Mixed thoughts on Veronica Mars and a cool new manga
Mmmmm. I finally caught up on Veronica Mars eps 3.2 and 3.3 last night.
It’s interesting, because while I am glad for VM’s new high ratings as it’s a good show that deserves to stay on the air, I must confess my own mad pash for it is rather gone. What I loved about it: the darkness, the noir, is gone. The things that I loved about it: Veronica’s dysfunction, her outsider status, the perfect outside-rotten inside of Neptune familial life, the sharp class divisions, are gone. This isn’t noir anymore, with a cynical antihero. This is a fun, clever, smart-mouthed show. But it’s not what I signed up for. I agree with queenofthorns that this is a logical progression for Veronica’s character. But it doesn’t make it exciting to watch.
Not to mention my recent issues with how this show deals with feminism.
But guess what. Am still watching. You want to know why? Because whatever other changes, Logan and Veronica still bring it to the yard.
First off, how much did I hate the prison experiment subplot? Thiiiiiis much. I can suspend my disbelief pretty well, but the fact that any college in the country will let a prof recreate the infamous Stanford Experiment (which wasn’t even mentioned WTF?) is ridiculous. The liability issues are hair-raising (the potential false imprisonment claims, potential harm to health and safety of the students, heck, even anti-discrimination issues that the one kid could bring up with the administration). And why do it? The experiment has been done. Blah. Pissed me off.
OK, point number two. How come it’s the Jewish kid who is weak and getting picked on and blah blah. Indulging in a little victim stereotype here? Also, come on, anyone’d say things like that to me, I’d hit them and there’d be a fight. And I am smaller than he is. Come onnnnn. And the note taking at the end? Pissed me off. So, let’s see VM. Which stereotypes have we been hitting recently? Jewish stereotype? Check. Feminist stereotype? Check (oooooh, those crazy women. Protesting against rapes and having an attitude and no sense of humor about it. How battle-axe of them). Hmmm. I am Jewish and a Feminist. I clearly strike out.
Also, the two day limit negates the point of the experiment, and everyone except for that one jerk being nice enough is silly. What was the point of that whole subplot anyway? Logan streaking might be nice, but a whole subplot for it seems pointless. Some points to them for having Logan be unruffled by the wannabe-guard. Compared to Aaron, this really is small fry.
Anyway, enough with the ranting.
Moving on.
To Logan/Veronica. Which I love. The scene in 3.2 with the banter was sweet and cute and snarky and why I love my OTP. I don’t need to see them shmoopy or on screen together much, as long as their scenes sparkle. But 3.3? Shipper heaven. Love the first L/V scene, with the banter and the kissing and the jealousy from Veronica. And then she bugs his cellphone. Heh.
But I just love overall, how their relationship was handled in this ep. OMG. They are adults. They have issues and they talk them out and work on them. It’s understandable why V has trust issues. And I love that she tells Logan that, tries to apologize (“I am sorry, Logan” eeee) and explain and that he gets it. He was mad at hear earlier and they had a row, but both have had the time to cool down and they get each other. In a way, it’s like a Pavlovian thing: a relationship. You do certain behaviors and you get rewarded or punished and that influences your behavior in the future. V has had her trust shattered and when she was suspicious, she would turn out right in thinking the worst, in the past: in her professional PI life, with her parents, with Troy etc.
But not with Logan. She trusts him, she takes the bugs out of his car (as a result of convo with MotW chick, and OMG, look on V’s face when the girl mentions her actions losing her the man she loves. Eeee. That’s the closest we came to V admitting she loves L). And she gets rewarded for that trust. He doesn’t go to Mexico on his trip (shades of S1), he comes to find her at the library instead. I love that he didn’t go because he clearly was miserable about the fight. And he looks so wryly vulnerable. And she actually admits to Logan she has trust issues.
Oh, my OTP. And then she puts the ‘closed’ sign on help desk and goes with Logan to help him find a reference book on the dark, deserted top floor of the library. YAY. And a hundred new fics are born.
I am pretty sure RT will break them up eventually, which is annoying as I find watching couples just as interesting as the eternal UST, but for now, I am happy with how the OTP is handled.
I have also started the unfortunately named manga, Happy Hustle High. Despite the name, which makes me think of a school for gigolos (what is the Japanese name of this, I wonder), it’s delightful, fluffy, perfect little shoujo, 5 volumes long. It follows what happens when an all-girls school merges with an all-boys one.
I love the heroine, Hanabi. She is a pushy, cheerful, a bit geeky girl. Sort of like what Aya from Ayashi No Ceres was before the whole ‘you are a ceres reincarnation, your family wants to kill you’ thing cropped up. And she doesn’t get shy, or give up, or anything.
I also like the male protagonist, Yasuaki. He grew up in a family of men (his father and brothers) so he is a bit awkward with girls, but other than that, he is refreshingly normal. Plus, this mangaka really knows how to draw bishounen.
The relationship stuff is also pleasantly non OTT. I love the bit where she hasn’t shown in school for a few days so he is worried and comes to visit her and he has wild images of her being robbed or murdered, but she opens the door and she’s been glued to a video game for three days, and looks like hell and goes ‘I am Hanabina, Empress of the Jewel Empire’ (the game involves that). Heeeeeee. And he tells her to move over and they play together. ROFL. Love.
It’s interesting, because while I am glad for VM’s new high ratings as it’s a good show that deserves to stay on the air, I must confess my own mad pash for it is rather gone. What I loved about it: the darkness, the noir, is gone. The things that I loved about it: Veronica’s dysfunction, her outsider status, the perfect outside-rotten inside of Neptune familial life, the sharp class divisions, are gone. This isn’t noir anymore, with a cynical antihero. This is a fun, clever, smart-mouthed show. But it’s not what I signed up for. I agree with queenofthorns that this is a logical progression for Veronica’s character. But it doesn’t make it exciting to watch.
Not to mention my recent issues with how this show deals with feminism.
But guess what. Am still watching. You want to know why? Because whatever other changes, Logan and Veronica still bring it to the yard.
First off, how much did I hate the prison experiment subplot? Thiiiiiis much. I can suspend my disbelief pretty well, but the fact that any college in the country will let a prof recreate the infamous Stanford Experiment (which wasn’t even mentioned WTF?) is ridiculous. The liability issues are hair-raising (the potential false imprisonment claims, potential harm to health and safety of the students, heck, even anti-discrimination issues that the one kid could bring up with the administration). And why do it? The experiment has been done. Blah. Pissed me off.
OK, point number two. How come it’s the Jewish kid who is weak and getting picked on and blah blah. Indulging in a little victim stereotype here? Also, come on, anyone’d say things like that to me, I’d hit them and there’d be a fight. And I am smaller than he is. Come onnnnn. And the note taking at the end? Pissed me off. So, let’s see VM. Which stereotypes have we been hitting recently? Jewish stereotype? Check. Feminist stereotype? Check (oooooh, those crazy women. Protesting against rapes and having an attitude and no sense of humor about it. How battle-axe of them). Hmmm. I am Jewish and a Feminist. I clearly strike out.
Also, the two day limit negates the point of the experiment, and everyone except for that one jerk being nice enough is silly. What was the point of that whole subplot anyway? Logan streaking might be nice, but a whole subplot for it seems pointless. Some points to them for having Logan be unruffled by the wannabe-guard. Compared to Aaron, this really is small fry.
Anyway, enough with the ranting.
Moving on.
To Logan/Veronica. Which I love. The scene in 3.2 with the banter was sweet and cute and snarky and why I love my OTP. I don’t need to see them shmoopy or on screen together much, as long as their scenes sparkle. But 3.3? Shipper heaven. Love the first L/V scene, with the banter and the kissing and the jealousy from Veronica. And then she bugs his cellphone. Heh.
But I just love overall, how their relationship was handled in this ep. OMG. They are adults. They have issues and they talk them out and work on them. It’s understandable why V has trust issues. And I love that she tells Logan that, tries to apologize (“I am sorry, Logan” eeee) and explain and that he gets it. He was mad at hear earlier and they had a row, but both have had the time to cool down and they get each other. In a way, it’s like a Pavlovian thing: a relationship. You do certain behaviors and you get rewarded or punished and that influences your behavior in the future. V has had her trust shattered and when she was suspicious, she would turn out right in thinking the worst, in the past: in her professional PI life, with her parents, with Troy etc.
But not with Logan. She trusts him, she takes the bugs out of his car (as a result of convo with MotW chick, and OMG, look on V’s face when the girl mentions her actions losing her the man she loves. Eeee. That’s the closest we came to V admitting she loves L). And she gets rewarded for that trust. He doesn’t go to Mexico on his trip (shades of S1), he comes to find her at the library instead. I love that he didn’t go because he clearly was miserable about the fight. And he looks so wryly vulnerable. And she actually admits to Logan she has trust issues.
Oh, my OTP. And then she puts the ‘closed’ sign on help desk and goes with Logan to help him find a reference book on the dark, deserted top floor of the library. YAY. And a hundred new fics are born.
I am pretty sure RT will break them up eventually, which is annoying as I find watching couples just as interesting as the eternal UST, but for now, I am happy with how the OTP is handled.
I have also started the unfortunately named manga, Happy Hustle High. Despite the name, which makes me think of a school for gigolos (what is the Japanese name of this, I wonder), it’s delightful, fluffy, perfect little shoujo, 5 volumes long. It follows what happens when an all-girls school merges with an all-boys one.
I love the heroine, Hanabi. She is a pushy, cheerful, a bit geeky girl. Sort of like what Aya from Ayashi No Ceres was before the whole ‘you are a ceres reincarnation, your family wants to kill you’ thing cropped up. And she doesn’t get shy, or give up, or anything.
I also like the male protagonist, Yasuaki. He grew up in a family of men (his father and brothers) so he is a bit awkward with girls, but other than that, he is refreshingly normal. Plus, this mangaka really knows how to draw bishounen.
The relationship stuff is also pleasantly non OTT. I love the bit where she hasn’t shown in school for a few days so he is worried and comes to visit her and he has wild images of her being robbed or murdered, but she opens the door and she’s been glued to a video game for three days, and looks like hell and goes ‘I am Hanabina, Empress of the Jewel Empire’ (the game involves that). Heeeeeee. And he tells her to move over and they play together. ROFL. Love.