Death Goddesses of Anime
Hauke Reddmann
I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
"Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
"Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
"Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
the original norn fits the bill!)
Care to extend? Shoot.
(Not me, dummy! AAAARGH!)
--
Hauke Reddmann <:-EX8 fc3...@uni-hamburg.de
Er-a svo gott sem gott kveða
öl alda sonum, því að færra veit
er fleira drekkur síns til geðs gumi.
Aje RavenStar
"Hauke Reddmann" <fc3...@uni-hamburg.de> wrote in message
news:6f368iF...@mid.dfncis.de...
> Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me",
> I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
> "Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
> "Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
> "Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
> Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
> here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
> anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
> list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
> the original norn fits the bill!)
>
> Care to extend? Shoot.
> (Not me, dummy! AAAARGH!)
>
Probably Ai, title character of Hellgirl that I've caught the first five
episodes of on IFC's free on demand cable feature, fits your intent here, as
she's the one who proclaims 'poor lost soul...perhaps it's time to die"
right before ferrying her target of the show straight into hell. Slowly
there are hints of backstory coming along, but not enough yet to totally
piece together just what she is and why she does the job she does.
Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers
> Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me", I wondered
> how often such a theme has been done in anime.
Frequently.
> "Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from "Shigofumi" is sort
> of a clerk, Meroko Yui from "Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably
> most close to Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
> here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn anime style ("On
> Death's Door"). Hey, you might even list Skuld from AMG, by standard
> mytho-logic. (At least the original norn fits the bill!)
"Shinigami no Ballad", "Soul Eater", "Death Note", ...
Shinigami (death gods) are a pretty common theme in anime.
cu
59cobalt
--
"My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight
flaw in my character."
--Li Kao (Barry Hughart: Bridge of Birds)
Galen
wrote:
>Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me",
>I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
>"Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
>"Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
>"Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
>Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
>here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
>anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
>list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
>the original norn fits the bill!)
No, Skuld is Norn of the Future;
it is Urd who presides over the Past.
Have you seen the English cartoon _Soul Music_,
inspired by Terry Pratchett's Disc World series?
sanjian
Free room and board.
dump...@hotmail.com
> On 27 Jul 2008 11:59:14 GMT, Hauke Reddmann <fc3a...@uni-hamburg.de>
> wrote:
>
> >Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me",
> >I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
> >"Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
> >"Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
> >"Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
> >Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
> >here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
> >anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
> >list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
> >the original norn fits the bill!)
>
Doesn't Urd's mom Hild (Hel?) fit that description better than
her daughter?
Dave Baranyi
> I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
> "Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
> "Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
> "Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
> Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
> here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
> anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
> list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
> the original norn fits the bill!)
>
> Care to extend? Shoot.
"Kyouran Kazoku Nikki" has a girl shinigami who is an occasionally recurring
character. She dresses in MIB-manner, wears a mask, and uses a sword. She
grew up with Ooka and still has a rather possessive crush on him, despite
Ooka being "married".
In the "God Conference" episode of Kamichu a chipper little shinigami chats
with Yurie during a break in the conference. The shinigami isn't very
humanoid, but it speaks as if it were female. Yurie is very surprised that
the shinigami is so up-beat.
Dave Baranyi
RLP
wrote:
>Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me",
>I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
>"Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
>"Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
>"Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
>Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
>here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
>anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
>list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
>the original norn fits the bill!)
>
>Care to extend? Shoot.
>(Not me, dummy! AAAARGH!)
If we're just looking for female shinigami there's always Risky and of
course Boogiepop in animated and live action.
_______________________________
Anyone who thinks evil mutants
are only in comic books hasn't
raised any children.
Hauke Reddmann
> Shinigami (death gods) are a pretty common theme in anime.
I read that in the German "Animania" just shortly after
posting :-) Hey, googling gives even a hentai site named
after them :-)) If you believe in the Flying Spaghetti
Monster, there even will be tentacles in afterlife :-)))
Hauke Reddmann
> No, Skuld is Norn of the Future;
> it is Urd who presides over the Past.
Ehm, please check: Mine and your death lies
[ ] in the hopefully distant future
[ ] in the past
According to Wikipedia&Edda, Skuld is also a Valkyrie,
i.e. collecting dead warrior souls.
> Have you seen the English cartoon _Soul Music_,
> inspired by Terry Pratchett's Disc World series?
Yup. Have you seen the animated Hercules films, where
the Norns are the Moires on swingshift? Of course, then
Skuld is Atropos.
I do not deny, though, that AMG! is only *loosely*
based on Norse mythology and Belldandy is more NILF
than a standard Moira :-)
Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers
> Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers <usene...@planetcobalt.net> wrote:
>> Shinigami (death gods) are a pretty common theme in anime.
>
> I read that in the German "Animania" just shortly after posting :-)
> Hey, googling gives even a hentai site named after them :-)) If you
> believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, there even will be tentacles
> in afterlife :-)))
Tsk. What good will tentacles do if you don't have japanese schoolgirls
to go with them?
Antonio E. Gonzalez
wrote:
>Just after watching the first episode of "Dead Like Me",
>I wondered how often such a theme has been done in anime.
>"Theme" is to be seen rather loosely - Fumika from
>"Shigofumi" is sort of a clerk, Meroko Yui from
>"Full Moon No Sagashite" comes probably most close to
>Georgia (or should I list Rukia Kuchiki from "Bleach"
>here?) and even Gaimans Aunt Teleute has been drawn
>anime style ("On Death's Door"). Hey, you might even
>list Skuld from AMG, by standard mytho-logic. (At least
>the original norn fits the bill!)
>
>Care to extend? Shoot.
>(Not me, dummy! AAAARGH!)
Botan from YuYu Hakusho; attitude, *and* cute!
dot_wa...@hotmail.com
> Yup. Have you seen the animated Hercules films, where
> the Norns are the Moires on swingshift? Of course, then
> Skuld is Atropos.
Or, rather, in Greek mythology, the Fates work thusly: the youngest
spins the thread, the middle one weaves, and the eldest cuts.
With the norse Fates, the Future is the youngest (because she is
potential yet untapped, natch), so when these two concepts get
conflated, you end up with the Goddess of the Past ruling death.
Hela, Urd's "mother" (in AMG-verse only; the "canon" mythology puts
Hela as Loki's daughter) is the ruler of the realm of the dead (the
Norse version of Hades/Pluto, as it were), but IIRC she doesn't
actually have any office in the power of death itself.
Valkyries are the shinigami of the fallen warriors, in a manner of
speaking, but off the top of my head I don't remember if there's a
Grim Reaper in general.
-"Dot", whose sources are Edith Hamilton and http://www.pantheon.org
Hauke Reddmann
> -"Dot", whose sources are Edith Hamilton and http://www.pantheon.org
These mythology mix-ups are confusing, eh? :-)
Maybe we should do some classificational work on Jolly Reapers.
1. Death herself, as concept. (Death doesn't kill people,
guns kill people :-) Gaiman of course - but not only the DC, but
also the Marvel Death is a female. (And I have at least another
obscure comic example.)
2. Death goddess acting herself: Kali, Hine-Nui-Te-Po.
3. Underworld Queen: Hel, Persephone.
Anime examples: don't know any of 1-3. (Any reader?)
4. Soul companions: Shinigami, Valkyries, Georgia Lass.
5. Generic clerks: Fukima.
Galen
wrote:
>dot_wa...@hotmail.com <dot_wa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> -"Dot", whose sources are Edith Hamilton and http://www.pantheon.org
>
>These mythology mix-ups are confusing, eh? :-)
>
>Maybe we should do some classificational work on Jolly Reapers.
>
>1. Death herself, as concept. (Death doesn't kill people,
>guns kill people :-) Gaiman of course - but not only the DC, but
>also the Marvel Death is a female. (And I have at least another
>obscure comic example.)
DEATH, discworld. Grim , _Billy and Mandy_
There is a manifestation of death in Urusei Yatsura
but I don't recall the symbol being given a personality.
>2. Death goddess acting herself: Kali, Hine-Nui-Te-Po.
In the manga version of Risky Safety, the shinigami are murderers.
In Dr. Slump, there are (very young) shinigami who target
people and try to kill them.
In an episode of Gegege no Kitaro, there is a conflict between
a shinigami who collects souls from those who die of natural
causes (he warns a man about to be killed in an accident),
and another shinigami who finds that mass murder is an easy
way to make quota.
Pani Poni Dash - Mesouso's patron goddessling.
_Kamichu_, the cheery death-goddess who is friends
with the poverty god.
>3. Underworld Queen: Hel, Persephone.
Little Witch Sally, the very first Magical Girl in anime -
or, at least, she's training to be.
And Persephone is a character in Kolokolo Polon.
>Anime examples: don't know any of 1-3. (Any reader?)
>4. Soul companions: Shinigami, Valkyries, Georgia Lass.
>5. Generic clerks: Fukima.
Officers of the court:
The shinigami from Full Moon
Botan
The monk from Tuxedo Gin.
Hauke Reddmann
has no folder on his HDD with Death pinups :-)
Galen
wrote:
>You're my hero! (Remember Marvel's Thanos? Well, *he* surely
>has no folder on his HDD with Death pinups :-)
I had forgotten the _Lady Death_ production.
Expanding on Sally, her father's job, which she is destined
to inherit, involves directing the shinigami who collect the
souls of the dead and deliver them to King Enma for judgment.
Judged souls may be sent to the Demon world (run by Sally's
grandfather), or to the Angel world (run by a goddess Sally
has no connection to), or back to the living world.
Sally's father is very much a Company Man (as distinct
from her grandfather, who is a tyrannical autocrat). Daddy
wants to spoil her rotten, but he has a duty to train Sally
as his successor, no matter how little either of them likes
the idea. Complicating the issue is that the shinigami really
enjoy their work, so maintaining close discipline is essential
in ensuring that they don't make more work for themselves;
discipline is not Sally's strength, but her primary flaw is in
being thoughtless.
Another major character is Kabu, who serves as the court
jester - his job is to protect Sally's public face by creating
a diversion whenever she makes a mistake and could be
embarrassed, taking any humiliation unto himself. (This,
of course, contributes to Sally being thoughtless, since
she isn't accountable for her mistakes -- and that's why
her mother sends her to the living world, where Sally
has no public image that the court must protect.) Kabu
accompanies Sally to the human world, where he oftens
makes trouble for her. Kabu can take any form, but usually
poses as a young boy; his primary flaw is malice.
Both Sally and Kabu have the ability to command magical
forces directly in minor ways; for major effects, Sally
employs Librams, which she obtains by any means she can.
Sally is part of the Magical World, but her presence in the
human world must remain a secret from both worlds,
which limits what she can do. (The court knows she's
there, but they also know she's not officially there.)
-Galen