Gender equality: magical girls.

[Kita-Ysabell]

Moral Gutpunch

Actually, no. Only the student council (who wore very different uniforms than other students) and Utena wore modified outfits. It could be presumed that they are always in their magical outfits and are just a 'different team' given the outfit patterns of them, the black rose duelists, Nanami not truly belonging to any group, and the roles or princes and princesses (one being support, the other being determination, which is symbolized by transforming into a car in the movie).

I was referring to the duelists, as they're the only ones who could be called "magical" anything, but you're right about Nanami and the Black Rose duelists.

Though I don't think it's so much about support as it is about determination as it is about the ideas of masculinity and femininity. When acting as duelists, they were trying (and failing) to act as "princes," while the princess/witch is the one in the dress. [SPOILERS. HIGHLIGHT TO READ]Remember the process of feminization that Utena went through before she ended up in the white dress. It's why I've always hated the first credits sequence after my first watch-through.

[The Phoenix Rises Again]

Kita-Ysabell

Moral Gutpunch

Actually, no. Only the student council (who wore very different uniforms than other students) and Utena wore modified outfits. It could be presumed that they are always in their magical outfits and are just a 'different team' given the outfit patterns of them, the black rose duelists, Nanami not truly belonging to any group, and the roles or princes and princesses (one being support, the other being determination, which is symbolized by transforming into a car in the movie).

I was referring to the duelists, as they're the only ones who could be called "magical" anything, but you're right about Nanami and the Black Rose duelists.

Though I don't think it's so much about support as it is about determination as it is about the ideas of masculinity and femininity. When acting as duelists, they were trying (and failing) to act as "princes," while the princess/witch is the one in the dress. [SPOILERS. HIGHLIGHT TO READ]Remember the process of feminization that Utena went through before she ended up in the white dress. It's why I've always hated the first credits sequence after my first watch-through.

When Utena was 'feminized' she lost her determination and felt isolated from the one she felt supported her (both Anthy and her best friend Wakaba). I believe the support thing is said in the movie commentary. Then again the fun thing is Utena sybolizes different thing to different people, hero's journey, gnosticism, growing up..

The black rose duelists (and later the normal duelists have their own people dressed as rose brides) were definitely magic.

[Kita-Ysabell]

The Phoenix Rises Again

When Utena was 'feminized' she lost her determination and felt isolated from the one she felt supported her (both Anthy and her best friend Wakaba). I believe the support thing is said in the movie commentary. Then again the fun thing is Utena sybolizes different thing to different people, hero's journey, gnosticism, growing up..

The black rose duelists (and later the normal duelists have their own people dressed as rose brides) were definitely magic.

I've always looked at the movie, the manga, and the anime as three separate works on a similar theme. In the anime, for example, things aren't definitely magical: there's a good chance that all of the things that are not either allegorical or totally normal happen within a simulation, a projection from Akio's planetarium. The castle certainly is. It's an allegorical simulation, mind, but a simulation nonetheless.

I agree with the idea of different interpretations, but I'm gonna make a case for my interpretation anyways. I know there's several ways it could be read, and I can really see some of them, but for some reason the ideas of gender always really stood out to me.

First off, were Saionji and Touga possessed by a spirit of determination when they took the part of The Engaged? Hardly. Duels might be won or lost with determination, but the game is also rigged. Also, in the final round of duels, not all of the "support" characters wore dresses-- Ruka didn't and Saionji didn't. It was just the girls.

Am I the only one who thinks that this thread belongs in the anime forum? I mean, it'd be flooded with people going on about Bleach and One Piece (or whatever the kids are watching these days) but...

Wait. Bleach is totally a magical girls anime with boys.

You've got the magical transformations, the cute animal sidekick, the gratuitous fashion shots...

And here is the TV Tropes entry on magical girls, for general reference.

[I_Write_Ivre]

Kita-Ysabell

Am I the only one who thinks that this thread belongs in the anime forum? I mean, it'd be flooded with people going on about Bleach and One Piece (or whatever the kids are watching these days) but...

Wait. Bleach is totally a magical girls anime with boys.

You've got the magical transformations, the cute animal sidekick, the gratuitous fashion shots...

I think this should probably be moved; they'd know more about Utena than me.

Never seen Bleach though.

[Evoblack]

You know, that might be interesting to read! I like the magical girl genre, but it seems to be a bit overdone. I've read quite a few (Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, etc.) and they follow the same archetypes, especially the ones set by Sailor Moon.

So, I would be very interested to see magical shounen. :3

[I_Write_Ivre]

Evoblack

So, I would be very interested to see magical shounen. :3

If I ever get my Sailormoon comic inked and colored, I will grant that wish.

[Hydrokinesis]

+Water Is My Destiny++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The only ones that I can think of are ones that have already have been said like Tuxedo Mask, Syaoran, and Yue, but I do also think of Daisuke/Dark from DNAngel for some odd reason....I feel like there may be one that I'm missing but I can't be tottally sure...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++~Hydrokinesis+

[Lazarus Larkin]

SASSOU TOUJOU

GINGA BISHOUNEN!


(sorry about the gigantic .gif but Star Driver is fabulous)

[I_Write_Ivre]

Lazarus Larkin

SASSOU TOUJOU

GINGA BISHOUNEN!


(sorry about the gigantic .gif but Star Driver is fabulous)

I am so checking that out now

[Lazarus Larkin]

It's actually a mech show but for some reason the main character does THAT before he goes to pilot his mech.

I watched the whole show and I still don't know why rofl

It's on Crunchyroll though, I highly recommend it.

[I_Write_Ivre]

Lazarus Larkin

It's actually a mech show but for some reason the main character does THAT before he goes to pilot his mech.

I watched the whole show and I still don't know why rofl

It's on Crunchyroll though, I highly recommend it.

My fiance absolutely loves another mech show with magical boys (and a whacked out ending transformation attack).

[LaDamaDeNoche]

Though seeing magical males would be a nice thing...... I don't think it's gonna happen. Most of the anime/manga genre, should it have a magical character, it would be a girl. It seems like it's almost always been like this, and the makers of the shows/ books probably wouldn't want to stray from what had been set in stone. Or their ratings go burning_eyes

[I_Write_Ivre]

LaDamaDeNoche

Though seeing magical males would be a nice thing...... I don't think it's gonna happen. Most of the anime/manga genre, should it have a magical character, it would be a girl. It seems like it's almost always been like this, and the makers of the shows/ books probably wouldn't want to stray from what had been set in stone. Or their ratings go burning_eyes

What about the Power Rangers and Kamen Rider series? They've each been going for a decade.

[Yuki no Megami]

Omfg I love Star Driver. Ginga Bishounen is awesome 8D
And yes, fabulous is the only word to describe LOL

[Mugetsu Ookamiza]

DarknessofHeavenandDreams

Magical males are sentai/ranger teams. The magical girls genre was created because the male trope came first and there was not gender/sex equality.

See how lack of research makes you think backwards?

except the magical girl genre goes back to stuff like Sally the Witch ('66) and Princess Knight ('53). whereas the sentai-style magical girl stuff started with Sailor Moon back in '91, with Cutey Honey being the title that popularized the action subtype of the genre about 2 decades before that. so while you could say that sentai shows gave rise to Sailor Moon and the subgenre of the magical girl genre it spawned it's false to say that sentai works are the reason the magical girl genre came about.

and while I'm at it, an example of a magical boy: Chiaki, alias Kaito Sinbad, from Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. completely with powers and transformation just like Maron/Kaito Jeanne. also, the magical boys from Pretear, a series inspired by Snow White that could be called Snow White and the Seven Magical Boys.