Gotta "Love" the Princess!

1. After doing some research on Courtney Love, it seems that there are many similarities between her and Princess Ai’s character.  There are first the general similarities and there are more specific ones.

a. General Similarities:

Both ladies were rock stars.  They both were controversial figures – problems with the media.  They both had an uncanny sense of style.  They were both very misunderstood.

b. Specific Similarities:

They were both “mixed breeds,” the Princess was half alien/half human and Courtney was half Irish/half Italian.  Both girls were practically on their own from a young age.  Both had affairs with their employers in the early stages of their careers.  Both assaulted reporters, both were from broken homes, and the both worked at stripclubs.

2.            Although the earth women spoke up at times, in this text, they seemed to be generally, more subservient. This follows closely, the traditional Japanese culture, where women are taught to be reserved and the husband was the head of the home.  The men were the decision makers.  Most of the women were strippers, massage therapists or singers, and when they were not “love-struck,” they were fighting with each other. 

            These women were similar to Kumo, in “Vision” by Rabindranath Tagore.  This is not a great surprise as many eastern countries share similar beliefs (regarding women).  Other women, such as Maya Angelou, Rosario Castellanos and Gwendolyn Brooks, were against this type of treatment for women.  These women are all very powerful writers and advocates for women’s rights.

3.            Costume and body shape is very important in Manga; they give personality to the characters, making some more appealing than others to the readers.  Most of the men and women are slim-built and with “perfect” bodies, and when this is not the case, it is done intentionally to show some type of contrast.  On page 63 of Princess Ai (Vol. 1) both Hayabusa and Takeshi are getting massages.  Takeshi, the young, handsome and intelligent employee, who is believed to have his boss “like a puppet,” has two sexy girls in swimsuits fanning and massaging him.  Hayabusa, his boss, who does not see through the facade, is being massaged by a tough looking, overweight woman in a robe.