the one that gets it right, IMO. You don’t really watch either of these shows for intellectual gratification, and it sounds a bit silly when a series that basically panders to the pervy crowd tries at the same time to wax earnest in boasting a compelling storyline and whatnot. Perhaps Sky Girls did have a compelling story after all, but I for one didn’t feel compelled to watch it past episode 6 or so. My attention must have been grabbed by something more entertaining at the time–like, you know, Moetan.
What I mean is, I realize I do have buttons that can be pressed and I wouldn’t watch moe stuff if I didn’t want them pressed. As you say, the people who make those things are here to please the fans. It’s fine to do it with competent writing or artsy graphics (I’m partial to Shinbo, here; yay for x365), but the no-nonsense approach to delivering the cake is one I have learned to respect as well. I’m quite tempted to go the “good boy” route to collect it, too, since that BOST thing is apparently available in places other than Jesusland.
If they were actually NOT WEARING ANYTHING BELOW WAISTLINE, I would agree. See: Kanokon ;)
The way I see it, it’s just going through the motion. It has nothing to do with anything intellectual or whatever.
[…] When you wonder just how serious GONZO wants the show to be. When I have to begrudgingly admit that omo is mostly right here. Because, the question to the viewer tends to become “Well? What does […]