Posted on

Every Rose Has Its Thorns: Vilifying female ambition in The Rose of Versailles [Anifem]

The Rose of Versailles is a shojo classic with a reputation as an LGBTQ+ work, mostly thanks to Oscar’s character and their relationships with women like Marie Antoinette and Rosalie. While that’s one of the show’s main draws and much can be said about it, this time I’m looking into a less-discussed side of the show: its portrayal of female anger, ambition and power, and how they exist within considerable limitations. Continue reading “Every Rose Has Its Thorns: Vilifying female ambition in The Rose of Versailles [Anifem]”

Posted on

Beauty in Disney’s Classic Princesses (& The Little Mermaid)

I can’t remember why exactly I suddenly wanted to revisit the first couple of Disney princesses’ movies, but here we are! There’s clearly much that can be said about these movies, but in this particular post, I want to focus on one of the things that picked my attention the most: how beauty is presented.  Continue reading “Beauty in Disney’s Classic Princesses (& The Little Mermaid)”

Posted on

Eiji: cuteness & innocence through design

A few weeks ago I talked about art related trends in shojo manga. When I mentioned how the same character can go from somewhat bulky to slender and refined as an example, I actually had Ash in mind. Much can be said about Banana Fish being a perfect example of capturing a mangaka’s style evolution as much as its decade trends, and how that’s reflected in the considerable changes in the main character’s design. Continue reading “Eiji: cuteness & innocence through design”

Posted on

Update: new design + patreon commisions

This is definitely a post I should have made days ago but well, better late than never!

Unless you read this blog from the WordPress app or the mobile version, you probably already noticed that I’ve changed the template of the site again. Like the last time I changed it, my goal is to prioritize a comfortable reading experience, and it bothered me that I couldn’t change the gray color of the font to black (among other less important things). Continue reading “Update: new design + patreon commisions”

Posted on

Time, Innocence & Illusions in The Promised Neverland

This post contains heavy spoilers for the first episode of the show.  

From the start of the first episode, we can see that something is wrong. We see three little kids facing us from behind of the bars that keeps them caged, wondering what’s in the outside world. “I wonder what this gate is protecting us from,” asks Norman, grabbing the bars with his little hands. It’s in that same place where they get an answer a few years later, igniting the desire to escape inside of them.  Continue reading “Time, Innocence & Illusions in The Promised Neverland”

Posted on

Finding the rainbow–or every Ash & Eiji scene with gay ass lighting

Here it is, a post no one asked for but I wrote anyway because it was quick, easy, and this is how I have fun! (I already had this documented!)

Banana Fish does interesting things with lighting–like providing Ash shadows to hide when he wants to, framing Eiji as the light in Ash’s life or some Cain Blood’s scenes with lighting (and tones) that pays attention to black skin. Continue reading “Finding the rainbow–or every Ash & Eiji scene with gay ass lighting”

Posted on

Banana Fish: the negotiations of a show, a love story & things that hurt

Few series have made me feel as much and as strongly as Banana Fish–a work that’s full of things I love dearly, just as it has things that I either dislike or downright hate. It can be described as an action thriller, a crime drama, a story of cultural connections, abandoned children and new-found families, and many things more. At its heart, there’s a love story. Continue reading “Banana Fish: the negotiations of a show, a love story & things that hurt”

Posted on

Art style & fashion in shojo manga: a brief look

My interest in things like beauty and fashion trends and shojo manga have overlapped multiple times. This has made me notice certain things, but before starting, I want to make some clarifications.

First of all, I’m not by any means an expert. Not everything I’ll cover is exclusive to shojo and its influencers either. I simply want to focus on a couple of particular works and artists that happened to be featured in shojo magazines because, well… That’s what interests me! Consider this as a kind of laid back post by a fan. 

Continue reading “Art style & fashion in shojo manga: a brief look”