Forum - View topicREVIEW: Black Bird GN 8-10
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14889 |
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This is good.
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Sewingrose
 Posts: 579 |
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I love that the reviewers here (and elsewhere for the most part) realize the levels of deep and unending creepy that just flow from this book. It's stories like this that portray such abusive and disturbing relationships as "true love" that just disgust me on a very personal level, and worry for the impressionable teenage girls reading these books.
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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They're not that impressionable. They are just reading the manga version of the same "paranormal-romance" crap that their moms are buying at the Barnes & Nobles. Oh. And the moms are probably reading this, too. 
Kudos to Rebecca for the incisive review. If the subject matter wasn't bad enough, the art is abysmal. Why this sells is beyond me. (Though I suppose it IS targeted to the sheltered and substandard literacy abilities of bored podunkville housewives.....) 
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enurtsol
Posts: 14889 |
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Maybe it appeals to introverts, of which fandom much consists. 
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lelliel
 Posts: 43 |
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This reminds of how Cleolinda Jones who was reviewing Twilight raised the concern about impressionable teenage girls and some readers responded with a they're not that impressionable or stupid response. I remember later on reading a comment from one of Jones' readers about how she was chatting with a friend about the book and the friend mentioned that she was concern with Edward Cullen not being good boyfriend role model (something like that). The reader gave the reply of how nobody naive enough to think Edward was a ideal boyfriend. Said friend would tell a story about how it was recently discovered how her niece was spending time at a boyfriend's work place staying in a car so the boyfriend could know where she was at all times. The friend's niece would only get out of the car to use the restroom; the boyfriend gave her food and drinks. And to clarify, the niece was perfectly okay staying in the car so the creepy obsessive boyfriend could keep an eye on her because she had read Twilight and that was what Bella and Edward would have done. I'm confident enough you could find a couple stories just like the above on the net. ---- I mean obviously not all teenage girls are that naive or impressionable, but there is a certain small percentage who really do believe a abusive stalker relationship is the way go because of something they read or some other form of media. I mean even Stephanie Meyer has admited she would leave her husband for Edward Cullen or Jacob Black if it were possible. |
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wyntre_rose
 Posts: 111 |
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Seriously, thank you so much, Rebecca...
I'd been on the fence for a while about whether or not to look into this series. The pretty covers were tempting, but I wasn't sure about the relationship between the two leads. I'd read it described as unhealthy in more than one review, but then I also have to admit to liking Butterflies, Flowers, Chobits (even Hot Gimmick is a [very] guilty pleasure) and all of those certainly are considered unhealthy by many peoples' standards, my own included, so I just didn't know if I'd find it offensive or not. But if the sex is being compared in story to a bird devouring its prey...yeah, no thanks. *shudder* One less title to waste my time on. Again, thanks. *bows* |
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enurtsol
Posts: 14889 |
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A lot of anime have bad relationship models for both guys and gals; yet there's no concern for "impressionable anime fans."
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Danette-Anime-Otaku
Posts: 115 |
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A very insightful review. Well done.
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Hellfish
Posts: 392 Location: Mexico |
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Black Bird was one of the titles I quickly dumped at the moment I read the preview chapter included on shojo beat and realized everything was just going downhill from there.... I am not surprised it sells so much (unfortunately) but I am unable to understand how this won the Shogakukan manga award...}
The covers are the ones that make most uncomfortable, as if the author is fully aware this is an abusive relationship and is mocking his own fans for buying that crap. I once kinda like his older work Backstage prince, but now I dislike it, the characters have the same designs, and the relationship is not actually healthy either... but compared to the one portrayed here... |
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GracieLizzy
 Posts: 551 Location: Sunderland, England, UK |
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Um not actually defending this manga because, well I find it icky, but... no actually in most cultures it is the age of consent. Or below. See here. The dark blue areas are where it is 16 and the lighter blue areas are where it is below 16. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2655 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Thank you to everyone who has said they liked/got something out of this review. It was, if not tough to write, tough to get through the books without screaming.
Thanks for the correction. (And the map!) For some reason I was under the impression that it was 17 most places... 
I honestly almost didn't use the cover of volume 8 for the review because it seems so...abusive. I don't know if Sakurakoji is mocking fans precisely - from her comments, she seems to find the story just fine. I guess the best you can say is that they let you know what you're in for.
I'm with you there. I enjoyed all of Butterflies, Flowers and still have Hot Gimmick shelved with my bodice ripper collection. I even like Stepping on Roses if I turn off part of my brain and the moon is in the correct phase of Jupiter. But this story, particularly volume 8, made me need to wash my soul. (Also, great handle! Do you read Patricia McKillip, by any chance?)
Ohhh, the impressionable anime fan! When my sisters and were just getting hooked, we created a very special game: All Terrain Anything Goes Indiscriminate Whacking Sailor Moon Croquet. The rules were naturally very simple: each of the three of us got to place 4 wickets in the most difficult places in the yard, which was basically scant grass over rocks sprinkled with stumps and raspberry bushes. Then based on the color of the croquet ball, you had to yell the attack of the relevant Sailor Scout. Depending on how hard you were going to hit the ball determined which attack you could use. If you could throw in a pose from any of the three shows we had seen at that point (Ranma, Sailor Moon, or Wedding Peach via crappy fansub), you got another hit if the other two could place the pose. Does that count as anime making the wrong impression on young, stupid fans? 
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Ashen Phoenix
 Posts: 2946 |
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Couldn't agree with you more. I've seen and read many parallels made between Black Bird and the (in)famous Twilight couple, and I must say neither's portrayal of a weak-willed, all-forgiving and inappropriately accepting heroine, or her controlling, head-screwing, possessive and demeaning boyfriend are even remotely healthy for young girls to read, much less use as "reference" for what they should pursue in their own lives. Thank you, Rebecca, and thank you, Sewingrose, for highlighting these disturbing factors. More adult/older teen-oriented shoujo manga in the States is a beautiful thing, but if all we get are series like this, things will only continue down a dark, unwanted path. |
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chloes_fork
 Posts: 58 |
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Wow, really no love for Black Bird hereabouts, eh?
I'm always a little taken aback by the ferocious negativity I see toward this series, here and elsewhere. To me, it's just a fun, trashy wallow, clearly nothing to take seriously but a blast to read. But then, I'm an odd reader of this title anyway: an adult male who enjoys shoujo -- I call it "feeding my inner Japanese teenage girl." (And FWIW, my identification is firmly with Misao as the viewpoint character, before anybody assumes I enjoy the thing as a wannabe Kyo-the-abuser.) I guess I get the idea that for its intended readership of teen girls, it could be sending some less-than-salutary messages. From my perspective, though, it's just a semi-smutty fantasy lark, not a how-to guide for real-life relationship dynamics. And I bet a lot of its target audience understands that better than their fretful elders give them credit for. Last edited by chloes_fork on Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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popular titles always get alot of hates. you guys should go hate on more less popular titles.
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Lycosyncer
Posts: 526 |
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Wow, after reading some of the novels, I never thought I would find a relationship that leaves some rather creepy undertones and messages that leads to the wrong impressions of how good relationships should work.
This makes Edward and Bella's relationship look more normal in comparison! It seems to me I found something even worse that Twilight in this instance and if this ever gets the same attention as Twilight, man that is going to suck. |
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