Seinen manga and anime is manga and anime that’s aimed in the direction of grownup males. One would possibly discover it shocking contemplating the demographic, however this two-part sequence will discover an fascinating vary of feminine leads—not simply tremendous motion heroes, but additionally teenage women embroiled in romantic drama and nineteenth century brides. This text hopes to indicate that even tales that focus on males will be woman-friendly and have and vary of fascinating girls and distinctive feminine narratives. This explicit article additionally showcases a incredible woman creator that everybody must find out about in Kaoru Mori. So let’s dig in and hopefully make it easier to uncover some new tales to think about!
Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain was launched as a 12-episode anime directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura in 1998. There was a PlayStation online game primarily based on the sequence launched the identical yr.
Serial Experiments Lain will be finest described as a closely philosophical cyberpunk psychological horror anime. It takes place in an a future the place everyone seems to be enamored with a model of the web known as the “Wired” (after all, since it is a “future” imagined within the ’90s, computer systems nonetheless have honkin’ large screens). Not too long ago college students have been committing suicide, as a result of with the Wired they really feel they not have want of their bodily varieties. A teenage woman known as Lain receives a posthumous e mail from a classmate who killed herself. From there, she is drawn into the world of the Wired and begins to query her very existence…
Lain is a surreal and philosophical anime that leaves quite a bit open to interpretation. It explores questions of existentialism, theology, identification, and know-how. The entire thing has a really unsettling and creepy ambiance, and it does a very good job of conserving the stress excessive. Lain is a personality who many learn as not neurotypical. She may be very a lot disconnected from others and exhibits a number of signs of varied issues, most strongly dissociative persona dysfunction. Whereas Lain is an anime with many themes, at its core it’s a few younger woman exploring her identification and her place on the planet, in addition to the facility she might have deep inside her.
As an anime with horror components, there are a number of disturbing issues in Lain. This consists of on-screen suicide, hurt of very younger youngsters, quite a lot of physique horror, psychological breakdowns, and depictions of stalking and invasions of privateness, together with a teenage woman being spied on by one other woman as she masturbates. The scene in query was related to the plot and never graphic or significantly sexualized, nevertheless it does occur.
Lain is offered on Funimation’s YouTube channel, Hulu, and Amazon.
Learn or Die, Learn or Dream, and R.O.D the TV
Learn or Die began out as a sequence of sunshine novels by Hideyuki Kurata, with the primary novel being printed in 2000 and a manga adaptation popping out the identical yr. A 3-episode Authentic Video Animation (OVA) sequence primarily based on Learn or Die was made in 2001. Kurata printed the Learn or Dream manga in 2003, the identical yr a 26-episode anime sequence known as R.O.D the TV was launched as an official sequel to the Learn or Die OVA.
Learn or Die has a premise I’ve all the time dreamed about—feminine superheroes with superb powers primarily based on literature. On the planet of RoD, some have the facility to govern paper in incredible methods—they’ll use it to create gliders, monstrous puppets, weapons, or shields. The facet impact is that the “Paper Masters” in query are typically large bibliophiles. Within the RoD universe, England continues to be the most important superpower thanks primarily to the British Library really being a robust political group that employs superpowered secret brokers. Considered one of these brokers is the spacey however highly effective Yomiko Readman, on whom the Learn or Die manga OVA focuses. Learn or Dream focuses on the Paper Sisters Detective Company, a trio of Paper Grasp sisters from China. R.O.D. the TV brings Yomiko and the Paper Sisters collectively when the sisters find yourself serving as bodyguards to the author Nenene Sumiregawa, a cussed and difficult previous pal of Yomiko’s who has been depressed ever since Yumiko’s disappearance.
As you’ll be able to see, this sequence is ridiculous, over-the-top sci-fi superhero enjoyable. There are heartwrenching bits, nevertheless it additionally doesn’t have any limits with regards to ridiculous plot components and quick and livid motion scenes. They battle superpowered clones of historic figures! With paper!
The story is about girls with ridiculous superpowers kicking ass collectively and saving the world with bulletproof books and sisterly love. The forged is generally feminine, and the characters are larger-than-life, with sturdy personalities and equally entertaining and dynamic bonds and interactions with one another. The anime additionally offers with characters affected by PTSD. There’s a feminine character closely implied to be in love with a lady (the one means her dialogue about “her love” and surrounding scenes make any sense is that if she’s in love with a particular woman, however the present by no means instantly says it). The Learn or Dream manga additionally has a scene the place a lady desires to kiss a predominant feminine character, who’s proven as being OK with it.
The anime is my favourite model of the sequence. It’s essentially the most simply accessible, has essentially the most thrilling storyline and motion scenes, and it consists of all of the characters. Regardless of some iffy components, the OVA prequel is price a watch, nevertheless it isn’t obligatory to grasp the anime sequel. Whereas the Dream manga is lighthearted enjoyable, I’ll warn you I discovered the Die manga fairly gross and the characters means much less empowered.
The anime features a few gory deaths, an outline of torture, a few persistently sexualized feminine characters, and some moments of fanservice with different characters, together with gratuitous bare breasts, a few stereotypical-looking Chinese language characters (and stereotyping of England, although that’s not as huge a deal), and a prison committing sexual harassment (the goal shuts him down spectacularly). The Die manga is even gorier and in addition features a ton of actually uncomfortable sexual assault, near-rape, and kidnapping scenes.
Regardless of all that, if you wish to watch an anime about hardcore women kicking ass with the facility of literacy, RoD is for you! Additionally, the OVA exhibits a George W. Bush doppelgänger peeing his pants like 3 instances.
R.O.D the TV is offered on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Amazon (very costly, although). The OVA will be discovered on Amazon, as can the the Read or Dream and Read or Die mangas.
RideBack
RideBack began as manga by Tetsuro Kasahara that was printed from 2003 to 2009. In 2009 it was made right into a 12-episode anime by Madhouse Studios. It tells the story of Rin Ogata, a lady from a future the place a robust international group has taken over the world. Rin grew to become a ballerina to comply with within the footsteps of her late mom however give up after a everlasting leg damage. She turns into fascinated by robotic motorcycle-like autos known as RideBacks and finds that driving them reminds her quite a lot of ballet. However she finally ends up operating into hassle with a shady govenment group…
In all honesty, the plot of RideBack may be very missing, and the event of characters apart from Rin is just about nonexistent. Within the brief time the anime needed to inform its story, not a lot was defined or utilized correctly. Nevertheless, the sequence would possibly make up for it by having extremely beautiful animation and nice motion scenes. It additionally helps that Rin is a good lead. She’s an introspective woman who’s conflicted about her place in life and her ultimately violent use of the RideBacks, however she’s additionally extremely courageous and heroic with a stable character arc. She is extremely devoted to her friendships with the ladies round her and the reminiscence of her late mom. She is usually motivated by the ladies in her life, corresponding to when she expenses into motion and dangers the whole lot to rescue her finest pal. It’s additionally very good that, by her, ballet is proven to be actually hardcore and superior.
The present depicts homicide and kidnapping—don’t go into it anticipating a cheerful story. However if you wish to watch a really properly animated present with a cool feminine lead and minimal fanservice (there are some incidental, not-focused-on underwear flashes throughout some motion scenes, however that’s it), it will fit your wants.
RideBack is offered on Funimation’s YouTube channel, Hulu, and Amazon.
A Bride’s Story
Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story, often known as Otoyomegatari, is an ongoing manga that began being printed in 2008.
Set in Turkic Central Asia through the late 19th century, A Bride’s Story follows a number of girls of marrying age, depicting their day-to-day experiences and exploring the social make-up of their societies. The primary topic within the manga is twenty-year-old Amir, a eccentric lady and skilled hunter who’s instructed to go away her clan and marry a twelve-year-old boy. A Bride’s Story is the one entry on this record that’s written and drawn by what is understood to be a lady.
The very first thing most individuals discover about A Bride’s Story is that the artwork is totally beautiful and detailed. It’s superb to see that the patterns and backgrounds particularly are drawn by hand. Mori’s expertise is unbelievable. The eye to element extends to the historic setting, which Mori clearly put quite a lot of analysis and energy into.
Clearly, since this a historic story, there are quite a lot of components that very a lot battle with our trendy values, like Amir marrying a baby. Mori doesn’t make a lot commentary on these items a technique or one other. The ladies within the story are usually not depicted as having our trendy values or rebelling in opposition to their very own cultural practices.
However Mori very a lot focuses on displaying the interior lives and differing strengths of her girls. Along with the incredible horsewoman and hunter Amir, there’s additionally a hardcore grandma who can climb mountains males cringe from and shoot arrows with superb accuracy. However there may be additionally emphasis on how extremely laborious conventional “lady’s work” is and the way expert the ladies must be to do it. There’s a scene the place a mom principally places her twin daughters by marriage boot camp, showcasing the unbelievable bodily and psychological energy they’ll have to do their duties. The quantity of element the ladies put into their stitching and workmanship is proven off at each alternative. Relationships between girls are additionally closely showcased; we see the bond between sisters, between mom and daughter, and between mates.
There may be additionally a variety of cultures explored. The narrative really form of follows an Englishman who’s touring to numerous locations for examine, although that’s actually solely a storytelling gadget to get readers from one village to a different. The main target continues to be the interior lives of the ladies in mentioned villages, who come from completely different societies. Darker-skinned individuals take the stage afterward within the manga when the main focus shifts to the mischievous twins Laila and Leily.
As a historic manga, A Bride’s Story has many issues that may make individuals uncomfortable. Amir and her husband are usually not sexual but, nevertheless it’s after all clear that they’re anticipated to ultimately be, and their romance is meant to bloom from Amir’s preliminary motherly emotions. Abuse of girls is referenced, and tried kidnapping occurs to 1 character, whereas one other is in a really dangerous marriage state of affairs. This manga additionally has nudity throughout anticipated conditions like bathing.
A Bride’s Story’s English translation is being printed by Yen Press and is offered on Amazon. It’s all hardcover, however with the beautiful artwork, it’s price it.
Caitlin Donovan is a longtime comedian geek and web blogger who’s at the moment engaged on her MFA and her first novel. She previously wrote for Huge Shiny Robotic and for a time helped run the weblog When Fangirls Assault. Nowadays, she largely will be discovered running a blog on her Tumblr, Lady Love and Justice.
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