Abstract
Abstract The narratives within Sailor Moon Crystal, The Legend of Korra, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power enlist gender fluid and queer protagonists to spearhead rebellions against the heteronormative domains of colonizers, imperialists, zealots, and hypercapitalistic military–industrial complexes. Magic is commodified by each villain; used to crown their exaggerated conquistador reputations and power their nuclear weapons. To defeat them and the toxic sociopolitical narratives and power paradigms they have spawned, Sailor Moon, Korra, Adora, and others must confront how these ideologies have stunted their power, corrupted their ethical systems, and distorted their understanding of their identities. By achieving self-actualization/self-acceptance and collaborating with their allies to do the same, they co-create new endings for themselves and reclaim a broader spectrum of gender and sexuality. Within the liminal moments of these reflective identity battles, protagonists and their allies enter a magical communal space, a social network for a Jungian collective unconscious. Here, they exchange their evolving powers, ideologies, and emotionally charged memories (her stories) and collaborate to liberate their communities. These champions, ambassadors of their (our) collective unconscious, urge us to commune within the liminal spaces of our social networks to self-actualize and collectively unearth a neohuman identity and system of governance.
Highlights
Who are the Animation Icons Sailor Moon, Korra, and She-Ra?Even if you did not grow up in the 1990’s or watched the dubbed version of the original Sailor Moon anime, you have likely seen the battle-ready image of the series’ protagonist etched across clothes, artwork, memes, or GIFs
In the 90’s English dubbed version of the series, Usagi Tsukino is whitewashed and introduced to US audiences as Serena, a 14-year-old middle school student who discovers she is the reincarnation of a moon princess charged with becoming the galactic warrior for love and justice named Sailor Moon
In addition to whitewashing characters and settings, that version of the anime censored and rewrote queer relationships and desires to ensure the show remained in compliance with heteronormative depictions and expectations for children’s animation
Summary
Even if you did not grow up in the 1990’s or watched the dubbed version of the original Sailor Moon anime, you have likely seen the battle-ready image of the series’ protagonist etched across clothes, artwork, memes, or GIFs. Patches misses that the series exposes the dangers resulting from Varrick’s decision to use a hypermasculine Bolin as a surrogate for Avatar Korra in his movie scripts His narrative choices imply that a powerful and respected Avatar could not be a woman like Korra; the feminine is too weak to be heroic, to embody the warrior hero archetype, to inspire and rally troops, or to lead. Inside the Spirit World, she is able to lose that super-ego inflated image of herself and becomes a child-like Korra when she admits her fear When she chooses to reject the monstrous connotations linked to the queer demon dog spirits (archetypes for the Other) and refuses to perceive the spirits as her opponents, she discovers the liminal nature of archetypes and archetypal meaning within the collective unconscious. He is an extension of Catra’s evolving emotions and sexual desires and helps her confront her fears of being abandoned and of being unloved
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