Thoughts on The Hunger Games

I recently finished reading The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, for class this week and was actually pleasantly surprised by most of it. While I had heard of the trilogy and movie due to their popularity, I had never read it or learned what it was about before. The premise of the "Hunger Games" was bizarre and unlikely sounding to me, but it was certainly interesting. While I understand the use of the Games to demonstrate the power of a militaristic government over their population, it seems strange that they try to turn it into a prime-time event worthy of celebration. Either this event acts as evidence of human's morbid entertainment with watching the suffering of others, or the Capital has such control that they can force every citizen to pretend to enjoy it. I don't think that in reality it would be so effective to punish the rebels for their uprising while simultaneously telling them to enjoy the competition with their fellow districts. In my mind this would make a previously loyal citizen angry at the Capitol and a disloyal citizen even angrier. 

I also found the characters to be very engaging. Katniss seems intelligent and completely self-capable, which is refreshing compared to some of the less useful contestants. It was nice that she wasn't interested in going down the love-interest road with Peeta (at least initially) because that side-plot seemed pretty boring and kind of cheesy to me. In this respect it seems like she begins as a Final Girl, but progressively lost those qualities over the course of the novel. I found the ending a little disappointing and overly convenient given the emphasis on loss that had been so common throughout the rest of the book.  By the end of the games, Katniss is in a "relationship" (faked or not), not the only one to survive, and has lost most of her self-sufficiency because she has to drag Peeta around everywhere. I know that killing Peeta off would make a sequel much more difficult, but it really seemed to ruin the Final Girl theme that had kept the plot interesting all along.

Thoughts on Sailor Moon

We watched the television cartoon Sailor Moon for the first time in class today, and I have to say that I honestly found it a little strange. Having never been exposed to much anime, it was interesting to see how the characters were depicted. I was expecting the impossibly large eyes and over-exaggerated expressions, but was a little bit surprised to see how unnaturally long the heroes' legs were. It reminded me a lot of the Barbie franchise, especially with the heavy focus on fashion, makeup, and accessories (not to mention that ridiculously long hair). I remember hearing some controversy over how disturbing it would be to see a Barbie  doll at human scale, and I found it interesting that some of the same distorted ideas of "idealized" feminine proportions existed in Japan as well. Their weirdly pitched voices were interesting too, but maybe that kind of voice is appealing and natural sounding to the (mostly) child target audience.

The other question I was conflicted over was if this show acted as a good role model for the children watching. On one hand, as the first series featuring magical girls fighting evil, it was nice to see a little more gender equality. The girls were shown to be just as capable of battling enemies as in any other superhero shows. Yet the emphasis on superficial and stereo typically "girly" accessories and weapons wasn't so clear. I wasn't sure if including all that was negative, because it sent a message of "these are the things all girls should like, so you should too", or positive because it potentially attracted more girls to watch and be inspired by the more empowering theme of self-capable women heroes. Either way, I guess the show succeeded in some respect given its long term popularity and air time.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2

In this post, I wanted to expand on one of the characters in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  I have found that Jeykll and his corresponding alter ego Hyde seen to have more depth as characters than I saw on my initial reading. Jeykll is an unusually timid and nervous man in the midst of a group of headstrong people, yet he is also one of the more important. This importance comes not only from his rage monster transformation abilities, but also that he appears to be Mina's most trusted "friend" (if Mina considers herself to have friends). She seeks his opinion at least once in the novel, and it is to him that she is able to voice her frustrations and inner concerns about the group (especially about Mr. Quartermain). In this capacity, Jeykll acts as a mediator between the members. He is able to voice his objective opinions and is respected for his insight. Of course, Jeykll's second contribution to the League comes from Hyde, who represents everything Jeykll is not. Hyde tends to disregard consequences or rational thought in favor of violence and brute strength. In this way he helps the group survive the numerous enemies they face on their mission. Yet just as Jeykll seems to have a special connection to Mina, so does Hyde in his own way. When Hyde comes alive, the only thing guiding and restraining him at times seems to be Mina. She has the power to provoke him, yet the fearlessness and ability to order him around. More interestingly, we can see a definite evolution in Hyde, from his out of control state the night when he tried to harm Mina disguised as a prostitute (the beginning of their "relationship"), to the final Hyde that is fighting on the League's side for a common objective.