Comments on: Kimikiss 13: Personal passions, metaphors, and … literary theory?

By: Anonymous Coward

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:20:47 +0000

> P.P.S. Who was that girl beside Shijou Mitsuki in the OP?
Kuryu Megumi, she was introduced in the second episode as the one scolding Naru and Nana for the frogs.

Want some more symbolism? Look to color. In the early part of the OP you will see that each girls has their own background color just before the title screen. In the first season, this is further augmented when they are shown subsequently by the background colors there. The second season rapidly flashes those subsequent depictions. In this context. however, the colors do not quite match what was being said in the blog:
Blue = Futami
Purple = Shijou
Pink = Hoshino
Orange = Mao
Yellow = Nana/Naru
Green = Sakino
Light Blue and Red appear to be the boys.

As to the library, recall that Koichi wants to be a novelist.

By: My Relationship With Kimikiss « The Animanachronism

My Relationship With Kimikiss « The Animanachronism — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:57:13 +0000

[...] second version of the opening is hard to skip, and provoked some interesting analysis and meditation when it ‘premiered’, so to speak. But I can’t decide what to make [...]

By: hashihime

hashihime — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:46:18 +0000

I’ve been trying to figure out the major tipping point between people who like ef and people who hate it, and it may come down to the fact that ef is a melodrama. To me, that is an honorable thing, to many others it seems it is not. Willing suspension of disbelief converts that “bathos” into a deep emotional experience that KimiKiss has not yet even come close to providing me. The symbolism in ef is emotional rather than intellectual. It is the effect on the viewer that counts, not the dry identification of a symbol: that littered railyard both symbolized and gave the feeling of a littered memory. The odd angles and chopped heads create feelings of unease and disintegration. Whereas the colored balloons are just an intellectual game — an interesting one, but not emotionally deep. But I do prowl the fields of anime looking for just the sort of emotional hit that ef gave me, as did Simoun, as did Blue Drop. I even got some of it from Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora. So it is perfectly legitimate that your mileage may vary, lol. For me, realism is not what anime does best.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:11:33 +0000

@IKnight

You have probably read a lot more than I ever had. I haven’t read his Claudius novels (although I have heard that I, Claudius is probably the best historical novel of the 20th century) but that’s because I live in the Philippines, and finding a copy to something like that is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

I want to read I, Claudius … T_T

By: IKnight

IKnight — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:22:19 +0000

I’ve come into contact with Graves through his two Claudius novels and his much less well-known Belisarius. They’re among the most enjoyable historical novels I’ve ever read. But I must admit I haven’t read more than one or two of his poems.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:00:25 +0000

@hashihime

Please take those comments with a grain of salt. I like DearS and Ichigo 100%: quoting IKnight, however, ‘I like it’ and ‘it is good’ are two different things. I abhorred the bathos in ef; again, paraphrasing IKnight, it shouted SYMBOL instead of showing it. I won’t say anything about your opinion on ef, just that for me it is little more than trash.

I used Kawabata with regard to his writing style and not his concision, and I used Meredith also with regard to his writing style. When the metaphors in ef did seem to count, I was only more horrified. Just like The Ordeal, haha.

@Totali

I wrote an essay on the symbolism of H&C about two years ago, and I agree, has not yet been obtained by Kimikiss. I’m not flaming your opinions. Although I have to say that even without Kimikiss ef still pales in comparison to H&C. =P

@Ryan

Yeah, this episode is made of win and awesome most definitely.

@IKnight

Thanks. I will find time studying literary theory. I’ve still a backlog of books right now, though, and I’m currently reading Robert Graves’s Good-bye to All That. Do you know the man?

@usagijen

Nice addenda to my post. Thanks for the comment.

By: Totali

Totali — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:18:04 +0000

Yea, I’m with hashihime on this one. I was liking this until the last paragraph >:(. But hey, that’s an argument that’s been played out so much that it’s dead.

The balloons probably do play a nice part for the OP, but the rest of the OP in general really signifies change. It seems like all the girls have developed, just as they have in the season, and then there’s the obvious kissing off screen. The symbolism in Kimikiss isn’t anything that would reach the level of say, Honey and Clover.

Anyways, Kimikiss rocks. =P

By: hashihime

hashihime — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:01:32 +0000

I love your tour of KimiKiss’s symbolism. But I guess I have low taste, since ef did so much more for me than KimiKiss. I will certainly not criticize KimiKiss. It is a very good anime. But not, for me, in the class of ef. ef didn’t shout, it overwhelmed, and I was thrilled to be swept away.

And it did everything in only 12 episodes, so comparing KimiKiss rather than ef to the magically concise Kawabata seems odd to me. I found the imagery of ef produced much more Kawabata-like feelings in me, too — although the relationship subtleties of KimiKiss have some Kawabata about them.

Anyway, not to put down KimiKiss, which I love. I just disagree so strongly with your criticisms of ef. As you say, preferences are preferences. But to call my preference “trash” certainly provokes me, lol.

By: KimiKiss pure rouge OP version 2 - “Love is Like a Balloon” | The Scrumptious Anime Blog

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:49:02 +0000

[...] adds another dimension to this balloon symbolism, a KimiKiss-girls-centric [...]

By: Ryan A

Ryan A — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:58:07 +0000

I’m with you on this episode, it came back strong to the senses. The emergence of a more definite Kazuki triangle is great. I didn’t think it would be so impressive, but the development of Eriko, while Asuka sifts her feelings to find something, gives it good depth; tasteful. I don’t know how I feel about Mao’s uncertainties, but I do like the way that it (and the rest of the story) is being delivered; yes, slightly spontaneous and suggestive.

Awesome things are happening, really want to see more. ^^

ps. Passion is the fire!