Balgo is a remote indigenous community located in Western Australia, known for its rich cultural history and vibrant art scene. However, in recent years, the community has been plagued by a dark and harmful practice known as "witch-hunting." The term "witch" is used to refer to individuals within the community who are purported to possess supernatural powers and use them to harm others. This belief in witchcraft is deeply ingrained in the community's cultural and spiritual beliefs, with many attributing misfortunes and illnesses to the actions of witches. Unfortunately, these beliefs and practices have had devastating effects on the lives of individuals accused of witchcraft. Witch-hunting in Balgo involves public shaming, ostracism, and even violence against those accused.
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.
Witch-hunting in Balgo involves public shaming, ostracism, and even violence against those accused. This practice has torn families apart and created a climate of fear and mistrust within the community. However, amid this darkness, there is a sense of hope.
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.
Balgo Ignite the Witch is a grassroots movement aimed at challenging and changing the harmful beliefs and practices surrounding witch-hunting. The movement seeks to empower individuals to speak out against witch-hunting, provide support to those accused, and educate the community about the dangers of perpetuating these harmful beliefs. One of the key strategies employed by Balgo Ignite the Witch is community engagement and dialogue. Through open forums and discussions, the movement aims to challenge the misconceptions around witchcraft and promote understanding and empathy within the community. It is through education and awareness that the movement hopes to break the cycle of witch-hunting and create a safer and more harmonious community. Moreover, Balgo Ignite the Witch also focuses on providing support and resources to those accused of witchcraft. This includes counseling services, legal assistance, and advocacy. By offering this support, the movement aims to protect the rights and well-being of individuals who find themselves targeted by witch-hunting. In conclusion, the Balgo Ignite the Witch movement is a powerful force driving change within the Balgo community. Through education, community engagement, and support, the movement seeks to challenge harmful beliefs and practices surrounding witch-hunting, ultimately creating a safer and more inclusive community for all its members..
Reviews for "The Healing Power of Fire: Balgo's Ignite the Witch Ceremony"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I really didn't enjoy "Balgo Ignite the Witch." The story was poorly developed, and the characters felt one-dimensional. The dialogue was clunky and unrealistic, making it difficult to connect with the story. Overall, I found it to be a disappointing read.
2. Emily - 1/5 stars - "Balgo Ignite the Witch" was a complete waste of time. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, with unnecessary twists that only added to the confusion. The writing style was choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to engage with the story. I was hoping for an exciting and captivating read, but unfortunately, this book fell short.
3. Michael - 2/5 stars - I have to say, "Balgo Ignite the Witch" did not live up to the hype for me. The pacing was inconsistent, with parts dragging on for too long and others feeling rushed. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to care about their plight. Overall, it was a disappointing read that didn't deliver on its potential.
4. Sarah - 1/5 stars - "Balgo Ignite the Witch" was a struggle to get through. The writing was overly descriptive, to the point where it became tedious and distracting. The plot was convoluted and lacked cohesion, with random subplots that did nothing to enhance the story. I found it highly disappointing and would not recommend it to others.
5. James - 2/5 stars - I was really excited to read "Balgo Ignite the Witch," but it ultimately left me disappointed. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the world-building was lacking. The story dragged on with unnecessary detail, and the ending was unsatisfying. Overall, it was a letdown for me.