If you have not yet seen it, rush out and watch Howl's Moving Castle. It is Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, and just delightful. The storyline is a bit weak in places (particularly towards the end) but the animation is enchanting as always. Miyazaki is unusual among anime artists in having strong female characters, and this film is no exception. (I could rant here about the tendency among anime artists and science fiction authors to assume that the two defining characteristics of life in the future/parallel universes will be the extraordinary technology and the skimpiness of women's attire, but I will desist.) Along with the Miyazaki fest on SBS, this release makes for a month of quality viewing.
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That was one of the things that I like about Straczynski's "Babylon 5" and Whedon's "Firefly". They managed to some extent to avoid (as much as you can in space opera) the technological hype and the gender roles. Or at least, not buy into them as much. Humanity at its core remains the same - nothing new under the sun. (Unlike Roddenberry's Star Trek vision where, for example, religion is transcended.)
I remember an interview with Jewel Staite (Kaylee in Firefly) when she said that Whedon asked her to put on weight for the role so that her character was more like "everyday people" rather other sci-fi shows.
I haven't seen Firefly, but am looking forward to watching Serenity soon. The thought of a mainstream director who would ask a young actress to gain weight warms my heart!
Buy, beg, steal or borrow the Firefly DVD set if you can. Watch them and then go to Serenity. It's watchable on its own but the Firefly stuff adds depth to the characters that explains some of the "in-jokes".
Hurrah! Just found Firefly in my university library, so will be able to pursue the 'borrow' option. Looking forward to it!
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