Subtext? Or coincidence?
Aug. 15th, 2010 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spottoSo I found this Japanese blog that seems to point out tons of...questionable scenes in PPGZ. (Very Kaoru heavy, btw) here.
Now, since it's all in Japanese, I have no clue what it's saying, but I'm gonna assume a lot of the text, particularly the bigger, redder ones is fanboyism/fangirlism (no clue) so, in order to make some sense of all this I'm going to tackle the issue itself!
As for what the issue is...you'll see soon enough.
Okay well, you know. Nothing too noteworthy there, Momoko seems to know who Miyako is, just a way for all of them to not be complete strangers, I guess!
8 episodes later, (this is probably not the first instance of this happening but eh) Buttercup gets enraged, and Bubbles has to hold her back, and this isn't the first time.
Buttercup! Calm down!
BUTTERCUP! CALM DOWN!!!
BUTTERCUP, CALM THE FUCK DOWN!!!
There we go!
Notice how it's always Bubbles doing this. Of course this makes sense because two of those times she's raging at Blossom (Oh Blossom) and Bubbles appears to be the meditator of the three so far, anywho.
In episode 12, the famous Miyako/Takaaki episode (well, the first one) we have Bubbles falling in love. This .gif illustrates that Buttercup is the one who saves her from the uncontrollable lion-wolf monster thing (or at least the one with physical contact). Still, nothing much comes out of this I suppose?
Earlier in the episode however, Bubbles saves Buttercup...hmm..
Still, this isn't enough to warrant suspicion, but let's continue!
Tons of episodes later, we have this.
Oh the unfortunate hair...
They're dancing...slow dancing, together (in horrible, bad, awful hair). Of course you could perhaps excuse that because of how everyone else is (forcibly) paired off. Blossom got Professor Utonium, Ken wasn't there, and it'd be very odd for them to be paired up with the Mayor or Ms. Bellum (who were also there) so Buttercup and Bubbles got each other...still though, quite interesting. They could've put them with some random male dancer, or put Blossom with Bubbles or Buttercup, yet they went with this...hmmm...
Two episodes later, we have the at first seemingly-not very special episode 31, but it proves to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence in this oddity. First off, similar to the original PPG, we have a bug (which Miyako calls a cockroach, despite the fact that it is a dung beetle) scaring her, and then Kaoru tries to squish it. (Remember Roach Coach? :D) Of course that probably isn't too much of a problem (though Kaoru stepping on Momoko's face is hilarious) but the fact that she reacts so very quickly..
Later, in the second part of the episode, we have Ken illustrating "love strategies" one of his examples is to "pretend to go out with someone else to instill jealousy" now why does this specific shot look incredibly suggestive? Why did he pull Kaoru and Miyako into the example, not Momoko or Sakurako or something? Of course the reason Kaoru is there is Ken put an imaginary dress on her, thus she is angry, thus we all laugh at her humility (lol), but if someone just saw this screenshot without knowing what exactly is happening, they would definitely assume something else, and why pull Miyako in? The shot after has Ken being kicked out, hearts in the background...the subtitles describes it well...interesting indeed, isn't it?
Rawr.
Subtitled version!
GTFO Ken.
Then one of the biggest, damningest pieces of evidence unfolds even later on in the episode (actually this was the first part, but whatever)
THEY'RE SHARING AN UMBRELLA.
Another shot for good measure!
Of course people would probably wonder what the big deal is. This is an anime, correct? In Japan, rather than using hearts or some other symbolic form of "love" the BIGGEST indicator of love is sharing an umbrella. If you like someone, you write down you and your love's names under an umbrella, this is similar to a heart indicating love. Of course if you're still trying to make sense of this, perhaps Kaoru is not one of those people who would remember to take an umbrella with her, and probably doesn't even like umbrellas, and Miyako would probably be the only one nice enough to share...
But the snow? Is the snow necessary? I guess for the setting for the next part of the episode, but I'm pretty sure someone like Kaoru wouldn't mind a little bit of snow falling on her. If it was a huge down pour, yes I'm sure everyone would mind, but this is just sprinkling snow at the moment...
Besides it's not like there's an actual heart anyway--
Spoke too soon.
This is actually a heart shape cut out from Momoko's gym shorts (Octi was controlled by Him's spores who was playing pranks on them to make them hate each other) she found it in Miyako's sewing kit, and shoved it in the other two's faces. "OMFG YOU DECIEVED ME! MY VERY OWN FRIENDS!" Yet, it's interesting that a heart shape was cut out (well, it IS Blossom's symbol) but to have it being held there between Miyako and Kaoru with their expressions, if someone did not know what was going on in this episode and just saw this screenshot, more and more assumptions ensue!
Earlier in the episode Kaoru was the first to notice Octi mysteriously on Miyako's bag. This isn't particularly a huge hint or anything, but I just found it interesting, paralleling back to the original PPG (similar to the roach incident) where Buttercup is calling Bubbles a baby for having a doll all the time. (Okay I don't recall it EXACTLY but I know she probably did sometime in the series...)
Anyway, later on in the episode they were fighting amongst themselves so much that Mojo actually defeated them, but before he could finish them off, they were saved by Professor Utonium, and the unconscious girls are put onto some sort of bed/rack/couch thing...
Why are Buttercup and Bubbles on the same one? Could there not possibly be two of those things, or maybe put one of them on the front seat or something? In fact why is it that Blossom is the one not with the others? Once again, another mysterious animation decision...
This next one is quite obvious, in episode 44 Kaoru falls in love (there's always one of these episodes for every character, it's a shoujo after all...) but they discover her muscular crush is into Yamato Nadeshikos (girly, gentle, sensitive, etc.), something Miyako appears to be modeled after. Of course, Momoko at first declares she will help, as the love champion (what is she, a fusion of Usagi and Minako!?) but Kaoru completely rejects her and goes for Miyako, cue exaggerated and hilarious crying from Momoko.
Another two episodes, Him returns for the most explosive battle yet! He steals the girls' weapons and uses them in much more powerful ways than before, showing the girls slamming into pavement and having cracks everywhere. Buttercup and Bubbles land in one crater while Blossom falls somewhere else. Anyway, they are pretty beat up (particularly Bubbles, who falls unconscious)
Him prepares to finish them off, but Buttercup is immobilized, she grabs Bubbles' head and braces them both--
Wait what!?
Oh and then Blossom saves them because she's amazingly not as paralyzed as the others. How to explain this? Well Blossom is supposedly the main character (or the one the writers hate the most because all her episodes for some reason always ends BADLY, unlike the other two) so she must become awesome and save the others, but it's pretty interesting how she has to save them both, at the same time. Usually it's saving one person because the scene afterwards was kind of awkward with her trying to hold two people, so again I wonder...
Finally, part two of Bubbles' love escapades, Takaaki returns! Of course we can't have an episode where Miyako is in love with some boy without more Buttercup-saving action!
Okay seriously why is it never Blossom?
And I suppose that's the end of everything I've found so far, but there is inevitably more out there, particularly the 9001 screenshots of both of them in the same screen. (That same BLOSSOM IS HERO MENTALITY leaves the other two as "MISC." so instead of wasting screentime animating both separately in separate shots, they are very often in the same shot. That Japanese blog will have lots more) Of course obviously just being in the same screen indicates nothing, but when you add it up with everything I've just described...
Hmmm, I wonder if this was on purpose? Or simply a coincidence? Is it just Buttercup's personality that she's the one who dramatically saves people like that? I could add more, like that one time where they all get frozen by Mojo and he's about to turn Blossom into shaved ice. Strangely despite Blossom being the one in A LOT MORE DANGER Buttercup smashes out Bubbles first, and Blossom is only freed because she accidentally smacks into the shaved ice machine while trying to pummel Mojo.
Or maybe it's the "EVERYONE HATES BLOSSOM" syndrome. I don't know. I don't MIND on the other hand, I just find it weird you have three episodes on these two characters being in love with some other male and yet still have all these scenes, really conflicting! I've always been skeptical about other people's point of views in term sof shipping because stuff like that can get REALLY intense, and their shipping goggles have them pointing out EVERY LITTLE TINY INSIGNIFICANT thing as a sign of true love.
But I actually FOUND (with the help of the blog, of course) evidence a tad more than "tiny, little, and insignificant" regarding Kaoru x Miyako. I'm still puzzled...did they do this on purpose, or is it merely a coincidence? There is certainly evidence enough to support the coincidence factor, but still there appears to be one too many things going on for it to simply be...a coincidence.
We will never know, we will never know.
D'awww, too cute. Wait why do we only get to see Miyako and Kaoru's faces? Why is Momoko always the one shafted? Why are those two looking at each other and not Momoko? Why do they look 5 years younger!? WHY IS THE WATER GREEN!? (Okay, that's due to the mineral water but still :P)
They are also portrayed cooler and more mature than the geeky heromaniac sweet/love-obsessed Momoko, sprinkled with cherry blossoms through the wind, one is popular because of her elegance and femininity, the other due to her strength and amazing talent in sports, as the WOO-WOO-WOO music continues... (OKAY STOP REFERENCING SAILOR MOON SPOTTO)
Yeah, I'll stop now. :D
So...subtext? Or coincidence? Personally I really can't tell. Obviously it's not ever going to be canon but I can't help but think the animators were doing mindgames, or something...
Now, since it's all in Japanese, I have no clue what it's saying, but I'm gonna assume a lot of the text, particularly the bigger, redder ones is fanboyism/fangirlism (no clue) so, in order to make some sense of all this I'm going to tackle the issue itself!
As for what the issue is...you'll see soon enough.
IT'S ABOUT THEM.
Okay well, you know. Nothing too noteworthy there, Momoko seems to know who Miyako is, just a way for all of them to not be complete strangers, I guess!
8 episodes later, (this is probably not the first instance of this happening but eh) Buttercup gets enraged, and Bubbles has to hold her back, and this isn't the first time.
Buttercup! Calm down!
BUTTERCUP! CALM DOWN!!!
BUTTERCUP, CALM THE FUCK DOWN!!!
There we go!
Notice how it's always Bubbles doing this. Of course this makes sense because two of those times she's raging at Blossom (Oh Blossom) and Bubbles appears to be the meditator of the three so far, anywho.
In episode 12, the famous Miyako/Takaaki episode (well, the first one) we have Bubbles falling in love. This .gif illustrates that Buttercup is the one who saves her from the uncontrollable lion-wolf monster thing (or at least the one with physical contact). Still, nothing much comes out of this I suppose?
Earlier in the episode however, Bubbles saves Buttercup...hmm..
Still, this isn't enough to warrant suspicion, but let's continue!
Tons of episodes later, we have this.
Oh the unfortunate hair...
They're dancing...slow dancing, together (in horrible, bad, awful hair). Of course you could perhaps excuse that because of how everyone else is (forcibly) paired off. Blossom got Professor Utonium, Ken wasn't there, and it'd be very odd for them to be paired up with the Mayor or Ms. Bellum (who were also there) so Buttercup and Bubbles got each other...still though, quite interesting. They could've put them with some random male dancer, or put Blossom with Bubbles or Buttercup, yet they went with this...hmmm...
Two episodes later, we have the at first seemingly-not very special episode 31, but it proves to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence in this oddity. First off, similar to the original PPG, we have a bug (which Miyako calls a cockroach, despite the fact that it is a dung beetle) scaring her, and then Kaoru tries to squish it. (Remember Roach Coach? :D) Of course that probably isn't too much of a problem (though Kaoru stepping on Momoko's face is hilarious) but the fact that she reacts so very quickly..
Later, in the second part of the episode, we have Ken illustrating "love strategies" one of his examples is to "pretend to go out with someone else to instill jealousy" now why does this specific shot look incredibly suggestive? Why did he pull Kaoru and Miyako into the example, not Momoko or Sakurako or something? Of course the reason Kaoru is there is Ken put an imaginary dress on her, thus she is angry, thus we all laugh at her humility (lol), but if someone just saw this screenshot without knowing what exactly is happening, they would definitely assume something else, and why pull Miyako in? The shot after has Ken being kicked out, hearts in the background...the subtitles describes it well...interesting indeed, isn't it?
Rawr.
Subtitled version!
GTFO Ken.
Then one of the biggest, damningest pieces of evidence unfolds even later on in the episode (actually this was the first part, but whatever)
THEY'RE SHARING AN UMBRELLA.
Another shot for good measure!
Of course people would probably wonder what the big deal is. This is an anime, correct? In Japan, rather than using hearts or some other symbolic form of "love" the BIGGEST indicator of love is sharing an umbrella. If you like someone, you write down you and your love's names under an umbrella, this is similar to a heart indicating love. Of course if you're still trying to make sense of this, perhaps Kaoru is not one of those people who would remember to take an umbrella with her, and probably doesn't even like umbrellas, and Miyako would probably be the only one nice enough to share...
But the snow? Is the snow necessary? I guess for the setting for the next part of the episode, but I'm pretty sure someone like Kaoru wouldn't mind a little bit of snow falling on her. If it was a huge down pour, yes I'm sure everyone would mind, but this is just sprinkling snow at the moment...
Besides it's not like there's an actual heart anyway--
Spoke too soon.
This is actually a heart shape cut out from Momoko's gym shorts (Octi was controlled by Him's spores who was playing pranks on them to make them hate each other) she found it in Miyako's sewing kit, and shoved it in the other two's faces. "OMFG YOU DECIEVED ME! MY VERY OWN FRIENDS!" Yet, it's interesting that a heart shape was cut out (well, it IS Blossom's symbol) but to have it being held there between Miyako and Kaoru with their expressions, if someone did not know what was going on in this episode and just saw this screenshot, more and more assumptions ensue!
Earlier in the episode Kaoru was the first to notice Octi mysteriously on Miyako's bag. This isn't particularly a huge hint or anything, but I just found it interesting, paralleling back to the original PPG (similar to the roach incident) where Buttercup is calling Bubbles a baby for having a doll all the time. (Okay I don't recall it EXACTLY but I know she probably did sometime in the series...)
Anyway, later on in the episode they were fighting amongst themselves so much that Mojo actually defeated them, but before he could finish them off, they were saved by Professor Utonium, and the unconscious girls are put onto some sort of bed/rack/couch thing...
Why are Buttercup and Bubbles on the same one? Could there not possibly be two of those things, or maybe put one of them on the front seat or something? In fact why is it that Blossom is the one not with the others? Once again, another mysterious animation decision...
This next one is quite obvious, in episode 44 Kaoru falls in love (there's always one of these episodes for every character, it's a shoujo after all...) but they discover her muscular crush is into Yamato Nadeshikos (girly, gentle, sensitive, etc.), something Miyako appears to be modeled after. Of course, Momoko at first declares she will help, as the love champion (what is she, a fusion of Usagi and Minako!?) but Kaoru completely rejects her and goes for Miyako, cue exaggerated and hilarious crying from Momoko.
Another two episodes, Him returns for the most explosive battle yet! He steals the girls' weapons and uses them in much more powerful ways than before, showing the girls slamming into pavement and having cracks everywhere. Buttercup and Bubbles land in one crater while Blossom falls somewhere else. Anyway, they are pretty beat up (particularly Bubbles, who falls unconscious)
Him prepares to finish them off, but Buttercup is immobilized, she grabs Bubbles' head and braces them both--
Wait what!?
Oh and then Blossom saves them because she's amazingly not as paralyzed as the others. How to explain this? Well Blossom is supposedly the main character (or the one the writers hate the most because all her episodes for some reason always ends BADLY, unlike the other two) so she must become awesome and save the others, but it's pretty interesting how she has to save them both, at the same time. Usually it's saving one person because the scene afterwards was kind of awkward with her trying to hold two people, so again I wonder...
Finally, part two of Bubbles' love escapades, Takaaki returns! Of course we can't have an episode where Miyako is in love with some boy without more Buttercup-saving action!
Okay seriously why is it never Blossom?
And I suppose that's the end of everything I've found so far, but there is inevitably more out there, particularly the 9001 screenshots of both of them in the same screen. (That same BLOSSOM IS HERO MENTALITY leaves the other two as "MISC." so instead of wasting screentime animating both separately in separate shots, they are very often in the same shot. That Japanese blog will have lots more) Of course obviously just being in the same screen indicates nothing, but when you add it up with everything I've just described...
Hmmm, I wonder if this was on purpose? Or simply a coincidence? Is it just Buttercup's personality that she's the one who dramatically saves people like that? I could add more, like that one time where they all get frozen by Mojo and he's about to turn Blossom into shaved ice. Strangely despite Blossom being the one in A LOT MORE DANGER Buttercup smashes out Bubbles first, and Blossom is only freed because she accidentally smacks into the shaved ice machine while trying to pummel Mojo.
Or maybe it's the "EVERYONE HATES BLOSSOM" syndrome. I don't know. I don't MIND on the other hand, I just find it weird you have three episodes on these two characters being in love with some other male and yet still have all these scenes, really conflicting! I've always been skeptical about other people's point of views in term sof shipping because stuff like that can get REALLY intense, and their shipping goggles have them pointing out EVERY LITTLE TINY INSIGNIFICANT thing as a sign of true love.
But I actually FOUND (with the help of the blog, of course) evidence a tad more than "tiny, little, and insignificant" regarding Kaoru x Miyako. I'm still puzzled...did they do this on purpose, or is it merely a coincidence? There is certainly evidence enough to support the coincidence factor, but still there appears to be one too many things going on for it to simply be...a coincidence.
We will never know, we will never know.
D'awww, too cute. Wait why do we only get to see Miyako and Kaoru's faces? Why is Momoko always the one shafted? Why are those two looking at each other and not Momoko? Why do they look 5 years younger!? WHY IS THE WATER GREEN!? (Okay, that's due to the mineral water but still :P)
They are also portrayed cooler and more mature than the geeky heromaniac sweet/love-obsessed Momoko, sprinkled with cherry blossoms through the wind, one is popular because of her elegance and femininity, the other due to her strength and amazing talent in sports, as the WOO-WOO-WOO music continues... (OKAY STOP REFERENCING SAILOR MOON SPOTTO)
Yeah, I'll stop now. :D
So...subtext? Or coincidence? Personally I really can't tell. Obviously it's not ever going to be canon but I can't help but think the animators were doing mindgames, or something...
