The Virgin Mary is watching YOU!

[laurabryannan]

Oh, yes she is! Hee! Laura's watchig shoujo?!?!?!? Don't ask me how, but I got pulled into this anime and I thought I'd pimp it as I seem to have nothing else useful to say lately.

The maidens who gather in the Virgin Mary's garden today, too, shall pass through the tall gate with angelic smiles on their faces. Their pure bodies and minds are wrapped in dark-colored school uniforms. The pleats on their skirts and their white sailor collars should always be tidy. Walking slowly is preferred here. The Lillian Girl's School is a garden of maidens.

Maybe because it's so totally ALIEN! I'm about as far from Catholic as anyone could be, I didn't get along with women till I entered college, and no amount of money could entice me to rush my mother's sorority. *shudder* But I'm enjoying this series, and since angharad_gov graciously uploaded it I bring you




Sixteen year old Yumi is a first year student at the Lillian School For Girls, an exclusive all girl's catholic school. The school has a tradition that older girls take a younger girl as their little sister or "soeur" in order to instruct and look out for them. Though Yumi admires Sachiko, a reserved second year student who is a member of the student council, she has no hopes of being chosen as her soeur. When an innocent encounter leads Sachiko to impulsively ask Yumi to be her soeur, Yumi is suddenly brought into the inner circle of the Roses, who are the members of the student council. With Sachiko at her side, Yumi begins to unravel and understand the relationships between the Roses and their soeurs and figure out her own feelings for Sachiko.

Download links here



In other news, Fuu's still talking to me and I have six pages of the sequel to Homecoming written, but I'm stuck on how to wrap it up. School starts Tuesday, so perhaps I'll become inspired once I have some time to myself again. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Comments

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I love this anime! The art is nice, the music is lovely, and it makes a calming break for when I overdose on action shows. And I'm pleased that it's doing so well as a series--the third season just had its last OVA release, and a fourth season was just announced this month.

(Though sometimes I giggle when watching it, because I did attend an all-girls Catholic high school and we were about as far from pure-bodied and pure-minded as you could get.)

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

The friends I had who went to Catholic schools were also about as far from pure-bodied and pure-minded as you could get.

After watching Trinity Blood this summer as well, I'm fascinated by the Japanese fascination with all things Catholic. *scratches head*

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

Part of it might be the exoticism of Christianity in general, I think--for example, Neon Genesis Evangelion is awash with relgious references, and one of the creators has flat-out said they put them in just to make the series stand out from other shows of the genre. And Catholicism in particular is the flashiest and most visually/symbolically impressive of the various denominations. I remember reading a little essay (http://www.aestheticism.com/visitors/editor/jeanne/DesignerChristianity.htm) that talked about it in regards to the religious imagery in yaoi manga.

But as long as the co-opting gives the world everything from sweet shoujo like Maria-sama to insane cracked-out manga like Angel Sanctuary, I guess I can't really complain.

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you're right. Catholicism probably seems as wonderfully exotic to them as their culture seems to us. It was a little galling to see Rome portrayed as the "good guys" in Trinity, but it's not so heavy-handed here, so I'm liking it a lot.

[quaedam.livejournal.com]

I liked that anime too--and I don't often watch what you'd call shoujo, but it was really pretty and sweet.

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

I believe this is the first totally shoujo piece I've ever watched, but it is pretty and sweet, and I guess I'm needed such bonbons this summer to keep from falling totally into the blobs.

[3-jane.livejournal.com]

... I am emailing your husband that he should check under the bed for some sort of pod. 8D This does look interesting, though! (Sort of like the Lobelia girls from Ouran gone modest?) And I have been looking for a new series since finishing Blood+, so I'll check it out. Thanks!

Hee hee, pure minds and hearts. In Catholic school! *chortles*

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

My one RL friend I can share this kookoo stuff with is definately giggling behind her hand about this one. But I'm digging all the girly girlness of it, I must admit. :D

[r0ck3tsci3ntist.livejournal.com]

The Lillian Girl's School is a garden of maidens.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Doesn't sound anything like the Catholic school I went to. :D Our big sisters taught us the proper way to do a bong hit, and how to get away with shortening your kilt, but hey!

*note to self - look up these Catholic oriented animes - ask Laura for list because I'm so ignorant*

HOMECOMING???!!!

happyhappyjoyjoy

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

Below is the CatholicSchoolBoy I lusted after for something like three years when I was a teen. He doesn't look particularly pure either, does he? Heh! *huggles Jesse*



As for a list, I can only offer Trinity Blood, although I'm sure there's more. Hubby was grumbling about all the Christian symbolism in Advent Children when he and Bear were watching it last year. You should poke keelieinblack for recs if you're curious. She's the most knowledgable animephile I know.

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

Now you've made me blush. XD

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

Well, 'tis true! ^_^

[akayalovesyaoi.livejournal.com]

I'm into Yuri myself so this series has been on my 'to-watch' list for ages, but sadly I never got around to watch it. I want to do it in the future, but it will probably have to wait some :(

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

I'm almost through with the first season and it's very sweet. If/when you get a chance, I think you'll like it!

[loquora.livejournal.com]

Wow actually already had this show. Sadly haven't watched t yet. Glad to see someone else recommends t!

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

I just started the second season last night and it's holding up so far.

[ekaterin24.livejournal.com]

All so true. The rudest, most sex-oriented guys I knew from (Catholic) college were the one's who'd gone to Catholic all-boys' schools. Made me swear if I ever had a son he was going to a public coed high school for sure!

As a former devout (raging liberal feminist) Catholic I find the Japanese use of Catholicism and its symbols fascinating. And the way they alter things can be even more fascinating (and telling) such as the warrior-exorcists in Chrono Crusade and the mistake (or, more likely, for effect) having Tsuzuki wear a First-Communion-like veil when he's masquerading as a priest in yes, a Catholic boys' school. (V. 4, which has the most explicitly sexual scene of the whole series, incidentally) He does look sooo cute in that white lace veil, but then he's exquisite no matter what. So are most of the bishies in Yami no Matsuei though.

And I'm not too surprised to find "Maria-sama" is shojo ai. There are so many shonen-ai and yaoi manga in Catholic boys's schools. They've clearly picked up the long, true tradition of same-sex Catholic settings often being bastions of homosexuality.

Maybe I'll try Maria-sama. I like a bit of shojo and with Absolute Boyfriend getting tiring Ouran is all I have left in that area. Besides, I've seen/read hardly any shojo ai or yuri.

Back to Catholic school boys, in grad school I dated a public-school but very Catholic boy who was just the hottest thing! Oh, and regarding Catholic-school manga, I'll just put in my 500th plug for La Esperanca (see icon above) which is the best shonen ai I've ever read, and I included Loveless in that statement.

[laurabryannan.livejournal.com]

There's not one eeensy hint of yuri in this. No hint of sexual goings-on in the least. But romantic love, very much so, both the having and the letting go. It's one of the themes of the anime, with the senior girls we've come to know in season one graduating early in season two. Not my usual fare but I'm enjoying the characters, who are developed quite well. The Catholicism seems only a prop, rather than a focus of the story, so it's not ruffling my feathers in that resepct.