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INTEREST: Sailor Uranus & Neptune Make It to LogoTV's Character Semi-Finals


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zeo1fan



Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 1016
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:06 am Reply with quote
They're leaving a fair number of candidates out, aren't they? o: What about Utena Tenjou? Or Hana from Tokyo Godfathers?
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Gyt Kaliba



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 712
Location: Arkansas
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:08 am Reply with quote
Uh...wait. I know it's been a long, long time since I've watched Pokemon, but...why...was Jigglypuff in the running? Shocked
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Levitz9



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 1022
Location: Puerto Rico
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:12 am Reply with quote
I'd think that Uranus and Neptune have one advantage to their name: their sexual orientation isn't used as a joke. When it comes to Big Gay Al or Stewie, their entire character pretty much revolves around "look at how funny they are--also, they're gay!". U&N are much more developed, partly because of their stable relationship (Uranus would rather destroy the world than live without Neptune), and partly because they're not punchlines.
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getchman
Space Cowboy



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:14 am Reply with quote
I'm not sure why Betty Deville was there either
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5824
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:19 am Reply with quote
zeo1fan wrote:
They're leaving a fair number of candidates out, aren't they? o: What about Utena Tenjou? Or Hana from Tokyo Godfathers?


These are the semi-finals. So many others could have been eliminated already.

Though more likely, LogoTV's audience base is probably not centered around anime viewers, and Utena (and many others) simply didn't get nominated. Sailor Moon on the other hand is a well known mainstream anime title, and would have the needed name recognition.
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WeirDiE_InC



Joined: 12 May 2010
Posts: 414
Location: The GVRD
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:37 am Reply with quote
Weird bunch of nominees they have there. For me, Wally & Gus from Mission Hill will always be my favourite gay characters from a cartoon.
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2093
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:50 am Reply with quote
getchman wrote:
I'm not sure why Betty Deville was there either


Yeah, Betty is apparently pro-nudist (based on the episode where the babies feel like going naked, and Betty says, "the sixties are over, and we lost!") but I don't remember any hints that she was bisexual. I never watched enough Ren and Stimpy so I'm not sure if they qualify or not.

The only characters in kids' cartoons that I remember being hinted to be gay or bi was Maggie Sawyer in the Superman animated series (during Darkseid's attack, she is hospitalized and later an unnamed woman is holding her hand as they watch the invasion on the hospital TV. Since she is a lesbian in the comics we can safely assume the woman is her girlfriend or wife) and Queen Bee in Young Justice (after Batman mentions that Queen Bee has the power of persuasion over most men and some women).

Also, the creator of Hey Arnold confirmed that the kids' teacher Mr. Simmons was gay (shame there wasn't much hints toward in the show, since they got away with plenty of hints that Helga's mom was an alcoholic and other mature themes). Finally, Knockout from Transformers Prime (though revealed in an offensive way as the writers said of the day of his birth there was "a glitch in the Allspark". In most cases a "glitch" implies something wrong with the system, so they might as well have said there's something wrong with Knockout for being gay. I'm pretty sure they didn't mean to say it like that, but that's why you have to be careful how you state things).

Anyway, glad to see Sailors Uranus and Neptune doing well in the tournament.
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Nights1stStar



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:09 am Reply with quote
What annoys me is that some of the earlier candidates in the tournament were actually NOT confirmed as gay or lesbian in their shows. If you look at the list: Velma from Scooby Doo? Buttercup from Powerpuff Girls? Gaston and Genie from the Disney movies? Daria from Daria?!

Daria had entire character arcs on her show about her relationships with boys! Buttercup once had a crush on a member of the Gangrene Gang! Does the Genie even have a sexual orientation?

It seems that the characters early on in the tournament were picked not because they were actually gay or lesbian and more because they fit into stereotypes (ie, flamboyant men, women who don't dress girlishly). No wonder they didn't make it to later rounds. Readers sensed the stereotyping, and picked the Sailor Moon couple actually, legitimately in love.

BTW, Neptune and Uranus made it to the finals. They just have to beat the alien guy from American Dad and they'll win! Come on guys, vote for them!
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:40 am Reply with quote
Nights1stStar wrote:
What annoys me is that some of the earlier candidates in the tournament were actually NOT confirmed as gay or lesbian in their shows. If you look at the list: Velma from Scooby Doo? Buttercup from Powerpuff Girls? Gaston and Genie from the Disney movies?


(Someone doesn't remember girl-genie Eden from the afternoon series... Wink )

Quote:
Daria from Daria?!


Velma because she wears glasses and turtlenecks! Bugs Bunny because he went in drag! (Darn, where's that clip of Bugs and Yosemite Sam drooling over a railroad car full of bikini beauties?--And no, true fans do not recognize Lola Bunny.) He-Man because they did that comedy routine on "I Love the 80's!"

Yuk yuk, Peppermint Patty & Marcie!...Let's bury this ancient one RIGHT NOW:
Anyone who's read at least two of the comic strips, or can recite any of the 70's specials from memory, knows that Patty has an eternally frustrated, unrequited and phone-hanging crush on "Chuck" ("You touched my hand, you sly dog...")--that Charlie rather wishes she hadn't--that Marcie has a cute, shy Mercury-like crush on him too, and both have learned the lessons of heartbreak trying to tear him away from the Red-Haired Girl.
That sounds pretty darn hetero to me.

Levitz9 wrote:
I'd think that Uranus and Neptune have one advantage to their name: their sexual orientation isn't used as a joke.


What, not even the watercolor swirl of rose petals, the "Ooo-ooo" theme, and the general Shocked reaction from the girls every time they exit the scene?

I remember one fan who actually started watching Sailor Moon just because her gay friends said "Oo, Neptune & Uranus, our pop-culture time has come!", and stayed on to become an actual Moon fan for the reasons that real Moon fans stayed on.
If anything, Logo is trying to do the gay "Squatter's Rights" act of "outing" any recognized pop-character they feel like, for reasons entirely in their own wishful imagination, proclaiming, "See, see??", and then saying "You just don't want to ADMIT it!" when we point out how looney, one-sided and tunnel-visioned the accusations sound. (What, no Oaken and his "gay lover in the sauna" from Frozen??)
Still, it's nice to see they put both Stewie and the American Dad alien up there...Seth, write some new jokes. Razz
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Charred Knight



Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 3085
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:08 pm Reply with quote
getchman wrote:
I'm not sure why Betty Deville was there either


Out of the list of characters in the running the vast majority of characters are clearly not intended to be gay. It wasn't exactly a serious contest though I still voted for Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Uranus.
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PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2025
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:14 pm Reply with quote
zeo1fan wrote:
They're leaving a fair number of candidates out, aren't they? o: What about Utena Tenjou? Or Hana from Tokyo Godfathers?


Which series do most people know about? Think about it. Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tokyo Godfathers, or Sailor Moon?

Gyt Kalbia wrote:
Uh...wait. I know it's been a long, long time since I've watched Pokemon, but...why...was Jigglypuff in the running? Shocked. O.O


You saw the way she was looking at Misty (Oh yeah, I went there)!


Last edited by PurpleWarrior13 on Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:47 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Blue21



Joined: 13 Feb 2014
Posts: 244
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:14 pm Reply with quote
EricJ2 wrote:

What, not even the watercolor swirl of rose petals, the "Ooo-ooo" theme, and the general Shocked reaction from the girls every time they exit the scene?


That whole thing is meant show how elegant and admired by the girls they are. Sure it might seem ridiculous to us, but it's not meant to be that way in Japan.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:38 pm Reply with quote
Blue21 wrote:
That whole thing is meant show how elegant and admired by the girls they are. Sure it might seem ridiculous to us, but it's not meant to be that way in Japan.


Uh, I don't think that Sato-gag sweatdropped look on the girls' faces is meant to be "elegant admiration". More, "Er, hehehh....We won't ask. Anime smile + sweatdrop"


Last edited by EricJ2 on Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Hawkmoth



Joined: 29 Mar 2014
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 1:12 pm Reply with quote
zeo1fan wrote:
They're leaving a fair number of candidates out, aren't they? o: What about Utena Tenjou? Or Hana from Tokyo Godfathers?


Hana identified as a woman in a male body, which means she's transgender, not gay, taking her out of the running.
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MeggieMay



Joined: 08 Jun 2004
Posts: 607
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Nights1stStar wrote:
What annoys me is that some of the earlier candidates in the tournament were actually NOT confirmed as gay or lesbian in their shows. If you look at the list: Velma from Scooby Doo? Buttercup from Powerpuff Girls? Gaston and Genie from the Disney movies? Daria from Daria?!


I think many, if not all, of the characters that are being listed here are considered "gay icon" characters. They are characters from animation that kids who are LGBT tend to associate with because they feel they are "just like them" and so for many of these children the characters are "gay." Still, I'm not sure how Jigglypuff fits but Pokemon isn't a strong point for shows I know something about.

However, I do know why Velma from ScoobyDoo is considered "gay." The four main human characters from ScoobyDoo were lifted and re-imaged from a 1950's show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Velma and Shaggy are so clearly Zelda Gilroy & Maynard G. Krebs that even I picked up on it when I first saw the show on Nick at Night in the 1980s without knowing the full story(which has come out subsequently). Zelda was played by a actress who later grew up to become a gay rights advocate. I read a article where she mentioned that while she personally didn't realize she was gay until later (she was still a teen I think when she was doing the show) the shows production team and writers thought she was gay and part of the subtext for the character was that even though she was chasing the male lead from the show, Zelda was gay (part of the humor, which would be questionable these days IMO but not in the late 50s/early 60s). Also the boy chasing got this past Standards and Practices who wouldn't have allowed a gay character on TV during that time.

Anyway, the creators of ScoobyDoo have acknowledged that they lifted the leads out of the other show for theirs, with enough changes to make sure no one got into legal problems. However, it took Hanna Barbara almost a decade to get ScoobyDoo onto TV & Dobie Gillis didn't get re-aired on TV (or at least not re-aired in wide enough syndication) until the 1980s (I think it was lack of enough episodes for strip syndication and/or a legal issue that was cleared up until then that caused this). So many people, myself included, never caught on until later, while others who had parents who saw the live action show did catch on (Dobie Gillis was a huge show at the time it aired but my parents didn't seem to have ever watch it). So that's how many have come to think of Velma as gay.
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