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Some YB Thoughts
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 09:49 pmI decided on Young Blades for my ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femgenficathon prompt, in part because they clicked, and in part because I doubt I'll have another opportunity to pick my own fandom in a community (and that's the only way YB will ever have a shot).
For those who don't know, Young Blades (2005, filmed in Quebec, 13 episodes) can be short-handed as The Three Musketeers meets The Song of the Lioness. That is, the d'Artagnan role is a woman masquerading as a man, plus there's some magic. And quests, bereavement, history, swords, horses, faith, costumes and all that stuff I like. ;-)
I've been rewatching the series (on recorded-from-TV VHS; it's still not on DVD) and am struck again at the unrealized potential. YB began to find its footing in its fourth episode ("The Exile"), reached its height in its eleventh ("To Heir is Human"), and was gone two airings after. It's so completely from another era that it compulsively restates its premise in every episode, unwilling to depend on the audience to remember that Jacques is Jacqueline and Mazarin is evil (to a degree slandering the real historical figure). There was clearly some struggle for the definition of "family friendly" that swings the tone from goofy to profound. YB cajoles its fans to reconcile its inconsistencies and fill in its blanks, on a whisper of "it could have been..."
One thing that's particularly struck me this time through is a trick culture can play on the eye. ( gendered clothing )
While we're here, just for fun, some lines from episodes: ( ten quotations )
femgenficathon prompt, in part because they clicked, and in part because I doubt I'll have another opportunity to pick my own fandom in a community (and that's the only way YB will ever have a shot).For those who don't know, Young Blades (2005, filmed in Quebec, 13 episodes) can be short-handed as The Three Musketeers meets The Song of the Lioness. That is, the d'Artagnan role is a woman masquerading as a man, plus there's some magic. And quests, bereavement, history, swords, horses, faith, costumes and all that stuff I like. ;-)
I've been rewatching the series (on recorded-from-TV VHS; it's still not on DVD) and am struck again at the unrealized potential. YB began to find its footing in its fourth episode ("The Exile"), reached its height in its eleventh ("To Heir is Human"), and was gone two airings after. It's so completely from another era that it compulsively restates its premise in every episode, unwilling to depend on the audience to remember that Jacques is Jacqueline and Mazarin is evil (to a degree slandering the real historical figure). There was clearly some struggle for the definition of "family friendly" that swings the tone from goofy to profound. YB cajoles its fans to reconcile its inconsistencies and fill in its blanks, on a whisper of "it could have been..."
One thing that's particularly struck me this time through is a trick culture can play on the eye. ( gendered clothing )
While we're here, just for fun, some lines from episodes: ( ten quotations )
