The Magic Tree House: Sabertooth is one of the popular books in the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. The story follows Jack and Annie, two adventurous siblings, as they are transported back in time to the Ice Age. They find themselves in a prehistoric world filled with danger and excitement. In this installment, Jack and Annie embark on a daring mission to save an injured saber-toothed tiger. Along the way, they encounter various challenges and meet interesting characters. The siblings must rely on their wits and bravery to navigate through this unfamiliar and dangerous terrain.
When Balgo was 7, he and his friend Shelby were hit by an oncoming train, with Shelby dying in the process of protecting Balgo with his body. [12] Two months prior to becoming a Dragonclad, Balgo bumped into Macy Baljure, giving her the ability to see Dragons and leading her to discover Cinderella. [13]
The Saturday after Noel and Ninny defeat the Dark Dragon , now staying at Noel s residence for a week, Balgo cuddles with Osushi in his cordoned-off room and praises how cute his dog is. To Noel Niihashi I feel joy from the delight of knowing my predisposition will serve you, Noel, and I feel the warm aura above my arm from the possibility that I ll graze your boob if I shift a little bit.
The siblings must rely on their wits and bravery to navigate through this unfamiliar and dangerous terrain. Through their encounters, Jack and Annie learn about the extinction of the saber-toothed tigers and the importance of preserving animal species. The book also explores themes of friendship, trust, and perseverance.
The Problem With Balgo Parks in BURN THE WITCH
This article contains spoilers for the covered material and assumes familiarity with it. This is your only warning.
I’m always hesitant to write this sort of thing. I don’t want to accrue a reputation as an Issue Critic or, indeed, as someone who thinks that Negativity = Good Important Critical Writing. Neither are true, and certainly there are plenty of people who work in the intersection of sociological study and arts study at a much higher level than I do and I think that work is very important. But it’s generally not what I aspire to do here on Magic Planet Anime.
So it is, truly, with a measure of reluctance that I am writing on Studio Colorido‘s adaption of Burn The Witch in this way. Not to praise the OVA’s many merits–its production, its soundtrack, the engaging fight scenes, the cool do-anything “Witch Kit” guns, or even its bevy of hilarious names*–but to talk about one of its problems. Even worse, Burn The Witch is an OVA that doesn’t actually have that many problems, but the few it does are notable, and one in particular is the worst of the lot by a good margin.
The problem with writing a bad character is that you practically hand dipshits like me ammo to make fun of him.
Balgo Ywain Parks. Has there ever been a character who feels more interpolated from some other anime entirely? Probably, but the feeling definitely exists with Parks, who comes across as a character less deliberately written into the narrative and more one conjured up by some kind of noxious otaku sterotype and snuck in under author Tite Kubo‘s nose.
That of course is not what happened. Someone is responsible for this, but whether it was Kubo himself, a misguided editor, or a mischievous sprite is impossible to know and not worth guessing about. However he got here, Balgo exists, and we must reckon with him. God help us all.
Balgo feels in a way like a new take on an old concept that permeates a lot of shonen; the pervy slapstick character. This is a trope with roots that predate the medium, and to be completely fair it’s not like English-language media is devoid of gross lunkheads. The specific issue with Balgo and the sort of character he represents is not merely one of sexism–though that is certainly a part of it–it’s that he actively leeches both goodwill and narrative coherency from the series he’s a part of.
Burn The Witch makes a fairly big show of denouncing “fairy tales”. The example given is Cinderella, which, this entire spiel in of itself has its own problems, but let’s take it on the level the OVA clearly wants us to. Waiting around for someone to bring excitement into your life or to solve your problems is pointless, because if someone else does that for you they can easily take it away. You should strive to seize your goals yourself. In as much as an OVA based on the first half dozen chapters of a manga can have a core thesis, this is Burn The Witch‘s.
For most of the characters that we get to know in the OVA, this plays out pretty logically. Ninny is a popstar in London proper but seeks to build her reputation as a dragonhunter in Reverse London so she can one day join the Sabres, Wing Bind’s actual dragon-hunting division. Noel meanwhile is simply trying to earn a living. So far, so coherent.
Let us for the moment set aside the sexist aspects of Balgo’s character. (We will, rest assured, come back to them.) From a simple coherence point of view, the main issue with Balgo’s character is that he has absolutely no agency. None at all. Zero. It is established early on that Balgo became a Dragonclad–and thus attracts dragons–by accident. He is thus in the care of Wing Bind, and more specifically our leads, by accident. Late in the OVA, he summons a sword from the Witch Kit he’s been given, by accident. Balgo does not do things, he is a straw dummy whom things happen to.
I have never related to a villain more in my life.
Effectively, he’s a reverse-maiden in distress. But the way to solve a problem caused by patriarchal norms is rarely to simply invert them. Balgo gains all the problems of that character archetype; a lack of agency, and a lack of any real depth, but inherits the benefits of being a male protagonist in a frankly poorly-written shonen series; being a wish fulfillment proxy for the intended audience (and perhaps the author, though that’s harder to say with authority) and facing no consequences for the one thing he does do of his own free will; ogle and harass the female characters.
And we must tackle that part of things, too. Because it’s easy to simply say that Balgo is a wish-fulfillment character and that that is the problem, but it’s not, it’s only a small part of it. Wish-fulfillment in narrative fiction is fine, and every audience under the sun is entitled to some amount of stories that simply exist to let them watch someone similar to them succeed and triumph over adversity. The problem specifically with Balgo is that he is a wish-fulfillment character who faces no adversity. And indeed, makes no choices. By simply existing, he actively cuts against Burn The Witch‘s own central theme. He is put into danger and taken out of it through no action of his own. Even the aforementioned summoned sword simply exists, he doesn’t use it.
Balgo, thus, does not seize anything. Violating the OVA’s whole thematic point. The closest idea of his we get to a goal is a desire to shack up with Noel. That, too, is simply handed to him, as the final few minutes of the OVA imply that Noel, for some reason, returns his feelings. (There’s a clear intended contrast between Noel as a “cold tsundere” and Ninny as a “hot tsundere” but it doesn’t really work. Noel and Baglo barely speak before this scene, contrast Ninny’s many heated interactions with Macy.) And then the whole thing ends on a panty shot, in what is presumably supposed to be a wink to the audience. Instead, it comes across, at least to yours truly, as a reminder to not be too generous when telling people about this thing’s flaws.
Yeah that’s about the face that I made, too.
Balgo does have one compatriot in Burn The Witch. Macy, who fulfills a similar role, is similarly lacking in any agency, and explicitly harbors feelings for Ninny. But despite both being problem characters, the difference in the magnitude of the problem is stark. Macy’s “clingy lesbian” characterization is certainly unflattering and would not be present in a better-written series, but her relationship with the dragon Elly gives her an extra dimension that Balgo–who mind you is billed as one of the protagonists–simply doesn’t have. And as mentioned, she gets far more interaction with Ninny than Balgo does with Noel.
Not that there isn’t improvement you could make here too of course, but at least they like, acknowledge each other.
And really, the biggest issue with Balgo is not any of this. It’s that he’s unignorable. These problems were and are all present in the manga. But in animated form, mugging all over the screen, with VA Shimba Tsuchiya turning in a performance that is perfect to the character by dint of being ludicrously obnoxious, he goes from an irritation to a defacement.
It is, of course, possible, technically, that the manga will rectify this at some point. It’s not like there aren’t ways out. One could give Balgo something to actually do. One could write him out of the series entirely. One could simply make his comedic relief revolve around anything else but talking about sexual harassment. But as long as he remains that way, he is an inescapable black mark on an otherwise solid series. It is cheap to say this, but a version of Burn The Witch that replaces Balgo with almost anyone or anything else is an infinitely better version of Burn The Witch.
And that sucks, because other than this one glaring problem, Burn The Witch is actually quite fun. But when that one glaring problem sucks all of that fun out of the room any time he’s on screen, it’s a serious issue. And Balgo, sadly, all on his own, is that issue.
*Seriously. Ninny Spangcole? Bruno Bangnyfe? Genuinely incredible.
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*Seriously. Ninny Spangcole? Bruno Bangnyfe? Genuinely incredible.
Like the other books in the series, The Magic Tree House: Sabertooth is a blend of fantasy and historical fiction. It teaches young readers about different time periods and cultures while keeping them engaged with an action-packed plot. The Magic Tree House series is known for its educational value and the way it sparks children's interest in history and reading. Mary Pope Osborne's captivating storytelling makes learning an enjoyable experience for kids of all ages. In conclusion, The Magic Tree House: Sabertooth is a thrilling adventure that takes readers back in time to the Ice Age. Jack and Annie's journey teaches them valuable lessons and encourages young readers to explore the wonders of history and imagination..
Reviews for "Unveiling the Secrets of the Sabertooth Tiger in Magic Tree House"
1. Samantha - 2 stars:
I couldn't get into "Magic Tree House: Sabertooth" because the storyline felt disjointed and lacked depth. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked relatability, making it difficult for me to become emotionally invested in their journey. Additionally, the pacing felt rushed, and significant events and plot twists were brushed over without any real exploration. Overall, I found the book to be quite underwhelming and not up to par with the other books in the series.
2. Michael - 2 stars:
"Magic Tree House: Sabertooth" was a disappointment for me. The writing style felt sloppy and juvenile, often resorting to over-explanation and excessive dialogue tags. I found myself skimming through several sections as the story failed to hold my attention. The time-travel aspect also felt forced and unnatural, with little explanation or logical consistency. While I appreciate the educational elements in the Magic Tree House series, this particular installment fell short in its execution.
3. Jennifer - 3 stars:
Although I generally enjoy the Magic Tree House series, "Sabertooth" didn't quite live up to my expectations. The plot felt formulaic and predictable, lacking any real surprises or twists. Additionally, the dialogue between the characters felt contrived and unrealistic, lacking the natural flow and authenticity that I've come to enjoy from the series. While the historical aspects were interesting, they couldn't compensate for the overall lackluster storytelling and character development.
4. David - 2 stars:
"Magic Tree House: Sabertooth" was a letdown for me. The writing style was simplistic and lacked sophistication, making it difficult for me to engage with the story. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their journey. The plot felt rushed and underdeveloped, leaving many unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts. Overall, I found this addition to the Magic Tree House series to be quite underwhelming and not up to the usual standards set by the previous books.