Gosick 07 – The Black Wind Howls

Well, I’ve managed to couple my lateness with getting a post up with my interest in the ideas and questions posed by other bloggers.  Maybe this’ll be a trend for the rest of the series.  For episode 7, I’m going to take a look at the prophecy the old guy gave to Kujo.  Flareknight wonders what it means for the couple.  I think he’s right, it very clearly points to their separation somewhere in World War II.  I also want to believe he’s right about the strength of Kujo’s character.  I don’t think he’d go back home to join the war effort despite his heritage.  So what else could possibly separate the seemingly inseparable pair?  Well, let’s expand world events in the war years.

Okay, seriously, why are all old people in this series creepy?

Gosick 05 – Researching Rarity

Well, I’m feeling well enough to get up to date on my anime and actually make a post, so here we are at week five of Gosick.  Last week, we had the addition of a mysterious transfer student, and this week, we find out her motivations.  It turns out she’s a fake, after a treasure stolen by a thief about eight years ago.  The treasure in question is Penny Black.  Supposedly, it’s a very rare stamp, and naturally the misprints go for even larger sums of money.  It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!  Or is it?  I’ve got a bit of research for you, so hold on to your hats and let’s get on with it.

Here's the stamp in question.

Gosick: Divination During World War I

Today I bring you a brief post with some recommended reading.  On this past week’s episode of Gosick, we found out the purpose of the Queen Berry.  Rather than working as a social experiment as I predicted, instead it served as a divination tool.  They used the results to predict which nations would band together and succeed in World War I.  Naturally, because this is an anime, they were right.  Some among you might scoff and reason that no one should ever put their faith in such things.  You’re probably right.  However, fortune-telling and its ilk were quite pervasive during the war years.

I doubt it was quite like this though...

Gosick 03 – Dependency

This post is mostly in sparked by Tsuki over at the Emory Anime Club.  In his post on this episode, he brings up how he doesn’t like Victorique’s increasing dependence on Kujo.  I can understand.  I think some of us want to have a strong female lead that can take care of herself.  However, I think her dependence is natural and her actions logical given the situation.  I figured using Tsuki’s thoughts would be a good springboard to explore Victorique’s personality.

Let's face it, she still the most interesting character here.

Gosick 02 – Survival Games

Surprise, surprise, the Queen Berry is a setup.  Upon boarding the ship, they eat a drugged meal and all fall unconscious.  Panic ensues, most of the people on board end up killing themselves by proxy, and we’re left with five people.  Finally, we learn what happened on the Queen Berry a decade ago when it went missing.  A group of people invited eleven children on board, with the intention of playing a kind of game, one that would determine their survival.

Stuff it!

Gosick 01 – Victorique Holmes

Well I’m pretty late to the party here because I got tied up in moderating for an event over the past week.  With that out of the way, I finally have an opportunity to write.  A lot of people have pointed out some of the obvious parallels between Gosick and the Sherlock Holmes fiction.  Victorique is a calm, passive, and analytical thinker, much like her counterpart Holmes, complete with a penchant for pulling out the iconic pipe while thinking.  Kazuya, on the other hand, has not quite shown the level of intelligence Dr. Watson had, but has shown infinitely more emotional personality and natural curiosity than his enigmatic companion.  However, there is also a parallel between this first episode and the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet.

Elementary, my dear Kazuya!