Tag Archives: marie

Q&A # 203: Flashback: Who is your favorite animal in comic books?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

Flashback: Who is your favorite animal in comic books?

ALI

Power Girl’s cat. This sums up why…

JESSICA

Does Animal Man count? He fights for animal rights and vegetarianism, and eventually breaks the fourth wall and talks to his own writer. I haven’t actually read that many of his comics, but I love the concept and am forever interested in the comic’s story arcs. Also, Krypto the Super Dog.

MARIE

My favorite animal would have to be Shadowcat’s dragon, Lockheed. Because who wouldn’t want a cat-sized, fire-breathing, highly intelligent extraterrestrial for a companion?

So what about you? Who is your favorite animal in comic books?

Dragon Age: Origins The Silent Grove and Those Who Speak

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by Marie

This post contains the tiniest bits of spoilers.

I’ll never forget the first time I played Origins.

Granted, if one looks at the game as a whole, it could be said that there’s not much that separates it from other dark fantasy RPGs. In fact, the setup of the first game could be described as your run-of-the-mill Tolkien tale. Instead of Sauron and an army of Orcs, you have the Archdemon and an army of Darkspawn. But while it seems easy enough to draw those parallels, Origins still has that “special something.” You can see it in the enthusiasm of the game’s fans (myself included). Many of whom I’m sure are avid connoisseurs of the fantasy genre—so you know they’ve got good taste!

You can call it an X factor. I prefer call it good writing.

There were many characters from my entourage that will stay with me forever. This isn’t too much of a surprise, considering that Bioware did a good job of making me care about them. Even minor characters made a lasting impression: Knight Templar Cullen, King Cailan, and Duncan the Grey Warden just to name a few. But perhaps the one character I’ll always have a soft spot for is Alistair.

I could be incredibly biased since he shows up as one your first allies in the game. And I’m not going to lie when I say that he was also one of my favorite romance options. But from a storytelling point of view, Alistair was one character I felt had gone through the most changes.

Which brings me to the comic book series.

“The Silent Grove” and “Those Who Speak” chronicles the story of Alistair as he embarks on a journey to search for his father, King Maric. His companions are the dwarven marksman, Varric and the rogue pirate, Isabela. Incidentally, both characters can be chosen as party members in Dragon Age II. Both series can be purchased as bundles from Dark Horse Digital Comics at an extremely reasonable price (you probably spend more money on Starbucks lattes during the week). Considering the richness of the content, the deal is a steal and I would highly recommend opening an account and subscribing.

Fans will also be glad to know that David Gaider wrote the story for both series. Gaider has shown also his chops with other tie-in work like the novels, Stolen Throne, The Calling, and most recently Asunder. Chad Hardin has done wonderful work as the artist of the series, rendering familiar characters like Varric and Isabela fairly well. To be honest, Alistair looked a little odd to me. But I’ll give Hardin the benefit of the doubt, since we’re dealing with a version of Alistair that’s a little darker, moodier, and frankly a little more jaded. In fact, there are a few panels in which he looks downright menacing.

I also think that Alistair’s face is hard to transfer in other mediums. You even see inklings of that during his cameo in Dragon Age II. Although to be honest, no one who made a cameo in that game got off scot free, except for perhaps Leliana. Whatever the reason, it almost makes you wonder if the face that a million fangirls fell in love with can only exist in all of its adorkable glory in the first game. But really, it doesn’t matter in the end. He still hasn’t lost that sly sense of humor!

Overall, Hardin did an amazing job. The layouts are carefully designed and certain panels with action are set against a backdrop of red. These especially echoed the feeling that you were watching a game unfold. Another perk was to see his rendering of countries like Tevinter and Antiva, which were only mentioned in passing thus far in the games.

In “The Silent Grove”, it becomes pretty apparent that Alistair had hired Varric and Isabela to come along on this seemingly impossible mission (King Maric had disappeared sometime prior to the storyline of Origins when his ship was lost at sea). Perhaps the first question that comes to fans’ minds is, why them of all people? Why not any of the characters from Origins? Or evenThe Awakening expansion? Not that Varric and Isabela don’t bring their own particular brand of fun. Both characters are still remarkably saucy and you could tell that Gaider had a lot of fun writing their dialogue. Anyway, I’ll leave this particular mystery shrouded since it will be more fun unfolding it yourself.

Personally speaking, I’m glad that Varric and Isabela get to be featured in other work. This gives characters like Isabela, for example, to be more fleshed out. In the game, she always seemed tokenized as the ne’er do well tramp. In fact, most of her humorous quips are overtly sexual. At one point, one of your party members asks if sex was the only thing Isabela ever thought about. Only in “Those We Speak” do we get an actual glimpse into her backstory as a child that was sold by her mother to a cruel man. And to titillate you even further, Isabela isn’t even her real name. As far as Varric is concerned, I felt that as the sometimes unreliable narrator of Dragon Age II, his story wasn’t quite over yet. I’ll be excited to see if he makes another appearance in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

But back to the story of Alistair, who seems more determined than ever to find out exactly what happened to his father. The subtext seems to be tied directly to his role as the newly crowned King of Ferelden. Depending on your choices in Origins, Alistair is the very definition of the “reluctant king” due to his origins as a bastard son. Throughout the arcs of “The Silent Grove” and “Those Who Speak”, we see Alistair truly come to terms with this duty.

On a final note, I will have to say that one of the best perks is Alistair’s confrontation with Yavana, the “Witch of the Wilds” of Antiva. So yes, this confirms that Flemeth did indeed have other daughters besides Morrigan. It also presents entirely new questions that complicate Alistair’s journey even further. By the end of the “Silent Grove” we discover that Yavana has been guarding a nest of dragons (which had been hunted to near extinction prior to the game). Exactly what do these dragons have to do with a promise that King Maric made to Flemeth years ago? And how do these dragons relate with Alistair’s heritage?

Subscribe to Dark Horse and find out soon!

Q&A # 202: Flashback: What comic-based television series would you like to see?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

Flashback: What comic-based television series would you like to see?

ANIKA

I thought so when I first saw it and I still think so:

DREDD would make a great television series. It didn’t work as a film for me, but as the pilot for a television series that wasn’t picked up so they said ‘screw it, let’s add a bunch of nonsensical 3D and call it a movie’. . . it worked too well. I just really wish my hypothetical network that passed on “Dredd the Series” actually existed so I could bang on their door and shout WHY!

Seriously, hypothetical television network, make this!

GABBY

Well, one of my answers is already coming to life on the small screen.

As for the others, for a long while I wished Fables would become a TV show, but Once Upon a Time kind of ruined that. Not to say that OUaT isn’t good… it’s just not what I think Fables could have been. I’m also holding out hope for an Alias series, and it seems like the rumor mill agrees with me.

The TV show I would *most* like to see, though, is a Sandman series.

A series centered on the Endless siblings, it could also have an episodic quality. We could see, for example, Death interacting with various humans about to die, or Dream venture into people’s nightmares. I think there is a huge potential to exploit the sibling dynamics between the 7 Ds, and would love to see it unfold on my screen.

Superheroes are great and everything, but The Endless? They kind of rule.

MARIE

My choice has technically already been a television show, but was unfortunately canceled during its prime. Greg Weisman’s Gargoyles was an animated series that debuted in the 90s and was one my favorite shows of all time growing up. The show aged pretty well too. Looking back through the DVDs, you could see that it had plots that were well-rendered, characters with deep inner-conflict, and great dialogue that could be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

Unfortunately, Weisman left the show during the third season due to internal conflicts. By then, the show had taken a completely different direction and most fans agreed that it was non-canonical. The comic series, however, picked up where the second season left off, and answered a lot of those burgeoning questions that the third season so clearly failed at handling.

Still, while I found the comics immensely satisfying I still wish that they had actually been animated. If not Gargoyles, then at least some of the spin-off comics that Weisman had also planned like Gargoyles: Pendragon and Gargoyles: Timedancer .

My runner-up choice? Runaways. Oh my Grod, Runaways.

run

SAM

Last summer I took a screenwriting workshop, and for my main project I wrote a loose adaptation of Kate Spencer/Manhunter as a sort of pilot episiode teleplay. I think a Manhunter series would be a perfect mix of procedural and ass kicking martial arts bad assery.

There are reasons I think Kate Spencer would make for good TV. Besides her day job as a criminal attorney (I think prosecutor works better than defense attorney, for drama), she’s a single parent with a precocious kid, has an ex-husband who’s still involved in her life, is an on-again-off-again smoker, and has some anger issues. Basically she’s complex and, in the hands of the right actress, that would be pretty great to watch.

Of course, I know it’ll never happen. It would have way too similar a feel to the already-popular, male-driven show Arrow (which I gave up on halfway through the season). And Manhunter is even less well known in the mainstream than Green Arrow and his rogues galleries. Plus we all know how well the Wonder Woman thing went… But in a perfect world, Kate Spencer would be kicking some ass on my TV every week.

So what about you? What comic-based television series would you like to see?

Shoujoverse manga roundup: “The Magical Girl: Part 2”

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by Marie

Cardcaptor Sakura

It is a truth universally acknowledged by TV Tropes that the Magical Girl genre would be incomplete without a discussion of Cardcaptor Sakura. A quick perusal of site would reveal that not only did they choose her as the genre’s banner girl, but also gave her the silver medal for being its second most popular icon following Sailor Moon. And that’s a tough act to follow.

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the most well known titles from the all-female manga artist group, CLAMP—whom I mentioned in my last post as the creators of Magic Knight Rayearth. Some fun facts include the group’s humble beginnings as a doujinshi circle (doujinshi meaning “self-published” or “amateur” manga). In any case, it seems that you can’t think about CLAMP without thinking of Cardcaptor Sakura either. In fact, those characters have endured so well that they were reincarnated for titles like Tsubasa (see pic below).

Like most adolescents winding down from Pokemon fever, I tuned in to the Kids WB during the weekends to see what other anime was out there (weekdays afterschool were reserved for the Toonami block). Cardcaptor Sakura (renamed Cardcaptors for American audiences) was one of the shows that fit my bill and paid with interest. It was also one of the few instances I had growing up where watching the anime influenced me to read the manga.

As to my opinion on which medium is better, I think that depends on the amount of depth you’re looking for. As TV Tropes is quick to point out, the manga only featured 19 cards while the anime featured 52 (a full deck). This invited roles to have more dimension, storylines to branch further out, and feature anime-exclusive characters like Meiling. However, one could argue that despite the expansion, the anime’s English dub was lacking in depth overall since its ruthless censorship eliminated much of the backstory.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with either the manga or the anime, Cardcaptor Sakura is the story of a young girl who comes across a set of magical items known as Clow Cards. After accidentally releasing the entities that were sealed inside them, it becomes her responsibility to re-capture them before they wreak havoc in the town that she lives in. As I’ve mentioned before, this kind of mystical endowment echoes a lot of Magical Girl titles aside from Sailor Moon. Often, the heroine doesn’t choose to be who she is, but rather she’s “forced” into her role by way of moral obligation.

This kind of moral obligation acts as the inciting incident for other shoujo manga—Fushigu Yuugi, The Vision of Escaflowne, and of course Inuyasha come to mind. Like Revolutionary Girl Utena, these titles tend to be classified as more Action/Adventure genres or Fantasy/Romance versus Magical Girl. To be honest, I’m not sure how the lines for each genre are drawn. But I think it’s safe to say that each of these titles–CardCaptor
Sakura included—add to the shoujo milieu in rich ways that are often overlooked. What other genre, for example, would portray same-sex relationships or transgender identities without the stigma that we would normally see elsewhere?

It’s easy to see why Sakura fits the Magical Girl genre to a tee. In addition to called attacks, glamorous transformation sequences, and an adorable otherworldly companion, she has a wardrobe full of fantastical outfits that predate Lady Gaga. She’s a very young protagonist as well—younger than Sailor Moon since her adventures begin as early as elementary school. Nevertheless, she’s a heroine that’s determined and a friend that’s just as compassionate.

Perhaps what sets Sakura apart from her predecessor was the emphasis on the strength of the individual versus the strength of the whole group. Sure, Sakura had her allies and supporters— but she often could only rely herself to carry out the plot’s major turning points. And that kind of proactive self-confidence (especially in a protagonist that’s so young) is definitely something I can get behind.

W.I.T.C.H.

One of the best things that made Sailor Moon such a fun series was the ability pick which Sailor Scout you were. Each of the Scouts had their own specific personality traits, but they were still universal enough to largely appeal to their demographic. For me, it was always hard to choose. At the time, I think I picked a different Sailor Scout every week.

Obviously, this idiosyncrasy carries over to other Magical Girl titles. In fact, I feel that it plays a major factor in why Magical Girl titles are so popular. W.I.T.C.H., an Italian comic series published by Disney Italia, is definitely a Magical Girl title that has this criterion. I think it’s also a title worth mentioning given that it made in Europe and therefore integrates a lot of shoujo influences.

First published in April 2001, the series was created by Alessandro Barbucci, Barbara Cenpa, and Elisabetta Gnone. The series concluded last year in October. There was an animated adaptation as well, which aired on Jetix. It might be worth noting that the television series varies largely from the comic book series, and the fandom is generally divided on which was better. Personally, I feel that one’s loyalty depends on which medium you were exposed to first.

The story follows five teenage protagonists who are chosen to become the Guardians of Kandrakar (an “ethereal” dimension that exists at the center of our universe). Again, one can note that theme of mystical endowment. These girls are charged with protecting Kandrakar from its enemies and are thus granted the powers of five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and “quintessence” (energy). These elements can be combined or work in tandem to achieve different effects. The full potential of their powers are also affected by whether or not the team is in harmony. Their names Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin form the acronym W.I.T.C.H.

The comic book series progresses over the course of many different sagas, with each arc featuring the kinds of storylines that are reserved for high fantasy novels. There are other kingdoms, other worlds, and other guardians that have their own intrigues, high stakes, and of course great drama—both in high school and otherwise. That’s another reason why I think Magical Girl genres are so popular: it’s hard not to like a heroine that has to deal with saving the world and then have to study for a Chem final afterwards.

That being said, I think it’s a good series for young fans to get into, especially if they’re still trying to get their feet wet!

Q&A # 197: What’s your favorite manga story or series?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What’s your favorite manga story or series?

CAROLINE

This will not surprise anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time, and certainly won’t surprise anybody who follows me on tumblr, but my favorite manga series is Fullmetal Alchemist, written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa.

There probably isn’t anything new I can say about this series at this point. It has pretty boys:

. . . and sassy girls:

. . . and bionic dogs. Also, moral dilemmas and human transmuation and war. Plus trains. Lots and lots of trains.

MARIE

There are literally hundreds of titles that I could name, so I think I’ll just list my current favorites. At the moment, I’ve been diving into a lot of high school dramas- of which I can never have enough. These are: Boys Over Flowers (which launched many successful television adaptations in Asia), Imadoki! (Yuu Watase is one of my favorite mangakas who also wrote Fushigi Yuugi ), and last but not least the extremely, extremely controversial Hot Gimmick (which was also released in a novel format with an alternate ending.)

So what about you? What’s your favorite manga story or series?

Q&A # 195: What’s your favorite horror film?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What’s your favorite horror film?

ANIKA

Jennifer’s Body is by far my favorite film that fits squarely in the horror genre. It was marketed (horribly) as a slasher flick featuring a sexy girl as the monster AND the prey and most people decided they could download pictures of Megan Fox for free and get the same experience. It was actually the marriage of Heathers and The Craft I never knew I needed in my life.

But I did.

MARIE

I tend to go for horror movies that are either a satire or a deconstruction of the genre- it also helps if it’s clever and funny as well. That’s why Shaun of the Dead, Cabin in the Woods , and Warm Bodies come to mind.

SAM

Hellraiser! Well, Hellraiser 3, but that’s mainly for Terry Farrell and her relationship with a young Paula Marshall. Hellrasier 3 is actually the first movie I saw from that series, probably late one night on HBO when I was supposed to be sleeping. But I went back and watched the first two, and read The Hellbound Heart (the novela the movies were based in). I came to really like the entire Hellraiser mythos, and I regularly rewatch the first four movies (four has a young Adam Scott in basically his first movie role, not even kidding).

And, I’ll admit with a bit of chagrin, there’s a pretty robust Hellraiser comic book catalogue as well. I found out when I started reading Hellraiser: The Dark Watch a couple of months ago, and realized that I had no idea what was going on, because so much had happened that I hadn’t read. New project!

I’m not sure what it is about the Hellraiser series that I like so much. It has basically the coolest horror villain from that era, the golden age of very comic-booky horror movie villains lile Jason and Freddy Krueger. I mean. Pinhead, guys. Pinhead is awesome. And Hellraiser 3 also made him multifaceted, which is probably another reason I like it. Also the cenobites are freaking terrifying and cool, and the entire mythology of Hell and the puzzle boxes is so richly detailed that it’s hard not to engage with it.

The movies can be hit or miss, especially the later ones, but there is definitely no pure horror (re: non-crossover) movie that I enjoy more than any of the first four Hellraisers.

So what about you? What’s your favorite horror film?

Q&A # 194: Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

ALI

“I’m a damsel, I’m in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day.”

Meg from the highly under-rated Hercules is by far and away my favorite Disney Princess. She’s smart, independent and witty, but she’s also dark and twisty and literally soulless (no really! she sold her soul to Hades to save her boyfriend who then dumped her for a younger, hotter model.) Basically I love her because she’s one of those damaged and flawed characters that I love so much, which is not at all the typical Disney Princess. In fact, Meg is not included in the officially branded Disney Princesses. I think it’s partly because she’s dark and twisty and partly because I think Disney likes to kind of sweep Hercules under the rug.

So, if we’re talking the branded Disney Princesses, I have to pick Ariel.

Yes, she’s kind of a spoiled brat. But she proactively makes the changes she wants to see in her life, even though she makes some really poor choices in execution. And once when I was in fifth grade, someone told me I looked like Ariel and it was probably the best moment of my epically awkward tween life.

JESSICA

For me, it’s a tie between Belle and Pocahontas. Belle was made for me to fall in love with – her favorite pastime is reading, she’s a brunette (okay, so this probably mattered more to me when I was a kid than it does now, but even today she’s the only Disney princess with hair that even remotely resembles my own), and she’s totally brave. When she volunteers to take her father’s place? Damn girl. Plus that library, with the sliding ladders? That’s pretty much the only thing I want from my life.

But I’ve always had an affinity for Pocahontas too. She’s just…awesome. And so different from every other princess Disney has to offer. The songs she sings are beautiful, I love how her “palace,” so to speak, is the world around her, and, again, she’s just super brave and awesome. I’m not normally into it when historical-based narratives make big changes to, you know, history, but I’m completely on board with the way Disney chose to end Pocahontas. It’s completely atypical for them. She has the choice to leave with John Smith, and she doesn’t. She decides that there is something more important than following her boyfriend across the ocean to an unfamiliar land. As a character, she’s super strong. And breathtaking, also. Those lips? Those cheekbones? She’s completely gorgeous even though she looks nothing like any of the princesses who came before her.

MARIE

Although she isn’t technically a princess, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Mulan. She’s a heroine that you can root for: she’s clever, funny, and she tries no matter how staggering the odds are. At the beginning of her journey, she starts out as a girl who isn’t quite sure who she is or knows where she belongs. It’s a pretty relatable and universal problem–especially among the young girls that belonged to the movie’s target demographic. I found her whole arc touching and fascinating because she goes through all the emotional ups and downs of coming to terms with not only she is, but who she wants to be.

I also like her because she can kick serious ass and knows how to use a sword.

SARA

This is, without a doubt, the most difficult question I’ve had to answer in a long time. Choose a favorite Disney princess? I’d no sooner be able to choose a favorite star from the heavens.

(Bonus points to those who picked up that quote!)

It comes down to two, really, and those two represent two facets of my being: who I am most like and who I most want to be.

As to the former, I am the most like Belle. Love of reading? Check. Stubborness? Check. Daddy’s girl? Check. Need to have more than a provincial life? Double check.

Belle is someone I never really considered as a favorite growing up. I looked more to Jasmine then, for both the Arab/Middle Eastern background and the insanely hot prince ;) Belle is someone I grew to appreciate as I grew older and my personality was much more defined by my interests. Plus, she has the most beautiful dress!

To the latter of my posed dichotomy is Tiana, a woman that I desperately want to be more like. She is strong, hard-working, dedicated. Honestly, to a procrastinator like myself, I cannot fathom a better role-model than Tiana.

Plus? She also has the most beautiful dress!

But, in all seriousness, Disney provided me with my first (and, in some cases, most influential) role-models. Disney women do not sit idly by. They take life by the reins and steer themselves to happiness. Tiana’s story is the most blatantly characteristic of that ideal and I love her for it.

So what about you? Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

Q&A # 193: What is your favorite non-superhero comics genre?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What is your favorite non-superhero comics genre?

ANIKA

I’m not sure “comics based on Star Trek” counts as a genre and I’m not sure the crews of the Enterprises don’t count as “superheroes” but I am sure that Star Trek comics are why I read comics.

a photo of the STAR TREK comic

The first ever comic books I read were Tintin and various graphic novel classics like David Copperfield when I was nine, in a foreign country, and they were the only available books in English. But the first ever comic book I bought was Scotty’s True Love, an original series Star Trek annual about, well, Scotty’s true love. They met as kids, got together as teens, split up as adults, and eventually married, but separated before her death. The sci-fi part of the story was that it was told backwards, starting with Scotty crying over his scotch and her locket in his quarters and ending with wee Glynnis holding the locket and proclaiming her undying love for the boy she’d just met to the wind.

It’s cute. More importantly, it convinced me to read more. There was one Star Trek: The Next Generation comic that I memorized and turned into a monologue that I performed for auditions (I also did this with Star Trek novels; I am a Serious Trekkie). And when I noticed that the author, Peter David, also wrote my brother’s X-Men comics, I started reading those, too.

a scan of Star Trek: Ongoing 18 featuring Spock and Uhura kissing

Various cancelled television series have lived on in comics. Various not-yet-cancelled television series and film series have had successful tie-in comics. And if you’ve ever wondered whether or not they bring in new readers I’m here to tell you: yes.

CAROLINE

Many mysteries and detective stories, like superhero comics, have roots in early twentieth century pulp fiction. So it makes sense that comics can be a great medium for crime stories. Stumptown by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth, JINX by Brian Michael Bendis, Scalped by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera, and the whole Criminal franchise by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are just a few of the great crime comics out there.

MARIE

The genres that I tend to gravitate towards usually have strong fantasy elements. The first series that comes to mind is Bill Willigham’s Fables. I think I might have touched on Fables in a different Q & A session, but it really is a series that is worth mentioning again. Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for fairy tales, so any medium that can tap those veins to create broader and richer worlds from them gets a star in my book!

Also, the art is just gorgeous.

Other than that, I also like experimental work like Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin’s Tank Girl.Especially if the backdrop takes place in outer space.

Fun fact: You may know Jamie Hewlett as the artist behind the The Gorillaz.

So what about you? What is your favorite non-superhero comics genre?

Skipping to Conclusions: “The Sailor Moon Reboot”

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In geekdom, we see a lot of teasers. Sometimes it’s just an image or the name of a creator, other times it’s a trailer or a simple tag line. Whatever it is, it’s meant to get a reaction from you and start a discussion. Inspired by the anticipation and buzz caused by these teasers, we at Fantastic Fangirls present Skipping to Conclusions in which we speculate about the comics, movies, TV shows, or whatever we’re excited about but hasn’t come out yet.

by Marie

There is nothing quite like hearing an echo from the past, especially an echo from childhood.

It is the closest thing we have to time travel—for now, at least. The moment may not last for more than a few seconds, but it’s enough to carry us off to a more innocent time. A time before we learned self-doubt, and “uncertainty” and “limitations” were specters that only haunted the world of adults.

It was a time where magic was a matter of fact, not fiction. And the act of believing that you could do anything was as easy as taking a breathful of air. But even as we grew older, we hung on to these moments like keepsakes. And every once in a while, we hear an echo. Then we take these moments out of their locked drawers to remind ourselves of where we have been and who we once were.

This is exactly this kind of “time travel” that I believe makes people excited about reboots, regardless of the franchise. Cynics would say that the film and television industry capitalize on this nostalgia. After all, reboots have built-in audience who are ready and willing to spend their dollars to see what new interpretation their studios came up with—regardless of quality or respect to the original.

And yes, there is a certain degree of truth in this. There are many franchises that I could name off the top of my head that seemed to be solely motivated by money. But then, there are those franchises that are motivated by so much more than that.

Last year, The Mary Sue reported on the reboot of the Sailor Moon franchise. You can read the details here. The premier of the new series is slated for 2013. No new details have been released since then, but you can imagine the fan speculation that has been circulating the Internet ever since.

Now before you start singing the theme song (and I will probably join you), I want to take a few moments to share just what this means to fans like myself.

One summer, almost 15 years ago, I saw the English-dubbed debut of Sailor Moon and felt for the first time what it meant to be a fan. The feeling went beyond just “liking a show.” No, it was much deeper than that. In cases like these, I hate to fall back on clichés like “capturing my heart” but that is exactly what this series did. You know that you’ve become a fan when you hold the characters as close to your heart as you would your actual friends. And if you think this counts as borderline obsession (and admittedly, that borderline is very thin), I’d like to present you with this passage from author Nancy Kress’ Dynamic Characters:

“There are characters in fiction so real, so palpable, that we can reach out and touch them our whole lives…They have a solidity and a humanity that calls up answering emotions in us, and we know we could have been much poorer if we’d never met them.”

Recently, I wrote a post on Magical Girl manga. For anyone whose seen Sailor Moon, it is quite obvious how iconic this series was to the genre. In truth, it was a series that pioneered a lot of what makes the Magical Girl genre so compelling. Although Magical Girl manga existed prior to Sailor Moon (there’s a slew of titles that date back as early as the 1960’s), the series creator Naoko Takeuchi took the genre a step further by emphasizing two elements:

  • Magical Girls working together as part of a team.
  • Magical Girls using their special abilities for a common good, usually to fight evil.

The series thrived during a time of “Girl Power” in the West. If that rouses any unpleasant memories from the girl bands/boy bands era, I will only say that given the times we live in now—where reasonably well-educated politicians are still unable to understand rape—a little “Girl Power” wouldn’t hurt.

In any case, the series itself touched on themes that I feel are as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. Themes like friendship, courage, perseverance in the face of impossible odds, and the importance of staying true to oneself. In that vein, I feel that Sailor Moon had a very formulative influence on many young girls in its prime, and it’s my hope that the reboot will inherit that same endearing quality.

Since there is little to no news on the reboot, there is only so much that I could go on to speculate. That being said, the following is a list of things that aren’t so much as what’s likely to happen, but what I would like to happen:

1. A Prequel Arc

Many fans know that Sailor Moon and Co. once lived on the Moon Kingdom, but for some many spoilerific reasons were kicked out and reincarnated on Earth—without any memories of their past lives. A prequel arc could show what life was like in the Royal Court (which if the picture below is to be believed, is something like living in Disney World). It could also show how the Scouts became defenders of the galaxy. After all, did they earn their titles via some kind of proving, as with a tournament? Were their superhuman powers inherited or bestowed?

Supposedly, the other Scouts were princesses of their own respective planets. It would be interesting to see what other outer-space kingdoms existed, whether there were any political intrigues, and what the laws and customs were for those times. It would be like Game of Thrones, except in outer space and with more glitter.

2.More Love Interests.

If you’ve ever seen the anime, you’ll know that the love between Usagi and Mamoru (or Serena and Darien in the English dub) straight up dominated the series. Their relationship has been put to the test multiple times under varying circumstances, the most notable of which was when they encountered their future selves.

But in my opinion, the other Scouts needed some lovin’ too. There were a few episodes here and there where they may have had crushes, but those usually went no farther than a season. It would be nice if they each could find the love of their lives, or at least form a meaningful relationship outside their circle of friends that could act as a nice foil or provide an interesting complication.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that I would like the show to be saturated with boy drama—but I feel that if a nice balance could be found, it would be another way to add dimension to the other Scouts’ characters.

3. More of the Outer Sailor Scouts

We don’t really get to meet the Outer Sailor Scouts until later arcs and that’s a shame. In case you didn’t know, they are: Sailor Pluto, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Saturn (pictured below). Really, these characters are interesting in that they form a secondary, almost rogue, faction. But while they follow the same code of honor, what their goals are and how they operate are not always aligned with the Inner Sailor Scouts.

I feel this tension could not only be more explored, but also amplified—perhaps even in an arc of its own where they meet even more Sailor Scouts from the farthest reaches of the universe. It would show what it truly means to be a Sailor Scout and can clarify what vision or ideals they stand for.

4. Finally, a post-arc.

Or at least a re-imagining of the Stars arc. It had differentiated from the manga to a point that even Naoko Takeuchi was disappointed. For example, the Sailor Stars were originally minor characters but played principle roles in the anime. They also did not switch from male to female, but I am okay with this even if the creator isn’t because I am all for more positive transgender representation in the media.

If a re-imagining is out of the question, then at the very least a post-arc could take place where series left off. Here, Usagi and the rest of her friends could be trying to balance their alter egos with the more demanding rigors and restrictions of college. Or, it could be the arc that shows the beginning of how Usagi later comes into power. I mean c’mon, at one point, she becomes Queen of the Earth. That could present a whole host of interesting conflicts such as Usagi finally revealing her identity to the world at large.

But really, even if NONE of these things happen—I would still tune in to watch the reboot, if not out of passion then out of loyalty (or both). I can honestly say that the show has had such a positive impact on my childhood, and for that I will always be grateful.

I can only hope the same from other fans.

Q&A #192: What canceled television series do you miss most?

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In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What canceled television series do you miss most?

ANIKA

#SWAG

I know what you’re thinking. Law and Order was on for twenty years. Compared to House (8 seasons) or Fringe (4 1/2 seasons) or Firefly (14 episodes) or Wonderland (8 episodes; only 2 aired)…does it really count as a “canceled” series? But I honestly miss it daily. And specifically this team led by Thomas Wayne and the wonder that was Jack McCoy as DA.

The real issue (as I’ve mentioned) is that it didn’t have a series finale. It hurts me. But at least the series didn’t end on a cliffhanger, like Hellcats which I will NEVER GET OVER –

#crying forever

(And speaking of Aly Michalka, I also miss Phil of the Future)

aka Doctor Who Junior

– or Alien Nation.

I was the same age as Emily Francisco and I completely identified with her. I had a crush on her bad boy big brother. I obsessively shipped Matt and Cathy. I loved this show. I was thirteen years old and I wanted it to be real life.

I watched the post-series TV movies and I read the books (Passing Fancy is my favorite)…I got more closure here than I did with Law and Order. But when I suggested this question for Q&A, Alien Nation was why.

CAROLINE

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is not a show that I really expected to enjoy. I’m a huge fan of the original Terminator movie, but increasingly less so of the sequels. The first film is an elegant little time travel paradox (it might not seem that way because of all the explosions, but underneath it really is), and the more you try to add to that, the more you risk wrecking the whole thing. So I didn’t think the franchise was a great candidate for a TV show.

TSCC proved me wrong though. Partly, it did so through an amazing cast — Lena Headey before Game of Thrones, Summer Glau and Thomas Dekker and Brian Austin “When did he get that hot?” Green as her improvised family unit. Antagonists included Richard T. Jones, the super-creepy Garrett Dillahunt and Shirley Manson (?!!). What I enjoyed most about this show, though, were the week-to-week stories. The ongoing story arc of each season was interesting enough, but in a fascinating way, these characters who were so determined to fulfill their mission and ignore the world around them kept getting pulled into the world of people around them. The show never forgot that these other lives were just as real and important as the intrigues surrounding the heroes.

This show was cancelled way before its time, and it also happens to have one of the best cliffhanger endings I’ve ever seen. So much potential, so many stories we’ll never see. I miss this show!

GABBY

Sigh. Veronica Mars, how I love your quick-witted, bashful and seriously ass-kicking self.

I miss this show so much, especially since it did not get the ending it deserved. I remember reading somewhere that the creator had [SPOILER] purposefully ended the show as a season finale, with Veronica walking away in the rain (to this amazing song), so that it would sway the network in giving them an additional season.

Needless to say that never happened, and we never got closure about anything. What happened to Keith, Veronica’s dad? Did he get elected as sheriff, or did he get locked up for tampering with evidence? Who did the marshmallow herself end up with, Piz or Logan? What about Wallace? His last scene wasn’t worthy of the epic goodbye between friends that shouldv’e been.

Ultimately, I’m glad that this show existed. It’s the first show that made me love a bad boy (seriously, I pick Angel over Spike any day – actually, I just pick neither), that presented a loving and hilarious father-daughter duo and a that had a murder storyline that kept me guessing up until the very last scene (Lilly Kane was amazing, wasn’t she?).

I’m due for a re-watch.

(Oh, and in case you’d like to see what a fourth season would have looked like, check these out).

JESSICA

I have mixed feelings when it comes to canceled television shows–on the one hand, it’s annoying (and sometimes heartbreaking) to be deprived of a show that you have become really invested in, but on the other, if a good show ends up running for only one or two seasons, those seasons are usually pretty damn near perfect. After all, only the good die young. Sometimes it’s easier for me to think back wistfully of the one and only really terrific season of a show than to watch a series I love die a slow, painful, hokey, jumping the shark death (thinking about seasons eight and nine of The X-Files still stings).

With this in mind, some canceled television shows I love, like Freaks and Geeks and Firefly, belong in the first category of single breathtaking seasons. I was devastated to see them go, but these are two shows where every episode is great. There are no throw-aways, no “WHY DID THEY DO THAT”s. Their short runs are bittersweet, but beautiful.

Still, this doesn’t mean that some shows aren’t brutally murdered in the prime of their lives, hacked off of the air as fans release blood curdling screams of horror. In this category fall shows like Arrested Development (although I do have high hopes for the Netflix continuation later this year), Pushing Daises, Wonderfalls, and Dead Like Me (if you are a fan and haven’t already, don’t watch the made-for-television movie wrap-up. It’s painful.). These are shows that keep me wondering what happened to their quirky characters, and I will probably never get over any of them being cancelled. Topping this list might be the show Rome, the HBO drama that recreated Ancient Rome in an engaging and original way. I’m still sick over that one. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. I mean, technically I know what happens, because, you know, history, but still. I need to see it on HBO with scantily clad men running around engaging in political intrigue.

MARIE

I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as a morbid person, but I definitely have a thing for shows that put a quirky spin on death. That’s why I feel great shows like Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies did not deserve to be buried (see what I did there?) after only two seasons.

Yes, I know that they continued in some capacity with a direct-to-DVD film and a mini-series, but still… there was just so much potential!

SAM

I want to say Doctor Who, because I really wish that the Cartmel Plan had happened and Ace had become a Time Lord. But it’s a good time to be a Whovian, so I’m not going to whine about what could have been, when we’ve got a lot of awesome things that are still happening.

I loved The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pushing Daisies, and Dead Like Me, which have been mentioned. I mourn the end of my favorite soap, All My Children (coming back soon in a new format!). But a show that still makes me sad everytime I see it scroll by on Netflix is Earth 2. Oh, Earth 2, you were ahead of your time.

It was Firefly meets the New Caprica arc from Battlestar Galactica. It had a surprisingly deep internal mythology, and a great ragtag cast of characters that built to a pretty strong ensemble led by a female character (pre-dating Star Trek: Voyager by a few months).

Earth-2 brought a lot to the table, from strong female characters, to crazy conspiracies, to cool aliens, it ticked off a lot of my boxes for what I look for in a science fiction show. It’s currently streaming on Netflix (hint hint).

SARA

So, my first answer was the same as Gabby’s. But, she did such a great job describing all my FEELS, I’ll leave it there. Thank you, Gabby. You spoke for all us Martians!

I guess the show I would say that I miss the most is Justice League Unlimited.

Can you look upon all these heros and not flail? I think not. Epic. Even the title sequence was epic. Chills down my spine.

What. A. Show. Funny, smart, heartbreaking. It was not just a cartoon. It was not just for children. It was not just anything but an amazing show.

Baby Justice Leaguers are offended at the implication that their show is for children.

It could have gone on forever, but the way it ended could not have been any more perfect. For me, JLU was an extension of my love of Batman: The Animated Series and of Batman Beyond. Bruce Timm is flaw free in my eyes. To have the most epic animated series in the history of DC end in a way that brought my childhood full circle? I cried. Cried a bunch and, when I rehydrated, cried some more. To see Bruce and Terry connected like that and all because of The Wall? Phenomenal doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Ugh. The Wall. She is so kickass!

(I’m being deliberately vague because I do not want to spoil those of you who have not watched this series and will obviously want to after reading my blurb about it…uh. Right.)

Also, I dare you to find a more terrifying villain than Joker in JLU. Freaking nuts doesn’t say enough.

So, as much as I would welcome (read: jump up and down screaming like a banshee) more JLU, it had the best send-off I could ever imagine a beloved show getting.

So what about you? What canceled television series do you miss most?