So, in order to prompt myself to post actual, like, content more often, I'm inaugurating a new series of anime/manga reviews, with a particular analytical viewpoint
( Read more... )
This a great overview of the issues in this series, and I agree with your assessment of the situation.
That whole Sainted Mother thing is overused everywhere, it seems. Most protagonists I can think of are motherless, and I imagine that is because a good mother would never allow protagonist to engage in all those amazing adventures. Mothers get in the way, and it's easier for authors to eliminate them than write around them.
Looking forward to your next review, as I'm just beginning to explore Saiyuki.
Not just motherless, many of them, but quite literally orphaned. It's a bit disturbing just how rare actual parents are in a lot of kid and teen fiction. And I guess it's one of those selfish deep-seated fantasies we all have, not being fettered by family duties and bonds...but I think it's doing a disservice, in some ways, in not addressing major major relationships in kids' lives.
It's probably just laziness, or expediency. If you eliminate mom and dad, the story can leap straight to the adventure. If parents are in the picture, the author will need to explain why/how they're allowing protagonist to adventure before the adventure can happen. It becomes about the relationships rather than the adventure, which may be what women want to see, but not kids, in my experience.
The Spy Kids protagonists have both parents, but they're both spies themselves, which explains why the children have access to the toys and problems they face in the movies.
In one of my fav books as a child, My Side of the Mountain, the protagonist is allowed to go out on his own by his parents--I can't remember exactly how it's explained away--but his adventures come to an end when a reporter writes a story about the "boy living alone off the land" and his mother is criticized by friends and relations for allowing him to do it. She pulls the plug on his experiment because others feel she's being a bad mother. There you have the
( ... )
It's not something that I noticed as a child, the lack of parents, so perhaps you're right that it's to skip the complicated set-up and get to the adventure more quickly. Guess "what would the neighbors think" is the final nail in the coffin, yeah? Even if Mom is willing to let it happen on her own, she can't escape the wider consequences...
I don't like writing reviews because, well, I suck at it, but I really enjoyed reading this one and I'll definitely be looking forward to hearing about series I don't know.
here via metafandomgreeneyedladyJuly 7 2007, 14:38:53 UTC
As mentioned above, Bleach focuses relatively little attention on developing relationships. Therefore, most characters' sexualities are left undeveloped--the only exception being Chizuru, who is, quite interestingly, a self-proclaimed lesbian. The series does not have many homophobic overtones (unlike much entertainment geared towards teen male), and is quite friendly to alternate interpretations.I would say that while Bleach doesn't focus a lot of attention on developing romantic relationships, it does show developing feelings characters have for each other, albeit in an often subtle way. The characters' feelings often appear one-sided (for now) and more implicit than explicit. It is quite explicit that Orihime loves Ichigo, while Ishida's feelings for Orihime are more subtextual. Renji has strong feelings for Rukia, but the exact nature of them is not stated outright. Kira might like Hinamori, but she only has eyes for Aizen
( ... )
Re: here via metafandomthenakedcatJuly 7 2007, 15:02:32 UTC
I did not claim that romantic feelings are completely undeveloped, but rather that they are not a primary focus, and that sexualities are left undefined. I am also not claiming that it is a bad feature of the series, only that it makes many details subject to interpretation.
Yes, there are some romantic feelings developed in the series (although far less than in shoujo series or more adult-oriented manga), including Orihime's crush on Ichigo, but Chizuru is still the only character for whom we have a sexuality. Orihime could very easily have a crush on Ichigo, and still identify as a lesbian.
As for homophobic overtones, other shonen series, or other forms of media geared towards a young male audience, often treat gay or lesbian behavior as a threat. Bleach does include a fair bit of lesbian innuendo and subtext, but it's relatively free of paranoia about it.
Re: here via metafandomgreeneyedladyJuly 7 2007, 15:25:37 UTC
Well, I think very few series explicitly have the characters declare their sexuality outright. It's something the reader picks up from their behavior.
Girl/girl stuff in shounen manga is usually not treated with paranoia as it's there for titillating a male audience. Some shounen manga treat male/male stuff in a joking way, but I wouldn't call it homophobic. It's just the way a lot of young boys act before they can handle it like adults. Bleach doesn't have many jokes about guy/guy stuff, but it also doesn't have much of the intense male friendships that are so often misinterpreted by female fans in other shounen manga.
Re: here via metafandom7owti5July 8 2007, 04:11:22 UTC
2 points:
1. it also doesn't have much of the intense male friendships that are so often misinterpreted by female fans in other shounen manga.
Hm. So in your first post, you talked about subtle subtext and such. I agree with that, and enjoy that aspect of Bleach. However, how is Aizen/Momo any more canon/obvious than, say, Ukitake/Kyouraku? For all we know, Aizen/Momo is a father/daughter relationship, and Ukitake/Jyuushiro are just really good friends. In this way, all pairings and no pairings are confirmed in Bleach. (not counting the one-sided Orihime -> Ichigo and Chizuru -> Orihime) So, can anyone but Kubo say what is being misinterpreted?
1. I wouldn't call it homophobic. It's just the way a lot of young boys act before they can handle it like adults.
OK exactly HOW is this not homophobic? Tell me, what's the acceptable age for prejudice?
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That whole Sainted Mother thing is overused everywhere, it seems. Most protagonists I can think of are motherless, and I imagine that is because a good mother would never allow protagonist to engage in all those amazing adventures. Mothers get in the way, and it's easier for authors to eliminate them than write around them.
Looking forward to your next review, as I'm just beginning to explore Saiyuki.
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The Spy Kids protagonists have both parents, but they're both spies themselves, which explains why the children have access to the toys and problems they face in the movies.
In one of my fav books as a child, My Side of the Mountain, the protagonist is allowed to go out on his own by his parents--I can't remember exactly how it's explained away--but his adventures come to an end when a reporter writes a story about the "boy living alone off the land" and his mother is criticized by friends and relations for allowing him to do it. She pulls the plug on his experiment because others feel she's being a bad mother. There you have the ( ... )
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LJ fandom is so female that I'm surprised we don't all menstruate in tandem
I'm fairly convinced my friendslist does.
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And because you wrote about female portrayal in comics. It's a thing
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And I was remiss in not saying before, thank you for stopping by!
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Yes, there are some romantic feelings developed in the series (although far less than in shoujo series or more adult-oriented manga), including Orihime's crush on Ichigo, but Chizuru is still the only character for whom we have a sexuality. Orihime could very easily have a crush on Ichigo, and still identify as a lesbian.
As for homophobic overtones, other shonen series, or other forms of media geared towards a young male audience, often treat gay or lesbian behavior as a threat. Bleach does include a fair bit of lesbian innuendo and subtext, but it's relatively free of paranoia about it.
Reply
Girl/girl stuff in shounen manga is usually not treated with paranoia as it's there for titillating a male audience. Some shounen manga treat male/male stuff in a joking way, but I wouldn't call it homophobic. It's just the way a lot of young boys act before they can handle it like adults. Bleach doesn't have many jokes about guy/guy stuff, but it also doesn't have much of the intense male friendships that are so often misinterpreted by female fans in other shounen manga.
Reply
1. it also doesn't have much of the intense male friendships that are so often misinterpreted by female fans in other shounen manga.
Hm. So in your first post, you talked about subtle subtext and such. I agree with that, and enjoy that aspect of Bleach. However, how is Aizen/Momo any more canon/obvious than, say, Ukitake/Kyouraku? For all we know, Aizen/Momo is a father/daughter relationship, and Ukitake/Jyuushiro are just really good friends. In this way, all pairings and no pairings are confirmed in Bleach. (not counting the one-sided Orihime -> Ichigo and Chizuru -> Orihime) So, can anyone but Kubo say what is being misinterpreted?
1. I wouldn't call it homophobic. It's just the way a lot of young boys act before they can handle it like adults.
OK exactly HOW is this not homophobic? Tell me, what's the acceptable age for prejudice?
Reply
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