1. 

   Chalcahuite
   January 7th, 2006 - 20:32

   a happy ending for them but caucus belli between Florence and Carlteya?

   I kinda imagine it may be like how the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand touched off the powderkeg of tension, resentment and ambition in Europe and we got World War I as a result. We know Carlteya and Florence are traditional enemies, and I didn’t get the impression that the Carlteyan king was the live and let live type, and knowing that Florence is Otome-less at the moment, (and Guarderobe’s attention is elsewhere as we see in the preview) may be too good of an opportunity to pass up. Which, in turn, could lead a domino effect as other countries seek to pre-emptively defend or expand their nations. All of which will serve as a backdrop for the rest of the series as the themes of Love, Duty, Friendship and Dreams play out in the foreground through the girls.

   For me, the ranking goes like this: #1: Tenoh Haruka #2 Sato Sei #3 Fujino/Viola Shizuru.

   Re: Tomoe: The difference between Shizuru Fujino and Tomoe is that while we knew Fujino liked Natsuki, her desires didn’t become creepy/obsessive until after the HiME festival started, which was pretty late in the series, and after we got to know her character. Which is why so many people were distressed by Shizuru’s descent into the clich

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2. 

   Zyl
   January 9th, 2006 - 00:37

   I’m guessing there will probably be a fundamental restructuring of the world order and the otome system by the end of the series – building on or reversing changes made by Fumi and the harmonium at the settlement of the War of the Twelve Kings (which seems to be the equivalent of the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia in the Mai Otome world). Parallel with Mai HiME? – we saw the end of the HiME festival and the destruction of the Obsidian Lord at its conclusion.

   I can hardly remember Sailor Moon. I think I watched the Chinese dub as a child on evening tv and it was the whole cousins thing rather than lovers so I’ll have to reserve ranking Tenoh Haruka as and when I ever see the series again.

   Your dissection of Tomoe’s character motivation helped clarify my thinking about her. Thanks! Her two-facedness was certainly way creepier than Shizuru Fujino’s mental breakdown. We’ll prob see her in action again – with her minion, Miiya – in the next episode. Does Tomoe have *any* redeeming qualities?

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3. 

   Chalcahuite
   January 9th, 2006 - 05:03

   I agree the world will change at the end of the series, even to reversing the changes made to the world by Fumi, but it will be a new world. There may or may not be Otome at the end, or their roles will be vastly different.

   Your dissection of Tomoe

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4. 

   Zyl
   January 9th, 2006 - 20:00

   Additional note: I’ve noticed that Shizuru’s meido uniform has a “III” on it. Just noticed that Natsuki’s version (worn at Akane’s ceremony) had a “II”. I’m assuming those are the numbers for the Pillars. So who’s I, IV and V?

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5. 

   Chalcahuite
   January 9th, 2006 - 21:56

   Who are the other 3 pillars? Well, Mai was chosen to be one, though as of this episode it’s unclear whether or not she accepted the position. (I think her spot is empty until she returns.) Yukariko has materialized at will, so I suspect she might be one. Miss Maria may be another, but as we’ve never seen her robe, we can’t say for sure. Those three are probably our best bets, since it’s starting to get late for more character introductions that they haven’t hinted at in a 26 episode series.
   My guess is that Mai is probably “I” Why? Gut instinct mainly, but as she was Natsuki’s rival and was top of their class, it just seems to make sense. Though now that I think about it, does that mean that Mai was supposed to be the Gakuencho?
   So much to speculate on and so little time to write it all down.

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