Veteran voice actress Colleen Clinkenbeard, known for her voice acting roles as Agent Mai in Dragon Ball Super, Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece, and Momo Yaoyorozu in My Hero Academia, recently shared her hopes that “the treatment of the characters females in anime of all genres” improves, as he believes they “tend to end up in the background, waiting to be rescued or fixed in some way.”
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Clinkenbeard expressed her thoughts on her perception of the anime medium’s portrayals of female characters during a recent interview with Comicbook.com’s Megan Peters, given in celebration of Women’s History Month and published on March 30.
When asked by Peters if he thought “anime does a better job of catering to the demographic [of women] than, say, television in the United States,” and if so, “how,” Clinkenbeard stated, “I think in recent years the studios that create anime have done a better job of incorporating female voices into shonen anime and allow shojo series to appeal to all viewers. .”
Source: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), Toei Animation Co. Ltd.
“I think that should be the direction we’re heading in,” he added. “Not ‘male anime’ and ‘female anime,’ but anime with different flavors for each palette.”
To this end, Clinkenbeard noted that “The one thing I’d like to see change even more is the treatment of female characters in anime of all genres.”
Source: Dragon Ball Super Episode 49 “Future SOS: A New Dark Enemy Appears!” (2016), Toei Animation Co.Ltd.
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“Female characters are often driven by their desire to attract men or support men, and very rarely by their own motives and stories,” he charged, dismissing such iconic creations as Black Lagoon’s Revy, Misato Katsuragi of Neon Genesis Evangelion (particularly in the Remakes), and FLCL’s Haruko Haruhara, all of which were made long before the current era of speech. “They also tend to end up in the background, waiting to be rescued or fixed in some way.”
Source: FLCL Episode 6 “FLCLimax” (2001), Gainax
Clinkenbeard continued, “I would like to see more strength in the female characters we see in anime so that both girls and boys who watch anime as they get older can find things to admire in those characters, instead of looking to male leads for inspiration. masculine. ”
“Obviously, there are exceptions to that rule!” she offered as a warning.
Source: Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry (2017), A-1 Pictures
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Peters then asked about Clinkenbeard’s opinion on whether “[the production] side of the industry is also embracing female talent and growth,” to which the voice actress replied, “I think the industry has accepted the female voice and female leadership with open arms for the last decade or so, And I’ve never felt very set back as more and more women take on roles in production or become household names in dubbing.”
Source: Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Three Times Once (2021), Studio Khara
However, addressing the anime’s own fans, he charged, “Unfortunately, he has been less than truthful in the fandom. There are some holdouts in the anime fan community who would like to keep anime as a male-dominated genre, made by and for men.”
“I find that oftentimes it’s the male voice actors/directors/producers/writers who back down and make way for the women they work with,” she said. “We have some incredible advocates among our co-workers and fellow cast members. Hopefully, as that mindset grows, it will start to flow into social media consciousness and become a way of life, rather than a topic of discussion.”
Source: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), Toei Animation Co. Ltd.
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In addition, Clinkenbeard opined that “female directors in the media are absolutely what has changed this trend the most”, since “there is something about seeing a woman in charge of an intellectual property that you love that immediately forces you to respect her voice in a way you didn’t.” She wouldn’t have to if she was just one of the cast.
“The slowest aspect of change in the industry was seeing women as a voice of authority: the idea that women can be experts in a field and established voices of knowledge on any given topic,” she concluded. “That has taken some time, and I still see a lot deferring to male opinion as definitive. Directors like Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Wendee Lee, and female directors like Katheryn Bigelow and Patty Jenkins have paved the way for change.”
Source: Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry (2017), A-1 Pictures
What do you think of Clinkenbeard’s take on the current state of anime, both on the production and fan side? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments below!
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