Not tonight, dear, I'm disgusted.

[laurie_bunter]

I finally got around to reading chapters 304 and 305 of Bleach manga. I've been putting it off, really. Over the holidays, I wasn't in the mood for seeing Nemu being raped, be it literal or symbolic.

Comments

[wicked_liz]

I wish I had that Eco book, I keep looking through bookstores here for his stuff, but they're really weak when it comes to classics (only the popular, curriculum stuff -_-). I fear I shall have to rely on Amazon *meh*

Kubo has been annoying me with his little sadistic forays since the HM arc began. Unlike Adam I find them disturbing enough because of the genre and previous work rating. Bleach's rating is now def. NC-17.

I think it's meant to be intentional. Bleach was originally drawn for a Teen audience, yet the manga is going on 5 years, teenagers don't stay the same forever. Also I think it's meant to be indicative of the entire HM arc, because while the violence is on par with stuff we've seen, now we get SEX.

While not shown in detail, the allusions to "tentacle-porn", "incubus" and "bondage" are all standard in the hentai-manga genre - they are meant to be perceived negatively. But they are also so over-board as to remain shocking and avoid falling into expectation.

My squick-meter is pretty specific, so I find the anatomical model beautiful. I don't really like the "Origins of Monsters" excerpt for this because it sort of predates the "evil gene" theory.

The idea that evil is a product and can be sourced, has never sat well with me. With Bleach I think Kubo is definitely leaning towards a more "individual choice" idea. More the correlation of the sacred and the profane than the isolation of it.

[laurie_bunter]

The Eco book is new, it's got a 2007 copyright, and cost me an arm and a leg. Still, it's worth it. :)

Yeah, I agree, I think I find it disturbing because Bleach is supposed to be for teens but right now it's gone beyond its rating. I think Adam's just read so much hardcore stuff he's a bit blase about these things. :)

I guess KT is trying to push his limits, which is interesting... at least he's not pulling a JK Rowling. Man, I hated Book Six, it's tone was totally off after the darkness of Book Five. (Okay, that was a total random rant. But I guess the comparison works because Harry Potter was a serial in its own way.)

Hmm. "Evil gene" theory. You hit upon something I am not familiar with! I will look it up. I just found "The Origin of Monsters" excerpt interesting because of its age. The mix of superstition and science is so far off from current thinking; I like how it reflects the philosophy of the medieval era and how they were trying to explain anomalies.

Yeah, KT does lean towards individual choice/free will -- the whole horse/king metaphor with Ichigo's hollow is indicative of that.

The sacred and the profane? Ack! I don't even want to go there... :D