Why is A7M3 Maruko Maruko such a nasty person? Alpha, Kokone, Ayase, Ojisan, Sensei, and everyone else in this story are such nice people. Even the minor characters are nice. Then there is Maruko.
She does not trust people.
She is emotionally needy.
She is suspicious.
She hates her work and is jealous of Alpha's situation. She is mean.
How did she get that way? Is she just a villian or is she someone we are suppose to sympathize with?
- Loran
Thursday, June 3, 2004
I have seen Maruko in the same light for a while, expecially after the chapter where she drags Kokone to Cafe Alpha (104?), which got her the title, "bitchbot" from someone on the list.
But I wonder if we are not supposed to see her as a person with a set of "quirks" rather than as a villan. Admittedly, her quirks are more...er...abrasive than Alpha's, Kokone's or Oji-san's. The only reason I am starting to think this, is her apology to Kokone at the end of that chapter, and her thought to Alpha later, "I may have been unfair to Kokone..."
Those two things softened her character quite a bit for me. I mean, I still see her as needy, jealous and mean--but willing to change. And that means a lot, IMHO.
- Ian Darrow
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Right, I think that her general character is changing, since she met Kokone and Alpha. Especially in one of the quotes, she spoke to Alpha, I believe it was "I think I've been a little unfair to Kokone lately..."
- Roy Zhou
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Howdy,
The latest chapter of YKK in Afternoon has all sorts of eyebrow raising revelations about Maruko. She is slowly become more of a rounded character.
Sorry to be a tease, but it's a great chapter!
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Thursday, June 3, 2004
I can't wait for it, seeing as it answers my question about why Maruko doesn't have an "actual" surname...
- Hekima
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Please stick in a Soiler warning and spill the beans.
- Loran
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Spoiler - I meant to say Spoiler alert! Egads, what a Freudian slip.
- Loran
Thursday, June 3, 2004
I guess I never got the same impression as Loran. I've always seen Maruko as brash, mischievous, and a little selfish, but I never saw her as suspicious or needy. She's been quite intriguing to me.
- Dave Thespork
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Sorry for the delay in translation; between work, personal life, and (now) a mild but nasty cold, I haven't been finding much time to work on things.
I'll get caught up this weekend. (Now that I've said it, I have to do it! :>)
- dn
Thursday, June 3, 2004
I'm looking forward to reading chapter 117. I have 118, but missed the previous month. It's the first time I've missed a volume of Afternoon in two years.
To answer the original question, Maruko is in love. There's nothing really wrong with her. She's more acerbic than Alpha or Kokone, but that's just her personality. She loves Kokone, but she's aware that Kokone loves Alpha, and she's jealous of that. I think she's trying to mend her ways, though. She's gone to visit Alpha of her own free will. She knows that Kokone and Alpha are very good friends, and she doesn't want to be the bad guy.
Honestly, Maruko is my favorite character. Every time she shows up, something interesting happens.
- martialstax
Friday, June 4, 2004
I would guess that Maruko's personality and temperment are the result of her environment. She is an artistic person and may have been raised by a glib, artistic free thinker. Just as Alpha's personality probably reflects her formative years with the cafe owner and their years together serving and pleasing customers, Maruko may have taken on the personality traits of her owner. She probably doesn't have the frequency of social interaction as Alpha and Kokone so she hasn't learned tactfulness, and therefore, she is maladroit in understanding the feelings of others as well as her own.
- Robert Chow
Friday, June 4, 2004
I should cite some examples. I think there is something seriously wrong with Maruko.
Maruko is unusually cautious as shown in "Customer." She won't even sign for a delivery until after the file transfer.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume5/30
We also see that her home is unusually untidy. This sort of untidiness suggests immaturity and emotional stress. She has no peace of mind and jumps from one activity to another without doing the necessary clean-up afterwards.
She is aggressive when she first meets Kokone. This suggests that she feels the need to control the relationship. She desperately needs a sort of one-sided intimacy with Kokone and probably everyone else in her life.
Maruko became jealous of Alpha’s influence on Kokone. She could not share even this. She set out to undermine that relationship. Her first step was to reconnoiter. When she meets Alpha, she is contemptuous of Alpha’s lifestyle. She also displayed a serious streak of materialism ( http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2002/56 ). She conceals her identity and relationship from Alpha. The way she refused to give her name was particularly rude ( http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2002/60 ). She was not just gathering information, she was being rude and mean in an effort to hurt Alpha’s feelings. Alpha had never done anything bad to her. She was trying to hurt Alpha simply because she could not compete with Alpha. This is particularly nasty and manipulative behavior. I wonder where she learned it.
When Maruko returns with Kokone, she starts out with the same rude and critical behavior. Then she compounds the offense by dragging poor Kokone into her attempt to hurt Alpha. She wants to embarrass Kokone; drive a wedge between Alpha and Kokone; and tear down Alpha’s self esteem by criticizing the shop. What gaping emotional need is driving this mean-spirited behavior?
Her apology in “Regular Customer” ( http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2003/102 ) is not straight forward. She has great difficulty saying “I’m sorry.” She also arrives on foot and gives a lame excuse for her pedestrian entrance. I figure she lost her job and was embarrassed to admit her loss of status.
When she surprises Kokone in “Blue Clothes” ( http://ykk.misago.org/Volume7/82 ), her remarks about Kokone’s training suggests that she thinks the world is full of nasty people.
In Retina ( http://ykk.misago.org/Volume8/131 ), when Nai sends her a picture of Alpha, she immediately fears for her special relationship with Nai. Alpha’s simple existence is perceived as a threat. (I am curious why Alpha gets no images from Nai. Perhaps she simply never asked.)
Well, that is about it. I think Maruko is really screwed up in comparison to the other robots.
- Loran
Friday, June 4, 2004
Wait a minute! There's the car. http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2003/102
She really did sneak up on the house. Oh, she is so sneaky, nasty, and horrible!
It is very symbolic that Alpha's response was to surprise Maruko with the special brown sugar. Alpha's defense is an assault of overpowering sweetness.
- Loran
Friday, June 4, 2004
Quote: "We also see that her home is unusually untidy. This sort of untidiness suggests immaturity and emotional stress. She has no peace of mind and jumps from one activity to another without doing the necessary clean-up afterwards. "
I'm glad I'm not your roommate. ;D
- Dave Thespork
Friday, June 4, 2004
My place looks like that.
- Loran
Friday, June 4, 2004
While reading this I was thinking that Maruko's behaviour didn't seem all that objectionable to me; certainly characters in manga like Maison Ikkoku or Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou are guilty of much sneakier behaviour. Of course they're much younger characters... at which point it occured to me that robots don't really age. Maruko could be a lot younger and less mature than Alpha or Kokone without showing it otherwise.
- Smarasderagd
Friday, June 4, 2004
I also have no issues with Maruko whatsoever. She has been nothing short of a welcome breath of fresh air. Everybody seemed to fit very well together, it's nice to have a character that doesn't quite fit in with the regular crowd.
Already, she is easily one of the more multi-dimentional characters in the story. Every chapter with Maruko is like an action movie when compared to rest. I'm glad she stirs things up a bit, it allows me to see new sides of the other characters. Like here http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2003/26 the first frame/panel on that page alone had me sold me on Maruko. Anybody who can get that reaction out of Alpha is well worth having around if you ask me.
Wether you hate her or love her, you can't deny that chapters 101 and 102 are some of the most memorable chapters of the entire series. All thanks to none other than Maruko.
- Ced
Friday, June 4, 2004
Loran said:
> The way she refused to give her name was particularly rude.
Yes, it was rude but she had to do so. She knew that Alpha had heard of her thru Kokone [a2003, 8]. If she gave Alpha her name, she would have to explain *everything*.
She refused and said "Not now, maybe next time. Someday, someplace". A truly rude person wouldn't say so. (My translation may be a bit different from Neil's [a2002, 61]).
Loran also said:
> Her apology in “Regular Customer” [a2003, 102] is not straight forward.
Yes, but she came all the way to Alpha's place just to make that not-straightforward apology. Would a really nasty person do so?
- kGo
Saturday, June 5, 2004
Howdy,
I also like Maruko. She's never quite crosses that line to be really mean to the the others. Rude? yes. Combative? Yes. But I think it's to hide a worried and scared core. She also cares about making amends (in a fashion).
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Monday, June 7, 2004
What sort of scarring is suggested by her behavior?
- Loran
Monday, June 7, 2004
Well, I would guess that she was scarred emotionaly in a relationship of some sort. Not sure what though, maybe she fell in love with a humen in the past an got pushed away? I suppose it's another one of those mysteries that Ashinano will solve in time.
- Roy Zhou
Monday, June 7, 2004
Howdy,
Note that I said "scared", not "scarred". But watch upcoming chapters for important hints into Maruko's past.
You can see her insecurity here when she worries that Alpha is stealing her friends away:
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume8/131
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Monday, June 7, 2004
"I figure she lost her job and was embarrassed to admit her loss of status."
No, she still has her job. Just wait a couple of chapters. We will get a few more clues about what makes Maruko tick.
- martialstax
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
What if her owner left her on her own a little too early, before she was "done"?
Perhaps her Owner was actually taken away from her? Possibly forced away by "authorities"?
Unfinished aspects of her personality and traumatic memories could have formed a less finished character (the messiness, the cryptic conversation and defensiveness around other robot-people, a certain impulsiveness, impaired social skills, and that possessiveness).
Or maybe it IS just love. Look at what people can be capable of when love is part of the equation.
- steven
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Heh... I don't particulaly hate Maruko. I think shes the most normal person in the series. She may appear to be a villain compared to people like Alpha but in our time she can fit in pretty well. Most of the people we meet in YKK are always pure, unselfish people. Maruko is a breath of fresh air and contrasts with most of the people in the manga. I don't really agree with Loran and I don't really agree with the traumatic memories theory eitheir. To me she just grew up a normal city life.
- Bill Lapick
Monday, July 12, 2004
I've always imagined that the Alpha-type robots might have some special abilities with the other types. I'm thinking the lower types might be programmed to be submissive, or that the Alphas might naturally be able to connect with and dominate/direct the will of the lower types. The connection/control theory might be supported by Alpha and Director Alpha's ablity to connect and merge with aircraft, and the duet sung by Alpha and Kokone.
I think this domination effect happened with Maruko, but she really hates it since she's independent in nature. He reaction to Alpha would naturally be icy. Nai might have fallen under the spell, but he is such a dull dishrag that all he did was take a picture. As for Kokone, she might have fallen in love with Alpha more for that reason than for the reasons the rest of us have fallen in love with Alpha. : )
-k
- Kempis Curious
Thursday, August 5, 2004
> I think this domination effect happened with Maruko, but she really hates it since she's independent in nature.
I don't think so. Maruko seems to be more envious of Alpha's easy going nature and uniqueness over the rest of the Alpha series. Even if Alpha, Kokone and Maruko were human, you'd probably see this envious sort of rivalry going on.
Maruko brings this up as she takes a dig at Alpha's lifestyle as being too carefree and well, to be honest, you'd probably call Alpha a dole bludger as she doesn't exactly contribute much to capitalist society. This is Maruko's envy of Alpha's ability to avoid giving into the pressure of "get a job, get money, get a house, work hard..." etc of capitalist society.
It appears as though this is a deeper Japanese society based issue and it has been brought up in some movies (ie, Falling into the Evening) where you're either on the team or not. There are social penalties for not being on the team, but usually the protagonist pulls through OK in their own way. Sounds familiar, right? If we fit Kokone and Maruko onto the team and Alpha on the other side, it makes sense.
> As for Kokone, she might have fallen in love with Alpha more for that reason than for the reasons the rest of us have fallen in love with Alpha. : )
Kokone is the flip side of the coin. Whereas Maruko sees Alpha as a threat, Kokone idolizes Alpha as an example of someone she'd like to be like. After her meeting and seeing a potential future for herself, she spends much of her time trying to figure out where she has come from to work out where she is going to.
In my view, Maruko, Kokone and Alpha are essentially human and their actions are explainable in the context of normal human relationships. Half the story is told in the body language, so I expect that their ability to interact is highly advanced and extremely human like to the point where it is nearly indistiguishable from the real thing.
- PC
Sunday, August 8, 2004
>to be honest, you'd probably call Alpha a dole bludger
Only if you were Australian. ;)
>It appears as though this is a deeper Japanese society based issue and it has been brought up in some movies (ie, Falling into the Evening) where you're either on the team or not. There are social penalties for not being on the team.
That reminded me of the 'Know Before You Go' section of The Japan FAQ, it goes into a fair bit of detail about that.
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html
I like Maruko, she adds that necessary bit of conlict that makes a good bit of story telling and from what we've seen of the last couple of chapters between Alpha and Maruko, it seems that Alpha likes baiting (as in teasing) Maruko and much as Maruko does Alpha.
- Leodhais
Monday, August 9, 2004
> Only if you were Australian. ;)
It was kind of late at night and I couldn't remember what someone in USA would say (or other countries for that matter) that would sort of fit more aptly. (Alpha's not -really- a bludger, but it's difficult to define her role in society exactly in today's terms... offers welcome!)
> http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html
That's certainly an excellent link for getting the idea out, thanks!
> I like Maruko, she adds that necessary bit of conlict that makes a good bit of story telling
Yes, Alpha already knows what her game is and how to counter it. I expect they'll work their differences out (to a degree) in the next year or two of manga.
- PC
Monday, August 9, 2004
>It was kind of late at night and I couldn't remember what someone in USA would say (or other countries for that matter) that would sort of fit more aptly. (Alpha's not -really- a bludger, but it's difficult to define her role in society exactly in today's terms... offers welcome!)
Nope. Being Australian as well, I think 'dole bludger' is the perfect phrase for Maruko's accusation. :)
Allthough I don't agree with Maruko. 'Carefree' is closer to what I think of Alpha.
- Leodhais
Monday, August 9, 2004
Here are some Maruko notes from Chapter 118: In Town.
"I can't resist you, Maru-chan," says the customer who has been played by Maruko's "so cuuuute" business face. Of all the robot people we see, isn't Maruko the only one to calculate a unnatural personality and use it to mask her true nature?
When Alpha observes this transformation, Maruko says
"you couldn't have seen me at a worse time," perhaps refering to her embarassment, but possibly referring to being caught practicing this deception.
Alpha observes "at first, I thought you were someone else," and Maruko says glumly "Tell me about it." Maruko acknowledges she manages everyone's perception of her when she plays the girlish role. And she tells Alpha she doesn't want Kokone to know it.
When the talk turns to her name, she notes Maruko "sounds a bit like a boy's name." But she changed her family name to Maruko just the same. Doubled the boyish name... to create her stage name.
Why she changed her family name gets two responses: "I guess I wanted to show my independence" and "It's a bit complicated." Alpha's question about Maruko possibly not liking her owner doesn't generate any emotion at all, just the comment about independence. But the phrase "I wanted to show" kinda implies she expected her owner would be able to see her in her new independent role.
Maruko tells Alpha that Kokone really likes her, but that Maruko likes Kokone, too. Which seems to go down fine. Then Maruko says that she likes Nai, too. That gets a surprised reaction.
Ready?
What if the "it's a bit complicated" and "independence" has to do with a robot person who wants to change their gender identification? What if Maruko is not a female model at all, but one of the rare male models?
In Chapter 102, she's identified as an A7M3, unlike the Director, Alpha and Kokone. Maybe Nai is an A7M3, too.
What if this curious triangle between Alpha/Kokone/Maruko is more complicated than just the girlish infatuation we've presumed to understand?
In the "blowup" in the cafe between Maruko and Alpha, Maruko is resentful that Alpha isn't "more serious" about her work, and perhaps by extention, her personality. That "everyone will take care of you." Isn't Maruko proclaiming she's a "self-made" robot person? An A7M3 who has become a M2.
Alpha returns with "I don't just put on a face and pretend to like people." Clearly, she understands the real issue.
And, Maruko's observation about being taken care of seems to provide equal embarassment for both Alpha and Kokone. Is Maruko also making a comment about their comfortable girl/girl relationship? When Maruko apologizes later to Kokone in the truck, Kokone seems proud of Alpha for holding her ground.
Doesn't this make for a terribly interesting triangle?
Alpha seems only to have eyes for Kokone (and perhaps that is just a dalliance, if she's being true to Owner); Kokone is clearly in love with Alpha, but also is charmed by Maruko; and Maruko seems to have a relationship of convenience with Kokone (perhaps for "services rendered"), but confesses to having eyes for Nai.
Do the robot people ALL know that Maruko is a male? Alpha seemed surprised at the interest in Nai, but not at the interest Kokone. Maybe Alpha would be anxious if another M2 showed interest in Kokone?
Boy. Wouldn't this twist surprise Alpha's neighbors, "the nice old folks who live around here?"
- seaweb
Friday, August 20, 2004
That's a very interesting theory. I think I can add a bit more on to that, I think that it is pretty clear that Maruko has a female robot body judging from the art style. However, maybe during her (?) programmed AI, Maruko's owner inputed a male personality into the metal shell?, I know it seems unlikely but it might interesting twist if that happened.
- Roy Zhou
Friday, August 20, 2004
Maruko's "girl model" earrings get a lot of display time, too. But maybe that's part of her "difficulties," too.
I wonder if the bodies are really all that different, male to female? I would think their utility would determine their appearance, and we really have no clue about why they were created. Nai really doesn't look any different from the girls.
The whole idea of male and female robots for any reason other than utility makes little sense from an engineering/production position. If they look basically the same, maybe they have programming differences for the sake of utility. And if the males weren't "very strong"
But Maruko does have those bushy eyebrows...
I wonder why do we never see Nai without his cap? And why does he have long hair...does it grow?
- seaweb
Friday, August 20, 2004
Seaweb sez, of Maruko:
In Chapter 102, she's identified as an A7M3, unlike the Director, Alpha and Kokone. Maybe Nai is an A7M3, too.
Kokone is an A7M3, not an M2. I'm not sure about Director but I tend towards the idea she may be the singular A7M1 (sometime I'm going to finish that fanfic where Director and Alpha meet...). Alpha is the only robot-person specifically identified as an A7M2 (I think).
Generally I don't think Maruko is male in either body or soul; she's certainly more assertive than the other robots we've met but compared to, say, Maki, she's a shrinking violet. We have a very small sample population of robots to generalise from, though.
- Robert Sneddon
Sunday, August 22, 2004
I think Directory Alpha is the A7M1 as well, mainly because of this:
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume4/48
- Brad
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Help me with where Kokone is called an M3. I kind of leaped on that one because I couldn't find it...gomen.
I still like this "twist" about Maruko, but as in all things here, Ashinano-san knows best. I'm sure I'll like whatever he conceives better than whatever I could slap together.
- seaweb
Sunday, August 22, 2004
That one is easy.. first meeting between Alpha and Kokone :)
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume2/8
- Brad
Monday, August 23, 2004
"Maruko tells Alpha that Kokone really likes her, but that Maruko likes Kokone, too. Which seems to go down fine. Then Maruko says that she likes Nai, too. That gets a surprised reaction." - seaweb
I think the surprised reaction is simply because Alpha wasn't aware of the fact that Maruko and Nai already knew each other. She (Alpha) is constantly getting caught off guard by the 'small world syndrome' that keeps popping up in the series. :)
- Tabyk
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Eh? Whuzzat? A singular A7M1? Where was that mentioned?
Also, isn't it established somewhere in the manga that there are three A7M2s around?
-k
- Kempis Curious
Friday, August 27, 2004
Howdy,
Director Alpha is an early A7M1 prototype. The chapter where she is introduced is called "Blue M1".
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume4/37
Alpha is one of the three A7M2 "Mass production prototypes". We currently do not know who the others are.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume4/63
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Friday, August 27, 2004
What's wrong with being a little jealous?
Just means Kokone is special to her.
She lashed out out of frustration, then apologised, and was forgiven.... The other two's indeciciveness is leaving her in limbo. that's FRSUTRATING.
Justified feeling, but not action, hence the apology.
Y'all need to calm down a little. ;P
Geza likes her. She's straightforward.
- The GZeus
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
PS
Applying Psychology to FICTIONAL characters is silly unless the peice is written as a psychological and/or socialogical commentary or metaphor.
You need to talk with the AUTHOR to understand the meaning of their actions.
- The GZeus
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
>>Director Alpha is an early A7M1 prototype. The chapter where she is introduced is called "Blue M1".
Thanks dDave, I did not connect that chapter title to DA being an M1. ^_^ That's interesting, I was thinking DA and Alpha were two of the three M2s.
-k
- Kempis Curious
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
>>Applying Psychology to FICTIONAL characters is silly unless the peice is written as a psychological and/or socialogical commentary or metaphor.
>>You need to talk with the AUTHOR to understand the meaning of their actions.
Actually, psychological analysis of fictional characters is a legitimate, even traditional approach towards understanding a literary work. And seaweb's analysis was delightful to read, even though certain aspects of it were later shown to be inaccurate.
Also, contemporary thought on art and literature holds that the author's stated artistic intent is /not/ the authority on a particular work. The meaning of a work is fluid and changes depending on who the viewer is and in what context the work is viewed.
:D Sorry for the verbosity, I just think it's rare to find this level of discussion about a manga, and want to protect it (6_6)
- mahsroh
Thursday, September 9, 2004
At the risk of sounding didactic and pedantic, I have to point out that masroh is correct about literary theory. (I have been a graduate student in English for the last three years.)
While you can't say that *any* interpretation can be correct, the statements of the author or artist have no bearing on the work of art. Once it leaves his or her head and is expressed in ink (in this case) it is no longer the artist's in any way. (Copyright notwithstanding) At this point, it is the reader that makes the work of art have meaning, by viewing, reading or hearing it. So, if the author comes along and tells us what he was "going for"--it doesn't matter. It doesn't invalidate other, conflicting, legitimate interpretations.
So, it is perfectly valid to do psychoanalytic, historicist, neo-historicist, marxist, queer, structuralist or any other kind of criticism. BUT: it *must* be seated in evidence from the "text". You can argue that Maruko is actually male or even a Martian if you can cite evidence in the pictures or dialogue that supports it, as seaweb did.
FWIW
- Ian Darrow
Friday, September 10, 2004
After reading through this entire thread I feel compelled to throw another monkey wrench into the works that is known as Maruko. When reading the later chapters of the series I began to suspect that maybe out of all of the robots we are shown Maruko just might have more of a developed libido than the other robots and is bisexual. I first began to suspect it when we first meet Maruko during the delivery that Kokone makes in Chapter 34. The way Maruko looks at Kokone has her blushing before the actual transfer is made. Once Kokone is ready to make that transfer it isn't like the one we saw with Alpha. Maruko is clearly in charge of the entire process and when she does go to give Kokone the "kiss" it becomes more of an actual kiss than the simple transfer Kokone made with Alpha. After the transfer is made and Maruko has had a chance to inspect Nai's images she then compliments Kokone on her abilities. Kokone blushes again when Maruko says "You're Amazing" to her.
The second instance that led me to believe Maruko has more of a libido than the other robots came in Chapter 74 when Kokone makes another delivery to her. When we first see them together Maruko has once again taken charge of the transfer making it more of a real kiss than the simple transfer process. Kokone tells Maruko that she needs to be a bit more careful. Maruko then responds by telling Kokone she was excited because it had been a while since she recieved any images from Nai. We know that Maruko and Kokone have met up between transfers because Maruko makes references to hearing that Alpha was traveling. It seems Kokone had been telling Maruko all about her visits to see Alpha.
I finally began to put two and two together with Maruko in Chapter 101. We can tell from the body language between Maruko and Kokone that something changed beween them while Alpha was gone for that year. At first when Maruko met Alpha when she was driving through she knew her from the photo Nai sent her and the descriptions Kokone had given her. She first sees her as the "Other Woman" because the relationship she has with Kokone has become more than just a friendship. The body language shared between Maruko and Kokone and the obvious discomfort and blushing from Kokone suggest that their relationship has changed in a way. To me it appears that Maruko may be in love with Kokone. But at the same time she may also have been in love with Nai at one point. I get the feeling from her behavior that Maruko just might have bisexual tendencies and takes the strong dominate male role in her relationship with Kokone. Maybe Maruko isn't ready to admit those feelings at this time and when she see's Alpha's image for the first time she feels as though Alpha is taking those she loves away from her.
It's obvious from the way Kokone acts during the visit with Maruko to see Alpha that Maruko definately has a strong influence on the shy delivery girl. She seems very nervous and is always stuttering and blushing. It also appears that Kokone is uncomfortable with the obvious open displays of affection Maruko likes showing. And it could also be said that Maruko's jabs at Alpha's lifestyle and the way she runs her cafe are attempts to make her look bad in Kokone's eyes so she'll not want to spend time at the cafe. Maybe this goes back to the group vs. the individual theory someone posed a while back. And it seems that assesment of the triangle makes a lot of sense when you put that year Alpha was on the road into play. Maruko and Kokone formed a bond of sorts and now Alpha is on the outside trying to find a way to fit into what they now have.
By the time Alpha runs into Maruko at work she's ready to let Alpha become closer to her and she admits that she likes both Kokone and Nai which surprises Alpha a lot. Maybe Alpha thought that Maruko only liked Kokone or maybe it was the fact that they both knew Nai that surprised her. Nai never really mentioned Maruko's name and Maruko never really brought up the fact that Alpha was in one of the pictures Nai had sent her. But whatever her relationship is with both Nai and Kokone looking at Maruko as the dominant personality in a bisexual relationship does make her character all the more interesting.
- Christine K
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
>Also, contemporary thought on art and literature holds >that the author's stated artistic intent is /not/ the >authority on a particular work. The meaning of a work >is fluid and changes depending on who the viewer is >and in what context the work is viewed.
So what I say's meaning is determined by what you think I said?
I don't care is that's the most widelyasspted belief.
That makes no sense.
- The GZeus
Sunday, September 26, 2004
"While you can't say that *any* interpretation can be correct, the statements of the author or artist have no bearing on the work of art. Once it leaves his or her head and is expressed in ink (in this case) it is no longer the artist's in any way. (Copyright notwithstanding) At this point, it is the reader that makes the work of art have meaning, by viewing, reading or hearing it. So, if the author comes along and tells us what he was "going for"--it doesn't matter. It doesn't invalidate other, conflicting, legitimate interpretations.
So, it is perfectly valid to do psychoanalytic, historicist, neo-historicist, marxist, queer, structuralist or any other kind of criticism. BUT: it *must* be seated in evidence from the "text". You can argue that Maruko is actually male or even a Martian if you can cite evidence in the pictures or dialogue that supports it, as seaweb did. "
That makes no sense.
I'm a musician, and I write songs about certain things.
You can't tell my the song "Cinnimonny Disgusting" is about anything but a disgusting 'Suicide' type drink made up mostly Cinnimon Schnapps, more specifically teh feeling and taste involved in drinking it.
If you say it's about things that taste like cinnamon being disgusting, and I expain it's ACTUAL meaning, I see NO reason for you to contest the the actual meaning.
"Animal Farm" has one intent, but CAN BE USED to illustrate others.
It's an allegory, so it's slightly different from other works of fiction, but still a work of fiction.
- The GZeus
Sunday, September 26, 2004
From another English major:
"its the interpretation that changes with the viewer... the "meaning" of something cant change"
I see the maning as important, the interperatation interesting.
- The GZeus
Sunday, September 26, 2004
There's an especially good image of Maruko here:
http://roshtaria.d2g.com/images/Anime/Yokohama/jpgh-YKK2_1600.jpg
- Anon
Thursday, September 30, 2004
That's one of my favorite images of Maruko. It's also one of the very few in color.
- martialstax
Thursday, September 30, 2004
@Christine K
That's an interesting idea, I agree that imagining Maruko as bisexual would make her relationship with Nai more interesting. It would seem to fit the "dominant-submissive" style of romance she's pursuing with Kokone. Nai might have attracted her with his quiet personality, but later told her to hit the road. ^_^ He didn't seem to have Kokone's concern for other people's feelings.
I also agree that something happened in the relationship between Kokone and Maruko during Alpha's trip. O'course we, the fans, are trying not to think about that. : (
I don't want it to happen, but it seems likely that Maruko thinks Kokone is her girlfriend, and Kokone is too concerned about her feelings (or in despair over Alpha) to tell Maruko that she's not her type.
Alpha doesn't seem to care, is oblivious, or isn't lesbian. : (
Her response to an (erotic) dream would seem to support that. http://ykk.misago.org/Volume2/54
-k
- Kempis Curious
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Howdy,
I think that Ashinano has made it very clear that Kokone was very concerned about Alpha, and made serveral trips out to see if she was back while Alpha was gone. I think that Kokone did see more of Maruko while Alpha was gone, but it's more of a companionship thing on Kokone's side. Maruko is clearly interested in Kokone, but Kokone is uncomfortable with Maruko getting too close. However, Kokone is also too polite/timid to tell Maruko to back off. The recent OAV series adds more to Kokone's affection/desire for Alpha than even the manga has.
Best,
Dave
- Dave
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Kempis, I completely forgot about that funny little incident. But whether or not Maruko is that way she does have the dominate personality in her relationship with Kokone. And it does seem she's more open about her feelings towards Kokone. Maybe Maruko feels she needs to guide Kokone to help her become more open and honest with her feelings.
I guess the reason Alpha fascinates Kokone so much is that they're a lot a like. Both seem to have the quitet personality and when Kokone finds a kindred spirit she wants to befriend her. At the same time Maruko fascinates her too because she's more open and honest with her feelings and is more independent. This makes things quite interesting when the three of them are together.
- Christine K
Friday, October 1, 2004
> Both seem to have the quitet personality and when Kokone finds a kindred spirit she wants to befriend her.
Alpha? Quiet? I certainly don't get that impression! (A lot of the time she's got something going on the background that makes her more than meets the eye). Kokone is vastly more restrained than Alpha. Kind of like the ideal professed by the Japanese (a long while ago) about how women should act. (Though, it's clear Kokone is breaking that mold already now).
Kokone's actions in my view after meeting Alpha indicates she sees Alpha as a future potential for what she (and other A7M3's) could be like. Hence all the searching for her origins, she is probably wondering how she ended up the way she is, whereas Alpha is vastly superior in her view towards the world.
If we transposed Kokone = today's Japanese "salary man", her facination is understandable given that Alpha is able to live the way she is able to, whereas Kokone is stuck in the "real world" and is only able to escape with Alpha for short periods of a time. Hence all the long letters... "I am here, but unable to escape..."
- PC
Friday, October 1, 2004
I still don't understand how Maruko can really be seen as a "villain," unless someone feels the series needs villains so badly that someone has to be construed as one. In some ways she's even the most natural and human of them, just in a different way than the childlike dreamer Alpha and the sweet girl Kokone.
Maruko is an artist, yet balances her interests against her "real life" and daily responsbilities, which she does take with adult seriousness. She takes interest in those who share common origins with her, in her case robots, and is interested in befriending them. She's outgoing, but she still has concepts of privacy and embarrassment. She takes a fascination to Kokone, and I have no indication her interest is false or mean-spirited, or that Kokone doesn't like Maruko(though she may feel pressured, that's not the same.). She's hurt and confused that her new friend is preoccupied, even obsessed with, someone that so far as she can tell is just a deadbeat dreamer off in the boonies. As such, she's suspicious of Alpha and her possible motives. And finally, once she gets to know Alpha she realizes that she's not some shady distant stranger come to isolate her from those she cares about.
It all flows together for me pretty well. But I don't see how Maruko was ever an unsympathetic character, much less a villanous one. In fact, she seems to be the A7 that's most like an ordinary human.
- Kunou-chan
Thursday, October 7, 2004
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