Ep. 45 Magical Rides on Broomsticks & Buses

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Today BFFs Milena and Megan get nostalgic with cartoon characters in the arts & sciences – artist Ursula from Kiki’s Delivery Service and the wonderful Ms. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus

Ursula

Now Megan, you might ask, how can you possibly spend half an episode talking about a fictional artist side character from an animated movie? Short answer: I don’t. Today we dive into the many feminist characters featured within Studio Ghibli films through the artist character Ursula. While only a supportive role to the main character Kiki, today we examine the importance of their relationship, the history of magical girl anime and the impact Miyazaki films have had as a whole. As per usual we’ve got your standard dose of feminist history and sexism – this time Japanese style!

Selected Work
That’s it, the only finished artwork of Ursula’s that we see in the movie
  • Hayao Miyazaki – Animator, writer, director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli
  • Magical Girl anime – Also known as shōjo, features school aged girls who have…well, magical powers. First anime of this type was the 1960’s show Sally the Witch
  • Eiko Kadono – Award winning children’s book author. The movie Kiki’s Delivery Service is based off her 1985 book of the same title
  • Ursula K Le Guin – American fiction author who Miyazaki is a fan of, apparently named Ursula in Kiki’s after her
  • Bechdel test – Simple 3 rule test that a depressing amount of films fail – brings to attention the prevalence of the male gaze within the cinematic universe
  • 2018 Japanese Medical School Sandal – When medical schools admitted less qualified men over women, read about it HERE
  • Japanese Women Protesting Wearing Heels – A #metoo movement of sorts, read about it HERE

Dr. Valerie Felicity Frizzle

The nostalgia is real today in Milena’s feature of a favorite childhood memory, Ms. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus. Based off a children’s book series by Joanna Cole, the character Ms. Frizzle has entertained generations of children through both the books and tv series based off her educational antics. Today Milena examines how this character came into creation, the importance of fostering children’s curiosity and how representation in STEM matters.

As always, music by EeL