![]() ![]() While Arakawa’s manga subverts and challenges a lot, it is by no means perfect. She also shows girls they are capable of making an impact on those around them. Arakawa subtly encourages boys to be open in their admiration of women and see women as influential figures. With Aki’s guidance, horseback riding becomes a big part of his life. ![]() In Silver Spoons, Hachiken didn’t get into horseback riding because he had a crush on Aki, but because he was impressed with how cool she was while riding and wanted to be like her. In Fullmetal, the villains threatens the women close to two male protagonists-Winry is threatened to force Ed and Al’s hand, and Riza is threatened to force the hand of her partner Roy Mustang. Arakawa encourages her readers to question this particular trope by putting it in play and then tearing it apart. The narrative will often back the villain up in this-the female character may protest or fight, but ultimately she will fulfill her function as a motivation for the hero. The villain in the story often does this knowingly, seeing the woman in question as nothing but an object to use as leverage against the hero. A female character close to the hero will be put in peril in order to motivate him. The “damsel in distress” trope is incredibly common in action stories, especially ones with a male protagonist. Subverting Tropes: Challenging the Damsel in Distress and Lack of Female Agency Whichever it is, Arakawa encourages her readers, male and female, to recognize the importance of communication. Boys can be naturally emotional, while girls can find it hard to express their feelings. The switch-up in Silver Spoon shows Arakawa’s awareness that these issues don’t always follow strict gender divides. In Silver Spoon, the main character, Hachiken is an emotional worrier who encourages the closed-off Aki to talk about her problems. A huge part of Ed and Al’s character arcs are about how they need to realize that shutting Winry out “for her own good” is hurtful and disrespectful.īut it’s not only boys to will hide their feelings so as not to not burden others. Winry is vocally upset about the boys leaving her out. ![]() And all for her “protection.” Arakawa presents a similar situation, with the boys depending on Winry but keeping things from her, but then smashes it apart by showing the consequences of treating someone this way. Not only that, the protagonists don’t see fit to tell her their secret identities, what they’re doing, or even let her in on things that directly affect her (like the threat of villians coming for her). She exists for them, and her life outside them is not of consequence. Subverting Tropes: Giving the Civilian Female Character Her DueĮveryone’s probably familiar with the trope-the superhero’s girlfriend or female relative provides endless support, yet the protagonists don’t ever have to consider her problems. However, there are quite a few older women and women who aren’t conventionally attractive in her stories. One of the prominent characters in Silver Spoon is an overweight young girl who is entirely comfortable with her body, a rarity for manga. She admits to favoring voluptuous women, and a lot of her women fall into that thin-but-busty body type. In addition to women occupying a variety of roles, Arakawa’s women also have a variety of ages and appearances. ![]()
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