(L) Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)

[FuzzyWuzzy]

Very very nice series. It reminds me a lot of twelve kingdoms anime.
I like the happy ending. If one of them died, I would really feel sad. Even if one of those 7 elite hunters died, I would feel sad. So if any of them is miserable, this ending won't give me the happy ending that I wanted. I felt bad for the prince though when he died since he didn't get any character development or that much screen time.

[Westlo]

Jin (one of the 7 hunters) is getting a manga spinoff btw.

[Berserker]

Originally Posted by Westlo

Jin (one of the 7 hunters) is getting a manga spinoff btw.

Yeah, I read that too. I wonder what that will be about?

And I am glad Media Blasters rescued this. I really want this show released over here. I hope someone will also rescue Hellsing Ultimate.

[Westlo]

Moribito will be airing on Cartoon Network

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...artoon-network

[SeijiSensei]

In the linked conversation, Sirabella mentions that the deal with CN was already negotiated before MediaBlasters picked up the license.

In Japan, Seirei no Moribito ran on Saturday mornings where it could reach an audience of children and perhaps their parents. If I were trying to reach that same mixed audience in the US, an early-evening slot would be ideal, but those times are filled with the usual CN kids fare that parents probably never pay attention to. If it ends up on [adult swim], it won't look much like the shows they carry now. I'll be curious to see how it does with an audience more accustomed to watching explosions that watching people live in a cave. Of course, airing in [adult swim] pretty much guarantees that Seirei won't have the potential to broaden the audience.

I wanted to see this show appear on something like HBO or perhaps even Oxygen, channels with broader audiences and a higher cachet of quality than Cartoon Network. I thought SnM was one of the first shows I've seen that stood some chance of introducing anime to a more mainstream American audience. Showing it on CN almost guarantees it'll be written off as just another "cartoon."

[mdauben]

Originally Posted by Westlo

Moribito will be airing on Cartoon Network

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...artoon-network

Crap. That means it will be on a 1:00 in the morning on Saturday, with at least one showing a out of four cancelled for a Squidbillies marathon.

I wish the Scifi channel, or IFC had picked this up instead. Over the last year of two I have come to hate those idiots that run the program scheduling at CN.

[SeijiSensei]

I'd have voted for IFC, too. It's not really a "sci-fi" show.

I just wish some of the womens' networks in the US like Oxygen or Lifetime would recognize the potential of the feminist animes. There's a whole bunch of shows like Seirei that might resonate with younger women.

[MrProphet]

I contest that Seirei no Moribito was a feminist anime.

At no point in time were they sending a message that women in general were better than/worse than/equal to men. They weren't making ANY point about women in general, only Barsa in particular.

And Barsa is so different from any woman in the series that some might even make another conclusion altogether: she is strong because she is special in her own way, not because she is a woman. She is an exception, not a rule.

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

I contest that Seirei no Moribito was a feminist anime.

At no point in time were they sending a message that women in general were better than/worse than/equal to men. They weren't making ANY point about women in general, only Barsa in particular.

And Barsa is so different from any woman in the series that some might even make another conclusion altogether: she is strong because she is special in her own way, not because she is a woman. She is an exception, not a rule.

I disagree, I think the show explored the possibility of a female that they can be strong when detirmined to be so.
She is not an exception but an example when females are placed into extreme positions.

[MrProphet]

Barsa persevered when put under the test of upholding an oath to a stranger.

Jiguro persevered when put under the test of conflicting friendships.

Thus, their perseverance was an example of the effects of upbrining and personal character, not of gender.

Barsa has a strong character because she was brought up in this manner, not because she is female. In fact, her womanhood plays no role here.

Contrast Barsa with timid Saya, or weepy Empress. Are their characters sending any messages about womanhood? They've been under no less severe stress than Barsa, yet their reactions to it were quite different. Thus, I am telling you that Seirei no Moribito isn't trying to say anything about women and womanhood, but rather about particular characters and how their upbringing and personality have affected them in the time of crisis.

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Contrast Barsa with timid Saya, or weepy Empress. Are their characters sending any messages about womanhood? They've been under no less severe stress than Barsa, yet their reactions to it were quite different. Thus, I am telling you that Seirei no Moribito isn't trying to say anything about women and womanhood, but rather about particular characters and how their upbringing and personality have affected them in the time of crisis.

But neither Saya nor the Empress went through the hardship Balsa endured and we will never know how they would react if they did.
I agree on it is not about gender but I do not think Balsa was an exception but was placed into extreme conditions which many female may follow her path if placed into the same situation.

[felix]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

I disagree, I think the show explored the possibility of a female that they can be strong when detirmined to be so.
She is not an exception but an example when females are placed into extreme positions.

You are drawing extreme conclusions from simple events. Balsa isn't portrait as any exception of extreme positions she just shows it can be so. The show points at some point how women (in general) can't be as strong as men because of the difference in muscle mass and structure, which is a fair explanation.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

But neither Saya nor the Empress went through the hardship Balsa endured and we will never know how they would react if they did.
I agree on it is not about gender but I do not think Balsa was an exception but was placed into extreme conditions which many female may follow her path if placed into the same situation.

Barsa is an exception in terms of of her upbringing in the patriarchical Seirei no Moribito world. I wasn't trying to say that females are inherently unable to become strong characters and Barsa is an exception to that rule.

I am sorry if I was misunderstood on that point.

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Cats

You are drawing extreme conclusions from simple events. Balsa isn't portrait as any exception of extreme positions she just shows it can be so. The show points at some point how women (in general) can't be as strong as men because of the difference in muscle mass and structure, which is a fair explanation.

I guess you mised the part where her past was elaborated within the show the hardship as she grew up being pursued by assassins witnessing how her guardian slayed each pursuer, his friend and comrades, to save her life, enough for her to take her fate into her own hands.
If that is not an extreme position I do not know what is.

[felix]

A scared child in a war won't become a soldier just like that. She wasn't the one who had to fight. In the end she became bodyguard of her own will not because it was forced on her.

[tripperazn]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

But neither Saya nor the Empress went through the hardship Balsa endured and we will never know how they would react if they did.
I agree on it is not about gender but I do not think Balsa was an exception but was placed into extreme conditions which many female may follow her path if placed into the same situation.

I'm not so sure about that, penniless orphan and court mistress who lost her son don't seem to be in enviable positions either.

Also, Tanda repeatedly notes that Balsa is very much a tomboy and decidedly not feminine. Warriors of any kind tend not to be women, so I would argue that Balsa isn't exactly a representative for women. Though I suppose that could very well be a part of the gender typing message of the show.

[kujoe]

While I don't think that Seirei no Moribito is that much of a feminist anime, I do think that it somewhat subverts gender positions that are usually common or expected within the family. In the anime, Balsa arguably raises Chagum more like a father in a typical story would have, showing the him world and protecting him from harm, whereas Tanda plays the role of the nurturing mother.

That scene of Balsa acting out a father-to-son custom of handing over a sword is still pretty clear in my mind, and I think it's pretty interesting.

However, MrProphet's point is also true for the anime. Balsa is the exception of the series, not the norm due to her circumstances. (Or perhaps, is that the point?) Beyond Balsa's life, the whole setting is still a very patriarchal one.

[Moonbase]

Originally Posted by kujoe

While I don't think that Seirei no Moribito is that much of a feminist anime, I do think that it somewhat subverts gender positions that are usually common or expected within the family. In the anime, Balsa arguably raises Chagum more like a father in a typical story would have, showing the him world and protecting him from harm, whereas Tanda plays the role of the nurturing mother.

That scene of Balsa acting out a father-to-son custom of handing over a sword is still pretty clear in my mind, and I think it's pretty interesting.

However, MrProphet's point is also true for the anime. Balsa is the exception of the series, not the norm due to her circumstances. (Or perhaps, is that the point?) Beyond Balsa's life, the whole setting is still a very patriarchal one.

That's my stance on the anime. I never got feminist vibes from it but questioning gender roles was clearly present in the series. Chagum giving birth made this point rather bluntly, along with the development of many other characters.

[deltakano]

Male Pregnancy for the win? (Episode 25)

[deltakano]

Originally Posted by kujoe

...I do think that it somewhat subverts gender positions that are usually common or expected within the family. In the anime, Balsa arguably raises Chagum more like a father in a typical story would have, showing the him world and protecting him from harm, whereas Tanda plays the role of the nurturing mother.

Your reasoning does have some fact to it but the basis is flawed. You're being biased by stating that a mother's role is nurturing while the father's role is protecting and strengthening. Seahorses and a few other species show that such roles cannot be defined like that. Seirei no Moribito actually showed that mothers can also take the role of the protector while the fathers act as the nurturer. These roles are not superior to one another but equal.