What? No subs?

So, a week or so ago I DLed the Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations OVAs.  I swear the file said it had subs, yet, I have no subs.  Whatever, I'm sure I can find it elsewhere.  And if I forget, it'll get licensed eventually, anyway.  But, since I didn't exactly need subs, I went ahead and watched that OTT angsty bit that I love so much, and capped it muchly.

Also, pretty ending credits shot:



Anyway!  Caps with commentary!  

( spoilers for part 2 of OVA and vol 16 of the Tsubasa manga )

*wonders what kind of reputation she has at this point*

ETA: Spoilers through vol 22 of the manga in the comments.

What? No subs?

So, a week or so ago I DLed the Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations OVAs.  I swear the file said it had subs, yet, I have no subs.  Whatever, I'm sure I can find it elsewhere.  And if I forget, it'll get licensed eventually, anyway.  But, since I didn't exactly need subs, I went ahead and watched that OTT angsty bit that I love so much, and capped it muchly.

Also, pretty ending credits shot:



Anyway!  Caps with commentary!  

( spoilers for part 2 of OVA and vol 16 of the Tsubasa manga )

*wonders what kind of reputation she has at this point*

ETA: Spoilers through vol 22 of the manga in the comments.

The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly

Sun Wolf, the famed leader of a mercenary band, has little use for women outside of pretty young things to keep his bed warm. The only exception to this is Starhawk, his masculine second-in-command, who he regularly tells himself(and others) doesn’t really count. When Sheera, a noblewoman of Mandrigyn, tries to purchase his services to help reclaim Mandrigyn from Altiokis, the only living wizard, he gives her a resounding "Hello no!" Sheera, however, is having none of that and kidnaps him, poisoning him and telling him that she’ll only save him if he trains the women of Mandrigyn to fight so they can retake the city themselves. Starhawk, meanwhile, is having none of that kidnapping thing, and heads north to Mandrigyn despite the winter to get him back, accompanied only by his mistress, Fawn.

Obviously, this book was going to have a lot of gender role reversals from the get go. The damsel in distress is the hardened mercenary leader. The hero off to rescue him is his female sidekick. The charismatic leader is a woman, and her army is comprised of women. Female characters who would typically be dismissed, such as Fawn, are made interesting and given depth and purpose. Sun Wolf walks the fine line between "sexist and needs to be punched" and "sexist because of lifestyle, but learning," but comes out on the right side, for the most part. He does, however, manage to be likable but less interesting than most of the other characters around him. Most of his character growth, of course, revolves around his opening his eyes and realizing that Starhawk isn’t the only woman in the world who won’t crumble at the first sign of trouble. And, of course, figuring out that she’s much more his type than what he’s always thought. It’s difficult to pull off a romance where the characters in question barely interact, but Hambly does it pretty well.

I forget, is this one part of a series, and if so, are the others good?

The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly

Sun Wolf, the famed leader of a mercenary band, has little use for women outside of pretty young things to keep his bed warm. The only exception to this is Starhawk, his masculine second-in-command, who he regularly tells himself(and others) doesn’t really count. When Sheera, a noblewoman of Mandrigyn, tries to purchase his services to help reclaim Mandrigyn from Altiokis, the only living wizard, he gives her a resounding "Hello no!" Sheera, however, is having none of that and kidnaps him, poisoning him and telling him that she’ll only save him if he trains the women of Mandrigyn to fight so they can retake the city themselves. Starhawk, meanwhile, is having none of that kidnapping thing, and heads north to Mandrigyn despite the winter to get him back, accompanied only by his mistress, Fawn.

Obviously, this book was going to have a lot of gender role reversals from the get go. The damsel in distress is the hardened mercenary leader. The hero off to rescue him is his female sidekick. The charismatic leader is a woman, and her army is comprised of women. Female characters who would typically be dismissed, such as Fawn, are made interesting and given depth and purpose. Sun Wolf walks the fine line between "sexist and needs to be punched" and "sexist because of lifestyle, but learning," but comes out on the right side, for the most part. He does, however, manage to be likable but less interesting than most of the other characters around him. Most of his character growth, of course, revolves around his opening his eyes and realizing that Starhawk isn’t the only woman in the world who won’t crumble at the first sign of trouble. And, of course, figuring out that she’s much more his type than what he’s always thought. It’s difficult to pull off a romance where the characters in question barely interact, but Hambly does it pretty well.

I forget, is this one part of a series, and if so, are the others good?

Pearl Pink Vol 4

Alas, the short tale of sweet, badass, cracktastic, occasionally crossdressing monkey love is already over. (But short is better than dragging it out forever, I suppose…) 

( more )

Pearl Pink Vol 4

Alas, the short tale of sweet, badass, cracktastic, occasionally crossdressing monkey love is already over. (But short is better than dragging it out forever, I suppose…) 

( more )

Birds of Prey #115-117

( I remain unimpressed with McKeever's run so far. )

 

Birds of Prey #115-117

( I remain unimpressed with McKeever's run so far. )

 

Maybe I'm just too annoyed by whatever not-funny-to-me comedy The Boys are watching...

...but let me vent for a moment.

*icon directed more towards shrill not-funny-people on the TV who need to shut up than anything else*

Dear Avatar fandom:

This is a children's show.  Its target audience is much younger than most of its internet fans.  Yes, the ratio of good guys/bad guys may seem to be becoming overwhelming, but that's because in something for kids, all the people you're supposed to like need to be on the hero's side.  You can't tell a 6 year old to like Zuko (Zuko interchangable with character of choice), then have Zuko trying to stop Aang at the end when Aang is trying to save the world, or standing by and doing nothing when everyone else is fighting and he could be helping.

Just because you're an adult and able to see shades of grey doesn't change the fact that, very simply, you are not the target audience, and the target audience doesn't see those shades of grey, and still needs things to be mostly black and white.

Even though I'm largely unspoiled for season 3, there are certain things I automatically assume when starting something directed towards kids, such as that everyone non-evil and who the text expects me to like will end up either neutral or an ally of the hero's, even if they don't admit they're an ally.

And yes, there will probably be a tacked on epilogue with everyone all cheery and happy like I'm told the last Harry Potter book has.  Why?  Because the target audience expects cheery happiness to be their heroes' reward.

Just because something has a wide crossover appeal with adults doesn't mean that it will cater to adult sensibilities when it's written for children and their sensibilities.

*crawls back into fandom hole*

Maybe I'm just too annoyed by whatever not-funny-to-me comedy The Boys are watching...

...but let me vent for a moment.

*icon directed more towards shrill not-funny-people on the TV who need to shut up than anything else*

Dear Avatar fandom:

This is a children's show.  Its target audience is much younger than most of its internet fans.  Yes, the ratio of good guys/bad guys may seem to be becoming overwhelming, but that's because in something for kids, all the people you're supposed to like need to be on the hero's side.  You can't tell a 6 year old to like Zuko (Zuko interchangable with character of choice), then have Zuko trying to stop Aang at the end when Aang is trying to save the world, or standing by and doing nothing when everyone else is fighting and he could be helping.

Just because you're an adult and able to see shades of grey doesn't change the fact that, very simply, you are not the target audience, and the target audience doesn't see those shades of grey, and still needs things to be mostly black and white.

Even though I'm largely unspoiled for season 3, there are certain things I automatically assume when starting something directed towards kids, such as that everyone non-evil and who the text expects me to like will end up either neutral or an ally of the hero's, even if they don't admit they're an ally.

And yes, there will probably be a tacked on epilogue with everyone all cheery and happy like I'm told the last Harry Potter book has.  Why?  Because the target audience expects cheery happiness to be their heroes' reward.

Just because something has a wide crossover appeal with adults doesn't mean that it will cater to adult sensibilities when it's written for children and their sensibilities.

*crawls back into fandom hole*

It's not Clamp until someone loses an eye

 So, I hear much about Clamp's eye loss fetish, but, outside of xxxHolic and Tsubasa(and such UNIQUE losses of eyes they are, too...) I don't remember it in the other Clamp things I've read, though those have been a few years.

So, anyone want to give me examples?  Or of other equally interesting eye losses(or, for that matter, near equal levels of angst-Clamp has given me a new appreciation for angst) in other manga?

Despite the putting of my brain through a meat grinder, I now somehow feel...well, bereft...

Use your own discretion for whether or not the spoiler code is needed.

<span style="color: #333333;background-color: #333333">Spoilers here.</span> 

ETA:  Saiyuki and Basara don't count, as I already read them.

It's not Clamp until someone loses an eye

 So, I hear much about Clamp's eye loss fetish, but, outside of xxxHolic and Tsubasa(and such UNIQUE losses of eyes they are, too...) I don't remember it in the other Clamp things I've read, though those have been a few years.

So, anyone want to give me examples?  Or of other equally interesting eye losses(or, for that matter, near equal levels of angst-Clamp has given me a new appreciation for angst) in other manga?

Despite the putting of my brain through a meat grinder, I now somehow feel...well, bereft...

Use your own discretion for whether or not the spoiler code is needed.

<span style="color: #333333;background-color: #333333">Spoilers here.</span> 

ETA:  Saiyuki and Basara don't count, as I already read them.