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Just as I was thinking, "I need to write a rant about Erementar Gerad to enlighten my flist," Kithal pinged me and told me that the first episode raw of the anime version is out. So I suppose it was just meant to be. (Note: Fushigi Hoshi no Futago Hime is downloading faster. I wasn't expecting that. Somehow, horrors of boys downloading it because they think there will be hot, cuddly twins in it come to mind. Hopefully the sparkliness will fry their stupid weewees off so their BRAINS can do the thinking next time.)
NOTE: Looking back on this, I made it sound like the main character is Ren. She's not, really, though she is the heroine, and very important. Our main character is Coud van Giluet, who is something of a horny teenager, but not entirely without his merits.
Erementar Gerad is about a fantasy world with Edilaides (...spelling...)---girls who turn into melee weapons, or weapons who turn into girls, if you want to put it that way. When they're not fighting, they look like normal people with a rock somewhere on their skin and a long name. Technically this is just another foolish shounen series, but it has a heavy focus on the struggles of these girlweapons to find places for themselves. The line between "tool" and "human being" is blurry and there are plenty of YUCKY MEN waiting to take advantage.
Edilaides actually combine with a human to become a weapon that is a part of the Pledger's body. Their minds and feelings are also linked, and the effectiveness of the weapon depends on how in sync the user and Edilaide are. So they have to know each other, be able to work together, and get along. Not to mention, an Edilaide can only have one living Pledger at a time, so no cheating. The relationship between an Edilaide and her Pledger tends to have a great deal in common with love, and that strikes me as a surprisingly romantic frill for a shounen series. This is one of the biggest reasons I like this series---I think it's kinda dreamy. 腐っても乙女心を持つ私。って言うかもう腐ってるけど。
Edilaides have a number of peculiarities. They all have a stone somewhere on their body that is a kind of power source for them. Their spit is caustic to other Edilaides. Someone who knows the full name of an Edilaide can use that to immobilize them (so most of them go by a shortened version). When they die they turn into dust. Breaking or tearing off their stone can kill them. And, one of their ways of fighting is "singing" (or reciting), obviously in perfect time and harmony with their Pledger. This is another thing I really like because they whip out these awesome, beautiful, incomprehensible lyrics in ancient Japanese, and it's pretty. It's about blood and red and hearts joined STARS IN YOUR EYES!!!! This (and the stuff about the names) qualifies as ties to kotodama, so there we have another reason to watch this. I do like kotodama.
Most of what I read in the manga was about Edilaides (and their Pledgers) just trying to get along. Edilaides are essentially very, very powerful weapons, and are not always treated as well as they should be. Our heroine Ren is one of the most valuable Edilaides known to man, and though all she's trying to do is travel to a certain place, her and her Pledger Cou are faced with all kinds of people trying to kill him and steal her. There are organizations to protect Edilaides, but there are plenty more people who are willing to hurt them, sell them for money, take advantage of their need/desire to have a Pledger, put them in boxes and leave them there for eons, etc. etc. Being an Edilaide can be a crummy life, though forward-minded, respectful men can really help them out. (I appreciate this subtle suggestion that the good guys are not a bunch of l33t motherfuckers who abuse their women and get into pissing contests. Real men don't do that crap, and they kick all the more ass for it.) I like this series because while it is told from a male point of view, and yeah, the guys kind of have to come to the rescue, the girls are helping out, too. It's dignifying. It feels right.
So. My current default icon pictures Cisqa, a character from this series. She's a member of an organization called Arc Aile that attempts to protect Edilaides and hook them up with friendly, educated Pledgers, or find ways to let them live like normal people. She takes her job very seriously, and is the one who makes sure Ren is safe and happy when Cou fails or doesn't know any better. Chivalry aside, she's also kind of nuts, and she keeps lots of MISSILES and BAZOOKAS in her cloak. Throughout the manga, she generally seems to be the one making the funnies and narrating battles. She spends a lot of time yelling at her minions, but she loves them to pieces. She knows kung fu. She can't swim. She's significantly more bossy, violent, autonomous and flat-chested than the Edilaides, but she fights the good fight and I think she's awesome. In this icon, she is awakening after fainting at the loss of a great deal of money through a rare (but necessary) betting spree. Notice the look on her face. She still thinks she's taking a bath in bank notes.
NOTE: Looking back on this, I made it sound like the main character is Ren. She's not, really, though she is the heroine, and very important. Our main character is Coud van Giluet, who is something of a horny teenager, but not entirely without his merits.
Erementar Gerad is about a fantasy world with Edilaides (...spelling...)---girls who turn into melee weapons, or weapons who turn into girls, if you want to put it that way. When they're not fighting, they look like normal people with a rock somewhere on their skin and a long name. Technically this is just another foolish shounen series, but it has a heavy focus on the struggles of these girlweapons to find places for themselves. The line between "tool" and "human being" is blurry and there are plenty of YUCKY MEN waiting to take advantage.
Edilaides actually combine with a human to become a weapon that is a part of the Pledger's body. Their minds and feelings are also linked, and the effectiveness of the weapon depends on how in sync the user and Edilaide are. So they have to know each other, be able to work together, and get along. Not to mention, an Edilaide can only have one living Pledger at a time, so no cheating. The relationship between an Edilaide and her Pledger tends to have a great deal in common with love, and that strikes me as a surprisingly romantic frill for a shounen series. This is one of the biggest reasons I like this series---I think it's kinda dreamy. 腐っても乙女心を持つ私。って言うかもう腐ってるけど。
Edilaides have a number of peculiarities. They all have a stone somewhere on their body that is a kind of power source for them. Their spit is caustic to other Edilaides. Someone who knows the full name of an Edilaide can use that to immobilize them (so most of them go by a shortened version). When they die they turn into dust. Breaking or tearing off their stone can kill them. And, one of their ways of fighting is "singing" (or reciting), obviously in perfect time and harmony with their Pledger. This is another thing I really like because they whip out these awesome, beautiful, incomprehensible lyrics in ancient Japanese, and it's pretty. It's about blood and red and hearts joined STARS IN YOUR EYES!!!! This (and the stuff about the names) qualifies as ties to kotodama, so there we have another reason to watch this. I do like kotodama.
Most of what I read in the manga was about Edilaides (and their Pledgers) just trying to get along. Edilaides are essentially very, very powerful weapons, and are not always treated as well as they should be. Our heroine Ren is one of the most valuable Edilaides known to man, and though all she's trying to do is travel to a certain place, her and her Pledger Cou are faced with all kinds of people trying to kill him and steal her. There are organizations to protect Edilaides, but there are plenty more people who are willing to hurt them, sell them for money, take advantage of their need/desire to have a Pledger, put them in boxes and leave them there for eons, etc. etc. Being an Edilaide can be a crummy life, though forward-minded, respectful men can really help them out. (I appreciate this subtle suggestion that the good guys are not a bunch of l33t motherfuckers who abuse their women and get into pissing contests. Real men don't do that crap, and they kick all the more ass for it.) I like this series because while it is told from a male point of view, and yeah, the guys kind of have to come to the rescue, the girls are helping out, too. It's dignifying. It feels right.
So. My current default icon pictures Cisqa, a character from this series. She's a member of an organization called Arc Aile that attempts to protect Edilaides and hook them up with friendly, educated Pledgers, or find ways to let them live like normal people. She takes her job very seriously, and is the one who makes sure Ren is safe and happy when Cou fails or doesn't know any better. Chivalry aside, she's also kind of nuts, and she keeps lots of MISSILES and BAZOOKAS in her cloak. Throughout the manga, she generally seems to be the one making the funnies and narrating battles. She spends a lot of time yelling at her minions, but she loves them to pieces. She knows kung fu. She can't swim. She's significantly more bossy, violent, autonomous and flat-chested than the Edilaides, but she fights the good fight and I think she's awesome. In this icon, she is awakening after fainting at the loss of a great deal of money through a rare (but necessary) betting spree. Notice the look on her face. She still thinks she's taking a bath in bank notes.
