I've really been enjoying this series, it's a shame that it doesn't seem to be doing too well. I honestly wish it was in a different Shueisha publication or a different magazine entirely. As I've gotten older I've really come to dislike how strict Weekly Jump is and how quickly some series get axed. Sometimes it takes a while for a story to really get going.
Latest posts made by DoubleWizard
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RE: Red Hood
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)
Actually, I’m not sure when was the first time Luffy wholeheartedly saw Franky as a friend.
I don't think he was actively positive towards him until after Enies Lobby. The closest he got to being on good terms with him before was entrusting Robin to him when he finally caught up to Lucci
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)
You talk like Yamato is some sort of delusional fan.
Yamato has not really exhibited anything unhealthy. He returned Oden's journal to Momonosuke, even though by your logic, he should've kept it since it was his journal. That's not how this whole thing has been portrayed.
I mean, I think styling yourself that much after another person is a liiittle unhealthy, haha. Not to mention there was a point where he said he was Momo's dad.
I think Yamato's current role in the story is, interesting to say the least. He's a very unique character right now and there's no one else like him in the story, so it's hard to see exactly where this will lead him Which I'm sure is the point!. Yamato's biggest strength is also in a way, his biggest weakness: so much of his character is tied into Oden (and Kaido due to being his child), that we still haven't fully seen who "Yamato" himself is as a person. We've seen bits and pieces, but we've still got a long way to go and it seems like with him wanting to join the fight with his father, we might start to see that soon.
I'm currently on the fence on just what direction he'll take. I honestly think there's a lot of evidence for him taking up Oden's role in honor of him and also maybe Kaido's. There's the parallels with him and Momo compared to Kaido and Orochi, his growing bond with Momo, the forced redemption of many of the Beast Pirates who will need a new leader afterwords (besides Tama), the opening of Wano's borders, and Oden's regret for having left Wano during its time of need to pursue his own goals. But also, this isn't what "Yamato" wants necessarily, he's stated how much he wants to leave the island, something that has stayed consistent with him for YEARS. And he's kept direct tabs on Luffy and his crew for a long time, with the big kicker that he directly asked to come along with them. I believe there's going to come a point in the story where Yamato is really going to have to think about what he wants, as his own person, not Oden and not his father.
That is of course if this is all meant to be a big growing point for his character and not just solely a goof.
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RE: Dandadan
I've been loving this manga so far, you can definitely see the influence from working with Fujimoto Tatsuki and Kaku Yuuji. Yeah it's a bit edgy at times but it hasn't been too bad to me so far. Very interested to see where this goes!
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)
Okay, I'll start by being clear in no uncertain terms.
My opinion is Yamato is clearly trans.
Everything in the story screams it, that is the text. Not subtext, but the text.
That is my opinion. No caveats, no exception, no, "but maybe". That is my opinion.
What I am saying after that, is what I think about Oda and HIS take on it is. And also, that whatever Oda's opinion actually is, remembering that it has to be filtered through a comic book for 12 year old boys.
These are two separate things. I understand where the confusion might lie if I don't cleanly separate these two thoughts.
[hide]I think the way Oda is handling it makes it more of a mixed bag. I think, Oda's intent is to write a trans character, but his execution is going to lean more towards non-conforming woman… for a variety of reasons.
Regardless of what his actual intent is, what's ending up on the page may not be quite there.
I think Oda is a straight man in his 40's, that lives in very culturally and slightly sexist Japan. That leads to all sorts of weird biases and the discussions on his sexism in the story are endless.
He probably also does not have a best friend who is trans as I do, so the overall subject may be something he only really knows third hand, or from television. He might not actually know anyone with the experience, but I have no way of knowing so I can't even guess.
But Japan IS different from other countries, so social stuff is... different. Not worse or better but... different.
In terms of the story, he is having his cake and eating it too, like I said.
He's interested in the concept of a trans character but maybe not super heavily informed in it. Hence the inclusion of at least two trans characters in this arc, one a man that feels like a woman, and one a woman that feels like a man. Plus some others before that are in the range of crossdresser or gender bending but not necessarily trans, including Kiku's brother, also in this arc.
Oda's been to okama bars, and yes obviously likes Rocky Horror, and he's put it into the story, so he has interest but no way of knowing how far that actually goes..
Some of that is also to address Wano's culture in general, but he hasn't super heavy focused on that.
And as noted he explicitly commented on being surprised by Rose of Versailles, he thought that was an interesting development and reveal.
So character that is legit trans, wants to be a man... but also looks like a sexy girl with lots of side boob.
At the end of the day it is a comic aimed at 12 year old boys and Oda's probably never going to do a deep dive on the issue any further than he already has outside of whatever we get in Yamato's likely flashback.
The surface social issues are probably as deep as he's going to go with it, he's not going to deal with feeling inadequate n their body, it's just not that kind of story.
Similarly whenever a female reader writes in and goes "you said something that makes it sound like girls can't do a thing" and his response is along the lines of "Of course a girl can have a manly adventure! It's all in your heart!" so that's confusing.
He puts in stuff like "I am Oden so..." and "Kaidou's daughter" to make it easier to process and start sliding in as a joke before it sets in that its an actual long term emotional thing for the character.
There are different levels of trans identity, it's not a one-size-fits-all thing, and there are some folks that feel they're the wrong gender but aren't particularly uncomfortable with the body they have... but it's hard to say if Oda's thought about, or understand it, that deeply?
I mostly think Oda thought it would be interesting to have a character that's conflicted. I think Oda thought it would be interesting to mention Kaidou's son for a couple months and then have a surprise reveal. I think Oda thought it would be interesting to have a character with a viewpoint and personality Oda hasn't done before. Those were his concerns first and foremost.
And maybe to also adress the Kuina issue that goes back decades about how a person born female in Wano (which is specifically called out for being outdated in gender biases) can still have the strengths and freedoms of any man.
Yamato identifies as a man. If Ivanokov shows up he'll switch. In the meantime, he's not ashamed of his body or it being weak (as Kuina did) so if there's sideboob, oh well.
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We still need to see what happens when other characters take baths, how he interacts with Sanji, how he interacts with Nami and Robin, etc. to get a really clear idea of how exactly Oda's going to handle it or how far he's actually going to take it. It's been too much of a combat zone to really get that nuance and see exactly how Oda is ultimately going to roll with it all.Okay, thank you for the clear and honest answer, I appreciate it. Unfortunately I don't fully agree, I've been burned enough times by cis authors trying to tackle this stuff, and I would have liked it if many things were handled differently, but it is what it is. Like you said, there's still a lot we need to see depending on where things go, so I guess we'll see when we see. Despite misgivings I do hope we get to see Yamato stick around for a while, I'm rooting for him.
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)
I'll try to make this my last comment on the subject since it's getting off topic. Maybe there should be a general Yamato thread but I can just imagine how much of a disaster that would be, haha.
People can grow and change and find new influences and learn, and be better than they once were.
Yeah the freaky monster okama that chased Sanji were in poor taste, (as were Sanjis nose bleeds after the time skip) but that was over a decade ago. Bon Kurei and Ivanakov were always treated pretty well and their gender stuff is complicated.
I am aware that people grow and change, but also the track record still stands. There has been nothing that really says he's learned from previous depictions, and with both the Kiku and Yamato reveals, it doesn't seem like he has to me. Previous stuff being from a decade ago doesn't really matter in this situation since the okama in general haven't been in the story, besides a cover story appearance I believe. Guess we'll have to wait what happens if they eventually reappear.
I agree that Iva and Mr. 2 were treated well, however for Iva and the newkama that's really more so because they were ripped wholesale from Rocky Horror. Mr. 2 is a mixed bag, his character itself is great but he's got a lot of bad baggage with him.
We just had a discussion about how 23 years ago Oda presented the Kuina situation as "a woman can never be as strong as a man!", and Oda definitely has hangups about male hero characters fighting women, and he has definitely been sexist, but he HAS gotten better about all those things over the years. Look at how many fighters in this arc are women!
If you think that Oda's representation of women has improved over the years then I think you and I have been reading very different comics lol. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this
Yes, the magazine for girls uses one of the most prominent new characters that looks feminine. Not a huge shocker.
Hmm, you don't say.
I think Oda is having his cake and eating it too here. He's still drawing "cute girl" but then making her a tough manly type that can rough it up with the best of them.
I mean, in a situation like this you can't really have your cake and eat it too…
But then if he looked like a man, that loses the shock value of "Kaidous son is a GIRL??!@?"
Yeah we don't need that shock value and I really wish cis authors would get this through their heads.
If Yamato had a more flat chested or androgynous look, or a more butch haircut, more Sailor Uranus style, I think it might be easier to wrestle with. (But then if he looked like a man, that loses the shock value of "Kaidous son is a GIRL??!@?" ) Though while Haruka was explicitly gay, and dressed like a man, (and passed for one sometimes) that was always kind of skirted around… in that manga and anime from the 90's. (The the Sailor Stars made things REALLY confusing...)
Just judging from how Oda has handled it so far, I think he's mostly going with "Yamato wants to be tough and a warrior and not seen as a damsel like all the other dainty Wano ladies. Men get to have adventures while women cook!" and he's pretty much going to leave it there, without actually touching on sexuality or feeling uncomfortable in his body at all.
So he's very very lightly touching the issue, but he's not going to dwell on it, and that's the level of respect we can get from the guy that did the crass okama jokes before. So the representation is there but it's mild and treated lightly as a character quirk more than a serious issue, in a way Yamato can show off whatever is needed..
I'll be very honest here, it's hard to read this and some of your previous message without it coming off like you're saying Yamato is a girl/Oda is treating Yamato like a girl, so I'll be blunt and ask: what do you think Oda intends for Yamato's character? Do you believe he's meant to be a trans man, or a butch/gender non-conforming woman?
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)
The worldwide shown tv special that had every single REAL person presenting referring to Yamato as "he". No discussion or confusion, they were all solid on that.
And the twitter comments to that for anime only watchers has been "who the heck is Yamato?"
So, even though there could potentially be confusion to the audience that hasn't met the character yet, they STILL went with "he". Nonchalantly all around, no questioning it. Vetted through official OP staff and editors.
And n the spinoff high school manga, Yamato is wearing a boy's uniform.
When all the media OUTSIDE of the manga is running with it, I think its safe to assume Oda made the point clear to his editors.
Just like he made it clear in the the chapter after Yamato unmasked.
I understand being confused in week 2, given the narration box. I used "she" then too. But after week 3? Not so much. And week 35? You're willfully ignoring what's on the page at that point.
If it changes? Then it changes. In the meantime, take the person's word for it, they know how they feel better than you know how they feel.
While I greatly appreciate all the people I've seen here and other places respecting Yamato's pronouns, along with the tv special I had no idea about, there is honestly not a single ounce of my being that believes Oda truly intends Yamato to be a trans man character, his previous track record simply doesn't hold up. I mean, are we really expecting the person who has heavily used offensive okama imagery to also be able to tackle the nuance of a trans character, especially one who doesn't present/pass as their identified gender? Hell even Kiku wasn't able to avoid the whole "what you're a man?!" style of reveal.
And while it's nice that Yamato wore a boy's uniform in that spinoff manga, it doesn't really mean anything. And all of the media outside the manga HASN'T been running with it. For me, the real sticking point for how Oda and everyone else involved is viewing this, is this collaboration image from Shueisha's Ribon magazine, where Yamato is placed with many of the women characters with "ONE PIECE HEROINES" in big bold letters underneath. If we're taking spinoffs and tv specials as things that absolutely had to pass through Oda, then I see no reason why this wouldn't have either.
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Hell, let's not forget that Oda mentioned reading Rose of Versailles right before Yamato's reveal.Hopefully I'm wrong though, I would love nothing more than for one of the biggest manga of all time to have a trans character (especially a trans man, who I personally feel are under represented even in many queer works), with such a real chance of joining the crew, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm still dreading the eventual meetup with Sanji shivers.
Oh and as a quick aside, it wasn't in this specific post but I've seen it in others: I am BEGGING y'all to stop saying stuff like "biologically female". You'd be hard pressed to find any trans people nowadays who use that term.
As for my thoughts on who might be joining, I do think Yamato currently has the best chance of joining the crew, although I've been team Carrot since she expressed interest in traveling with the crew to Whole Cake island, and made up my mind the instant she stowed away. I feel like she had a ton going for her during Whole Cake Island, but her time in Wano has been abysmal. My fingers are still crossed she'll joined though. Yamato has had a much more bombastic introduction, and while not having done much in the story yet, has been gotten a decent amount of focus and seems to check off a lot of the criteria for a Straw Hat. Best case scenario to me right now is that both Carrot and Yamato join but it's incredibly hard to believe something like that will actually happen, sighs.
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RE: Sanji & Yamato
Can't believe people are still saying Yamato doesn't view himself as a man…
(Prefacing this by saying that I'm trans myself) I think unfortunately the situation is a little more complicated just because the character is still so new and it's hard to tell if Oda is truly treating them as a trans character or just a "a girl who think she's a man as a goof." With Oda's previous track record of handling trans characters it's hard for me personally to believe it's the former. However yeah, right now Yamato has done nothing but use masculine pronouns and say he's a man/Oden, so seeing people try and deny that can be frustrating.
Anyways, it's definitely a concern of mine. Hell, I'm still worried about Kiku as well. At the same time, Oda so far has been 100% consistent about having characters who are familiar with Yamato address him as a man/Kaido's son, so hopefully at worst we'd get one uncomfortable gag, and then after that Sanji treats him normally.
This is basically how I feel too, except I think you're a little more positive than I am haha. There's no doubt in my mind that there will be at least one joke with Sanji and I'm hoping it ends at just that. But like I mentioned earlier, depending on how Oda takes things, I worry that it'll be reoccurring.
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RE: Sanji & Yamato
Well i mean AP has flanderized Sunkist into this pepe le pew style borderline rapist meme
Naw, Oda's done that well enough himself, but that's an entirely different conversation.
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RE: Sanji & Yamato
Personally, thinking about Sanji and Yamato interacting is one of the big reasons why I have little interest in Yamato joining the crew lol.