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RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - The Princess Diaries

Huh... I have complicated feelings about Princess Knight. Was no one else as bothered by the implicit invalidation of feminine power and capability as I was?

spoiler[At first glance, it appears Tezuka is asserting traditional gender roles. In Sapphire, it seems only one heart may be active at a time. While her boy heart holds sway, she is one of the finest swordsmen in the country. If her girl heart takes control, she is barely able to defend herself. However, it’s all the same person, Sapphire.
Looking more closely, we discover that Sapphire is not responding to which heart is more dominant. Whether she realizes it or not, both hearts are equally active all the time. Instead, Sapphire is acting as the people around her perceive her. If she is seen as a boy, then she is able to be strong and fierce. If she is seen as a girl, then she is frail and submissive. Tezuka is critiquing the false dichotomy that society creates among male and female. Sapphire needs to learn to be true to herself and not let others dictate who she is or what she can do.]

neocloud9 wrote:

Huh... I have complicated feelings about Princess Knight. Was no one else as bothered by the implicit invalidation of feminine power and capability as I was?

Ed Sizemore reviewed the first volume of Princess Knight and tackled this concern I had as well... that when her female heart is dominant suddenly she is weaker and suffers from Damsel-in-Distress syndrome. I'm quoting the specific section of his review below. I don't consider it spoilerific myself, but I'll put it behind spoilers just in case.

Ed Sizemore wrote:

spoiler[At first glance, it appears Tezuka is asserting traditional gender roles. In Sapphire, it seems only one heart may be active at a time. While her boy heart holds sway, she is one of the finest swordsmen in the country. If her girl heart takes control, she is barely able to defend herself. However, it’s all the same person, Sapphire. Looking more closely, we discover that Sapphire is not responding to which heart is more dominant. Whether she realizes it or not, both hearts are equally active all the time. Instead, Sapphire is acting as the people around her perceive her. If she is seen as a boy, then she is able to be strong and fierce. If she is seen as a girl, then she is frail and submissive. Tezuka is critiquing the false dichotomy that society creates among male and female. Sapphire needs to learn to be true to herself and not let others dictate who she is or what she can do.]

When I looked at it from that point of view - that her weaknesses were not due to the fact that she was a girl but because she allowed others' perceptions of her affect her judgments and actions - it doesn't bother me so much.

Of course, this is only one interpretation, and I have yet to read the series myself to have any sort of opinion. I've just read up on many separate reviews and looked up summaries, and this was a concern I had during my research. Perhaps my opinion is now clouded, but I'd rather have a positive perception of the series than a negative one since I'm always looking for good series with a lead heroine (I'm a female fan who tends to prefer the female characters).

I was hoping Gate 7 would get a better review, as I've been looking forward to a new Clamp manga. Guess I'll wait for vol 2 and see if the plot picks up before starting the series. Just extra money I can put towards Christmas presents.

I wish that were the case, but the scene I was linking to actually takes place during a brief period of time when spoiler[her boy heart was removed from her entirely, suddenly making her weak and fearful] so it's not a matter of preconceived notions or one heart being "dominant" over the other - at least not in that specific case, which I chose to highlight because it most clearly illustrates the problem I had with Princess Knight.

And I totally know what you mean, I wanted so badly to like this series! I hate having to point out flaws like this, I don't get any enjoyment out of it either. But I do feel it's an important thing to know going into the series, if only so you won't be as disappointed as I was.

I wish that were the case, but the scene I was linking to actually takes place during a brief period of time when spoiler[her boy heart was removed from her entirely, suddenly making her weak and fearful] so it's not a matter of preconceived notions or one heart being "dominant" over the other - at least not in that specific case, which I chose to highlight because it most clearly illustrates the problem I had with Princess Knight.

And I totally know what you mean, I wanted so badly to like this series! I hate having to point out flaws like this, I don't get any enjoyment out of it either. But I do feel it's an important thing to know going into the series, if only so you won't be as disappointed as I was.