Review
1/2 Prince (manga) : 1/2 Prince (translated novels)
It is the year 2100 AD. Technological advancements have made possible the existence of virtual reality, and now the long-awaited has arrived – “Second Life”, a virtual reality game with a realism level of 99%. Provoked by her younger twin brother during an argument over the “unfair advantages” that female players have, Feng Lan is determined to beat her brother without using the benefits of her gender by playing a male character… and thus ends up being the first and only transgendered character in the entirety of “Second Life”.
In the company of many friends and allies, Feng Lan, now under the alias Prince, begins to make “his” name known throughout the world of “Second Life”. Yet reality and virtual reality soon begin to collide; with real-life friends and family becoming in-game enemies and in-game companions appearing as new real-world acquaintances, Feng Lan strives to keep her identity a secret from the world… and from those closest to her. With one problem following on the heels of another, what will the conclusion of the Prince Revolution be like? - (http://halfprince.wordpress.com/introduction/)
Let me say it upfront: I love genderbending. Disguises, genderswitch, general bisexuality... I love it all. But often I love it more for what it could be than what it is. When faced with blatant issues of gender and sexuality, lots of authors seem to panic and revert to 'me Tarzan, you Jane' type dynamics.
Say I have a strong female character disguised as a man; how do I signal the entrance of a love interest in the story? Well, he'll save her from danger, of course! Or he'll be specifically signposted as being more powerful than her, or he'll suspicious and intimidating... If a woman is at all masculine, the male love interest has to be more masculine than her.
Which - fine, whatever, if that's what rocks your boat. 1/2 Prince rocks my boat, and here's why:
1. FEMINISM
“I want to kill monsters to my heart’s content, using all kinds of crazy methods and moves, without anyone calling me a violent woman.
“I want to swear and cuss while killing and whenever I’m pissed or annoyed, without anyone saying that it isn’t ladylike.
“I want to be able to laugh after hearing an off-color joke, maybe even add my own retort. I don’t want to be forced to pretend I don’t get it, just to prove how pure and innocent I am, but I don’t want to be called a vulgar woman either.” - (1/2 Prince, chapter 2)
2. Strong female characters
So, having been given an extremely handsome virtual male body, what does Feng Lan do?
a) Get into trouble.
b) Fall in love.
c) Recruit allies, defeat her enemies and become the leader of a city.
While there may be a dash of a) in there, the correct answer is in fact c). This makes me so happy.
3. Non-stereotypical love interest
The love interest is a sweet, romantic bard who fell in love with Feng Lan despite thinking she's a guy.
"I'll care for him, share his pain and support him from the back! I promise! Prince, you are my dearest love!"
Gender role reversal, mmm. As yet, Feng Lan doesn't return his feelings (she's too busy french kissing the girls, I kid you not) but I have HIGH HOPES.
Short version: virtual reality, gender bending, feminism = things I like.
It is the year 2100 AD. Technological advancements have made possible the existence of virtual reality, and now the long-awaited has arrived – “Second Life”, a virtual reality game with a realism level of 99%. Provoked by her younger twin brother during an argument over the “unfair advantages” that female players have, Feng Lan is determined to beat her brother without using the benefits of her gender by playing a male character… and thus ends up being the first and only transgendered character in the entirety of “Second Life”.
In the company of many friends and allies, Feng Lan, now under the alias Prince, begins to make “his” name known throughout the world of “Second Life”. Yet reality and virtual reality soon begin to collide; with real-life friends and family becoming in-game enemies and in-game companions appearing as new real-world acquaintances, Feng Lan strives to keep her identity a secret from the world… and from those closest to her. With one problem following on the heels of another, what will the conclusion of the Prince Revolution be like? - (http://halfprince.wordpress.com/introduction/)
Let me say it upfront: I love genderbending. Disguises, genderswitch, general bisexuality... I love it all. But often I love it more for what it could be than what it is. When faced with blatant issues of gender and sexuality, lots of authors seem to panic and revert to 'me Tarzan, you Jane' type dynamics.
Say I have a strong female character disguised as a man; how do I signal the entrance of a love interest in the story? Well, he'll save her from danger, of course! Or he'll be specifically signposted as being more powerful than her, or he'll suspicious and intimidating... If a woman is at all masculine, the male love interest has to be more masculine than her.
Which - fine, whatever, if that's what rocks your boat. 1/2 Prince rocks my boat, and here's why:
1. FEMINISM
“I want to kill monsters to my heart’s content, using all kinds of crazy methods and moves, without anyone calling me a violent woman.
“I want to swear and cuss while killing and whenever I’m pissed or annoyed, without anyone saying that it isn’t ladylike.
“I want to be able to laugh after hearing an off-color joke, maybe even add my own retort. I don’t want to be forced to pretend I don’t get it, just to prove how pure and innocent I am, but I don’t want to be called a vulgar woman either.” - (1/2 Prince, chapter 2)
2. Strong female characters
So, having been given an extremely handsome virtual male body, what does Feng Lan do?
a) Get into trouble.
b) Fall in love.
c) Recruit allies, defeat her enemies and become the leader of a city.
While there may be a dash of a) in there, the correct answer is in fact c). This makes me so happy.
3. Non-stereotypical love interest
The love interest is a sweet, romantic bard who fell in love with Feng Lan despite thinking she's a guy.
"I'll care for him, share his pain and support him from the back! I promise! Prince, you are my dearest love!"
Gender role reversal, mmm. As yet, Feng Lan doesn't return his feelings (she's too busy french kissing the girls, I kid you not) but I have HIGH HOPES.
Short version: virtual reality, gender bending, feminism = things I like.