Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!? Anime Blog

DAY FIVE! The day everyone loves to run in and shout the line. Heck, today I have a helper to do this post.

Don’t believe him. I’m here against my will.

Yes, folks, Dio’s here to help today completely under his own accord. Anywho, by some logic, Gurren-Lagann is the best choice for day five. However, that’s been done, and I have an alternate shout-out, celebrating the series that cemented my new favorite female anime character archetype.

This from the guy who claimed it caused him to fear all his female friends in real life for a while.

So, Dio! JOIN ME AS WE SHOUT IT LOUD!

I’m just gonna say, Yandere, while right in syllables, is poor in rhythm for the line.

Got something better?

“Psycho Girls”?

I LIKE IT!

On the 5th day of Christmas, 2007 gave to me…
FIVE PSYCHO GIRLS!
Four Bamboo Babes
Three Fun Girls
Two Weird-ass Guns
And a Blog with a spotty history

They’re not crazy. They’re just happy to see you.

I didn’t actually watch Higurashi season 1 until 2007, so I think it’s fine putting this in the countdown.

Same.

Well, what to say? I really don’t know what I was on when I initially decided to watch this show. Bloody violence and mindfuckery don’t usually go well with me. Elfen Lied is another bloody series I enjoyed, but that’s because the plot sorta distracted from the dismemberment which in turn distracted from the occasional nakedness. Paranoia Agent is another mindfuck series I enjoyed, but it had a sense of humor. But as far as those things go, those are the only exceptions. And yet, in starting to watch Higurashi, I found myself entertained… when I wasn’t nursing the butterflies in my stomach from the oppressive atmosphere.

Me, on the other hand, I usually don’t watch the mindfrell series. Basically, they bore me. Lain was one of the dullest shows I ever saw. I never got a good chance to try paranoia, and Boogiepop Phantom….Well, while parts of that one were pretty good, it still didn’t seem very interesting. But this one… It won’t let me go!

There’s something about the playful schizophrenia of the series that mixes with its mystery that just draws the viewer in, no matter how harsh it gets. At its darkest moments, I found myself whimpering, and yet I couldn’t turn away. Later, the same moments, once I knew what was going on, became my favorite guilty pleasure, for one reason alone: introducing new people to this series is WONDERFUL fun. It brings out the sort of evil laugh that really shows just why villains seem to have more fun.

I love this show, but somehow, it’s like I can only take so much of it at a time. Although the raw fear of the first arc or two has faded away in my mind (I’m only a little embarrassed to admit that after episode 4 I went and checked my door locks) the intensity is still overwhelming. Its taken me since June to get to where I am, 13 episodes into the Kai season, but its almost as if thats as fast as I can handle it. And I usually am MUCH faster in anime watching.

Anyway, while the shout for the day is “Five Psycho Girls,” that’s not quite right, as anyone who watches the series would know. It’s more like “Three psycho girls, one terribly disturbed girl, and one crazy guy, but never at the same time.”

Don’t forget the girl who is never nuts, apparently.

And then there’s the girl who is the same with each iteration for fairly good reason, but she’s never really nuts either. Say, is the “It Was His Sled” date for this series past yet? Can we just say names?

Since I was entirely without spoilers, NO.

Darn. I guess Higurashi fans are too good at keeping the secrets. Then again, I do believe every one of us derives the same pleasure of watching people writhe in the unknown, so… oh well! Still, not naming names makes it hard to pinpoint a moment, though because of Casey and Friends, the first “SNAP” moment has been successfully demonstrated (heck, this was the bit that got me INTERESTED in the series), so for talking about memorable moments, I think this is alright.

The snap moment is the very first scene in the show. Does that count at ALL for you saying something was spoiled for you? Look, we can name the characters, just don’t line them up with any of the BIG spoilers.

Eh well. I don’t have too much more to say anyway. And by SNAP moment, I pretty much refer to every scene done in Casey and Friends, not just the whole bludgeoning bat deaths as shown at the start of episode 1. Still fairly memorable, though; the whole sequence in the actual version just radiates a sort of nauseating fear. One final comment: this show doesn’t work well being shown in a large group setting. I think about 10 is the high upper limit of people you can have before the series loses its feel. It’s BEST watched in a small group, though. Like 3 or 4 people small.

Yeah. It’s not like a normal horror movie, in which a whole crowd can scream at it and feed its atmosphere. Isolation is the key of this show. But watch it by yourself, especially the early arcs, and you will SUFFER for it.

Plus, if you’re introducing it to people, it’s most fun to focus on the reactions of just a single person. Introducing it in person, it’s even more fun, as you get to HEAR some of the cringes. Mweeheehee.

That reminds me. I do owe you and Raze a great deal for this one. Watch your back.

Surely forcing Raze to watch such things as STXW, Ouran, and other shows that make him scream like a little girl are enough to get back at him. And as for me… I’d like to see you try. Anyway, G’night folks! See you tomorrow!