Fandom won't give me my life back... even though I ask so nicely. :(

[indira14]

Bonsoir, mon ami(e)! French class has been grueling and fun and all kinds of hilarious, and our teacher is very gay and very awesome. 8D I feel very accomplished now that my Friends page is a bit more manageable - and very, very ~free~ and ~un-awkward~ too.

Anyhow~! I was drowning myself in worry unhealthy amounts of coffee over June and July, and

Comments

[indira14]

It seems that I somehow missed this comment of your as well. -__- I'm not really sure how either. :/

Oh, I did read quite a bit of Soul Eater, actually. I'm way past the first five chapters, in fact, and I didn't find them dragging in any way - well, that's not entirely true. I did find that cat-witch-girl part a bit... trying (it felt too much like shoujo for a while), but then Maka starts yelling about men and their uh, faithlessness, and the way Soul turns the battle around was <333.

I love how Maka's mother was a master technician - like mother, like daughter. Which, btw, is very refreshing about all the father/brother tropes. DX

I'm currently past the part where BlackStar (who fails at subtlety big time) and Soul's battle against DtheKidd. I love the small Soul/Maka moment that follows.

I'm glad the Soul/Maka is a gradual thing - you're right. It's so much more believable that way.

What really concerns me though is the fact that weapons can apparently... defy their masters and have their own free will. I imagine that to be a cause of drama in the future. >____>;;

And the protagonists don't always win, so every fight, every triumph or failure really means something. - I just might've found the perfect rival for Bleach (I don't care what the sales figures say. Bleach and Naruto are not rivals. If Naruto is like a... manga Sasuke, then Bleach is just a manga Kiba) It's not often that you see that in shounen manga, whereas it used to be so common back in the 90's. This, indeed, in a sad, sad thing.

Maka is an awesome protagonist - I really don't see what difference it makes whether your character is male or female (as proven by this manga), but Kishi seems not to share my view. :/

I'm hearting this manga so far - can't wait to delve into the plot. 8D

it talks about insanity a lot. Its much better than it sounds. - Hell yes. Insanity. That's right up my alley. :p

[hungrytiger11]

redbrunja made this post about how Naruto and Black Star are really a lot alike- the same character type. But how Black Star pwns Naruto (mostly for the mere reason that Black Star isn't the main character, lol). I love al the characters.

I'm not sure I would go do far as to say the gender of characters doesn't matter. I know I'm more likely to read a story with a woman in it. This mangaka, in an interview, said he chose a female protagonist to draw in more female readers who he felt were a growing but unapperciated part of the shoeun readers market. The gender of a person is a minor thing but I think it does effect some aspect (if for no other reason than no one is immune to cultural constructs and expectations). The biggest importance to Maka being female I think is the way it effects her relationship with her father (sadly, we've yet to meet her mother in person.) Its a very strained relationship, which is in part because of teenaged!father/daughter and partly because of the specific characters.

That said, while gender does impact the character's personality some, it is not the main factor and a good story can have protagonists of either gender that appeals to all genders. Its the individuals who matter and all the characters in Soul Eater are pretty cool :)

[indira14]

But how Black Star pwns Naruto (mostly for the mere reason that Black Star isn't the main character, lol) - Lol indeed! redbrunja does always post very awesome things! I love how she has opinions and is not afraid to express them. um, do you... have a link to the post? I tried searching all over her journal, but couldn't find it ;___;

I know I'm more likely to read a story with a woman in it - TRUFAX. Moi aussie! But sometimes, I find that guys (and some girls - shocking, I know) are willing to read
anything that has a female protagonist, if only to point out her flaws at every corner. I don't see that happening with male protagonists. Their flaws are presented in a way that makes them seem... more special? Or something.

The biggest importance to Maka being female I think is the way it effects her relationship with her father - w-wow./in awe You make a really good point. I imagine that if Maka was a boy instead, there would've been a lot of anger on her part, and lot of nonchalant "old man" remarks too.

I agree - all the characters I've come across so far are really, really... likable. I don't think I've taken to characters of any manga as quickly as I've taken to this one! <333

[hungrytiger11]

here's her post "Five Times Black Star Surpassed Naruto

Girls seem to have very complicated with relationships with their fathers as teenagers. Actually, they have very complicated relationships with their moms too.... I'm not sure if guys just have less tension/complications in their relationships as teens or if stories just don't present them that way. Because you right. Shoeun men just call their dads "old man" and the old man is used as comic relief. If its shoujo, the male protagonist always seems to have a bad relationship where they don't even talk or live with their dad and the herione brings the father and son closer...Spirit is comic relief but he is more than that too. He's a character in his own right. (And don't even get me started on the freaky relationships sons seem to have with mothers in manga. Mothers are either dead, or there's very freudian undertones. Shikamaru might be the only exception I can think of right now, and he's not a main character.)