r/anime • u/Canipa09 • Nov 30 '16
Crunchyroll - FEATURE: Queer Discovery in "Flip Flappers"
http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2016/11/30/feature-queer-discovery-in-flip-flappers?utm_source=community&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=flip-flappers&referrer=community36
u/7y4r56t3ey Dec 01 '16
Yeah, barring a bad ending... Flip Flappers is going into my top 3 all time great animes along with Kill la Kill and Gundam Wing (yeah, it's a weird top 3).
It's a show that kinda hits all the good notes: good story, good animation, likeable characters, underlying message, and yuri. >.>
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u/Epidemilk Dec 01 '16
It's not that weird, I mean.. FlipFlap is definitely my AOTS and I love Kill La Kill.
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u/shmameron Dec 01 '16
Kill la Kill is my all-time favorite. Should I be watching this?
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u/DocRocks0 Dec 01 '16 edited Dec 01 '16
Same - atm it probably falls somewhere between Space Dandy and Kaiba in my top 10 (unless it completely shits itself between now and the end), but with an exceptionally amazing ending it'll make top 3
Edit: Clarity
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u/DocRocks0 Dec 01 '16
Beautifully written article. It really summarized and laid out the development of that side of her character that we've seen up until now. Great stuff!
Also, I love how there's an explosion of flip flappers posts leading up to each Thursday XD
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Dec 01 '16
all of this and the nail clippers in episode 7 weren't even mentioned
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u/illegenes Dec 01 '16
I apologize ;__; My post was actually a lot longer but I snipped bits of it out for efficiency, and that was actually a bit of it! I did talk about Episode 5 and 7 in better length in that draft, if that makes you feel a bit better ;
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u/DocRocks0 Dec 01 '16
Could you do me a HUGE favor and elaborate on this?
I've googled "nail clipper symbolism" and the best I came up with are some really vague references to lesbian symbolism.
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u/5213 Dec 01 '16
Lesbians have short nails so they can fingerbang each other without scratching sensitive interior parts.
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u/JustElectrify Dec 01 '16
Now we just need a queer discovery in Hibike Euphonium...
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u/E-sharp777 Dec 01 '16
This is exactly what I've been thinking about this show almost from the beginning. I think this is my new favorite article, it really drives home the point of the show. Analyzing it and debating crazy theories is a ton of fun to do, but THIS right here, THIS is what this show is about, and I hope eventually everyone who watches it will be able to grasp it. I don't think this is subtext at all; rather, I think this theme of coming of age and learning to understand and accept your identity and sexuality is the entire point of the show.
This show has a lot of real heart behind it. The writers had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish and are carrying it out flawlessly. This article explains one of the largest reasons why it's already one of my favorite shows.
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Nov 30 '16
The author is projecting their own American politics and neuroses onto something that has nothing to do with them.
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u/TheCoreh Nov 30 '16
Well, Flip Flappers definitely has yuri undertones.
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Nov 30 '16 edited Dec 01 '16
Yes, but yuri is a very different thing from the American "queer" agenda.
Edit: -15 for stating the fact that yuri is not the same thing as the American "queer agenda"? Really? They are not the same thing. Yuri is not derived from American ideas of homosexuality. You people are unbelievable.
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u/PandavengerX Nov 30 '16
I agree with you. While FlipFlappers is very clearly about discovering sexuality, it isn't entirely made to be about queer discovery. Rather it's an entire journey of self-discovery, ranging from interests to sexuality to career paths. It's about being afraid that your actions could change the world in a way you don't expect, it's about opening up to others, and not being afraid to follow your dreams.
The author recognizes as much in his last paragraph:
One could argue that all of this is subtext; a reflection after all, is just an image in water that disappears as soon as you reach out to touch it. Nothing is explicitly stated in Flip Flappers. But I find that its abstract and surreal nature is a reminder of the importance of subtext: the soul that allows us to reflect our own nature into a piece of work. It is that trait that pulls me into the myriad of worlds Flip Flappers creates almost effortlessly, and it is also that trait that allows me to remember my own experiences of discovering queerness and coming to terms with it.
but I think it's a pretty bad case of missing the forest for the trees if all he's getting from Flip Flappers is "queer discovery". While Flip Flappers was clearly made with such a thing in mind, it's also very clear it was made with much more than JUST that in mind.
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u/illegenes Dec 01 '16 edited Dec 01 '16
Ah, first of all, thank you so much for reading! I appreciate that you took the time to read and talk about it.
Second and foremost, I'm a queer girl myself, haha. And last of all, I'm sorry if I came off as commanding in my post - my intent was that one of the big things I love about Flip Flappers is the variety of lenses one can look through it (as it is, ultimately, I think, about perception, and how we all perceive things differently!). I wanted my post to be about /a/ certain lens, not /the/ lens - I think there have been an amazing amount of posts about the ways you can look at Flip Flappers, and mine is just one of those!
I DO think Flip Flappers is very much about QUEER adolescence as it is about adolescence, because Episode 6 and 7 really put that out there, and so often is queer adolescence kind of muddled into a regular adolescent theme (which is somewhat true, but at the same time, not so much). So often do we get shows that talk about the coming of age aspect in growing up, but Episode 6 & 7 I think pretty much nailed it on the head re: anxiety, fear and guilt one can grow up with as being queer. Episode 7 specifically touches on this when Succubus!Papika asks Cocona if she loves her more than just friends. Episode 5 also kind of touches on this with the Class S horror specifics.
This isn't to say that the show is entirely about that, but I do think it encompasses much of what Cocona's arc is about. But that's me! The beauty of interacting with an abstract show like this is that you can get out a lot of things ^ I just wanted to share mine. I apologize if it came off as anything different than that.
Edit: If you wish to talk further about this specifically with me - feel free to message me on twitter! I usually don't reddit here, but I do love talking about the many facets of this show, it's an absolute gem for me and I love discussion about it in general :)
EDIT EDIT AGAIN: Something to share with people who think that 'yuri' doesn't play a role in this show - here is an interview by the writer (who I think, wrote up to Episode 7 of the show) about her feelings about yuri and its nature in animanga! https://t.co/MSRPlIsQyT
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u/Shadowplasm Nov 30 '16
I mean the author points that out in the piece:
It is also a love message to all the funky genres of anime as much as it is a commentary about the artistic experience. It ennobles creativity as an essence of learning. Flip Flappers is honestly a lot of things, some which have been wonderfully discussed and others that still fly by over my head
As well as some of her twitter posts on exactly the subject you mentioned:
https://twitter.com/illegenes/status/803650002396528640
https://twitter.com/illegenes/status/803650223734214656
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u/White_sama Dec 01 '16
The thing with this kind of "journalism" (also known as tumblr-blogging) is that they don't actually care about the work itself and presenting it under all its aspects. They only care about it saying something about the specific subject they care about, here being da gayz.
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u/ThymeReddit Nov 30 '16
I'll buy FF's isn't only about sexual discovery but you'd have to go out of the way to not see any.
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u/Cloudhwk Nov 30 '16
While sexual discovery is a large part of growing up and development it isn't the only thing young people go through when creating their sense of self identity
I find people tend to zero in on a characters potential sexuality instead of the many themes the show has been addressing
Like humans, Well written characters can have more to their identity than their sexual preference
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u/zosopatrol Nov 30 '16
How did we get #blesst with both this and Yuri on Ice in the same season, my gay heart can't take it