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smilesthroughfandoms · 6 years ago

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Every Single Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode in one sentence or less

I’ll probably post a more in depth-review later this week, as I have opinions literally no one wants to hear but I will proclaim anyway, and then I’ll probably also due a revision of my ‘Past Queens Connection to Star’ post from way back in season 2. Cause that needs an update.

Anyway, enjoy!

Star Comes to Earth: Princess Cinnamon Roll that Could Kill you comes to earth and meets Misunderstood Safe Kid.

Party With a Pony: Spoopy Wardens hunt for the glitter pony while Star gets ice for Marco’s sweaty back.

Matchmaker: In which we learn it was probably a bad idea to give Star the wand in the first place.

School Spirit: Star misunderstands football and Marco tries to get Ferguson to blow his whistle not in that way.

Monster Arm: “Not my bowels! I love my bowels!”

The Other Exchange Student: Star is jealous of the meatball man from Bakersfieldville.

Cheer Up Star: “It’s supposed to be ironic!”

Quest Buy: Very accurate depiction of what it is like to work in retail.

Diaz Family Vacation: Both Marco and Star see new sides of their dads but that’s not necessarily a good thing

Brittney’s Party: Star and Marco party on a bus that Ludo hijacks

Mewberty: Star gets horny and snares boys in her web but not in that way

Pixtopia: Marco messed up and Alfonso marries Ferguson’s rebound

Lobster Claws: “… You can’t eat children.” “Really? Not even the annoying ones?”

Sleep Spell: “Camera Phooone!”

Blood Moon Ball: We’re suppose to ship them now, right?

Fortune Cookies: Love is never the answer kids

Freeze Day: Father Time offers Star and Marco some mud before riding away on his wheel-mobile pulled by giant time-hamsters I am not making this up.

Royal Pain: King Santa Claus destroy mini-golf

St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses: Princess Prison sure is a nightma–OH MY GOD ARE THOSE CLUBS?!

Mewnipendence Day: No wonder monsters hate Mewmans so much.

The Banagic Wand: Star still doesn’t get Earth and like all of us, Marco is always hungry.

Interdemensional Field Trip: Miss Skullnick fears the “Big Change” while Marco sends Jackie cat memes

Marco Grows a Beard: Ludo is out, Toffee is in, and Marco will probbaly be terrified of beards forever

Storm the Castle: “SURPRISE!”

My New Wand!: DIP DOOOWN

Ludo in the Wild: Wait, since when did Ludo become badass?

Mr. Candle Cares: “Star and I have recently become smooch buddies… On the lips.”

Red Belt: Marco searches for a meaning in life and Star searches for hammer.

Star on Wheels: *epic remix of Marco saying Star is in trouble*

Fetch: Marco can’t open juice and Star runs away from her problems and sending thank you cards

Star vs. Echo Creek: Star gets high and destroys a police car

Wand to Wand: Both Ludo and Star are terrible at magic also major ship tease

Starstruck: Star and her idol Sailor Super Saiyan destroy a park and Marco is 100002% done with this shit

Camping Trip: King Butterfly has a mid-life crisis and tries to control an eagle

Starsitting: They’re gonna be great parents some day.

On the Job: Buff Dad is best dad and buff babies are adorable

Goblin Dogs: “You might think this line is long, but listen to my goblin song!~”

By the Book: Ludo and Star still suck at magic and Glossaryck is a bigger troll than Alex Hirsch

Game of Flags: And I thought my family was dysfunctional...

Girls’ Day Out: Janna is back and is still awesome btw

Sleepover: “TRUTH! STAR HAS A CRUSH ON MA–” *cue fandom freakout*

Gift of the Card: R.I.P. Rasticore Chaosus Disastorvayne… He couldn’ get his fucking chainsaw to work

Friendenemies: Star becomes one with Christmas tree while Tom and Marco go on a date and sing a romantic pop ballad.

Is Mystery: Meatfork is apparently a family name and Ludo is really starting to freak me out tbh

Hungry Larry: “He’s still hungry…”

Spider with a Top Hat: He tries and he is awesome and that’s all that matters

Into the Wand: SPAAAAADESS!!!

Pizza Thing: Marco is OCD about mushroom and Pony Head buys skinny jeans

Page Turner: Moon, how did you miss Toffee in the orb he was right there!

Naysaya: Marco is a mood in this episode

Bon Bon the Birthday Clown: Honestly my favorite episode overall

Raid the Cave: Glossaryck is the true neutral asshole.

Trickstar: Weird Al is a treasure and I’ll mes up anyone who makes Marco cry!

Baby: Aw, look at the little deadly baby, I love her!

Running With Scissors: Marco gets a new edition to his shipping harem and she is so cute!

Mathmagic: Why did the chicken cross the road?

The Bounce Lounge: Marco is definitely the mom friend.

Crystal Clear: The Chancellor guy is amazing and Rhombulus just needs a hug and wAS THAT ECLIPSA IN THE BACKGROUND?

The Hard Way: “SURPRISE!” 2.0

Heinous: Oh, so that’s how Marco got all that money.

All Belts Are Off: This is the negative side of “Pro-tag teen hangs out with older adult figure” trope done splendidly

Collateral Damage: Marco how do you not know what a possum is?

Just Friends: I’m fine! *blows up sign to prove just how fine I am*

Face the Music: This song is actually a banger

Star Crushed: Looking back, I’m starting to think the writing peaked at this episode....

BATTLE FOR MEWNI EDITION!!!!!

Return to Mewni: This is… just an exposition filler. Not much else to say….

Moon the Undaunted: B4! B4! B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4!

Book Be Gone: Seriously, did Glossy take trolling lessons from Alex Hirsch this is hilarious!

Marco and the King: This is the “Pro-tag teen hangs out with older adult figure” done slightly better

Puddle Defender: Aw, look at the little buff babies, they’re getting so big!

King Ludo: The mime stole the show.

Toffee: Yeah, I think the writing peaked somewhere around here...

Scent of Hoodie: Huh, so Ponyhead can be written as likeable, who would’ve thought?

Rest in Pudding: The colors are not doing the censors any favor here, huh?

Club Snubbed: I literally yelled “Phrasing!” whenever they dropped the title

Stranger Danger: Is she the new antagonist of the series? I can’t tell

Demoncism: Tom is a wonderful baby boy and Ponyhead is written as likeable, part 2!

Sophmore Slump: *sobbing* Jackie deserved better, dang it!

Lint Catcher: I’m starting to wonder if there is any competant authority figure in Mewni

Trial by Squire: I think the writers were all like” You think these guys will ship anyone with Marco?” and decided to test that theory.

Princess Turdina: I got more lore out of this episode than I thought I would.

Starfari: Welp, she makes me uncomfortable.

Sweet Dreams: *Sailor Moon-ing intensifies*

Lava Lake Beack: Proof that this fandom will ship anyone with Marco at the slightest inclanation

Death Peck: Rich Pigeon is my new favorite birb and Ponyhead is written as likeable for the third time

Ponymonium: Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Night Life: The writers made so many new ships they had to get rid of an old one!

Deep Dive: “Chicken butt”

Monster Bash: Well, that explains the cheekmarks.

Stump Day: I think they just made an episode based around a picture from that bookcover.

Holiday Special: *insert every cheesy Christmas/Holiday episode trope here*

The Bog Beast of Boggabah: The title is fun to say and the episode is average at best.

Total Eclipsa the Moon: Seriously, I’m supposed to think she’s an ultimate villain.

Butterfly Trap: In which we are all Sean, don’t lie we were all him at the end

Ludo, Where Art Thou?: Dennis is best brother, hands down.

Is Another Mystery: *sniff* I got more emotional over this episode than anyone else did and I’m not sure how I feel about that

Marco Jr.: I… I just… Why? What’s the point?

Skooled!: Epic advertisment fakeout combined with wonderful character development and lore with a shock ending makes a 8/10 episode.

Booth Buddies: Old Man McGucket ships Starco, proceed to react accordingly

Bam Ui Pati!: Ponyhead is kinda likeable in this episod–nevermind she’s back.

Tough Love: Oh man, it’s happening! It’s happening guys here we go!

Divide: We are going to war everybody–And they’re all dead. That was quick.

Conquer: They should have paid Alex HIrsch to voice Glossaryck at this point, it’d be more in character for him.

Butterfly Follies: Proof that someone will always complain about politics no matter what.

Escape from the Pie Folk: Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that he kinda resembles Eclipsa more than Festivia?

Moon Remembers: I was expecting a freakout but was pleasantly surprised

Swim Suit: I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Rhombulus

Ransomgram: Why is everyone in this dimesnion hot?!

Lake House Fever: She’s a good mom

Yada Yada Berries: They missed an opportunity to have a Seinfeld actor guest-star, just saying

Down by the River: I’m glad that she can relax

The Ponyhead Show!: And Ponyhead is offically no longer likeable, can someone toss her into an abyss please?

Surviving the Spiderbites: SpiderSlime is canon proceed to react accordingly

Out of Buisness: How did this place go out of buisness???

Kelly's World: Man, they’re really setting these non-Starco ships up to fail, huh?

Curse of the Blood Moon: Pfft, yeah, sure, Starco won’t be canon at all!

Princess Quasar Caterpillar and the Magic Bell: I think Ludo has the most consistent character arc out of the entire show’s history.

Ghost of Butterfly Castle: Moon, Star is your daughter and Star supports Eclipsa, why would you not tell her?

Cornball: This episode has a heartwarming lesson that I hope more people come to realize

Meteora's Lesson: I’ll take any Toffee scenes I can get

The Knight Shift: I honestly don’t remember what happened n this episode

Queen-Napped: Seriously, can someone please dropkick Ponyhead into an abyss?

Junkin' Janna: The JanTom interaction I’ve been waiting for

A Spell with No Name: These types of episodes stopped being charming awhile ago

A Boy and His DC-700XE: I think Tomco has more ground to stand-on then Starco at this point

The Monster and The Queen: Don Panchito voices Globgor! There’s hope for this show yet!

Cornonation: They’re the best couple/parents/anything around!

Doop-Doop: I honestly think Rick just put Morty through some flux-capacitor or something

Britta's Tacos: Hey, remember these people that we suddenly brought back? No? Me neither!

Beach Day: This feels like a Season 1 episode and it’s nice

Gone Baby Gone: I want a TV show aout them now! Disney, please!

Sad Teen Hotline: Mr. Diaz is way to invested in Star’s love life.

Jannanigans: Hello last minute Janna character development!

Mama Star: So that’s how Mewni came to be--and I don’t care anymore

Ready, Aim, Fire!: Let’s get that finale ball rolling people!

The Right Way: Ok, that spell is actually pretty badass.

Here to Help: There, Starco’s finally canon will you guys just shut up now!

Pizza Party: Moon you idiot you ruined everything!

The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse: Toffee was right all along... I think we all knew that in some way

Cleaved: I expect nothing substanial and that’s what I got

#star vs the forces of evil #svtfoe #svtfoe2 #svtfoe3 #svtfoe4 #battle for mewni #smilesthroughfandoms #Don't repost without my permission #seriously don't #these are my opinions #scary i know

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alewyren · 7 years ago

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regarding caulifla and kale, and whether or not they’re intended to be a couple: an actual serious discussion

I’ll start off by admitting that I am somewhat biased as a longtime fan of DBZ and a lesbian myself, but keep in mind that I’m also very jaded and realistic about the possibility of actual same-sex romance in non-specifically targeted media. In fact, my own personal experiences on the matter are what have given me incentive to look at LGBT issues so critically. In short, this is not just me saying “they’re totally canon, just look at them omg they’re so cute~”

Regardless of your own personal feelings towards them being a couple, there is actually a very interesting discussion to be had here.

So let’s start by taking a step back here and contextualizing this issue by talking about the inclusion of female super saiyans at all, completely independent of whether or not they are a couple. For thirty years, female super saiyans were complete fanon. They existed as OCs in video games, most notably Dragonball Heroes and Xenoverse, but were very notably and deliberately excluded from Dragonball GT. Despite this series having two characters who should, by all logic, have the potential to do so.

So the question becomes this: why, in a franchise that has had female saiyans with the potential to go super for a long time, did it take thirty years for it to actually happen in canon media?

Various justifications for this have cropped up over the years. “Pan and Bra lived in an era too peaceful to trigger the transformation”--Goten and Trunks serve as a definitive counterargument. Why could Pan and Bra have not had a similar rivalry? Was it just because it would be too similar to the relationship of Goten and Trunks, or because the relationship between two young girls was not worth exploring? Additionally, should the events of GT not been enough to trigger the transformation in either of them? Pan especially--Bra at least has the justification of not being a fighter at all, though one must wonder why, in a warrior race whose cast is comprised mostly of male characters, two of the three (Bra, Gine, Tarble) we have seen who are completely disinterested in fighting are women. It’s a statistical improbability for it to be a coincidence.

The other justifications, “Pan does not have enough Saiyan blood” and “Women just don’t have the same level of anger/emotional intensity/strength/whatever the fuck sexist BS to trigger the transformation” are and always were complete garbage.

So then, what’s the actual reason? As far as Toriyama himself goes, he said it himself. He didn’t know how to draw a female super saiyan. The logistics of drawing specific things (the spots on perfect cell come to mind) come up as an excuse or complaint for him a lot, so this... does make a sort of sense, albeit indicates unconscious sexism on his part. No, I’m not saying he just hates women, that’s clearly bogus, just that it raises questions about why the idea of drawing a muscular, spiky-haired woman was a problem at all. His solution was to dodge the issue entirely by making all the saiyans who were relevant for the majority of Z male. Trunks or Goten could have easily been female, had he wanted to go that direction, but he didn’t. Pan could have easily gone super saiyan as a five year old during the end of Z, but she didn’t. Which... fair enough, I’m not gonna sit here and demonize Toriyama or anything, especially when his views have clearly evolved. I’m merely examining his decisions and the logic behind them.

As far as GT goes, the reasoning is similar. Throughout all of GT, there is a pervasive unwillingness to introduce new ideas or take risks, which was ultimately the series’ downfall. All of the villains and concepts introduced are merely rehashes of what was already there. The Black Star Dragonballs? Born from wishes that were already made. Super 17? Literally already an existing character. Baby? Shaped by events long established in the Z anime. Super Saiyan 4? Super Saiyan+Oozaru. Some of these ideas were actually really interesting and had a lot of potential, but this is why GT so thoroughly failed in execution: it was unwilling to actually do anything new with any of its ideas or characters, so much as just rehash existing plotlines. Female super saiyans, of course, would have been something very new to the franchise, which is why it never happened.

This can, of course, be contrasted with post-Battle of Gods media, which has done nothing but invent brand new lore and ideas for the universe. Gods of Destruction and their angels, the existence of the multiverse, Super Saiyan God and its related transformations, Goku Black being... actually a legitimately interesting character rather than Turles 2.0, Frieza being relevant in terms of power again instead of a laughingstock, you get the picture. Some people don’t like this, because it goes in such a different direction from the original source material and feels like a series of ass pulls. Other people think it’s a breath of fresh air, and that any contrivances are ultimately to the benefit of the franchise. Regardless of where you stand here, the difference in approach is quite notable, and Super has certainly been objectively more successful than GT despite its very rough start.

Also quite notably, Super has been taking steps to give its female characters more spotlight than Z or GT ever did. While the depictions of Chichi and Videl have been... flawed, Bulma’s been given plenty to do, 18 has kept both her power and her personality, Pan has been absolutely adorable and widely beloved in contrast to her GT counterpart, and that’s not even going into the new characters introduced. Vados? At the time of her introduction, arguably the strongest character in the franchise, and hilariously snarky to boot. Future Mai? Awesome. Nothing more to be said there, Future Mai is just awesome. And with the increasing popularity of the aforementioned Heroes and Xenoverse, the demand and love for female super saiyans among the fanbase was quite clear.

So by the time of the Universe Survival Arc, it was less a matter of if we would ever get a female super saiyan, but when. Everything was pointing in that direction, especially as Super seemed to be going out of its way to address fan wants and criticisms as the show progressed.

Enter Female Broly.

For those of you who may not have been following the fandom when the first trailer for the Universe Survival Arc dropped, this was like a freaking nuclear bomb being dropped on the community. Not only did we learn that we were getting a canon version of a controversial movie villain, which ruffled quite a few jimmies in and of itself, but it was confirmed--we were getting a girl super saiyan. A powerful, relevant one, by the look of it. Any concerns about giving the girls “unattractive” bulging muscles or spiky hair? Yeah, no, those were fucking annihilated on the spot, and they were clearly showing that off.

Some people weren’t happy about this, though, for a variety of reasons. Most notably, that the first female super saiyan would be a rehash of an already existing male character, rather than her own person. Others were just excited that a girl saiyan was happening and she was strong and awesome, others were excited that we were getting a canon version of Broly. Regardless of where you stood, the discourse and speculation was absolutely wild. Was she Cabba’s sister, or possibly even girlfriend? A U6 Saiyan princess? Or perhaps from another universe entirely? We had no idea. But we were hyped as hell.

So the actual arc rolled along, and surprise surprise, we met even more awesome female characters from other universes. The angels Cus, Marcarita, and Martinu, for starters, as well as the God of Destruction Helles (though there is a conversation to be had about why the only female GoD is the sexy one obsessed with beauty, but tbh I really don’t care all that much because she’s hot and I’m gay) and Ribrianne, who were all shaping up to be relevant and powerful characters. Not to mention that 18 herself was going to be getting spotlight again, and that Bra was introduced at last. Almost like the times had changed and the newest installment in the series was trying to be more inclusive and progressive. Even Daishinkan outright commented that the female warriors in the tournament were worth keeping an eye on.

It wasn’t perfect, by any means--many of the girls introduced were cute and humanoid in appearance unlike the bizarre and diverse designs of the male fighters, and male characters still make up a large majority of the characters introduced, especially as far as top tier contenders go, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for the franchise, and one I’m personally quite satisfied with. I love every last one of my new alien daughters.

The point is, despite all this, nobody even thought that we wouldn’t just be getting one female Super Saiyan; we’d be getting two. When we met Caulifla, despite her design and personality being very different from what little we knew of the mysterious girl Broly, damn near everyone assumed they were one and the same. Which tbh, says a lot for how little we’ve come to expect from DB’s female cast. It was only later, when we saw Caulifla and Kale in the same room, that we knew for sure they were different characters.

Caulifla, for her part, seems to be deliberately tailored to address the initial criticism that people had of female Broly--that is, the first female super saiyan wasn’t her own character, but a carbon copy of an existing male character. Because of how long it took for the series to actually introduce female super saiyans, there was a long time for those expectations to accumulate--and by the look of it, much like with the similarly scrutinized re-resurrection of Frieza, Super was intent on doing it right.

Caulifla was very deliberately introduced before Kale, went super saiyan before Kale, and her personality was much more in line with the toughness we had come to expect from the saiyans. Quite notably so, in fact, considering the U6 saiyans as a whole are much nicer than their U7 counterparts. But no, the first female saiyan? A tough delinquent girl who takes shit from noone. For the most part, she fulfilled the expectations we all had of her. Kale is a bit more divisive, albeit moreso in the western fandom (the JP fandom adores her, and loves that she’s a match for Goku), but imagine for a moment if Caulifla didn’t exist. If the first female super saiyan was a spineless weakling who only showed strength in a completely unnatural form that overtook her personality, and was ripped straight from an existing male character. The unfortunate implications would have been palpable. Especially if, say, it was Cabba, not Caulifla, that was the target of her jealousy.

My guess? The ideas of female super saiyans and a U6 Broly were both brought up in the brainstorming for the Universe Survival Arc, and were both quite popular among the writers. Combining them came up, the writers really liked the idea of a female Broly, but realized quickly that it would not work on its own. And that’s how Caulifla was born--so they could have their cake and eat it too.

Which finally brings us to the conundrum of Kale and Caulifla’s relationship. What’s the deal?

The popular assumption when they were introduced was that there would be a love triangle in which they both wanted Cabba, or that at least one of them would be romantically involved with him. Which, fair enough, DB does kind of have a track record of introducing cool girlfriends for existing male characters, and introducing two whole girls was kind of new territory. Most people assumed, when the preview for episode 92 dropped and Kale appeared to have jealousy issues, that it was Cabba she was jealous of (I called that it was Caulifla, though, albeit not necessarily romantically--it honestly just made more sense given what we knew of them, but nobody believed me. I get bragging rights~).

This really isn’t the fandom’s fault, though--quite simply, in the entire franchise, we have not had one meaningful female/female relationship. Not one. Not familial, not a friendship, and certainly not a romance. I can’t be assed to figure out if OG dragonball, Z, or GT ever passed the bechdel test, but the fact that I don’t know off the top of my head says a lot. Now, keep in mind that the bechdel test is not in and of itself an indication of sexism--that’s not what I’m saying here. But it does indicate the lack of meaningful relationships between women, which is a separate problem. A problem which, since relationships between women and precedents thereof are actually relevant to this discussion, is worth commenting on here.

Regardless of how you want to spin it, Caulifla and Kale are very close, and despite speculation it’s safe to conclude neither of them have any meaningful interest in Cabba, at least not currently. That’s... actually kind of a big deal, that two women are mutually the most important character to each others’ development like that. Especially when it would have been easier to justify their inclusion as being already close to Cabba, or hell even Hit or Frost. It’s quite rare that you have honest to god meaningful and emotionally rich relationships between two women in shounen anime, romantic or otherwise.

And no, I’m not saying “female friendships are rare and important so they shouldn’t be gay!” Female friendships are important, yes, and I hope DBS continues to explore the relationships between its female characters. But romance between women is also important, and even more of a rarity than friendship. No, what I’m trying to say is that Kale and Caulifla being so close is already quite a progressive move in a series that really needed it, and it’s clearly deliberately intended as such. While the line between pandering and deliberate attempts at representation can be a bit blurry at times, I think this falls pretty squarely on the side of the latter.

So that finally brings us to the big question. They’re close, yes, but to what extent can their bond be interpreted as romantic, to what extent was it intended to be that way, and where do the writers intend to take their relationship? Is it just fans seeing things where nothing is there, pandering or queerbaiting to draw interest for the new characters, or an actual intended canon relationship?

Well, at this point, it’s impossible to say with absolute certainty whether they are indeed gay. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, though. Saying that any attempts to paint their relationship as romantic are just fans being delusional, or insisting that they are certainly just friends, is utter and complete nonsense. It’s certainly more reasonable to interpret them as being a couple than any other two women in the franchise. If you’re going around telling people to stop having fun guys, they’re just friends, you’re an asshole. Especially because a lot of people shipping them are gay themselves. Like, holy shit, is that really so wrong?

That aside, though, there are actual legitimate, tangible hints something else is going on. As in, it’s not like shipping Goku and Vegeta or pointing to something as intangible and subjective as supposed sexual tension. A much better comparison would be the buildup to Gohan and Videl’s relationship, which followed a much similar pattern. The hints are actually there, that’s not really something that can be reasonably denied. The question is, where are they leading?

These hints include:

Kale’s jealousy. While jealousy of another person is not exclusive to romantic relationships, it is strongly associated with them. When people thought it was Cabba she was jealous for, there was no real question that her associated feelings would have been romantic. When we learned for sure that it was Caulifla, though? Would it have been impossible for her to have simply been jealous of Cabba as a friend or as a brotherly figure? No, but nobody ever considered this possibility. Likewise, it is perfectly plausible that her jealousy for Caulifla is the romantic sort.

Caulifla goes super saiyan, Kale is shown blushing. Cabba goes super saiyan immediately after, she looks bored and disdainful. “Just because she’s blushing doesn’t mean she’s gay for her.” Well, no, but it certainly hints it. It’s not the only interpretation, but it is a valid one, and I don’t like the double standard of attempting to shut down the romantic interpretation. Remember that the same thing was said about Korra and Asami before that became canon. It all starts with a blush, y’all.

“Kale! Don’t get the wrong idea! I wouldn’t fall for someone like that!” This is actually the most interesting one here, because this brings the very suggestion of romance out of the purely subtextual and into, well, actual text. Generally, same-sex relationships that are just being baited don’t really ever breach this barrier. The idea of an actual relationship or romantic intent is hinted, sometimes outright teased, but never actually seriously, explicitly suggested as anything but a punchline. “She’s just afraid of Caulifla paying attention to anyone else, period!” Well, yes. Hence Goku. But why bother having her specifically assure Kale of the lack of romantic intent, rather than simply assuring her that she’s not useless, if that’s the only issue here? And it calmed her down. It can be both things. You can be romantically interested in someone and also afraid of losing them.

The general affection shown between the two throughout the tournament thus far. Affection is not in and of itself indication of romance. It simply exists to strengthen whatever relationship is already there--to show, rather than just tell us, that they really do care about each other. And they certainly have more screentime together than with anyone else, most notably with Cabba, whom neither of them have interacted with once since they got to the tournament. Yeah, they don’t seem to be building up a romantic subplot with him. Not to mention that Caulifla saved Kale from being rung out by carrying her bridal style just like Krillin did 18 the episode prior. And then the face-touching. And Caulifla tying up Kale’s hair after she fell out of her berserker state. Friendship or romance, it’s... really sweet, honestly. Let me reiterate, since this will certainly be misconstrued. The affection displayed between the two strengthens the previous romantic hints by contextualizing them in a deeper relationship, but is not a hint of romance in and of itself.

So, it’s definitely valid to interpret them as being romantically involved, or at least interested in one another, and personally I think it’s the most reasonable way to read this. There is enough textual evidence to support this conclusion--even if it was accidental, interpretation does not rely solely on intent. Any literary analyst will tell you that.

But I think it’s kind of unlikely that somehow nobody at Toei realized they were writing a relationship that could be construed as romantic. Sure, DB tends not to be romance-heavy, but we have had onscreen romance arcs. Krillin and 18, Gohan and Videl, Trunks and Mai--certainly in the old days of the franchise it was something Toriyama tended to avoid, but the series has grown increasingly open about it over time. Hell, Trunks and Mai actually kissed. Sort of. But it was close enough to count as the first in the franchise.

So, yes, I think it’s safe to conclude that the hints of romance between Kale and Caulifla were intentional.

This begs another question, however: to what end?

Gender is not the only thing that DB has had a history of fumbling. Race, for one, but also sexuality. The two canonically gay characters in the franchise, General Blue and that... guy whose name I forget who fought Trunks during the End of Z, were both unflattering stereotypes that played their sexuality for laughs. Blue for his utter lack of interest in Bulma, End of Z guy for his unwanted advances towards Trunks. Yeah, not the best track record.

There haven’t really ever been any instances of honest to god queerbaiting, though. Take Sasuke and Naruto, for example. They were clearly never intended to seriously wind up together, but man, there was a lot of tease that they would. Why? Well, for starters, as a joke. The implication that same-sex romance is a joke is, of course, super iffy, but that’s another discussion. Second of all, to maintain the interest of the fujoshi periphery demographic without including any potentially controversial actual same-sex content. DB, while being arguably homoerotic at times, never really dipped its toes into this minefield, ESPECIALLY not with its female characters. Goku and Vegeta never accidentally kissed or accidentally shoved phallic batons up each other’s asses, and romantic interest between two women has never even been jokingly implied.

But as we have established, DBS has been all about revitalizing the franchise and taking risks. It’s not afraid to try new things--and regardless of where this ends up going, it’s already a very new thing. Contrary to popular belief, awareness of LGBT issues in Japanese culture is actually increasing. Fire Emblem Fates included same-sex romantic options (though it was criticized by the japanese LGBT community for other reasons), Yuri on Ice included M/M romance in a mainstream sports anime and received a lot of praise, anti-LGBT discrimination polices are coming into effect, and gay marriage is actually legal in some parts of Japan now. Things are looking up, and to say that Japan doesn’t care about LGBT issues is to ignore the voices of the actual Japanese LGBT community pushing for progress. It’s still a work in progress, but there is progress.

And as far as DB goes, there really does seem to be a genuine attempt to be more progressive. And if they can make deliberate strides towards gender equality, why not LGBT representation? Don’t forget that Toei also produces Sailor Moon, which is kind of infamous for having canonical lesbians, so it’s far from out of the question.

In short, I’m cautiously optimistic. Considering this is still DB it’s unlikely that we’ll get, say, an onscreen kiss or a wedding or anything, but I could see an interview statement coming out confirming their feelings for each other or an offhand comment implying that they are in fact an item, or will become one. Or maybe they don’t plan on actually going anywhere with the hints of romance, and it’s just meant to draw interest without risking offending anyone. But hey, people thought Korra and Asami would never actually happen either. And look how that turned out.

Regardless, this is a lot more revolutionary than people give it credit for, and I really hope they continue developing these wonderful characters and their love for one another.

#caulifla #kale #caulikale #dragon ball super #dbs #dbz #musings

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smilesthroughfandoms · 7 years ago

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Star vs. the Forces of Evil episodes in One Sentence (Season 3 edition)

Star Comes to Earth: Princess Cinnamon Roll that Could Kill you comes to earth and meets Misunderstood safe kid.

Party With a Pony: Spoopy Wardens hunt for the glitter pony while Star gets ice for Marco’s sweaty back.

Matchmaker: In which we learn it was probably a bad idea to give Star the wand in the first place.

School Spirit: Star misunderstands football and Marco tries to get Ferguson to blow his whistle not in that way.

Monster Arm: “Not my bowels! I love my bowels!”

The Other Exchange Student: Star is jealous of the meatball man from Bakersfieldville.

Cheer Up Star: “It’s supposed to be ironic!”

Quest Buy: Very accurate depiction of what it is like to work in retail.

Diaz Family Vacation: Both Marco and Star see new sides of their dads but that’s not necessarily a good thing

Brittney’s Party: Star and Marco party with someone who hates them while Ludo hijacks a bus