So fun. So wrong. Yet so right. Even without knowing anything about the sequel series.
Throughout reading the second and last volume of 'Codename: Sailor V', I was receiving messages that have to do with some problematic societal stereotypes concerning women and girls, even for Japan in the late 80s and early 90s, which sadly still exist to this day the world over.
These stereotypes include:
* No one likes girls who don't fit the skinny/slim model body type, so diets - even ones literally falling from the sky - are absolutely essential for all girls, because fat = sinful if you're a girl;
(There is an evil spa treatment centre in here too, so there is a message about exploitation and not trusting all get-thin-quick products. But it still goes back to the idea of how all women are and must be naturally beautiful - but what is beauty, and by who's standards? The literal planet Venus and the universal gods? Good grief)
* Beautiful women = happy women;
* Inner and outer beauty are the same thing, with no discussion of what defines the word "beauty" when applied to women;
* All women and girls (more specifically pretty ones) need heterosexual love and care in their lives;
* And no man likes a girl with glasses and they should be gotten rid of, eyesight be damned (there is an irony to this on the man's part).
But on the other hand, the manga builds up to an ending which is one of the most poignant love tragedies ever - for Sailor V herself. And yet it isn't really a tragedy. This manga may in fact, after all the stupid sexist crap, be promoting a message about how said stupid sexist crap is just that. That being beautiful and needing men are not essential for all women. That female relationships are more important. That there are different kinds of love, not just romantic.
This last adventure of Sailor V's is where she learns what it truly means to be a woman - to take responsibility, and discover what's really worth fighting for. Duty and love may at first not seem to mix, but assuming that same love can mean friendship and justice, maybe they can work cooperatively. Sailor V - Minako Aino - awakens as Sailor Venus upon discovering her true identity, what justice means and what her true mission is. For those who already know about 'Sailor Moon', you know that that mission is to work hard and battle alongside other girls, to selflessly protect a princess, and to fight in an ongoing galactic war using her physical strength, confidence and leadership skills. Her own love life has nothing to do with any of this, and it shouldn't do, because there are far more pressing things at stake, like the universe being in danger. Female friendship power FTW!
Sailor Venus, utterly boy-crazy and named for the Goddess of Love, learns that her destiny has nothing to do with love or romance. She isn't a princess living in modern day Japan, but a warrior among other female warriors, whose solemn duty is to protect another female friend plus the universe.
Maybe I'm too willing to give this manga the benefit of the doubt and not analyse any mixed messages. But I'm a positive person at heart and that is how I interpret Sailor Venus's final solo outing.
'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2' is even sillier and more comedic than the previous volume. It is also very long for a traditional manga at nearly 300 pages. Minako is a selfish and thoughtless brat who complains a lot, and we see poor Artemis struggling to cope with her wild behaviour; not to mention her verbally declaring that she sees him as being lower than a pet. Talk about ungrateful, and hard to please when even a talking cat bores you. But Mina is only thirteen, after all. And she still loves sports, athletics and video games. For her time she is a hyper-confident and outspoken heroine, like a Japanese Wonder Woman. Her number of "first loves" in each chapter is played for laughs (brought up by the savvy Artemis), and in view of what happens to Mina at the very end, this can be considered a tragic irony.
Mina's mother and her friend Gurikazu Amano sadly don't appear in her final manga chronicle, but her friend Hikaru Sorano plays quite a big and important part as the selfless, caring role model whom Mina comes to aspire to. I love Natsuna Sakurada, the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board (and the sister of Haruna Sakurada, Usagi Tsukino's schoolteacher in 'Sailor Moon'). She is very funny, and her relationship with Mina/Sailor V is great once they come to know one another and find out how much they have in common. Natsuna wants Sailor V to join the police force, and Mina might just consider it...
All in all, this manga might not be all that special, nor even stands the test of time. It overdoes the classic "villain-of-the-week" formula, the villain origins are vague and slightly confusing, and compared to Naoko Takeuchi's more famous work it is very light and unfocused. But any 'Sailor Moon' fan should still check out the two volumes centering around the origin of Sailor Venus, to see how she became the headstrong leader we know her best as; how much she sacrificed to get to that position as a Sailor Soldier and Guardian.
She remembers her past life and learns to become a less selfish person, and this character development made going through the silly first three-quarters of the manga worth it.
Final Score: 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment