1 reply to this topic

[Black Sakura]

Do you have an ideal heroine?

Is there a specific heroine stereotype?

I won't answer these questions.

Feel free to discuss it though.

[Kapten-N]

To me an ideal heroine would prove that one can be cute, feminine, energetic, a bit ditsy and all those common girl character adjectives while still being strong*, clever and dependable.

Being feminine doesn't mean you're weak. Being a bit ditzy doesn't mean you're stupid. Being cute doesn't mean that you can't protect yourself or what's important to you.

 

Frankly, I think Japanese media excels at this. In western media women are either weak and need protection or they are "breaking the norm" by being strong and tough with an I-take-no-shit-from-you attitude. I can't think of a single female character in western media that falls in both groups, but in Japanese media it is almost the norm. Japanese authors have no qualms against having their strong female protagonists show weakness every now and then or exposing their cute side. Meanwhile western authors often seem unable to create characters with more than one dimension, as if they would break character if the beautiful princess joined the fight aside from the token hitting-the-enemy-in-the-back-with-a-hard-object-when-he-has-the-upper-hand-against-the-male-hero move or if the tough, kickboxing, sweat sprinkled, face-punching female hero ever showed anything other than an iron cast resolve to murder everyone in her way.

 

 

*Not necessarily physical strength, but strength of heart. You know what I mean.