Great show by the way Lisa and Jennifer.

Loved the show as always.

Given your thoughts on the Disney princes, I thought you might be interested in a comic called FABLES.

It’s all based around the premise that the characters from myth and fables are real and came into being because we believed in them, and are currently living in New York as they are refugees from a war… (actually the stories moved on from there but I don’t want to spoil it for those wanting to read it from the begining).

The reason I thought you’d like it (apart from it being a really good read) is that Prince charming is portrayed in them as:

1) The Prince from several tales, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella…

Which is possible because,

2) He’s in ye olde termanology a cad, a bounder, in it for the chase but when he catches the girl (and marries her) he gets rapidly bored and moves on to pastures new.

Quite an interesting twist an a classic tale that really plays with you perception of some characters and the archetypes you expect them to conform to.

Mike, about those women in anime…generally speaking, I do agree with you that the portrayal of women in anime is often primarily as sex symbols, eye candy. Any serious anime fan is familiar with the term “fan service,” which is almost exclusively about sexy little women (or teenage girls) showing their undergarments.

There are of course exceptions. After all, anime is a huge genre, essentially encompassing all animation from Japan (and arguably other animated works as well).

Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favorites, a tough chick who commands a serious military force (or is it military exactly? fans can debate this topic endlessly). The films of Hayao Miyazaki don’t usually have grown women in lead roles, but those women who do appear are generally emotionally complex, three-dimensional beings. And even Faye Valentine, the impossibly-proportioned sexpot on Cowboy Bebop, has a rather satisfying and complex backstory; plus, the series also includes an almost mythically-emo (and yes, gorgeous) woman named Julia, and one of the most unconventional and charming portrayals of a pre-teen girl ever (Radical Edward).

Hey Jen and Lise another great and thought provoking show.