5. Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood ('Harry Potter' series)
I won't say a lot here, since I already went into great detail talking about these two and how they contrast and compliment each other in my 'Harry Potter' book reviews. Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood are among the best characters not just in their series, but in all of literature. They could not be more different from each other, but I love them both equally. Hermione is an assertive, grounded, bossy, and highly intelligent bookworm; no question, without her Harry would not have survived his first year at Hogwarts. He would have been dead many times over without his loyal and dear friend Hermione. She is not afraid of anything, much less what people think of her. True, her disbelief in a lot of things in the magical world is confusing and annoying. On the other other hand, she does require proof and seeing for herself if something is true so she can come to her own conclusions; thus determine how things work and how she can use the information. Hermione is a witch with a scientist's brain, and she is a star. Luna is her exact opposite: A cloudcuckoolander who happily believes in anything, who drifts through life as it is, and enjoys a good joke. Luna is an artistic witch, making things up as she goes. It seems the only thing she does share in common with Hermione, other than being Hogwarts students, is that she also doesn't care what others think of her. Though the bullying gets to her, deep down, and she puts up a dreamy front in order to cope. She's quite a sad figure, needing sympathy and good friends. Luna will help Harry out in his troubles as well, and besides, she must possess vast amounts of insight and intelligence if she's in the Ravenclaw House. I feel I share a lot of qualities of both of these characters - I'm hardworking, a determined thinker, and a brunette bookworm like Hermione, yet I can also be lazy, a daydreamer in a daze, and a creative type who loves to laugh like Luna. Both resonate with me because of their awkwardness and antisocial natures, above all. Two schoolgirls whom I relate to as being two sides of my own personality, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood will always be my equal favourites. It's just a shame Luna isn't mentioned in 'The Cursed Child'.
4. Batgirl/Barbara Gordon and Harley Quinn (DC Universe)
Like before, nothing much to add here what I haven't said about these two women before in my comic book reviews. Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, aka Oracle, is amazing. She's a martial artist, a daredevil, a world expert computer genius, and is all around an incredibly brave and goodhearted individual. She's an example of how the comic book industry can treat females characters both well and appallingly. Look no further than 'The Killing Joke' (the animated adaption is even worse, and I could go on forever about how I hate that atrocity with a passion, but that's neither here nor there). Barbara has been a fridged woman, but she's bounced back many times - as Oracle, and a revived Batgirl. Because people love and respect her character that much, and recognise that she isn't significant due to her relationships with established male characters (again, glaring at you, 'The Killing Joke'). And I realise I've included several redheads on my list, and Babs is one of the reasons I think people with red hair are awesome. Smart, noble, loyal, and fiercely tenacious - in the comics and the various 'Batman' animated series' - Barbara Gordon overcomes and adapts to anything that comes her way. She never takes anything lying down. As for Harley Quinn... yeah, enough said, really. She is Barbara's opposite, not only in that she's a villain (in the majority of her incarnations). Harley is the Clown Queen of Crime, beginning her creation as the Joker's sidekick, then his lover, then his tragic abuse victim, then a survivor who has her own wacky adventures. Harley is a perfect example of someone who is both very funny and entertaining, and horrifically tragic: Caught in a cycle of abuse at the hands of the psychopathic and narcissistic Joker, she makes bad decision after bad decision, despite being a smart woman with a psychology degree. Harley is fun to watch and read about: She's a fun clown lady, yet I also feel terribly sorry for her. She is so interesting and fascinating, it's no wonder a lot of people prefer her without being associated with her puddin'. They prefer her with her female best friend, Poison Ivy, who really is better for her. I'm happy that comic writers are getting this and are starting to seriously pair Harley and Ivy together romantically. She isn't silly or disposable at all: As her colossal fanbase proves, people care deeply about her. It's a damn shame then that Harley Quinn has been turned into a masturbatory fantasy and fanservice object in her later incarnations (I will NOT get into her first major film appearance in 'Suicide Squad', otherwise the world will come to an end before I'm done ranting about that). Reducing her to a blow-up sex doll and the Joker's legit girlfriend is entirely missing the point of Harley's character! Let her move on and be her own person! But anyway, here's to my two most beloved superhero/comic book ladies: Batgirl - my favourite superheroine, and Harley Quinn - my favourite multilayered villainess and jester.
3. Belle ('Beauty and the Beast')
Already said what needed to be said about this beauty in my favourite films list. Animated, smart, a reader, a fantasy lover, modest, independent, and possessing the biggest heart of gold and silver, Belle is Disney's greatest creation. I know that's my opinion but I firmly believe it to be fact. It doesn't matter that she's marketed nowadays as part of a sexist matched set of Disney Princesses. As a little girl I admired and related to Belle; I worshiped her, she was my hero. I didn't care that she was just a cartoon character. I still don't care. Belle will remain a timeless wonder for generations.
2. Jane Eyre
Belle was my first hero, specifically in animation. Sailor Moon comes in second in my childhood, and presently, together with Tohru Honda, they are my heroes in anime. In superhero graphic novels, it's Batgirl and Harley Quinn. And in literature, my number one love will forever be Jane Eyre. Hermione and Luna come close, however the titular 'Jane Eyre' is what made me into a book lover in the first place. Introduced to me by my grandparents as a young teen, Jane Eyre is a hypnotically, ethereally, and timelessly-written narrator. She is the first true feminist character - my spirit guide. For her time, in 1847, dear young Jane - a poor abused orphan - was a woman who was independent, brave, intelligent, curious, and a no-nonsense critic of society and class. And an artist and book lover too! She knows what she wants and is not afraid to let anyone know what that is. Even her romance with the haughty and sketchy Mr Rochester is so well-written - their chemistry so soulful and sizzling - that it doesn't hinder Jane as an icon in feminist literature in the slightest. Read my review of 'Jane Eyre' the novel for more information on this phenomenal character. Jane Eyre - a classic heroine in every sense. Reader, I aspire to be Jane.
And my number 1 favourite female character of all time is:
1. Elphaba ('Wicked' the musical)
Yep, my hero in musicals is also my biggest hero in all fiction. Elphaba is an outcast, a witch, a bookworm, a nerd, a diplomat, a freedom fighter, a friend to everyone - or tries to be - a sexually-liberated individual, and a misunderstood and hugely complex figure: She's practically all the other women on this list and more. In personality she's everything I am and who I want to be. Who knew that such an original creation could have come from a rather one-note villain in 'The Wizard of Oz' and from such a brilliantly-conceived but poorly-executed 1995 book? Elphaba isn't deep or likable in the slightest in the original source material - she barely does anything on her own, is a constant victim, and all her actions can be summed up in one sentence: "Because the plot says so." But in the musical, boy is she improved! Elphaba is a leader and a protector, at first to her younger sister and then to her friends, then to all of Oz, who have been brainwashed by the Wizard into believing she is wicked. She isn't evil or cruel, far from it. She fights for justice, loves animals and Animals, loves her family, and doesn't allow herself to be a pawn in the Wizard's schemes. Elphaba tries not to be the bad witch almost all of Oz wants her to be. Yet as the story goes, for all her efforts she will be viewed as a villain, no matter how hard her attempts are in exposing government corruption. Elphaba is everything: Brave, maternal, caring, super smart, witty, gifted in magic and strategics, romantic, both an introvert and extrovert, hopeful, tragic, a child of two worlds, and colourful. She has green skin - honestly, who wouldn't want green skin? Elphaba - Elphie - is the quintessential feminist character. A bonafide well-rounded female. And she can sing! I love Idina Menzel, and her role as Elsa - so similar to Elphie - is also an iconic performance. Elphaba is potentially bisexual, too. What is not to love about her? She will keep on defying gravity! Testing herself and moving forward, like all powerful women, in fiction and in history, do to survive. The rest of the world simply needs to listen to them, and believe in them.
Hope you have enjoyed my list! Now onto my next list, my Top 20 Favourite Male Characters. Take care and goodnight.
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