(no subject)
She was asking for it, an article about certain dangers of shoujo. Snagged from autophanous
I was looking forward to reading it and there was basically nothing that hasn't already long been mashed and said and thrown around. And then I started laughing. Because there was a loud, resounding DUH in my mind.
It made a few (old) points. And sure, it made sense. But the article is specifically looking at a very limited number of titles that have been translated into English. It brought up Mayu Shinjo quite a few times and seeing as I'm pretty familiar with her works, let me tell you something.
Shinjo's niche is the domineering male/submissive female genre. I don't think that's surprising if you've even flipped through one of her manga series. That's what she specifically writes and draws for. Do I like it? Not particularly. I enjoyed some of her older books when I was younger, but as I grew older, I wasn't quite so fond of them anymore. That was my personal preference and not really applicable to anyone else who might like her work. Mayu Shinjo has a certain audience and that's not really going to change anytime soon. I may not be into submissive!manga, but that doesn't make it wrong in and of itself. It's a preference and preferences, as hard as some might try to convince me otherwise, aren't OMGALLEVIL. (even if you do want to shake the person and yell at them that they're worth ten of the guy)
Another issue is the fact that these are the select few (and I mean few! Do you know how many titles of shoujo manga alone there are?) that have been chosen to be translated. I would think that would say more something more about the US than it would about the manga or mangaka. Sure, a lot of shoujo manga makes me bang my head on the floor and moan about why, oh why and I may hate Hot Gimmick but seriously. So what if teenage girls like these series? The majority aren't going to take them to heart and you know what? If a few do, then I really think there's going to be bigger problems than a faulty manga series.
The chain of reasoning is funny. Shoujo manga is from Japan. Some shoujo manga feature undesirable female leads. Thus, shoujo manga from Japan is chock-full of sexism and worrisome attitudes of the female gender.
First of all, who the fuck do you think you are to say that one type of female character is better than another? If a female character is more interested in her toe nails, hey, that's her choice. I may find it stupid but then, who cares what I think? ;)
Second, once again, only a few manga series make their way across the ocean. I can't defend Japan for a large part because yes, it really is a very patriarchal society with deeply rooted sexism. I see things and hear things on a nearly daily basis that makes me teeth grind and yes, it does create an interesting divide in manga. But you know what? Only a few series are translated. Why not translate the amazing and absolutely stunning series focused on females in the workplace? Why not translate series like Tokyo Crazy Paradise or Sensei? They're shoujo. They deal with taboo subjects. They have female leads who are a bit odd. Why not translate titles like Oishii Kankei and Angel Heart?
And then there's the fact that the article isn't looking at shoujo manga series like Fruits Basket and His and Her Circumstances. Oh, well. I suppose because they're female characters who defy convention. Tohru might be a apologetic all the time, and she may bend her will to others, but in no way does she do anything she doesn't like. Tohru knows who she is and she might not be the I'll-break-your-balls women that apparently foward-thinking women are supposed to be but I find myself not really caring. And His and Her Circumstances? I think this series, with its bevy of different female character types, speaks for itself.
And last, I find it interesting that they're talking about shoujo manga and the concern they profess over young, impressionable girls falling to the evil stereotypes when shonen manga's attitude toward women tend to create backlashes that are no less sexist. How many female characters from shonen manga series are rooted out and isolated with ridicule and declarations that they suck? How many are reduced to bare stereotypes within the series? How many have to follow an exact, prescribed model of being in order to avoid a general form of hatred within the US manga fandom?
You want to talk about impressionable young teenage girls falling to the claptrap of submission? Fine. Then how about mentioning the unbearable misogyny within the manga fandom, or really, any fandom? How about addressing the fact that females are far less forgiving of their own gender in doing the same thing that a guy does? How about looking a bit further than the nearest stereotypical manga and look at the subculture of sexism by, ironically, women for women?
This is one of those moments where I want to say, bitch, please.
Please think, and talk, about what you're reading. Manga is fun, but don't let it hurt you.
Is it bad that I burst into laughter at this and then found myself being unable to take it seriously anymore?
Feel free to disagree with me, by the way. I fully admit that these issues are a sensitive and hotly debated topic for me.
I was looking forward to reading it and there was basically nothing that hasn't already long been mashed and said and thrown around. And then I started laughing. Because there was a loud, resounding DUH in my mind.
It made a few (old) points. And sure, it made sense. But the article is specifically looking at a very limited number of titles that have been translated into English. It brought up Mayu Shinjo quite a few times and seeing as I'm pretty familiar with her works, let me tell you something.
Shinjo's niche is the domineering male/submissive female genre. I don't think that's surprising if you've even flipped through one of her manga series. That's what she specifically writes and draws for. Do I like it? Not particularly. I enjoyed some of her older books when I was younger, but as I grew older, I wasn't quite so fond of them anymore. That was my personal preference and not really applicable to anyone else who might like her work. Mayu Shinjo has a certain audience and that's not really going to change anytime soon. I may not be into submissive!manga, but that doesn't make it wrong in and of itself. It's a preference and preferences, as hard as some might try to convince me otherwise, aren't OMGALLEVIL. (even if you do want to shake the person and yell at them that they're worth ten of the guy)
Another issue is the fact that these are the select few (and I mean few! Do you know how many titles of shoujo manga alone there are?) that have been chosen to be translated. I would think that would say more something more about the US than it would about the manga or mangaka. Sure, a lot of shoujo manga makes me bang my head on the floor and moan about why, oh why and I may hate Hot Gimmick but seriously. So what if teenage girls like these series? The majority aren't going to take them to heart and you know what? If a few do, then I really think there's going to be bigger problems than a faulty manga series.
The chain of reasoning is funny. Shoujo manga is from Japan. Some shoujo manga feature undesirable female leads. Thus, shoujo manga from Japan is chock-full of sexism and worrisome attitudes of the female gender.
First of all, who the fuck do you think you are to say that one type of female character is better than another? If a female character is more interested in her toe nails, hey, that's her choice. I may find it stupid but then, who cares what I think? ;)
Second, once again, only a few manga series make their way across the ocean. I can't defend Japan for a large part because yes, it really is a very patriarchal society with deeply rooted sexism. I see things and hear things on a nearly daily basis that makes me teeth grind and yes, it does create an interesting divide in manga. But you know what? Only a few series are translated. Why not translate the amazing and absolutely stunning series focused on females in the workplace? Why not translate series like Tokyo Crazy Paradise or Sensei? They're shoujo. They deal with taboo subjects. They have female leads who are a bit odd. Why not translate titles like Oishii Kankei and Angel Heart?
And then there's the fact that the article isn't looking at shoujo manga series like Fruits Basket and His and Her Circumstances. Oh, well. I suppose because they're female characters who defy convention. Tohru might be a apologetic all the time, and she may bend her will to others, but in no way does she do anything she doesn't like. Tohru knows who she is and she might not be the I'll-break-your-balls women that apparently foward-thinking women are supposed to be but I find myself not really caring. And His and Her Circumstances? I think this series, with its bevy of different female character types, speaks for itself.
And last, I find it interesting that they're talking about shoujo manga and the concern they profess over young, impressionable girls falling to the evil stereotypes when shonen manga's attitude toward women tend to create backlashes that are no less sexist. How many female characters from shonen manga series are rooted out and isolated with ridicule and declarations that they suck? How many are reduced to bare stereotypes within the series? How many have to follow an exact, prescribed model of being in order to avoid a general form of hatred within the US manga fandom?
You want to talk about impressionable young teenage girls falling to the claptrap of submission? Fine. Then how about mentioning the unbearable misogyny within the manga fandom, or really, any fandom? How about addressing the fact that females are far less forgiving of their own gender in doing the same thing that a guy does? How about looking a bit further than the nearest stereotypical manga and look at the subculture of sexism by, ironically, women for women?
This is one of those moments where I want to say, bitch, please.
Please think, and talk, about what you're reading. Manga is fun, but don't let it hurt you.
Is it bad that I burst into laughter at this and then found myself being unable to take it seriously anymore?
Feel free to disagree with me, by the way. I fully admit that these issues are a sensitive and hotly debated topic for me.