LGBTQ+ Character Appreciation Thread

[Memento]

The actual scene of Fish Eye's whipping off (his/her) shirt in that episode, exposing (his/her) flat chest was cut from the TV broadcast, though it was still obvious the character had removed (his/her) top. The scene where Fish Eye takes a shower in a different episode was, I believe, partially blurred in the TV broadcast.

Overall, I do think trans!Fish Eye is less problematic than female-impersonator-gay!Fish Eye, so it's a change I'm all for.

And let's not forget Fish Eye's first episode up at bat. Because Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye initially think she's excited to go after a pretty female target, they implicitly must have believed her to be a lesbian and were totally comfortable about that. When they see he's a guy, Hawk's Eye says, "Actually, I always thought he might be the one we've been looking for," and Tiger's Eye says, "Same here, but girls are more fun," potentially suggesting they're bisexual but generally prefer girls over guys.

We know that, according to Nicole, they wanted to leave all the original relationships and genders attacked but the network censors wouldn't permit that (something they reportedly denied, so who knows who's telling the truth, though I'm more inclined to believe Nicole since she had less of a reason to lie), so I'd kind of like to believe that the bizarre choice to make Amara and Michelle cousins and the over-the-top way they hammered in that detail in the first half of S was some sort of in-joke with Optimum, like they deliberately chose the dumbest way to censor their relationship to satirize the stupidity of having to do so.

 

[Mosaic]

The actual scene of Fish Eye's whipping off (his/her) shirt in that episode, exposing (his/her) flat chest was cut from the TV broadcast, though it was still obvious the character had removed (his/her) top. The scene where Fish Eye takes a shower in a different episode was, I believe, partially blurred in the TV broadcast.

You can view the edited scene here. Fisheye's shower scene was untouched in the TV airing. Fisheye's "gender" wasn't revealed for about 10 episodes. Tiger's Eye also calls Fisheye a "dude" in one episode, and Hawk's Eye refers to "her" as "Mr. Happy" in a later one.

 

[lord Martiya]

Chibs: Bi

I think Chibiusa is a bit more... Adventurous, if you get what I mean.

Then again, she's from the 30th century, certain things may have changed in a thousand years.

 

[onesurvive]

Then again, she's from the 30th century, certain things may have changed in a thousand years.

eww... haha

 

[Rika-Chicchi]

eww... haha

Well, what's acceptable nowadays was also generally regarded as "eww" in the past - even just decades, not a millennium ago. lol

 

[Tsundereshipper]

I am sorry but this isn't accurate. In the 90s anime atleast Usagi seemed heterosexual she was over all weirded out by Haruka flirting with her. Likewise for Minako she is straight. She mentioned she lost all interest in Yaten once she found out Yaten was truly a girl. There is pretty much no evidence of any of the Senshi being anything other then straight aside from Haruka and Michiru along with Seiya.

Have you forgotten about Seiya who was canonically trans/genderfluid in the 90's anime? Even when she learned they were Sailor Star Fighter she was still attracted to them.

Maybe you're right on Minako being straight in the anime though.

 

[Memento]

Seiya is not canonically trans or genderfluid. She's biologically female on her home planet and assumes a physically male body on Earth for the purpose of trying to find her missing princess. We don't know anything about gender identities back on Kinmoku or how Seiya identifies. Being able to physically change from male to female in a particular context does not equal being trans.

 

[Starlight]

Haruka: a lesbian
Michiru: another lesbian
Seiya: pop idol (she doesn't believe in labels).

 

[MariaTenebre]

Seiya is not canonically trans or genderfluid. She's biologically female on her home planet and assumes a physically male body on Earth for the purpose of trying to find her missing princess. We don't know anything about gender identities back on Kinmoku or how Seiya identifies. Being able to physically change from male to female in a particular context does not equal being trans.

Yeah the true forms of the Starlights are all female and they are cisgendered. Seiya is obviously a lesbian. As for Yaten she may actually be straight as she was never shown as having interest in women and that one woman Noriko Okamachi actually thought that Yaten whom she saw in male form was gay. We don't really know what gender Taiki would be in.

 

[Maraviollantes]

She's biologically female on her home planet and assumes a physically male body on Earth for the purpose of trying to find her missing princess.

Apart from that single statement that they became males to find their princess it was never elaborated why and how, specifically, being males can help with anything. Making career as pop idol/singer in Japan is easier for girls, not for boys. So it doesn't really makes much sense. And if they wanted to hide their identities, then the whole plan of becoming famous pop stars makes yet less sense.
Perhaps creators of the series just wanted them to be cross dressers and/or transgenders, and came up with some random excuse for that.

 

[MariaTenebre]

Apart from that single statement that they became males to find their princess it was never elaborated why and how, specifically, being males can help with anything. Making career as pop idol/singer in Japan is easier for girls, not for boys. So it doesn't really makes much sense. And if they wanted to hide their identities, then the whole plan of becoming famous pop stars makes yet less sense.
Perhaps creators of the series just wanted them to be cross dressers and/or transgenders, and came up with some random excuse for that.

Yeah my brother and I were talking about this. It makes no sense for them to disguise themselves as girls. Especially since their Princess knew them as girls not guys so why would they take a form she dosen't know them in. Really in alot of ways I found the Starlights reductive the whole girl dressing as a guy thing was done all ready with Haruka and even Seiya herself is described as a mix of Mamoru and Haruka.

 

[Memento]

Apart from that single statement that they became males to find their princess it was never elaborated why and how, specifically, being males can help with anything. Making career as pop idol/singer in Japan is easier for girls, not for boys. So it doesn't really makes much sense. And if they wanted to hide their identities, then the whole plan of becoming famous pop stars makes yet less sense.
Perhaps creators of the series just wanted them to be cross dressers and/or transgenders, and came up with some random excuse for that.

It's definitely a nonsense plot contrivance that serves no purpose other than, perhaps, to replicate Haruka's gender ambiguity. I have mentioned before that I'm not 100% convinced that the Three Lights are posing as a male idol group in the manga (I think there's a good chance they're just meant to be a butch (at least as far as Taiki and Seiya are concerned) female group), and I think the anime made them physically male only so that they could make them romantic interests for the Inners while still keeping them ostensibly straight.

I really hope Naoko does attend another American convention so that someone can ask her to clarify what the deal with the Three Lights / Starlights is.

 

[Rika-Chicchi]

Maybe Princess Kakyuu is a fan of male idols, hence the Starlights try to attract her attention by becoming a popular male idol group themselves. Or Takeuchi is a fan herself, hence she made up an excuse to incorporate the Three Lights thing into the manga. lol

 

[Starlight]

I think the reason the Starlights decided to become a boy band was because boy bands have a predominately female fanbase and it would be easier to attract their princess if she was lost or had amnesia or something. Additionally, male groups are usually more popular than female ones and so their songs would have had a higher probability of reaching her. It's not an airtight rationale but that must have been the thought process behind the decision.

 

[Rika-Chicchi]

I think the reason the Starlights decided to become a boy band was because boy bands have a predominately female fanbase and it would be easier to attract their princess if she was lost or had amnesia or something. Additionally, male groups are usually more popular than female ones and so their songs would have had a higher probability of reaching her. It's not an airtight rationale but that must have been the thought process behind the decision.

Also, many of the target audience/readers of the anime/manga, who're lil girls during the 1st season/arc, had begun to enter their tweenie/teenage stage, hence probably become fans of male idols, at the time of Stars. So the Three Lights thing could be a plot element intended to keep attracting them to the franchise while they're growing up fast during puberty.

 

[Tsundereshipper]

I think Chibiusa is a bit more... Adventurous, if you get what I mean.

Then again, she's from the 30th century, certain things may have changed in a thousand years.

We don't talk about that plot point from 90's SuperS

 

[lord Martiya]

We don't talk about that plot point from 90's SuperS

Which one?

 

[Tsundereshipper]

Which one?

Chibi's little bestiality excursion.

Sometimes your WTFs are good Ikuhara but this time your WTF was very, very bad.

 

[MariaTenebre]

Have you forgotten about Seiya who was canonically trans/genderfluid in the 90's anime? Even when she learned they were Sailor Star Fighter she was still attracted to them.

Maybe you're right on Minako being straight in the anime though.

Really Usagi wasn't attracted to Seiya. She made clear to her numerous times that her true love was Mamoru. At best she saw Seiya as a friend who kind of was a space filler for Mamoru while he was dead.

Also for the whole Chibiusa and Helios thing it isn't beastiality as for one beastiality is having sex with a non sentient animal. Helios is clearly sentient. Having sex with non human creatures or even Zoomorphs isn't beastiality. I remember one person classify a Kirk and Spock slash/yaoi fic as xenobeastiality when it isn't. Both Kirk and Spock are humanoid sentient creatures. Plus Vulcans are pretty much indistinguishable from humans aside from the green blood and pointy ears. Hell Vulcans and humans can have fertile off spring as Spock is basically the product of a union between a Vulcan male and a human woman.

 

[EphemeralMelody]

I feel I should perhaps mention Sailor Aluminium Siren and Lead Crow in the anime, since I didn't see them anywhere else in the thread. I don't know exactly how canonical they are, but there is enough subtext between them to where people frequently interpret and ship them as a couple.

Some people see Michiru as bisexual and I think that's a valid enough interpretation considering she does flirt with men on occasion, but I personally never saw her flirting with Seiya as anything more than a joke. Maybe just cause I can't see her with anyone but Haruka, who is her one true love :3 And Haruka is a definite 100%, Kinsey 6 lesbian... I can't even picture Haruka with a man, can you??? Plus, I love that she and Michiru are a 100% canon couple, confirmed by the creator herself. I can get behind some shippings like Usagi x Rei (anime) and Rei x Minako (manga), but they aren't confirmed in the way Haruka and Michiru are.

A lot of people interpret Hotaru and Chibiusa as a romantic couple, I think they're just friends in the 90s anime but I can see some support for the pairing in manga and Crystal. Not entirely canonical, but not without any basis either. They're cute either as friends or a couple even if I don't particularly like Chibiusa. Here's one thing I don't understand, though. I have seen some people get SO offended at the suggestion and go all "OMG! THEY'RE JUST CHILDREN, HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO THEM!" Here's why I think that reasoning is stupid... A young boy and girl can like each other, and no one bats an eye, and Chibiusa has 100% canon romances with male characters in the series in spite of being 8 years old. Why is that acceptable, but her possibly liking a girl isn't? I think it's just that people automatically assume because it's gay, that it HAS to be sexual in nature, which is really rooted in ignorance and homophobia, being gay can be just about love and romantic crushes just like being straight can, and doesn't have to involve any sex. I mean, it's one thing if you just don't agree with the pairing, it's more of a fan interpretation after all, but just that reason by itself is stupid.

I love that Sailor Moon is such a queer show for being primarily centered around a heterosexual romance. Having at least 6 canon queer characters in a show with an otherwise (more or less) straight cast ain't nothing to scoff at, it may not be actual shoujo/shounen-ai but it's understandable why it has such a large LGBT following. It really did so much for LGBT representation and was way ahead of its time. I think Sailor Moon along with other 90's anime like Utena, CCS, etc., plus early media in general that featured a prominent LGBT cast and showed them in a positive light, helped increase acceptance and paved the way for all the representation we have today. Haruka and Michiru were so amazing for their time because they were a real deal couple and showed LGBT as superheroes and role models and good people in a loving, healthy relationship, for me and I'm sure many others, they were one of the first positive portrayals we had of a LGBT couple at a time when representation was unheard of.