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EP. REVIEW: Fena: Pirate Princess


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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:00 am Reply with quote
So this is a pirate story about a woman who refuse to be raped because she has a man waiting for her. She hatch a plan to escape that's a complete failure on every level and only serve to land her only friend in trouble and was pointless since she's eventually rescued because, as a noble, she deserve special treatment. She then instantly, and trough no effort of hers, gain a large crew of super badass.

It's not bad, but why not have her at least rescue herself, even if only just partly? Would give her some agency and make her victory at least somewhat earned. As is, the only two reason she's the main character are that a) she's noble and b) she's pretty, which is weak for what's (presumably) a female empowerment story.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:33 am Reply with quote
@meiam

Those are pretty good points; can't argue. I think it's cool for her to love someone else though; afterall, female empowerment isn't about the absence of romance. (but I wish he treated her better)

We can hope that she will learn to defend herself quickly as these others teach her. She did hit her target with the arrow so she will get there. Remember Yona was helpless too at first. She had to be pushed to the breaking point in order for her to lash out, like a small animal being cornered. She decided to fight as hard as she could after that.
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Takkun4343



Joined: 19 Jul 2007
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Location: Englewood, Ohio
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 5:36 am Reply with quote
Solid start to the series, though I can certainly see some issues in there. The big one's already been covered plenty, but even then I've watched anime long enough that mood whiplash isn't that fundamental an issue to me. The pacing, though, is definitely worth mentioning for how uneven in places it is. If not for the promo material spoiling the change, I'd argue that Fena simply unsheathing the short sword Yukimaru left her was the most subtle five-second foreshadowing for a character development haircut I've ever seen. (And I mean that only halfway in a good way.) I'm guessing it evens out some as the show goes on, but as much as I hope it does, I think I can handle some more of the same if it doesn't. Such is life finding things others find as make-or-break factors as nothing more than minor inconveniences and nothing worth complaining about.

Gonna be honest tho, not looking forward to the enemy pirate gang that'll show up next episode. Don't get me wrong, I respect there are a lot of people interested in the redheaded eyepatch lady, and I find the gothloli-like member fairly cute, but that one with the bandana, blond hair and freckles reminds me so much of the main "heroine" of Dobson's horrendous feminist pirate webcomic that I just want to crawl into a hole and die whenever I look at her. The fact that I was severely burned on all-female pirate crews in anime after watching Gargantia episode 3 eight years ago doesn't help.
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wkaminer



Joined: 28 Dec 2012
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 7:58 am Reply with quote
Well for me it felt like a dive into old time anime when Miyazaki and others were somewhat doing a sort of steampunk-history-mix. Stuff like Nadia and the secret of Blue Water or even Les Mysterieuses cités d'Or pops into my memory...

But, yes, I agree - it came too easy for her. And, yes, the haircut won't do it for me either.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:09 am Reply with quote
This feels like another victim of how to put this, Toonami syndrome? No, that isn't it. LeSean Thomas syndrome? Maybe?

Anyway, the problem is the usual feel of Western written anime that goes "We have to include all the anime tropes" and the ensuing result feels...hollow.
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:24 am Reply with quote
The haircut is spectacularly ugly, but given that she did it with a sword, which is hardly an ideal hair-cutting tool, I'll give it a pass. On that front, I sort of like that it looks so bad as opposed to the Yona/Mulan sword-haircut perfection, which has always been one of those details that bothered me for no good reason.
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Nom De Plume De Fanboy
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Joined: 14 Jan 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:46 am Reply with quote
As for it coming too easy for Fena - maybe things are being arraigned by some behind the scenes string pulling. Even Fena, part way through the first escape, asked Otto, in kind of a wondering way, "How did you know I was on the island?", but then couldn't follow up on her question in all the hectic activity.

I think somebody wants the secret of the McGuffin glass brick thingy, so they set everything up so Fena can get it. Right now, I put my money on the blonde fellow who caught the bottle thrown at Fena's friend, and who then acted so decent.

But the island ( Goblin island? ) also showed up pretty magically, just when needed, so maybe the old guy running it is up to something. Maybe many people are. The plot's afoot, and it's only the second episode. Early days yet.
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Panino Manino



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:57 am Reply with quote
Watched 2 episodes, and this is such a waste of animation... I think for many reasons this community often discuss.
Episode 1 introduce us to this character that is trying to flee for her freedom to not have a life as an object to man. While this was happening I was half distracted by the good animation and half by noticing how all characters were feeling like common anime templates. I should had payed more attention to the later, would have made the second episode less disappointing.
The previously mentioned character managed to flee, even if this was achieved by the efforts of others that risked their lives to save her, but she achieved her freedom anyway... just to throw it away very fast. After finally reuniting with Yukimaru he starts some nonsensical rant about her not respecting more her irresponsible dead father and thus being "immature". As a result she cuts her hair to show how now she is suddenly all grown up and adult like and to dedicated her life to whatever shady criminal enterprise her father was attempting meeting her destiny.

I didn't like this at all, this whole cast is unsympathetic, double more so with all that "bushi loyalty" idiocy. And what was that "voyage" about? Those mercenaries where on the ship without knowing to where it was going? They weren't not even worth the trust to be told as little as that?
(and by the way I hated that girl's technological appropriations)


EDIT: there was a brief moment in the beginning of the first episode when I felt hopeful, when I heard that she had sold herself. For a brief moment I remembered Ching Shih and thought that maybe there was a remote chance that this anime had took a little bit of inspiration from her story, but ended being completely different
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Aura Ichadora



Joined: 25 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:24 am Reply with quote
Fena was a fun ride for me so far in the first two episodes. I can understand the tonal issues given what Fena was escaping from, but I do like the use of humor in trying to diffuse some of the situation (I mean... the fact that you got these two old men way past their prime coming in to rescue her is just funny on its own, since one would've thought it'd be Yukimaru). And while I understand why people would be annoyed with Yukimaru smacking Fena as hard as he does on the head, I won't deny how loudly I laughed each time. Likely because I'm so used to seeing this reversed, with women doing it to men, so it's a rather humorous change of pace.

I guess my issue would likely be with trying to speed through Fena's memories to get the plot going. I kinda feel like the second episode was rushed a bit and we could've explored a bit more of Fena trying to remember Eden, as well as gaining that scene of her cutting her hair. Make it feel more earned. But I understand, they wanted to get the ball rolling so Episode 3 we get some pirate adventuring, so things needed to be sped up. But it is a bit sad that we didn't explore that more and it was just dropped on us in a "this happened" exposition dump.

Overall, I'm definitely looking forward to watching the rest! It's a beautiful and entertaining ride so far, and I'm very curious as to what will happen next now that they're heading out over the open seas.
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:28 am Reply with quote
Panino Manino wrote:

EDIT: there was a brief moment in the beginning of the first episode when I felt hopeful, when I heard that she had sold herself. For a brief moment I remembered Ching Shih and thought that maybe there was a remote chance that this anime had took a little bit of inspiration from her story, but ended being completely different


I think it's too early to rule out a Ching Shih (some of you may know her as Cheng I Sao) reference, especially since the specter of sex work has been raised. Right now I'm seeing more Mary Read or Grace O'Malley potential from Fena herself, especially because she's shown cross-dressing in the opening theme. Believe me, real-life female pirate references are something I'm planning to keep a very close eye on.

(I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into Cutthroat Island.)
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:42 am Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
The haircut is spectacularly ugly, but given that she did it with a sword, which is hardly an ideal hair-cutting tool, I'll give it a pass. On that front, I sort of like that it looks so bad as opposed to the Yona/Mulan sword-haircut perfection, which has always been one of those details that bothered me for no good reason.


Mulan, I really can't speak for but Yona's did look kind of messy at first; another character helped her trim it nicely later. I forget who xD but I do have a screenshot of her before the trim, saved because it was a funny ship moment:




Very uneven in the back.

Not only is Fena's uglier but how did she get it boy-short without cutting her NECK? O____o she seems rather clumsy so THAT is my real nitpick here lol


(I did forget to mention how stunning the OP is, visually and audio-wise. I love that OP song.)
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:30 am Reply with quote
Nom De Plume De Fanboy wrote:
As for it coming too easy for Fena - maybe things are being arraigned by some behind the scenes string pulling. Even Fena, part way through the first escape, asked Otto, in kind of a wondering way, "How did you know I was on the island?", but then couldn't follow up on her question in all the hectic activity.

I think somebody wants the secret of the McGuffin glass brick thingy, so they set everything up so Fena can get it. Right now, I put my money on the blonde fellow who caught the bottle thrown at Fena's friend, and who then acted so decent.

But the island ( Goblin island? ) also showed up pretty magically, just when needed, so maybe the old guy running it is up to something. Maybe many people are. The plot's afoot, and it's only the second episode. Early days yet.

The problem with it being too easy, at least for me, isn't because its a plot hole or anything. It's that it reduce the main character to essentially a McGuffin herself and she just get carted around by other people. I like story more when the main character is the agent of change and not the helpless damsel in distress. At the very least her attempt to escape could have impressed someone and then they'd rescue her, but no it's all about her heritage and who her father was. Her personality/motive/action are all meaningless, she succeed because she was destined to.
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Panino Manino



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 734
PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:05 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:

I think it's too early to rule out a Ching Shih (some of you may know her as Cheng I Sao) reference, especially since the specter of sex work has been raised. Right now I'm seeing more Mary Read or Grace O'Malley potential from Fena herself, especially because she's shown cross-dressing in the opening theme. Believe me, real-life female pirate references are something I'm planning to keep a very close eye on.

(I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into Cutthroat Island.)


They (the japanese) could just make something about Seto Sea pirates already, it's about time. But maybe real japanese pirates are too unglamorous.
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NeedMoreCats
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Joined: 06 Oct 2018
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Location: Westchester, NY
PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:47 pm Reply with quote
So far, for me, tons of fun. So much eye candy here, I’m really loving it. The scenery and animation are just great—they made her flowing hair look so lovely. I think Yukimaru is very beautiful (yeah, he gots ta stop bopping her on the head tho), and that blond officer ain’t too shabby, neither. I predict he’s going to be a villain and his “chivalrous” actions towards Angie will be a cover for his true black-hearted personality (no doubt I’m totally off-base, but it’s so much fun to speculate).

Boy, Otto and Salman sure aged a LOT in the past 10 years! Very Happy

Princess_Irene wrote:
The haircut is spectacularly ugly

So ugly! Hopefully, it gets adjusted at some point.

Gina Szanboti wrote:
Also, the Last of the Mohicans "Stay alive! I will find you!" line had me Rolling Eyes

Haha, I immediately thought of that movie, too!
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Dorian



Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 111
Location: Houston
PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:14 pm Reply with quote
How long will it take for someone to open Fena's locket?
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