The Harmony Of Hope And The Dirge Of Despair: Part 2 (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G) [2.5]

(Continued from 2.4)

Part 5: Hymn Of Heroism


Finally, after 8800 words (yes, I counted) of calling this guy the worst piece of shit, I get to properly delve into his words and deeds. Dr. Ver is, without a doubt, one of the most despicable antagonists I have ever experienced in media. I haven't felt this righteous fury for someone since [REDACTED] from the [REDACTED] books by [REDACTED]. Unlike [REDACTED] though, Dr. Ver isn't a huge racist. No,  there's one driving force beyond everything Dr. Ver says and does over the course of Symphogear G. He actually told us at the beginning of the show, after Hibiki and Chris saved him from the Noise attack on the train (that he orchestrated, the PRICK). It's right there.

The Harmony Of Hope And The Dirge Of Despair: Part 2 (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G) [2.4]

(Continued from 2.3)

Part 4: Upbeat Of Understanding

Whew.  We can't rest easy yet, as we left things on a massive and huge betrayal cliffhanger. Hibiki and Miku got blasted by a giant corrupt mirror beam, and oh yeah, what the shit did Chris just do? Because it sure looks like, as episode 11 gets going, Chris has defected to FIS. Her lingering guilt and self-doubt over having let the Noise out with the Staff of Solomon for Finè to begin with has gnawed at her, and she's gone over to their side to help them in exchange for getting it back so she can make things right. A grim and practical noble act, cutting ties with her own friendships and happy life to make things right. That's how low we seem to have sunk. Hibiki and Miku are fine, at least, but the cost was heavy. Miku's no longer controlled by Shenshoujin, and Hibiki has no more corruptive influence in her body. The mirror beam burned both relics away. Hibiki isn't a magical girl any more. For now, she is just glad Miku is okay, and more worried about Chris. Hold on tight, because salvation already came. I told you it happened in episode 9, but we were dealing with Miku so I put a pin in it. Let's pull that pin out. Behold. The way back to utopic idealism.

The Harmony Of Hope And The Dirge Of Despair: Part 2 (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G) [2.3]

(Continued from 2.2)

Part 3: Bolero Of Betrayal


Having made a case for Nephilim's bite creating both a literal and extra-narrative infection, we now have to explore what that infection enables to threaten the narrative beyond just the corruption. Indeed, Nephilim's bite isn't the sole cause of this, as we have seen (and will see) the whiffs of conflict before the big chomp. I actually want to start by talking about a scene that happens earlier, in episode 3. We've not talked about Chris that much, and that's a shame since I quite like Chris. She's now a student at the new Lydian Academy, and isn't the best at being friendly... as is evident by the scene in which she's actively running away from friendly classmates trying to rope her into school festival duty. She and Tsubasa do get roped into it, but it's not all bad. Their fellow classmates have a lovely bit of reflection where they talk about how they felt Tsubasa was this solitary idol, but once they talked to her they found she was just like them. It's understanding by talking, and Chris sighs and says she should try a little harder herself. It's a sweet moment, and the show is full of these. Episode 4's ending has Chris actively recruited as a last-minute entrant in a singing contest, and her song is absolutely beautiful. A heartfelt well-sung narrative about learning to love to sing, and finding a new place to belong. You love to see it. Of course, Nephilim's bite is going to threaten all that, but let's rewind. Before we talk about Chris more, I want to talk about Maria and Finè.

The Harmony Of Hope And The Dirge Of Despair: Part 2 (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G) [2.2]

(Continued from 2.1)

Part 2: Canon Of Corruption

(TW: blood)

In order to define the threat of corruption at the heart of Symphogear G, we must first define what threatens to be corrupted. At first glance, it may seem to just be the utopic ideal that's in danger, and while there's a new set of tensions to threaten that, there are some very specific ideals and ideologies to lay down before we can get into how they are threatened. It's best to start with the group we've been talking about, Maria and her allies. She, Kirika, and Shirabe are led by their "mama", Professor Nastassja (the mystery lady in the wheelchair we've been speaking of). and the enigmatic Dr. Ver has also defected to their side. It's eventually revealed that the Professor and Maria are ex-members of an American Symphogear research group called FIS, which was likely formed in secret by Finè back when she was in her Ryoko body. (As such, for simplicity's sake we'll refer to these five antagonists together as FIS.) Their goal, as is revealed over the course of the series, is simple enough. They're out to save the world. As it turns out, the business with the moon at the end of the last season has decayed its orbit, and now the thing is going to crash into the planet. While government officials either deny such a thing will happen, or plot behind the scenes to ensure that only they survive the apocalypse, FIS is determined to serve the needs of the many, doing whatever it takes to create a safe haven for some of humanity to survive the impending disaster.

The Harmony Of Hope And The Dirge Of Despair: Part 2 (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G) [2.1]

(All my love and eternal thanks to Sean, Alina, Christa, Juli, and Danta for keeping the fires of hope burning in my heart when I doubted the validity of these words. I hope they move everyone, but I hope they move you especially.

Special apologies to Rhete for this taking so goddamned long.

As always, this massive writeup will contain spoilers for the Symphogear series, so watch it beforehand if you care about that. It's well worth it, as my gushing hopefully demonstrates.)

(Continued from 1.4)

Well then. Here we are, at last and yet again. When we left Senki Zesshou Symphogear previously, what we got was a show about holding on to hope in the darkest of times, in a world that seemed ruled by despair. We got a show where utopic idealism won out over grim determination, and even made those grim determined people warm their hearts and turn towards the light of redemption. We got a show that stood steadfast in its belief that people can understand each other, if they earnestly talk to one another. It was brilliant, it was beautiful, and it was exactly the right escalation that I needed as someone who came to it from a watchthrough of Sailor Moon. In many ways the second season, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G (hereafter referred to as simply Symphogear G) is a further escalation of this. Throughout 13 more episodes of magical girl action, this show builds its own new ideological conflicts while also offering new challenges to its hopeful idealism. We're here to break those down, analyze them, and see just what makes them tick... but let's not get too heavy from the get-go. Remember our coffee shop analogy. It's been a while, we need to catch up. You and I, we're just going to take it easy here, and start by laying out how Symphogear G kicks things off. Once we have a proper framework, then we can delve into those heady themes and their detailed subject matter. Get a refill on your latte, dear... and let me tell you about Symphogear G.