You all know that I’m tragically behind on my tag posts. Embarrassingly so really. I should be working on getting those that have been sitting in my to do file for over a year and I hope to slowly go through them. However, in the past few weeks two wonderful bloggers tagged me to cheer me up, and it just made me so happy. I felt like I really needed to answer these quickly as I want them to know how much I appreciate the gesture.
The wonderful K (at the movies) generously gave me a shout out in their 100 follower post (https://katthemovies.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/feelin-the-love-receiving-and-giving-out-the-versatile-blogger-award-100-ish-follower-special/) and tagged me for the Versatile Blogger award. This came as a complete surprise to me and honestly made my day. It was sort of a double gift as it also allowed me to discover this wonderful blog. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet – do yourself a favor and tour this blog. There’s a section dedicated to bad movies! That’s just plain fun. We can all use a bit of fun in our lives.
Here’s a little reminder of how the versatile blogger tag works:
Award Rules and Info
- Thank the person who nominated you.
Thank you K – you rock. This was really nice of you and I hope to get to know you better.
- Link to the blog of the person who nominated you.
With pleasure – here it is again: https://katthemovies.wordpress.com/
- Say 7 facts about yourself.
Will do
- Nominate 15 more bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
Not a chance! I mean 15 is HUGE. This said, I always love reading about you guys so if you have the slightest inclination to do so – please go ahead!
7 Facts About Me
- I often get asked exactly how short I am since I whine about it so much. I’m exactly 151 cm, which I say is 5 feet but is apparently just short of it…
- I’ve been really getting into creating adorable bento lately and am mastering the art of panda shaped onigiri.
- I get goosebumps whenever I touch Styrofoam. Just the sound of it makes my hair rise. I don’t know why…
- I am very slightly short sighted, but I wear my glasses to cover up my dark circles whenever I don’t get enough sleep.
- My favorite dessert is carrot cake.
- I was super excited when I heard a new season/version of BoogiePop was going to air this winter. I really liked the first one.
- I am objectively bad at putting makeup on so I rarely wear any, but I regularly buy really overpriced items.
I’ve done this tag a few times, so I tried no to reuse past facts. Sorry if these are so random. Once again, thank you K. It really was a great little gift.
Just a few days after that, the very delightful Aria (who you should really be following by now) https://animangaspellbook.wordpress.com published a great post on the underrated ladies in fiction. This is such a great idea and I am planning to scour WordPress to find the posts in this tag. In the meantime, you should all read Aria’s entry https://animangaspellbook.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/these-ladies-are-underrated-tag-post/. Note to Aria – I love Fujiko and I hope you get to see The Woman Called Fujiko Mine soon. I’m really curious to have your thoughts on it. Honestly, it could go either way.
You know what – you should read Jenn’s post too: https://animehellzone.wordpress.com/2019/02/15/9-underrated-female-characters-anime-edition-tag/
What, you got too many amazing ladies in your life? Preposterous!
Here are some new rules!
- Please PINGBACK to me at Kate @ Melting Pots and Other Calamities. Or just Kate. And PINGBACK TO A SPECIFIC POST OF MINE. I won’t see the post otherwise, and I’d like to see it.
- Answer the questions. (below)
- Choose female characters from books, movies, TV, anime, webtoons, etc.
- Tag as many people as you want, but at least one person.
- Have fun!
1. Name a heroine you like, but whom you feel is always overshadowed by the male characters in the story.
There are so many to choose from. Sadly, token girls are sort of a staple in anime so it took me a while to decide on just one, but I have to go with my heart. And my heart belongs to Natsume’s Book of Friends!
Taki is one of the very few recurring human characters in Natsume’s Book of Friends and probably Natsume’s closest friend along with Tanuma. Her contribution and impact on the story are undeniable and yet most fans seem to fixate much more on Natsume’s relationship with Tanuma, not to mention Natori and Matoba. Don’t get me wrong, I perfectly understand why. They are all fantastic characters and the adults have that extra layer of menace and secrecy that makes them a bit more compelling. However, Taki is unique in so many ways. Unable to see Yokai but having full knowledge of their world (sometimes more than Natsume himself) she fills a role that no one else can. Not to mention the fact that she’s an adorable girl. We should really talk more about Taki.
This is probably completely unrelated, but I just received the last volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends and Taki has a rather large role in the first story. Also, it’s amazing. This series is the best.
2. For that matter, name a heroine whom you feel is always overshadowed by the other female characters in the story.
Anri Sonohara is not only kickass, incredibly powerful and burdened with a gift that’s also a curse, she managed to shoulder it all by herself despite being a shy, kind high school girl. Also, she’s got an enviable figure and adorable glasses. Do you know who I’m talking about? Maybe you do but I wouldn’t bet on it.
On the other hand, if I say Celty Sturluson odds are you’re already picturing that kitty cat helmet. It’s not fair. Anri is introduced earlier and is par of every single Durarara! arc. How is the hot nerd girl possessed by a demonic sword not the subject of every single promotional poster, scroll and figure out there? Ok, ok so Celty is bliss in pseudo cat girl form and one of the main players in my harem but still. This is Anri discrimination.
3. Name a character who had potential but was greatly underutilised in her story.
Nagi in Time of Eve. I hesitate to say this because I think Time of Eve is a tremendous anime and a must watch for any fans of speculative fiction but Nagi is such an intriguing character, with a rich and potentially enlightening backstory that could have framed and contextualized Time of Eve’s central themes in a natural way for the audience.
As it is, Time of Eve requires the viewers to do a lot of the work. Figuring out what to take from the story by themselves. This isn’t a bad thing at all mind you. But Nagi could have been a guiding voice and her own bias would have added yet another moral layer to the story.
4. Name a female character who you either find better in her book than her movie, find better in her movie than her book, or whose portrayals you find equal.
Faris! If you want to know ALL about it, you can read my post entirely dedicated to Faris here. The short version however is this. Faris had her own route in the Steins;Gate visual novel. This story thread gently and lovingly developed the character, not only giving her plenty of backstory but creating a complex nuanced girl that was a masterpiece in character creation.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, most of this development was cut out of the anime as it had no actual impact on the greater storyline other that to bring the viewer/reader closer to the character. A nice bonus but not a necessity. The anime Faris is ok. She fills her role adequately. The loss is noticeable however and a shame for those that never got to know the real girl.
5. Name a character who you want more backstory on.
Integra Hellsing. Not that she doesn’t have a well-developed backstory but if I could get more of anyone. I want an Integra Hellsing anime. I want 3. Young Integra’s adventures. Lady Integra’s rise to power. Dame Integra’s reunion with Alucard.
Also I want an Integra Hellsing body pillow. Wait, did this post get off track again?
6. Name a character with traits you feel are sadly overlooked by everyone.
Terror in Resonance’s Five. Look, I know people hate Five. I even sort of understand why. But no matter what you think about the way she was written or her impact on the plot, you can’t deny the girl has brains. She knows how to use every single means at her disposal to get to her ends.
Yet when we consider Terror in Resonance, we hear about Six and Nine’s genius. Their strategic planning and dynamic execution and we hear that Five was… annoying. A mistake. Should not have been there. She is their strategic equal and no one gives her credit for it. ☹
7. Name a morally grey character (Villain or anti hero!).
Fay Valentine was my first instinct, but I think I’ll go with Sunako from Shiki. I’m not sure Sunako’s morality is so much grey as immature. She is a small child in many respects after all. Not to mention some extenuating circumstances.
Point is, Sunako is an undeniable monster. Both literally and figuratively. The actions and decisions she takes disregard humanity and have no respect for life. But you sort of understand how she got there. The fact that there are any debates on who’s “right” and “wrong” in a story about powerful vampires invading a small village and starting to systematically murder all the unsuspecting otherwise peaceful villagers, is proof that the moral complexity of the character was extremely well written.
8. A character you’re stunned isn’t more famous.
I’ll be honest, questions 8 and 9 seem very similar to me. Like almost the same thing. Which is fine since it’ll allow me to showcase two dramatically underappreciated ladies. First an Honorable mention should go to Yoko Litner. How is she not the first thing people think about when the think Gurren Lagann? I recently gave her her own post(link) though, so I’ll pick someone else.
Sir Olivier Armstrong form Full Metal Alchemist. I understand that FMA has an incredible cast and it’s difficult to stand out with so many worthy characters around. This said, Sir Olivier totally doesn’t get the attention she deserves, commands and probably couldn’t care less about! She’s amazing and a perfect disciplined foil for Mustang’s blind ambition (ha!).
Olivier is such a fantastic balancing act. She is loyal to principles rather than people. Harsh and unbending, her rigidity becomes much more comforting than softhearted understanding when times get rough. And let’s face it, the lady knows how to get things done. Capable doesn’t begin to cover it!
9. A character from a piece of fiction you’re amazed isn’t more famous.
I love the Daganronpa franchise. Much like FMA there are so many wonderful characters to come out of it that it gets tough for any single one to catch your eye and capture your imagination. If you have taken a gander at my Pinterest boards, you know that I spend an unreasonable amount of time collecting Daganronpa fanart, so I have a decent idea what fans are inspired by and which characters draw the most attention.
While I was playing the games, if you had asked me to do a list of fan favourite *best* girls from the series, I would have bet my Natsume Manga collection (you know I mean business) that Peko would be in the top 5. Not necessarily the most popular but way up there.
A sword wielding ninja girl with silver hair and red eyes – that’s gonna drive the chuunis nuts. She also has that stoic dandere thing going for her and is desperately devoted to her mans! Not to mention this CG from the game!!! (bikini shot)
If you bother to get to know her during your playthrough, you’ll discover that she’s surprisingly cute in many ways and gets adorably shy for certain things but remains unflinchingly true to herself. Honestly, I still think it’s weird she’s not more popular.
Well, there you have it! You learned a little about me and let me babble a lot about some wonderful ladies. You know, I can’t help but notice that obviously, I have a type…
Once again, all my thanks to K and Aria. You are both sweethearts!
I’m not going to split up my nominations, so guys feel free to do either tag or both! As always if you WANT to do this, please go ahead!
- Matt (cause you like talking about the ladies)
- Chizue
- Jeyran
- Geeky Obsession
- David
