*on indefinite hiatus but have a nice day*

it’s official friendoes, my crossover fic Mawaru Hippodrum is going to start posting next Thursday, November 30th >w<

So, lately, I’ve been rewatching Penguindrum.  I’ve also been reading a lot of analyses of Penguindrum, and in turn I’ve been looking up analyses of some of my other favorite surrealist anime, mostly Ikuhara’s work.  And remembering how Penguindrum ended, I found myself thinking about how almost all of Ikuhara’s main works end sort of…bittersweet.  Progress has been made, but something huge has been lost as well, leaving the end feeling almost unsatisfactory.

And that’s gotten me to thinking about analyzing shows that have similar endings, that aren’t necessarily made to be…well, as dense as that particular brand of anime.  Specifically, I’ve been thinking about Arc V, and again about the ending that left a lot of people upset.  I was and still am to a point one of those people who was disappointed with how it ended, but looking back at it in hindsight, and especially through the lens of the previously mentioned anime, I wondered if maybe there was something more to the decision than first appeared.

Now before I start the actual meat of this post, let me disclaim that I would be among the first to admit that it’s probably “not that deep.” But there’s the distinct possibility that it is, and regardless of whether my conclusions were intended conclusions, the act of analyzing fiction against one’s own individual interpretation is an important final step in the process of any creative endeavor.

Yugi

Has lost a couple of duels

Forfeited a duel he would’ve won against Kaiba

Literally has the power to draw the card that’s most convenient for him

Judai

Made an entire OC Archetype with space magic that’s unique to him 

Lost an E-HERO mirror match and a few other duels 

Summoned Neos against Osiris

Yusei

Practically all his duels are gimmick motorbyke stunts

Lost to a zombie but had the duel be “”””interrupted””” for the sake of his record

Has a big red magic dragon constantly print out new upgrades to his favorite card that’s also super mega magical and unique and also a key to stop a nuclear explosion

Yuma

His ace is so powerful it actually cannot be destroyed if it doesn’t fight another powerful magic monster

Lost to a twelve year old that calls himself Shark

Constantly has tips on how to duel thanks to a magic space alien ghost jesus.

Yuya

His skills were introduced to be middling at best

only got wins when he literally invented a brand new summon method, not an archetype like the kids before, but a whole summon method.

His past life lost his marbles at having a decent win/loss ratio that he destroyed the universe

and finally, into the Vrains

LONELY BRAVE

100% Duel Win Ratio

Only plays Master Format, no gimmick duels

Has won duels using one (1) card.

OTK all the time

Only protag to win a duel that opened on a completely dead hand

No magic or unique archetype, he simply got a cyberse wizard pm’d to him via DN.

Uses established cards only. 

Has no outside help, he’s the LONELY Brave

Evolved with all of us to no longer be lonely, but BRAVE MAX