ROD the I-wanted-it-to-happen-a-little-differently-TV

Uh, I mean... why make such a cool "villain" if you won't go the full way? Really, fuck kicking the dog. Joker had moments he deliberately was trying to make things go to hell. Like, that fire in the library 5 years ago? What the hell was the great idea? Why did the scriptwriters make him kick the dog back then? That clashed with my set idea of him.



When I was watching the OVA, I created persistent images of the different characters in my mind. The TV conflicted some of them, in some ways. The most obvious example is how Readman is now whinier. But, that is explainable because of the backstory.
Joker and Wendy are a little more elusive. Gentleman, we never really got the whole deal with him spelled out for us, so I'd believe I was mostly right. Where to start, then?
Yeah, Gentleman.
So, the Bible is one of his tools to help the humanity? That... no. Then what are the Dark Ages? Gentleman slept like a vampire through them?
What I imagined of him was that figure who steadily rose around the start of the Great Discoveries, and then helped shape the British Empire, bringing it to its full glory. Then, when he got old and senile, his overly enthusiastic followers devised this plan. In the end, I just wanted some metaphysical meeting between him and Junior, with a simple "I led a good life, it's time to pass on." That much I guess we got. What we most definitely didn't was the tag at the end: "Just... take care of Mother England for me, will ya sonny boy?"
Tvtropes cites Mycroft Holmes as a model, after which Gentleman is built. Yeah, I'd agree so. Joker as Q is a little more obvious example. What I wanted from Joker in the TV, though, was the same level of devotion, trust, operations and so on as he showed in the OVA... and that we got, mostly, if we don't count the kick the dog moments. There were some other strange lapses, however. Like, he mention once in the entire series something along the lines of: we will now resurrect Gentleman, living up to the expectations for us; but will HE live up to the expectations for him? Both Joker and Wendy were sick and tired of all the shit they have to do, without being even slightly less headstrong about their own beliefs. I wonder how should I take their epilogue as. A sequel hook? Or just a happy end? I'd prefer the second, esp considering how a sequel did not happen.
Now, as far as their beliefs go, they did good job. The kick the dog moments --or, overall the villainish acting, felt as a self-doubt, whether they really are right, inviting somebody else to try to prove that they are wrong, inviting somebody else to stop them. Kind of how he left Nenene the book. I wonder if he really did plan that on some level...
However, there was no decent opposition. Their ideas versus something equally headstrong to bring balance. It was played off as "common sense"... and with Nenene's line about running away and so on. I don't feel that was much more than a jab at emotional assault. Actual philosophy, opposing their ideas, would be... well, exactly Akira's individualist libertarianism. Anita showed seeds of that - but it was hardly comprehensive. It's more likely I am just reading too much in her lines.

...and, my thoughts are slipping through my fingers.

I disliked the drama. Or, more like, how pivotal place it had in the TV. I hate longwinded drama. The whole season felt darker and edgier. That sucked. Depressed Readman sucked too. The fact that I had to suffer so many episodes without fuck yeah moments sucked. But there was much to love, too. Anita's choreography. The opening. The ending. The sakuga. Saito Chiwa. Et cetera, et cetera.
And there were some things to hate with passion.
"Our paper is in heaven above, and all is well with the world."
I mean, goddamn, how insane must you be to end the whole TV series with this godawful pun?
I had to suffer the people on the train looking at me as if I am some weirdo until I managed to regain my composure and stop laughing several minutes later.
Well, just before the ending of the last episode. That ending was a truly nice touch, I must admit. They at last explained that too. Loved it, I must admit. Oh, and, took me a while to realize what was that statue with MAM:

The Stinger: At the very end of the series, we again see the statue of Mary and Jesus in the church where the sisters met. It has their initials carved into it: "MAM". Which means no matter how much of their memories were written by Dokusensha, that part actually happened.

To wrap things up, this whole post was a mess, and I should probably rewrite it, and I feel plenty more things about this series, like how good of a character was Nenene, and Readman, and Joker, and Nancy, and I should rewatch the OVA, and... ahahah I did not mention Drake, this guy was the best...
but it's not getting less messy, and fuck rewriting, so that's it. I even finished cutting off the openings, so I don't really have any reason to dwell any more on this series... I mean, before I continue with reading the manga series. That, and,

Who wants to watch the OVA with me?