Shadow Skill

Scott

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Started watching this. While it has a lot of cheesy anime cliches, I like how it actually has a female lead that actually gets to fight and kick ass. Feels like I saw this on Toonami or Adult Swim at one point in the 2000s, although I'm probably thinking of another anime with the same art style.

The protagonist Elle Ragu's design is clearly sexualized, but eh, I don't think that's necessarily an issue. She wears a skintight bodysuit; it's obvious gooner bait, but the fan-service doesn't feel too forced. Her titties jiggling can be a bit distracting, but for the most part, she just comes across as being a fit, toned woman. Her outfit highlights her physique. There's nothing inherently wrong with displaying the female body like that, and it's not like her titties are gigantic. She's obviously meant to look sexy, but not quite in a way that I feel degrades women. This isn't really any worse than buff male characters appearing shirtless or whatever.

Elle's personality is annoying and she comes across as a bit Mary Sue-ish, but you could say the same thing about a lot of anime protagonists. I guess it's basically a typical shitty Shounen-esque anime, with its only remotely notable quality being that it stars a female instead of a male. This anime came out in 1998 (OVAs in 1995-1996. Manga came out from 1992-1998), so maybe this was kind of ahead of its time.
 
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Scott

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Lol I was wrong about this stupid fucking series.

Turns out the actual protagonist of the story isn't even Elle, but that pussy bitch boy Gau; you see him right next to Elle in the image I posted in the OP. He ends up surpassing Elle, defeating the final villain, and even winning Elle's heart as she falls in love with him ... even though they were supposed to be surrogate siblings. The fuck is this weird pseudo-incest bullshit? Even worse, Gau is only 14 years old, and Elle is literally 18. Well, I think she was made 17 in the TV show, but it's still fucking weird.

Oh, nah, she was definitely 18 in the TV show:


「主人公は「影技(えいぎ)」という流派を継承する18歳の少女、エレ=ラグとその弟(実の弟ではないが)ガウ=バン」
"Shujinkō wa 'Eigi (Eigi)' to iu ryūha o keishō suru 18-sai no shōjo, Ere Ragu to sono otōto (mi no otōtode wa naiga) Gau Ban"
"The protagonist is an 18-year-old girl named Elle Rag, inheritor of the "Shadow Skill" style, accompanied by her younger brother (not biologically) Gau Ban".

So, let me get this straight. An 18-year-old girl falls in love with her 14-year-old surrogate brother. WTF is this shit?

Just when I thought I found a notable, capable female protagonist who doesn't end up being upstaged by a male character. Every fucking time, smh. This is the most disappointed I've been with a series in a long time.

But oh, well, there's always Korra lol
 

ahill

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The design, specially with the hair and eyes (eyes being tall vertically, dark eyelashes, slightly sharper/intense look, like battle-ready, instead of the modern round "moe" eyes) is definitely typical of 90s art style for mangas imo. Like Yu Yu Hakusho or Saint Seiya
 

Scott

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When I first saw Elle (orange haired girl), I thought of ThunderCats lol.
 

Warmmedown

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Damn, Thundercats are go. I had a few episodes of that show on video.

Damn, you changed the image to imgur.
 

Scott

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The design, specially with the hair and eyes (eyes being tall vertically, dark eyelashes, slightly sharper/intense look, like battle-ready, instead of the modern round "moe" eyes) is definitely typical of 90s art style for mangas imo. Like Yu Yu Hakusho or Saint Seiya

Saint Seiya came out in the 80s, not 90s. You should've said Rurouni Kenshin or something lol
 

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