Booo, work. Let's get new awesome jobs where all we have to do is watch TV and then talk about it a lot.
For reference I found the post that got me started on that train of wild and erratic interwebbery, and it is here. It's a Western someone's slideshow about feminism and anime and a Japanese someone's response. It's the response I found interesting.
But absolutely, I agree, I don't think Utena IS one of those shows. Though the commentor mentiones Madoka which I know I've seen generally well-received by people (though I have zero experience with it myself) as a show that she considers to be aimed primarily at older men. I think (and may be wrong) that it's not always just overt OMFG BOOBIES sexualisation (though I know that happens in shows that also play to the omgs-adorable! tropes), but like, also fetishisation of certain types of hypercuteness and helplessness?
Yeah, though, I wasn't trying to draw a direct parallel, so much as it was an interesting tangent that was illustrative of my curiosity regarding how my interpretation would stack against the original cultural context. I also guess I found the notion that the Magical Girl genre is responsible for both creating empowering narratives for women and creating a subgenre that is actively exploitative, interesting, complicated and confusing.
Without drawing a direct parallel (cus I don't think it'd be accurate or appropriate), it did in some ways remind me of my uncertainty surrounding Saito and Ikuhara and their respective agendas...
Massively fascinating show, though. Definitely worth a rewatch. I'm pretty sure it's the sort of thing I'll want to rewatch later, like in months or years, when I have an understanding of the story, but also distance, to see how it holds up.
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Date: 2014-03-17 11:02 pm (UTC)For reference I found the post that got me started on that train of wild and erratic interwebbery, and it is here. It's a Western someone's slideshow about feminism and anime and a Japanese someone's response. It's the response I found interesting.
But absolutely, I agree, I don't think Utena IS one of those shows. Though the commentor mentiones Madoka which I know I've seen generally well-received by people (though I have zero experience with it myself) as a show that she considers to be aimed primarily at older men. I think (and may be wrong) that it's not always just overt OMFG BOOBIES sexualisation (though I know that happens in shows that also play to the omgs-adorable! tropes), but like, also fetishisation of certain types of hypercuteness and helplessness?
Yeah, though, I wasn't trying to draw a direct parallel, so much as it was an interesting tangent that was illustrative of my curiosity regarding how my interpretation would stack against the original cultural context. I also guess I found the notion that the Magical Girl genre is responsible for both creating empowering narratives for women and creating a subgenre that is actively exploitative, interesting, complicated and confusing.
Without drawing a direct parallel (cus I don't think it'd be accurate or appropriate), it did in some ways remind me of my uncertainty surrounding Saito and Ikuhara and their respective agendas...
Massively fascinating show, though. Definitely worth a rewatch. I'm pretty sure it's the sort of thing I'll want to rewatch later, like in months or years, when I have an understanding of the story, but also distance, to see how it holds up.