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Subject: "My little introspection" Archived thread - Read only
 
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Conferences Symphony of the Sword/The Order of the Rose Topic #68
Reading Topic #68
Chris Redfield
Charter Member
255 posts
Dec-20-06, 09:39 AM (EDT)
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"My little introspection"
 
   So, Laudre's posts about how the later Symphonies didn't work for him have gotten me to thinking about my feelings on them. Like any symphony, there are parts I like more than others, and parts that just don't quite do it for me.

The first 2 symphonies are great. Symphony #1 with the introduction of the characters, the hints at the coming conflict in Cephiro, and the raw human emotions of confusion and pain. The Interlude at Bancroft Tower followed by the rather exciting Hunted Rose are both some of the high points.

Symphony #2 builds on the Corwin and Utena thing quite nicely. I like how Corwin and Utena are unable to see things for what they really are even though everyone else figures out whats going on. I like how they blind themselves with their personal codes of honor, and I like how they make a very stupid decision with very good intentions in Hotel Monolith. I like seeing them work together both in the starship training and the week before Corwin's trial, and of course, the climax with the actual trial.

Knight's of the Tenth World is the high point of the symphony to date for me. The build up from the very begining of the 1st symphony finally released in a pretty epic clash of determined good and overwhelming evil. While I know that the symphony is building up again to another big battle, this is currently the most powerful piece.

The only part of Symphony #2 that didn't quite do it for me was Crown of Roses, and I think that is just a stylistic thing. The story it tells is fine, and I like seeing Anthy after her being mentioned so much in symphony #1. Perhaps it just didn't land at the right place in the story for me. I often get frustrated when an author switches to other characters when I want to know more from the characters we were previously dealing with.

I have mixed feelings about Symphony #3. I have trouble going back to see the mundane lives of the characters after seeing them in such an epic struggle. I mean, who is Clarissa Broadbank next to Akio Ohtori? (more than she appears it turns out in the end, but still). The tour while a bizarre concept works out OK, and gets the crew in a fun bit of trouble in Gunboat Diplomacy and Valiant Rose. Once the tour is done, things fall apart for the symphony. While I think it was important to see Corwin attempting a relationship outside of Utena, Kozue isn't my favorite character and her day to day trials just didn't grab me like the day to day storytelling in the 1st Symphony did.

I do like seeing Anthy trying to plot a way to get Corwin and Utena to acknowledge their feelings for one another without the "everything but" clause. I don't know if people noticed that she recognized their love immediately and decided to encourage it in an inclusive fashion, although somewhat subtley.

I was pretty happy when the decision to move on to Symphony #4 occured, although I've had a little trouble with the time gap. A lot happens in this Symphony on lots of levels from Kate's new student to the disappearance of Kei, to the Valiant being stolen, to the Klingon revolution -- which was totally not the way I expected the revolution from the title of the symphony to go.

On the relationship level, I think I have finally figured out what about For Today and For Tomorrow didn't quite work for me. I thought they were fine stories, and I was happy that the Corwin/Anthy/Utena trio was finally able to progress, but it was the smoothness of the transition that hit a snag for me. It comes down to not remembering these are no longer the children of Symphony #1, and a failure to suspend disbelief. I can except a world with 14 year old samurai swordswoman with the power to cloud men's minds without missing a beat, but got caught up in some of the same exceptional people continuing to be exceptional in their communication and feelings for one another.

On another note, as far as pure excitement goes, The Revolution Will be Televised gets the silver next to Knights of the Tenth World, and that isn't a bad thing.

So. Thats it for my long mini-review. I don't have time to go in any more detail of my likes and dislikes. Perhaps I'll have some more insights when I read the annotated versions.

-------------------------------------
Chris can't handle chemicals


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  Subject     Author     Message Date     ID  
  RE: My little introspection twipper Dec-20-06 1
     RE: My little introspection Chris Redfield Dec-20-06 2
  RE: My little introspection Berk Dec-20-06 3
  RE: My little introspection drakensis Dec-21-06 4

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twipper
Member since Jan-8-03
279 posts
Dec-20-06, 10:42 AM (EDT)
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1. "RE: My little introspection"
In response to message #0
 
   >>>I have mixed feelings about Symphony #3. I have trouble going back to
see the mundane lives of the characters after seeing them in such an
epic struggle. I mean, who is Clarissa Broadbank next to Akio Ohtori?
(more than she appears it turns out in the end, but still).>>>

Point: The First Rule of Space Opera is that if your hero(s) manage to kill off the Lord High President for Life The Just Honorable Ruler of Zanzabar, you either have to a) introduce the Bigger Badder Son of the Lord High President for Life The Just Honorable Ruler of Zanzabar to take up the slack or b) somehow reincarnate your previous uber villian in a new and unique way. The Symphony arc chose option b). At this point then you have to allow enough time to elapse for Mr. Reincarnate to recoup and rebuild. Additionally, even in High Space Opera tradition, the hero(s) must occasionally take a break and return to the mundane. Otherwise he/she/it/they will either burn out or eat their friends and coworkers.

IMO, Mr. Hutchins et al played the timing angle to a tee, as well as the reincarnation ploy. For examples of how not to play either of the above options, see any major character arc from DC or Marvel over the last 20 years.


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Chris Redfield
Charter Member
255 posts
Dec-20-06, 11:02 AM (EDT)
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2. "RE: My little introspection"
In response to message #1
 
   >At this point then you have to allow enough time to elapse for Mr.
>Reincarnate to recoup and rebuild. Additionally, even in High Space
>Opera tradition, the hero(s) must occasionally take a break and return
>to the mundane. Otherwise he/she/it/they will either burn out or eat
>their friends and coworkers.

I don't disagree with this point, and I am glad that the building storm of demon Akio and his forces has been slow to develop, but it was still a difficult transition for me. I guess I feel that there wasn't an immediate hook into the story like there was for the other symphonies.

-------------------------------------
Chris can't handle chemicals


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Berk
Charter Member
768 posts
Dec-20-06, 12:32 PM (EDT)
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3. "RE: My little introspection"
In response to message #0
 
   >which was totally not the way I expected the revolution from the title of the symphony to go.

Ah, but the Klingon Revolution wasn't the Revolution in the title at all.

The televised Revolution was when Utena Revolutionized the Jedi Order's World.

(I have a sneaking suspicion that if there were any nice, big bells anywhere NEAR the place where that conference took place, they all started ringing, spontaneously, JUST before she went off on her rant.)

- Berk Watkins
Student of Quantum Bogodynamics


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drakensis
Member since Dec-20-06
415 posts
Dec-21-06, 07:15 AM (EDT)
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4. "RE: My little introspection"
In response to message #0
 
   I do find that Symphony 3 feels less, um, close knit? coherent? than the previous Symphonies, not because it's badly done (by no means) but because rightly or wrongly I see it as bridging the gap between the 'big things' of the first two symphonies and the 'big things' of Symphonies 4 & 5. It feels more like a lot of interludes and side-stories that are delightful, but don't have the driving force of the other symphonies.

Now the overall story needs this, for all the reasons stated, but it left me a little wrong-footed. Almost as if Klayvor and the Amar are filler (which obviously not the case).

This isn't constructive criticism, which I apologise for, but I don't have any particular idea how else it could have been done except for making it a bunch of official side-stories rather than a symphony which probably wouldn't have helped, since there is an overall story to tie them together.

D.


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