Comments on: Feminism in Shoujo Manga: Introduction http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/ Irresponsible pictures, reviewed responsibly Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:21:42 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Michael Tim http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4067 Michael Tim Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:25:36 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4067 I love your site! _____________________ Experiencing a slow PC recently? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/makemypcfaster" rel="nofollow">Fix it now!</a> I love your site!

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]]> By: Prepare for Trouble » Blog Archive » Chronicle of a Hiatus Foretold http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4056 Prepare for Trouble » Blog Archive » Chronicle of a Hiatus Foretold Tue, 27 May 2008 11:58:26 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4056 [...] Feminism in Shoujo Manga, an introduction & Feminism in Shoujo Manga: NANA - From the sadly defunct anime blog, Bento Physics, which I have recently discovered. I say sadly because the articles in it are awesome! The series on shoujo manga never went too far, but it contains these two articles which are great reads. [...] [...] Feminism in Shoujo Manga, an introduction & Feminism in Shoujo Manga: NANA – From the sadly defunct anime blog, Bento Physics, which I have recently discovered. I say sadly because the articles in it are awesome! The series on shoujo manga never went too far, but it contains these two articles which are great reads. [...]

]]> By: surveyork http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4050 surveyork Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:03:35 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-4050 Hi there. I think Rachel Nabor got it all wrong with Kare Kano. Either that or I read a different manga with the same title :). Yukino, the female protagonist in Kare Kano, has a professional goal and works hard for it. Arima, her boyfriend, completely supports her and she does the same with him and his goals. The other girls in the story, including Yukino's sisters, eventually end up doing what they want to do. I didn't see "women giving up their own will dreams and hopes in favor of adopting their sweetheart’s" anywhere. Leaving that aside, I would like to add that I recently read shoujo manga with smut and it left me a bit shocked. Although the emphasis is put on romance, there were strong sex scenes. They weren't as explicit as the ones you can find in hentai but some of the scenarios where similar: boy blackmails girl into sex and she likes it, boy "rapes" girl and she likes it, girl rapes boy (!), male student VS private female teacher, male teacher Vs female student... I even found a title featuring a 3rd year elementary school girl madly in love with her teacher! That was quite shocking, honestly. Hi there. I think Rachel Nabor got it all wrong with Kare Kano. Either that or I read a different manga with the same title :) .

Yukino, the female protagonist in Kare Kano, has a professional goal and works hard for it. Arima, her boyfriend, completely supports her and she does the same with him and his goals. The other girls in the story, including Yukino’s sisters, eventually end up doing what they want to do. I didn’t see “women giving up their own will dreams and hopes in favor of adopting their sweetheart’s” anywhere.

Leaving that aside, I would like to add that I recently read shoujo manga with smut and it left me a bit shocked. Although the emphasis is put on romance, there were strong sex scenes. They weren’t as explicit as the ones you can find in hentai but some of the scenarios where similar: boy blackmails girl into sex and she likes it, boy “rapes” girl and she likes it, girl rapes boy (!), male student VS private female teacher, male teacher Vs female student… I even found a title featuring a 3rd year elementary school girl madly in love with her teacher! That was quite shocking, honestly.

]]> By: alida http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-1392 alida Thu, 03 May 2007 16:40:31 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-1392 Helo, I am a gret fan of manga, are you. I hawe a dog he´s names is Leo Helo, I am a gret fan of manga, are you.
I hawe a dog he´s names is Leo

]]> By: alida http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-1391 alida Thu, 03 May 2007 16:34:28 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-1391 hallllllllllllllla!!!!!!!!!!! hallllllllllllllla!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> By: Cree http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-943 Cree Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:27:44 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-943 sorry there are a few typos in that lol and if any one is looking for awesome shojo to watch like i was try peach girl. And i agree with the other girl great analizing Nana that ones a great shojo along with Paradise Kiss. sorry there are a few typos in that lol and if any one is looking for awesome shojo to watch like i was try peach girl. And i agree with the other girl great analizing Nana that ones a great shojo along with Paradise Kiss.

]]> By: Cree http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-942 Cree Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:20:03 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-942 Well i stubled apon this while looking for great new shojos to watch that i havnt seen befor and i found a couple so thanks, but i would also like to put my two cents in. In my opinion shojo shouldnt be about feminism, its about girls and guys enjoying great stories made by even greater artists. As much as some people would love to think that all girls are huge feminists, i would just like to tell you to get real ,there not. Yea there are some girls who are huge feminists and there are those that arent. So dont you think that shojo artists should write books about all types of girls and guys? In all truth i would love to ask 100 girls what they think about most or what they care about most. Believe me im a 16 year old girl and girls my age arent thinking about being feminists they are thinking about life, love, and surviving high school. Thats what i love about shojo is that it tells about all that with great art with it. And for those girls who love to dream and hear about magical worlds and super hero girls they have that to. Did Rachel Nabors really think over what she was writing about? Americans write shojo as well not just Japanese. The ideas just didnt come out of no were, these are real people mostly women writing these shojo that she thinks are so unfeminist. Its what real women think. Yea there are some great shojos about feminist girls and there are some great shojos about other girls as well. In my opinion i think its fine that shojo isnt all about feminist girls. You people shouldnt have to prove that shojo isnt anti feminist just because one women said it isnt because apparently she has no clue what she is talking about. To me i would rather read about girls falling in love with great guys that dont treate there girl friends like shit. Most shojo seems to be aimed at teen readers, and the real things that teens do are way worse than shojo animes. We all no what really happens with alot of the teen population, and i would take a shojo romance over that anyday. So i think that Rachel Nabors should be thinking and writing about the lack of feminism in real life befor she starts complaining about feminism in artistic stories. Well i stubled apon this while looking for great new shojos to watch that i havnt seen befor and i found a couple so thanks, but i would also like to put my two cents in. In my opinion shojo shouldnt be about feminism, its about girls and guys enjoying great stories made by even greater artists. As much as some people would love to think that all girls are huge feminists, i would just like to tell you to get real ,there not. Yea there are some girls who are huge feminists and there are those that arent. So dont you think that shojo artists should write books about all types of girls and guys? In all truth i would love to ask 100 girls what they think about most or what they care about most. Believe me im a 16 year old girl and girls my age arent thinking about being feminists they are thinking about life, love, and surviving high school. Thats what i love about shojo is that it tells about all that with great art with it. And for those girls who love to dream and hear about magical worlds and super hero girls they have that to. Did Rachel Nabors really think over what she was writing about? Americans write shojo as well not just Japanese. The ideas just didnt come out of no were, these are real people mostly women writing these shojo that she thinks are so unfeminist. Its what real women think. Yea there are some great shojos about feminist girls and there are some great shojos about other girls as well. In my opinion i think its fine that shojo isnt all about feminist girls. You people shouldnt have to prove that shojo isnt anti feminist just because one women said it isnt because apparently she has no clue what she is talking about. To me i would rather read about girls falling in love with great guys that dont treate there girl friends like shit. Most shojo seems to be aimed at teen readers, and the real things that teens do are way worse than shojo animes. We all no what really happens with alot of the teen population, and i would take a shojo romance over that anyday. So i think that Rachel Nabors should be thinking and writing about the lack of feminism in real life befor she starts complaining about feminism in artistic stories.

]]> By: Leona (Canada) http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-60 Leona (Canada) Fri, 11 Aug 2006 15:38:44 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-60 I happened across this site in my Google wanderings, and I encourage you completely to explore the feminism inherent in manga. Intelligent articles are welcome over fangirling squeals of "liek, omg!" (which all of us are apt to fall prey to), and I look forward to reading what you have to say. My only hope, however, is that you explore as many different specturms of manga and their representations of women as you can. While there are quality shoujo manga titles such as Nana and Kimi wa Petto, which are crafted with a conscious awareness of the society in which Japanese women live, there are others which seem to perpetuate the "romance" of female passivity. They are also written by female mangaka, and the two which come to the forefront of my mind are Aihara Miki and Shinjo Mayu. I think it is incredibly important to disprove the counterfeminist perspectives haboured by Westerners encountering manga, but we should also be aware of titles that feed those perspectives. Good luck to you, and I look forward to your articles! Leona (Canada) I happened across this site in my Google wanderings, and I encourage you completely to explore the feminism inherent in manga. Intelligent articles are welcome over fangirling squeals of “liek, omg!” (which all of us are apt to fall prey to), and I look forward to reading what you have to say.

My only hope, however, is that you explore as many different specturms of manga and their representations of women as you can. While there are quality shoujo manga titles such as Nana and Kimi wa Petto, which are crafted with a conscious awareness of the society in which Japanese women live, there are others which seem to perpetuate the “romance” of female passivity. They are also written by female mangaka, and the two which come to the forefront of my mind are Aihara Miki and Shinjo Mayu. I think it is incredibly important to disprove the counterfeminist perspectives haboured by Westerners encountering manga, but we should also be aware of titles that feed those perspectives.

Good luck to you, and I look forward to your articles!

Leona (Canada)

]]> By: My http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-48 My Tue, 25 Jul 2006 10:13:14 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-48 Sweat & Honey by Mari Okazaki and the 6 oneshot volumes (Between the Sheets, Angel, Angel's Nest etc) released by Erica Sakurasawa is really worth taking a look at. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the articles! Good job on analyzing Nana. Sweat & Honey by Mari Okazaki and the 6 oneshot volumes (Between the Sheets, Angel, Angel’s Nest etc) released by Erica Sakurasawa is really worth taking a look at. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the articles! Good job on analyzing Nana.

]]> By: Naughty Ninja http://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-42 Naughty Ninja Thu, 20 Jul 2006 19:42:20 +0000 https://bentophysics.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/feminism-in-shoujo-manga-introduction/#comment-42 <b>Arachne</b>, those were really good points you brought up. I'm honestly still familiarizing myself with as much feminist theory as possible, since it offers such a wealth of standpoints, and as you put it, contradictions. But I believe this to be a good thing, since it stands to say the female condition can’t be a simple subject by any means. Your discussion on the 2nd wave vs. 3rd wave is exactly the kind of thing I was trying to find words for. While reading on how people saw shoujo to be counterfeminist, they seemed to be clinging to outdated concepts of what feminism really entailed. So you've totally nailed that on the head for me. I'll definitely look up the older titles you've recommended...and I'm open to anything that can be described as the "anti-Fushigi Yuugi" :D Also, CLAMP provides a wealth of reading...I'm currently trying to narrow it down. I'd like to discuss their subversion of the hentai game format that was Chobits, their reinvention of the magical girl in Card Captor Sakura, among other titles. And just the fact that they're a creative powerhouse in manga, and regularly feature amazing female characters, draw from the female experience, subvert gender roles, and still communicate beyond to an audience made up of <i>both</i> men and women. In essence, CLAMP should deserve an entire paper unto itself, I'd say. I'm truly looking forward to your paper, and am sure it will be worth the wait :) Arachne, those were really good points you brought up. I’m honestly still familiarizing myself with as much feminist theory as possible, since it offers such a wealth of standpoints, and as you put it, contradictions. But I believe this to be a good thing, since it stands to say the female condition can’t be a simple subject by any means.

Your discussion on the 2nd wave vs. 3rd wave is exactly the kind of thing I was trying to find words for. While reading on how people saw shoujo to be counterfeminist, they seemed to be clinging to outdated concepts of what feminism really entailed. So you’ve totally nailed that on the head for me.

I’ll definitely look up the older titles you’ve recommended…and I’m open to anything that can be described as the “anti-Fushigi Yuugi” :D

Also, CLAMP provides a wealth of reading…I’m currently trying to narrow it down. I’d like to discuss their subversion of the hentai game format that was Chobits, their reinvention of the magical girl in Card Captor Sakura, among other titles. And just the fact that they’re a creative powerhouse in manga, and regularly feature amazing female characters, draw from the female experience, subvert gender roles, and still communicate beyond to an audience made up of both men and women. In essence, CLAMP should deserve an entire paper unto itself, I’d say.

I’m truly looking forward to your paper, and am sure it will be worth the wait :)

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