Yeah, it's manipulative, of course. It's definitely an over-the-top "Watch this cute puppy play! Oh no, someone wants to drown it! Will the puppy make it!?" sort of video.
it's further from some cultural comfort zone to cast a male as the damsel
True. I think it would have had a much stronger effect on me if the robot had been a young man, actually, because when a female anything appears, I'm used to expecting the character will be put in danger at some point. It's kind of a given for female characters. A male character, in a position of complete helplessness where all they can do to save themselves is beg and appeal to someone else's compassion... That would have been a lot more striking.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2012-03-12 11:51 am (UTC)it's further from some cultural comfort zone to cast a male as the damsel
True. I think it would have had a much stronger effect on me if the robot had been a young man, actually, because when a female anything appears, I'm used to expecting the character will be put in danger at some point. It's kind of a given for female characters. A male character, in a position of complete helplessness where all they can do to save themselves is beg and appeal to someone else's compassion... That would have been a lot more striking.