Comments on: The manga that broke my heart. http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218 Version 2.0: Hell Freezes Over Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:34:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Suzu http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2579 Suzu Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:25:45 +0000 http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2579 Yeah, I'm afraid we're talking about the same manga. XD I think it's interesting to hear different oppinions. It's just that I couldn't take it seriously at all... Maybe because the characters meant nothing to me. On another level... there's something erotic about humiliation, even if you never want that to happen in real life, like you said it's a way to live that in a fantasy. It's a scary thought, though... Yeah, I’m afraid we’re talking about the same manga. XD I think it’s interesting to hear different oppinions.
It’s just that I couldn’t take it seriously at all… Maybe because the characters meant nothing to me.

On another level… there’s something erotic about humiliation, even if you never want that to happen in real life, like you said it’s a way to live that in a fantasy. It’s a scary thought, though…

]]> By: MangaBlog » Blog Archive » Long weekend linkblogging http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2530 MangaBlog » Blog Archive » Long weekend linkblogging Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:34:37 +0000 http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2530 [...] from 801. Over at Sleep Is For the Weak, Lianne Sentar warns that one of those new titles, Black Sun, is not for the faint of [...] […] from 801. Over at Sleep Is For the Weak, Lianne Sentar warns that one of those new titles, Black Sun, is not for the faint of […]

]]> By: Lianne http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2519 Lianne Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:38:39 +0000 http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2519 Whoa, whoa! Are we talking about the same manga? Black Sun may have had one or two comedic characters and a few running jokes, but it was in no way a comedy. And even though the knight wasn't physically harmed by the rapes (because he was being drugged with stimulants, etc.) doesn't mean he wasn't traumatizied on a mental/emotional level. There were mutiple times in the beginning when the knight asked "If you're going to kill me, don't humiliate me as well" or even "I'd rather die than keep up with the shame and humiliation of this." How is that not trauma? BL is a genre traditionally filled with rape in various levels of offensive; I think it's pretty well accepted that BL is a way for girls to explore rape fantasies that are many degrees of separation from the readers' reality. But how offensive the rape is REALLY depends on the BL in question. Black Sun isn't the most offensive manga I've ever read, but it's extremely sad because of how much detail the mangaka goes into regarding the cultural/emotional trauma the celibate knight suffers through because of the rapes. I've read a lot of BL, and although I found this manga interesting because of the complexity of the situations and emotions, it saddened me in a way I've rarely been saddened. You don't have to feel the same, but I think it would be unfair for you to write this off as "comedy" to someone who hasn't read it yet, because it sure as hell upset me as a 26-year-old reader who's read her fair share of BL. Whoa, whoa! Are we talking about the same manga? Black Sun may have had one or two comedic characters and a few running jokes, but it was in no way a comedy. And even though the knight wasn’t physically harmed by the rapes (because he was being drugged with stimulants, etc.) doesn’t mean he wasn’t traumatizied on a mental/emotional level. There were mutiple times in the beginning when the knight asked “If you’re going to kill me, don’t humiliate me as well” or even “I’d rather die than keep up with the shame and humiliation of this.” How is that not trauma?

BL is a genre traditionally filled with rape in various levels of offensive; I think it’s pretty well accepted that BL is a way for girls to explore rape fantasies that are many degrees of separation from the readers’ reality. But how offensive the rape is REALLY depends on the BL in question. Black Sun isn’t the most offensive manga I’ve ever read, but it’s extremely sad because of how much detail the mangaka goes into regarding the cultural/emotional trauma the celibate knight suffers through because of the rapes. I’ve read a lot of BL, and although I found this manga interesting because of the complexity of the situations and emotions, it saddened me in a way I’ve rarely been saddened. You don’t have to feel the same, but I think it would be unfair for you to write this off as “comedy” to someone who hasn’t read it yet, because it sure as hell upset me as a 26-year-old reader who’s read her fair share of BL.

]]> By: Suzu http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2512 Suzu Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:09:06 +0000 http://sleepisfortheweak.org/218#comment-2512 I read it recently and didn't find it disturbing at all. It's sex, it's a comedy, even if there are hard scenes the're not meant to be evil, at least that's my opinion. It's not like the character has a trauma of it. And you know, I'm someone who doesn't take rape lightly, in fact I avoid it as much as I can. But if it's done like this, I can't take it seriously. It's true that if it was agirl I would be avoiding it like hell, cause I would relate to it stronger but that's normal isn't it? It doesn't want to portrait reality. I read it recently and didn’t find it disturbing at all. It’s sex, it’s a comedy, even if there are hard scenes the’re not meant to be evil, at least that’s my opinion. It’s not like the character has a trauma of it. And you know, I’m someone who doesn’t take rape lightly, in fact I avoid it as much as I can. But if it’s done like this, I can’t take it seriously.
It’s true that if it was agirl I would be avoiding it like hell, cause I would relate to it stronger but that’s normal isn’t it? It doesn’t want to portrait reality.

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