i've said it before, but i love the great feeling that comes from when you can form a new positive association, thanks to the support of friends who get you to try something you may have never considered before.
my most recent experience with this phenomenon was with Shoujo Kageki ☆ Revue Starlight, and god bless it. i am not usually one to judge a book by its cover, and i didn't! so i happily threw myself in with the push of a passionate friend (thank you anemone!), not knowing what to expect, and soon enough i was on a 12-episode rollercoaster of passion, drama, laughs and action. i loved every character, every conflict, and though i had a loose idea of where it was going at the start, the way it came together thematically and narratively at the end - art, music, writing, directing - it could only be described as beautiful. i sound completely hysterical but i mean every word, this was one of the most fulfilling media experiences i've had in a minute...
most significantly, i liked it enough that i, who normally struggles a lot with drawing (especially humans!) was quick to doodle some things for it 😌 they're all so close to my heart already, but i think i was immediately drawn to Junna... a good friend said they believe characters with glasses are just a Lori thing... i'm not actively looking for glasses-wearers to have as favs but heh i guess that's just what it is! the very saccharine sweet nature of the character dynamics and tone was right up my alley and almost mirrors what i think i'd like to depict in my own art and writing now, so it felt good to draw some of the characters myself.
and my surprise when i remembered that, after an already-satisfying conclusion, there's a movie? oh baby... i have yet to see that, but i'll be waiting for some friends to rewatch the series so we can all watch it together when the time comes. i think that's a suitable way to experience a series with such strong themes of love and mutual passion.
(also, i kept repeating to my good friends that i was "pretty sure this is what Madoka and Utena are". apparently, i wasn't too far off the mark, so i've said that i'm apparently long overdue for the Lesbian Anime Crash Course™)
