Maria Sama ga Miteru Season 4: Episode 13 (FINAL) and review

Gokigenyo, Captain Obvious

Marimite season 4 could've been ended more obviously. Yea yea yea we've got Touko spilling the beans to Yumi, that she's a fake Matsudaira and that she's just some little helpless mouse picked up from the sidewalk, by her second mom who actually needed no pointing from her in the pic. (Captain Obvious) Yea yea yea... and Yumi goes and plays along with the naivete of a second-grade kid because that's what she wanted--to have Touko fondle her rosary for her.

Okay, that aside. Who ever thought that Yumi's card just lay there underneath her bunghole? She might have taken a page from the Great Cornholio, but the fundamental difference is that she isn't supposed to be as barbaric as he is and more importantly, that thing was not a TP, but a perfumed stationery card. Ok, some may say that the most holy divine almighty bunghole emits an immesurably repugnant scent of its own, but does anyone here want to hold a bunghole-smelling card? I don't think so. Unless you're a freak, of course.

Frankly, I don't love the series as much as I did for the previous seasons. Hell, I won't even watch it again. Unlike the first two seasons, which were excellently executed slice-of-life tales about a group of school girls, this fourth one was mainly a story about two adolescents who were too weak for a little honesty. I mean, while we all had fun with arcs such as Sei's love affair with Shiori, Eriko's umbrella man-lover or Shimako and Noriko's "Juzu" affair, all we got for the most part in season 4 was the Tantrums of some girl with drill hair, and how it tormented this Statue of Naivete.

One more thing. What made the first two series' a thing of beauty is that it tried to push the boundaries of things unsettling. While the first two may have had an advantage because by now lesbianism is considered a given in this series, they made it nice by pumping it full with sexual tension. Back then we got girls kissing and fondling each other. Now, what? Nothing. The only thing about the series I reckon that pushed the boundaries was Kanako's episode where her dad had a child with her senior. At that time my expectations were still high (look at my entry about it) but as the series progressed, Touko took over and it gradually turned sour for me.

What exactly transpired that Marimite turned from something that really tried to break norms into someting family friendly. What? Did the producers think that being PG13 was more important than being real with their art and portraying GL with the agressiveness of passion while balancing it with elegance? Are our beloved producers aware of the Dionysian-Apollonian synthesis? Maybe not. It could've been a lot lot lot more Dionysian, the destructive beauty of chaos, conflict and passion. Yes! Passion. Not the half-baked emoshit they provided us. Probably it was because the character that made the most impact, Sei, was absent from this series but Season 4 itself lacked the X-factor that made Marimite a classic. In all honesty. The elegance has gone. Gone are the days when repressed, violent passion between two girl lovers blended perfectly with the prim and proper setting of the atmosphere itself. Lilian has turned into a playground for pre-teens with PMS issues. Just look at the OP. It turned into a poppy tune suited only for 12 year olds. Blah!!! :P

If a season 5 happens, please do not make it a grand narrative about the red roses. I want Sei back and I want more passion... Just like the one Sei and Shiori had between them.

------------------------
To the folks of Yasashii sekai:

It's been a good 5 weeks. I wished I could've started sooner. Thanks for jacking up my hit counter by a handful and for providing comments (though it was also me most of the time). I had fun discussing my issues with the series with you all.