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Forum - View topicINTEREST: Gundam Manga Illustrator Recalls an Earlier Time When Sexism Prevented a Female Protagonis
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MoonPhase1
Posts: 499 |
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In a way the series has already had Female Protagonists. Though it’s usually a shared Protagonist with a guy character like 08th MS Team. But is great to see a Gundam series with a Female as the Main Protagonist.
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TheSleepyMonkey
Posts: 952 |
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This immediately reminded me of JoJo and how Araki wanted Giorno to be female but was rejected.... then did it immediately in the next part and it was a success.
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Kurohei
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The first Gunpla I bought was the Alex Gundam piloted by Christina Mackenzie.
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Ishida_Akira(fake)
Posts: 113 |
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There were rumors around Turn A, that Loran was supposed to be female, but Sunrise rejected it.So Loran spends 1 third of the show dressed like a girl anyway. I don't know if its true, but I hope it is.
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John the Dark Lord
Posts: 261 |
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It's not. They later revealed early drafts for Turn A, and it turns out Loran originally had a clearly masculine appearance before being changed into the pretty boy we know. And BTW, he doesn't spend that much time cross-dressing either. |
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Ishida_Akira(fake)
Posts: 113 |
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Awww.... but it made for such a funny story.... "Oh, you don't want a female MC? Fine, here's a male MC. IN A DRESS, YOU BASTARDS!". |
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GasterTheGreat
 Posts: 41 |
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Is it really right to call it 'sexism' when it's a logical fear based on market research and sales history? I imagine Sunrise changed their mind over the years after seeing the success of merchandise for female characters in Build Fighters and other recent history. I think as long as they focus on making the protagonist cute and likable then it could work out. We'll have to see if Suletta takes off like Fumina, China, and Rinko did.
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Ishida_Akira(fake)
Posts: 113 |
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True, I would not call this sexism. It's more marketing then anything. I mean, if a shoujo mangaka wanted to make a shoujo manga with a male MC, the response would have probably been the same: it's not our demographic.
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Vanadise
 Posts: 529 |
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Yes, of course it is. The meaning of the word doesn't change just because you believe you have a justified reason for it. I guarantee you that everybody who engages in sexist practices will tell you that they have a "logical" reason. |
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Ishida_Akira(fake)
Posts: 113 |
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I suppose that's true. You could say it was the sexism of the marketing department that came to the conclusion that a female main character would be bad for business. Which obviously isn't true. Who the hell would dislike the tanuki?
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Deacon Blues
Posts: 401 Location: Albuquerque, NM |
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That's actually not true. None of the earlier character designs reflect this fact. If anything, the original designs paint Loran as looking more masculine with hardened features. |
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SilverTalon01
Posts: 2417 |
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No. Deciding against taking a risk on a product because the data doesn't support that decision isn't sexist. Your suggestion that financial decisions should be made without data to support them is laughable. Yes, people in fact do that sometimes, but that is being a risk taker. Not wanting to be a risk taker isn't sexist. Now maybe you could say that the fanbase was sexist for not buying enough gunpla with female pilots to support this kind of decision before 2022. |
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 3026 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Have you guys ever listened to Tomino? He credits female fans for Gundam's success, namely their interest in Char. The audience was already there, and would have likely supported Gundam regardless of the protagonist's gender as long as there was also some good-looking guys in there, too.
This decision was based on what they thought would sell the most Gunpla, not whether the series itself would be good or not. DC quoted a similar reason about why Batman can't perform oral sex: it would hurt figure sales. Like, be skeptical when companies say "people won't buy this if X" http://4NN.cx/.174037 Tomino: https://twitter.com/tayuta0079/status/1350487287252086786?t=YzA0Yp_LrXxJ6_GNwWwefQ&s=19 Last edited by ANN_Lynzee on Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:16 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Boonabadoopadoop
Posts: 12 |
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Not all "logical reasons" are equal. By your logic it's sexist to divide sports leagues based on sex due to inherent biological differences. If a company doesn't want to purposely lose money due to bad decisions then it's illogical to expect them to do so just to appease some people crying injustice. I know that kind of thinking is unheard of in America these days where companies are expected to triple down on bad business decisions to appease complainers; like Disney saying Rey toys don't sell but keep getting bad PR'd into making them every new Star Wars movie and having them shelfwarm. But Japan tends to play things much more calculative and objective. People should be happy they finally took a chance on this show, not trying to shame them for past business decisions that are the equivalent of not touching a hot stove because they know they'd get burned. |
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Ishida_Akira(fake)
Posts: 113 |
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I think the question is simply "Is it sexist to think girls wouldn't like Gundam?". Well, it kind of is.
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