The Surprisingly Genuine Women of Panty and Stocking
The women of Panton Stalking are surprisingly real, and it’s because they’re more than just women. Female characters are usually the hot badasses or the shy straight A students. But Panton Stalking highlights the kinds of runchy, unhinged female characters that never get explored. And especially with the new focus on the demon sisters, the show also reminds us that women are not just women, but they’re also sisters. And the difference between an older and younger sister is one that makes each character special and creates a relationship unlike any other. That’s why in this video I’m going to discuss Panty and Stalking’s unconventional approach to female characters. Talk about how it illustrates the unique experience of being a sister and explain why this show has some of the best female characters in all of anime. Now, like the other videos I’ve made like this, I need to start the video off by addressing the fact that I am not a woman. So, some of you may be wondering what gives me the right to talk about female characters. And while I may not be a woman, I do watch a lot of anime. And at this point, I can recognize the many tropes that get attached to female anime characters. And Panty Stalking doesn’t do any of them. When you think of female characters in anime, you might think of Za and her struggle to be more vulnerable. You might think of Orheime and her struggle to get stronger so she doesn’t have to burden Ichigo. You might even think of characters like Mao or Aserpa who struggle to achieve the unexpected in a world that doesn’t expect much from them. Those are all great character arcs, but they have nothing to do with Panty and Stalking. Instead, Panten Stalking is about a self-proclaimed [ __ ] in her open promiscuity and vulgarity and her alt goth sister that has no shame in hailing desserts. Panten Stalking is a show designed to be offensive, and this is especially important considering the series two main characters are women. Typically, you think of men as the ones who fart and swear and shoot off guns, and women as the smart ones who dress conservatively and want to be nurturing. Panty and Stalking throws those conventions right out the window and portrays two characters who have no problem swearing, pooping, or openly having sex. The first episode features them fighting a giant poop monster as they perform a strip dance transformation achieved by turning their underwear into guns. Not only is that not conventionally feminine, that’s just plain obscene. And that’s not even mentioning the many times Panty openly has sex with every guy she can find, despite conventional notions of appearing prude, or the many times stalking shovels down sweets with no regard for her weight or body image. These characters are counterculture because they spit in the face of what women are supposed to be. And they’re also genius because of how they highlight the more downto-earth side of women who don’t like to follow the rules and don’t always want to worry about their image or how they look. But to that point, you might argue that this isn’t a genuine way to portray women at all. In fact, it’s exactly because these characters are so obscene that they’re not even counterculture. They’re just a dumb portrayal of women. A lot of people would certainly agree with that idea considering the recent reaction to the musical episode. In that episode, Panty performs a musical where most of the song is just her swearing. And a lot of people claimed this was a brainless attempt at lowbrow humor and shocking lyrics. But this kind of argument misses the point of what the song in the show itself is really about. The song is meant to highlight how everyone was telling Panty not to swear. But when she finds a creative outlet for her absurd profanity, suddenly everyone loves it. The point is that the song is so over the top that although it does have a theme of creative liberty, you shouldn’t take it at face value. And the same is true for the show as a whole. Panty and Stalking are so absurd that no reasonable person would see them and expect them to be realistic portrayals of women. At the same time, a lot of female fans love this show, and it isn’t because they necessarily feel represented or because they want to be counterculture. It’s because it’s fun to watch these characters swear and have sex and eat tons of food. The fact that so many female viewers love these characters just goes to show that this is something that they genuinely enjoy. Despite conventional ideas of what women are supposed to like in terms of comedy, this is taken one step further with the series newest character, the gunsmith, who has her daylight form, where she appears like a geek, and then her at home form, where she wears a more exposing outfit and has no problem chasing money and dealing in guns or other technology. Besides being a fun new character, The Gunsmith is a nice nod to all of these STEM girls who were out there feeling caught between their nerdy sides and their more unhinged sides. The show also balances the absurd profanity with more grounded depictions of the characters. Panty and Stalking have a lot of cool outfits like panties, cargo pants, and white top look or the many goth outfits that we see stalking wear. While the over-the-top swearing and sex makes the characters absurd, their cool outfits balance out their absurdity by reminding us just how stylish women can be. On top of that, you also have a lot of slice of life scenes that ground the characters, like hanging out in their living room all day, falling into the trap of posting selfies on Instagram, and even the simple joy of watching musicals. As counterculture as the show may be, this isn’t Studio Trigger’s main goal. Going back to the original show, the goal has always been to deliver a fun show with good characters. The absurdity makes the show fun, and the characters are grounded by their many examples of style and personality. As a result, the characters of Painty and Stalking really do feel uniquely genuine. But now that I’ve said that, it’s only fair that I address the elephant in the room, and that’s the notorious birthday episode. On top of the idea that Panty and Stalking sex and swearing dumbs down the show, you also have this episode where they reveal that the character Nissox is 666 years old, but in Demon Years is really 16. Further supporting the claim that Panton stalking is meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. So, you can easily argue that Pante Stalking isn’t a genuine approach to female characters when it features an episode about a 16-year-old who’s been doing entire strip dances for the whole show. And let’s just be honest, is it weird that they made knock 16? Yes. Does it feel completely random, unnecessary, and uncomfortable? Yes. But does this undermine all of the great writing that went into making these characters? Absolutely not. While we’re being honest, let’s not pretend like the show wasn’t already problematic. Let’s also not pretend that Studio Trigger, the same studio that made a show like Kill a Kill that features less than appropriate costumes, wasn’t already problematic. But these shows are only problematic if you ignore the fact that they aren’t meant to be taken at face value. You can find a reason for every character in Panty and Stalking to be problematic, but none of those reasons ruin the show because you’re not supposed to like the characters for their morality. You like them because of the redeeming qualities they have despite their clear flaws. And in the case of Nox, while it’s super weird that they decided to make her 16, it’s something that has really no bearing on her character or the story and can be completely ignored while still appreciating her great character writing. In fact, it’s her writing as a sibling that adds to the overall enjoyment of Panty and Stalking. Obviously, since Panty and Stalking is about two sisters, this has been a theme in the show for years, but the first season never really dove into this. It wasn’t until the new season where we got the episode with Stalking and Scanty where we watch how Stalking is often frustrated by her older sister’s apparent lack of concern before Scanty explains that every older sister is always trying their best to look out for their younger sister. This episode adds to the dynamic between Panty and Stalking, but it also sets up the dynamic that we see in the episode with Scanty and Nox. In this episode, we finally get a backstory for Scanty and Nox that explains how Scanty originally threw a special birthday party for Nissox. And the two promised they would continue this celebration every year. Fast forward to her most recent birthday where Scanty is nowhere to be seen. And Nissox admits to Panty that she feels like her sister doesn’t care about her. In response, not only does Panty try to answer Nox’s concerns, but she also helps Nox by showing her that she should learn to treat herself more. This then leads the characters to go shopping and pick out dresses before they go to a party and dance together. Actually, Nissox admits that she can’t dance because she doesn’t know how. But Panty shows her that just because she doesn’t know the rules doesn’t mean she still can’t dance and have fun. It’s a great scene for a bunch of reasons, especially since it’s another example of female characters supporting each other in a show where they’re typically fighting each other and tearing each other down. Following the scene, we find out that Scanty was actually spending her time offscreen, looking for the perfect pair of glasses to match the ones she originally bought for Nissox, showing the extreme lengths she’s willing to go in order to show her sister how much she loves her. At the same time, when Scanty asks how Nox spent her birthday, Nissox remembers her lessons from Panty and says that it’s a secret, showing viewers that she understands she doesn’t have to make everything about her older sister. This episode is a great story about siblings in general, but it’s also great for sisters specifically because of the way it approaches the themes of sisters relying on each other while also finding themselves out. Everyone is different, but brothers aren’t usually viewed as siblings who openly talk about their feelings. Sisters are usually the ones you turn to for emotional support, and this is exactly what we see with Scanty and Nox. On the other hand, sisters can have it rough when it comes to comparisons. Often times there’s the pretty sister or the smart sister. Sisters can be a blessing, but they can also be a curse when they start to weigh down on how you view yourself. Or on the other end of things, when you count on your sister for support so much, it can hold you back from being independent, which is what makes Nissok’s character growth so great and what makes Scanty’s role as a supportive sister so amazing. But like I said, not all siblings are the same, and Panty and Stalking make this very clear. While Scanty and Noxocks are openly supportive of each other, Panty and Stalking seem like polar opposites. Panty is the pretty blonde, Stalking is the goth girl, Panty is into Chad’s, and Stalking is into Degens’s. And of course, these two are constantly fighting and yelling at each other. It’s like night and day when compared to the Demon Sisters, but it’s just as important as these two show us genuine sibling tension. Everyone knows that siblings fight, but they only fight because they’re so close, and the second they’re not together, they feel lonely. For example, in the dojo episode, after Panty and Stalking get into their fight, Stalking admits to Scanty that she’s always relying on Panty. In response, Scanty explains that it’s okay to rely on her big sister because that’s what big sisters want to do. It’s a nice parallel to Nissok’s arc where she learns not to rely on her sister so much. But after the fight, when Stalking sees Panty again, Panty offers to take Stalking to her favorite place for desserts. It’s a wholesome example of how just because they fight doesn’t mean Panty stops caring about her sister. Not to mention, only they are allowed to make fun of each other. And the second someone else does, it’s time to throw hands. Granted, Panty and Stalking aren’t always like this and even laugh at each other while they’re down. But they show us how siblings need each other even though they’re always fighting. not unlike the supportive dynamic between Scanty and Nissox. So, as flawed as these characters may be, it’s clear that they have some of the best sibling dynamics of any show, which only adds to the idea that Panty and Stalking has a great approach when it comes to female characters. They’re gross and obscene and honestly kind of dumb. But at the end of the day, they’re all fun, and they even give us plenty of emotional moments that remind us that female characters don’t have to conform to conventional ideas about women. You can have characters that are scandalous and promiscuous still be stylish and wholesome. And you can have characters that are selfish and bratty rely on each other for support when they need it most. And that is why everyone loves the characters and panty and stalking.
Why everyone loves the female characters and sisters of Panty and Stocking.
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