- Joined
- Mar 9, 2021
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Introduction
There is a drastic difference in design and presentation between Late Season 2 Maschenny (particularly during Three Orders and the Last Station) and Season 3 Maschenny (especially in Post Hiatus Nest).
Late Season 2 Maschenny didn't really have any sort of pronounced figure to speak of. She wasn't really curvy/voluptuous and was sorely lacking in "sexiness".
The Two Maschennys
Here are some panels showing Maschenny's body to emphasise what I'm speaking of:
Late Season 2 Maschenny
Post Hiatus Maschenny
Post Hiatus Maschenny on the other hand was given a drastic makeover. SIU went out of his way to doll her up and emphasise her feminity/sexuality. Her figure is really pronounced in the glamour shots she gets. For lack of a better term, post-hiatus Maschenny is "sexy":
The Contrast Between the Two Versions of Maschenny
Compare the glamour shot of Tres Cuernos to Maschenny's glamour shots in S3 E99 and E100:
Or compare these two nearly identical postures/gestures:
Both feature a grandiose Maschenny, and yet the difference is so stark and striking.
Here's another contrast focusing on the upper body:
Or compare these two rear views of Maschenny:
From all perspectives, there's a striking, sharp contrast in presentation between the two Maschennys.
Speculation as to Possible Motives
I see three basic reasons as to why SIU might have so radically changed her depiction after the hiatus:
Aesthetic Presentation
It may be the case that SIU is depicting Maschenny differently post-hiatus, because he wants to convey a different "atmosphere" around her or emotions through her. SIU has said that with Maschenny the feeling one gets/the mood around her is heavily dependent on how she's drawn:
Season 3 Episode 48 Blog Post
To expand more on this, during Three Orders and the Last Station Maschenny was presented as a scheming, devious, conniving backstabber who had multiple screws loose and wanted to drown the Tower in rivers of blood. SIU was trying to emphasise her insanity, bloodthirst and cruelty, so she was drawn to look the part.
Consider the below scene where Maschenny states that it's the smell of blood in the air that gets her in the mood for a fight:
Exhibit
Here, the aspect of Maschenny that is being highlighted is her bloodthirst and cruel personality. This is further reinforced by Jinsung lamenting that none of the Princesses were "normal".
Exhibit
Or this panel where Maschenny is about to electrocute Jinsung, promising him a quick and painless death:
Exhibit
Before proceeding to mercilessly torture him:
Exhibit
Here, SIU is trying to emphasise how dangerous and wicked Maschenny is.
Or when Maschenny declares that the powers of the Tower that have been maintaining a careful balance for aeons have finally begun to move against each other:
Exhibit
Prior to that panel, Maschenny declares that she will drown the Tower in rivers of blood and then rejoices that the era of peace is coming to an end:
Exhibit
The emphasis here is again Maschenny's battle lust/bloodthirst and insanity. The mood/feeling you're supposed to get from Maschenny there is: "this bitch is crazy"
I think that in post hiatus Season 3, SIU has largely been aiming for different vibes and moods with Maschenny. Instead of a delusional, reckless and insane warmonger, he's presenting her as one of the major movers and shakers in the Tower, the mastermind behind the current conflict, the puppet master pulling Jinsung's strings.
Rather than her wild and crazy side, SIU needs to emphasise her dominance, power and authority. I think that's what her glamour shots in Season 3 Episode 99 were about. Her interaction with Baam and his friends in that chapter was essentially one massive power trip where she systematically broke down their wheels and made them feel helpless and incapable of defying her wishes.
Consider the panel where she tells Baam and his friends that they cannot stop her from sealing Jinsung:
Exhibit
That's an absolute power pose. The first word that comes to my mind when I see that scene is "Boss". Her dominance over them really manifests here. She tells them that they are powerless to stop her from getting her way and she feels uber powerful.
Another panel I'd like to highlight is when Maschenny asks the Lo Po Bia to restart the teleporter, saying that they will seal Jinsung as planned.
Exhibit
Here the word that comes to mind for me is "regal".
All things considered, her presentation in S3 E99 made her look and feel like the queen that she is.
Another time when the mood around Maschenny manifested itself was in Season 3 Episode 85.
When she declares that she doesn't want the story to come to a boring ending:
Exhibit
She looked like and felt like a conductor directing the orchestra.
That's a suitable metaphor for her presentation as someone trying to drive the story towards an outcome she considered more interesting.
When she mentions that the game became bigger than she expected and then people not even she could handle got involved:
Exhibit
Maschenny looked helpless. As if she was someone at the brink of despair. Notice how she isn't sexualised at all in that panel? That's because that's not the kind of mood that SIU wants to set with Maschenny. He's trying to convey her powerlessness in the face of the Family Leaders.
I think this is the single most compelling explanation for the aesthetic changes Maschenny underwent between late Season 2 and post hiatus Season 3.
Reevaluated Stature
SIU has said that the higher a character's level, the more drip he gives them:
Season 3 Episode 107 Blog Post
Maschenny's stature post-hiatus seems to be vastly higher than it was pre-hiatus. Compare Jinsung dismissing her as a delusional, reckless and ignorant kid who was overestimating herself:
To now regarding her as a massive python far too big for even the ocean to contain her:
Perhaps with this higher stature in the world, SIU sought to elevate her "drip"?
General Shift
It's also possible that Maschenny is not being sexualised in particular, but that there is simply a general shift in SIU's art style to emphasise the feminity and sexuality of his women. In particular, Aria, Lefav and Ha Satcha may have been recipients of this kind of treatment (however, Aria is purely a post-hiatus character, and Lefav and Ha Satcha had very few scenes before the hiatus, so there's no real control).
And many female characters post-hiatus have not been sexualised. Some names that come to mind:
So I don't think the general shift argument is all that watertight. It's the argument I find least persuasive of all the three. The fan service treatment was clearly not given to everyone (in fact, only a small minority of post hiatus girls seem to have been sexualised), and Maschanny seems to have been the main "victim".
That said, SIU did provide some fanservice through Aria, Ha Satcha (and Neneya in her debut), so perhaps Maschenny is simply another vehicle for this. Furthermore, Maschenny is the most prominent female character at the Nest and the only Princess, so it's understandable that she would be given special focus/treatment.
Conclusions
Honestly speaking, I suspect it's some combination of all three of the factors I mentioned (though I am really partial to the first explanation I provided). There's some element of SIU setting the mood around Maschenny, some element of raising her drip level, and part of it is just plain Princess fanservice.
I just hope the new aesthetic is a permanent change for the better in her design and SIU doesn't revert to her late Season 2 design or otherwise deemphasise her feminity/sexuality. I love a sexy Maschenny and I'm unapologetic about it.
Though of course, the mood matters. When Maschenny is engaged in vicious combat may not really be the time to show off how sexy she is. SIU's treatment of Maschenny in S3 E85 makes me confident that he will adequately handle the mood around her going forward.
Questions
@PGT, @Fiodor Pavlovich K, @Yhamir ♤♧, @Jubei_Kibagami, @Enryuu
There is a drastic difference in design and presentation between Late Season 2 Maschenny (particularly during Three Orders and the Last Station) and Season 3 Maschenny (especially in Post Hiatus Nest).
Late Season 2 Maschenny didn't really have any sort of pronounced figure to speak of. She wasn't really curvy/voluptuous and was sorely lacking in "sexiness".
The Two Maschennys
Here are some panels showing Maschenny's body to emphasise what I'm speaking of:
Late Season 2 Maschenny
Post Hiatus Maschenny
Post Hiatus Maschenny on the other hand was given a drastic makeover. SIU went out of his way to doll her up and emphasise her feminity/sexuality. Her figure is really pronounced in the glamour shots she gets. For lack of a better term, post-hiatus Maschenny is "sexy":
The Contrast Between the Two Versions of Maschenny
Compare the glamour shot of Tres Cuernos to Maschenny's glamour shots in S3 E99 and E100:
Or compare these two nearly identical postures/gestures:
Both feature a grandiose Maschenny, and yet the difference is so stark and striking.
Here's another contrast focusing on the upper body:
Or compare these two rear views of Maschenny:
From all perspectives, there's a striking, sharp contrast in presentation between the two Maschennys.
Speculation as to Possible Motives
I see three basic reasons as to why SIU might have so radically changed her depiction after the hiatus:
- Aesthetic presentation
- Reevaluated stature
- General shift
Aesthetic Presentation
It may be the case that SIU is depicting Maschenny differently post-hiatus, because he wants to convey a different "atmosphere" around her or emotions through her. SIU has said that with Maschenny the feeling one gets/the mood around her is heavily dependent on how she's drawn:
Season 3 Episode 48 Blog Post
SIU might be aiming for different moods around Maschenny, by dolling her up so much post-hiatus.SIU said:
To expand more on this, during Three Orders and the Last Station Maschenny was presented as a scheming, devious, conniving backstabber who had multiple screws loose and wanted to drown the Tower in rivers of blood. SIU was trying to emphasise her insanity, bloodthirst and cruelty, so she was drawn to look the part.
Consider the below scene where Maschenny states that it's the smell of blood in the air that gets her in the mood for a fight:
Exhibit
Here, the aspect of Maschenny that is being highlighted is her bloodthirst and cruel personality. This is further reinforced by Jinsung lamenting that none of the Princesses were "normal".
Exhibit
Or this panel where Maschenny is about to electrocute Jinsung, promising him a quick and painless death:
Exhibit
Before proceeding to mercilessly torture him:
Exhibit
Here, SIU is trying to emphasise how dangerous and wicked Maschenny is.
Or when Maschenny declares that the powers of the Tower that have been maintaining a careful balance for aeons have finally begun to move against each other:
Exhibit
Prior to that panel, Maschenny declares that she will drown the Tower in rivers of blood and then rejoices that the era of peace is coming to an end:
Exhibit
The emphasis here is again Maschenny's battle lust/bloodthirst and insanity. The mood/feeling you're supposed to get from Maschenny there is: "this bitch is crazy"
I think that in post hiatus Season 3, SIU has largely been aiming for different vibes and moods with Maschenny. Instead of a delusional, reckless and insane warmonger, he's presenting her as one of the major movers and shakers in the Tower, the mastermind behind the current conflict, the puppet master pulling Jinsung's strings.
Rather than her wild and crazy side, SIU needs to emphasise her dominance, power and authority. I think that's what her glamour shots in Season 3 Episode 99 were about. Her interaction with Baam and his friends in that chapter was essentially one massive power trip where she systematically broke down their wheels and made them feel helpless and incapable of defying her wishes.
Consider the panel where she tells Baam and his friends that they cannot stop her from sealing Jinsung:
Exhibit
That's an absolute power pose. The first word that comes to my mind when I see that scene is "Boss". Her dominance over them really manifests here. She tells them that they are powerless to stop her from getting her way and she feels uber powerful.
Another panel I'd like to highlight is when Maschenny asks the Lo Po Bia to restart the teleporter, saying that they will seal Jinsung as planned.
Exhibit
Here the word that comes to mind for me is "regal".
All things considered, her presentation in S3 E99 made her look and feel like the queen that she is.
Another time when the mood around Maschenny manifested itself was in Season 3 Episode 85.
When she declares that she doesn't want the story to come to a boring ending:
Exhibit
She looked like and felt like a conductor directing the orchestra.
That's a suitable metaphor for her presentation as someone trying to drive the story towards an outcome she considered more interesting.
When she mentions that the game became bigger than she expected and then people not even she could handle got involved:
Exhibit
Maschenny looked helpless. As if she was someone at the brink of despair. Notice how she isn't sexualised at all in that panel? That's because that's not the kind of mood that SIU wants to set with Maschenny. He's trying to convey her powerlessness in the face of the Family Leaders.
I think this is the single most compelling explanation for the aesthetic changes Maschenny underwent between late Season 2 and post hiatus Season 3.
Reevaluated Stature
SIU has said that the higher a character's level, the more drip he gives them:
Season 3 Episode 107 Blog Post
SIU said:
Maschenny's stature post-hiatus seems to be vastly higher than it was pre-hiatus. Compare Jinsung dismissing her as a delusional, reckless and ignorant kid who was overestimating herself:
To now regarding her as a massive python far too big for even the ocean to contain her:
Perhaps with this higher stature in the world, SIU sought to elevate her "drip"?
General Shift
It's also possible that Maschenny is not being sexualised in particular, but that there is simply a general shift in SIU's art style to emphasise the feminity and sexuality of his women. In particular, Aria, Lefav and Ha Satcha may have been recipients of this kind of treatment (however, Aria is purely a post-hiatus character, and Lefav and Ha Satcha had very few scenes before the hiatus, so there's no real control).
And many female characters post-hiatus have not been sexualised. Some names that come to mind:
- Cheonhee
{*]Dowon - Elaine
- Evankhell
- Hwa Ryun
- Neneya (excluding her debut)
- Namo
- Sola
- Sophia Tan
So I don't think the general shift argument is all that watertight. It's the argument I find least persuasive of all the three. The fan service treatment was clearly not given to everyone (in fact, only a small minority of post hiatus girls seem to have been sexualised), and Maschanny seems to have been the main "victim".
That said, SIU did provide some fanservice through Aria, Ha Satcha (and Neneya in her debut), so perhaps Maschenny is simply another vehicle for this. Furthermore, Maschenny is the most prominent female character at the Nest and the only Princess, so it's understandable that she would be given special focus/treatment.
Conclusions
Honestly speaking, I suspect it's some combination of all three of the factors I mentioned (though I am really partial to the first explanation I provided). There's some element of SIU setting the mood around Maschenny, some element of raising her drip level, and part of it is just plain Princess fanservice.
I just hope the new aesthetic is a permanent change for the better in her design and SIU doesn't revert to her late Season 2 design or otherwise deemphasise her feminity/sexuality. I love a sexy Maschenny and I'm unapologetic about it.
Though of course, the mood matters. When Maschenny is engaged in vicious combat may not really be the time to show off how sexy she is. SIU's treatment of Maschenny in S3 E85 makes me confident that he will adequately handle the mood around her going forward.
Questions
- Why do you think SIU gave her a makeover?
- What's your favourite panel of Post Hiatus Maschenny?
- What do you think about the design change she got?
- What do you like about it?
- What do you dislike about it?
- Do you prefer her previous designs more?
- Do you agree that Maschenny is the sexiest girl in the story?
@PGT, @Fiodor Pavlovich K, @Yhamir ♤♧, @Jubei_Kibagami, @Enryuu
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