Really, in most fairy tales, royalty does little enough actual leading. Definitely more for "laissez-faire" governing, in which, other than battles (wars and dragon-slaying), the main things kings do to the population are negative - cruelly taxing, executions, burning spinning wheels, etc. But yes, I do know exactly what you mean; Disney princesses can be "independent" and "spirited", but the only women who ever have real power are the villains. And One Piece is a great change from this more subtle sexism.
I love the female chars of One Piece. At first you may get the mistaken impression that they're weak, because none of them are as strong fighters as some of the guys - but there are plenty of male chars who also are not fighters, and the reason the women aren't is because that kind of physical strength isn't the goal of any of them. (Except for Kuina, of course, and she would have been a match for most of the guys, had she lived.) And they're all incredibly strong in other ways. I think Oda-sensei must have a great female role model in his life, to write women like he does.
And one of my pet peeves for forever with fiction in general is that so many times, the female character's main role is love interest, so I love that the OP girls are pretty much romance-free (Vivi does have Kohza, but Kohza's more the love interest in that case than vice versa...)
*laughs* Crocodile, yes, you can almost feel sorry for him. His brilliance and power are his only positive traits, so it's almost tragic to see them smashed.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2004-06-14 07:20 am (UTC)I love the female chars of One Piece. At first you may get the mistaken impression that they're weak, because none of them are as strong fighters as some of the guys - but there are plenty of male chars who also are not fighters, and the reason the women aren't is because that kind of physical strength isn't the goal of any of them. (Except for Kuina, of course, and she would have been a match for most of the guys, had she lived.) And they're all incredibly strong in other ways. I think Oda-sensei must have a great female role model in his life, to write women like he does.
And one of my pet peeves for forever with fiction in general is that so many times, the female character's main role is love interest, so I love that the OP girls are pretty much romance-free (Vivi does have Kohza, but Kohza's more the love interest in that case than vice versa...)
*laughs* Crocodile, yes, you can almost feel sorry for him. His brilliance and power are his only positive traits, so it's almost tragic to see them smashed.