(no subject)
Well, here I am, trying to finally write my essay for Pop Culture, and short a decent text editor, the ability to make screencaps, and the will to locate appropriate quotes in my reader. So... Yay, livejournal. Rough Draft... Go!
In recent years, Japanese pop culture and particularly young girls' culture has been dominated by the culture of cute. Super Gals, an anime about three girls who live in Shibuya and seem to do nothing with their lives other than look cute, follow trends, and shop until they (and their bank accounts) drop, exemplifies this culture by simultaneously revering it and dissecting it for us, its audience. It covers every trend, from cuteness, to ganguros, to compensated dating and, surprisingly enough, chooses to pass judgment on what is and is not proper. Aimed at young girls, it gives out a message that cuteness is cool, but treating yourself and your body without respect is not.
Ran, the main character and biggest 'gal' (kogyaru) in Shibuya, wouldn't be caught dead without the gal's trademark baggy socks or in a skirt that reached past her knees, but won't stand for it when she hears about a classmate of hers selling herself via compensated dating. She makes it very clear that being a gal means taking pride in oneself and grabbing youth with both hands because it will soon be gone. That she lives in and the show takes place around Shibuya is very important; Shibuya is a section of Tokyo well-known for its youth culture. That Ran loves and is a part of Shibuya is also made blatant; her brother works at Shibuya Station (and we frequently see him helping old ladies across the street), Ran shops at Shibuya 109, and the show’s mascot is Hachiko, a statue of a dog in Shibuya’s main plaza.
As discussed in “Cuties in Japan,” there is some bowing to the notion that the culture of cuteness reinforces certain roles in young girls. Miyu, another friend of Ran's, was a gang member before she met Ran and was introduced to the way of the gal. Of course, being a gang member and finding the cutest possible phone mascot are incompatible, so Miyu leaves behind her world of violence for one where nail polish color can be one’s utmost priority. Girls fretting over their appearance is considered much more acceptable than beating up other children and terrorizing the neighborhood.
School simply has no bearing on the culture of cute, and gets no foothold in Super Gals either. Ran is one of the worst students in her class, a fact which actually works in her image's favor. Of course, the anime does allow that brains and cuteness are not incompatible as Aya, another friend and gal, does get the highest grades in the class. We seldom see her studying when she cruises Shibuya with Ran, though.
While being a gal seems to follow any number of complicated rules, the anime makes it is very easy to understand all these references by providing the viewer with periodic interruptions during which any new and unfamiliar terms are defined and always ended with an exclamation of “That’s common knowledge for gals!” Amusingly, these segments are narrated by grossly chibified versions of the show's ganguros, whom Ran disdains. Looking cute is one thing, says Super Gals, but tanning your skin brown and dying your hair blond? That's just wrong.
In conclusion, Super Gals is an interesting look not only at gal culture, but at what is considered normal for young girls and what parents (and hence elder Japanese society) are more or less likely to condemn in their young daughters. Ran's parents want her to become a police officer (a long standing tradition in her family and a healthy departure from gender roles), a position of responsibility. Ran would really rather stay as she is forever, but is just as responsible as a police officer when it comes to making sure that no one on her 'turf' (Shibuya) is being bullied or treated unfairly. She considers it her duty to look after other gals in the area, and help them choose fashions or advise them on what colors are in, and she takes this very seriously. Being a gal is portrayed in a positive light and a healthy way for young girls to act; provided, of course, they go about it the proper way as demonstrated by Super Gals.
Let's see, how else to turn what reads pretty much like a review into a compelling look at Japanese culture? Hmm... Mention something about the culture of cute before the show, so it seems more about that. Lots more definitons and quotes from article. Little numbers to reference screen caps.
In recent years, Japanese pop culture and particularly young girls' culture has been dominated by the culture of cute. Super Gals, an anime about three girls who live in Shibuya and seem to do nothing with their lives other than look cute, follow trends, and shop until they (and their bank accounts) drop, exemplifies this culture by simultaneously revering it and dissecting it for us, its audience. It covers every trend, from cuteness, to ganguros, to compensated dating and, surprisingly enough, chooses to pass judgment on what is and is not proper. Aimed at young girls, it gives out a message that cuteness is cool, but treating yourself and your body without respect is not.
Ran, the main character and biggest 'gal' (kogyaru) in Shibuya, wouldn't be caught dead without the gal's trademark baggy socks or in a skirt that reached past her knees, but won't stand for it when she hears about a classmate of hers selling herself via compensated dating. She makes it very clear that being a gal means taking pride in oneself and grabbing youth with both hands because it will soon be gone. That she lives in and the show takes place around Shibuya is very important; Shibuya is a section of Tokyo well-known for its youth culture. That Ran loves and is a part of Shibuya is also made blatant; her brother works at Shibuya Station (and we frequently see him helping old ladies across the street), Ran shops at Shibuya 109, and the show’s mascot is Hachiko, a statue of a dog in Shibuya’s main plaza.
As discussed in “Cuties in Japan,” there is some bowing to the notion that the culture of cuteness reinforces certain roles in young girls. Miyu, another friend of Ran's, was a gang member before she met Ran and was introduced to the way of the gal. Of course, being a gang member and finding the cutest possible phone mascot are incompatible, so Miyu leaves behind her world of violence for one where nail polish color can be one’s utmost priority. Girls fretting over their appearance is considered much more acceptable than beating up other children and terrorizing the neighborhood.
School simply has no bearing on the culture of cute, and gets no foothold in Super Gals either. Ran is one of the worst students in her class, a fact which actually works in her image's favor. Of course, the anime does allow that brains and cuteness are not incompatible as Aya, another friend and gal, does get the highest grades in the class. We seldom see her studying when she cruises Shibuya with Ran, though.
While being a gal seems to follow any number of complicated rules, the anime makes it is very easy to understand all these references by providing the viewer with periodic interruptions during which any new and unfamiliar terms are defined and always ended with an exclamation of “That’s common knowledge for gals!” Amusingly, these segments are narrated by grossly chibified versions of the show's ganguros, whom Ran disdains. Looking cute is one thing, says Super Gals, but tanning your skin brown and dying your hair blond? That's just wrong.
In conclusion, Super Gals is an interesting look not only at gal culture, but at what is considered normal for young girls and what parents (and hence elder Japanese society) are more or less likely to condemn in their young daughters. Ran's parents want her to become a police officer (a long standing tradition in her family and a healthy departure from gender roles), a position of responsibility. Ran would really rather stay as she is forever, but is just as responsible as a police officer when it comes to making sure that no one on her 'turf' (Shibuya) is being bullied or treated unfairly. She considers it her duty to look after other gals in the area, and help them choose fashions or advise them on what colors are in, and she takes this very seriously. Being a gal is portrayed in a positive light and a healthy way for young girls to act; provided, of course, they go about it the proper way as demonstrated by Super Gals.
Let's see, how else to turn what reads pretty much like a review into a compelling look at Japanese culture? Hmm... Mention something about the culture of cute before the show, so it seems more about that. Lots more definitons and quotes from article. Little numbers to reference screen caps.