Idle Master

  I think character chemistry has always been a slightly vague term for me. It's an easy term to use and we often find it handy to label a delightful cast of characters as a cast with good chemistry. However, for me, that has always been done on an instinctual basis; A gut feeling born out of a sense of completeness, depth and fulfilment. But here in my blog, we always seek to get down to the technical details of story-telling and thus for today, our simple question is: What is character chemistry?  Disclaimer: I am an anime-only, who will be discussing events up to episode 4. I have also written a previous essay talking about the use of subtle dialogue in the show, however the ideas are congruous, and hence you can treat it as a loosely associated piece. https://zxcaderu.blogspot.com/2023/01/otonari-no-tenshi-sama-sweet-spot-in.html Positive and Negative Reactions With the myriad of romance stories this winter season, I have been pondering upon how each series structure their...

It goes without showing that what characterizes Jordan Peele's horror, is in its poignant themes of racism and inequality. This can be seen from every aspect, from the casting contrasts of white and black people to its not so obscure commentary on racial conflict. However, that is not what I want to focus on today. And to be fair, I doubt I would be able to capture the nuances of this American tragedy, seeing that I live comfortably in the far East of Asia. What I do think is much more within my paygrade though, is to dive into the compelling techniques that make Peele's horror so intense. And one of those techniques is in how Peele utilizes body and speech. The uncanny Let's take a look at this scene (video). This is without a doubt one of the creepiest scenes in "Get out" for me. At the dead of night, where no humans should be, you see a man hurl after you faster than you can run. That is one of the most genius horror concepts ever. The sudden silhouette of a ma...

Why tension pervades in death games should be quite intuitive. Unlike the tension of a heated argument, there are no do-overs. You can't talk your way out of it, or is there a second chance. One life is all you get. Similarly unlike the tension of a heated battle, the threat to life is much more spontaneous and visceral; In a fight scene someone can land a punch but you expect the other to retaliate. But in death games, a snap of a finger may be all that it takes. Even on the thematic lens, death games are palpable. Not everyone can relate to having your life threaten or to be a threat to other lives, but everyone can understand the significance of those moral dilemmas. After all, the weight of human life is engraved into our bones, biologically and societally.  Once you add up the permanence, spontaneity and palpability of death games, what you get is a seemingly perfect story. One whereby your audience can be expected to be at the edge of their seats every second. However, us aud...

  Episode 4 of 'Seirei Gensouki' has done it! It has adopted the oldest trick in the Isekai bible: The "adopt a slave". I can't even remember how many times I have actually seen this cliche, owing to just how many Isekai actually does it. It simply goes like this: Cute girl slave is a slave, plus points if she is an animal girl. She doesn't trust you at first, but you have an infinite kind heart. You teach her that the world isn't a scary place and sooner or later, the only person she cares about is you (plus points if she is "smol" and possess "daughteru" characteristics). And you'll practically be preaching the entire Isekai bible if she ends up falling in love with you in the end. I'm not the biggest fan of this trope. The idea of a slave girl itself not only removes the agency of the character (as we previously discussed), but also can be easily portrayed as fetishistic; You have a girl here who is solely dependent on you an...