one piece essay: boa hancock
((So by "Monday" I apparently really meant "Thursday night". But whatever; this thing takes up 7 pages on MS Word so I hope you've got a nice big mug of tea.))
Disclaimers and Notes: this post contains spoilers for the most recent arc, especially chapters 516, 517, and 518. Questions, comments, discussion, and arguments are welcome; statements ( Read more... )
Disclaimers and Notes: this post contains spoilers for the most recent arc, especially chapters 516, 517, and 518. Questions, comments, discussion, and arguments are welcome; statements ( Read more... )
Although Kalifa's Douriki number was slightly lower than the others', she began the fight on Enies Lobby by utterly defeating Sanji, one of the Straw Hats' big three; even though she had an unfair advantage at the time, that's still a long, long way from being 'no threat'.
I think claiming that Lola and Kokoro are in 'positions of power' is an extreme stretch. Lola may be the captain of a pirate crew, but it's of an ass-backwards pirate crew that any of the villains could eat for lunch. Kokoro...drives a train. Furthermore, you cite Kureha, who is sort of an odd example; from the neck down she is conventionally attractive. it's only when you see her face do you realize how bloody old she is.
I also note that you failed to mention Robin or Hina, or Bellemere. At all. Most likely because they sort of blows a hole in your whole point, as they are extremely attractive and is clearly in a position of power from the get-go.
Also, I take issue with characterizing Kuja island as an 'Amazon Island Populated By Men-Hating Women'. In fact, it seems to be at least a partial subversion on that trope; There's a law against men showing up, but rather than being hateful and fearful when Luffy shows up, the women are in fact curious. They take him of and heal his wounds and sort of poke him and prod him and ask him questions until someone points out that if Boa Hancock returns and Luffy's still there, everyone involved would most likely be turned to stone.
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I have to run but I'll address your other points when I get back!
Edited to expand on points:
I do not deliberately fail to mention Hina and Bellemere, as your comment implies, and I'm certainly happy to revisit my own argument in light of their inclusion. Bellemere is powerful, and she is also dead, which speaks to a separate, though related, trend in OP: most of the people in the Strawhats' pasts who have died "for real" are female, and most of those women have been powerful, physically and otherwise. And the lesson is, beautiful, powerful women die. They are punished for possessing excessive power, which is not all that far from my argument about Hancock being put in her place. Whether one mourned Bellemere's death or not, whether one thinks Kuina was punished by someone or not is not the point. Rather, I am trying to point out a trend in storytelling, which spans across most, if not all narrative genres (think of, for example, the Women in Refrigerators syndrome in American comics).
As for Hina, I will concede that she is a bit of a wild card. However, the story in which she really stars is, after all, relegated to the title page (and notice that no one speaks in those scenes). And as I recall, she has lost most major arguments to Smoker: his is the final, deciding voice on what to do about the Strawhats.
[Kalifa] began the fight on Enies Lobby by utterly defeating Sanji, one of the Straw Hats' big three
And yet it is plain that she was deliberately pitted against Sanji precisely because he has a handicap susceptible to a female opponent. The scene was played for laughs. There was no real chance that she would have been matched with Zoro, for instance, who would have taken her seriously as an opponent.
Lola may be the captain of a pirate crew....
Regardless of physical or battle strength, Lola occupies, in terms of social power, the exact same status that Luffy has: she is the respected and absolute captain of a pirate crew on the Grand Line.
Kokoro...drives a train.
She is also witness to the events surrounding Tom and Gold Roger; she is a liason between Franky and Iceburg; she guides Luffy and Company to Enies Lobby; and she effectively saved most of the crew's lives at Enies Lobby. So actually, she does considerably more than drive a train, and she is considerably more than a train conductor. And I would charge that you are doing the exact same kind of trivializing I discuss in the original post.
Kureha, who is sort of an odd example
And it is her face, not her body, that is commented on by characters in the story, specifically by Sanji and Luffy. When Sanji protects her in the fight, our reaction is not "Wow he protected someone with a really hot body, how typical", it is "Wow, he protected her even though she is old and ugly; what a gentleman!"
rather than being hateful and fearful when Luffy shows up, the women are in fact curious.
That is a disingenuous statement. The women are curious because when Luffy first shows up, they think he's a girl. When they discover he's a boy, their reactions are markedly different. I personally agree that Oda attempted some subversive twists on the trope, some successful, others less so. This has not stopped him from indulging in others wholesale, nor has it stopped the fandom from making some rather tired jokes about it which have contributed to the stereotype.
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Um...no. Doctor Hiluluk, Jaguar D. Saulo, Professor Clover, and Tom, Captain Yorki. Contrast with Kuina, Bellemere, Nico Olvia and Bankina. That's a pretty even split, with a small advantage to the males. And then there's the guys who suffer crippling injuries...
As we've seen in the past, the events of the cover arcs are far from irrelevant to the main plot. They can and do come back to bite the main plot on the bupkiss. Also, I don't think I recall her and Smoker engaging in any arguments. Their exchanges read much more like friendly conversations between old comrades to me, with no intention of mind-changing.
And yet it is plain that she was deliberately pitted against Sanji precisely because he has a handicap susceptible to a female opponent. The scene was played for laughs.
It was played for laughs up until when it became deadly serious. You didn't detect a palpable tone change when she pulled out her devil fruit abilities? In any case, this doesn't really address my point.
Regardless of physical or battle strength, Lola occupies, in terms of social power, the exact same status that Luffy has: she is the respected and absolute captain of a pirate crew on the Grand Line.
A crew of failures and victims, waiting for someone to come save them. That doesn't really make her powerful, it makes her 'slightly more powerful than that guy over there. The one puking his guts up into the gutter'.
So actually, she does considerably more than drive a train, and she is considerably more than a train conductor. And I would charge that you are doing the exact same kind of trivializing I discuss in the original post.
Good grief, I'm not charging that she's not valuable, but when you come down to it her skill sets include getting drunk and driving a train and little else. On the scale of powerful characters in One Piece that falls rather short.
And it is her face, not her body, that is commented on by characters in the story, specifically by Sanji and Luffy. When Sanji protects her in the fight, our reaction is not "Wow he protected someone with a really hot body, how typical", it is "Wow, he protected her even though she is old and ugly; what a gentleman!"
...I didn't have either one of those reactions. I don't know about you, I wasn't framing it in that context at all.
That is a disingenuous statement.
No, your rebuttal is what's disingenuous here. When they discover he's a boy they react with surprise because they've never seen one before and there shouldn't BE any on their island. However, once they come to grips with this, they treat him as an object of curiosity. I mean, one of them is hurriedly taking notes on him.
If Miss Doublefinger was a top fighter, why was she matched with, and defeated by, a relatively weak opponent? If Nami was facing her first serious solo opponent, why was the fight peppered with sight gags and jokes, when Zoro's wasn't?
Virtually all One Piece fights are peppered with sight gags. It's just One Piece's thing. And Miss DOublefinger was mopping the floor with nami for most of the fight.
Mr. 1 was no doubt more powerful than Miss Doublefinger, but I also don't think it can be argued that Miss Doublefinger was a powerful opponent, certainly more powerful than, for example, the Mr. 4/Miss Merry Christmas pair. And I think you are underestimating Nami's ability with the Clima-tact; in the very next arc, Nami is the only character aside from Luffy to face Enel in single combat and emerge unharmed.
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I'm really not interested in defining or discussing power solely as a DBZ-type ranking system, as I think it's a derailment of the original post. I am perfectly willing to agree that Lola and Kokoro would not make it past the preliminary round of a One Piece death brawl. However, their power and strength come from other sources, as sasori_katanaoutlines below with Kalifa and as I've referenced in my own comments. If you're not willing to consider them in those terms, then I think we're just going to have to drop this particular discussion.
When they discover he's a boy they react with surprise because they've never seen one before...I mean, one of them is hurriedly taking notes on him.
And as I said, I also think Oda is playing around with the genre in some clever ways, your example being one of them. That being said, this arc has thus far followed the main narrative points of the Amazon Island trope: man is found on island populated entirely by women, man is met with hostility, it is decided man must die, man is on the brink of execution. Even the Despotic Female Tyrant and the Lone Sympathetic Girl are thrown into the mix.
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"Most female characters in OP who are in positions of power are not conventionally attractive - think of Kureha the doctor, Lola the pirate Captain, and Kokoro the mermaid."
I in turn pointed out that two of these three are hardly in positions of authority. Lola is a leader in name but wields little real power, because nobody of import is under her command, and Kokoro's authority extends to cover a train, and that's about it.
That being said, this arc has thus far followed the main narrative points of the Amazon Island trope: man is found on island populated entirely by women, man is met with hostility, it is decided man must die, man is on the brink of execution.
Yes, and that's what a subversion is: you take the staples of the trope and then turn it on its head. Luffy was met with hostility, but only after it was stirred up by a few women on the island. In fact, separated from Boa Hancock, the Kuja Amazons seem to be quite reasonable people. Far from having a Lone Sympathetic Girl, the unsympathetic ones are the exceptions; except for when Boa descends on them with her beauty spell, at which point they don't seem to be fully responsible for their actions.
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Lola is a leader in name but wields little real power
So is a Fire Department Chief less of a Chief, and holds less responsibilities as such, and deserves less respect as such, because the town he works in is really small and no one famous is in the department anyway? I'm really not understanding your comment. Lola is not a contender for finding the One Piece with the manpower she commands, sure. But how does that make her not a real Captain? We've seen Luffy call people out for being pirates in name but not in spirit. He wasn't concerned with how strong they were, but what qualities they possessed. Lola is brave, she inspires her crew to be braver than they currently are, she keeps her crew together, they're loyal to her, she's a fair and just leader, and she likes adventure. I did not compare Lola to any other pirate Captain. I referenced her title as one, which is perfectly valid and stands independently of her rank among the general community of pirate Captains.
Kokoro's authority extends to cover a train, and that's about it.
In my original post, I referenced Kokoro's status as a mermaid. You focused instead on her capacity as a train conductor. I responded in kind and expanded on her role as such. You then talked about her "skill set" and again ignored my comment about her as a mermaid and life-saver. And in this comment, you talk about her "authority". I didn't talk about trains, skill sets, or authority in relation to Kokoro in the original post. I have responded to your criteria, while you keep ignoring mine and changing your own.
Yes, and that's what a subversion is: you take the staples of the trope and then turn it on its head.
Then I suppose our disagreement is whether Oda is successful in his subversion. You seem to think he is, and I'll respect that, but I personally think, in the areas I laid out, that he is not. To me, his main subversions lie in the diversity of body/face types on Amazon Lily, and the social hierarchy. The other stuff is clever but doesn't say anything new.
Um...no. Doctor Hiluluk, Jaguar D. Saulo, Professor Clover, and Tom, Captain Yorki
I'll acknowledge this and agree that the numbers are split pretty evenly. I'm interested in if you were planning to address this point: Bellemere is powerful, and she is also dead, which speaks to a separate, though related, trend in OP:...most of those women [who have died] have been powerful, physically and otherwise. And the lesson is, beautiful, powerful women die. They are punished for possessing excessive power and the rest of the paragraph.
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I'll acknowledge this and agree that the numbers are split pretty evenly. I'm interested in if you were planning to address this point: Bellemere is powerful, and she is also dead, which speaks to a separate, though related, trend in OP:...most of those women [who have died] have been powerful, physically and otherwise. And the lesson is, beautiful, powerful women die. They are punished for possessing excessive power and the rest of the paragraph.
Again, I think this is a trend that doesn't actually exist. The total number of women who have died 'for real' in One Piece is the list of four women I made above (and I suppose Margaret and co, now). Bankina was not exceptionally attractive (not bad if you look past the nose, I suppose) and not in any position of authority beyond 'mother', so she's out. Kuina was just a kid, but I'll be generous and allow her inclusion onto the list on the assumption that she would grow up to be similar to Tashigi. So that's three (arguably six, but quite frankly Margaret and co would be sort of a weird fit for 'beautiful, powerful women are punished with death' when one considers the circumstances of their death and more pressingly, who did the deed). Meanwhile there are absolute reams of attractive women in positions of strength and authority who have NOT died, and show no indication of being at risk: Robin, Nami, Nojiko, Laki, Jewelery Bonny, Kalifa, Miss Doublefinger (hell, all of the female Baroque Works agents), Vivi, Hina, et al. The 'trend' only appears if you take those deaths and remove them utterly from the context of One Piece.
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A. she is completely secure in this fact, unlike, say, Jyabura, who is not only one of the top three but also several times Kalifa's strength (and yet he still worries about her, along with Kaku, getting stronger by eating a Devil Fruit - seems that she's not so much of a non-threat even to her peers);
B. she uses her other strengths to compensate for a comparative lack of physical power - she manipulates victims with her beauty, as pointed out, and she figured out how to use and control her Devil Fruit powers completely and accurately in, what was it, an hour? Half an hour? Unlike Kaku, one of the top two, who was still trying to figure out the basics of his, which I believe demonstrates that Kalifa is obviously quite intelligent;
C. even Spandam pointed out that they all have superhuman strength, so it shouldn't matter who is technically the strongest. The fact that she has 600 Douriki and is one of the most powerful and advanced fighters in the World Government ought to count for something, right? Besides, I have a difficult time believing she's not as strong because she's a woman. What's Blueno's excuse? And;
D. Kalifa is the only one who does and can get away with making Spandam, their boss, squirm in his seat like a perp with the lights on. Not even Lucci, seasoned master of bloodless intimidation, manages to do that. Now try telling me Kalifa isn't strong.
...This comment has been brought to you by my relative lack of an actual point and a fruitless wish that more people would love Kalifa as much as I do. =/
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Kalifa would never seriously have been matched with Zoro or Sanji (if we take for granted Luffy will always be matched with a boss). She is matched with Nami because Nami is a girl and Kalifa is a woman. We (meaning the fandom in general) accept that Nami is able to beat Kalifa because Kalifa is not among the strongest members of CP9, are are thus able to continue to refer to Nami as part of the "Weak Trio".
it shouldn't matter who is technically the strongest.
It certainly does matter. Luffy fights Lucci, not Kalifa, for starters. If Luffy does fight Hancock in the coming chapters, it will be the exception that proves the rule. A man is fighting a woman in One Piece because there are no alternatives available. Hancock is an exception among women we have seen so far (the token female Shichibukai), and of course, Luffy has always been the Great Exception.
As a character, I've no doubt Kalifa is deserving of all the things you've written about her, and it is nice to see her get some analysis, what with all the usual focus on Kaku and Lucci. I'm sorry to say, though, that as a personality I still find her relatively forgettable :/
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I have to admit I'm slightly insulted by the implication that Kalifa's fight with Nami is nothing more than a "gendered duel" and that her defeat at Nami's hands is a hollow one. First of all, Nami came to Sanji's rescue, here. She pities him for his aforementioned shortcoming, and becomes his knight in shining armor, defeating the enemy that he cannot. That impresses me. It paints Nami as a powerful character, someone who possesses a strength that even Sanji does not. Second, I argue that in terms of plot, Kalifa is less powerful in order to make is believable that a less powerful character could defeat her, not the other way around. I also argue that it's still possible that Kalifa could have defeated Sanji if he were fighting back, but that's another story.
I would also argue that the tendency of One Piece women to be portrayed as less physically strong, which, when it comes down to it, is realistic, and more apt to use their minds and special abilities as adaptive strengths is a victory in the name of Strong Female Characters, not a failure. I also point to Usopp, who is not strong but uses his wits and abilities to conquer enemies, which is portrayed in a positive and empowering light. There's a difference between being weak and not being a fist-fighting bruiser.
And as for your second point, Lucci fights Luffy because they are both the leaders and, again, Lucci must be strong because it is assumed that Luffy is also insanely powerful. It could not make sense otherwise. I also object to the characterization of Hancock as a "token female"; I feel that that trivializes her accomplishment. She's a Shichibukai, and she is a woman. Need we make that into something to roll our eyes about? There are other female pirate captains; Hancock is the one the World Government wanted for that position. Furthermore, this would not be the first time in One Piece that a man fought a woman: in Thriller Bark, Usopp fought Perona, who, by the way, brought everyone else on the crew, even Luffy, down without batting an eye. Robin is usually paired off against a male character in fights. Nami fought Buggy and Enel. Zoro fought Tashigi, taking her seriously as an opponent as you pointed out he would do with Kalifa, and if indications are correct he will fight her again, and it will be just a serious as the first time.
And as for your statement that Luffy is the Great Exception, well, he's the main character and he gets special privileges. That's not something that's unique to One Piece and it's certainly not something that's unique to male characters. If he fights her, it will be because she's this arc's boss, not because there's "no one else available".
I could analyze the hell out of Kalifa. XD Much as I love Kaku, Lucci, and all the rest (I'd have to say Jyabura is my next-favorite), Kalifa is the one that sticks out in my mind the most as an interesting character of the lot. I'd be interested to know what you find so forgettable about her.
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Um that is all XD
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Even with the correction, if we look at the pattern of duel matches, the pairing of Miss Doublefinger with Nami is skewed if you consider that Mr. 1 was paired with Zoro, the no. 2 of the Strawhats. Zoro is pushed to the edge of his limits by Mr. 1 and Nami, who up to this point is not a serious front-line fighter (and she continues to be back-line until well after this arc), is a reasonable match for his partner? Explain it away however you like with narrative circumstances, but as part of gender dynamic trends in the shounen genre, it is completely valid to argue that this and other matches are set up based on gender lines. If Miss Doublefinger was a top fighter, why was she matched with, and defeated by, a relatively weak opponent? If Nami was facing her first serious solo opponent, why was the fight peppered with sight gags and jokes, when Zoro's wasn't? (Zoro, after all, also transcended his previous level of power in that fight)
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