Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Writer

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "The Writer" by Ellie Goulding
Lyrics: azlyrics (note: the third verse isn't in the video)
Theme: Duck and Fakir
Spoilers: Yes


Review: Ah, that first awkward dance in costume. How appropriate to start there. I really do like how the video shows the relationship's growth over time. (It doesn't give a total overview, but that's what the series itself is for. XD) But really, this video does a great job showing how at first there's tension between them, not really sexual or romantic, but more of hostility and insecurity. Then, things begin changing after that pivotal episode when Duck encounters Fakir's other side.
And then there's Fakir. Not nearly as oblivious as the guy in the lyrics, but it takes him a while to see that Duck is changing him. But they both change each other, "casting shadows." While Duck is noticing changes, she's practically more oblivious than Fakir. Nevertheless, something grows between them. Shadows are an appropriate metaphor for how things change subtly. I also really love how the lyrics mimic the give-and-take that both parties have. She asks for his help in giving her words and form, and he fulfills that for her, as long as she asks.
Interestingly enough, while she always asks for help, sometimes very directly, Duck never asks Fakir to make sure she "will be there at the end." She wants to help Mytho, and they decide how to do that in general, but she never asks him to make sure she survives, or even remembers anything; she just asks for help. It's interesting that the lyrics say "Only it's too hard to ask/ Won't you try to help me?" Surely she wanted to be there, but she couldn't just outrightly ask for it. Thankfully, Fakir understood her enough to gather that without words.
The editing with this video is gorgeous as well. When needed, there are ample accents in a timely manner. I don't notice any 'filler' clips, and everything is used poignantly. The song is a wonderful tune for this anime: consistent enough for the dance clips, classy enough for the fairytale elements, and melodic enough to embrace the characters and viewers.
This video is a wonderful illustration of the relationship between Duck and Fakir. I really love the song, and how well it works here. It's a song I don't mind getting stuck in my head, especially with these visuals. This video gets a lot of plays on my playlist, to say the least~

Overall Rating: 10/10

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