Showing posts with label magical girl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magical girl. Show all posts

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Hogwarts House Sorting: Sailor Senshi


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out this weekend, so to commemorate the Harry Potter series, I thought I'd sort more characters into Hogwarts Houses. Last time, I sorted Kingdom Hearts characters and this time, I'll be sorting the Sailor Senshi from Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon/Usagi

Hufflepuff


Hands down, Sailor Moon is a Hufflepuff. In fact, she shows most (if not all) of the Hufflepuff traits. She is the Sailor Soldier of LOVE, after all, and she proves that no matter what, she'll fight for her family, her friends, and even total strangers.

She enjoys the company of others and hates to be alone. Out of all the ladies, she makes friends the easiest and was the one who brought all the Sailor Senshi together in the first place. In fact, most of the girls were loners before they met Usagi. This was a huge deal when the Outer Senshi showed up. Sailor Moon was there to bring everyone together peacefully, which is what Hufflepuffs strive to do.


Hufflepuffs are group-oriented, just like Moon. She is stronger because of the ones she loves. And just like Puffs, she also has a way with animals. (I mean, she has a talking cat for crying out loud.) Puffs also enjoy home and hearth and tend to be the ones who appreciate comfort food and togetherness (again, just like Moon).


Though there was a part of me that wanted to say Sailor Moon was a Gryffindor, since she fights for love and justice, she isn't in it for the glory or the thrill of battle; she'd rather avoid fighting altogether. Most of the time she's a complete crybaby but overcomes her fears whenever the lives of her friends and family are threatened. She's even willing to sacrifice her own life for those she loves. Who could get more Hufflepuff?

Notable Quotes

“If a Soldier's pride means hurting one another, I don't want it…”

“Who wants that? I’d rather choose to fall in love and be hurt. Sometimes I can’t even sleep because I love someone too much. And there’s always sadness in our lives. It’s that sad feeling that keeps us going.”

Sailor Mercury/Ami

Ravenclaw


We all know Sailor Mercury would be a Ravenclaw, since she's a genius and the Sailor Scout of Intellect. Ravenclaws have an abundance of curiosity and love knowledge for it's own sake, not as a means to an end, which is more suited for Slytherins. Ravenclaws also tend to look to the future, which shows in Sailor Mercury's pursuit of new technology.


Ravenclaws are usually introverts, which means they’re okay with being by themselves, since their endless stream of thoughts occupy their time. Ami is much the same way. She's okay with being alone.

Ravenclaws also enjoy studying, and if there is anyone in the group who actively wants to study (*ahem* really the ONLY one in the group), it would have to be Ami. She usually keeps everyone on task and is a teacher for most of the Senshi, especially Usagi and Minako. 

Lastly, Ami tends to shy away from fights when at all possible, which is so akin to Ravenclaws, who avoid confrontation at all costs. In fact, Ami is usually the pacifist of the group and is there to break up any squabbles among the girls.

Notable Quotes

"If we're going to beat Jedite, we've got to really stick together. All right?”

"Do your very best in school."

Sailor Mars/Rei

Slytherin (almost Gryffindor)


At first, I wanted to put Sailor Mars in Gryffindor, since it's the house that aligns with the element of fire. Rei is much like a Gryffindor in that she is utterly passionate about whatever it is she’s doing, whether it is reading a fortune or fighting with Usagi. But once I thought about it, I couldn’t help but think she might be a Slytherin.



Slytherins are very much drawn to the past and to tradition, and this is positively Rei. She's much more focused on ancient Japanese traditions and usually shies away from anything modern. (This is much more apparent in the manga.)


A Slytherin (and Mars) also tends to be confrontational and (whether Mars likes it or not) can sometimes be hotheaded. But she is driven and confident in her own ways of doing things, which at times leaves her to be a bit narrow-minded; however, she doesn't let anything stop her in fulfilling her dreams, not even romance.

Lastly, as a Slytherin, she is much more aloof when it comes to people outside her friends’ group, but she is intensively loyal and true to those she holds closest, willing to do what it takes to keep them safe.

Notable Quotes

"Shadows in the fire of the sun... It's a bad omen..."

"Nothing good comes out of mimicking other people. What's important is being yourself."

Sailor Jupiter/Makoto

Hufflepuff (almost Gryffindor)


Even though Sailor Jupiter is courageous and rushes into things (as Gryffindors are apt to do), deep down she's a true Hufflepuff. She cares about her friends and their well being. If anything were to happen to them, she’d pummel whoever hurt them into cornmeal...and then bake her enemies into bread.


Speaking of baking, Sailor Jupiter LOVES to cook, bake, grill, whatever. She makes bento boxes for all her friends and is even in charge of snacks during their study/senshi meetings. You see, Hufflepuffs are all about home life and caring for others (so is Makoto).


In fact, Makoto's dream is to get married and own a bakery. Food and family seem to be key elements for Puffs, and Jupiter is no exception. She is also constantly searching for acceptance and love, and by the way she talks about past boyfriends, she tends to fall hard, putting her whole heart and soul into her relationships.

Notable Quotes

“We will face any danger for the ones we care for, with love and courage!”

“It’s not nice to pick on people weaker than you.”

Sailor Venus

Gryffindor


Oh, Sailor Venus. You are totally a Gryffindor. Sailor Venus’ whole goal in life is to be famous, which screams Gryffindor (since most of them seek honor, glory, and validation from others). She is the Scout of Love and Beauty and this really plays a major part when it comes to pursuits outside of being a Sailor Soldier.


She also has a take charge attitude and is normally the first to act. And actually, in the manga, Sailor Venus is the leader of the Sailor Soldiers. She also is the only Soldier that was able to pull a magical sword from the ground. Sword of Gryffindor. Sword of the Silver Crystal. Hmm…

Though she is a brilliant leader, that doesn't’ stop her from being impulsive at times, especially with boys! She’s very much the extrovert and thrives off the attention of others, which is true to the Gryffindor characteristics.


(source)

Gryffs usually aren’t the ones seeking knowledge, however, they do find information useful when it can be used to aid friends or begin adventures. This sounds very much like Venus, since (like Moon) she tends to ward off studying and instead pursues other tasks like boys or sports. It should also be noted that just like Gryffindors, Venus enjoys the thrill and glory received from sports or entertaining.

Notable Quotes

“Believe in yourself and nothing can stop you”

“Please allow the Goddess of Love, Minako Aino, to handle them!”


Do you agree with my sorting?

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Why Miraculous Ladybug Is Simply the Best


Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is a superhero TV series on Nickelodeon (Fun fact: it's a French cartoon but came to the US not long after its release).

The idea for the series started as a 2D animation project aimed at young adults but later became a CGI cartoon series geared towards the younger audience. Regardless, it still caught the attention of the older crowd, probably because, as the catchy theme song states, Miraculous is simply the best!

Below, I've listed a few reasons why you should check it out.

It Promotes Problem-solving and Creativity

Where some children's shows fail to instill the joy of innovation and critical thinking, Miraculous Ladybug succeeds in promoting creativity and problem solving, especially when Ladybug is on the scene. By using Lucky Charm via her yo-yo (you read that right, but stay with me) she’s able to pull a seemingly random object from thin air to aid in defeating bad guys.


These items range from bath towels to oven mitts to wrenches that, at first, seem hopelessly useless, until Ladybug takes a look around and uses her surroundings to her advantage. This isn’t just luck, ladies and gentleman, Ladybug has some serious creative skill and an ability to think on her feet.
.

Besides, it's extremely important that we have a strong female lead who is capable of coming up with well thought out plans. She's an excellent role model to all young ladies.

Art style 

I am a huge 2D animation enthusiast, so it comes as a surprise to me that I adore the show's 3D look. As mentioned, it was originally supposed to be hand drawn but was later developed using CGI. Surprisingly, the art style is just as stunning. 

I can’t help but gawk at the sweet, sweet character design, setting, and attention to detail. And you can clearly see how anime has influenced the series in both the 2D and 3D animation styles.

The fight scenes are incredible too!


But also, the character’s expressions are beyond fantastic.


Paris, France

That's right! Miraculous Ladybug takes place in Paris, France and the show does the city justice. It even reflects Paris’ diverse population. Heck, the main character is half Chinese, half French, and her best friend is Caribbean, not to mention that the rest of the cast is diverse as well.


While the characters fight crime in the City of Lights, the audience gets a front row seat to well known attractions such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. It’s refreshing not to have the story take place in America (Let's take a break from New York and LA) and instead focus its attention on Europe for a change.


The nods to Parisian culture are a nice touch. I enjoyed watching Marinette share a macaroon with Alya or witnessing Plaggs’ obsession with camembert (stinky, gooey, unpasteurized and absolutely, positively French...you know, when I visited Paris, this was actually my favorite cheese).


Characters

The side characters are fresh, distinct, and fun to meet, and the magical sidekicks are utterly adorable and actually useful! In fact, these cute little guys are the ones who help our heroes transform into a crime fighting super duo.

But Ladybug and Cat Noir steal the show.


The interesting thing about these two is that their superhero selves retain their alter ego's personalities but with a twist.

Marinette is clumsy and unsure of herself, but as Ladybug, her cleverness and confidence shine through.

And though Adrien is reserved and innocent, as Cat Noir, these qualities are tweaked so that he's much more outgoing, open, and even cocky.


The characters' alter egos are kept secret, even from each another...which makes for an interesting situation.

Marinette has a major crush on Adrien (her friends continuously make fun of her inability to even say two words while he's around). Not that he notices her anyway...

While Cat Noir is positively smitten with Ladybug (flirts with her on multiple occasions) but she could care less for the guy's advances.


In fact, it's fun to see how much an effect Ladybug has on Cat Noir, making for a nice contrast to Marinette's relationship (or lack thereof) with Adrien.


But when it comes down to it, they're the perfect team!


Bonus: This show is puntastic!!!! Just...just watch this clip and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you spot the series at your local library or on TV and decide to give it a chance, I guarantee you'll find Miraculous to be the cat's meow.

Have you seen Miraculous Ladybug? Let me know below.