[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Tempester

Sexual fanservice is a tool to titillate the viewers, whether male or female, and it can be rewarding if done in an acceptable way (which is most of the time, in my opinion).

I somewhat disagree with you here. I personally find that sexual fanservice is very often distracting from the plot. In some cases, it's even distracting from what's happening on-screen at the very same time.

Something like Strike Witches, or yes, the Negima manga, I find extremely hard to get into because it's throwing loud* sexual fanservice at me at the very same time as it's throwing serious action scenes at me, and it just causes a nasty clash for me. For me, it's kind of like if Shakespeare tried to insert a lot of comedic relief into his play's finest moments of high drama.

That being said...

Much more preferable to the typical dull, perfect "action girl" of several Hollywood action movies.

I so agree with you here. I am so tired of the typical dull, perfect "action girl" of several Hollywood action movies.

There is another thing I'd like to address about sexism: The Bechdel Test. From the Hollywood films I've watched; there are typically only two or so female characters and they rarely get chemistry between each other. It's proven that Western film makers are actually encouraged to avoid conversation between female characters. Even when female characters meet, quite often they are either talking about a man or they are fighting each other. In contrast, from the (admittedly small) number of anime I've seen, the great majority have passed this test with flying colors.

I'm not saying that passing the test is a necessity to depict females fairly, neither am I saying that passing the test automatically prevents sexist depictions, but anime females tend to have a lot more presence than those from Hollywood movies, which is an important step towards a fair portrayal.

Very good points.

Watch Madoka Magica. Seriously, just watch it. It could be exactly the type of anime you want to see.

Going back to The Bechdel Test, it just occurred to me that Madoka Magica passes this incredibly well. The show is absolutely chock-full of two or more female characters conversing over serious, weighty issues that have little-to-nothing to do with a man or men.


* "Loud" in the sense that a Hawaiian T-Shirt is loud.