Editing Princess Knight (section)

==Themes==
Multiple critics have provided many possible interpretations on the presence of [[gender]] ambiguity and [[androgyny]] on ''Princess Knight''. Patrick Drazen, author of the book ''[[Anime Explosion!]]'', stated the androgyny in the series is "deceptive" as it addresses gender instead of sex, and more "specifically, [[gender role|gender-role expectations]]."{{sfn|Drazen|2002|p=91}} "Tezuka's ''Gekiga'': Behind the Mask of Manga"{{'}}s [[Philip Brophy]] summed up it as: "With its visualization of masculinity and femininity within one body it was able to depict conflicting selves within one-sexed body under pressure for social conformity, hence literally embodying the quest for identity and subjective agency".{{sfn|Johnson-Woods|2010|p=139}} Ed Sizemore of Manga Worth Reading says Tezuka's central idea critiques "the [[false dichotomy]] that society creates among male and female."<ref name=sizemore/> Rebecca Silverman of [[Anime News Network]] (ANN) and Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart both wrote that Tezuka put [[feminist]] positionings on it{{efn|Both Silverman and McNeil use as an example Sapphire's nurse saying "You, sir, are a terrible misogynist! The law stating a woman can't rule is ridiculous. I can't believe a learned man such as yourself would hold such prejudices."<ref name=silverman/><ref name=seq1>{{cite web | url=http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=2374 | title=Gender-Bending in Princess Knight Part One: Raised as a Prince | author=McNeil, Sheena | date=February 18, 2013 | website=Sequential Tart | access-date=October 23, 2018}}</ref> This is said when Sapphire's doctor and nurse have an argument over the policy that prohibits female rulers.<ref name=seq1/> Silverman dubbed it as one of the "feminist statements" of the manga,<ref name=silverman/> while McNeil called it "a feministic slap in the face right off the bat".<ref name=seq1/> The latter further argued that the nurse's indifferent reaction to their break up because of the fight makes her "all the more inspiring as a character, especially during this time period".<ref name=seq1/> }} and Chris Mautner of ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' highlighted the presence of Friebe, "a swashbuckling" swordswoman, as another depiction of women in a non-subservient position (in contrast to the usual depiction).<ref name=tcj/>

{{quote box|align=right|width=34em|style=max-width:40%
|quote=At first glance, it appears Tezuka is asserting traditional gender roles. Looking more closely, we discover that Sapphire is not responding to which heart is more dominant. [...] Instead, Sapphire is acting as the people around her perceive her. If she is seen as a boy, then she is able to be strong and fierce. If she is seen as a girl, then she is frail and submissive. Tezuka is critiquing the false dichotomy that society creates among male and female. Sapphire needs to learn to be true to herself and not let others dictate who she is or what she can do.
|source=—Ed Sizemore of Manga Worth Reading<ref name=sizemore/>
}}
On the other hand, Silverman affirmed it shows gender stereotypes and "some of the more [[misogynist]] ideals of 1960s Japan," as exemplified by the fact her boy's heart gives her physical strength.<ref name=silverman/> Mautner also found "some" [[sexism]] in the work, given as an example the fact she loses her swordsmanship ability when she is without her boy's heart.<ref name=tcj/> Drazen and Mautner stressed that the manga had broken with some gender expectations but did not abandon them, as Sapphire marries Franz in the end.<ref name=tcj/>{{sfn|Drazen|2002|p=91}} Power stated that by this attitude Sapphire shows "her true happiness comes from being in a traditional female role."{{sfn|Power|2009|p=121}} For [[Paul Gravett]], it demonstrated she "was no feminist rebel after all" and he wrote in ''Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics'' that Tezuka "created an exquisite world of indecision."<ref name=gravett/> Power concluded that "The image of Sapphire must have sent complex, if not conflicting, messages" to readers.{{sfn|Power|2009|p=122}} This conflicts led Brophy to say "It may be more accurate to depict her characterization as schizophrenic rather than androgynous".{{efn|As an example, Brophy mentions "a scene wherein Sapphire, wearing a dress, is happily weaving a garland of flowers for her mother but then at nine o'clock must become a 'prince'. Although at first softly lamenting her incomplete wreath, Sapphire in her prince attire – with a male facial expression and using male speech – takes her sword and destroys the wreath without hesitation."{{sfn|Johnson-Woods|2010|p=140}}}}

Snow Wildsmith of ICv2 described the series as having "younger characters [who] do not want to stick to the roles their parents proscribed for them and most of the women are tired of being told that they are the lesser sex."<ref name=icv2/> Mautner wrote that "if there's a central theme in ''Princess Knight'', however, it's not that of sex roles but of parental expectations and filial duty".<ref name=tcj/> Drazen also exposed that the series deals with "another classically Japanese pair of opposites: duty and desire."{{sfn|Drazen|2002|p=92}} Drazen said "she doesn't resent her duty" of having to be a boy and have fun with it, but that "only in private does she live out her feminine desires."{{sfn|Drazen|2002|p=92}} Mautner expressed a similar view, affirming that even if she likes to be a boy "possesses a strong desire to indulge her female side."<ref name=tcj/>