From: sunniechan@comcast.net   
      
   SK wrote:   
   > Chris Kern wrote:   
   >   
   >> Episode 24 - Naru-chan's lament! Nephrite's death of love   
   >>   
   >> This episode has the reputation of being one of the best dub episodes.   
   >> All the same, for some reason I don't find it all that sad or moving   
   >> -- especially when compared to the real gut-wrenchers like 45, 110,   
   >> 125, 194, etc. I'm not sure why this one doesn't do it for me; it may   
   >> be that on some level I find Naru and Nephrite's "love" too forced or   
   >> unbelievable (from both sides, but especially from Nephrite's) to get   
   >> much emotion out of it. I'm not sure, though.   
   >>   
   >   
   > My take on it is this:   
   >   
   > Naru was in love with Nephrite, Nephrite was not in love with Naru.  He   
   > was rather fond of the young human, much in the same way you’d be fond   
   > of a puppy that was at your doorstep all the time.  He was touched by   
   > her loyalty, even when he admitted it was misplaced, and in the end,   
   > that translated to an effort to protect her.   
   >   
      
   That's the way I see as well (as SK already knows, since, well, we're   
   watching the show together.)  It was very big brotherly/uncle-like/even   
   a little fatherlike the way he treated Naru.  If it were any sort of   
   love, it was not romantic.  Not to say it couldn't have turned into that   
   if he hadn't been impaled, but at that time, he'd found a gentle   
   affection for her, nothing more.   
      
   As for Naru's love, it's the type of "love" the target audience could   
   understand.  The extreme, overzealous crush on the person on their idol   
   poster positioned above the bed.  For adults, we shake our heads and   
   smile a little, for younger girls, they cry their eyes out at lost love.   
      
   I've got to admit, I think I actually got more out of this the first   
   time I saw the episode as a dub than I did this time.  I hated Molly's   
   voice with a passion, but it did strike me more emotionally when I saw   
   it that way.  But then again, I'm 5 or 6 years older now.  I'm still a   
   tissue-grabber during shows (Stars, anyone?), but I have a bit more   
   discretion these days.   
      
   Sunnie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)