Comments on: Mnemosyne halfway thoughts: an atrocity exhibition

By: Martin

Martin — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:03:51 +0000

Eh, I’m kinda surprised that pretty much everyone disagrees with me on this one ^_^’ I guess that those who didn’t like what they saw early on stopped watching it long ago.

@lolikitsune: I saw it as a means to an end on Mimi’s part - she obtained the info for Rin’s sake but did so very reluctantly. Either way I found it quite uncomfortable to watch, despite getting fairly desensitised to that sort of thing in recent years.

@Hanners: although it’s only played a minor part so far, the plot and its time frame have remained interesting for me so unless that’s discarded entirely things won’t be all bad. And yeah, I’d choose Thunderbirds over Captain Scarlet any day!
@scottfrye: while it was strictly speaking consensual, it’s still unsettling; the whole show has an exploitative streak that’s starting to wear on me. That said, episode #4 is supposed to be a good one.

@Jayme: I might look into That Sword of a Stranger but I prefer a good storyline to back things up - Mnemosyne reminded me a bit of R.O.D. at first…that really is an example of the OAV format done right!

@Digitalboy: I quite like Galneryus’ contribution actually - I’m mellowing a bit in my old age but there’s always time for a bit of neo-classical goth metal! I concur that this show needs moar zombies though.

By: digitalboy

digitalboy — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:24:10 +0000

I agree with you on almost everything. I say almost because yuri loli rape and guro are my absolute favorite parts of this show. (actually anything with ‘yuri’ and ‘loli’ being mentioned is liable to draw my attention, blood is just the icing on the proverbial cake… or loli). Mnemosyne’s first episode is one of my favorite anime episodes of all time and by far my favorite first episode of a show - it really promised everything. The stellar animation, potentially interesting plot, yuri, violence, sadism, and as you sort of mentioned FUCKING GALNERYUS (yes I capitalize it every time I bring it up because it is that fucking important) and in a lot of cases, the little things which enhanced the first ep made the rest of the series look like it would be that much better. When you see a fucking shotgun glove, it’s somewhere gotten into your head that there will be more badass weapons, but the show has yet to bring them back. While I did like the 3rd ep more than the 2nd, neither even remotely lives up to the first. While I admit it is not easy, you CAN live up to ripping off a woman’s clitoris in a wedding dress and a bad guy being eaten by zombies - maybe the writers just lack the confidence to do so.

By: Jayme

Jayme — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:43:29 +0000

I’ve only seen the first two OVAs, I’ve enjoyed them for what they were. I went in expecting nothing, Got a fantastic first episode and a stupidly dark second episode which, seemingly dragged on much longer than the first. The Gothic elements are fairly interesting, as well

I don’t care for it much, Its got enough energy to keep me going through all six, But I doubt I’ll bother recommending it to someone when better, OVA’s and films are a much better source of entertainment.

On a similar note: That Sword of a Stranger looks interesting, I’ve heard the plot lacks but it makes up for it with great animation and fights. ;p

By: scottfrye

scottfrye — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:06:35 +0000

I concur with lolikitsune. She wasn’t really excited about doing it but she did it anyways to pay the price. And just because you give consent doesn’t mean the sex will be good or that you will enjoy it.

By: Hanners

Hanners — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:01:46 +0000

Funnily enough, my feelings about Mnemosyne have actually softened as the OVA has progressed. The sex and violence are eye-rollingly gratuitous to the point of ridicule, but the actual individual plot for each episode seems to have improved upon the last to my mind.

I’ve also liked the use of each episode to jump forward in time, leaving our immortal protagonists stranded as the world (and people) around them change - It helps to portray their loneliness and desperation to find solace from that a little better than simple dialogue and tears alone.

That aside, I’m fairly sure that the backstory will turn out to be awful and a waste of time, but if the individual plots for the last couple of episodes are okay then it won’t be a complete loss overall in my mind, especially considering that having an immortal ‘hero’ is almost always a stupid idea (did these people never watch Captain Scarlet and wonder why Thunderbirds was always better? ;)).

By: lolikitsune

lolikitsune — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:34:21 +0000

there’s a lot wrong with yuri loli-rape

While I won’t disagree with you on that count, I would contend that what is featured in Mnemosyne is hardly rape. My understanding is that the loliyuri is merely a price paid for a service, and that the loli—despite not being exactly elated about it—more or less willingly pays that price.

It’s harmless bartering.