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wFeb 12, 2009 | |
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Misato Katsuragi This post was made for halfamoon. Misato is one of the primary characters in the 1995 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion is one of the most famous anime series of all time, having also spawned off at least two manga series, a movie, and is currently in the midst of a 4-movie retelling of the story. In a post-apocalyptic world on the cusp of another apocalypse, Misato seems to be the sole voice of reason while everyone around her is falling apart (psychologically, although in some cases, literally). She combats a multi-year episode of mutism, a father complex, and taking control of her life. While always calm and collected at work, she spends her evenings drinking beer and eating instant food from the microwave. In college, Misato befriends Ritsuko Akagi and Ryoji Kaji, both of whom later work with her at NERV. She breaks up with Kaji while still in college because he feels too much like her father. Still, they rekindle their romance during the course of the series. Misato learns that Kaji is working as a triple agent, trying to uncover the true intentions of SEELE and NERV. Kaji is murdered, but not before giving Misato the information he found. For the rest of the series, she works to learn the truth, developing a healthy skeptism for everyone around her, even Ritsuko. She only cries about Kaji in private, and is still able to maintain her roles as both a Major working for NERV and a mother-figure for Shinji and Asuka. In the end, Misato dies, but it is not her gender that makes her a target. Everyone dies in Evangelion. No, literally - the entire world dies. At least in Misato's case, she dies saving Shinji. Misato shoots and kills three men just as they find Shinji cowering under a staircase in NERV headquarters. When they find him, they say, "Nothing personal, kid--" And they are interrupted by gunfire, bullets being shot from Misato, who fires not from under cover, but while running at them straight-on. When killing the last would-be assassin, she grins while placing the mouth of the gun under his throat. "Nothing personal," she says, painting the wall with his blood. She literally drags Shinji to safety, and pulls him out of his depressive, ineffectual stupor. She died protecting humanity's only hope, and depending on how you interpret the ending, possibly allowed for Shinji to recreate humanity after the Instrumentality Project was rejected. Bad-Ass Misato Quotes MISATO: Giving up halfway is worse than never trying at all. Come on! Get up! MOVE IT! Misato icons! I am not skilled in the art of icon-making, but please do credit if you use them.            Labels: anime: neon genesis evangelion, icons scribbled mystickeeper at 10:23 PM 
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wFeb 7, 2009 | |
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Rec: Sailor Moon Post originally created for Halfamoon  Sailor Moon is a manga series created by Naoko Taekuchi. It ran from 1992 to 1997, and has spawned a 5-season anime series, three movies, a musical, and most recently a live-action retelling of the story. Many people are familiar with the anime version of Sailor Moon, as it aired on Cartoon Network for a number of years. What many people don't know is that the original manga version of Sailor Moon, crafted by Naoko Takeuchi, is a fantastic and mature manga series. In the English dub version of the story especially, many things are "dumbed down" from the original source material. For example, the homosexual relationship between Sailors Neptune and Uranus is erased in the English dub. Instead, they are referred to as "cousins." Usagi Tsukino is a lazy middle school student who loves video games. One day, she finds a talking cat, who tells her that she is actually a champion of justice, Sailor Moon. Usagi is incredulous, but when her best friend is attacked, she does not hesitate to save her. Throughout the course of the series, Usagi finds other girls who are Sailor Senshi just like her. While fighting various incarnations of evil, they also deal with school, entrance exams, families, and boys. Sailor Moon is one of few manga series to highlight a lesbian relationship without making it into a huge deal. Normally, for a manga or anime series to have a homosexual relationship, the story focuses exclusively on the relationship. In the case of Sailor Moon, the genre is very clearly "magical school girl," but Takeuchi allows her characters to interact naturally without detracting from the main plot. Also, Takeuchi's art books sometimes contain slash-tastic drawings of her characters. She seems to love paring Sailors Mars and Venus together, with their arms around each other, etc. There are some examples of this in the icons below! Art styles used by manga-ka (people who write/draw manga) are always evolving, but it is difficult to find consistent quality artwork from the mid-1990s. Takeuchi's artwork is a massive exception, and to this day, I think that this series' artwork is the most beautiful I've seen. Also, Takeuchi makes adorably cute chibi versions of all her characters. As for the Icons!                                       In the U.S., licenses have lapsed on both the anime series and on the manga series. The anime is still relatively easy to find on DVD, but the manga series is becoming increasingly rare. It was published by Mixx (which later became TokyoPop), but I would love to see a re-issuing here, much like they are currently releasing in Japan. Mixx did not do a very good job at binding the pages together. I own all 18 volumes, but many of them are falling apart! Labels: anime: sailor moon, icons, manga: sailor moon scribbled mystickeeper at 1:02 PM
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