this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2024
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Ok so i guess my weeb credentials are at stake here but uh:
Nausicca is from the movie ... Nausicca and the Valley of the Wind? I think I saw that once, quite a long time ago?
Balalaika... I /think/ thats also a movie as you say from decades ago at this point, but thats all I remember.
Yui Ikari isnt actually ringing any bells.
Either way like, this baffles me.
Many, maaany left leaning weaboos/anime enthusiasts are very critical of Western Media and Non Animated Movies along basically feminist media analysis theory.
But this just for some reason does not apply to anime, otherwise theyd be just as critical of a lack of female (or female coded) characters that, you know, are strong, powerful, (for these two it obviously doesnt have to be in the sense of like physical or combat capability) intelligent, responsible and capable.
Instead in the anime realm its largely devolved into just 90s TV soap opera-esque, Im more of a Rachel than a Phoebe, but for various absurd, often highly emotional and volatile and irresponsible anime characters.
Again, unless Ive missed some new, actually interesting anime series or movie that portrays women without heavily relying on, and ideally actually meaningfully challenging basically harmful stereotypes of gender roles.
Nausicaa is from that movie, which is an adaptation of the first quarter of the manga of the same name. She is an exceptionally selfless, patient and empathetic village chief who tries to keep the peace between two stronger neighbours (and the Ohmu). She is probably the most knowledgable person in the setting regarding the Ohmu (and the forest in general), and while there are many others who are physically stronger, she has nerves of steel and can handle pressure much better than anyone else.
Balalaika is the Don of Hotel Moscow in Black Lagoon, and probably the most powerful named character. She is intelligent and well-read, and a former army officer.
Skip the next paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers.
Yui Ikari is Shinji's mother from Neon Genesis Evangelion. She finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy to end the world, and finds no one she can trust. So she comes up with a plan that starts with her death, and ends with saving her son and most of humanity.
Because anime was, in many respects, much better in this regard than mainstream Western media. I say 'was' because anime has now become a lot more mainstream than it was.
Anime was greatly influenced by the Japanese youth protests of the 1960s. Hayao Miyazaki, who wrote the Nausicaa manga (and directed that and many other films, including Spirited Away and last year's How Do You Live?) was a union leader. His works include pacifist, environmentalist, Marxist and feminist themes - Nausicaa herself would go on to inspire a great number of anime heroines.
Focusing more on feminism and well-written female characters, there was the Year 24 group, who produced such classics as the Rose of Versailles (dated by modern standards, but revolutionary for its time). And there was Kunihiko Ikuhara, the madman who directed Sailor Moon, a very mainstream show (in Japan) aimed at young girls, and put two well-written lesbian characters in it. Ikuhara also directed Revolutionary Girl Utena, a story of love, breaking social rules, the price one pays for such transgression, and how such a sacrifice can inspire others to live better lives.
(Also, I don't really care about the 'strong heroines' who defeat the villains. I prefer well-written but far from perfect characters. Balalaika is at best the lesser of the many evils. Oscar, Uranus, Neptune and Utena are all too proud to value their own lives. Lain is on either side of a mental breakdown, and so on. But they are all memorable characters, and to me, that's what matters.)
Thanks for the refresh! I really appreciate that you wrote that all out, Ive certainly got some rewatching and first time watching to do now =)
I definitely have never even seen Black Lagoon, must have just heard about it in passing at some point.
And I'm now ashamed I didnt remember Shinji's mother name. Welp.
I had heard of Revolutionary Girl Utena but never managed to watch it, had not heard of Rose of Versailles, and of course have heard of and watched Sailor Moon, ... and having discussions with other kids at the time who did not even believe that two of the Sailors were lesbians in the actual Japanese version but that this was censored and rewritten for the American version.
And yes, agreed that well written characters do a good job of showing flaws, but also being capable of meaningfully impacting the world around them or other characters, and are hugely more compelling than basically cardboard cutouts.
Black Lagoon is a gangster series and one of the few anime with a good English dub.
Heh, I remembered that Shinji's mother had the same name as one of the K-on! girls, but had to look up which.
Utena is an amazing anime, but it is very symbolic, so not everyone likes it.'
The Rose of Versailles is a fictional account of French queen Marie Antoinette and her bodyguard Oskar, in the years leading up to the French Revolution. It broke the conventions of the shojo / josei genre, with darker themes and social criticism (usually by making fun of the nobility). But to a modern audience, it might seem too sentimental and dramatic.