(no subject)

[timepiececlock]

Just got a review for a fic I wrote ages ago (Dec 2000!) called Building a Princess. Aaahhhh my Gundam Wing days. How I loved that show...it was my second anime fandom after SM, and it hit every Rashaka pleasure point of the time: politics, bishounen, heavy characterization, sci-fi. Still one of the only two mecha series I ever loved (Escaflowne!), and the first anime that I bought merchandise for. Deathscythe HELL Custom!

I cringe a bit at the fic now: my internal Noin voice was terrible, and I switched POV in the middle. But the descriptions weren't bad and I made a passable if amateurish attempt at actually explaining the pacifism theory. I'm pretty sure I could rewrite that bit to be smarter now that I've been through 4 years of political science majoring, but a political sciene degree has also served to give me a thousand reasons why I could never turn it into a sensible realistic argument. So I think I'll leave it to its fictional universe and signs of fandom youth.

Random GW thought: Why the Relena hate? I remember back when I ued to read GW fic I was always astounded by how much other fans seemed to despise her character, even above and beyond the normal mysogyny you see against strong female characters (::stares at Naruto manga fandom pointedly::). Although her plotlines were as farfetched as the rest, I thought she was awesome; she goes from kid to Queen of the frickin' world, and then from that to one of the most influencial political officials in the new government. She's consistantly portrayed as intelligent and brave, and the audience is told multiple times that she's equal or superior to any of the male characters in terms of power and influence. If I remember correctly (it's been a while), eventually the five other main characters (all male) eventually end up fighting for her agenda by the end of the series, or at least a shared agenda that she to some degree inspires in them (especially Heero).

Anyway, here in House Rashaka, we :heart: Relena. Hmmm... I should rewatch the show, but honestly I'm afraid it'll suck a little. My quality requirements have vastly gone up since 2000, and I'm a lot pickier; I was always in it for the characters more than the writing, anyway.

Comments

[v-voltaire.livejournal.com]

Heero was never presented as a policy-maker. He's a soldier whose sole duty is to follow orders and accomplish his objectives. He's been trained to not question the people he's serving. Heero is presented as an excellent fighter, and through the battles etc. he is shown to really be an excellent fighter. There really isn't any difference between what people say about him and what he is shown to do, so I don't get the same dissonance

Lady Une didn't bother me because Lady Une was completely insane. Her desire for peace clashed so much with her role as PA to a warmongering military man that it ripped her mind in two. I never got the impression that her policies were supposed to be logical or admirable--they were the delusions of a person pushed too far.

I disliked Quatre because he was a whiner, to tell the truth. (I also seriously dislike his voice actor, but that's something else altogether.) I felt some sympathy for the position he was in, but honestly, what was he expecting? The giant fighting mecha he was in to shoot rainbows and sunshine? He was ill-suited to the job he took up and, IMO, he never stepped up to the level the other pilots were at.

The thing is, when I saw Wing, I thought it was going to be about war and politics and interstellar mecha battles and all that fun stuff. Instead, it turned out that all of that was just backdrop to a bunch of teenagers. I don't think I ever forgave the show for turning out to be a soap opera.

Being honest, would you really despise her character with that much fervency if she were male?
Ha. His name is "Julian" and he's in Legend of Galactic Heroes. (An excellent series that is about war and politics and interstellar mecha battles.)