
! Beware !
Many of

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Character or Gender

So I will talk about  something that have bother me for a long time.
I have hear the discussion, debate,argumentation for years now.
I guess the start of this were in the year 2005 or 2006 when it come to: Yoshihiro Takahashi being sexist.
The gender,argumentation criticism about  (like some call it ) weak females.

Beware of some spoilers and a different view

First I think that are way easy to start to whine, grumble, complain and sometime I feel like some people follow the complain squad: this I mean with out to even think by themselves.
Just follow the pack, more or less. 
Don't get me wrong, of course everyone can have a opinion .We have different taste and view on thing.That is true
But that is a different to have a view,opinion or just follow along to just complain just because for the other doing that.
Why is that that everything need to have a woman in the story , perhaps force to have a female role in the story or the movie just to be political correct.
It seem like non care or forget there is different field, direction or audience with mangas
Some focus on younger people like teenager, there are some mangas that have a more older fans.
There is manga for female (Shōjo manga) ,manga for male (Shōnen manga) and so on. 
There is a large market and different audience.

Most of the so called Ginga manga's have the category ; Shōnen
And Shōnen is manga aimed at a male audience. 
I think people forget or don't know that .
But this don't forbid others like females to read, be fans or like the manga just because its Shōnen. But IF other think about this, perhaps the grumble and the complain will be a bit lower.

My thought go to two author, writer that are well known: S.C.Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien .
When it come to this  Ginga argumentation

If there is discussion, argumentation about Takahashi why not look on those two authors.
I like and love to read their books, like Bilbo; the Hobbit  and Lord of the ring by  J.R.R. Tolkien.
But that main thing is the focus on the male, the men in the story.
Perhaps “boys-only club” as a blogger write a time back. Sure way not.
Today we have series on tv with feminine point of view, magazine, movies books and so one.
So why is that we cant allow a author to write a story with a man's, males point a view?
Before someone take out the torch and scream ; Sexist!

Can we same that same if a woman write a story about just females ?
Is she sexist too in this case ?

I see myself as a nerd and I most of that time love the books before the movies.
If you have read the book; The Hobbit , by J.R.R Tolkien and seen the movies as : "An Unexpected Journey","The Desolation of Smaug" and I just wait for the last of the trilogy "The Battle of the Five Armies".
You probably know that there are many changes from the original story, the book to the movie

! Bewere of some spoilers!

The big problem I had with were character Tauriel ,from the movie "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

The character does not appear in the original book
, but was created by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh as an expansion of material adapted from the book, and first appears in the second film in that trilogy.
She is a Woodland Elf whose name means "Daughter of Mirkwood", and is the head of the Mirkwood Elven guard.
~Quote from Wikipedia

 For me it's strangest to feel the need to create a character that wasn't in the original story. I know that filmmakers do that, changes to create a movie. But If this character were create just to please women point view, that  something I dislike ,really dislike.
Sure that made that story different , like that face Legolas  wasn't in the book.But he show up int the movies .....
For me the Tauriel girl were just boring , if someone have the need to create a character why not a interesting one. Then boring one.

When you look on the trilogy Lord of the Ring, even the elf Arwen got a bigger roll in the moviesthen she have in the book. If I remember right Arwen show up in the first book "Lord of the Rings" and are not so much in focus until the end of the trilogy The Return of the King,
But like Tauriel , Arwen got a bigger roll in the movies .

Why ?
Do we human have a need to throw in female in story's just to feel better ?
Why can we just enjoy the stay with the characters and forget this crazy gender focus .

Perhaps the trigger is that fact Tolkien’s stories lack a feminine point of view
But to me those book are more focus on men,males.

So is this Wrong ? Can you call the author a sexist ? 
Just because the author, artist write or create a story from his mind , his fantasy ?
Shall we censor,censorship just because there is society correction

Do we not make the female character weaker by demand more females genders?
By force we take in gender just for we think; this is needed.
But then will those characters fill the purpose, will they be a part of the main story or do we need to change a manga story/book story just so some people feel good.
Do we really need to change so much that when we go to see parhaps the movie (that are built of the book/books)many thinking are different in a bad way ?
Do we really need to change story so we shall feel better in a dream world there evertyning seem to be fair. Besides from the author, artist that create the story and their world  in the manga, book or movie, tv serie.

When it come to S.C.Lewis there is a character name Aslan in the Narnia books .There is a thing that I find strange in the book and older movie of; The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
When the war against the evil witch tha human girls aren't allow to go to war.
Aslan says to Lucy and Susan that they are more needed to take care of those that are wounded then to fight like their brothers in the war .Sure this is perhaps a strange view, but that is a view the author have on his story.
Right ?
Sure the different ideas or view can annoy us.
But who are we to bark and complain than actually read the book or books.
If I don't like it, then I don't like it.
Can you hate a other person just for this one have a different idea or view.
Still I said I find it strange, but I don't think it can help to complain loud about that.
How it should be or shall be

I guess I have a different opinion, view on this

That I don't agree to by force place female character in a story, manga or a book just for the need to.
An author or in this case a manga artist being called a sexist just irritation of others.
This person write from his mind, ideas and dreams.
Why should a person be punish and name called just for the face that some other don't like his idea or story's ?
Really ?

This whine, grumble, complain getting to old people.
I wish that the large amount just could stope , just a bit.
At same name call, it just childish and disrespect for the manga artist, the author .

I just want a interesting Character , I don't really care about the gender.
The more important thing isn't the gender for me.
It's okey if you like a character if that on is a male or if that is a female.
But really I wonder how a story manga can be interesting just for the gender then the adventure, challenge, friendship/enemy the main character meet.

That fact that Yoshihiro Takahashi being smash in the face for being called sexist is something that annoy me and have for a time now. 


  1. Most of readers of Ginga Densetsu WEED are female. Takahashi has said that about 80% of readers in Japan are woman so it's not really story for men.

    Tolkien wrote his book over 60 years ago when missing female characters weren't big deal. (I agree with Hobbit the movie: there was no point adding Legolas & random characters.)

    I think you have missed the point about the whole "sexist" thing. I love Ginga-series and have met Takahashi, but I still think that he is sexist even thought it's partially (mostly?) due to cultural and age difference.

    1. Well most of Yoshihiro Takahashi work, manga's have direction to be Shōnen, still.
      Its great there is so many fans even when it come to the genders.
      But I don't like when there is a force to have a character, the need of female.
      And the point is that sometime or often the trigger is more to complain to complain.

      When it some to S.C.Lewis & J.R.R Tolkien that were an example how authors can create great story, but also have their own ideas and story aswell.
      I mean there are still critical toward both of them when it come to few or on females characters .But ever so I think a great authors have their own right to write their story and not being force to change just for the fact other, like fans demand it .

      That is the ting I'm tried about
      Sure the time when the book or manga is made is a difference view on thing
      As same culture
      But I still see it wrong to call some one sexist, in this case Takahashi.
      Just for he create characters, storys.
      I think he have the right to be the author the artist of his work and not force or need to change. Like other demand with this thing gender wars on community

      I think if you create a interesting character and not focus on the gender that can be more attractive, interesting to see and read.

  2. I also agree that the most important thing about the character is the character him/herself. There is no point just adding female characters in story if they don't do anything or only get kidnapped.

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