2017 Week 1: Episodes 1-4

[Milieva]

Welcome to anyone new joining us for this rewatch. We are happy to have you!

This week we will be discussing Season 1: episodes 1-4.  Please mind the rewatch rules.

The official chat will be 1st April at 19:00 UTC/GMT/Zulu time (3:00 pm in New York, 8:00 pm in London). 

Click here to join the chat

[Mokonalord]

And so it begins.

Very little mention of Ascot in these episodes, but I know he'll be featured heavily the next two weeks, so all is well. For now.

So, how much fun can we have making fun of stone!Clef?
You know, I'd like to think that one day Ferio commissions a statue of Clef just to see his reaction. Whatever the Cephiran equivalent of pigeons is, Clef probably never wants to see one ever again. Good thing he still has wi-fi, otherwise I'd imagine being stuck like that getting old really fast. Well, it only took 745 years, but now he's finally found the time to get caught up on Netflix. Silver linings!

And we've got our "eggs that will one day hatch into Magic Knights" (you can use metaphors, we get it). Such naive babies! If they had any idea what would happen, they probably would've all agreed with Umi's course of action (or lack thereof).

[VKiera]

I'm currently watching episode 4, so I'll be caught up. OMG I forgot how ridiculous Fuu is, 'That middle-aged woman in black' are you kidding me Fuu? lol

I know it was originally a kids show, but considering how much blood there is in later episodes, I was surprised about Umi's injuries from fighting Alcyone, they don't look life threatening in the least. I remember in the manga her armor was shattered and busted up and she had more than just a cut on her face.

Also, amazing how Fuu's healing spells fixes your armor and clothes too, haha.

You know me, I won't be a spaz about this until we hit season 2.

[Milieva]

1

Hikaru is so adorable.  She's so enthusiastic and so pure.  I love how excited she is to be on the field trip to Tokyo Tower.  You can tell that everyone has been there loads of time with school, and she doesn't even care.  She can look at everyone from the top. 

Obviously Fun thought she was supper cute too.  I mean why would she so happily offer her more money for the binoculars? Aside from thinking she was a much younger student out for the first time.

But seriously.  What is with the flying crystals denoting something magical?

I must admit that I still miss Clef not getting yelled at by Umi for being a perv like in the manga, where he pulls on their skirts.

Then there's Umi, honest to a fault.  She remains so hopeful that she can get home so much easier than all of this.

So, how much fun can we have making fun of stone!Clef?

All the fun.  It is a gloriously heavy handed plot device!  "How do we make it make sense that he hardly helps from here on out?"  "Let's turn him into an effing statue and throw him off a cliff!"  "Great plan!!!!" 

You know, I'd like to think that one day Ferio commissions a statue of Clef just to see his reaction. Whatever the Cephiran equivalent of pigeons is, Clef probably never wants to see one ever again.

I would love to see someone write a fic of that! *hint hint*  It is totally something Ferio would do.  You know.... if it didn't remind them all of his sister's death and all.  But an AU fit where Ferio gets a statues commissioned as a "gift" would be glorious.


2

I definitely think I now accept the head cannon that Presea is in Clef's fortress of solitude. It makes sense.  She does say that Clef put her there with Mokona wot wait for them.  He'll do what he is expected, but will not do more than exactly what he's been asked to do, since he doesn't agree with any of it.

I love Fuu's bow and arrows set. They are so cute with the little wings, even if I don't under stand how a singe wing can possibly work as fletching let alone how you can nock an arrow with a single bit of fletching.  I should just accept it is Cephiro and it is the Will that shoots the arrow straight.

But Presea doesn't give any fucks about that table cloth Hikaru destroys because it's Clef's.

Do we ever find out what Presea thinks of Hikaru's sweet?


3

How many effing lies can Ferio even come up with?  I mean, half of them have some grain of truth, but good on Fun to see through his nonsense so quickly. I think it's kind of funny how she thinks Hikaru will go too easy on him and invite him in when she's pretty easily turned by his compliments.  I do wonder if he might not have some sort of magic that lets him talk his way out of situations easily.  You know, like a Jedi mind trick sort of thing.  Given how much

But who wouldn't like to have a traveling egg hotel house when they went camping in a creepy woodland?  Because that is totally a beautiful building.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what those monsters they killed were originally?  I mean look how cute all those things are one they have been transformed back!  I love the bug-eyed unicorn thing.

And what even is with the magic amulet thing?  I know it gets used later in the season, but I kinda liked the ring thing, because it was so out of nowhere. 

Hey, I just met you
and this is crazy
but here's my ring
I like you maybe.


4

Umi trying so hard to use magic after they get out of the forest is glorious. "Fly away!" I love how annoyed she is when it's pointed out that only Hikaru can use magic, even if that's how magic worked.

I still love that Down calls this first monster the washing machine monster. I mean, I can see it, with the spin cycle and everything, but I would have never thought of that.  (Oh, Fuu comments that she knows how laundry must feel. That's for the explanation, Fuu) What sort of nightmare would have dreamed that thing up?

How many people shaped monsters do you think that village has seen, to distrust three teenage girls? But with all the chaos and destruction, there must be scavengers looting from the smaller villages. Then again, the attacks of monsters are probably just as frequent. Still don't know why the kid is out when everyone was originally hiding. Let alone why her mother doesn't take her into a building rather than just hiding behind stuff.

And we've got our "eggs that will one day hatch into Magic Knights" (you can use metaphors, we get it)

Well, we know that Alcyone can beat a dead horse.  I mean how long is she pining away fro Zagato when he's obviously obsessed with Emeraude?

I know it was originally a kids show, but considering how much blood there is in later episodes, I was surprised about Umi's injuries from fighting Alcyone, they don't look life threatening in the least. I remember in the manga her armor was shattered and busted up and she had more than just a cut on her face.

I know, right! She just kinda falls over and everyone is so upset.  It's like she just fainted from shock, not from any sort of an attack.

Also, amazing how Fuu's healing spells fixes your armor and clothes too, haha.

I still wish I had some sort of spell like that when stuff in my life got broken. But at the same time, it seems like such a useless spell for battle.  Even if useful for one's group.

OMG I forgot how ridiculous Fuu is, 'That middle-aged woman in black' are you kidding me Fuu? lol

I think I find it even funnier now that I am probably closer in age to Alcyone's appearance.  I am definitely not "middle aged" yet.  And yet, I can remember thinking that 30+ was SO OLD when I first watched this series at 15.

[VKiera]

And what even is with the magic amulet thing?  I know it gets used later in the season, but I kinda liked the ring thing, because it was so out of nowhere. 

Hey, I just met you
and this is crazy
but here's my ring
I like you maybe.

Excuse me brb dying, lol Ferio needs to sing this karaoke style, bahaha.

How many people shaped monsters do you think that village has seen, to distrust three teenage girls? But with all the chaos and destruction, there must be scavengers looting from the smaller villages. Then again, the attacks of monsters are probably just as frequent. Still don't know why the kid is out when everyone was originally hiding. Let alone why her mother doesn't take her into a building rather than just hiding behind stuff.

You know I honestly always thought they had to deal with not people shaped monsters but other minions of Zagatos we don't see. Not necessarily 'high level' minions like Caldina and Alcyone, but underlings I guess? I mean, I know Zagato is powerful, but really he took control of everything with just *counts* 5 people? IDK, I mean I know the control of Cephiro is not his goal, but we do see Caldina and Ascot at one point being deployed to quell rebellions. So I'm just assuming there's more people to handle that?

[Milieva]

Excuse me brb dying, lol Ferio needs to sing this karaoke style, bahaha.

My job here is done.

You know I honestly always thought they had to deal with not people shaped monsters but other minions of Zagatos we don't see. Not necessarily 'high level' minions like Caldina and Alcyone, but underlings I guess? I mean, I know Zagato is powerful, but really he took control of everything with just *counts* 5 people? IDK, I mean I know the control of Cephiro is not his goal, but we do see Caldina and Ascot at one point being deployed to quell rebellions. So I'm just assuming there's more people to handle that?

This makes sense.  I didn't think it through that well.  Mind you, I haven't watched the first season through nearly as many times as the second.

I suppose there would be more uprising as people will assume Zagato is holding the princess captive, not that she is locking herself away. Because that just doesn't make sense.  Given no one but a small few seem to know the history of the pillar.  I do wonder if at least the pillar before Emeraude died of natural causes.

[Mokonalord]

'why doesn't Ferio just believe he doesn't have popcorn feet?'

I think this line deserves to be the defining quote for the first week's rewatch. Ridiculous yet true.

[Somariel]

3

How many effing lies can Ferio even come up with?  I mean, half of them have some grain of truth, but good on Fun to see through his nonsense so quickly.

I honestly think that the story about wanting to give Zagato a piece of his mind and running into trouble as a result is 100% true.

[VKiera]

This makes sense.  I didn't think it through that well.  Mind you, I haven't watched the first season through nearly as many times as the second.

I suppose there would be more uprising as people will assume Zagato is holding the princess captive, not that she is locking herself away. Because that just doesn't make sense.  Given no one but a small few seem to know the history of the pillar.  I do wonder if at least the pillar before Emeraude died of natural causes.

I think he mostly does this to make sure that no one blames Emeraude. He wants to make sure he gets all the blame not her, because she is the victim in all this, just not in the way most people in cephiro see it.

[Mokonalord]

The anime kinda has a bad habit of trying to fix what ain't broken, but something I think could've actually used fixing was Presea dancing about in the Native American headdress while fantasizing about punishing the Magic Knights/Mokona. Just a tad racist, you know?

That being said, given that the United States hasn't exactly been a model of respectful depictions of Native American culture, and given that this was back in the nineties before you could just google everything, I hardly blame CLAMP for being a bit culturally insensitive in one instance towards a people-group they probably only knew about from old cartoons.