Parallels between Senshi and Tolkien's Elves

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Postby Comartemis » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:04 pm

Oh great, now I've caused the thread to go off topic again.

*sigh*

When I say /end rant I mean /end rant.
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Postby claymade » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:20 pm

Comartemis wrote:Setting aside the fact that often the so-called "super race" is vastly inferior to "mere humans"; see 9/10 Sailor Moon/Ranma crossovers. :roll:

That's not the point. It's not whether a (specific) human could or couldn't surpass a (specific) one of these "human plus" species by working that much harder than their counterpart to overcome their disadvantage. (Indeed, I like it when that happens, very much so.)

What makes me root for humans is the disparity in the what they have to start out with--not any disparity (or lack thereof) in what they ultimately make of it. The fact that Ranma has to basically devote his life to sadistic levels of combat training to achieve the kind of power that the Senshi get with a twirl of the Henshin pen is exactly what makes me root for him.

In short, even in the (non-canonical) crossover-verse, you have to go to the "supremely skilled warrior" slice of the human bell curve to get people who can match the "everyday schoolgirl" section of the Senshi bell curve. If you wanted to pick meaningful comparison proxies for the two races overall, it wouldn't be Usagi and Ranma--but rather Usagi and Yuka or Sayuri.

It's far, far worse in canonical Sailor Moon, where the humans are by and large helpless sheep, and mostly there to be saved by the Senshi. That's why it's so darn appealing for crossover-writers to shake canon up by throwing someone like Ranma in.

This all brings up an interesting difference between the Senshi and the Elves, actually--namely, their function in the story (in LotR, at least).

The Senshi generally save the day because they are the uber ones, and they can power up in their glory and lay waste to their enemies. But Tolkien--by contrast--very deliberately plays to this divide I'm talking about in LotR, between the exalted races and the puny ones.

The glory of the elves? At the end? Not cutting it. The mighty wizard? No, not him either. In the end, everything all comes down to a couple of simple little hobbits--and the most wretched character in the series.

Which is, to my way of thinking, utterly awesome.
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Postby Drawde » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:57 pm

It is one with this gift of freedom that the children of Men dwell only a short space in the world alive, and are not bound to it, and depart soon whither the Elves know not. Whereas the Elves remain until the end of days, and their love of the Earth and all the world is more single and more poignant therefore, and as the years lengthen even more sorrowful. For the Elves die not till the world dies, unless they are slain or waste in grief (and to b oth these seeming deaths they are subject); neither does age subdue their strength, unless one grows weary of ten thousand centuries; and dying they are gathered to the halls of Mandos in Valinor, whence they may in time return. But the sons of Men die indeed, and leave the world; wherefore they are called the Guests, or the Strangers. Death is their fate, the gift of Iluvatar, which as Time wears even the Powers shall envy. But Melkor has cast his shadow upon it, and confounded it with darkness, and brought forth evil out of good, and fear out of hope.
Quoted directly from "The Sillmarillion".


At the time in the story this was written about, Middle-Earth and Valinor (the Undying Lands) were still part of the same world, seperated by an ocean. Nothing is said about how they "return", though I assume rebirth.

Nothing is said about Feanor's mother, Miriel, beside that giving birth to Feanor took too much out of her, and she died soon afterwards. Going by the above paragraph, she didn't go past the halls of Mandos.

Because of their oath to retrieve the Silmarils, and the Kinslaying, the House of Feanor (him and his sons) were cursed to never achieve what they strive for, and be exiled. Any who died, and many would, would spend a long time in the halls of Mandos, desiring life again. Anyone who followed them would be likewise cursed.

Feanor was killed soon after reaching Middle-Earth, and he was not reborn, never leaving the halls.

By the way, Feanor invented, in the story, the writting you see the Elves using all the time.

My copy of "The Silmarillion" was copywritten in 1977, and printed in 1984.
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Re: Parallels between Senshi and Tolkien's Elves

Postby Seraphim » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:41 am

Zwzn wrote:What was the exact wording of Serenity the Senior's wish in the manga and anime?


The manga only mentioned that Serenity (Senior) sealed away the Dark Kingdom, imperfectly too 'cause of her grief.
"No, I'll just sit here like a well behaved ritual sacrifice." - Gary, Good Night Sweetheart

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