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EP. REVIEW: Delicious Party Precure

And yes, I admit that I'm excited by the possibility that Yui's friend Takumi could be a Pretty Cure simply because it would be justice for Cure Waffle, who absolutely should have been a thing in Kira Kira Pretty Cure a la Mode.

I may have made a mistake watching this before breakfast

Quote:

And yes, I admit that I'm excited by the possibility that Yui's friend Takumi could be a Pretty Cure simply because it would be justice for Cure Waffle, who absolutely should have been a thing in Kira Kira Pretty Cure a la Mode.

I'm also hoping for some justice for my boy Seiji from HappinessCharge. At least it seems like they'll be playing the childhood friend romance straight this time instead of aiming for a (misguided) triple-subversion.

*snip*

But honestly, it's Pretty Cure. This is the exact opposite kind of conversation I wanted to be having. I want to talk food and positivity and healing. Marvel at the sakuga. Maybe pick up a few recipes.

I would rather talk positivity too. Sorry if I said anything offensive before, I hope you feel okay. And yes, let's enjoy this show!

Anyway, all I was trying to point out is that Mari is constructed to fit into a very specific archetype that basically any Japanese viewer (especially parents watching along) will recognize as having very specific implications, maybe even laugh at, even if a few traits are absent on account of this being a kids' show. The feminine name, the makeup, the exposed masculine neckline, the exaggerated speech pattern (which might be lost on non-speakers, but it can get pretty grating). It's really not the same as earnest, authentic gay, trans or enby representation. I say again, there are onee characters I like in spite of the stereotype, and as a consequence I'm still cautiously optimistic for Rosemary (much ass is kicked in this episode), but I think it's important to acknowledge that there's baggage there that didn't need to be.

Sure, Mari fits into the archetype, but an archetype or trope is not necessarily bad in itself. [...]I know that you said that something like this is not as good as a 'real' enby character, but I would say that at least some part of positive breaking the gender binary is preferable to none, and even some preference over a character that just has a big question mark put on them as a joke.

DuskyPredator wrote:

Sure, Mari fits into the archetype, but an archetype or trope is not necessarily bad in itself. [...]I know that you said that something like this is not as good as a 'real' enby character, but I would say that at least some part of positive breaking the gender binary is preferable to none, and even some preference over a character that just has a big question mark put on them as a joke.

Stereotype. Please use the word. I was just trying to raise awareness. "Well I don't see why that's a problem so you shouldn't either," is, in fact, a very common response in such discussions, so your response is not unexpected, but really, this is the last time I want to have to say anything on it.

The stereotype in question was created to de-legitimize gay men as men by turning them into "women." Many gay men take pride in still being men, even as they put on makeup and engage in other activities considered "un-masculine," even doing drag. But the onee stereotype was created to take all of that and exaggerate it into an obsession with beauty, even a desire towards womanhood, all so insecure straight men don't feel threatened. It's a kind of audiovisial harassment aimed at gay men, where the real harm is done simply by checking enough of the boxes to reinforce existing associations.

I don't feel like repeating myself anymore, or restating anything else from the blog post I Googled, (because this is honestly kind of exhausting) but I would suggest doing more research of your own if you want to know more and have an informed opinion. As of this week, Rosemary is still toeing a line he didn't need to just by being here, but is doing fine on his own merits as a character. (Hopefully my reasons for the pronoun are clear.) I could really do with less of the "look at how accepting we are of the funny queer," but at least it's not the focal point of the episode... Oh, wait, it kind of is, but hopefully Toei have gotten it out of their system.

(It's never addressed directly, but Miyano from Sasaki and Miyano having a strong negative association linking "liking men" to "not being a man" is almost certainly because of the onee stereotype. tl;dr: backhanded "positive" representation can still be harmful.)

what word

Is Mary really any different from other similar flamboyantly effeminate guys the franchisee has done before like Shut from Go Princess or Francois from Mahou Tsukai, or Henri from Hugtto? I guess he's a bit more goofy, but I find him entertaining.