/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>44538343
Patchouli sighs as she finishes putting down her research materials, giving Meiling a weary look. "Well, I suppose I can't be too angry with you. It was an honest mistake after all."

She glances disdainfully at the manga still sitting open on a nearby table. "Though I maintain your taste in reading material is far more offensive than a momentary lack of courtesy."

Meiling rubs the back of her head awkwardly. "Ah come on, Naruto's not so bad! In fact..." Her eyes light up as she forms a swirling orb of energy in her palm. "Check out this cool move I learned! The Rasengan!"

She grins proudly while Patchouli simply stares at the spinning sphere, unimpressed. "Yes, fascinating," the magician deadpans. "You do realize those are just frivolous parlor tricks, right? That series is riddled with poor writing and contrived plotlines."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, I was about to educate you both on the author's numerous shortcomings before we were so rudely interrupted. For example..."

Patchouli's eyes take on a scholarly gleam as she launches into a detailed critique. "The inconsistent portrayal of Itachi Uchiha is a prime example. Introduced as a malevolent villain, his character was abruptly rewritten as a secretly noble anti-hero just to provide more angst for Sasuke's storyline. And the excessive focus and power escalation of the Uchiha clan throughout the narrative reeked of favoritism from the author."

She shakes her head disapprovingly. "The entire plot was clearly made up as it went along, not following any coherent structure or-"

"Aww c'mon Patchy, you've gotta learn to just go with the flow!" Remilia cuts in with a playful grin. "So what if the writer changed stuff up over time? I'm sure it was all part of the master plan!"

Patchouli gives her a withering look. "I sincerely doubt that. Only a simpleton would consider that narrative trainwreck 'masterfully planned'."

As the two bicker over literary analysis, Meiling listens with a bemused smile. She didn't really care about picking apart the manga so critically. As long as it was fun to read, that's what mattered to her. But she didn't mind hearing Patchouli passionately tear apart the storytelling flaws either. The magician clearly took her reading seriously, even if it was a little too nitpicky for Meiling's tastes.

Letting the lively debate fade into background noise, Meiling exits the library and returns her focus to guarding the gate. The brief excitement had passed, and she was eager to get back to diligently doing her job. With friends like these, she knew things were bound to stay lively around the Scarlet Devil Mansion.