Forum - View topicChicks On Anime - Creating a Heroine
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ArthurFrDent
 Posts: 466 |
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good read, kids...
one thing I was wondering, is are you going to have Bold get old? Somewhere at a time where all the corners have been worn away, and she has to face her life? I'd love to see that. So often the story we see is actually a short time spun out over a long one. I'd surely like to see a life, that is lived. Not the stuff like throwing out your back getting out of bed {unless it serves the story, of course} but in terms of the choices you had to make, when none of the choices was good... in any case best of luck. |
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doctordoom85
 Posts: 2093 |
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Okay, I bought Kino's Journey last month, but had not watched it yet. I had no idea Kino was a woman. I mean, looking at the cover now, I can see it, but when I bought it, I looked at the cover and assumed it was a guy. Threw me off-guard to find out while reading CoA.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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Sorry.  It's kind of a spoiler, but it's been out for so long, I figured it's kind of fair game. Like spoiling the end of King Kong or The Sixth Sense.
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Ai no Kareshi
 Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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First, I have to get this off my chest. Phew.
I know people are going to take this the wrong way, but bear in mind that I'm not familiar with this person's work at all. Just reading this article, however, it felt as if the girls had just pulled a random fanfic writer from the masses and interviewed her about her Mary Sue. |
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doctordoom85
Posts: 2093 |
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No, no, I didn't mean to imply I'm upset, apparently I'll find out about 1/3 of the way in, plus I imagine if I started with the light novels, I would know right off the bat. If it was right at the end like Samus in the first Metroid, I wouldn't be happy, but something like this being spoiled is no biggie. Sorry for the confusion. Ai no Kareshi: I don't know how you reached that conclusion. Just because she gets a lot of action and she happens to be a lot like the author doesn't automatically make her a Sue (they're traits, but one needs a lot of traits before they enter definitive Sue territory). The author suggested the main character does find herself in trouble often because of her need for control, indicating a significant character flaw that she is responsible for, so she's not "Little Miss Perfect". Anything else we have too little information to go on, so really, I think you're throwing out a big assumption there. One should at least read the work first before making a judgment here. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2633 |
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Kino is one of my absolute favorite characters because she does not identify by her gender only by her profession as a traveler. Not to mention I think her whole stance on judging other cultures is very interesting even if I don't necessarily agree with it.
Quite honestly as many badly written female characters that there are in anime/manga I can think of a lot of well written ones. So I don't think well written ones are the exception at all. Besides there are negative portrayals of women across all mediums not just anime/manga. I like to focus on the positive anyways and say I would like to see more of this. Other well written female characters: practically all the female characters in Juuni Kokki. They are flawed but they grow from these flaws. Shuurei in Saiunkoku although it has the typical reverse harem antics with many of the male characters chasing her she is more interested in her career and helping improve the country. Although I do have to say that I hate the notion that just because a female character can fight they are a well written female character. Half the time these characters are taken right out of a male fantasy. On the other side just because a female character cannot fight doesn't mean she is poorly written. I would rather see a female character that has or grows emotional strength. |
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Ai no Kareshi
Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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You're right, it was a big assumption, I'm probably wrong, and I apologize for that. I guess I was just unimpressed with the overall tone of the author's replies. She just struck me as unprofessional and "fangirlish", with her "rapey" lingo and inside jokes about babysitters. On the other hand, she did give some informative answers so I might have been too quick to judge. And besides, if I ever produced something popular and successful, I should be so lucky as to have the luxury of being casual about it in an interview (it sure wouldn't be funded by my old man, though). |
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irishninja
 Posts: 344 Location: Seattle-ish |
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Well now that you know, you can look for the very subtle hints they give in the ways the other characters react to her before the "big reveal."  I thought Kino was a guy the first time I watched as well, but the second time, I noticed just how nuanced some interactions were. It really is an extremely well-written show.
I was turned off by her responses as well, but some people just don't do well in interviews (meaning, those being interviewed). |
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BunnyCupCakes
 Posts: 224 Location: The Sunshine State |
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This week's CoA didn't really satisfy me for some reason.
I was expecting a more deeper discussion and not all about the guest's work. It was still interesting to read though. |
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3489 Location: Back stateside |
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No list of great female characters from anime is complete without Balsa from Moribito. 30 years old, strong, broad-shouldered, never dresses skimpily, and an astounding warrior, she's also kind, caring, and intelligent. She even gets a romantic interest who's a few years younger than her and respects her decision to remain single. Balsa is not just one of the best heroines in anime, she's one of the best I've ever seen anywhere. |
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konkonsn
 Posts: 172 Location: Illinois |
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I don't think you can "over-analyze" too much (it can be done, but you'd be going into really shakey territory), at least not in the context you're talking about. Yeah, the author says she didn't think about all that feminism, societial implication stuff, but that doesn't mean you can't analyze it. I'm an author, and when I write my characters, it's just like Leia said: "...I think it's important to write what feels true to the human condition." I write a person. But my character is the product of a real person with real perspectives on the world, be they agreeable to you or not. And it's important we pick apart these characters so we show the author what she's writing and what it says about the world we live in. I believe the author has the final say in whether a character is gay, Chinese, android, traitor, etc. I do not believe the author gets final word in whether a character is a sexist representation ("I didn't write her with that intent!") or racist ("My character was never supposed to be seen like that!") and so on. |
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Youkai Warrior
 Posts: 505 Location: Sarayashiki |
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I know the author was saying how the gender roles have been switched, but if Bold Riley is a lesbian, I can't say gender roles have been switched. Lesbian girls tend to be more independant than straight girls, because of the simple fact that they are not interested in boys. Straight girls do anything to get attention from boys, and will do the silliest, and sometimes stupidest things. My friend, who was boy-crazy would not do anything that was too "boyish", like karate or fencing, because "the boys don't think that's cute".
 Lesbian girls aren't trying to get the attention of boys, and will do whatever seems fit to them. In other words, if they want to do something, they will do it, without worrying about how they will look infront of the boys, whereas straight girls worry about how they will look infront of the boys.
An author can do what they like with a character. Like one person said, they can be gay, Chinese, or a different color. However, I have to disagree with the author about "gender roles" being switched for the reason I mentioned above. Has anyone heard of Xena: Warrior Princess? She's kind of like Bold Riley, tough, sexy and independant, and she's a lesbian. The Legend of Bold Riley seems interesting, and I think the author did not have to mention "gender roles". It's interesting that instead of a dainty and delicate girl (like Snow White) who sits around and waits for a prince, a badass girl goes out on adventures and meets other girls.  It's definitly different. I do wish Leia Washington the best of luck.
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Dark Elf Warrior
 Posts: 228 |
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The legend of Bold Riley sounds like a Mary Sue to me.
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vashfanatic
Posts: 3489 Location: Back stateside |
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Thank you for that bland generalization. I don't know what kind of straight girls you know, but clearly they are idiots. |
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Ai no Kareshi
Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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Wow. Right or wrong, it turns out I'm not the only person to have this reaction. |
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