Magical girls shows borrow heavily from both shonen and shojo in their formulas especially after Sailor Moon added in a massive amount of influences from tokusatsu shows. So the rival magical girl who starts of as a an opponent or frenemy and eventually becomes a boon companion has become an inseparable part of the genre’s DNA. And Miyu Edelfelt plays this part to a T.
Rin Tohsaka has played many rolls through out the Fate series. A steadfast ally, a devious enemy, an aloof but loving sister, a generous lover, a pimp daddy, a bisexual, a miko, a proper maid, a magical girl, a woman with legs up to her neck, and even a sports star. But she has always had one job no matter what path of the game, adaption of the story, or spin-off material you experience. Rin Tohsaka is always an exposition machine with wonderful zettai ryouiki. Fate/kaleid is no exception to this rule.
Whenever magical mechanics need to be explained she is there. Whenever rule systems for deadly games are unclear to new participants she is there. Whenever ancient shadowy conspiracies need to be unmasked she is there. Rin Tohsaka is the Mr. Wizard of the Type-Moon universe.
I feel like most people reading this post has probably already made up their mind about Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya. And that is most probably for the best. As someone who has read pretty far into the manga this anime is based on I will state right here that it does not get more complex. This is not some deep deconstruction of the genre hidden in a pastel disguise lulling you into a false sense of security only to pull the rug out under your feet when you least expect it. It a show mostly for people who were REALLY upset that Illyasviel von Einzbern never got a path in Fate/Stay Night (BTW a majority of those people are very bad people). And they demand recompensation with some yuri undertones.
But I’m Hisui and this is Reverse Thieves so I’m going to watch this regardless and I might as well write about it.
So lets cut to the heart of the matter. I always go out of my way to mention that most magical girls shows are actually written for little girls. The demographic of older folks who watch the shows for less than the most upstanding reasons certainly exist but they are not the percentage of the audience some people assume they are. But these older fans are a distinct and dedicated fan base and they occasionally get shows that cater to them. This is one of those shows.
That means we get Illya being less than dressed for about a quarter of the episode. While I can’t ever remember getting that much naked Illya anywhere past this point it does mean there will be a good amount of implied lesbian undertones, fanservice, blue comedy, and obscure Type-Moon references. It is that kind of show.
So now we are all on the same page.
Reverse Thieves 