It seems I need to catch up with this thread soon, but for now, I have (finally) finished the third arc in Fool Bloom. The first two, partially as an artifact of their respective brevity, function together quite well as a single introductory episode to establish the setting, characters, and style, along with a bit of more direct conflict at the end, whereas despite being the third, this feels very much like a "second episode" to me. What with it having a more relaxed sort of focus, building off of and delving a bit deeper into the ideas introduced in the first, along with addressing the aftermath of that fight at the end, whilst maintaining the status quo that has been established. Basically, a lot more character work and exposition, with less in the way of big revelations or massive shifts in dynamic. (Fool Bloom's slice-of-life focus does mean that what constitutes "massive shifts" is still going to be relatively understated compared to other stories, but the principle is similar.)
On the subject of "big revelations," there was one such thing brought up at the very end of the second arc (or what I am informally considering to still be part of an Episode 1) that I was very critical of for feeling like it was brought up too abruptly and lacking in setup for something as serious as it was. While to some extent I do maintain that criticism, after Arc 3/Episode 2 has ended with a similar sort of reveal, I am starting to wonder if this is going to be a recurring aspect of the storytelling style that I will simply need to adjust to. (After all, the framing of the story and amount of distance from the significant events that inform it means that a lot of details of those events will be reliant on being told about rather than witnessing directly. That distance does help soften the edges a bit and makes it feel significantly less gratiuitous than it could have, but also means relying on somewhat more awkward conveyance that risks lacking as much impact, something of a narrative double-edged sword.)
I have also lightened up on that first reveal a little bit, as I think part of what put me off about it was running up against my more personal hang-ups about portrayals of Magical Girls; divorcing myself from those hang-ups (and getting some context from
@ArlequineLunaire about the thematic reasoning behind that particular worldbuilding decision) it is not as egregious as I initially felt, though I still maintain that it was too disconnected from everything else that arc was focusing on. It may have been better saved for when those bigger elements do come in, though ironically it does actually serve as good setup for their introduction I know is coming thanks to discussion here - perhaps it simply should not have been framed the way it was, as payoff to some pre-existing setup I felt was missing, but rather brought up in a different manner to establish important contextual framing for what will be coming later. Either way, I feel this second reveal was handled much better, as it was something both smaller and much more connected to the arc's focus, and serves to reflect some interesting facets of both of the lead characters and somewhat recontextualizes Miyako's behavior relative to the world she exists in.
I must admit that perhaps part of why the ending of the second arc was so jarring to me in relation to the aforementioned hang-ups, was that despite several elements of the worldbuilding being stated quite plainly early on, I was still very naturally on Miyako's side in how she perceived them. Now, between the two mentioned reveals, and this third arc somewhat serving to consistently bring attention to Miyako's shortcomings, (though as I observed in the thread, it was nice that Koyomi was not completely exempt from this either) I think I have a much clearer idea of the narrative's stance in comparison to
either of the protagonists. It is not a bad direction, and in fact it is a very interesting one to take, but it is somewhat at odds with my personal preferences and my initial expectations; now that I have adjusted those expectations accordingly, I think I will have a much easier time with the remaining arcs. It very much helps that both of the leads are so likeable despite (and somewhat because of) their respective foibles, helping keep my interest in the kind of Magical Girl story this actually
is, even now realizing it is not quite the kind of Magical Girl story I
wanted. Given how picky I can be where that is concerned, I think that in of itself is worth praising.
The reverse harem aspect is... a thing. I recognize how unusual it is compared to the norms on this site, but I will admit that I do not have much to say on it myself. It is simply refreshing that the male love interests manage to be actual gentlemen and decent people, (which itself is tragically a rarity in such romances) without falling into the trap of being inoffensively bland instead, either. Despite my lack of investment in them as romantic options, (which to be clear, is most definitely an element of my personal biases, and not actually any kind of problem with the writing) I do enjoy them as friendly peers, and they are genuinely engaging on that level. One is a fun mix of being reasonable in comparison to Miyako while still being rather comedic in any other context, while another has a very interesting arc set up for him. The third has seen the least development thus far, and so does feel the most at risk of slipping into that "inoffensively bland" sandpit, but he still does have some interesting potential and fun to his character, and I hope that getting more screentime will grant him the chance to stand out more.
Koyomi really is the star of the show, though, and I paradoxically do not feel I have much to say on her simply because much of it is fairly self-evident in the narrative. She is a bitter, lonely old woman who has nothing but several good reasons to be, and
yet. And so I cannot wait to see just where her interactions with Miyako will take her. (As I observed in the thread, the fact that she has put up with Miyako so much despite how fundamentally at-odds their experiences and attitudes are is a testament to her underlying kindness and patience, for all that she grumbles and complains.)
