Is he dead? Did he die? Is he dead? Of course not!

Katt: That’s right! I’ve totally still been watching Tears to Tiara even though I haven’t been blogging! …Okay, so I’d skip a few episodes and be like, “Oh hey, I should watch this” and then catch up. But that’s still watching. And I’m even here to blog the finale! I’m not sure that anyone will be reading, but at least I’ll feel some sense of accomplishment, and that’s what counts.

For all of the flak that I gave this series when I was semi-consistently blogging it, it really did end up being an enjoyable watch. It was overflowing with clichés and discontinuity, but as it went along I found myself watching it less grudgingly than I did at first. I even came to like most of the characters who initially made me cringe because of their weakness and/or obvious archetypal roles. Even Riannon (gasp?!). With that said, I’m going to share my thoughts on some of the things that I liked by the end, some things I was disappointed in, and then those that left me with mixed feelings.

Taliesin, the sacrifice who didn’t die…among others

Oh boy, it’s Soul Eater all over again–deaths are built up, mourning happens, and then boom! He’s been alive all along! It’s such a rip-off. He gets this awesome sacrifice and then reappears to save the day at random, and they’re all like, “Okay, cool.” Sighhhh. But this one isn’t a straight-up complaint from me because, well, Taliesin is alive after all! I love this guy. I didn’t want him to die. Thus, I’m pleased to see that he escaped his fate as the ~cursed chief of the Brigantes~. And I also have to give some points to his return solely due to the fact that it somehow reminded me of Lord of the Rings when Gandalf sends the eagles to save Frodo and Sam when they’re about to meet their doom, except in this case Taliesin comes along with some dragons. Badass.

There are a couple of other ‘sacrifices’ that were built up and built up and then just never came to be, which were kind of letdowns. There is that one scene where Ogam transforms into his dragon form and uses his flame breath to break the obilisk, all the while Arawn telling him to stop because he’ll die if he uses that power for too long. And then he doesn’t die, or even seem particularly worn out because of it. On top of that, there is the greatest build up of them all: Arawn never dies. Maybe I was expecting too much of a break from clichés in this series when I came to believe that Arawn would die, but I wasn’t the only one, was I? It just seemed like history would repeat itself and Arawn would sacrifice himself for the greater good, and when he was being bombarded by electrum I was just that that would come to be…but nope. He miraculously lives and gets to see the rise of the new world. Cheap.

Riannon gets some moments to shine

Way back in the first episode of this series, Riannon was presented as having some kind of strength of character. She showed stubbornness, physical (er, magical?) power, and seemed decent enough of a lead female–nothing special, but not all that annoying. And then she reached the “Arawn you are my husband and I will cook for you!” phase. Good lord this girl came to drive me crazy.

As of late, though, she got better again. Her relationships (used loosely) with Arawn came to be placed on equal ground with the sibling bond she has with Arthur. This was really made clear when Riannon chose to stay with Arthur to face Dwrc–yeah, no name should be solely made up of consenants–as Arawn continued upwards in the tower; and quite frankly, a good sibling bond does more for a character than a half-assed romance. Another thing that did a lot for Riannon’s character: she was the one to save Arthur in the battle with Dwrc. She showed the Gael fighting spirit and thought fast when she needed to, so props to Riannon! Her importance in quelling the ‘final boss’, so to speak, should probably also be noted…but it was so much more typical than her saving Arthur earlier. I mean, really, a magical chant during the final boss just makes me think of Tear singing the Fonic Hymn in Tales of the Abyss; sure, it was nice to see Riannon be useful, but…it was just kind of bland.

On a random note while I’m talking about this female lead, I’ll also give a teensy bit of credit to Morgan for when she saves Riannon from a blast from the monster. The obvious thing would have been for Arawn to knock her out of danger’s way, but nope, Morgan did it! For some reason that stood out.

I dub thee King Arth-- wait a second!

In-your-face King Arthur references

Yes, one of the protagonists has been named Arthur all along.
Yes, he had that moment where he magically had the power to pull a sword from the ground.

But wow, way to end the series on a complete Arthurian legend note by not only announcing Arthur as king, but announcing him as King. Arthur. Pendragon. Any ounce of subtlty in the connection was just thrown out the window with that one. Is this a way of telling us that Arthur really was the most important character from the get-go? Or is it just a way to let us know that, even though Arthur becomes king, Lancelot Arawn is still the guy to get all the ladies in the end.

Oh hey, it’s probably also worth noting that they have been on Avalon all along…

Threesome ending? I think so!

And they all lived happily ever after… (bromantically)

Of course, the most significant thing of all–above the battle, the deceptive not-really-deaths, the girls–is the denoument. The scenes where everything settles down and we have a satisfying, everything-is-wrapped-up ending  standard for any RPG (unless you’re Tales of the Abyss). And the quote to almost-close it all…

“Right now, the scarf you gave me is warmer than Edrum ever was.”

AHAHAHA! I can’t hate this series. I just can’t. Cheese of this level is…a delicacy, no? Sometimes when things get really corny, you just have to appreciate it for laugh value. Add to the quote the fact that Arthur’s also present in the final Arawn/Riannon scene as a third wheel. Or is he? Maybe I had it wrong all along! It was never about Arawn and Riannon getting together, nor was I supposed to be looking at Arawn and Arthur as good ol’ bromance. The ultimate end of this series is just so obvious: Arawn/Riannon/Arthur! Yep, I think I have reached a higher level of understanding with that observation.

Jokes aside (as much as I can place them aside when talking about this series), the ending wasn’t all about people pairing off. While we did get a sense of Taliesin and Epona getting together–something I would have liked to have seen more development in, by the way–the rest of the party really just found solid friendships throughout their whole ordeal. Oh, and Ermin got a new book idea that I’d totally buy into. She’ll sell millions.

Man, I’m just realizing that it’s been a while since I’ve done a finale blog entry… I’m a little reluctant to say goodbye, but it must be done. Instead of rambling on awkwardly for even longer than I already have, I’ll just end with this: why was it never revealed that Rathty is a girl?!?! I Wikipedia’d it and she’s totally a girl! Way to introduce a plot point and not follow through! Ugh!

Katt’s Rating for Tears to Tiara Episode 26: 9/10
Katt’s Overall Rating for Tears to Tiara: 7/10…clichés and cheesiness abound, but I got more attached than expect.

Bye bye, Tears to Tiara! I’ll kinda-sorta miss you!

Look look! They're holding hands!

Katt: I have been so bad with blogging this anime! Terrible! Technically I should be blogging from episode 9, where I stopped, but then I’d just take even longer to catch up. Let’s just pretend that those past few episodes never happened and start anew at episode 13, okay? I have nothing else to blog, what with Hansakeru Seishounen taking a week off and Kemono no Souja Erin updating, like, never. Oh, and before I get into my review, here is my mandatory “I miss Minnie!!!” Now I know how she felt when I was gone to Anime North. It’s not the same without my twin around!

Oh yeah, there were angels in this plot somewhere…

The past few episodes have been gradually reminding us that, oh yes, there is a plot beyond the let’s-beat-the-Empire that we have been seeing as of late. At the moment, it looks like this plot is highly connected with Riannon specifically. So how has this been shown? Above all, Riannon’s bond with the elves has been greatly emphasized. We already know that she and Arthur are descendants of the elf Pwyll, but that doesn’t account for the fact that everyone keeps saying she seems more like an elf than a human. This, I do believe, is connect with the entire ‘angel’ portion of the plot.

On top of this, we finally see the brown-haired girl who appears in the OP and who i’s running through the ED animation. Apparently she is Riannon’s inner maiden. Uhhhh, yeah. I really don’t know what to make of that right now. A possible theory: since Riannon cannot hear “the voice of the maiden inside” right now, maybe the moment when she can hear it will be a moment of awakening for her. As an angel, perhaps? Definitely an awakening that will explain some of the odd things about Riannon.

Current plan to defeat the Empire

Until that bigger plot starts unraveling, we are stuck in the seemingly roundabout quest to overthrow the Empire. It is just going one slow step at a time, isn’t it? Invade the base. Kill Lidia (crazy bitch, I miss you!). Rescue Riannon. And now? Get the Brigantes tribe to team up with them.

The Brigantes, if I recall correctly, are referred to as a band of bandits. They are mentioned quite a few episodes back when the Gaels are partying in the woods and receive a warning from the wandering minstrel, Taliesin. Basically they are told to stay out of their lair if they are wise. But really, these main characters aren’t all that wise, so clearly they go back in attempt to form an alliance. As things turn out, the Brigantes don’t even have a chief–oh no! If that is the case, then who really has the right to accept or deny this proposal? Since accepting would be a more dramatic decision than rejecting, the Brigantes automatically opt for the latter. After Arthur duels with Taliesin, the classiest-looking Brigante around, he gains respect from the tribe and so maybe an alliance isn’t that huge a stretch anymore.

Taliesin the minstrel: what to make of him?

Taliesin is becoming less of a mystery…but he is still hard to read in a lot of ways. I like him him because of this, as well as for his fashion sense. I do so love a good hat. But okay–let’s focus on his character and try to understand what this minstrel is all about. When Riannon was kidnapped we saw that he has been making contact with the Empire, though he has not been bold enough to choose sides. Now we know why his cooperation was desired: he is part of the Brigantes, and it seems like even though the title of ‘chief’ hasn’t been claimed, he has the most authority in the tribe. He never does accept the Empire’s offer to join them, though, which gives Taliesin points for being a good guy.

He is also extremely deceptive, though. That stunt he pulled making Arthur think he was injured? How cunning! Everyone likes a good guy with a hint of assholeishness in him. Or at least I do. This sort of secretive nature that he has will definitely make him a suspicious character, though, to both the characters and to us viewers. This is what I believe at this point, in any case, and hopefully I won’t be let down.

I don’t know what was up with that scene with Taliesin at the end of the episode. I have no clue what to make of it. Was he drunk? If so, was it on alcohol or on the presence of elves? What an oddball. I don’t want him to turn into pure comic relief from here on, so he’d better keep some seriousness! Octavia didn’t end up letting me down, so don’t let Taliesin let me down either!

Katt’s overall rating for Tears to Tiara episode 13: 7.5/10

Katt’s anticipation for Tears to Tiara episode 14: 8/10

Subliminal message: women are happiest in the kitchen!

Katt: I didn’t neglect blogging episode 7 of Tears to Tiara out of sheer laziness–I was actually busy with the convention and all! By the time I got back,  I figured it would just be best to wait for episode 8 to be released and then add on a little section for episode 7 at the beginning of my entry. Considering how horribly annoyed I was at Tears to Tiara a few episodes back, it is really growing on me. Some of the characters are proving to not be annoying, and the plotline is…getting somewhere slowly, I guess? I am mostly just pleased that not all of the characters are hopeless! So let’s have a look at the new characters who have shown up as well as how the existing ones have developed over the past couple of episodes~

Episode 7

Rathty the Miner Elf: that cannot be a boy!

This episode shows the introduction of Rathty, a little miner elf who everyone seems to call ‘he’. I don’t know what’s wrong with their eyes, but there is no way in hell that that is a boy! On a note unrelated to gender, Rathty had joined the colliseum battles in hopes of winning the grand prize, some fancy kind of material that he could use to forge stuff! Apparently he forges pansy things, which leaves Arawn in dismay because he wants weapons. Admittedly it made me snicker. In the end Rathty opts to join the heroes, which is pretty anti-climactic–and I kind of expect his overall presence to be similiar. I doubt he’ll have any major influence on the plot. He is just the cute elf.

Octavia is still kicking ass

Octavia, on the other hand, I see as being much more influential…at the moment, anyway. Right now she is the sympathetic character on the opposing team, and my fear is that once she officially switches to the good team (as we all know will happen) she will become less important. In episode 7 she finally confronts her commander in a colliseum battle that becomes more personal than honourable. When Octavia has the one-on-one battle won, archers on chariots are called in to back up her commander. Octavia’s odds don’t look that great, but for once Morgan’s carelessness proves helpful as she enters the arena to help Octavia out. They defeat their opponents and Octavia has finally overthrown her moronic superior! Hopefully she will now get the respect she deserves! But oh, Morgan mentions to Octavia that she is of the Gael tribe…Will Octavia keep to her word and pretend that she heard nothing?

Katt’s Overall Rating for Tears to Tiara Episode 7: 8/10

Episode 8

Lidia, perhaps a new villain?!

When I saw Lidia in the preview for episode 8, I was concerned that Octavia’s status as a kickass soldier would be in danger because Lidia looked like she could be a kickass solider too, which would really be lame and take away from the potential that either character had. My instinct tells me that she might change from foe to ally (mostly because she has a rivalry with Gaius), but I am reaaally hoping that she remains an enemy so that she and Octavia can show the opposite routes that soldiers can take. Right now she is the standard leader who believes that their path is righteous–a very composed character. In episode 9′s preview, though, she looks to be a little more on the crazy side which always makes a character more interesting!

Limwris gets a moment with Arawn

I’ve been harsh on some of the female characters with my constant disappointment. Limwris isn’t really all that bad either; I’d choose the shy character over the overly-aggressive one any day! She has a little chat with Arawn in this episode, which I actually find endearing. Even though I dislike that all of the girls fawn over Arawn, his one-on-one moments with each of them have been kinda cute so far. In his conversation with Limwris, she mostly talks about how happy Ermin is with his return…while sneaking in the fact that she is very happy about it, too. It’s an earnest little talk, and definitely yields some laughs when Limwris reads aloud the kids’ book that Limwris wrote about Arawn and Pwyll. I wonder if I will end up supporting one of the girls/Arawn by the end of this series? Right now I’m still indifferent for the most part.

Arthur gets character development

He does?! You mean he isn’t just the overzealous, primitive-minded fighter?! This doesn’t necessarily make an original character, but at least it adds another dimension to Arthur’s personality. When the battle against Lidia’s troops ends in a horrible defeat because of Arthur’s haste, he really starts to think about how he needs to improve as a warrior. With characters like Arthur, though, this realization and regret leads to moping around that can only be resolved with a punch in the face from a good friend! In other words, Arawn punches him in the face. It never fails to get through to a thickheaded character.

Octavia gets…beaten up?!

After kicking so much ass it was bound to happen–poor Octavia. At the end of episode 8 she stumbles upon a secret at the base her troops are presently staying at. We get to see what it is that Octavia finds, but my eyes are not identifying the shapes as anything in particular. Certainly nothing related to the plot as we know it, anyway? Someone please enlighten me if I am missing something. Whatever it is that Octavia sees, she is punished for finding it and is knocked out cold. There had better be an explanation for this in episode 9!!

Someone help me...I think I'm starting to find this cute?!

Katt’s Overall Rating for Tears to Tiara Episode 8: 8/10

Katt’s Anticipation for Tears to Tiara Episode 9: 10/10

This episode offers two new girls and a side of bromance!

Katt: It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve blogged… I mean, it hasn’t been all that long but the days go by slowly when I spend them at work watching the hours go by. I wasn’t all that enthused to watch Tears to Tiara as it is my least favourite of the series that I am blogging, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this episode. Though it started with the same ol’ crab-hunting-and-Morgan-getting-drunk, it ended up actually making me laugh and become interested in the two new ladies who were introduced. They are not really suited to be wives, though, even if their first impressions lead me to believe that they are better than the previously introduced girls…

Llyr has low luck stats

Llyr doesn’t have much fortune when it comes to anything. This is demonstrated when she falls asleep on the beach and is carried away by the current. And when she loses her special clothes (and by clothes I mean seal skin). And when she fails at household chores. And umm… she’s good in battle, though? That counts for something?

Honestly, though, Llyr was what made me laugh several times during this episode. Several times being every time she cried. I don’t know what it was exactly–the predictability of it, the way that the voice actress makes her crying sound…Llyr just cracked me up when she was upset. The situations that led to her being upset were great, too: getting covered in soap bubbles while washing clothes and getting covered in milk while milking a cow? It entertained me, at the very least. Her failure to do these household chores, though…tsk tsk, she doesn’t seem to be an appropriate wife at all! That’s okay, Llyr; I still like you. Ditzes can be fun!

Octavia the independant-minded

The second girl introduced in this episode is Octavia, a warrior in the Empire’s forces. Naturally she is the only girl in her squadron and also has an outfit that completely clashes with everyone else’s armour, but that is what makes her stand out as a significant character; however, I find Octavia doesn’t really need the distinction of gender and costume to stand out. Her attitude does enough. It isn’t that her attitude is all that unique, but it stands out as far as characters in this series go.

So let’s see…in the girls thus far we have the overly attached, the brainless fighter, the-elves-that-haven’t-done-much-yet, and the ditzy sea chick. Octavia is a warrior figure like Morgan, but there is more depth to her than that. And more intelligence. She values her duty as a soldier and yet also values life, particularly in her comrades which shows a strong sense of loyalty. Although she is in a sense submissive because she eventually caves in and follows her commander’s orders even when they are ridiculous, she eventually defies him by ordering a retreat, which consequently saves the lives of many of her allies.

She also seems to come with a smidgen of backstory. It looks like she has lost her brother, who evidently was very dear to her and likely has some connection to her becoming a soldier for the Empire. Obviously I like this girl thus far; however, I am very scared that she will just become another of Arawn’s wives once she meets him again under different circumstances…

Oh hey, and here’s some bromance for good measure:

Feel the love in that gaze. …’kay no, seriously–if none of the girls are any good in the end, I am going to believe that Arawn and Arthur hook up. On the note of the girls, a new one shows up in the next episode in the colisseum! What will she be like? Will I get a good first impression or immediately toss her aside? This time, I am not getting my hopes up even though my high hopes for Octavia worked out decently thus far. Can’t get two good girls in a row, right?

Katt’s Overall Rating for Tears to Tiara Episode 6: 9.5/10

Katt’s Anticipation for Tears to Tiara Episode 7: 7/10

Thank you, Arthur. Please shut Morgan up more often.

Katt: I’m a little late with this one, but I have barely been home the last couple of days. And when I have had some anime-watching time, I haven’t opted to watch this series…whoops. But here I am and here is my entry for episode 5 of Tears to Tiara! Admittedly it is going to be pretty short since it is my day off of work and I want to do more with it than blog–love blogging as I might. ;P

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Welcome to Avalon, everyone!

Katt: Urgh, I am so tired. Life is busy, even more busy than it was when I had school…or so it feels. Which explains why I am writing this post a couple of days after this Tears to Tiara episode was released. I think I am going to try to write this one up fast so that I can take a nap or something…yawwwn…My apologies if there is a lack of coherence in this post.

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LET ME LICK YOU!!

Katt: In my last Tears to Tiara entry, I expressed my disappointment in Riannon above all else in this series. I was fine with the JRPG clichés in terms of plotline and I still am fine with them, although admittedly it gets to be a pretty entertaining to consider the how the situations coming up in this show can easily be paralleled to any number of other JRPG plotlines. For this entry, I am going to outline these typical moments that will educate in terms of what’s going on in this series, as well as hopefully entertain other JRPGamers by making them think, “Aw yeah, I’ve seen that before.”

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Have my babiiiiieeees!

Katt: Yeesh, two of my primaries have come out on the same day. Way to keep me busy. Even though I did not blog the first episode of Tears to Tiara, I thankfully tend to share the opinion of Minnie, who stole it from me.  Although she didn’t give much of an opinion in that post so she’s just making my life difficult–shame on you, Minnie! At this point, my thoughts are essentially: who is this “demon king” and why is he a bishie? Let’s see if episode two answers these questions!

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Typical Game Protagonist- Good or Bad?

Minnie: Who is in charge of this episode? I believe it’s TZM aka Katt. If I remember correctly, this is one of those shows I was not very convinced about when I heard it was adapted from an ero-game or something like that. Anyways, since I am watching almost everything this Spring for first episodes, I might as well check this one out too. Call me a blogging monster all you like, Steve and Tangerine, I don’t care. Another point for the girls~ Tears of Tiara is about angels if I remember correctly. Let’s see if the summary was deceiving or not.

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