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labingi - if you'd like to, I'd be happy to talk.
001. Leave me a comment saying you want to do the meme.
002. I'll respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
003. You should update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
004. You should include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.
005. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.
1) What is it about Misora Naomi that interests you in particular?She's a strong woman and in her cameo appearance she seems to be one of the most clever DN characters, which in this particular story really means something. I think that the thing making her way of thinking so special is the ability to connect logic and intuition, while the males of the fandom focus on the first only. It's very sad that if she had not died, a woman so much brighter than her fiance would have ended as a housewife... which would be fine, if
she herself wanted it (some of my female friends really enjoy taking care of their families and houses much more than making career, and I respect their point of view), but it seems to me she does not. How long would she be happy, being a traditional wife? Even if she stayed alive and married Ray (I don't deny she may love him), accepting her inferior position (he calmly, yet strongly stresses that he expects it) I think problems might appear sooner or later. Naomi is everything but not a naturally submissive person, which makes me think that if her relationship with Ray had a chance, and nothing changed, she would focus her agression on her partner or herself... possibly ending the way she ends in the canon. Being treated as a child for a longer time, when you are not, kills.
2) To get broader, what characteristics make you like a manga/anime in general?Arts and visual design of the characters play important part, and in the case of an anime, so does music, including voice actors (I'd like to point that I don't understand Japanese in the slightest, but appreciate verbal interpretation of the text a lot). The story must be good, too. I appreciate detailed background (
Mirage is a good example here), intertextual references (some people know why Ludwig praising Vermilia in
Meine Liebe made me fall from my chair :))) and like the ones you can follow on many levels, if you know what I mean: focusing not so much on the plain intrigue, as having your interest kept by the side stories, small details and secondary characters. Somebody said that if a book is not worth reading a second time, it's not worth reading at all, and I think is applies to manga/anime, too. When it comes to the plot, nothing beats
Monster and
Wolf's Rain - can these two
ever become boring? But what would these two be without their unforgetable heroes? I think that the characters are for me the most important part of every manga/anime I choose. They make me accept the outrageous design with all plot holes and naivete of the main story. In manga, Minami Ozaki's
Zetsuai/Bronze would be a silly melodrama, if not for the well-developed characters. In anime, I skipped the whole intrigue (saving the world - not *again*...) in
Koutetsu Sangokushi, interested only in the relations between Koumei and Rikuson.
Weiss Kreuz has stupid plot, but what characters!
Meine Liebe, a.k.a "how NOT to make a revolution", is amusing in its naivete, but the underestimated (by most of the fans) adult characters of the story really make it going for me. The characters in general are so much more important for me that I admit to quiting
Death Note after L's death. Unable to focus on the story, I just checked the ending - the whole intrigue wasn't as interesting as the "game of minds" between him and Light...
3) Story behind your user name?One must know that I'm a philologist - it's not a snobism from my side to state it, but a key point here. Being a night person, years ago, I used to collect words meaning "star" in various languages. When the internet became popular and made the research so easy, I lost interest. Then, being twenty or something, I came across Tolkien's
Silmarillion. I remember being fascinated, among other things which put this book among my favourites today, with his linguistic skills. Playing with the word building, I created the name meaning "She-star" - that's how "Elwen" was born. The second part of the user name is a tribute to Celtic mythology, a passion that led my to the idea of PhD thesis (Celtic mythology in Polish modernism). Yet the name "Rhiannon"came from elsewhere: the song by Fleetwood Mac, where the motto of my LJ comes from.
It's been "Elwen" or "Elwen Rhiannon" for years. Names are important, changing them changes a world around us and is always significant. Which is why I don't change aliases easily.
4) What is it about the Middle Ages that interests you?The point where the western civilisation begins. When christianity adds its part to mediteran heritage, Europe is born. I'm also interested in how little we actually know about such a key period and how much our way of thinking is influenced by stereotypes. Dark times - but also so coloured! Religion on pedestal - carnival and grotesque are blowing it out. Christianity rules officially - and "pagan" traditions are carefully protected. Everything is a sin - except love. Superstitions - are we free of them? Great minds create a base for modern philosophy, great women deny the stereotype of being sad and shy beings in boring dresses. What religion really meant for those people? What did they fear and what did they hope for? Were they thinking the same way we do? Can we measure them with our system of values? So many fascinating aspects here...
5) Oo: Les Misérables: favorite character and why.Combeferre, as he is probably the closest to my personal beliefs. Brave, when needed, and not running away from open fight, but trying to postpone the conflict as long as possible. I like how with his erudition, he tries to respect all points of view and does not deny anything, including the existence of ghosts and miracles. I love his humanity. His point of view on system of education is so sadly actual, and what he says before the fall of the barricade about responsibility towards women makes him the man I would really like to walk with. I guess our tempers would match.
Of other
Amis de l'ABC - Feuilly, because in his, and only his case I buy the idea of "loving all nations". Jean Prouvaire, the shy, yet fearless erudite, whose execution still breaks my heart (I risk saying that completly aware how naive I may sound... I'll only say it's been my favourite book for over ten years for a reason). Grantaire, because of his bitter wits and general hoplesness... and, hell, I have a hopless crush on Enjolras, too...
Of other characters, my favourite one would be probably monsieur Gillenormand, Marius' grandfather. Also Marius and Javert - the characters I'd hesitate calling my "favourite ones", but which fascinate me nevertheless. I cannot say I "like" them, but they intrigue me. I like to analyse their motives and compare them to others (Marius dangerously bends towards the way of thinking which puts people in categories - can he become
next Javert? what will his relationship with Cosette be like - will he regret an early marriage, as Victor Hugo regretted his own? Javert, "the man of granite" and Enjolras, "the man of marble" - what exactly makes them different?)
I omit the obvious. Gavroche, bishop Myriel - how can you
not like them? Out of question here ;)
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