Tag: magical girl

Flip Flappers – 04 [Pure Equalization]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Flip Flappers

Nothing much has happened to Flip Flappers this week, which I can really summarize the plot in one sentence: Cocona and Papika live together for a while and they spend their time getting foods and taking baths and sleeping together. In fact, there’s not much to say in this episode. This is so far Flip Flappers’ most mundane and ordinary episode and frankly compare to the first three episodes it’s a clear step down, but then again you can’t expect a show to hit home runs week after week.

As you probably know me I’m never a big fan of forced plot so forcing the two girls to stay together until they can sync again doesn’t bode well for me. It seems really like a plot excuse to gather them together and worst of all, in this episode all the girls do is just hanging around in search for the plot. Now I never mind the fact that the show keeps us in the dark regarding Flip Flappers world but this is the first time I get the feeling they don’t give us enough info because they have little to say. Usually for an episode that supposed to be a break between two big episodes, they can either fleshing out the world, giving more context to the side characters, or deepening the main characters; unfortunately, this episode achieves none of that. Cocona and Papika’s chemistry just isn’t strong enough to carry the whole episode and as a result the story feel drags at times; there’s no real urgency to the plot and little ‘world-wonder’ like we encountered previous episodes.

In any case, this episode still gives some more insights (albeit very little) to work with. We have an extended dream of Cocona this time that she was in a floating boat with a mysterious woman (a nod to the very well usage of optical illusions) and for now I’m guessing that the mysterious girl is another version of Cocona. To align with her masked persona last week, Cocona might be a girl with many faces, because she doesn’t have any real identity to begin with so she’s easy to be manipulated into other personalities. This series is going to be Cocona’s journey to find her real self. On other notes, I found it rather amusing that Papika seems to un-noticed the art-club unnamed girl again, that made me feel like that art-club girl is some kind of a ghost/ spirit (or mushi if I let myself loose). Cocona gives a bit of context on her lost parents and her wish to meet them again. As of now all I think of is her parents’ death/ disappearance might be a result of one of the Pure Illusion world, so she might actually get to meet them later in the Pure Illusion reality.

At least, the girls were sucked into another Pure Illusion world so I know in next episode we will have a good time. It might sound harsh of me regarding this episode but it is simply because at this point I have a high expectation for Flip Flappers. I get to Flip Flappers expecting to experience something unique and I know the show is capable of delivering that, so spending an episode to see those girls just hanging around and waiting for the plot to kick in is simply not good enough.

Flip Flappers – 03 [Pure XLR]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Flip Flappers

Flip Flappers again raises the bar of what is expected of them, as this week the show goes even much trippier than the previous two weeks, and much darker too. They break out even their own formula, starting this episode right in the middle of desert wasteland. While this episode certainly reminds you a lot of other shows (to namelist: Mad Max, Fist of the North Stars, a bit of Star Wars, the fights of FLCL, the transformation of Sailor Moons (with fairy wings), the Super Saiyan powered-up, and whole other real life, historical references that I will discuss later), it still maintains its own personalities, runs its own beats, being busy with its own aesthetic and as a result Flip Flappers just gets weirder and more awesome. This is hand down its best episode so far.

In this episode, Flip Flappers decides to go to new direction. Instead of half-Cocona in her daily school, half-Pure Illusion worlds, they jump straight into the middle of Pure Illusions world. I love how things just got escalated very quickly in this episode in terms of plot, and because we have no idea about that world, the show freely twists our expectations of what about to come. We first follow Papika as she was abducted by the rare race with pumpkin-like faces. We see them as a potential threat for Papika until we see how they live an old but civilized, peaceful lives. Then, Mad Max-style gang of bandits attack the village and take their water. Their biggest, bad-assed guy challenged Papika and it all turned out that they’re no match for her. Then revealed their boss who is none other than Cocona, in mask. Then when that fight between two girls are done, we learned that Cocona has been manipulated by the girl in black. Then they nearly lose their lives to beat that monster, just so the other group comes in and kills it in 3 seconds. And the three people in that other group are just some pawns for something much bigger. You get what I mean? Flip Flappers keeps … well… flipping our expectations around that except from knowing Cocona and Papika will be alright, we can’t never tell for sure what going to happen. Everyone is not what they seem (clued in Cocona’s obaa-chan here, her detached response gives me a chill, I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns out to be some sorts of villain), and everything is not what it seems; they are the only rules of Flip Flappers.

Apart from its aesthetic which is already mesmerizing and overwhelming, the amount of symbolisms here in Flap Flappers is just way toooo much. But that’s why I love it. As one of our reader pointed out before, Uexekull is a reference to Jakob von Uexküll, a biologist who actually influenced some areas of philosophy like Phenomenology (study of the structures of experience and consciousness), which is kind of related to Pure Illusion experience. The chanting of Asclepius from the other organization is come from the god of healing Asclepius in Greek mythology, which also appropriate since Cocona was in that place that resembling strongly to the ruined Greek buildings, but I’m still not sure why they use that reference though. The antagonist girl, who I don’t know where the show inspires of, clearly symbolizes something lustful, decay and manipulation. The robot TT392 proves again to be the most human character that we’re all can related to well, as he spiraled out of control when seeing naked girls and basically was volunteered to be the sexiest girl’s servant at all cost. At least I know that what I would do too. And there is one thing you should learn for the next Pure Illusion trip Cocona and Papika: make the hole on the ground, that’d save you a lot of trouble.

I have mentioned last week that I think Cocona and Papika both the represent the dual side of girlhood. Well, I still stand by that because the theme of duality is still going strong here. Cocona was manipulated to fight against Papika because she’s unsure about her shelf, she wants to break out from that shelf (the feeling of wanting to punch Papika). Moreover, sexuality theme again popped up here, last week it was to control your desire, this week lust is hindered everywhere, from that infamous dark scene, to the fact that the fragment is located in Cocona’s thigh; and isn’t it the girl’s transformations represent their ultimate purity? Also, their hair change to other’s counterpart colors after transformation, and their transformation names Pure Blade/ Pure Barrier support that duality theme as well, as do you see any fighter without either blade or shield? Also, it is interesting to note that the FlipFlap organization is designed as some kind of broken down lab sciences, while with the other organization, it looks like a cultish group. Kinda huge leap from the groups that share the same objectives don’t you think?

Here’s one of my theory about the nature of Pure Illusions. It might represent the state of mind, the characteristics of one particular characters. In the first episode it’s Cocona’s version, as a result we have a winter snowy landscape (because she’s coldhearted), no people around (because she’s lonely). In the second episode it’s Uexkull’s, so the girls transform into bunnies, the colors are overloaded (indicates that it isn’t human visions). If we follow that sense then this episode is from the characteristic of Papika, which kind of make sense because of her hotheaded nature (desert), her outgoing traits (this is the first Pure Illusion world that we have other people, other races, and more spectacularly they are not one but 3 races), and the red desert that align with her hair colors is a dead giveaway. But I agree that this is kind of stretching the idea and somehow if they have indeed done it that way then I feel they are limited to themselves. The fun here in Flip Flappers is to sit back and enjoy the imaginary washes over you, and you just keep your eyes peeled and follow their sense of madness logic because you know it gonna be a fun ride.  I have fastened my seatbelt, now take me to wherever you want to go, Flip Flappers!!!

Flip Flappers – 02 [Pure Converter]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Flip Flappers

While I admit that I was impressed with the first episode of Flip Flappers, I had my worries as well. With a show that relies heavily on wild visuals, on their own brand of logic and very loose sense on plot, it walks a really tightrope to hold everything together for a full core season, and when it falls it’ll fall hard. Being said that I would never have imagined that this second episode plays out almost the same formula with the first, and ends up even more remarkable.

The ambitious relationship between the leads Cocona and Papika is one aspect that I found rather intriguing. I know this is the most bizarre comparison you will ever see but the duo’s relationship reminds me a lot of the two women in the classic movie Persona by Ingmar Bergman. In that movie, the strange bond between the two women keeps involving into something twisted and destructive, and then the movie implied that the two leads are part of the same person, like an actress put on some other persona on herself to escape the reality. Now, I’m not imply that Cocona and Paprika are one person (it would be boring if they are), but looking at them thematically, they might as well represent the dual sides of girlhood. For once, they are extremely contrasted each other in terms of personality: Cocona is timid but secure, Papika is playful and head-on. Granted, mismatch duo has been done a million times before but the thing about this couple is they never seem mismatched, instead they function like two sides of the same coin. Then we have Pure Illusion which basically mean the two have to tuning together in order to go to that fantasy world. Lastly, this second episode intentionally draws the parallel line with the first when this time, this is Papika who powered up and saved Cocona. Those two make up a great pair and I think that ambition creates a strange but poignant chemistry between them that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I’m enjoying it all the more.

While people often highlight the second part when the girls travel to that other worlds as Flip Flappers’ highpoint, this is the first part on Cocona’s schoolday that I’m more impressed. If you think of the second part as an acid dream, the first part functions as Cocona’s lucid dream. After all, the first thing we witness in this episode was Cocona waking up from her bed. And by that I don’t mean she’s literally in her dream state the whole episode, but rather the show follows her dream logic. Supporting characters pop in and out like ghosts (especially the yellow-hair girl Yayaka and the art-club girl who weren’t even introduced). Again there is that sense of isolation: Except from the bus scene and the class sequence, most of the time there are just the leads and no one else. And finally, that weird mascot character: Uxekull. Uxekull’s strangely afraid of Papika (played mostly for laugh though), and then get sucked under the Thinking Man statue (because WHY THE HELL NOT?), so the girls going down there as well to get him back. Well, this time it seems like they were put in another Pure Illusion that heavily influenced by Uxekull’s mind: the girls transform into bunnies and have an urge to gnaw on hard things. Now, you can take that as an “instinct vs. reason” or as a sexual innuendo all you like, I’m not going that far. Then Cocona got sucked in that giant washing machine, pulled off to the cage that descended to hellfire (not unlike the hellfire in Utena, indeed I think this gem share many similarities to Utena) and was rescued in time by Papika. Uxekull’s version in that world looks whimsical and bravery at best so I don’t mind having him around every now and then. Only every now and then.

For anyone who simply watch Flip Flappers for its visuals, there’s still a lot to love here. Optical illusion references are everywhere in the first episode (right in the very first image of the first episode). The animation again is fluid and character’s movements in particular is in top-notch. I even enjoy the character’s designs myself as I see them very expressive. References to fairy tales are all there as well, from Papika’s dress to ‘disguise’ as a new student, to that otherworldly fantasy world, to the catchy ending theme. The overload of colors work for the show’s benefit too, as it displays the colorful fantasy worlds that both invited and twisted at the same time.

After those 2 episodes, the plot was still pretty much kept in the dark. But what do we have so far? Papika has tuned in with other girls before, but apparently, they’re all failed, but what happen to them? There was a brief scene of unconscious girl in the first episode, but whether she’s dead or not is unknown to us. The leads have to go that Pure Illusions world in order to retrieve fragments that can grant true wish (another fairy tale’s reference), but for what purpose? Dr. Salt has mentioned they do that to liberate Pure Illusion, of course it sounds very vague and he seems to use the girls for his own purpose here. The other staffs, on the other hand, seem nice enough. Judging from the OD, that girl Yayaka and the twin from first episode will play some roles here, and I’m waiting to see whether the picture that the girls see building up to anything in the future. The thing is there’s not much info for us to work with, but in a way, it is what makes this show so special. With this type of show, if it makes too much sense, it will loose its sparks so here’s hoping that the show has what it takes to continue to surprise us for 12 episodes.