EP 30: Women in Naruto w/ Illyria Bitton

Illyria and Kiran explore female character designs and developments, specifically within the anime Naruto. We build the discussion around the idea of WHY the decision-makers of the show created female characters such as Sakura, Hinata, Kurenai, and others with little to no independent story arcs as compare to their male counterparts. During this analysis, we bring to light other female characters whom we believe had excellent character designs like Ezra from Fairy Tail and Mikasa from Attack on Titan. Our conversation revolves around the portrayals of women in anime and why their entities are sometimes defined in relation to their proximity to men. We ask ourselves: who is it that is calling the shots in terms of character design and how do their life experiences inform the decisions they deem as being appropriate?  Timestamps: 1:25 - Naruto's Female Character Analysis  35:35 - Why does this matter? 51:40 - Examples of excellent female character designs 1:01:00 - Importance of Diversity & Representation  Contacts Podcast: 9T8 Podcast @9t8.podcast Guest: Illyria Bitton @illyria.raee Host: Kiran Kaur @lady._.donut