/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Girls in TM are mentally weak

"Nasu: Speaking for my own work, I've often heard that "Nasu respects women's rights, since he writes stories with strong, active girls," and there was a time when I accepted that. But lately, I've come to realize this might not be the case. Whether in Tsukihime or in Fate, the heroines Arcueid and Saber fight on the front lines while the protagonist stands behind. Even in Kara no Kyoukai, all the fighting was left to Ryougi Shiki, while Kokutou Mikiya's role was relegated to the protagonist that feeds his troublesome heroine. It's a pretty terrible kind of chauvinism, if you think about it. If we think of strength as divided into physical and mental strength, I've depicted women as having difficulty obtaining the latter. One merely needs to pick up a weapon to overcome someone else physically, but mental strength isn't so easily gained. Nasu Kinoko's works grant strength of arms to female characters, while having male characters embody strength of spirit. When I noticed this, I realized that some strong biases must have congealed within me. For example, Arcueid is said to be the most powerful character in TYPE-MOON, but she also has another side that gives into whatever Shiki says because she's fallen head over heels for him. At that moment, the male character is made out to be superior. If it had really been neutral, then she could have just used her overwhelming power to send Shiki flying. Like, "you damn two-timer!" (laughs)"