Forum - View topicSaint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence (TV).
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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It is easy to forget because almost all modern anime, novels, manga etc represent fairies as cute and friendly, but they are sometimes far from that in the older stories about them. They love to play pranks and while not actively being malicious, said pranks can end very badly. The older Grimm stories have a few particularly nasty examples I believe.
And yes, the setting is interesting. There is semi modern technology, magic and all types of creatures in the world. |
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Edjwald
 Posts: 1164 |
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This thing with Lawrence is probably going to be a lever that moves the plot out of slice of life and into something a bit more serious at some point, at least for an episode or 2. I mean, I don't think this is ever going to be a 7 Spellblades kind of a show, but the hints just keep a' coming.
And maybe something like that would give the support characters a reason to stick around permanently, which would be great.. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2871 |
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#6
This episode squeezed in three short stories this week instead of the usual two, and taken as a whole it's a good watch. A bit different from the usual fare, since exploring Hazelita and especially Abel's personalities makes them more likeable than they already were. The first part is the usual fare from this franchise: dress up Cecilia in a waitress outfit and let the rest of the villagers fawn over her. Then throw in Lawrence at the same time and the villagers have enough eye candy to keep them happy for the rest of the day. Putting the comedy aside, it's yet another example of the village being the perfect "workplace" for Cecilia as she's always welcome wherever she goes in addition to being accorded the respect and veneration she's due because of her position. Watching Cecilia put on her aura when greeting customers is amusing, as well as the reactions from the customers when subject to it. The second part is Cecilia and Hazelita having fun with each other. Both of their guardians are quite happy with this and actively encourage it for various reasons. Putting aside what Saints are really supposed to be outside of this franchise, it does emphasise just how much of an anomaly this village is when compared to "conventional" towns and cities playing host to Saints. Hazelita knows this first-hand, so it's no surprise she wants to see more of Cecilia like this to overcome her own traumas. One question not really asked: is this state of affairs going to last forever? After all, Cecilia was found by the roadside and then taken in, so perhaps she was meant to be somewhere else but stayed in Lawrence's village due to circumstances. There's a "Boss" for the Saints, and what happens if she hears about Cecilia and decides to do something about it. The third part is my favourite, as it focuses on Abel. Turns out he's less one-dimensional than he's made out to be. Having the Sight since young and not having anyone he could confide in who appreciated him for his talents makes his relationship with Lawrence all the more telling in how mutually beneficial it turned out to be. Despite this, Abel never trusted Lawrence enough to confide his secret, which shows the relationship isn't closer because Abel has chosen not to do so. After all, Cecilia worked it out straight away and Abel freely admitted this, with Cecilia herself also choosing not to say anything to Lawrence (for different reasons from Abel). The last post-credits scene elegantly summarised their relationship in school in just a few seconds of airtime, which is another touch I appreciated. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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They are indeed short stories and yet they hold quite a bit of important information about the characters, especially the third one. We learn a bit more about how every character ticks and how they influence each other.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2871 |
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#7
Finally an episode to shake up the status quo. It's all been very comfortable to date for Lawrence and Cecilia, but when they're finally forced to leave their comfort zone things get interesting. Although it's the second part of the episode that focuses attention, the first part with Eric is both a lead-up to the excursion as well as more background into Cecilia herself. Cecilia's admission she was raised in a rural backwater and not given the high-end education assumed as a matter of course by the general populace is revealing in itself. We viewers still do not know how Saints come to be, so Cecilia's admission doesn't answer the questions of how she acquired general recognition as a Saint and how she ended up with Lawrence before the series started. Not having a formal education does not appear to hinder her public duties (being a mascot, hearing out the troubles of others, holy aura protection etc.) so she's getting away with anonymity outside her village for now, but word has already started to spread and both Lawrence and Hugo are determined to see there is no repeat of the same tragedy which befell Hazelita's friend. The steam train together with the camera from previous episode hammer home the Victorian-era with magic setting. Horse carriages for cities but no lamps for sundown in Lawrence's village further reinforce the setting. As for the meeting, it's clear the inspiration for the author regarding religious school comes not from Western Europe religious seminaries, but rather something closer to home. Hazelita might be firmly in Cecilia's camp, but what about her older brother? If he's typical of the establishment which mistreated the former resident Saint in Hazelita's hometown, then Lawrence has his work cut out to safeguard Cecilia's secret and get her back to the village whilst maintaining her general anonymity outside his village. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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I assume that there is some way that the church can detect a saint through magic/aura. Given that this includes saints born in rural areas it must mean that they visit the entire country to look out for any new saints (maybe in every temple?). As for the town they are visiting, one would assume that lessons have been learned after their previous saint died due to something that could have been treated.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1164 |
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I'm not sure that errors committed by arrogance and unaccountability actually become lessons per se.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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Probably not for all, but I expect some to have changed due to the events. You would also expect the church to step in at some point due to saints being fairly rare. Losing a significant number of saints to preventable situations helps nobody.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2871 |
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#8
The first impression Giselbert gave at the end of last week's episode, it wasn't entirely positive given Lawrence's typical overreaction. By the end of this week's episode, what impression I had about him as a person changed completely. Perhaps it's the same for other viewers? The sis-con behaviour in the first half gives no clue to the other side of his personality which is quietly exposited through flashbacks, dialogue and even the post-credits scene in the second half. It's not an episode of this franchise without some airtime devoted to displaying Lawrence and Cecilia in the best possible light doing typical stereotypical romance tropes like having a date. Yet the episode isn't just about fawning over the pair as they sightsee the town. There's the usual comedic touches typical of this franchise, but unlike previous weeks it drops off completely by the time Frederica tells her story. Probably the heaviest episode to date for this adaptation, regardless of how low the bar for that to clear is. A lot of insight into the role of Saints, and what a specimen other than Cecilia did while she was still alive. Cecilia has a lot to contemplate, as it's almost certain she's met none of her living peers since she started living in Lawrence's village and has no signpost to guide her besides her own innate sense of duty. The Great Saint is again mentioned in this episode, and it's not explicitly stated but I would not be surprised if the clan which brought Frederica to Hazelita's hometown were punished by the Great Saint for their neglect of Frederica and her eventual demise. Lawrence drinking hard alcohol is a surprise, although I have seen examples of religious personnel drinking wine outside of their religious functions. I suppose if he stays sober and drinks what the host has offered, he doesn't offend the host and adheres to the unspoken laws of hospitality which guests like himself must follow. Abel on the other hand is Giselbert's employee, so he can use that and his standing as a pastor to refuse all offers of alcohol and do so without offending his employer. As for Frederica herself, would it be too simplistic to summarise her as a slightly older version of present-day Cecilia? Some of her character traits are too similar with Cecilia, even more so when examining the flashback sequences. Her passing isn't for nought; if Lawrence is right she continued her duty of offering protection long after she left the mortal world. His headache when passing the garden reinforces how strong that protection is. The siblings might never forgive themselves for not doing more while she was alive, but it appears she bears them no ill will for their self-perceived lack of effort. Not much airtime remaining, so what will the remaining episodes give us? More development on the relationship on the main pair? Or Cecilia's eventual run-in with the Great Saint? |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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An episode with both happy and sad moments. The brother in question loved the saint, or rather the person behind the title of saint most of all. I kind of wanted to see if the people had changed due to the incident, but the most we got was the mention that the family that got the saint into town has lost ownership of the garden and has thus been punished in some way.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2871 |
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#9
I didn't think the series would give a formal definition of what Saints are and their job description, but this week proves me wrong. Although viewers would have figured it out by now even without today's exposition, having it stated formally removes the possibility of any misconceptions. The Great Saint residing on Mont St. Michel... ahem Michaela island is indeed responsible for the welfare of her subordinates, but her hands-off approach didn't help Frederica so she's taking a more active approach with the help of proxies like Giselbert. Likewise I thought Cecilia would have recognised Frederica in the photo immediately, turns out the aura isn't quite as photo-realistic as I thought. The reluctance to reply to letters must run in the family, although in Giselbert's case his overprotective nature rivals that of Lawrence with Cecilia. Once the two of them iron out their differences, they have more in common with each other than differences so get along very well. Giselbert has been a very generous host, so the negative first impressions he portrayed when first introduced should no longer be an issue for Lawrence. Hazelita and Abel might well skip next week's episode as part of the deal, but I'm sure they'll be back in time for the end of the adaptation. Just how far the relationship between Cecilia and Lawrence will progress is now very dependent on how far the latter can work on overcoming his emotional denseness. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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Some solid progress in several aspects this week. The mc's have grown closer and Hazelita and Abel are sticking around. We also got some information about saints, though I still have a lot of questions as to the how and why. Because the whole thing is based on faith wanting an answer to everything is probably pointless.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2871 |
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#10
Although this week's episode has the usual fare of laughs one has come to expect from this series, I can't help but find this week's episode to be weaker than the preceding weeks. Probably because it's all about the main pairing trying to sort out their emotional states and failing at it, but that's par for the course since Lawrence as a pastor isn't going to shift so easily from the balance he's reached over many years with and without Cecilia beside him. The episode livens up a bit when Hazelita and Abel make an earlier than expected return to the series. The two of them figured out the main pairing won't get anywhere while they freeload at Lawrence's cottage, so renting apartments at the village and then keeping up their relationship at the new distance works. Lawrence is more than happy to cook for them when they visit, and Cecilia loves having Hazelita for company (the latter is grudgingly accepting of the same but cannot openly show it). One wonders what the village would think if Lawrence actually accepted Cecilia for what she's been appealing for all this while. I get the sense they're happy to watch over the main pair going about their usual church business with the status quo as it stands, but if Lawrence is badly affected by emotional turmoil it puts the villages in a spot when their needs aren't met because of his temporary lapses. If that lapse is made permanent when the relationship changes into full-blown romance, the villagers might well regret allowing that change to happen assuming (correctly for the longest time) Lawrence remains romantically dense. Not long to go before it finishes. The obvious outcome would be Cecilia eventually getting her wish, so how long does Lawrence hold out for and if he does what defence does he put up to ensure there is a red line she will never cross no matter how much she wants to try? |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1164 |
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I just caught up on this show, and I've got to say that by this point, I've seen so many slice of life romance anime where a male protagonist is being insanely - possibly cowardly or selfishly or brokenly - dense in regards to romance that the trope has lost most of its humor or tension. Last season some of us were wondering if Yamada Kun was autistic or not, and the season (or was it two) before that, the shmuck in "The Angel Next Door is Spoiling Me Rotten" dragged things out for at least 2 episodes too long. And the trope had a long tradition before that.
It hasn't bothered me as much in this show, but this last episode, watching Lawrence walk around thinking "I don't understand. I wish someone would explain it to me." wasn't a particularly believable or enjoyable experience. I just wanted to tie the shmuck up, grab a croquet mallet, and say "This mallet is called She's Interested in You Romantically." Then beat the dumbass until he was bruised and bleeding while yelling "Get it now? Understand? Blink rapidly if you agree!" But I agree that the episode did pick up when the supporting characters got back. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2005 |
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Yeah, I also dislike the bits of them being together without anyone else around due to how painfully dense he is and next to no progress being made due to that. I get why it is that way though, him being clear about his feelings would get the romance started near instantly. That does not change the fact that we have seen the trope play out dozens upon dozens of times before and it is just plain annoying now. One note though, the smuck in The Angel Next Door understood that she liked him pretty much straight away, yet refused to accept/believe it. In the case of Lawrence, he can not draw a line between him and having anything romantic going on.
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