#robohardsuitbots

6:20 PM 6/5/2018 Kights & Magic ep1 Kurata is Ernie, huh? I don't like his co-workers talking shit about Kurata just because he has a whole room full of gunpla.   I really like that Addy and Kid are set up like Ernie's siblings.  I'm so sick of the "girl is too tsundere to admit she has a crush on the protagonist for almost the entire series" thing.  Plus, I love siblings and trios of friends.  ^____^   Ok.  I'll admit it.  I understand now why all the aniTubers I respect called this series trash.  Thsi first episode is just a big exposition dump with nothing really important happening.  I mean, "show, don't tell" is important, but...These parts of Ernie's background aren't interesting enough, emotionally to warrant taking the time to show.  Maybe if some scenes were used in a flashback, during a later episode...This might work.  But for now...Is any of this reason to get invested in Ernie as a main character?  Are any of the scenes experiences that an audience would enjoy viariously feeling?  Sadly, no.  In fact, the only reason I'm sticking with this, the only reason any of these scenes are interesting to me at all, is because I've already watched the entire 2nd half of this series, and I grew to really like Ernie from there.  (I guess that's why I like in medias res so much.  ^^; )  This is just Mary Sue exposition dump...For an ENTIRE episode.  O_O;   I still don't get why Addy and Kid don't like or act like they're afraid of thier stepsister.  With all this exposition, you'd think they'd explain what type of person she is.  I mean, maybe I'm out of the loop because I'm American, but what kind of presumedly treatment do they get for not being in the line of succession?  And does their stepsister really take advantage of their lower class status?  I have a feeling this is going to get demonstrated instead of explained. "What's a robot?"  "What every man dreams of!"  I used think I like Ernie because of his overwhelmingly infectious, positive enthusiasm.  But maybe another way of saying that is that I love that he's a geek.  A completely unabashed, proud geek.  ^-^   I can't help it.  I still really like this show.  ^___^  It's like an action version of a "slice of life".  Even Dog Days wasn't as tame and iyashikei-like as this.  LOL  Nothing really happens, nothing is traumatic, it's just the thing for people with anxiety problems.  ^__^  

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9:09 PM 6/5/2018 Knights and Magic ep2 As much as I love watching the protag being all confident and having fun...  What just happened?  It would have been nice if they explained why Ernie's attack would bring down the Behemoth, before he actually attacked.  Then we could understand why what we're seeing is supposed to be cool.   LOL  I love how everyone in this show is so seriousl about their circumstances, but Ernie (and Addie and Kid) are just non-chalantly having fun with everything.  ^o^   9:52 PM 6/5/2018 Woops.  Crunchyroll started ep3 without me.  I'll have to go back later and see if ep2 had something before or after its end credits.   "I'm making them because they don't exist!  If they existed, I wouldn't need to make them."  I know that feel.  Actuallly, I think every crafter or artist does.  ^^;   Well, Deitrich bounced back.  Did something happen at the end of ep2 that I missed???  Wasn't he still moping in ep3?  Well, it's good to see him feeling better.   I know that technically, nothing is really happening story-wise or drama-wise, but I really like all this technical design stuff.  Testing designs, honing based on feedback, watching even a little success in an experiment, the way Ernie's brain is constantly working on the next step/design,...This is all my jam!  ^u^   This series is really just running past the emotional toll on the pilots.  I wonder if it's on purpose, like a refutation of all the mecha series that have focused on pilot angst ever since Eva.  LOL  But I like it.  I like the lighthearted tone, how everyone can just have a friendly fight and be friends again the next day,...  Yeah, there's no drama.  But I don't like drama.  I like iyashikei and "slice of life", nothing emotionally draining or even close to a rollercoaster ride.  This is what happens when you have anxiety.  I'm just glad a series that I watch for _entertainment_ doesn't add to the drama already in my head.  It's soothing.  ^_^   Helvi perked up when she heard Ernie say "The path of a Silhouette Knight isn't trod in one day!"  Oh, I guess she was really putting everything into that sparring match, huh.  Here, I was thinking in terms of a designer, like Ernie, who just saw it as a test with inevitable failings, just glad it didn't blow up, and very happy to see the new model get as far as it did.  I was even impressed with Helvi modifying her tactics to accomodate the Telestale's lack of precision.  But while a designer is going to just see this model's preformance as a stepping stone to the next experiment, Helvi probably put all her pride into it and took all the blame into herself, when she didn't get a clear victory.  But really, I thought she did win, and it was clearly the experimental model's failing.  But I guess this identifying with the preformance one's mecha is the type of thing that commonly happens in angsty mecha pilot anime.   I've been thinking about how a character design like Helvi's is reflective of a lot of Japanese "manly" characteristics.  She shows a lot of skin, she wears her jacket with the top down, and she's not all modest and proper.  Although there have been a lot of anime in the past who use their tomboys as an opportunity for fanservice costume designs, Helvi's design seems to much more focus on just making her seem like a tomboy by layering Japanese "masculine" costume designs on top of her.  I really like that, because I grew up on the "harem anime" genre and by now, I'm tired of the boobs busting out and jiggling everywhere.   10:23 PM 6/5/2018 Wow.  Ep4 started without a commercial break!  O.o Oh this show is so cute!  I love how Ernie is so unbound to humanoid forms and this joke about him being frustrated that Addy came up with that non-human form solution to the mana capacity/output problem instead of him, when it's his speciality, is just funny.  ^_^  I love silly sibling dynamics.  ^__^   I thought you just said "maybe we shouldn't fire this in town"?!?  Why are you firing it again?  LOL   "Creativity and challenging yourself are wonderful goals in and of themselves, don't you think?"  Yes, Ernie!  Yes they are!  ;u;  Who knew this show would have so many "creative motivation" lines?  ^u^ "I need more Ernie in my life.  I haven't hugged him in a week!"  LOL  I love how Addy says everything that people addicted to cute things are thinking.  ^u^  She's like Taki Toru from Natsume Yuujinchou!  ^o^   I'm glad that there MIGHT be a reason Addy and Kid have to believe that their father isn't just using them to spy on Ernie and claim credit by association (in that the siblings believe if their father tells the king about Ernie's designs before the government's Lab finds out, then the King might protect Ernie from the Lab stealing his designs and maybe shutting him out of further development).  But there's been this ominous tone the entire time and I'm just waiting for what horrible ulterior motive someone has, fighting over Ernie's designs---that aren't even done yet!  Maybe the Bronze Fang spies were supposed to take on on the suspicious undertoines, but I'm still worried about all these Marquis and officials screwing Ernie over.  If they shut Ernie out, just so they can get good standing with the King for claiming to come up with the designs themselves, I'm going to be very sad for Ernie being unable to complete development.  There's nothing worse than leaving a project hanging before perfecting the final process.   LOL  I love how Ernie just DEFLATES all the tension!  This entire episode has been building up tension about Ernie getting screwed over by the Marquis, and Ernie just turns everything into cheerful skipping.  LOL   That flashback to the Marquis realizing how similar Ernie's ambition was to the King, was really effective.  ...But wait.  I only know that was the young version of the King because I've seen the 2nd half of this series.  Well, I guess a first-time watcher would just have to rely on the fact that the Marqui was suddenly backing off of trying to intimidate Ernie, to realize that person in the flashback was someone he respected from his memories.   That was really sweet how the Boss found a way for everyone to visit Ernie and take the edge off not getting to ride Ernie's new designs anymore.   11:07 PM 6/5/2018 ep5 I'm glad that village was saved.   The fact that I was really effected by the engineer dwarves getting killed by the spies, msut be a testament to how sensitive I am to need to avoid drama from a show with real ups and down.  I mean, there was nothing special about the direction, and everyone getting killed wasn't given special attention by the camera to warrant being this effected by it.  In fact, the camera was pretty distant and quick about the portrayal.  But I think that because this series has spent all this time, getting me attached to the repair workers at the school, that it was easy to conflate them with the workers at the Marqui's fort.  They were just doing their jobs!  ;o;!!!   Damn.  I just realized the Haimerwort is using a big hammer.  That means his fighting style is imprecise and slow.  He already lost the advantage that the old mechas had against the Telestales.  ~_~;   Wow!  The students have got this precise targetting and control over the new units, down!  ^u^   Is no one going to mention how Ernie just took his Silhouette Gear without being surprised it was even there?  LOL   How many automatic functions just happened with Kid's Silhouette Gear and just so happened to save him just now?!  LOL   Teh fact that Edgar lasted this long with the old model of mecha is pretty impressive.  I forgot for a while that he was using the old model.  

Well, looks like they used up their animation budget for fight scenes.  ^^;  This last battle is all stills and narration.  But tying it back to the Demon Beast attack on Darie Village makes it seem like that was the whole reason that village attack happened.  But it was also the reason the spies were able to get into the Marquis's fort.   I guess the demon beast attacks were foreshadowing for Frankholm and the Marqui to realize they were attacked by another country's spies, after they found the Cursed Bait.   I'm so glad this conversation after Edgar so seriously began say, "Helvi, there's something I have to tell you," turned out to not be anything romantic.  ;u;!  I'sm so done with that cliche!  It's way more touching that Edgar was just trying to confess that the stolen mech was Helvi's personal mecha and he's promising to get her "partner" back.  Yujo!!!!!!  ;u;!!!   11:48 PM 6/5/2018 I guess I should stop and do my daily drawing challenge before midnight.  ~.~  I guess.  I guess I can use ep6 as incentive to get up early tomorrow.   2:48 AM 6/6/2018 Also, I forgot to mention that I really love that annoyed, exasperated look in Ernie's eyes when Addy or her step-sister hug and squee over him.  LOL  Me too, Ernesti.  Me too.  And by that, I mean it's really nice to see a male character for once simply be tired of the "girls fighting over him" cliche.  This series feels more like it's also annoyed with this cliche.  Lots of mecha anime are overtaken by harem genre cliches and romance polyhedrons.  It makes me feel better about this series re-steering the focus of mecha anime, away from pilot angst and a motif to lay over a harem anime, and more towards just fanboying over mecha.  ^.^  I just love that geeky attitude!  ^o^  And hey man, not everything needs to be about romance.  

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9:44 AM 6/6/2018 Knight's & Magic ep6

I love this silly sibling dynamic between Ernie and Addy.  Any other series, and it'd be a really annoying romantic relationship, either between tsundere(s) or "the indecisive harem guy who doesn't know how to handle the overly-forward girl".  

It's funny seeing Marquis Kunt Dixguard suddenly not drawn like an antagonist now.  

These are all some names I needed to remember:   Magus Engine Ether Reactor Knightsmiths Bat

Uh...How about you not say aloud how you're going to backstab the protagonist, Chief?

I really like seeing these Knights who were portrayed so ominously before (but by association to the building ominous portrayal of the Marquis, plus the ominous storm to foreshadow the Bronze Fang's attack), just so easily on friendly terms with Ernie now.  ^-^  I really like seeing everyone on good terms.  ^___^  

I like how Bad, Kid, and the Boss are enthusiastic vs intimidated by the announcement of the mock battle with the Lab in 10 months.  Like Ernie's enthusiasim is rubbing off on others.  ^_^  It would be so easy for another anime to turn this into a conflict point, everyone arguing with Ernie about "how did you get us into this mess", being scared to fight the government lab's mechs.  But this scene just keeps flowing.  ^___^  

Yes!  Increased speed mech!  

Option Works

"That may make your dream come true, huh?"  "Yeah.  I can still only get glimpses of it...I couldn't reach it in my dreams, but this is reality, and I can grab it with my own hands."  Ever since I realized this series peppers in so many relatable experiences of the creative process, it's become so interesting or even inspirational.  There's a story I heard once about how the music a composer achieves will never be as perfect as the music they hear in their head.  It's supposed to be a warning against perfectionism and taking the angst of the creative ambition too far.  So it's really inspiring to hear Ernie say that he will achieve the creation he dreamed of, in reality.  It's like that post going around Tumblr, encouraging artists to, when they feel down about their art, remember that they "created something out of nothing, LIKE A GOD!"  ^o^  

Aw~  Edgar is so nice! I'm glad they didn't just leave the new students (or where they new graduates?) with the Boss's scary introduction.  Edgar talks like an actual formal commander!  O.o  

Oh, new carefully designed character.  New main character.  Nora Frykberg.  Oh, that's nice!  She's special security so the school won't get the Order of the Silver Phoenix's designs leaked again.  ^u^  Oh, so this is the Order of the Azure Hawk.  Run by Marquis Duxgard, right?  Convenient that she has blue hair.  

Uh-oh.  Addy's jealousy just went from "older sister/aunt who wants to squeeze your cheeks" to "jealous girlfirend" tropes.  o~o;  Thank goodness I've seen the rest of this series already, so I know I don't have to worry about this erring towards romantic tension BS.  It'll stay towards the "older sister"/"I like cute things" vibe.  ...But in retrospect, maybe the trope was just a quick way to get Addy into a Silhouette Knight, vs just sticking to the Silhouette Gears.  ^^;  That's fine.  They kept the jealous romance tropes to a minimum.  Now just focus on Addy piloting and Ernie's mecha experiments and I'll be happy.  

Oh, Addy is just taking measurements and observing the test?  I thought Ernie was asking her to pilot while he would take notes.  ^o^;  

LOL  Ernie is the only one not phased by the Boss yelling at them for destroying that Kaldatoah.  ^o^  He's probably still mentally rambling improvement ideas to himself.  

Huh?  "How long are you going to let a girl be covered in soot?"  What?  That's out of nowhere.  But their clothes seem to imply this isn't just some obligatory fanservice scene.  Otherwise, Addy would be wearing MUCH less than a dress-length shirt and there'd be a drawn-out scene of both of them just undressing.  Even Helvi's top is the same as she always wears, so there's nothing to really draw the eye, after all these epsiodes of being accostomed to seeing that strapless corset on her everywhere.  Wait...Don't tell me this is going to turn into one of those "girl talk" scenes where the older character prods the younger to vent out her romantic problems weighing down her thoughts.  ~.~;  Well, if they do go in that direction, I hope it's just Helvi re-affirming to Addy that she doesn't have to try so hard to be a "cool girl"; just be herself.  They don't have to cover that Addy is trying to be a "cool girl" who can pilot a Silhouette Knight and fight in battle, because she got jealous of Nora and afraid that Ernie only likes "cool girls".  If the conversation just sticks to Helvi encouraging Addy to accept herself as-is, then I'll be fine with this scene.  And Helvi, being a "cool girl" is the perfect character type to talk to Addy about this.  ^-^   Thank you, Addy.  She wanted to invite Ernie to bath with them.  LOL  "Ernie's not a guy!  Ernie is Ernie!"  Look at that expression on Helvi's face!  LOL  I love how Addy makes the possible "romance" undertones of this show a complete non-starter!  ^o^!  (I just want to say that as much as I love being a fujoshi and obsessing over my OTP being in romantic relationships, platonic relationships are still VERY important to me and I'm so glad to see more series, even one generally dismissed by the anime critic community, take the focus off romantic relationships. ;u;!!! )  

Oh that swivel on Addy's pilot seat is so cool!  ^o^

Ooh!  So excited for the testing duel!  ^o^  Even though Ive seen it already from when I first strated this series!  LOL  

Wow.  The pilots wear big armor inside their mechs.  I forgot: It was like that at the fort raid too, huh?  

They descreased teh STrand-Type Crystal-Tissue?  o.O

Capacity Blame solves the "mana pool drain issues" AND improves defense?!  *o* Oh this is so cool!  The quadraped reveal!  ^o^  

The Marquis is sighing again because he knows how Ernie is now.  LOL  Was he the one who was telling Ernie that Silhouette Knights are supposed to resemble humans and Ernie just questioned that imemdiately?  Maybe it was the Knightsmiths' Boss?

Omg, I'm so excited for this next epsiode---that I've already seen before!  LOL  

After seeing some series analysis about how Darling in the Franxx is just an allegory for sexual "coming of age" and how their pilot system is pretty much just positioning the female and male pilots the same was as "doggy style" sex, Addy and Kid's pilot positions being similar makes me kind of uncomfortable.  But why should I let a completely different series ruin the one of few series I've finally found, devoid of sexual innuendo and fixation on romance?  

10:52 AM 6/6/2018 ep7

10:54 AM 6/6/2018 Ok I have to get on with my day.  I can't just marathon this anime and write reactions to every scene all day.

Though I will say that I'm so glad that not every character with sharp eyes or a stoic demeanor is proven to be anatagonistic in the end.   When I first saw this series/episode, I thought for sure that the Director of the King's Lab would turn out to be a traitor becasue he was drawn with sharp eyes that usually indicate suspicious danger.  But this series didn't go for that easy cliche.  It's safe to have faith in people, in this series.  ^-^  

It's funny how they kept the Lab Chief's eyes and general character design so cartoonish that it was unreadable.  So I was totally able to buy that he was going to be an antagonist, but it also perfectly fit when he proved to be just another geek like Ernie, excited to talk with another geek.  ^o^  

Everything ends all happy and fun.  No grudges.  No one hurt during the mock fight.  No real battles barging in, to interrupt the sparring match.  Etc., etc. cliches.  When other people complain about overused tropes, I will often counter that cliches become cliches for a reason: they're effective.  But I think this series, dropping cliches, exchanged it for something I value more or equally:  the same safe, cheerful, soothing atmosphere as an iyashikei.  I understand that for most people, the lack of drama and tension leaves a story boring.  But I can't stand drama. I hate "Oscar bait" movies and TV drama shows.  It often forces characters to be portrayed as artificially generating problems through jumping to misunderstandings and assuming the worst, vs SIMPLY communicating with each other (especially between characters that consider each other FRIENDS) and having faith in other people.  I NEED A BREAK FROM THAT.  DESPERATELY.  So I don't care if people call this series trash, I'm loving every bit of it.  ;u;!!! <3 <3 <3

I like that the quadraped Silhouett Knights switched to 1 pilot.  The 2 pilot system seemed risky if it'll cut troop numbers in half.

I forgot that this was teh saem episode with the King retiring and the duel with Prince Emrys.  That was also really fun too!  

I'm pretty sure I wrote a reaction before about how I liked the King's motives in fighting over the Goldleo with Emrys.  Where is that thing?

I like that the quadraped Silhouett Knights switched to 1 pilot.  The 2 pilot system seemed risky if it'll cut troop numbers in half. I forgot that this was teh saem episode with the King retiring and the duel with Prince Emrys.  That was also really fun too!   12:00 PM 6/6/2018 ep8 Wait. I don't recognize this episode.  o.o Wait.  The former King came to fight the shellcased horde too?!  O.o  I know retiring let's him have fun without worrying as much, but still!   It's nice to see Dietrich leading his own squad with confidence.  ^_^  He's not burdened by that freak-out he had at his introduction anymore.  ^_^ Every time I see Edgar fight, I'm surprised he's still using the same mech, but I guess I just got confused.  His mech has been continually upgraded, it just doesn't have the back arms and they focused development on upgrading his shield instead.  That shield has gotten more and more functions since the test sparring match vs the Lab.  ^o^   Weaponizing the mecha's transportation carriage is cool! Oh yeah, I already forgot about that brain frying tactic Ernie used on teh Behemoth.   Ether Reaction construction method!  *o*!  I'm so happy for Ernie.  ^_^ Alvs.   Changing Ones = humans. "He doesn't give up that easily on his hobbies."  I like that Ernie's geeky enthusiasm is on parr with the former King's fighting ambition.  Like they're kindred.   The funny thing is that as "flat" as I keep admitting this series and its character dynamics to be, I really like everyone.  I've been atched to them for a while now. I  regret not buying that Nendoroid Ernesti!  Everyone's personalities seem fundamentally rooted in Compassion, my favorite ideal.  Even if Emrys or the former king could be misperceived as one of my most annoying pet peeves "confusing Power with Strength", they don't seem to make that fallacy.  They love to fight with brute force and powerful mechas, but they seem more like the positive portrayals of continual Growth/ambition in Fighting Spirit, rather than jerks who confuse Power with Strength, by forgetting Compassion. There have been plenty of opportunities for them to be callous or Malicious, but they haven't.  They've just been non-chalant, warm, and even encouraging others to share their ambition and confidence.  I sense they're good guys, and they were most primed to be in positions of setting off one of my pet peeves.  So I'm glad they and everyone is staying good, good people, and that's all I need from "good characters".   "...But we're lazy...For the first 100 years, we're like the Changing Ones.  But then after 200-300 years we spend most of our time sleeping or in thought."  Yup.  That's immortality for you. Can the Alvs Elder see Ernie's past life? "Thinking is the most valuable thing for us.  We simply saw the value in one another."  Did the Elder see how Ernie's mind never stops thinking?   WAit.  Ether Reactors are the heart of living things?  Is that why they harvested that Behemoth heart?  That reminded me of Escaflowne and I guess I just assumed they used it the same way, to power their mechs, but they never really talked about it, huh.   More terms: Catalyst Crystals (heart of Ether Reactors) So Ether Reactors turn air into Mana.  And Catalyst Crystals turn mana into magic, but also sometimes ether into mana.   Ether Reactors are really sounding more and more like a living thing.  But then when they start talking about dense scripts, it sounds like computer programming.  ^.~   Alvs and Demon Beasts have Catalyst Crystals inside them. So are mined Catalyst Crystals from prehistoric Demon Beasts?  ^o^ "Astonishing even the Alvs...In 3 months he learned all their secrets."  I know we're not supposed to like OP Mary Sues...But I really like Ernie.  The way we all know he's just going to be so cheerful and casual about all this new knowlege/power of his, that confidence in him to not see Power turn him into a prick, just makes him learning stuff feel like his enthusiasm over enjoying his obby is infectious instead.   I guess the Alv Elder can see Ernie's past life, after all.   Oh, that's so cool.  Addy is using the flying spell with the gun rod that Ernie usually only uses.  Does everyone use those gunrods now?   OMG YOU NEVER SEE THAT!  I'M SO HAPPY!  I'm so glad Nora saw that Addy was just jealous and insecure about staying close to Ernie, now that Nora was talking with him alone a lot, but instead of getting upset that "this kid is bothering her" or playing with her feelings, she saw Addy's underlying feelings and reassured her instead.  She even trusted her with her secret as a spy!  ;u;  What a kind and mature person!  ;U;  I'm so glad this is turning out to be an anti-melodrama show!  ;U;  (I mean, I like melodrama in terms of overacting grandness can be fun, but I hate "drama" as in excessive relationship tensions.)   1:00 PM 6/6/2018 ep9 Western Grand Storm?  "These lands all used to be ruled by 1 king! Let's go reclaim it!"   Well, that's a pretty stupid reason to start a war.  Maybe THE stupidest reason.  ~___~; Still sniffly at Eleonora saying goodbye to her father.   I know serious stuff is happening, but Ernesti turning battle into just a fun game is just...fun.   "Silver Phoenix Merchant Association".  LOL   Well, this time watching this episode, now I know who the blue-haired maid spy is.  ^_^  Who knew Nora had such a big setup before.  Probably just to give Addy some depth.   "What are those horse things?  Well, it doesn't matter.  We're destory them."  This Gustav Mardonnes guy is stupidly reckless.  Oh, this is the guy who became like Dietrich's kind of nemesis. I've never heard of this Mabus Animation Studio or Bigbowl before.   1:26 PM 6/6/2018 ep10 I really have to stop paying attention now , and owrk on artist alley stuff.   3:11 PM 6/6/2018 ep13 / Last ep. Are they setting up a romance between Nora and D? Did Kojass come from our world too?  "Maximize" is an English word.   It's funny to hear Ernie now advocating for mechas to reflect human form.  I guess Kojass's Wyvern is like an extreme of the "inhumanness" that Marquis was trying to ward Ernie('s designs) away from.  Still, I don't see any reason to stay so human.  And if this series was going to get symbolic about human form equating good human traits like being humane, then they didn't consistently set that up.   I like that this climactic battle is all a group effort.  There is no one moment of victory where only the protagonist is the only proactive agent of every the victorious moment.  

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3:10 PM 4/6/2018 Just watched Knights and Magic ep7.  I really like this show.   I feel kind of bad for feeling this way, when Mother's Basement said this series was bad.  I mean, shouldn't I defer to an expert?  And really, have I been watching enough anime lately to have any sense anymore?  I mean, I just keep watching the same series over and over again, instead of exposing myself to anything new.  And actually, I've been watching more YouTube than anime lately---these past FEW YEARS.   But I do like this series.  Like, just this ep, episode 7: Sure, nothing really happened, and nothing dramatic happens too much in the characters' growth.  Even the old engineer who was growling at the demo fight of Ernie's new mechas, who looked like he might be a bitter problem later, ended up just bonding with Ernie over their love of fanboying over mechas.  Even the whole thing with the Prince and his Grandpa didn't change anything between them, or within them individually.  Prince Emyrs didn't even know that his Grandpa had any special meaning to their duel.  Only Ernie and his comrade got to see that, without Emrys knowing.  It was more like a peek into their lives.  And I think that's what I like about this series.  It strikes me as a "slice of life".  Even if big mechas are clashing and everyone's talking about monster attacks, and later in the series, there are attacks, death, and wars initiated by another nation who brings some intrigue, Ernie smothers it all with his unwavering positive enthusiasm.  It's still a safe, "nothing really happens" series.   And I think that's why I've been avoiding anime lately.  Every time I think, "I shoudl catch up on this series that everyone's talking about", I just can't commit to that kind of emmersion and focus, or I'm in too fragrile a mental/emotional state to deal with anything dramatic, even the slightest bit.   But this show, Knight's & Magic may be just the thing I need.  It won't make me bawl my eyes out like Natsume Yuujinchou (my favorite series) or March Comes In Like a Lion (which I desperately need to catch up on).  There aren't any bully characters that make me feel traumatized by spending time in their company, like Boku no Hero Academia.  I'm continually baffled that I'm not watching any of KyoAni's recent series, when they've been like the "kind of slice of life" to me, for so many years.  But I just can't get into Dragon Maid---And I'm tearing my hair out, trying to figure out why!  ;o;  I love dragons!  I love slice of life!  Androgynous heroine who dresses in more "masculine" clothing?  My favorite!  I used to read nothing but the "chicks in pants" subgenre of fantasy novels.  

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9:12 PM 11/11/2017 WAtching KNights and Magic for the first time.  ep9.  Getting flashbacks of Escaflowne.  REmember when all these mecha battles were hand-drawn?  And it was BEAUTIFUL!  *o*  Really surprised this isn't a Sunrise series.   9:32 PM 11/11/2017 Starting ep10.  I like this Ernesti kid.  He's just so perpetually enthusiastic about everything! ^u^  His expression never changes!  His eyes are so bright, all the time!  ^o^  I was just telling my brother that Ernesti must be so perpetually happy because everything in this world is about mechas.  LOL  "Bloody wars?  Princess in peril?"  "It's all good because we get to fight with mechs!"  LOL  Evne the opening theme is just so peppy, despite this war going on with already dramatic stakes established with kings fighting suicide duels just so his daughter can escape.   I want Kojass and Ernesti to be friends so much!  Have geek-outs together!  LOL  The funny thing is that while Ernesti's complete dismissal of the seriousness of battle looks innocent and silly, because he's a mecha geek, on the bad guy side, that sort of detatchment from people's lives being taken, looks more sociopathic.  Even though they have the same priorities!  ...Though, I guess the difference in their geekiness, is that while Ernesti is happy to see people with more knowledge than him, so he can learn new ideas from them, from anyone, and from anywhere, Kojass gets defensive that his superiority is challenged.  ^^;   This princess Eleonora is a little frustrating, but she's just so sweet, I can't quite feel annoyed about it.  (Unlike my brother.)  But I firmly believe that leaders who prioritize Compassion and value themselves last, are the best leaders.  So I really think she has what it takes to be a benevolent leader, she just needs to learn more confidence and get some experience.  I get a little frustrated with Archid/Kid not knowing enough to answer her questions with philosophical answers.  Like, "What's the worth in rescuing her?"  She's not the one who gets to decide what her worth is!  As long as she's alive, her country's people still has a figurehead to rally behind and retain their identity.  "Why are you being kind to someone like me?" she asked.  Because who wouldn't want to be kind to anyone?  Who wouldn't want someone who feels bad, to cheer up?  But Kid doesn't seem intellectual enough to provide logical answers like that.  But his genki type is good for cheering up people and being emotional.  That's why when he got out of his armor to encourage the princess to accept her rescue, while my brother watching that scene was impatient that they were wasting time with guards on their way to stop the rescue, I said, "No, it's the right thing to do."  He's a good kid.  ^_^  Maybe it'll inadvertantly set up a romance between them, when she'll have to eventually have to marry someone else for political reasons or won't be allowed to marry a lower rank like knight, but for now, it's good for them.  ^_^  

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1:17 PM 5/17/2018 Just finished Knight's and Magic ep12. I love this show.  ^_^  It's just a bunch of fun.  Even with the voices of aniTubers I respect, in my head telling me that the show sucks, I just have a good time.  LOL  When I first heard they thought it was a bad show, I asked myself why it was fun, and I realized that nothing really happens in this series.  Episodes begin and end with characters in teh same state without much or any growth.  It's essentially a "slice of life" with occaisional mecha battles.  Nothing really serious happens, and I think that for people with anxiety like me, I just really love that.  After all, for the past few years, I've been watching exclusively moe, "slice of life" series, and iyashikei.  Why would I need a bunch of serious drama or heart-shattering moments in a series?  That's the last stuff I need!  Not when my anxiety has finally gotten to this point of agoraphobia!  So I love this show.  I love Ernstie's unflappable genki demeanor, I love how he cuts through whatever tone is going on around him, to just make the situation about having fun as an engineer playing with his mecha, and that even the final stakes of this show for our protagonist seem to be about his pride in his hobby...It's relaxing and fun.  ^o^   And considering that most of the "good" mecha series out there are metaphorical sexual "coming of age" stories", and I'm gray-asexual, it only makes sense that I'd rather watch Knights and Magic vs Darling in the Franxx.  I mean, my favorite mecha show is Code Geass, for gods' sakes!  Whatever sexual "coming of age" metaphores there are, are in the background.  And most of the other generally acclaimed shows I like, that are about sexual "coming of age", I only tolerate because they shift towards a conversation about gender more than sexuality.  Like Utena; as sensual as that show is, and as much as it goes on about hetero relationships and lesbian relationships kind of standing-in for hetero dynamic conventios (until near the end of teh series), it spends a lot more time talking about gender.  Ranma 1/2, Maze, etc...are gender series, some with mecha, but not so much about dating, heterosexual negotiations, and awkward learning about sex, but about what it means to be a certain gender and questioning definitions of gender.   1:22 PM 5/17/2018 I need to get back to work in 10 minutes, but I'll watch a little bit of ep13. 1:32 PM 5/17/2018 As soon as they made that hard turn to port, after ramming speed, I exclaimed "HUH?!?"  Because who chases after and OBVIOUS feint/decoy tactic?!?!  Seriously?!  (Besides Sanada Yukimura, okay.) And I can't beleive the enemy is using the Blood Grail already.  Pushed to the corner that early?  C'mon.  If you can't fight with what you've already got, then throwing aroudn a big weapon that you've already been warned is a "double-edged sword", is gonna blow up in your face.  Or at least going to prove a weak spot, when your crutch gets taken out.  That's why Ryu Maho always trained to fight without a weapon, despite being a natural genious with a sword.  This is why I always played 2D fighting games with basic moves vs relying on special attacks.  

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