this blog has been sold to the chinese
As usual, One Piece serves as a catalyst for updating. First, though, other stuff!
1. I requested to do this meme from princessk492 like, literally a month ago, and must now answer in parts. Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you. The first word she associated me with was "Katamari Damacy."
I love Katamari Damacy! It is my go-to game when I'm feeling depressed, or restless, or ambiguous, or when I just want to play something without committing to a storyline or save points because I have commitment issues. I like the first game a little better than the second one, but I love love love the race track stage in Everybody Loves Katamari. And, like most people, I hate the cow, bear, and cow-bear stages. I've never gotten better than a "medium" cow/bear, and the entire time I am just muttering "Motherfucker!" under my breath. The character of the Prince resonates with me on a deep emotional level, as he can never win the approval of his father and his best is never quite good enough. Every word of praise carries with it the implication that he could have done better. I know your crippling self-doubt, Prince!
2. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I really shouldn't have read the comments to the Boston Globe articles. They are vile. Post-racial America, my ass. I'm not really surprised at the police's actions and, now, reactions, or by the deeply racist and monstrous comments people have been spewing about this case, but it turns out that rage is an endlessly renewable resource. I am planning to post about regionalism as well as why the erroneous arrest of an affluent, internationally renowned black man is not just a drop in the too-vast ocean of racial profiling.
3. I ordered volumes 4 - 8 of Kimi ni Todoke from YesAsia. This series is so adorable that my brain threatens to break if I read too much at once.
4. The Onion has been sold to the Chinese. Thank goodness! It's time to put some truth and integrity back into journalism. My favorite articles include, because they are so enlightening and pure, Toddler Chokes to Death on Taiwanese-made Toy, Grandfather Disrespected in Own Home, and Nothing At All Happens to 28 Tibetan Protestors, Their Families. Seriously, right? Why would the Chinese government lie?
5. One Piece 550 and 551: It's About F*cking Time (spoilers spoilers spoilers!)
Where to start...I like Ace. I do. I find him a little scary, I think he angsts over some things that are not, perhaps, the end of the world, and I wish to God he'd put on a shirt. But overall, he's your typical golden-boy wunderkind, and my assessment of the most recent two chapters is not meant to diminish my affection for Ace as a personality. And honestly? These were the best chapters we've seen in a long, long while. But ironically, because these chapters were so good, they expose what has been lacking lately in the series overall.
Why must you systematically destroy everything that is good and pleasurable? you are asking. Because, dear readers, as I stated above I hail from a family which considers an "A-" one small step above failure and symptomatic of a slothful nature. I see some of you are nodding your heads, either in sympathy or agreement.
Anyway!
5a. Gol D. Anne and Gol D. Ace are, I think we can all agree, terrible and unfortunate names. Gold Roger may have been a charismatic and brilliant leader of men, but as a namer of babies he was clearly subpar. Until further evidence presents itself I will assume this is the root reason for Ace's acrimonious attitude towards his father. I suppose he should just be thankful Roger hadn't wanted to name him "Locks."
5b. In two chapters, Oda managed to tell us so much. So tell me why, again, before this it took 10 chapters for Luffy to run down some stairs and 10 more to run back up? Did we gain anything by watching Magellan melt Impel Down with poison, over and over, really? I mean, I know Oda's hero and working model is Akira Toriyama, but there are some who would consider Toriyama's inability to conclude a storyline a trait to be avoided rather than emulated.
5c. By the same token, are we still looking for the One Piece? I know I asked last time, but are we? 'Cause I liked it when we were looking for the One Piece. Know what else I liked? When Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brooke, and the Thousand Sunny were part of the story. Oh, yeah, remember them?
5d. There is now an entire crowd of Ds running around, and the lines of relations between all of them now officially constitute a train wreck. We have the oldest generation, Garp. The second generation of filial disappointments, Dragon, Teach, Roger, and Rouge. Are they cousins? Distant cousins? Very young uncles and aunts of each other? Is there an internal rule which says Ds must reproduce within the family?
And then the third generation, Ace and Luffy, duking it out for the dubious honor of having the WORST FATHER EVER. Ace, as I've said, pulls a good Dawson, but I think Luffy's got more staying power. It's hard to top Dragon the Deadbeat Dad who's got one talking point - REVOLUTION!! - and no plan of action.
So anyway, the D family is a hotbed of dysfunction, and I am very interested to see where Luffy's mother fits into all this, now that we know she and Ace's mother are separate people. Is she alive? Is she dead? Is she a D? Or was she given the boot for not being a D? Is that what led Dragon to a life of pointless crime? Is his ultimate vision a utopian society in which one is free to marry outside the bloodline without being ostracized from the family?
5e. Is Luffy the red herring, or is Ace? Ace would have been a classic shonen protagonist: mysterious yet pedigreed parentage, touched by fate, raised by one of the most powerful people in the world, groomed to receive his rightful inheritance. Interesting choice to follow Luffy's story.
5f. And now, the inevitable Discussion of Gender and Sexuality in One Piece. Hunker down or run away; your choice.
I just have to put this out there: A twenty-month pregnancy? Seriously? I mean...seriously? I don't object on grounds of implausibility, but the fact that Oda chose TWENTY MONTHS (that's more than TWO terms!) and then killed Rogue off directly after she gives birth...it just...look: for the past few arcs Oda has indulged in increasingly blatant sexist stereotypes and constricted female character roles. This one, woman as baby incubator, is one of the most insidious and is only made worse by a TWENTY MONTH PREGNANCY. Even if we take narrative context into consideration, the length of Rogue's pregnancy is just ludicrously long. Twelve months would have sufficed, if we are trading in improbable pregnancy terms, given the Marines' general incompetence at follow-up pregnant-woman sweeps. Why, then, twenty, except to maximize the impact of Rogue's selflessness? And I mean selflessness as in she does not have a self. Her body is turned into a literal vessel, a tool. More than an expecting mother, Rogue is a living hideout for Gold Roger's legacy. Sure, it sounds romantic, but consider the physiological stress, not to mention the dangers, that a normal nine-month pregnancy puts on a woman, and then double that. I actually find Rogue's situation completely horrific, and am convinced that only a man could speak so blithely about it in terms of nobleness and devotion. Too, it disturbs me that Rogue dies. It's not a surprise, no, since she just pushed a baby out of her body after housing it for TWENTY FUCKING MONTHS (if you think I'm going to let go of either this phrase or the all-caps, think again), but the event of her death underscores the disregard for women's bodies found in both American and Japanese mainstream comic genres. It is not, as I said, surprising that Rogue dies, but as a character, did she need to be killed off? Was it narratively imperative for her to die? I would say not, yet more often than not when it doesn't matter in a narrative if a female character lives or dies, the default choice is death. Especially if the character is a mother. After all, she's already done her job by giving birth, so what other possible use could she have? She's expendable.
We know nothing about Rogue except for her mission to give birth to Ace. We don't even know about her relationship with Roger independent of Ace. Roger talks to Garp about Rogue's safety as it relates to Ace. The inhabitants of Baterilla talk about Roger acting like a "father," even though Ace is nowhere near born (because he's going to be in the womb for TWENTY MONTHS), so Roger is not, strictly speaking, yet a father. What about him as a husband, or a lover, or a partner? We don't know, because the only people contained in the "father" relationship are Roger and Ace. Rouge is completely cut out. She is given an identity only through her delivery of Ace. Once the world "receives" him, Rogue is left with no identity and even her physical presence is discarded.
Why dissect this scene so minutely? Doesn't it happen to women in fiction all the time? Isn't it just another case of Women in Refrigerators syndrome?
Because, firstly, it is held up as such a fantastical story, even by OP standards. Secondly, because it takes the woman-as-incubator role and exaggerates it to maximize emotional impact and shock. A woman's body and her life and death are used as props to tell the story of relationships between men. I think this is terrible and wrong and symptomatic of the misogynistic culture in which shonen manga operates. Third, because Rogue is a D. She is a member of this infamous and mysterious family. All of the male members we've seen so far have performed amazing exploits and become formidable players in the world order, while Rogue, the lone woman, is essentialized to the crudest of fictional female roles. The contrast is so wide and painful, and I had really hoped - expected - better from Oda.
When One Piece first started, Oda's female characters seemed to be welcome additions to the small but formidable group of characters who challenged or subverted the stereotypes of female animanga characters. Twelve years later, Oda's come a long way - unfortunately, he's been traveling mostly in the wrong direction.
1. I requested to do this meme from princessk492 like, literally a month ago, and must now answer in parts. Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you. The first word she associated me with was "Katamari Damacy."
I love Katamari Damacy! It is my go-to game when I'm feeling depressed, or restless, or ambiguous, or when I just want to play something without committing to a storyline or save points because I have commitment issues. I like the first game a little better than the second one, but I love love love the race track stage in Everybody Loves Katamari. And, like most people, I hate the cow, bear, and cow-bear stages. I've never gotten better than a "medium" cow/bear, and the entire time I am just muttering "Motherfucker!" under my breath. The character of the Prince resonates with me on a deep emotional level, as he can never win the approval of his father and his best is never quite good enough. Every word of praise carries with it the implication that he could have done better. I know your crippling self-doubt, Prince!
2. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I really shouldn't have read the comments to the Boston Globe articles. They are vile. Post-racial America, my ass. I'm not really surprised at the police's actions and, now, reactions, or by the deeply racist and monstrous comments people have been spewing about this case, but it turns out that rage is an endlessly renewable resource. I am planning to post about regionalism as well as why the erroneous arrest of an affluent, internationally renowned black man is not just a drop in the too-vast ocean of racial profiling.
3. I ordered volumes 4 - 8 of Kimi ni Todoke from YesAsia. This series is so adorable that my brain threatens to break if I read too much at once.
4. The Onion has been sold to the Chinese. Thank goodness! It's time to put some truth and integrity back into journalism. My favorite articles include, because they are so enlightening and pure, Toddler Chokes to Death on Taiwanese-made Toy, Grandfather Disrespected in Own Home, and Nothing At All Happens to 28 Tibetan Protestors, Their Families. Seriously, right? Why would the Chinese government lie?
5. One Piece 550 and 551: It's About F*cking Time (spoilers spoilers spoilers!)
Where to start...I like Ace. I do. I find him a little scary, I think he angsts over some things that are not, perhaps, the end of the world, and I wish to God he'd put on a shirt. But overall, he's your typical golden-boy wunderkind, and my assessment of the most recent two chapters is not meant to diminish my affection for Ace as a personality. And honestly? These were the best chapters we've seen in a long, long while. But ironically, because these chapters were so good, they expose what has been lacking lately in the series overall.
Why must you systematically destroy everything that is good and pleasurable? you are asking. Because, dear readers, as I stated above I hail from a family which considers an "A-" one small step above failure and symptomatic of a slothful nature. I see some of you are nodding your heads, either in sympathy or agreement.
Anyway!
5a. Gol D. Anne and Gol D. Ace are, I think we can all agree, terrible and unfortunate names. Gold Roger may have been a charismatic and brilliant leader of men, but as a namer of babies he was clearly subpar. Until further evidence presents itself I will assume this is the root reason for Ace's acrimonious attitude towards his father. I suppose he should just be thankful Roger hadn't wanted to name him "Locks."
5b. In two chapters, Oda managed to tell us so much. So tell me why, again, before this it took 10 chapters for Luffy to run down some stairs and 10 more to run back up? Did we gain anything by watching Magellan melt Impel Down with poison, over and over, really? I mean, I know Oda's hero and working model is Akira Toriyama, but there are some who would consider Toriyama's inability to conclude a storyline a trait to be avoided rather than emulated.
5c. By the same token, are we still looking for the One Piece? I know I asked last time, but are we? 'Cause I liked it when we were looking for the One Piece. Know what else I liked? When Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brooke, and the Thousand Sunny were part of the story. Oh, yeah, remember them?
5d. There is now an entire crowd of Ds running around, and the lines of relations between all of them now officially constitute a train wreck. We have the oldest generation, Garp. The second generation of filial disappointments, Dragon, Teach, Roger, and Rouge. Are they cousins? Distant cousins? Very young uncles and aunts of each other? Is there an internal rule which says Ds must reproduce within the family?
And then the third generation, Ace and Luffy, duking it out for the dubious honor of having the WORST FATHER EVER. Ace, as I've said, pulls a good Dawson, but I think Luffy's got more staying power. It's hard to top Dragon the Deadbeat Dad who's got one talking point - REVOLUTION!! - and no plan of action.
So anyway, the D family is a hotbed of dysfunction, and I am very interested to see where Luffy's mother fits into all this, now that we know she and Ace's mother are separate people. Is she alive? Is she dead? Is she a D? Or was she given the boot for not being a D? Is that what led Dragon to a life of pointless crime? Is his ultimate vision a utopian society in which one is free to marry outside the bloodline without being ostracized from the family?
5e. Is Luffy the red herring, or is Ace? Ace would have been a classic shonen protagonist: mysterious yet pedigreed parentage, touched by fate, raised by one of the most powerful people in the world, groomed to receive his rightful inheritance. Interesting choice to follow Luffy's story.
5f. And now, the inevitable Discussion of Gender and Sexuality in One Piece. Hunker down or run away; your choice.
I just have to put this out there: A twenty-month pregnancy? Seriously? I mean...seriously? I don't object on grounds of implausibility, but the fact that Oda chose TWENTY MONTHS (that's more than TWO terms!) and then killed Rogue off directly after she gives birth...it just...look: for the past few arcs Oda has indulged in increasingly blatant sexist stereotypes and constricted female character roles. This one, woman as baby incubator, is one of the most insidious and is only made worse by a TWENTY MONTH PREGNANCY. Even if we take narrative context into consideration, the length of Rogue's pregnancy is just ludicrously long. Twelve months would have sufficed, if we are trading in improbable pregnancy terms, given the Marines' general incompetence at follow-up pregnant-woman sweeps. Why, then, twenty, except to maximize the impact of Rogue's selflessness? And I mean selflessness as in she does not have a self. Her body is turned into a literal vessel, a tool. More than an expecting mother, Rogue is a living hideout for Gold Roger's legacy. Sure, it sounds romantic, but consider the physiological stress, not to mention the dangers, that a normal nine-month pregnancy puts on a woman, and then double that. I actually find Rogue's situation completely horrific, and am convinced that only a man could speak so blithely about it in terms of nobleness and devotion. Too, it disturbs me that Rogue dies. It's not a surprise, no, since she just pushed a baby out of her body after housing it for TWENTY FUCKING MONTHS (if you think I'm going to let go of either this phrase or the all-caps, think again), but the event of her death underscores the disregard for women's bodies found in both American and Japanese mainstream comic genres. It is not, as I said, surprising that Rogue dies, but as a character, did she need to be killed off? Was it narratively imperative for her to die? I would say not, yet more often than not when it doesn't matter in a narrative if a female character lives or dies, the default choice is death. Especially if the character is a mother. After all, she's already done her job by giving birth, so what other possible use could she have? She's expendable.
We know nothing about Rogue except for her mission to give birth to Ace. We don't even know about her relationship with Roger independent of Ace. Roger talks to Garp about Rogue's safety as it relates to Ace. The inhabitants of Baterilla talk about Roger acting like a "father," even though Ace is nowhere near born (because he's going to be in the womb for TWENTY MONTHS), so Roger is not, strictly speaking, yet a father. What about him as a husband, or a lover, or a partner? We don't know, because the only people contained in the "father" relationship are Roger and Ace. Rouge is completely cut out. She is given an identity only through her delivery of Ace. Once the world "receives" him, Rogue is left with no identity and even her physical presence is discarded.
Why dissect this scene so minutely? Doesn't it happen to women in fiction all the time? Isn't it just another case of Women in Refrigerators syndrome?
Because, firstly, it is held up as such a fantastical story, even by OP standards. Secondly, because it takes the woman-as-incubator role and exaggerates it to maximize emotional impact and shock. A woman's body and her life and death are used as props to tell the story of relationships between men. I think this is terrible and wrong and symptomatic of the misogynistic culture in which shonen manga operates. Third, because Rogue is a D. She is a member of this infamous and mysterious family. All of the male members we've seen so far have performed amazing exploits and become formidable players in the world order, while Rogue, the lone woman, is essentialized to the crudest of fictional female roles. The contrast is so wide and painful, and I had really hoped - expected - better from Oda.
When One Piece first started, Oda's female characters seemed to be welcome additions to the small but formidable group of characters who challenged or subverted the stereotypes of female animanga characters. Twelve years later, Oda's come a long way - unfortunately, he's been traveling mostly in the wrong direction.