Being Slow In Everything (Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!)

Entry 3: A Reflection on the Anime Show Mahouka

Though Mahouka suffers from tedious exposition and weak characterization, the show portrays an interesting futuristic world where safety is uncertain. In the show, which takes place a century into the future, magic is the novel technology. Scientists and engineers work to fully utilize magic. Tatsuya and his sister Miyuki, arguably the two characters about which the show is focused, are both trained in martial arts from an apparently young age. The high school they attend teaches students about magic, which has many applications for fighting and self-defense. This future world is very violent, so even high schoolers are trained in self-defense of some kind. In one particularly infamous scene, students from this high school are sent to subdue the leader of Japan branch of the terrorist organization Blanche. The leader is violently slain by the students who are sent as heroes. In this world, the heroes are those who can win faster and apply greater strength. A safe world favors legal protections such as due process, freedom of speech, and the Geneva conventions. Here such protections are cast aside in favor of protecting the fragile order holding the society together.

Entry 4

The following is an idea for a song.

I tend to create very layered songs so this piece would fit that trend. Specifically I intend to create a piece dominated by glockenspiel and backed by synthesizers. One thing I have learned to do in my music is to use appropriate amounts of reverb to create a large space and to make the music more organic. This reverb should supplement the instruments in creating a full sound – echoes should be buried or the effect will not improve the piece. As far as the instruments go, the glockenspiel will provide higher range frequencies while synthesizers will flesh out the rest of the spectrum. Such a piece should be about 3-4 minutes in length. In terms of mood, I want to capture a positive mood instead of the usual somber, melancholy tone I go for. On this song in particular I hope to create a distinctive sound using effects. I hope to achieve the mood through careful writing of the music. Furthermore I want the mood to be indicative of closure of some kind and the understanding that is attained as a result. 

Entry 5
A twin from across the information diffusion barrier,
connected through a tangible means
despite the lack of physical proximity.

Duke, a mysterious presence,
holds dominance over the area around;
magic extends
beyond that which is within reach.

With this power
tranquility returns,
faltered by none.