#haviland stillwell | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

historyhermann · 2 years

Text

Spicing It Up: "High Guardian Spice" is A Cute and Magical Coming-of-Age Story [Part 1]

Sage and Rosemary in the first episode

On October 26, the first twelve episodes of High Guardian Spice aired on Crunchyroll and VRV. The show tells the story of four girls, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme who meet at a magical academy, try to become heroes, and explore their identities while preparing to protect the world from a looming threat.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, Wayback Machine, and my History Hermann WordPress blog. This was the eleventh article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on October 30, 2021.

High Guardian Spice, a comedic and magical coming-of-age animated series, is by Raye Rodriguez, a Cuban-American trans man. Rodriguez was an animator for animated shorts aired on Animation Domination High-Def programming block and a character designer for the LGBTQ-friendly 13-episode series, Danger & Eggs. The latter series was created by Mike Owens and a trans woman named Shadi Petosky, who later was an executive producer on the short-lived 24-episode series titled Twelve Forever.

High Guardian Spice is an anime-inspired animation that centers around four girls who attend a magical school named High Guardian Academy: a pink-haired sword-wielder named Rosemary (voiced by Briana Leon), a blue-haired witch and magical girl named Sage (voiced by Lauren White), a yellow-haired dwarf and blacksmith named Parsley (voiced by Amber Romero), and a sarcastic red-haired elf and archer named Thyme (voiced by Michelle Deco).

Other important secondary characters include Aloe (voiced by Joy Lerner), Anise (voiced by Haviland Stillwell), Snapdragon (voiced by Julia Kaye), Amaryllis (voiced by Katie McVay), Slime Boy (voiced by Julian Koster), and Parnell (voiced by Barbara Goodson). There are also villains like Mandrake (voiced by A.J. Beckles), Olive (voiced by Stephanie Sheh), and Smoke Face (voiced by Audo Paden). Deco also voices Sage's Mom, while Liisa Lee voices Lavender, Salli Saffioti voices The Triad, and Cam Clarke voices Neppy Cat.

Of these cast members, Kaye is a trans woman, Beckles is a Black man, Haviland is a lesbian, Clarke is openly gay, Deco is a Black woman who makes bad puns, and Koster is ambiguously queer, to name a few. These cast members are close enough that McVay, Deco, and Kaye can all congratulate each other on wonderful voice performances, making playful jabs at each other.

The 12 episodes released so far introduce viewers to the four protagonists, as they converge at High Guardian Academy. In the first episode, Rosemary and Sage, two childhood friends very comfortable around one another, travel from their hamlet of Pebble to the academy. On the way, they stay with Sage's cousin, Anise and her wife, Aloe, a married lesbian couple. While staying in the town of Lyngarth, Sage and Rose bump into Thyme, and they chase a creature that destroys Rose's treasured locket. They later meet Parsley, who has twelve overactive kids as siblings, four of which are shown (Neddle, Thistle, Clover, and Spurge), all of whom are voiced by Katie McVay.

In the second episode, the protagonists begin as students at the academy. In the next episode, the audience gets a look at the academy, led by three women known as the Triad, and its students, as the protagonists go to their assigned classes, and the guardian vow is revealed. Later episodes show the protagonists honing their skills, going on magical adventures, family tensions, attending magic classes, the conflict between "old" and "new" magic, teenage crushes, weapons training, and a dangerous cave adventure. The final five episodes involve cute costumes, an evil catgirl Olive trying to stir up trouble at the autumn festival and turn the protagonists into stone, tensions between Rose and Sage, summoning a demon, mending friendships, merpeople, and an attack on the academy by villains.

The third episode stands out. In the episode, Professor Caraway (voiced by Rodriguez) tells Rose "I'm transgender," making him possibly one of the first in animation to say those words. After he says that, Caraway explains that he takes a "potion once a month" so he can keep the body which fits his identity, a metaphor for hormone replacement therapy. Other characters, like May Marigold in RWBY, voiced by a trans woman, Kdin Jenzen, noted their transness on screen but never used the word transgender. The scene with Calaway delighted fans of the show, especially those who are trans, genderqueer, and the like.

It was also nice that Caraway is friends with Aloe, one of the show's recurring lesbian characters. When Caraway said he is transgender, it was just as powerful as Benson, in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, telling the show's protagonist he is gay, Adam in The Hollow's second season letting his friends know that he is gay, or one of the protagonists of Nico Colaleo's web series, Too Loud, a closeted trans woman, coming dressed to a sleepover crossdressing as a girl named Desiree.

While Snapdragon "Snap" is, originally, a bit dismissive and rough around the edges with a "tough guy" act, Snap is able to figure out more about themself. In the show's third episode, Snap starts to have a crush on Sage. Both are shown together, looking at each other happily, in the show's eighth episode. Snap talks to Sage about the "heavy stuff", even helping Sage realize her feelings for Rose.

Even Amaryllis, who begins the series as a bully axe wielder, described as a garbage girl and "Kokichi Danganronpa" by Lauren Orsini, comes to Snap's defense after Cal (voiced by SungWon Cho) insults Snap for wearing a girl's costume, since Cal sees Snap as a boy. This leads to what Snap does in another episode, after Cal insults Snap for wearing a mermaid costume they wore during the autumn celebration, dressing like Ariel. In response, Snap beats up Cal, which we all probably wanted to do, until Caraway stops it.

While some may not like that characters like Cal are uttering these transphobic insults, they are missing that the show has a trans man who has transitioned talking to a closeted trans woman about transitioning, making it one of the only shows to do this (that I know of).

Specifically, in one episode, the same one where Snap beats up Cal, Snap explains to Caraway why they punched Cal, saying that changing themselves wouldn't be easy, that they hate being big, and their desire to be a warrior like the girls. These are more indications that Snap is experiencing gender dysphoria.

Snap's eyes sparkle when Caraway talks about transition magic, referring to gender transition, is excited, and thanks Caraway for listening to them. Clearly, Snap is trans, supported by the fact that Snap's voice actor, Kaye, is trans. She does a wonderful job in her first voice acting role! Rodriguez recently clarified that Snap would use they/them pronouns, even though Snap is on the road to transitioning toward being a trans woman by the end of the series.

Sage, Snap, Caraway, Aloe, and Anise at the autumn celebration

With the presence of Snapdragon and Caraway in High Guardian Spice, and how both of them are generally treated respectfully by those in the show, this series has some of the best representation of trans people in animation. It is not alone in this, however. There are other examples of wholesome, positive representation out there. This includes Zadie in Danger & Eggs, anime like Wandering Son, or Isabella Yamamoto in Paradise Kiss. High Guardian Spice is a bit different, however, as it presents trans topics in a way that is suited for young teens, which is reinforced by the fact the show tackles internalized transphobia and toxic masculinity.

Fans on social media have said they enjoyed other parts of the show, such as seeing Anise and Aloe in the first episode or the gay vibes between characters like Sage and Rose. The latter is very evident even from the first episode, vibes among other characters, and possible bisexual characters. The fact that the series begins with a lesbian couple in the debut episode means that it begins with far more outward representation from the get-go than She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which did not explicitly show any LGBTQ characters in the first episode, with only implied vibes between Catra and Adora, although that later changed. There has also been some wonderful fan art, although none of Anise of Aloe I've seen, only of Snap, Rose, Sage, Olive, and others.

Anise and Aloe remind me a bit of Theoda and Pothina in Cleopatra in Space, or Scorpia's two unnamed mothers in an episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. If High Guardian Spice had been on a platform like Cartoon Network or somewhere else rather than Crunchyroll, there is a high likelihood that the LGBTQ+ content would have been cut or toned down. As for the show itself, Anise and Aloe are probably portrayed as "cousins" in a jab at how Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were shown in some dubs of Sailor Moon in the 1990s and 2000s. Both characters are an important part of the story, especially helping Sage deal with her insecurities, and kiss each other in one episode. Apart from Anise and Aloe, one could say that Professor Dretch and Coral, voiced by Haviland Stillwell are lesbian, as Stillwell is a lesbian. Thyme has a crush on the latter character, a mermaid, in another episode. This fits perfectly with the show's focus on friendships and amazing adventures in a world "filled with sadness."

Although High Guardian Spice appears to be family-friendly at first, there are warnings at the beginning of each episode about how the show contains strong language, violence, and sexual content and how the show is for "mature audiences only." Rodriguez explained this is the case because there is some blood, curse words, and violence later on like Naruto rather than Madoka. It seems that the warning was written by Crunchyroll, similar to the one ahead of Onyx Equinox episodes. However, the warning is a bit of overkill, as it's wrong to say the show is only for "mature audiences only" or that there is any "sexual content," despite some mild cursing. Even so, there are some bloody scenes. For instance, Lavender is covered in some blood, as is her sword, when she stabs a creature when fighting alongside Caraway. In another episode, when the protagonists are fighting travers, Rose gets mortally injured. She also gets hurt during the fight with Olive, who she cuts in the arm. You get the idea.

Despite this, the series is not as mature as animations like Inside Job, Disenchantment, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Onyx Equinox, or Final Space, to name a few. While High Guardian Spice includes various LGBTQ+ characters, like the aforementioned series, there is also something to laugh about in every episode, whether from Rose, the cute tongue biter, or other moments. While Amyrillis occasionally bullies the protagonists, like Sage, the series moves from being happy and good-lucky to an ominous threat episode by episode. This makes it similar to how many anime series are constructed, leading to an inevitable battle in the final episode, or even Cleopatra in Space where the school which the protagonist and her friends attend is attacked by the villain and his robotic army in the final episode of the series. The warnings on the High Guardian Spice episodes may be to discourage children from watching more extreme parts. However, the series shares animation styles with all-ages animations. In sum, you could say that the series is a young adult animation, something which creators like Rad Sechrist, Matt Braly, and others have discussed, saying there should be animated series that fall between mature animation and all-ages animation.

The music of High Guardian Spice is composed by Steven Argila. At times the music is upbeat and sets the mood. The songs include Amanda Levari's "Become the Light," sung by Wendy Wagner, Audu Paden's "Friends for a Lifetime," sung by Briana Leon and Lauren White, and Rodriguez's "The Guardian's Path," sung by Julian Koster. The first song is the show's opening, while the second is the show's closing song, and the third plays only in the episode "Festival of Fall Part Two." In an interview after the series premiere, Rodriguez said that the opening and ending of each episode has been inspired by his favorite anime endings and openings. He also said that writers collaborated on the lyrics of the opening song, and he worked on the closing credits.

In the first episode, "Scarborough Fair," a well-known traditional English ballad, famously covered by the folk-rock duo, Simon & Garfunkel, plays, something which makes the show that much more wonderful. Some people have argued that the sound mixing of the series is "bad," but personally I haven't seen much of an issue with it. In addition, the show's pacing fits with the animation and the character designs are lovely.

Rodriguez noted that William Ruzicka storyboarded the opening and endings. Although he said that the ending sequence has a slice-of-life, storybook feel like the endings of Petite Princess Yucie and Sailor Moon episodes, it reminded me more of the endings of Cardcaptor Sakura, where Sakura and Tomoyo make a cake together in cute outfits, than anything else. These influences are no accident. The show is clearly influenced by the magical girl genre as Rodiguez noted and is evident from the show itself. Some have even pointed to scene similarities with Madoka Magica. The opening of the first episode of High Guardian Space made me think of the wonderful opening crawl to the first episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which brings the viewer across Etheria and into the depths of the Fright Zone, where the viewer is drawn into the story of the protagonist, Adora, and her childhood friend, Catra.

The show's four protagonists shown in the opening sequence

The voice acting of High Guardian Spice is smooth, with the voice actors getting into their roles and using natural speech patterns, coupled with wonderful animation and background art. The voice acting actually reminds me somewhat of the voice acting by Zach Callison for the titular character of Steven Universe, with his voice acting changing as Steven got older. As for High Guardian Spice, it is evident that the voices were chosen specifically to suit the characters at their current ages, even if people think they are "awkward" or "bad."

Unfortunately, just like Onyx Equinox, Crunchyroll sadly decided that because the show has characters speaking in English that subtitles aren't needed, even though that would definitely be helpful. This makes the show inaccessible to fans who are hard of hearing or use subtitles to make sure they don't miss anything characters are saying. It makes me think of Ken Loach's 1969 film, Kes, where, if I remember right, Loach purposely did not make subtitles available to those watching it on DVD, so people could "understand" thick accent. It seemed to say that people who are hard of hearing should suck it up and watch the film.

It appears that Crunchyroll is going down the same route. I hope subtitles are added in the future, as it would help disabled people a whole lot, as the current situation means the show is not fully accessible. One fan even suggested filing a complaint against Crunchyroll, with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, for violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

One of my favorite parts of High Guardian Spice is the mix of the modern and the medieval. The first episode has a steam-powered train, crank-driven railways, and horse-drawn buses. It reminds me of the steam-powered city of Steamland in Disenchantment, a show which also blends modern and medieval technology together as part of the storyline. It makes me think of the water-powered gondola lifts in Elena of Avalor made by Isabel Flores, the sister of the show's protagonist, Elena Castillo Flores, or the train in the children's animation, Mira, Royal Detective.

High Guardian Spice also has diversity in the characters, like The Owl House, Amphibia, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, with some fans praising the show for portraying Black characters properly.

Togetherness, acceptance, and discovering your identity are major themes in High Guardian Spice, meant to appeal to a younger audience. A related theme is trauma. Rose has a recurring nightmare about the disappearance of her mom, a guardian, who left behind her magical sword. She gets nervous when she loses her locket to a Tricksie, a creature which is like a magpie, and when her sword, Flowering Thorn, gets broken.

She calls Flowering Thorn the "one thing" that matters to her. Her locket includes an important family memory and a photograph of her, her dad, and her brother. Sage, on the other hand, gets nervous when she doesn't have everything planned out and orderly, even questioning if she should be at the academy at all at one point, and trying to say the right things to people.

Rose reminds me a little of Ash Graven from Final Space or Cassandra in Tangled: The Series, complex characters with troubled pasts who also experience trauma. Cass, a lesbian-coded character, sings about her trauma, saying she is going down a "path paved in black" and that she has "nothing left to lose," becoming a villain of sorts, although she doesn't like to admit it. What Rose experiences in the show makes me think of Steven Universe struggling with his trauma in the animated limited series Steven Universe Future, the most prominent series to show trauma in a realistic and non-stereotypical manner. Sage reminds me of Adora in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, who tries to be orderly, or even Pearl in Steven Universe, although neither of these is an exact comparison.

These themes make High Guardian Spice similar to shows such as Steven Universe, The Owl House, and Amphibia. It also shares some themes with shows such as She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale, and The Dragon Prince, because of the dragons, demon cats, centaurs, and magic, like a floating chest with wings named Chompy. Some have argued that the series has similarities to The Winx Club as well.

The show's main setting in a school made me think of Little Witch Academia, an anime that some say has queer vibes and is set at a magical school, first and foremost. Although in that series the school is not within a city, like it is in High Guardian Spice. There are fundamental differences between the two shows. Anime series are often set in schools, including anime with LGBTQ+ protagonists, like Bloom Into You, Blue Drop, Whispered Words, and Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, to name a few.

Apart from Rodriguez, those working on High Guardian Spice are a talented and diverse group of people. The show is said to have a writers room composed completely of women, a crew of which 50% are women, and being "very ethnically and LBGTQ+ diverse" according to Margaret Dean, who executive produced the series along with Rodriguez. Claire Stenger, who developed the series and is a writer for the show, has helped design various video games based on series like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Amalia Levari, another show writer, has written for Bravest Warriors, Summer Camp Island, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, and Danger & Eggs, all of which have LGBTQ+ characters.

The same is the case for Kate Leth, a queer and genderfluid comic artist who is a show writer. Many of the series she has written for, like Bravest Warriors, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Craig of the Creek, Adventure Time (comics) and Mysticons (comics) often have such characters as well. Other writers include Katie McVay, a comedian who has worked on live-action series up to this point, and Kristle Peluso, who previously worked as a writer on episodes of Onyx Equinox and gen:LOCK.

16 notes · View notes