Tag: dawn of the arcana

Abuse in Shoujo Manga by the Numbers: Week 9

On By CaitlinIn Manga3 Comments

This Week:
Black Bird vol. 9
Boys Over Flowers vol. 7
Dawn of the Arcana vol. 4
Demon Love Spell vol. 3
Backstage Prince vol. 2
Demon Prince of Momochi House vol. 1

Does the predominance of abusive relationships in shoujo indicate anything unique to Japanese culture?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

An audience member asked me this question at my Geek Girl Con panel, and I was so taken aback that for a moment I could only sputter, “I’m really not comfortable with that question!” Luckily, another person in the audience jumped in to point out that no, it’s definitely not something unique to Japanese media, which gave me enough time to regroup and give a better thought-out answer.

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Abuse in Shoujo by the Numbers: Week 8

On By CaitlinIn Analysis, Conventions, List, Manga2 Comments

Geek Girl Con Report

Last weekend, I attended my final convention of the year: Geek Girl Con. I imagine quite a few of you know of it mainly from the controversy earlier this year when several board members publicly and dramatically quit, but in reality it’s a lovely, small-but-growing convention in Seattle that focuses not on any specific fandom but on creating a space for inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality in a variety of geeky spaces. This year, they included more anime-related programming than they have in the past, including my panel!

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Abuse in Shoujo by the Numbers: Week 7

On By CaitlinIn Analysis, Manga4 Comments

Whoops, it’s another convention weekend and I’m exhausted and the column is already late so no extra notes this time around!

This Week:
Black Bird vol. 7
Black Rose Alice vol. 6
Boys Over Flowers vol. 5
Cactus’s Secret vol. 4
Dawn of the Arcana vol. 2
Demon Love Spell vol. 1

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Black Bird vol. 7

Misao knows her relationship with Kyo is dangerous, but she’s used to being the one in peril! Will she be able to stand it when the tables are turned and Kyo is threatened?

As leader of the tengu clan and boyfriend of the Senka Maiden, Kyo gets a lot of attention in the demon world, and very little of it is good. From the wrath of a reincarnated dragon to the hatred of a demon hunter, Misao must face the fact that she isn’t the only one at risk in the relationship.

But how can she just stand by while Kyo is threatened?! (summary by Viz)

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Abuse in Shoujo by the Numbers: Week 6

On By CaitlinIn Manga4 Comments

Previously

It’s only really assault if he’s a bad guy

This week, Black Bird and Black Rose Alice have a common thread, other than the word “black” in their titles: the presence of a villain.

In Black Bird, Misao is assaulted by Sho’s older brother, who acts with the intention of raping then murdering her to gain leadership of his clan; in Black Rose Alice, Alice’s former student and victim lover finds her and turns into a full-blown stalker after become obsessed with finding the connection between his dead rapist girlfriend and this mysterious foreigner. Their actions aren’t too far off from the romantic leads, but since they intend to harm rather than show their “passion”, they’re shown in a negative light. Sho specifically comments that, despite his sense of competition with Kyo, he was never able to fall in love with Misao. So while both seek to control Misao, Sho’s lack of love makes him inexcusable.

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