Did Candy find her happiness? (Part 9)
It’s been a month since my last update. Yes, I’ve taken a long break this summer due to some personal matters, so I really appreciate your patience and support. ❤ For those of you who prefer to read in Spanish, my friend Yue Chan has translated my series Did Candy find her happiness? Muchas gracias mi querida amiga ❤! You can find the translation for this post here, “¿Candy encontró su felicidad? (Parte 9)”
Back to this topic of happiness, I can do more comparisons between the old CC novel and Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) but I’ve decided to wrap up the series instead. Lately, it came to my attention that some people claimed that Albert was homosexual. Why? Just because his birthday or birth month happened to be the same day / month as gay pride. I don’t know about the details and honestly don’t care to find out, but I was quite surprised that such a rumour exists. First of all, don’t they know LGBT around the world celebrate on different days of the year? Secondly, back in the 70s when the story was first published, gay culture wasn’t as prominent or widely acknowledged, at least not in East Asian countries like Japan. Besides, whoever spread this rumour probably isn’t aware that the June birthday for Albert was not an official one. According to my friend, since his real identity wasn’t revealed until the very end in the manga / anime, unlike the other characters in CC, his age had been a mystery to readers. Fans could only guess that he was Anthony’s age when he first appeared in the story as Prince on the Hill (which makes sense to me), and some fans even gave him a birthday. It was only in CCFS that Mizuki (real name Nagita) finally wrote an official age for him. Yet, his birth date remained unknown.
In addition to this rumour, some people have been obnoxious enough to deliberately mock the story of Candy Candy. They have created a fan page to make fun of Albert as the husband of Candy. Yes, she married him but she missed Terry in secret, etc. Well, I guess they are free to do anything they want, but I’m aware that they have been stealing people’s fanarts (including mine, though removed some time later) in order to insult the characters Albert and/or Candy. Not only that, they have created posters or collages to insult Albert fans too. I certainly won’t stoop to their level of announcing who they are, but at the same time it makes me wonder, how far can these fans go to offend Albert fans or make fun of the beloved characters of Candy Candy? They show no respect of others in the fandom. If they have done all this for the love of Terry, if Terry had been real, he would have been upset by his followers’ deeds. 🙁
That said, I’ve prepared to be one of their next targets (if they haven’t yet done so by now), but guess what? I’ve made up my mind not to check their page ever again, and if any of you see me being jeered at, please do me a big favor of not informing me. I’m not at all interested to play their game.
At any rate, I’m afraid these people don’t really understand the plot of CCFS, which apparently still sticks to the original story shown in the manga. It’s a story between Candy and her Prince on the Hill. While Mizuki has made some changes in CCFS, the story structure has remained the same as the old novel. Namely, the time and place of the story, the theme, the characters and the conflicts (the major events) have not changed.
Those who insist that Candy would rather wait for Terry to leave Susanna one day (for whatever reason) and return to her side have totally missed the real ending of CCFS, where Candy herself plainly wrote to Albert that “now is my happiness”. There’s no doubt she was happy with her prince; not only he loved her and was willing to share her sorrows in life, he was also her best friend and confidant, whose presence alone gave her the marvelous feeling of security. Who else in the story can measure up to him, really? Candy loved her prince too, or else she wouldn’t have pressured him to come on her birthday to spend time with her on her special day. When it’s clearly written that Albert didn’t want her to be his sister or his adopted daughter and she knew deep in her heart that he was special and living with him was slightly different from living with a family member, it’s bizarre why some people still believe Candy regarded him as her big brother or he was a father figure to her. Come on, Candy had changed and moved on in her life. Why some people are reluctant to see the truth is beyond my understanding. On the other hand I must say that it’s funny to read some of their arguments, and often times they can’t seem to decide whether he was her big brother or a father to her.
As a genuine fan of Candy Candy, one should sincerely wish happiness for the main heroine, don’t you think? Not to mention that Terry’s character was an afterthought. A CC fan Chako on Twitter posted Mizuki’s famous interview on Twitter, and she herself expressed her disappointment about that because she was a Terry fan. Anyway, in the interview we know that by adding Terry it made the story of Candy Candy somewhat different from Daddy-long-legs. Yet, this didn’t cause Mizuki to change the ending of the story. She had to remove Terry from Candy’s life somehow. If I have time in the future, I can discuss this interview with more details.
Another thing is the badge which the prince had absentmindedly dropped in the beginning of the story. It plays a significant role in the story, and it was mentioned again and again throughout CCFS. Interestingly, as far as I know, it didn’t seem to be in Candy’s jewelry box, where she had kept only significant keepsakes (items or letters in memory of people in her past), or at least Candy didn’t mention it at her present or during her retrospection. Wouldn’t this make you wonder where it was?
In the old novel, Candy wanted to return the badge to Albert after his confession, but he essentially told her to keep it. He said something like “if you give it back to me I will present it anew to you”. In CCFS, Albert did ask Candy for his badge as his way to reveal that he was her prince, but it wasn’t mentioned again till Candy’s last letter to him. She planned to return her diary to him so that he could keep it for her, just like the way he had presented his badge back to her. In other words, what used to belong to him or her now also belonged to the other. It’s a strong hint that they owned these items together from now on. Not only that, it implies he wanted her to keep the badge for him; since it represented her Prince on the Hill all these years, he would be by her side, as always.
Hence, Candy must have kept the badge with her since then. I don’t think Albert would ever ask it back again because he had presented it to her as his gift. So where did it go?
In the manga we read that Candy liked to keep the badge in a box together with her other memory keepsakes, so it’s only natural that she kept it in the damascene jewelry box as well. If so, why didn’t she mention it in her own narratives? Yet, doing so she would have to talk about Prince on the Hill, right? 😉 And if she did, she would probably have given away who Anohito was, I guess. 😀 Another possibility is that Candy no longer kept the badge by the time she was in her thirties, because the badge had been passed to the next rightful heir of the Ardlays. ❤❤
Candy and Prince on the Hill
Hello Ms Puddle
Tout d’abord votre nouveau dessin est fabuleux, un vrai chef d’oeuvre ! 😉 Je l’adore ! 😍 😀
J’ai suivi tous vos post et il n’y a aucun doute sur l’identité d’Anohito. 😀
Les fans de Terry ne savent plus quoi inventer et refuse de se rendre à l’évidence. Pauvre Albert ! 😕
Il est certain que tout au long de l’histoire, nous n’avons jamais vu Albert en compagnie d’une petite amie. Il ne faut pas oublier que depuis son enfance, après le décès de son père, Albert a vécu dans l’anonymat, il ne pouvait pas côtoyer les autres membres de la famille, difficile dans ces conditions de faire des rencontres. Il a vécu en solitaire, tel un vagabond. Candy n’était pas curieurse, elle ne lui a jamais demandé son nom de famille avant qu’il ne soit amnésique.
Si Albert avait eu une petite amie, elle lui aurait probablement posé beaucoup de questions sur ses origines. Il ne pouvait donc pas se permettre d’avoir une liaison sérieuse tant qu’il n’était pas officiellement présenté comme étant William Albert Ardley le patriarche dela famille.
Mais après la lecture de CCFS, nous savons bien maintenant que c’est Candy qui a le privilège de vivre à ses côtés ! 😀
Pour terminer une citation de Charles Felix Hyacinthe Gouthier, comte de Charencey.
“Certains hommes sont comme ces oiseaux de nuit, incapables de supporter la pleine lumière ; une demi-obscurité seule leur permet d’y voir clair. C’est précisément l’éclat de la vérité qui les aveugle et les empêche de la reconnaître.”
Bonjour Antlay! Comment vas-tu mon ami? 💓
I’m sorry that I’ve somehow missed your comment, and I didn’t realize it until today! 🤔
Anyway, so glad you like my new drawing, Antlay 😍 Merci beaucoup 😘 Indeed you’re right about Albert being isolated from people when he grew up, and even when he was in college he couldn’t have developed any serious relationship with anyone (because he was being ‘protected’).
But with Candy he was willing to open up his feelings and revealed many things about himself. Candy’s letter to Mr Vincent Brown in CCFS proved that she and Albert were already close. Sigh…
I really like your quote from Charles Felix Hyacinthe Gouthier, Earl of Charencey, and I’ll post the English translation here for the others to understand. 🤗 “Some men are like those night birds, unable to bear the full light; a half-darkness alone allows them to see clearly. It is precisely the brilliance of truth that blinds them and prevents them from recognizing it. “
Hello Reeka! Hello ‘Ms Puddle’!
Reeka-Thank you for your kind words and for your generous invitation!
Reeka-No worries about typos. I do it all the time myself!
I appreciate your feedback which I find astute. From my part, I consider it significant (if not essential) to clarify some of my aforesaid perspectives, especially with regards to (contemporary) Feminism and CC/CCFS character assessment/meta-analysis. However, this will have to wait for a wee bit as I’m currently at an academic conference presenting my new research, and until mid-September I’ll be considerably pressed for time as I’ll be heading for the next university to present my work and new publications. I’ll only kindly suggest that you don’t give up on Feminism just yet. Indeed, it has got many a flaw.. However, as all fascinating and evolutionary ideologies which have contributed so dynamically to women’s independence, I consider that all genders and ethnicities need Feminism and we can all work together to emend the flaws and pronounce as well as further enhance the beneficial aspects. If we are now in the position to be dynamic people studying anything we want and working anywhere we want with equal pay and equal socio-political and financial rights, we owe it to Feminism. To reiterate, I agree with you on many points regarding the various flaws in this invaluable movement. Nonetheless, we can further amend them. No one and nothing is perfect, anyway. As long as we are open-minded and willing to develop and evolve, there is always hope for improvement and further reform.
As for me, I enjoy this particular blog because the views expressed are so insightful and intelligent. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for a plethora of the Terry-fan blogs. The find them naive, stock and cheesy. Even those very few which attempt to provide insightful commentary easily descend ton one-dimensional, inaccurate and horrifically biased interpretations. As I know the Terry-zealots are ‘stalking’ this blog and reading the comment sections, I will directly address to them and state to them that since they like and passively submit to Terry’s brusqueness and so-called ‘rough’ disposition, well then they’ll simply have to take the heat from me as well. As Terry, I say what I say without being apologetic nor regretful about it..;-) Terry is not the only open and direct person on this planet. End of.
Resuming to seriousness (at least to a certain extent, hehehe..), I’m looking forward to engaging in thoughtful discussions and debates with all of you. Being a researcher, I utterly enjoy and thrive in developing discussions and even disagreements with people, providing that this is always within the framework of a civilised and rational environment where we all respect and appreciate one another as equal and equivalent individuals. As I neither respond to nor feed pathetic little trolls, I only socialise with people who are worth it. Again, as Terry, I also ‘snub’ those who are cheap, petty and asinine. Nothing more, nothing less.
Therefore, I’m anticipating further discussion with all of you here in this online forum. After having done a bit a ‘research’ regarding the various online forums, I consider this one to be the best one in terms of well-balanced, mature, intelligent and interesting discussions. As for ‘Ms Puddle’s’ art work, I needn’t express how beautiful it is; it’s so obvious. Excellent artwork, ‘Ms Puddle’!
I want to specify to the Terry-fans ‘stalking’ this blog and viscerally attacking all those people who disagree with them that in their pathetic attempt to slate Albert via obsessively trying to debase his ineffable and sublime character, all I have to say to them is that they’re walking on a slippery slope. My colleagues and I were sarcastically laughing today during our lunch break about the homophobia, sexism, misogyny and racial bigotry leaked by so many feral Terry-fans. Their desperate attempt to demean Albert simply reveals their fear and insecurity about him. Had Albert been insignificant, the Terry-fans wouldn’t have bothered. However, because Albert is light-years beyond and above their wretchedness makes them frothing at the mouth and behave so hysterically. Let these sad old trolls simmer in their own juice. It’s their life, and at the end of the day, it’s their own funeral..
It’s a bit ironic though that the Terry-trolls want Albert to be a homosexual. Personally, socially and politically, I have no issues at all with the sexual preferences and gender identification of other people. I identify as a heterosexual female (and my partner as a heterosexual male), however, I would never impose nor demean the sexual preferences of my fellow human-beings because they differ from me and I from them. Diversity is our strength and I am proud of that. Everyone fits in a Democracy irrespective of their age, gender, identity, economic background, and/or ethnicity. That said, I would have no issue if Terry or Albert identified themselves as homosexuals. Interestingly enough, in Japanese manga art, the homosexual as well as homoerotic theme in tandem with gender fluidity constitute recurrent themes. This is evident in Yumiko Igarashi’s manga art where almost all the young men bear ‘effeminate’ or ‘feminine’ features as well as masculine. Notable examples are Terry, Archie, and Albert. Stear appears to be more masculine as he’s depicted with a stronger (rectangular) jaw and broader shoulders than the aforementioned men. In the May Festival, Terry could easily look like a woman. Igarashi portrays Terry lighter and svelte; Nagita, on the other hand, tries to make Terry darker and hirsute, but his emotive responses are acutely feminine (perhaps that’s his appeal). I’ll discuss this aspect of gender fluidity in Japanese visual/performance arts at a later date and provide some scholarly bibliography for further suggested reading if you would like. To clarify, I am not saying that any of these men are homosexuals as they are clearly not. However, the intricate aspect of gender fluidity is omnipresent; for example, we see Candy’s ‘tom-boyish’ character and how she functions as a ‘protector’ to the ‘girly’ Annie; Albert provides the opportunity to Candy to express her gender fluidity via bestowing both a male (Romeo) and a female (Juliet) costume for the May Festival, hence, giving her the opportunity to cross-dress (another recurrent theme in Japanese art and literature); Stear is masculine but he never has any qualms in finding Terry virile and Albert elegant and beautiful (examining Albert’s face when in repose following his accident). Needless to mention about Archie.. How many times has this graceful and lovely swan-like man been mistaken for a girl? Further on, Candy becomes very ‘girly’ and feminine when juxtaposed to the tall, aggressive, dynamic and tough, Frannie, the latter indisputably being the Alpha-female (and arguably, the Alpha-male especially the way in which she ‘thug-life’ confronts and tosses Terry out of the hospital-one of my favourite scenes, by the way..). The list could go on and on and on..
I’ll end this, yet again, lengthy message by suggesting delving into Yumiko Igarashi’s further manga art-in particular, ‘The Sword of Paros’. This story belongs to another highly dynamic female Japanese science fiction/fantasy writer, Kaoru Kurimoto, renowned for her further work 130-volume series, ‘The Guin Saga’, which has been translated into English, German, French, Italian and Russian. Again, I’ll talk about this material later on and how the ineffable and sublime ‘Albert-archetype’ constitutes a recurrent theme in Japanese visual/performing arts. As mentioned above, during our lunch break today, my colleagues and I were discussing about the ‘Terry-feminine-archetype’ and the ‘Albert-masculine archetype’ in Asian literature and visual arts. For instance, in ‘The Sword of Paros’, the main heroine-the princess of Paros, Erminia-bears a striking resemblance to Albert (formidably tall, blonde, blue-eyed, ethereal, and calm), whereas her partner, Fiona, bears a strong resemblance to Terry (slender, dark, emotional, sensual and earthly). There’s also a May Festival scene in ‘The Sword of Paros’ acutely similar to the CC/CCFS one albeit far more complicated and controversial due to the homosexual and homoerotic content. The Alpha-Male/ superior Albert-archetype is predominant again in Kaoru Kurimoto’s ‘The Guin Saga’, as the story is about a mysterious very tall/blonde/blue-eyed warrior (!) and traveller named Guin, who is an amnesiac (!) with a leopard mask magically affixed to his head. He remembers nothing but his own fighting instincts (!) and his adventures follow an intricate and intertwining trajectory. Kaoru Kurimoto is one of the most best-selling novelists in Japan. Yumiko Igarashi, however, is not the primary artist for ‘The Guin Saga’ (it is reported that she functions as an advisor of some sort).
Moreover, Yumiko Igarashi along with the younger anime artists (TOEI) create that additional episode in the CC anime series in which Terry is the one trying to get in touch with Candy (albeit unbeknown to her) at Chicago, hence, replacing the Rockstown incident. Apparently, I needn’t express my ‘pleasure’ in observing Albert beating the living crap out of Terry.. I refuse to watch that scene on YouTube because I’ll probably be tempted to press the loop/repeat tab..;-) If the Terry-fans want Albert to be a homosexual, they should be careful what they wish for because Albert has proven many an occasion that he could show who Terry’s ‘daddy’ really is..;-)))
Well, that’s all (another lengthy message..) for today..
For any typos, by all means, do ignore them as I’m typing as fast as a bullet.
Take Care and Peace!
Hello Alex, first and foremost, a thousand thanks to your compliments and encouraging words concerning my blog and artworks. Your high regard makes me blush and renders me speechless. I consider myself fortunate to have met you here, now that I have glimpses of the breadth and depth of your knowledge in the manga/anime world.
Reeka, I agree with Alex. Don’t worry too much about typos or mistakes. My blog is casual, not an academic forum. 😅😁
When reading about your perspectives on feminism, I suddenly remember what I read from a Candy Candy anime DVD package, published by a Taiwanese publisher. It described Candy as “a girl who grew from one who accepted being slapped without a fight to a woman who was willing to fight for her friend by doing what she thought was right for him.”
Anyway, I won’t add or comment much on what you have already said, but I do want to point out I do not like the episode where Albert found Terry drunk. I’m aware some fans do like this a lot, but whether it was Igarashi’s creation or not, I personally think the Rockstown episode is superior in terms of showcasing Candy’s changes, the most undeniable of which is that she finally broke herself free from Terry’s influence. In short, she was no longer head over heels for him. Period.
While many Terry fans criticize the bar scene in the anime, accusing Albert as a selfish man, many find the Rockstown episode unacceptable. They simply refuse to understand the implications and blame Candy for giving Terry the cold shoulder. Oh well.
I do agree with you about the various attempts of attacks of the character Albert only prove their fear and insecurities. In their arguments they have strived to avoid the topic “Prince on the Hill”. They know it despite being in denial. He’s the one, no doubt.
Enjoy the rest of your academic conference. Best wishes to your following trip to another university!
Ms Puddle
Thank you for your insightful thoughts and feedback, Ms Puddle!
As for the aforesaid DVD/Taiwanese commentary, I’m impressed at how incredibly spot on it is regarding Candy’s character development. Indeed, if Terry had tried to pull a stunt like that again and attempted to raise even his little finger against her, she would have skinned him alive and ground him to a pulp! Candy is no longer that vulnerable and disoriented little girl at St Paul’s boarding school. Both you and Reeka are making excellent points that Candy isn’t a stock character and I’m glad and most grateful to both of you that I stand corrected at this point.
Thinking about it more carefully (and humanely), following Anthony’s demise, Candy was extremely fragile and in desperate need of someone to protect her (even though she would refuse to admit it). Being ostracised by all her peers at St Paul’s in tandem with the immense difficulty of her being able to meet up with Archie and Stear, Candy felt lonely. She was still friends with Annie but their bond was gone. As for Patty, their friendship was in an embryonic stage. Terry was really the only guy who would shield her from harm, especially by defending her against Neil’s bullying and molestation attempts. But this ‘protection’ came with a price and a rather hefty one, I would say.. Indeed, Terry protected Candy but he also dominated her and messed with her mind horrifically. Terry is no intellectual but he’s terrifyingly clever and manipulative. He knows how to ‘scan’ people and especially identify their weaknesses.
That said, Terry had immediately sensed Candy’s vulnerability and naivety and played all too well with working her up sexually as well as messing with her brain. The ‘boiling hot-ice cold shower’ waterboard torment Terry would force-feed Candy is indicative of a profoundly diseased narcissistic and sado-masohistic behaviour which, unfortunately, proves unnervingly ‘successful’ to naïve, insecure, and vulnerable people. Terry would never dare behave in such a way to a powerful and dynamic female as she would whoop his arse. If Anthony were alive and he was also attending St Paul’s, Candy wouldn’t have even spat on Terry’s face, let alone fall for him. Instead, she would have been a strong and confident lass mustering dignity and self-respect; she would have never accepted to be physically abused and psychologically demeaned by Terry. Following Anthony’s tragic death, however, Candy was suffering many of those symptoms linked to severe depression. She was ‘drowning’ in her unfathomable grief and Terry was really the only one around to throw a ‘life-jacket’ to her. By dragging her onto his ‘boat’ he was also dragging her into his own diseased mind and messed up world. Candy, however, desperately clung to Terry because he was the only one who gave her so much attention. She also identified with him because he was regarded as an outcast as well. She would allow Terry to treat her as a ‘poor little damsel in distress’ because she actually deemed herself as inferior due to her socially stigmatized upbringing. Therefore, Candy compromised her integrity and willingly (at the time) debased herself so as to be as low and inferior as Terry, the latter having damaged and disoriented her moral compass. Nevertheless, everything changed for both of them when they each left St Paul’s and followed their own completely different career paths which brought a massive change to their characters but to each in a separate and remote way and with completely different people. In reality, leaving St Paul’s also functioned as a certain form of ‘death’ to the Terry-Candy short-term affair. Ironically enough, Terry never managed to delete Anthony from Candy’s mind and psyche. The only reason why she had to get over Anthony was simply because the lad was dead. She had no other alternative. Therefore, Terry’s forced ‘medicine’ proved to be of no avail as Anthony continued to be in the strongest position in Candy’s mind and psyche.
Irrespective of certain redeemable features and some forms of ‘positive’ factors in his actions (which proved to do more harm than good), Terry was irreparably damaged ‘merchandise’. His traumatic past does not justify his appalling violence against women. So many women and men have suffered some form of trauma in their lives but that doesn’t make them douche-bags as in the case of Terry. His abusive past does not excuse his horrid misogyny and violent disposition. No one has the right to abuse and demean other people no matter how rough their lives were. If Terry had committed that same crime against Candy, nowadays, Candy would have had the legal right to press charges against him for physical violence and attempted rape. The May Festival scene in the CC manga is far more disturbing than the CC anime one, given the fact that the CC anime was intended for a younger and more family-friendly audience. Bottom line, folks, in our contemporary world, Terry’s violent acts against Candy during the May Festival constitute indisputable acts of attempted statutory rape. It makes no difference whether Terry became ‘a nicer dude’ further on in his life. Even if Terry had become a renowned oncologist curing all forms of cancer, even if he had established world peace, and even if he had invented the panacea for all terminal diseases, the fact that he had beaten and attempted to rape a small orphan girl cannot and will not be excused in any way whatsoever. He touched her and forced his body on hers without her consent. He made sexual advances against her completely disregarding her indisputable right to her own body and space. His abuse against this petite lass was repeated many an occasion; he would demean her, belittle her appearance, mock and humiliate her, grapple with her, push her, hurl her to the ground, drag her across the fields to the stables, pierce his nails into her arms and shake her violently, intimidate and threaten her-you name it! In Eleanor Baker’s case, he would hit her, hurl vases and other objects at her, scream expletives at her, push her.. and the list goes on and on with this deranged dude.. To reiterate, Terry is NOT a role model of any sort and it’s pathetic that there are still some women out there in 2017 (not 1917 ffs) who declare themselves as Terry-fans. Even Terry admitted his wretchedness and hated himself for his own savagery, hence, wanting to emend his emetic ways. If he wishes to reprove and amend his ways, we owe him absolutely nothing as it’s his duty to improve his nature and no one is obligated to ‘thank’ him for finally deciding to upgrade himself to a somewhat respectable human-being.
Moreover, Albert also had a traumatic childhood but he always maintained utmost respect and consideration to all people, irrespective of age, gender, rank, or ethnicity. I am most pleased to see the massive momentum the Albert-archetype has gained amongst the younger generations of women and men. During my ‘tender’ youth back in the 90s, the girls would sickly-sweet swoon and drool over Terry as they found his violence against women indicative of affection and passion. These girls actually believed that when a boy taunts and abuses a girl that means they ‘like’ or ‘love’ her. They couldn’t have been more wrong! A man who hits a woman does NOT love her. Love means respect, gratitude and consideration for the significant other by treating this person as an equal. I am so glad that girls and younger women nowadays condemn that Terry-douche-bag creature. Via a personal as well as professional experience, I am delighted to see my students, peers and colleagues commending those men who respect women and castigate and simply toss away those men who don’t respect women. Toxic masculinity may have been somewhat ‘accepted’ back in the 90s, but it has absolutely no place in our day and age. I am honoured to live with an erudite and sagacious man who respects women-as well as he respects himself-and together we anticipate to raise a family where our children will be guided to respect all genders as equal.
I’ll end here simply by stating that I could understand the reasons why people would wish to study Terry’s character. I personally find him complex and worthy of further analysis (via a legal and psychological perspective) but definitely not worthy of praise nor respect as he’s way below that mark. Toxic and diseased males like Terry belong to the long and distant past and that’s where they should be as they have no place in our modern day democratic cosmos.
I’m looking forward to your further posts and artwork!
All Best,
Alex
Hello there again, Alex.
Wow, by now I can say I sincerely admire your skill of typing such lengthy comment and staying focus from beginning to the end. Me, can not. Hahaha. And really, I have been enjoying all your thoughts and having said that, I am grateful for whatever it was directing you to this blog.
I don’t have much time now, but I am intrigued to respond on your last couple paragraphs. I second every single word of your thought. Albert and Terry, they had experience traumatic childhood, in their own struggles. And if one has to be honest, one has to agree Albert had endured much much more pains and pressure than Terry. But how they grew up into such different characters? They were the products of people around them. Unlike Terry whose life quite full of rejections, Albert had people who taught him about sincere love, compassion, and love over wealth ( Rosemary); respect, loyalty and gratefulness ( Georges); and discipline & leadership ( Elroy).
However, many women, they found “bad boy” was fascinating. Violence and extreme possessiveness are seen as passionate and heated love. These people, I assume, they love the idea that every couple’s issues could be fixed with sex. 😉 I remember you mentioned 50SOG on previous comment. I understand there are many many forms of sexual preference out there. I don’t care what people do inside their bedroom as long as there is mutual consent. What I hate in 50SOG is the way Grey controls Anastasia. And I wonder what it was in a woman mind when they agree to let any man fix the amount she eats, how frequent she exercises and sleeps. I personally loathe Anastasia and never fancy Grey. Among those male protagonists in this kind of romantic fiction genre, if I have to choose one, I’ll pick Gideon Cross.
Thank you for your kind words, Reeka!
Every time I try to ‘trim’ my comments, I then realise that they’re just as lengthy as the previous ones..;-) This is the ‘bane’ of being too analytical and especially working in a job which demands even further analytical/scrutinising skills (bibliography, footnotes, endnotes, addenda and corrigenda..you name it!). As for being ‘focused’, I owe that to the wonderful (and patient..) editors who have been proof-reading and providing further feedback to my thesis/articles/publications all these years. I had one hell of a tough and extremely difficult PhD supervisor (with whom we’re great friends now), but I owe him tons of gratitude as I would have never had the job I have now if he hadn’t been so demanding by dynamically challenging and debating my arguments. I actually managed to ‘breeze through’ my viva due to the fact that my supervisor had already made it so difficult for me to get to the position of submitting my PhD thesis in the first place. It was an arduous journey (as Albert would say: “with blood, sweat and tears..”), but well worth it. Even now that my former supervisor and I are good friends, we always engage in heated arguments and debates, enjoying every single moment! He had also presented his subsequent research at the conference I was at last week and we had both engaged, yet again, in an intense debate surrounding our research and ideas presented in front of an entire auditorium. I do anticipate to reach his level of academic expertise but there’s so much more for me to do until I reach his level of acclaim and prestige.
As for me, my apologies for not having properly introduced myself. Out of sheer habit, I simply jump into discussions and (friendly) debates without providing any info about me. In a few words, I work in academia having studied law and history (I was a lawyer before working in academia). I’m a bit of a polyglot (a cultural ‘hybrid’) as my family and I derive from quite a few countries and we have travelled to many places due to the fact that my parents are also academics working from one university to another. My partner (he’s also in academia) and I have also been constantly travelling from one place to another due to our jobs. Therefore, the issue of travelling (via train/planes/ships/cars, etc) has always constituted an integral part of our lives. Perhaps that’s what drew me to CC/CCFS; the CC/CCFS characters always move about travelling from one country to another. There are so many farewells but so many reunions as there are separations. As a ‘geeky’-if not nerdy-and rather ‘lanky’ awkward adolescent (boys wouldn’t date me at the time because I was a bit too tall for them-they did manage to get taller at university though..;-))), I would utterly immerse myself into libraries studying medieval (chronicles) and Renaissance literature (Shakespeare and Marlowe), and further on into early modern and post-modern historical texts. I simultaneously developed an acute interest in Japanese literature and art (manga/theatre/cinema) as well as in fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien) and science fiction (Asimov, Clarke). The list is virtually endless why I’m so interested in the CC manga and novelised manga (not the anime as I find it idiotic and cringe-worthy with all those high-pitched female voices). However, it’s not the cheesy romantic aspects of CC/CCFS that I’m interested in; Keiko Nagita has repeatedly stated and specified that her CC/CCFS story is not limited to Candy’s ‘love life’ but her rewarding life experiences which may comprise the romantic but mainly other aspects far more important, namely, working hard, not relying on hand-outs from others, being independent but also responsible and mature. I also appreciate the ways in which Keiko Nagita focuses on the utmost significance of friendship, commitment, mutual respect and consideration for humans as well as the natural environment, perseverance and, above all, personal integrity.
Via a legal and historical perspective, I’m impressed at how accurate and careful Keiko Nagita is in her historical references (again, I speak of the CC manga/novel-not the anime which is horrifically inaccurate in so many aspects). Keiko Nagita is also aware of the legal implications surrounding C19th-earlyC20th adoption policies and procedures; she’s specified the difference between adoption as indenture and adoption as an act of charity (as in Albert’s case), strikingly differentiating it from adoption purported for parenthood (as in Annie’s case). Nagita has made this point so crystal clear in her narrative (CC manga/novel and even anime) that I needn’t provide any further explanation.
As for those who claim that adoptions cannot be declared null and void, as a (former attorney) legal expert I can definitely prove to them that this is NOT the case. Upon request, I can provide thousands of cases in which adoption acts were annulled for a multitude of reasons not only in the past centuries but also during our own contemporary era. Unfortunately, adopted children are still not treated as equal to biological children in most countries. If anyone would like further evidence and sources concerning the aforesaid legal issues and ramifications, I’ll be most pleased to be of their assistance and provide all evidence required.
Resuming to CCFS, at the request of my dearly beloved niece (my eldest brother’s daughter-what a proud aunt am I, hehehe!), I read the original CCFS in Japanese and explained it to her by delineating all those points discussed in various CC/CCFS forums concerning the nature and identity of Candy’s spouse during the Great Depression. I’ve redacted a circa 7-page document where I list all those CCFS issues argued in certain CC/CCFS forums based NOT on conjecture or opinion but on indisputable historical facts. Nagita has provided a clear indication regarding the nature and identity of Candy’s spouse. If you would like, I could easily post this document where I simply focus on the facts which lead the readers to Candy’s husband during the Great Depression as Nagita as already constructed a prescriptive framework leading her readers ‘him’ (or ‘that man’). It should be specified that Nagita herself is a highly educated individual whose expertise lies in theatre studies (she worked as a Thespian for the Shiki Theatre Company during her late adolescence/early adulthood), and adept in history and literary symbolism. Bottom line, Nagita is NOT ambiguous at all regarding the identity of Candy’s partner. Nagita, however, does demand from her readers to delve deeper into history, literature and a bit of psychoanalysis (at least the rudiments of each..;-)))
Anyway, I’ll get back to that later on..
I would also like to discuss with you about your interesting points raised concerning the ‘nature versus nurture’ aspects which may have affected the lives and characters of Terry and Albert. I find your analysis intriguing.
Thank you again, Reeka, for your kind words and I wish you and your loved ones all the best!
Take Care,
Alex
Thank you Alex for introducing yourself. Simply by reading your strict training over the years I can imagine how your supervisor and other colleagues must have shaped you into a person you are today.
It’s very interesting how broad your interests are, covering literature, sci fi, fantasy, history, law, and even manga/anime! I’m sure you have heard how some people despised the manga culture in Japan?
I am one who couldn’t stand the Candy Candy anime version. I tried but finally gave up. It was, as you said, cringeworthy and even laughable at points. I watched most of it when I was a child (though didn’t quite understand the relationship between Candy and Albert) and remember only bits and pieces. As an adult I finally got to read the manga, which was well structured and fast paced. After that when I tried to watch the anime, I really couldn’t finish it, one of the reasons being exactly what you said in your latest comment — character distortions, especially Terry, and ridiculous plot alterations.
I’m in agreement with you about Candy’s story. It’s much more than Cinderella or Daddy-long-legs.
I’m seriously interested in reading about your thoughts or historical facts regarding adoption back in that era, given that you have proofs or cases in real life.👍👍👍 If you have time or some ready-to-share materials, please contact me via my Facebook page or on Twitter. Of course, this includes your analysis of CCFS and why you think あのひと isn’t that ambiguous after all. 😅😁 Thank you in advance. I’m sure your contributions will be appreciated by many fans around the world. 🎊🎉
Hello Alex, about Terry’s behavior at May festival (the manga version), there’s absolutely no excuse. He was violent and rough, forcing his “affections” on a girl who was vulnerable. The slappings they gave each other afterwards were awful beyond words… not to mention he dragged her to the stable and forced her to ride a horse with him, all without consent.
That said, I don’t agree this is statutory rape. Perhaps you as an attorney see things differently?
A friend of mine, when she first read the manga, she thought Terry was going to rape Candy too… as he was removing his jacket. However, my friend was relieved that he was apparently getting changed to ride a horse.
Anyway, Terry was rude and immature and forced a kiss on Candy, and she was still mourning and fragile, but one can argue that was when Candy began to develop strong feelings for him. Sigh… Like you said, she was like a person drowning in grief and Terry was there to give her a lifesaver.
As Reeka said, bad boys are appealing to some people, even women nowadays. That’s why some Terry fans claimed they’d rather have Terry than Albert, whom they deemed boring. You’ve been to Japan, and you know how some men still ruled over their women in this 21st century (not just Japan but other Asian countries, especially India). I’ve always considered myself lucky to have been born and grown up in a place where women are generally equal to men, but male chauvinists regrettably still exist around the world. For example, the latest scandal from a Google employee is a solid proof. I work in IT field, and I’m lucky my workplace is more open-minded than Google.
Hello Again!
Glad to know you’re in IT! My eldest brother is an IT specialist and I so admire his expertise. Now I know why your (digital) artwork is so fab..;-))) Great to see more and more women in IT and other disciplines which were once restricted to men (not any more, apparently, whether that asinine ex-employee of Google likes it or not)!
Resuming to CC manga/novel, indeed, in legal terms (I’ve been responsible for handling such cases-unfortunately numerous times-when I was working for a law firm prior to my academic post) Terry would have been charged for physical assault, sexual harassment and attempted rape. Further on, the case would have been investigated by medical experts and forensic scientists so as to ascertain the level of physical abuse (the multiple bruises and scratches on her petite frame, needless to mention her bleeding wound after Terry had dragged her to the stables and forced her through the forest on his horse). Terry had made a complete mess out of her and the law would have made one hell of a mess put of him.
As for the CC manga, I’ve got an original B&W Japanese one (it’s actually regarded as a ‘collectors item’ from what my friends in Japan have informed me) which shows the entire (uncensored) May Festival scene culminating with the aforesaid disturbing rape attempt scene (Igarashi, CC Manga, Volume 3, pgs 33-35). This exact moment is when Candy slaps Terry after he had slapped her. She’s telling him that Anthony always respected her and he would have never assaulted her. At this moment, Terry goes beast mode on her and approaches her in a threatening way making further sexual advances towards her in tandem with mocking her about Anthony’s masculinity. Terry is grabbing her body again mocking Anthony’s inability to protect her from him because the lad’s dead. Candy uses all her strength to push back Terry clearly terrified of him (gotta hand it to the wee lass, she really used all the strength she could muster to fight Terry’s sexual harassment). She’s screaming and sobbing as she’s justifiably horrified by this lunatic. After pushing him back, Terry staggers a bit (arguably, he somewhat realised the crime he was about to commit) and becomes very dark and menacing by hurling expletives against Anthony that he cannot protect her reiterating that he’s in the grave. These words ‘paralyse’ Candy and from there on we all know how Terry grabs Candy by full force dragging her to the stables and again without her consent pulls her on the horse she’s extremely terrified of. A modern day psychologist and psychiatrist would have whooped Terry’s arse for the further trauma he had incurred upon Candy. No wonder Terry had dropped out of school; let’s face it, he’s no intellectual-type material..
What’s just as disturbing is the fact that Terry refuses to apologise for his savagery and sexual harassment against Candy. Some Terry-fans whine that Anthony had also slapped Candy when she had run away. Whilst this is unacceptable from Anthony, at least he recognised his abusive act, took full responsibility for it and apologised to Candy for his inexcusable insolence. To reiterate, I find all forms of violence unacceptable and I will not make any exceptions at all. Anthony, at least, had the decency to confess his erroneous act and apologise profusely for it. Terry, on the other hand, recognises that what he did was downright appalling but blatantly refuses to apologise because he actually believes that he did the ‘right thing’. The dude’s gone and beyond any form of repair concerning his wretchedness as he constantly repeats his abusive and violent misogynistic behaviour against Candy and his own mother.
With regards to your insightful comment on male chauvinism in Japan, indeed, that was the case during the 1970s-1990s (and a bit today albeit not anywhere as intense and severe). Modern Japanese women and men, however, are far more in favour of gender equality, especially the younger generation. Western and Northern culture on gender equality have significantly influenced Modern Japanese mindsets, and I have personally experienced this sociopolitical phenomenon when I recently worked in Japan in an environment which back in the aforementioned 1970s-1990s was regarded as a strictly male-governed environment. Moreover, there is some really insightful scholarly literature regarding the emergence of Japanese Feminism via Manga Art. Some ‘quaint’ male chauvinists back then used to accuse the female Japanese Manga Artists of ‘insidiously’ promoting Feminist ideologies via exposing toxic masculinities and promoting female empowerment through their craft. As Japanese Manga was directed to a young female audience/readership, male chauvinists felt that the female Japanese Manga Artists were implicitly promoting such radical feminist and liberal ideologies.
Here are some selected sources for further reading, if you would like:
Hattie Jones (2013), “Manga girls: Sex, love, comedy and crime in recent boy’s manga and anime,” in Brigitte Steger and Angelika Koch (2013 eds): ‘Manga Girl Seeks Herbivore Boy. Studying Japanese Gender at Cambridge’.
Ito, Kinko (2005). “A history of manga in the context of Japanese culture and society”. The Journal of Popular Culture. 38 (3): pp 456–475.
Kinsella, Sharon (2000). “Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society”. University of Hawaii Press.
Ōgi, Fusami (2004). “Female subjectivity and shōjo manga: shōjo in Ladies’ Comics and Young Ladies’ Comics”. The Journal of Popular Culture. 36 (4): pp 780–803.
Perper, Timothy; Cornog, Martha (2003). “Sex, love, and women in Japanese comics”. In Francoeur, Robert T.; Noonan, Raymond J. ‘The Comprehensive International Encyclopedia of Sexuality’. New York: Continuum.
Alex & Ms Puddle,
Never once had I even thought Terry’s rude treatment to Candy in May Festival as an attempted statutory rape. Yes, it was appalling, disturbing, and definitely degrading Candy as a young woman. And she was not just any young woman. At this point, Terry only knew her as a daughter from a very prestigious family whose room in college as grand as his. I am not saying he could do such manner to people below his class, but he should’ve known what mess he could’ve got himself into as a result of his action. Well, as we know it, that fact alone did not bother him at all.
Maybe he was not going to literally rape her, I still can’t accept that idea hahahaha, as much as I condemn Terry for every inappropriate things he did to Candy, no, he would never rape her. At least not in this scene, not at his age at that moment. I truly believe, despite everything, he sincerely had a soft spot to her and he really cared about her. But if the story had taken place some years later, I can see Terry, blinded by jealousy, he could’ve forced sex to innocent woman like Candy. However, I agree, if only it happened in our era, he could’ve been easily sued for his abusive and violent manner. Not only did he physically abuse her, verbally he also told her stuff that traumatised and degraded her. From time to time, he didn’t respect her as a woman who had voice to decide what she wanted. – on contrary, Albert (almost ) always gave her the freedom to choose her own path.
And, yes, he did not apologise, at all. The thing that differentiated him to Anthony’s slap. Only two men in the story who never showed aggressive manner to Candy, they were Albert and Stear.
That’s why I never accepted the idea of Terry being Anohito. The way Mizuki described Him definitely not of Terry’s characteristics. One could argue Terry would have been matured then. Hahaha yeah, right. He had matured alright, but unless stated by the author herself, Terry would always be Terry. As Candy would still possess her younger self’s habit and manner ( for example, in CCFS, she said Anohito had told her that she still liked to judge people by their appearances). Imagine these two, living a life under media’s spotlight as celebrity couple. I never bought that idea. For sure, jealousy and third wheel would always be the demons in their marriage. It was hard & exhausting to live with a man as explosive as Terry. In Katy Perry’s words, he was changing his mind like girl changing clothes. He’s hot then he’s cold. They’d fight, they’d break up; they’d kiss, they’d make up. Hahahaha. Sure, for some women, it’s passionate and from that exact idea, they worship Terry-Candy as a couple.
p.s. Actually re-reading again my comment, I honestly feel insecure to talk to you, Alex. While you are so adept at speaking about the characters in academic point of view, I could not get any better reference than Katy Perry’s song. LOL. Hahaha J/K, Alex.
Hello Reeka and Ms Puddle,
Thank you so much for your insightful comments. I really appreciate it and I enjoy discussing with you! We don’t have to agree on everything and I actually like that because that makes us all-each and every one of us-unique and distinct. I am always open to difference of opinion and perspectives because we all learn from one another and that’s grand. I’m not an expert in Japanese manga myself, although I really enjoy reading this stuff during my pastime.
As for the aforesaid attempted rape scene, I speak clearly as it is defined in legal terms and I’ll leave it there. I am not in the position to know what’s going on in Terry’s mind and to be honest, I really don’t want to know as I wouldn’t intend to have anything to do with that deranged lunatic. I will only add that scenes of attempted or near rape constitute recurrent themes in Japanese manga art (for example: The Sword of Paros, The Rose of Versailles). For instance, in The Rose of Versailles, I was shocked and appalled when Andre attempted to rape Lady Oscar. I had considered him to be such a worthy character. I also didn’t expect Anthony to slap Candy and become so enraged (I find Anthony’s rage far more frightening than Terry’s emotionally-infused violent outbursts-I’ll discuss the reasons why some time later). Attempted or near rape scenes constitute tropes in Japanese manga which the male character is confronted with a moral dilemma or a moral ‘test’; those men who stop themselves from this attempt rape (such as Andre) and then profusely apologise being absolutely sincere in their remorse for having been abusive (such as Andre and Anthony), are regarded as far superior to those who exert physical assault and refuse to apologise (such as Terry, of-course). Interestingly enough, however, both you and Ms Puddle have discussed how massively Terry is changing when he meets and then develops his professional relationship (via their common career paths) with her. As Ms Puddle has astutely pointed out: “Susanna has tamed Terry”. This ‘post-St Paul boarding school’ Terry bears almost no similarity to that douche-bag spoilt brat chewing on his dad’s cash back in school. It looks as if Terry Graham and Terry Granchester are two different people. I’ll be fair to Terry here and say that if I had met him for the first time in New York without knowing his awful and dark past back at St Paul’s, I may have even considered him to be a nice guy. Again, I am hypothetically speaking here and nothing more than that. Nonetheless, his manic-depressive mood swings as well as (self-) destructive nature remain and his depression becomes more and more intense as he gets older, especially his alcoholism. Unfortunately for the Terry-fans, they’re still obsessively clinging to that teenage Terry back in school. Time has simply stopped for them but definitely not for Terry as he’s surely changing. These fans stubbornly refuse to accept that this guy wanted to move on and develop into a better person. Arguably, Terry was also influenced by Albert and intended to emulate him as he admired and respected Albert to a great degree. Nevetheless, Terry had to battle the demons of his diseased soul and those battles weren’t always victorious.
Resuming to Manga art, albeit regarded as a form of ‘sub-culture’ by hard-core purists, delves into many intricate layers of the human character-often the darker aspects of the human psyche. Arguably, that’s its appeal.. I’ve provided a selected bibliography list here at the comments section if you would like to have a look. These two further books are also really worth a read:
“Rewriting history in manga : stories for the nation” / Nissim Otmazgin, Rebecca Suter, editors, (New York, 2016)
“Adult manga : culture and power in contemporary Japanese society” / Sharon Kinsella, (Surrey, 2000)
Again, thanks for your response and feedback, Reeka, and I’m looking forward to discussing further with you!
All Best,
Alex
Hello Alex and Reeka,
I must say I’ve enjoyed discussing with you two as well and appreciate various feedback, insights and opinions, albeit somewhat different. Thank you for all the references too, Alex and Reeka!
In my blog, nobody is forced to agree with what I said, and I’m usually open to different perspectives as long as they don’t distort the facts in order to win their arguments (such as the theories of of Candy waiting indefinitely for Terry to return to her one day… which is the exact opposite of what’s written in CCFS).
About Terry and his inexcusable behaviour to Candy at May festival, let’s just leave it right there. Yes, Alex, I read the Rose of Versailles too and could never forget the attempted rape. As you said, André’s deep remorse and sincere apology afterwards made us forgive him right away.
Yet Terry refused to apologize… Not only that, he seemed glad to have done it in the first place. Even to this day I find it incredible that some fans like him this way. Reeka, you mentioned that perhaps when he was older he might have the potential to force himself on someone again? That reminds me of the fanfic “Seasons of daffodils”? I’ve never read it myself but I was told there was a scene in which he forced Candy again and succeeded this time. Anyway, it’s a fanfic but it undoubtedly shows the writer’s approval of his misconduct.
Like Alex, I also think Terry was a better guy in New York. I guess he had matured somewhat? Though he was still aloof towards his co-workers, he was generally nice to Susanna and most of all respected her. What a contrast when compared to his bantering (if not belittling) attitude to Candy. The funny thing is that he always remembered her sulks and angry faces back in school days, which to me were extremely superficial, especially when compared to Candy’s relationship with the others in the Ardlays.
Sigh…
I’ll respond to your other comments later, Alex.
Hello Ms Puddle and Reeka!
Just a final word on the Terry fandom (not all of them, apparently) as the severe majority of them are not worth anyone’s invaluable time. Let the poor lasses lather themselves in their fantasies about being violently abused, beaten and humiliated by rotten teens living off their dad’s cash back at some decadent boarding school. Whatever floats their boat.. It’s really up to medical personnel to deal with their cases any further.
Ms Puddle-That fan-fic stuff you’ve mentioned is available on the web as a pdf version. I used my software tool to quickly scan the areas where Terry is mentioned and I found not one but numerous scenes where Terry is an absolute douche-bag (even worse than his worst self back in his teens at St Paul’s). Terry’s a complete d**k-head not only to Candy but to his colleagues, to Susanna, and even to his own boss-the director of the theatre troupe! Wow! Just wow.. In our day and age, there are actually some folk out there which swoon over such violent males as Terry to the point of reducing him to an even cheaper and slimier version of the actual CC/CCFS.. If Terry was an actual guy, he would have chased that fan-fic writer down for downgrading him to such an awful extent and probably would have brought an arse-whooping with him. But then again, that’s probably what this writer wants as she relishes such sick treatment. We’re talking about zero level dignity at this point and I want nothing to do with it, so I leave it there. Needless to say that Nagita would never endorse such cheap stuff given her proven track-record in character development and betterment. A characteristic example is where Nagita intensifies how terribly wrong Terry was in hitting and abusing Candy (at the May Fest scene/Volume 2/Chapter 10 where Candy exclaims that: ‘You’re a savage! It’s horrible to hit a woman!’). Violence against women is never endorsed in quality manga art nor in Japanese literature. Such violent men are reduced to a lesser degree when committing such appalling acts and even to a further debased level if they remain without remorse following their violent acts. If Nagita would have intended to somewhat ‘elevate’ Terry’s character (as in the case of Anthony), she would have added a scene where Terry apologises for having beaten and demeaned Candy. But that scene never occurred as it was never written by Nagita. In Japanese art and culture, women and men are highly esteemed and revered for their level of self-control (hence, the highly elevated Albert-archetype) and especially for their level of self-awareness, having the decency to express remorse for their wrong-doings. Terry’s refusal to apologise is an insult to human dignity in all terms irrespective of one’s cultural or national background.
BTW, my colleague from Argentina was telling me about a famous Comedy Group which has been ridiculing the Candy-Terry anime as so many people are absolutely sick and tired of that cheesy anime version. In their frequent sketches, they provide a circa 2-7 minute sketch called ‘La Guatona Candy’. He’s sent me some YouTube links and they are ‘brutally’ hilarious. There’s even one on Albert (even in the parody version, Albert is handsome-love the part where he’s narrating his adventures to Candy..;-)))
Here’s the Albert/parody actor again as a ‘priest’ (this is so surreal, hehehe..):
Poor Susanna in this vid..
They’re insane..
Hello Alex, your comment made me laugh… btw, I saw a duplicate comment and removed that one already. Once again, my appreciation to you for your encouraging words about my blog.
I won’t say much about that fanfic because I have no interest to read it in the first place, and after reading your “summaries”, I wonder how it has become so popular among Terry fans, even in Japan I heard (because someone translated it). Anyway, let’s just stop talking about it any further.
Thanks for providing the links to the parodies. I’ll take a look when I have a chance 👍😘
Hello Ms Puddle,
Glad to make you laugh! My brothers and I tend to be rather brutal and sardonic (my partner is a nicer guy but we’ll ‘convert’ him in due course..) when it comes to humour so I’m glad my commentary brought a smile..;-)
On a serious note, my humour is always of the best of intentions. As I work at a Scottish university with loads of Scottish colleagues (as well as great friends), the Scottish ‘banter’ is ubiquitous, if not indicative of Scottish friendly relationships. I’ll discuss at some point further on about the difference between Albert’s friendly ‘banter’ (he is of Scottish heritage) with Candy and Terry’s demeaning malicious teasing against Candy. Humour is grand when all parties involved have equivalent participation and there’s mutual laughter. The same goes for pranks. That said, the humour between Albert and Candy is mutual; the same doesn’t apply at all in Terry’s case as he’s the only one calling the shots whilst Candy is simply the passive recipient of his cruelty. Folks, that’s not humour.
As for that fan-fic whatever stuff, yeah, I agree you. Best to just let it go.. Sheer common sense. I couldn’t read that stuff any further anyway and I definitely wouldn’t recommend (unless someone has a vomit bag within close proximity). I simply scanned it quickly out of sheer curiosity as I wanted to discover that aforementioned sexist and misogynistic textual evidence myself. Guess the only way to deal with such nonsense is humour, isn’t it?
Looking forward to your further material and artwork!
All Best,
Alex
Alex, I can’t agree with you more about the appropriate sense of humour and the art of friendly bantering. You’re not the only one who pointed out that when Albert and Candy were together, even when he teased her, she was smiling and mostly at ease. More importantly, she was herself and got nothing to hide from him. On the other hand, when she was with Terry, she was either annoyed or frustrated. Not only she was always on edge, but she didn’t tell him much about herself or her childhood when they spent time together. Perhaps subconciously she didn’t feel safe enough to share her deep thoughts with this guy? In CCFS it’s clearly written from whom she found the marvelous sense of security. ☺️😁
My friend,
it’s amazing to see how low people could go to insult others, right? Especially on this internet era, not a day passed where I did not feel disgusted with some comments ( on online articles/news) people threw to a mere stranger just because they did not share the same opinion. They always said it was a freedom of speech. I once read a book and it had a very inspiring line. I rephrased it as “When you are able to control your desires, you do actually earn yourself a freedom. Because it makes you a master of your own destiny, not a master of your endless desires.”
Well, I don’t know which blog/page you talked about, and I think I also don’t want to know. But there are indeed a few fanfics about Albert being gay. I don’t know if I want to laugh, upset, or pitying them. I honestly never read that story, I only read the title and foreword. And I don’t know if they are doing it purely to insult our beloved prince or the writer loved Albert and the writer herself was a homosexual, so she did it just because it was her sexual preference ( here I am trying to be positive). Being fair, there are also stories that discredited Terry, mostly with him being playboy and unfaithful, or for his tendency for being immature, rude and aggressive.
To be brutally frank, we have to look at how the writer created the characters. Terry was indeed characterised by his immaturity, his short temper, his aggressive manner, and it’s clear in the story that he enjoyed being adored by girls. Meanwhile Albert, he was almost flawless as a man. His only fault was he hid his true identity to Candy, but he did it to most people because it’s needed to protect the family. Although we knew, later after he regained the memory, his main reason to continue to hide it was not for the family interest. If only people see CC story with open eyes, they would certainly notice that Mizuki/Nagita created William Albert Ardley with so much care that she made him almost perfect. And it was actually a stereotype of a male protagonist. To be an alpha male with perfect face and body, like a greek god. Blessed with immense wealth and power at very young age. And having a female protagonist as his only achilles heel. Can’t they see those obvious facts? It is very clear in CC that WAA was superior compared to other male characters.
And my friend, like we have agreed, after all CCFS was not as puzzled as we had thought it was. As the badge, it was one of the most obvious ones for people familiar with the story. The badge is always an important treasure for Candy. It had appeared constantly in manga and how she longed to meet again with the prince. In CCFS, Mizuki again highlighted the significant value of the badge itself in Ardley family. It’s mentioned that Aunt Elroy had scolded Albert for losing it. For the matriarch, of course it’s not because the badge was somewhat an expensive accessory, for sure because it was one of a kind, something irreplaceable. We assume it was the Patriarch’s identity. Like you said, Ms Puddle, in CCFS, two things happened with this badge. First significant point is Albert presenting it as a gift to Candy. Second, where was the badge on present time? If it was just a mere gift and a humble accessory without meaning to the Ardleys, sure it would have been in Candy’s jewellery box. But it was not there. Candy didn’t even mention it again. Like she didn’t mention the whereabout of WAA in 1930s. It means one thing, he was somewhere close to her, Albert in 1930s was not mentioned because she didn’t need being nostalgic about him, as to her possible children. They were living with her. And for the badge, I agree with you, it must be kept safely elsewhere for it’s now become a property of her son.
Btw,
I love this drawing, my friend. Candy is breath-takingly beautiful and Albert looks so handsome here. Both looks so young here. I think I may drool even more if you make Albert more mature. 😉
Well said, Reeka my friend 😗, about WAA being the protagonist material. Can’t agree with you more.
Yes it’s true that some people just write tactless comments to make others look bad. One time I watched a video of a technical presentation on YouTube. Granted, the speaker wasn’t perfect and his voice sort of monotonic, but someone actually left a very mean comment asking the speaker to go take courses to learn public speaking. Hence, some others actually replied to this person asking him to be more polite or appreciative (for which I have forgotten now).
About the topic of Albert being gay, it wasn’t the first time I heard about it, but this time it wasn’t a fanfiction. You know some people aren’t capable of critical thinking and they can easily be fooled by some half-truths, like Albert’s birth month is June, etc. I just felt like speaking up, that’s all. ☺️
Glad to hear that you’re in agreement with me about the badge, though I don’t remember the part about Aunt Elroy’s scolding… 😅 For sure Anthony told Candy the badge was special and only belong to the direct descendant. I have to read that part again in book 1.
In CCFS Albert actually presented his badge to Candy as his present. Like you said, its significance can’t be ignored, especially he knew all along what this badge meant to Candy since her childhood — her firm belief that her Prince on the Hill would come back to her one day. The badge had connected them both; the badge was a meaningful, personal item that was supposed to belong to him alone but this time he willingly let her keep it. It’s almost like he gave her a part of him. It wasn’t as “official” in the old novel however. Albert in his letter simply asked her to keep it because it had been her amulet. 😁
About my drawing, I’m happy to hear you love it. 💞💓 Many thanks! 😍 In CCFS Candy wrote at least twice Albert didn’t look his age or still very young as an entrepreneur, so I simply took his image from the manga (he looked much younger than the Albert in the anime). In my imagination, by the time he confessed to her, she was just few weeks short to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, and he should be in his early thirties. 😘
Hello Again!
Thank you for your feedback and kind wishes, both of which are most appreciated.
First and foremost, my apologies for that very long message. I type extremely rapidly (over 190wpm) and I simply didn’t realised that my message was so long. I guess I’ve just got too accustomed to writing lengthy research papers and articles that I simply got carried away..
Secondly, I see your point about Candy and I ought to admit that perhaps I’ve been a tad too harsh on the poor lass. She’s had enough grief and abuse from Terry and the Lagans (or Leagans); she doesn’t need my judgemental attitude as further insult to injury. I would have preferred her to be a bit more erudite and independent though. As for Patty, yes, she’s a superb character but Nagita keeps her on the side-lines. I consider her relationship with Stear far more interesting as it bears both the intellectual (cerebral) as well as the more sensual (although not as heavily pronounced as the Terry-Candy one). As Stear was my favourite character (and still is..) in CC/CCFS, his death (albeit epic and noble) had struck really hard. I’ll provide further analysis regarding Stear’s depth of character in the near future. As for Archie, indeed, he got short-changed. Arguably, this is my issue with the CC/CCFS; Candy doesn’t really have to face much ‘competition’ when it comes to being a ‘dude magnet’. Whilst there is a variety of male characters mustering depth of character and extraordinary looks (one is truly better than the other), the same doesn’t apply for the female characters. The competition is too weak. Candy is really running a one-person marathon in this respect.
However, and this is my third point, Candy’s ‘throne’ begins to rumble, threatened to be torn asunder by the highly talented, successful and beautiful Susanna. Whilst in the anime version she appears severely debased to a simplistic clingy woman, in the manga and (novelised CC), she has far greater depth and intelligence. I’ll refrain from elaborating on her character now, but I will stress the fact that Terry was developing sexual and romantic feelings for her. As in Candy’s case, he had not realised it immediately. However, further on Terry actually admits that he likes her. For Candy he had a childish and belligerent passion; for Susanna it was something more which, unfortunately, remained stillborn following her tragic accident and subsequent disability. Had the accident not occurred, it was only a matter of time until a romance would have developed between those two. Terry and Susanna constituted the ideal couple (a ‘Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’ style of a stunning couple). Both are beautiful, talented, and complex characters. The Terry-zealots can neither accept nor ‘digest’ this unpalatable (to them) truth. Let’s face it, Susanna and Terry were colleagues, they had so much in common, and they would spend loads of time together. It was only a matter of time.. The irony is that Susanna’s accident actually ‘immortalised’ Terry and Candy’s romance by converting it into such an immense tragedy. I’m certain that deep down inside Candy knows this. Susanna constituted the ‘real deal’ rival-and a worthy one she was.
Anyway, I’ll stop here for now as this message is also increasing in length..;-)
At some point and if you would like, I’ll provide my review and analysis of the original CCFS (not the loose and inaccurate translations). I speak Japanese and have worked in Japan for a considerable time during my first post-doctoral research. I have studied Japanese culture in both a theoretical (scholarly) and practical sense. Nevertheless, I’ll provide further explanations later on.
Thank you again for your invitation, kind words, and for your most interesting and insightful blog.
Regards,
Alex
Hello again, Alex!
Thank you so much for your compliments 💓, especially from you who actually knows Japanese and its culture. It’s very encouraging indeed. Unlike you, my Japanese is self-taught, and I’m still learning a little every day to improve my knowledge. If you do spot any mistakes I’ve made in the past, please do point it out to me at your convenience so that I can make the corrections. Thank you in advance! 😘
My sentiments exactly concerning Susanna and Terry. Whether his fans or followers agree or not, I believe he had unintentionally led her on or given her false hope. The fact that he had never tried to clear the rumors makes me believe he might have subconsciously admired her or at least her talents. I don’t want to think that he deliberately took advantage of her fame though.
Therefore, I’m one of the few who believe Terry might have developed some special feelings towards Susanna in the end. After all, he had never hated her (some Terry fans can’t be more wrong in this regard), and like one Japanese fan said, she was actually better than Annie. Again, there’s no way Terry had not changed a tiny bit after taking care of her for a substantial period of time.
About Candy, she was an orphan and much less educated than the other female characters in the story. Therefore I don’t mind her being less refined. Well, just my two cents 😀
Yes, I’m truly looking forward to hearing from you your review and analysis of CCFS, but of course, no rush.
Best wishes,
Ms Puddle
Hi Alex,
greetings! welcome to this wonderful site of Mspuddle’s! Lovely to read your thoughts. And I totally agree with you regarding Terry and Susanna. It’s just about time they would be together. Well, let me rephrase, it was just about time for Candy and Terry to have a break up. They belonged to very different world. I firmly believe, Candy wouldn’t be able to adapt with his lifestyle now that he was a rising actor in broadway. Endless party and having a swarm of beautiful women around her man? Hahaha, right!
Yes, Candy was advanced for women in that era, but celebrity lifestyle was definitely not hers. She was a woman if she was famous, she would be well known as a charitable fine lady and it’s truly easy to imagine her as an Ardley’s matriarch. She and WAA had similar moral value where they would use their wealth and power to help others.
And if Terry was not going to end up with Susanna, he would have fallen to other beautiful actress. With or without the fateful accident, Candy and Terry would separate. How many time they chased after each other but Universe denied them the pleasure of being together? On contrary, how many times Albert and Candy said goodbyes, but the same Universe always had its way to reunite them again and again? This story is simple. But apparently some readers made it unbelievably complicated.
Yes Reeka, Candy and Terry are not meant for each other, because Mizuki (Nagita) wouldn’t let that happen, LOL 😊😂
Seriously, they rarely had meaningful conversations, not to mention they hardly knew each other. Their only common thing was St. Paul’s academy, so that explains why when they met again in New York, they ran out of topics easily. Granted, Terry had secrets and was afflicted, but still…
When Terry and his fellow co-workers visited Chicago, Candy felt insecure and worried about the rumours between Terry and Susanna too. Who wouldn’t? Not only they had been apart for many months, but he had not made any attempt to contact her. That speaks volumes of his true feelings for Candy.
Anyhow, I personally think Mizuki could have done a better job in separating these two. Sigh …
Hello Reeka and Ms Puddle!
On a further note, I think that the anime has done quite a lot of ‘damage’ to the original CC manga/novels concerning the ways in which the key characters are distorted.
For example, Terry’s abusive and violent disposition are both significantly ‘softened’ to the point where the anime-Terry isn’t (the manga- and novel-)Terry any more but some form of ‘Mother Teresa’! One could construe that the reason why a Terry-fandom may exist in the first place (albeit profoundly reduced nowadays) is due to the anime-Terry which is a far cry from the actual manga-Terry in both character and appearance (take note that the CCFS does make Terry look more Mediterranean-dark eyes and darker skin- and less Celtic-grey eyes and pale skin as in the manga, however, his abusive and violent character retains the manga and not the anime version). TOEI producers/animators appear to have ‘morphed’ the anime-Terry into an Albert-type persona; for example, Terry’s violence and assault against Candy during the May Fest have been deleted from the anime. Instead, Terry is depicted as some form of ‘guardian angel’ who organises the May Fest himself and convinces the headmistress to allow Candy to attend the bonfire event. Terry also saves Candy’s arse by covering for her during her absence from the punishment room. The anime-Terry is constantly seen as a really kind and charitable man who helps orphan and homeless children (Cookie, for instance) as well as having a soft spot for Patty’s grandmother helping her sneak into the boarding school. None of these events ever occur in Nagita’s narrative, however.. The manga/novel Terry really doesn’t give a rat’s arse for any of the above-mentioned people. Moreover, the anime Terry wishes to bond with Candy’s close friends and attempt to befriend Archie and Stear, whilst the anime-Archie is made to look so ugly and aggressive (a diametrical opposite to the manga-Archie). In the manga/novel, Terry only wishes to bond with Albert and maintains a tremendous distance from Candy’s friends. Furthermore, the anime-Terry is cold against Susanna whereas the exact opposite exists in the mange/novel version. The anime-Susanna appears silly which, apparently, is not the case in the manga where her character has far greater depth. It’s worthy of note to specify that neither Nagita nor Igarashi were pleased with the TOEI animation/character distortions, especially not Nagita who had stated that the anime had taken a life of its own different to her own original work and, of-course, she wasn’t delighted about that.
That said, most-if not all-of my childhood friends who used to be devout anime-Terry fans moved to the other extreme to actually ‘hate’ him (they actually use this word verbatim) when they read the CC manga. They were shocked at how different the anime-Terry is to the manga/novel one. The sheer irony in this situation is that most of those women who declare themselves as Terry-disciples are, in fact, infatuated with an anime version of Terry who is no other than a dimension of Albert’s noble character (whether anime or manga, as Albert is awesome in both versions). Most of Terry’s fandom have not read the CC manga/novel. Many of them even refuse to watch the anime version when Terry leaves St Paul’s.
Adding further insult to injury, a renowned Greek theatre and voice actor who had dubbed Terry-Argiris Pavlidis-had warned the Greek Terry fandom that they live in their own little fantasy world by trying to make Terry something that he could never be. In many of his interviews, Argiris Pavlidis constantly reiterates his points that Terry fans are too obsessed with Terry in trying to ‘morph’ him into marriage material. Here’s a link where he actually says (in a gist): “What are you (the Terry fans) trying to do? Are you trying to make Terry something he is not? Could Terry ever be an ‘Anthony’? Are you for real? Terry is a wild animal. No matter how much you love a wild animal you have to let it go or it will turn against you! A wild animal cannot and will not be tamed..”
(These sentences are found at: 4:30 onward..)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE2FKtTIEzs
Personally, I find Argiris Pavlidis to be one of the best voices for Terry (along with the original Japanese Kei Tomiyama, an actor whom I hold in high esteem) as this Greek guy really adds that roguish trait so indicative of Terry’s character. Argiris Pavlidis is also evry close buddies with the Greek voice actor for Albert (Yiannis Papaionannou). As for Kei Tomiyama, he continued to work intensely with the renowned Japanese voice actor for Albert-Makio Inoue-in further science fiction series, in particular, ‘Captain Harlock’, where Makio Inoue is the voice for Captain Harlock and Kei Tomiyama is the voice for his best friend (and constant drunkard), Tochirō Ōyama.
Ironic but also interesting, heh?
[Ignore any typos, please..]
Thank you Alex for all your comments that I haven’t had a chance to respond yet. Despite their lengths, I must say they are quite fascinating to say the least.
Here about the anime version I can’t agree with you more, especially how they made Terry a much better guy than the original one created by Nagita/Igarashi. Another comment of yours talked about May festival in detail so I’ll respond to that one instead. Here I just want to add that the anime crew or director(s) had been utterly unfair to the character Albert. In the beginning he looked way too old (in the manga except for Candy everyone could tell he was a young man wearing a disguise) and later the anime drawings just went downhill. Everyone looked ugly. A friend of mine even said Albert’s hair looked like some sort of dried squid and Candy looked like a boy wearing a huge wig lol…
About the Greek voice actor’s insightful speech, I mostly agree except that Terry was indeed tamed, not by Candy but by Susanna (or more precisely, his own guilt). Yet, I do agree he wasn’t cut a marriage material.
The voice actors in Japan: correct me if I am wrong. I read somewhere that the original voice actor for Terry had passed away? Yet, I was told the one who did Albert is one of the best ones and still active.
Hello Ms Puddle!
Unfortunately, Kei Tomiyama had died in 1995 from metastatic (pancreatic) cancer. He was one hell of a loss. He and Makio Inoue had been working together during the 80s-early 90s on various projects, most importantly ‘Captain Harlock’ (which is by far my favourite anime-even more than CC/CCFS). As for Makio Inoue, the last time I had heard of him was in the 2010 version of Lupin III. My friends in Japan told me that Makio Inoue may have retired but they’re not certain either. He must be over 70 years of age so I wouldn’t be surprised if he has retired. Yes, Makio Inoue is regarded to be one of most highly respected theatre and voice actors. To be a bit fair to the CC anime, it appears that all dubbed voices (Spanish/Italian/French) for the Albert character have been carefully selected by giving these roles to highly esteemed (voice) actors. My personal favourites are the Japanese (Makio Inoue) and then I would say the Greek (Yiannis Papaionannou) version.
As for the horrid CC anime, my friends and I consider it to be lazy. Everyone looks as if they have the same face! Seriously, just freeze-frame Terry, remove his dark hair and replace it with blonde hair, and change his eye-colour from dark brown to light-blue, and you’ve got Albert. Hilariously enough, even the Terry-fans get confused and make various fan art in which Candy is on a hill with a tall guy in jeans and a rustic/plaid shirt and they think it’s Terry but it’s Albert (Terry is too old- fashioned to wear jeans and plaid shirts). Besides, this casual attire is indicative of Albert’s mentality and attitude. These Terry-girls are actually swooning over Albert without realising it..;-) Loved your comment about the ‘squid’ and the ‘wig’, btw..
As for the wonderful Argiris Pavlidis (dubbed voice actor for Terry), that guy really nailed it in delineating Terry’s character. To be frank, the only reason why I would even bother watching the CC anime was to hear that man’s voice. Argiris Pavlidis is one of the most famous and beloved Greek voice actors and he’s still active and successful. I came across his most recent interview where he’s saying that he’s ‘grateful’ that he’s not being asked about Terry so much any more as he has made his point clear about him. He added that he’s ‘intrigued’ to see how girls and young women have truned their backs against Terry and prefer alternative male characters such as Stear, Albert and (the anime addition) Michael (the military physician). Apparently, he says that much as he sympathised and enjoyed working as a ‘voice’ for Terry, he really wants people to know and ask him about so many of his important roles in the given field which he finds far more interesting and worthy of note. You could tell that Pavlidis was struggling to conceal his annoyance (he actually rolled his eyes..) when a woman kept on asking him why Terry never told Candy that ‘he loved her’. Pavlidis tersely (if not acerbically..) replied that the reason why Terry never said it was because he simply and honestly never felt it. Pavlidis stated that Terry was in love with the feeling of being in love rather than being in love with a single or specific person. Of-course, the Terry-fans didn’t take Pavlides’ interpretation too well.. To make matters even worse, Pavlidis stated that he found Susanna far more beautiful and compatible to Terry and Candy and he considered that Terry was sexually attracted to Susanna and he wouldn’t blame him for that (you could imagine the look on the Terry-fans’ faces once he said that, I presume..;-)))
You mentioned something interesting about the manga. Unfortunately, the situation here is even worse with regards to various versions and censorship; this may somehow explain the enormous confusion about the CC versions and especially incorrect (either deliberate or inadvertent) translations. It’s quite a mess, really.. In most Southern European countries, the CC manga had been censored to the point where entire scenes and even entire blocks of dialogue have either been deleted or completely altered. I have the original Japanese CC manga/novelised manga and by comparing it to the Italian/French/Greek ones, the changes are massive because they are based on simply translating the pro-Terry Italian (and a loosely translated French) one and not the original Japanese CC manga. A notable example is the complete removal of the attempt rape/abuse scenes during the May Fest. Another significant one is the way in which Albert is described by Candy and the other girls when in repose during his hospitalisation. In the Greek and Italian versions, Candy’s friends are complaining that Albert looks so old with grey hair and an angry (menacing look). This is a complete change from the original scene in which Candy’s friends (Stear, in particular), are praising Albert’s refined and youthful looks wondering why he had been dying his lovely blonde hair dark and covering his beautiful features with glasses which made him look much older than he really is. The list is endless with regards to the innumerable errors and censorship..
Typo: I meant to say the following: ‘..he found Susanna far more beautiful and compatible to Terry than (not and) Candy..;’
Hi Ms Puddle ! i want to thank you first for the marvelous drawing you have presented in this post.
it Sad and see how people express and hurt feeling about Albert and disrespect a the story of Candy Candy, talking bad about the Character of Prince On The Hill WAA is not respect what the write and Author is Candy decide to be the one who end with Candy. using drawing from Alberts Fans to make jokes and fun of it a mean they are sick and uneducated people, agree with you if Terry was real he’ll feel ashamed .Terry plays a good role in Candy story but he is not the one like Anthony also and is Must be hard for those people to understand that.
i am fan of Candy story so that make an Albert fan she find her happiness with him and just Him.
Let shows these people we are different we know who Ano hito is Albert and we won’t disrespect no one. because we are different and shows respect to others !! keep drawing and show they love Albert and Candy MsPuddle for us Albert Fans and your as well !!
God bless you!!
( excused my grammar ) =)
Muchas gracias mi amiga 😗❤️ So glad you like my drawing 💓. As you can say, it’s a variant of the previous drawing that I gave many as my presents.
Yes, you’re right, Mariela. Anyone is free to support any character in the story, but it doesn’t mean they can insult the others who don’t like the same character. I truly hope that these people can learn to respect the others, including the author of Candy Candy.
Indeed Albert is Anohito, no doubt, the prince whom Candy had always admired since her childhood. When she was growing up she had experienced a lot, but Albert was always by her side. She was just unaware that he was her Prince on the Hill as well as the great uncle who had given her a much better life.
Once again, thank you, my friend 😗❤️ for your support 💕
Hello ‘Ms Puddle’,
The ‘human geography’ concerning the crazed Terry-zealots is simply laughable. Definitely not worth anyone’s invaluable time. Take note that almost 100% of them are children or adolescents themselves, most of whom are living their own delusional childish or teenage love ‘self-torment’. One can construe via their way of feeble writing that they’re immature and ignorant. As for the older ones, they’re most certainly one of those deranged fans which flock to watch ’50 Shades of Grey’ multiple times. Terry (as that 50-shades-whatever guy) embodies and epitomises their repressed wet dreams. Nothing more, nothing less..
At least one could somehow ‘excuse’ those teenagers for being silly; the crazed adults, however, are lamentable. I actually feel pity for Terry who’s severely unfortunate to have such a debased following-in stark contrast to the far more educated and sophisticated Stear/Archie/Albert enthusiasts. Moreover, I find it downright pathetic that they have reduced the intricacy of CC/CCFS to a mere cheesy chick-flick emetic melodrama. Both Nagita and Terry would be cringing over such imbecilities.
The Terry-fans lash out hysterically against everyone whether they be real people or manga/anime characters. I am utterly appalled by the ways in which the Terry-fans have been horrifically slut-shaming Susanna and posting hate speech against people with disabilities. These Terry-fans are, in reality, petty and embittered little creatures like Eliza Lagan. Sadly for them, Terry wouldn’t even spit at their faces let alone want to share his life with those lunatics.
The irony is that Terry would have respected all those people who admire and appreciate Albert; Terry himself profoundly revered Albert for his intelligence and personal integrity. Terry endeavoured to emulate Albert as he valued him as his mentor.
Seriously, it doesn’t make a difference whether Albert had married Candice or not; either way this ineffable and remarkable Liberal and radical Feminist man is the true winner of this story since he musters all those qualities decent, erudite and respectable people want to acquire and further develop. Albert constitutes a role-model for men and women alike. I have been fortunate and, above all, honoured to have been raised in a family which comprises sagacious people as Albert/Stear/Archie/George. Both women and men of quality bear those elevated attributes of the aforementioned men. I am grateful that my partner is such an individual of high quality. Our purpose is to raise our children with pristine values and principles. Characters such as Albert/Stear/Archie encourage and support female empowerment and gender equality. As for Terry, well..not quite. While I understand that he had a traumatic childhood and that he suffers from depression and alcoholism, I diametrically oppose his violent acts against women. I am utterly baffled that there are women out there who actually ‘swoon’ over a man who has no qualms in raising his fists against women as he did with Candice. Even he had profoundly despised himself concerning his violent streak and dark side. Such a damaged and diseased toxic male cannot be a role model for either man or woman in the C21st. Candice had ‘accepted’ it to a certain point because she didn’t know any better (she was only a child); in the early 1900s, women were regarded as subservient and inferior to men in legal as well as sociopolitical and socioeconomic terms.
Nonetheless, I have been wondering why Nagita has been so adept in providing depth and complexity for the male characters whereas the female ones do remain rather stock and two-dimensional. Even Candice, albeit a noble young lass, is not a particularly intelligent person. Her character doesn’t endure the massive transformation and developments the male characters do-namely, Terry, Albert, Stear, and Archie. For example, from the anime, I really appreciate Dr Kerry’s dynamic and Feminist character. Frannie Hamilton also had the prospect of developing into a more humane individual as she also mustered depth of character.
Perhaps Nagita’s intention was to focus on a gender she’s not aware of albeit intrigued by immensely. A similar example exists in the case of the superb Scottish writer, Lewis Grassic Gibbon (‘A Scots Quair’ Trilogy), who delves into the unfathomable depths of female sexuality, intellectualism and psychology, whilst he places male characters on a lesser plain than the female characters. The time and setting of Gibbon’s work is also during the beginning of the C20th leading to WWI and the Interbellum. Gibbon’s main female character-Chris Guthrie-intensely reminds me of Terry with regards to the sacrifice she had made and the severely dysfunctional family and traumatic childhood she had endured. I would recommend Gibbon’s work-in particular, the first volume ‘The Sunset Song’. Apparently, my intention is not to equate the high quality of Gibbon’s writing to manga (‘novelized’ manga) art. However, I consider this discrepancy and severe imbalance between male and female character development worth of note.
Anyway, I’ll stop my ‘rant’ here and for now as I have to resume my research (I work in academia). I would like to thank you for your insightful analysis of CC/CCFS and I am looking forward to your subsequent contributions in the near future.
Regards,
Alex
Thank you Alex for your long comment. Nice to meet you. 🙂
I didn’t mean to compare different groups of fans, but I did want to point out that some of them have no respect for others and intentionally crossed the community standards by insulting people who aren’t on their side.
Terry is not so bad a character in the story. Like you, I honestly dislike him being violent against women (both his mom and Candy), but other than that, he had been very kind to Susanna. He must have matured and even taken care of her till she breathed her last. Not all men are willing to take care of their sick partners. Because of that I never believe he sent a letter to Candy about being unchanged months after Susanna’s death. It was just too cold blooded to say the least, and I don’t understand why this theory was widely accepted amongst Terry fans.
Of course I like Albert, Archie and Stear in this story. They are not perfect, but as you said, they have individually transformed into better men.
Yet I disagree with you somewhat about Candy. Compared to the important female characters, she had experienced more hardships or heartbreaks in life, and yet she braced herself and moved on with optimism. She’d rather lead a simple life working as a nurse and helping her foster mothers in the orphanage than living in luxury. She was the one who decided to leave Terry for good and never looked back (she was braver because she took the step that he didn’t have the courage to say it out).
Patty had grown up too and became a teacher. Annie was the one who had only lived for romance, a typical girl character in a shoujo manga. No career, no aspiration. I actually feel sorry for Archie. He deserved someone better. Sigh…
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Hope to see you around 😗
Best wishes to your academic research! 📚📖
Alex & Ms Puddle,
it’s fascinating to read your reviews, Alex. I second you on how Candy didn’t really have competion of other female characters in order to attract male characters’ attention. They simply fell in love with her :). Except Albert and Neal Leagan, the other boys were bewitched by Candy at the first meeting. Albert might like her a little crybaby, but she was too small at that time.
However, like Ms Puddle, I have to disagree with you about Candy. Call me conservative, I was quite rebel and independent when I was young ( I’m at my late 30s now), but I am not really into modern feminism ( feminism nowadays to me is not the same as it was). Of course I fully demand the equality, but with the fact that men and women were created differently and they are supposed to compliment each other. For Candy, to me she was really advanced in thinking. But we must remember how she had been raised. I don’t think she was less refined ( as Ms puddle mentioned) compared other female characters. She could be refined and carried herself as a fine lady if she wanted to. She was just never pretentious.
In manga, in the period she was in St Paul, before Eliza told other students Candy had been adopted and she was actually an orphan, people treated her as “equal” and we know St Paul was a college for children of wealthy families. Compared to Fannie/Flamy, we also know Candy indeed considering to volunteer, but she had more people to think about. Meanwhile Flamy was simply nothing to lose if she went to war. Candy being a headache for almost every older chapters ( Aunt Elroy, Sister Grey, headmaster Mary Jane, dr Leonard) means her way of seeing things and her way to speak her mind were like those typical young women in that era. At least that’s what I see it. People called her rebellious, but to me she was trying to break those walls that suffocating women in early 20th century.
Maybe we must remember, Candy’s characters were built by Mizuki/Nagita with a purpose, to marry a Patriarch of Ardley family**, to be a fine lady of prominent family. She would be equal with her man, but in a way that society in that era dictated. And I think she was perfect. Well, she was too selfless and too noble to my liking, though.
edit :
paragraph 2 : it’s “complement” each other. NOT compliment 😀
Hello Reeka and thanks again for your kind words and excellent feedback!
I’ve just written a lengthy message so I’ll briefly state here that I consider that Candy’s studies and work experience in nursing enabled her to get in touch with highly dynamic and resourceful women, as opposed to the vacuous wealthy brats at St Paul’s. As Albert himself is a profoundly independent and resourceful man, he appears to hold Candy’s developing independent nature in the highest esteem; he not only supports but encourages and perpetuates it. I consider, therefore, that Nagita/Igarashi meant to develop and evolve Candy into a dynamic and self-reliant individual; an equivalent to the dynamic and self-reliant Albert or any other partner who musters those beautiful and highly commendable Albert-type attributes.
Best Regards,
Alex (ignore my typos as well..;-)))
GOSH! too many typos. hahahaha. I hope you guys understand what I mean.
* older characters, NOT chapters.
* …. were UNLIKE those typical young women in that era.