Why We Need the Manic Pixie Dream Boy
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2021
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The Manic Pixie Dream Girl has become a stock character we’re able to spot from a mile away, but what about her male equivalent, the Manic Pixie Dream Boy? The MPDB is a paradox -- he’s youthful and innocent but also holds sage-like wisdom. While the MPDB can be more or less a simplified fantasy of a perfect boyfriend, at his best he’s a mentor and therapist to us all. Here’s our Take on the manic pixie dream boy - the man who’ll swoop in when you least expect it, but when you need him the most.
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Thank you for including Peter Pan (2003) in your analysis 🙌🥰👏 no one ever mentions it
This just isn't true, they are literally the same, the only difference is their gender as BOTH MPD (G/B) act as therapist to their opposites, are often idealized version of their genders from the other genders PoV, and leave at the end. Both fulfill the same role as the Magical sage black man/woman in movies but with a romantic additive.
Whats weird is the fact that MPDG are often not overly sexualized compared to the MPDB. (Titanic, any hallmark romcom, Thor.) Where as MPDG are not overly sexualized (A walk to remember, anything with Zoey Descanel, Garden state.)
So if anything MPDB are far more sexist.
Polloi ill l
Km on loo
I support manic pixie dream boys and girls. Both types of characters can play extremely important roles in the main character's story. I do not object to either because I'm not a baby nor am I sexist.
can you spell hypocrisy, arguing against it when its women and supporting when its men.
Peter Pan is the OG manic pixie dream boy; he’s essentially a pixie!
💯
Peter Pan is a boy 😂
Yeah, but we don't want him! He'll kill you once you're too old!
Yes but a man with Peter pan syndrome is a nightmare
I always kinda assumed the term MPDR started with inspiration from Peter Pan
The main difference for me is that the idealized male MPD has agency and is usually the main protagonist--- we understand his motivations--- while female MPD are usually just "the love interest" and are not fully thought out characters at all.
Yeah, most mpds and mpbs aren't even mpds and mpbs thought, people like to call every character with a similar personality profile mpd or mpb, the original idea wasn't that every quirky character was mpd or mpb, the idea was that the mpd or mpb was only there to be a love interest and inspire the lead to see the world in a new light while not really having any motivation on their own
Kaori shingatsu exist
So a good MPD person would be someone who is arguably the main character and serves lots of different roles in the story, helping in different ways, and has lots of people they help, rather than just fulfilling one function, to be the love interest.
Actually would a good love interest, or any narrative character like the antagonist, be someone you could see having their own movie, because they were that interesting and likeable?
@@archiethomas3911 Yeah. The love interest and the antagonist should both be characters that you can understand the motivations of (but don't have to relate to), want to see more of, and are desperate to see interacting with the protagonist because they have such entertaining character dynamics. In essence, it feels like a relationship instead of an obligation, whether it's good or bad. YMMV but this is what sets them apart from background characters.
So... we're gonna be sexist and say its bad when women save men but not bad when men save women?
Wow. So, Jesus is a manic pixie dream boy.
care to explain?
@@raizel1155 openly communicative, sacrificing and supporting on women's independence.
Just to be clearer in the last one: he supported all women he met (as long as I remember). No, he didn't convert Magdalene into a "pure and chaste woman", because she was never a "whore", that's was made up by the church to undermine Magdalene's legacy.
gosh you killed me 🤣
the og pixie dream boy
Holy shat. That's a good one
The Manic Pixie Dream Boy is a self-actualised well-developed character that offers courage and mentorship to others. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a mere character who exists to self-actualize the male protagonist. This is why the former is good and the latter is bad.
You’re so right
cause the only ones who write the manic dream girl are male writers.
*PRECISELY*
@@Lara-we1ww a woman would never because the trope relies on outdated stereotypes and gender roles.
technically in titanic rose kind of becomes an mpdg, is was written by a man.
I think the best way of updating the "manic pixie dream girl" would be to create the "manic pixie dream woman." The woman full of life and childlike energy, but who gets to be the protagonist and help everyone instead of playing second fiddle to a boring man. I honestly do think there are women like this but the media only really views them from the perspective of the male gaze.
that's a really sound idea. The video pointed out that MPD can also be a mentor and a caretaker, yet it's portrayed as a strength not a weakness. It seems contradictory in nature that even though women are stereotypically more nurturing and are the ones tasked with the upbringing of their children, as in instilling basic human values in those children, when a man does it he becomes a protagonist. A mother's role is never acknowledged in Western media. At least not widely.
It would be really cathartic to have a little trend of movies focusing on the work women put into their families, something uplifting and inspiring, just celebrating and acknowledging the effort and support, of both parents really. Maybe there are such movies but they're few and far between.
The only movie that comes to mind is actually a french movie about a single father raising a daughter. It was pretty boring and over-sweetened but it drove home the point of how much a parent loves their child. Again, it wasn't an american movie even.
Kind of like The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?
Jess Day in New Girl. The Take has a great video on her going from main character to supporting all of her friends as the series evolved.
I think Mary Poppins fits this nicely.
Maybe not an exact match, but I see Lorelei from Gilmore Girls as being this. She's a mom that definitely always tried to help her daughter, however she was also a fully realized character in her own right.
Jack Dawson is the epitome of a Manic Pixie Dream Guy. Rose's narration all but confirms this, stating that he saved her from being trapped in high society "in every way a person could be saved."
Jack is the quintessential example.
Alas, it was also just a movie. No woman in RL would jump back onto a sinking ship(quite literally)for some dude she's just boned. Nor would she likely leave a dude who could provide for her and future kids, to be with a hobo, even one who looked like DiCaprio
@@MechaJutaro maybe they wont leave a rich guy just bc he's boring and ugly but rose's fiance was seen to be abusive (both verbally and physically) and while that mightve fly in the 1910s, hopefully in modern day, women have the strenght and support in leaving such a man even without a manic pixie dream boy as hot as young dicaprio to turn to afterwards
@@LovePinku6 The worse thing her fiancé did physically was knock over a table and get up in her face. Wasn't the act of a gentleman, I agree, but there have been far more monstrous husbands throughout history. I guarantee that as fun as what she and Jack did in the back of that car was, she wouldn't have jumped back on the boat for him. She would have stuck with Billy Zane, perhaps bore a child or two, then slipped hemlock into his coffee, once she was firmly in his will, and stood to inherit everything he owned
This isn't a knock on Rose or womankind, mind you. If anything, this an area in which women are more often than not a lot shrewder than men are, when it comes to marriage. Treating this shit like exactly what it is; an investment
@@MechaJutaro seriously? he tried to KILL Jack....
Your description of The Manic Pixie Dream Boy reminds me of Mary Poppins.
A character who encourages everyone around them to embrace their inner child.
Is able to help other characters open up and interact with others.
Is a grown-up child.
Is never reduced to being a love interest.
Mary Poppins is all of those things.
I was thinking just this
Bert was a MPDB too.
Well she is Practically Perfect in Every Way.
This video and Mary Popins overlaps with a lesser talked about “travelling angel” trope - basically someone fun, often “perfect” figure who disappears after the main character or characters learns to appreciate life.
She's practically perfect in every way.;)
*I'd consider Peter Pan the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Boy. He helps Wendy to embrace maturing after she struggles to accept that it’s time for her to move out of the bedroom she shares with her younger brothers, and into her own room. It was more obvious in the 2003 film than in the cartoon.
I concur with this opinion! While she's apprehensive regarding growing up, Peter helps Wendy to accept this. He continues to visit her long after she's grown up, and even helps her own daughter become less serious in the Disney sequel.
Eh he gets kind of dark and evil at times to be considered a manic Pixie dream boy
@@jasminethegrayknight
Basically, Peter Pan is a kid Loki.
Yes? That's why he's here?
@@kimifw58 He’s mentioned but I think their assessment of his purpose is backward. It wasn’t to fly/escape from reality, so much as to embrace it/make it your own.
Anyone else here missing Robin Williams. He was the ray of sunshine that the world needed
absolutely!
Yes❤️
I do. I feel like crying when I see him.
Yes, we’ll miss him always🖤✨
No omg I forgot he was dead and now you reminded me! I miss him :(
So my ex was a " reverse manic pixie dream boy" ...he came into my life unexpectedly , messed it up and disappear! 😯
You are just describing a regular dude ... they want a woman toi listen to them and care for them but they barely do any emotional work in a relationship
now that I'm thinking about it, I probably played this in at least a dozen lives
So the Manic Runaway Fuck Boy then.
Das a Gemini sis
So a... Depressed Vampire Nightmare Boy???
That’s what Timothee Chalamet is for 😂
You win 🏆
Haha, you're absolutely right, he's the real life Manic Pixie Dream Guy!
@Angelina Pattern
Basically. He’s androgynous (having equal amount of animus & anima emotional intelligence).
@Angelina Pattern WTF, no. This manic pixie dream boy thing is a PERSONALITY trait so it has nothing to do with physical appearance.
This is the comment I was looking for.
If the manic pixie boy is a figment of the female character's imagination, it would explain why they seem to be written for the female gaze. They are written with more of a feminine perspective.
yes "female gaze". even titanic inspired the author of a lesbian movie, through her "female gaze".
Which leads us all to ask: Why the hell do us moderns get so worked up over "the gaze"? All characters are written from a vantage point that's heavily influenced by the author's background, his or her gender included. Thus, a female character's voluptuous form and beautiful face might be mentioned at some point if the the writer is male, and a male character's strong jawline and lean biceps might be mentioned, if the author is female. Why does any of this matter?
@@MechaJutaro Because the female gaze isn't always about the bodily objectification of men. It is about appreciating the person as a person and not an object of sexual desire.
@@lucypreece7581 True. Often enough, the female gaze is fixated on a male characters's external trappings of material success. Think Christian Grey's business empire, and all the perks it brings into the drab life of Ana Steele, a poor college girl. Not saying there's anything wrong with this aspect of the female gaze either, just as there's nothing wrong with the male gaze noticing a woman's beauty, infectious laugh, and prowess in bed. All of this is completely natural behavior on the part of both sexes
@@MechaJutaro Appreciating wealth is not a behaviour exclusive to females. And as stated above, we infact don't care about wealth. We only care about the personality.
Even if a girl comes to you because you are hot, she won't stay if you are an ass.
I used to think that Augustus was a Manic Pixie Dream Boy to Hazel, since he helps her to make the most of the time she has left. But ultimately, they are drawn closer not by Gus' whimsical romantic gestures or declarations of love, but by being honest with her, and admitting that his cancer has returned.
Beautifully written. And you made me cry. That movie is so raw. I love it.
In one way, this could be seen as one of the main differences between a mpd boy and a mpd girl. The mpd boy is in one way much more realistic and his impact is sustainable, so he isn't so much a "pixie", simply because his actions are rooted in reality, like when Gus chose to be honest with Hazel. The mpd girl however is just somebody whose entire role is to be a "quick fix" for the main characters personal issues, like a pixie.
I hope that made some sense haha
@@agnessh0476 They're exactly the same: A fantasy partner/mentor/savior.
Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle is my favorite Manic Pixie Dream Boy. He fits the trope to a T, right down to being magic. A lot of anime and Japanese media has interesting Manic Pixie Dream characters of all kinds
OOOOOOO good call. I love him so much.
Yes! Very true✨
@Neha Did you not watch the video??
Yeah, and lots of Japanese Characters live in a fantasy like world weird they lead or some else there's them on an adventure that only they can solve.
I mean like every ghibli boy is a manu pixie dream boy tbh
I think it all comes down to having an actual personality. MPDBs help women or other people, without stoping their lifes. MPDGs only exist for their male romantic partners. Even in real life, there's absolutely nothing wrong with changing someone's life for the better, being young in spirit and enjoying your existence. You just can't forget to live too.
Yupp true
Facts
@Sodium Chloride Except a lot of popular MPDBs don't even have a love interest in their movie, so yes, it is different
@Sodium Chloride No you're missing the point. MPDGs are only viewed through the male lead's eyes. Their life outside of the male love interest doesn't exist. They are never shown having relationships with other people. On the other hand, MPDBs help everyone in their life, parents, friends, strangers etc. For eg Dead Poets Society, Elf and Ferris Bueller off the top of my head. A lot of popular MPDBs don't even have a romantic storyline. So the difference is that MPDBs are allowed to be fully fleshed out characters with their own struggles but MPDGs are not actual characters, they are just tools to make the male lead feel better.
@@medinirajan5702 If a man is writing about a MPDG and the impact she has on his life, of course he can only write those aspects of her that he experiences directly. It's not that the rest of her life doesn't exist; it simply remains unknown to him. It's not necessarily misogyny, but simply the limitations of having a POV character leading the story. Fleshing out her background would require changing the entire focus of the story, which would probably be much less authentic to the author's personal perspective.
It's not that a MPDG can't be the main character herself, but just that we wouldn't recognise her as a MPDG if she was.
5:25 That's the problem from a female perspective. From a male perspective, the problem with the manic pixie dream girl trope is that it reinforces the belief that a girl will come to save you and complete your life. Many boys are struggling with dating and living under the illusion that once they get a girlfriend, their life will be amazing. So they're waiting for their manic pixie dream girl to show up and spice up their life instead of going on a journey to become who they want to be and lead the life they want to live. And instead of learning how to find, select and attract their dream girl, they stay passive and wait to be selected.
As a man who has been there and dabbled in this type of wish-fulfillment escapism, it's frustrating to watch movies that use this trope, knowing that they will not give a compass to the boys who so desperately seek one.
Women do the exact same thing w/small differences…
Yes, the “women exist to serve men” concept is as old as time. The manic pixie dream girl is one version of this, but the concept of a wife, a whore, a queen, etc., involve this as well. And movies reinforce that for sure.
There are plenty of stories showing a mans success due to another male mentor, or his “team” of bros. In these stories, sometimes they “get the girl” but the girl is the icing on the cake so to speak. The girl was his reward, not what saved him.
I’d love more stories where men and women “find their own way” or go on a personal journey but ALSO acknowledges their community’s role in that.
How have women supported a man in his journey in ways other than romance or mothering? How have men supported a woman in ways other than ‘rescue’ or protection?
These are stories I’d love to see on screen. Our journeys are more connected than cinema wants us all to believe.
@@pdpUU last part is simply untrue
in the movies, men have been everything to a women, from an abuser to a rescuer, from a mentor to a reward(the female lead usually ends up rejecting this reward tho and choose the men who helped her get closer to the reward, or things get complicated)
With the gay best friend troupe and Transwoman(paradoxical but... u get it) troupe and Transman troupe(not many movies featuring them), all gaps have been filled
@@pdpUU Ground hog day is a perfect example of a grumpy, cynical protagonist finding their own way to happiness IMO. Sure the female love interest is more positive and hopeful than him, but she never actively shows him how to be a better person or self actualize. She actually rejects him a number of times, and it isn’t until the protagonist learns for himself how to change, does she start to take an interest in him.
it's because technically speaking MPDG is a kind of "sentimental therapist" and "trophy girl".
Why does he have to die??? Like saying a great guy doesn’t exist.
In the case of DiCaprio in Titanic, this was probably the most merciful move the writers could make. We all know that had he lived, Rose would have caught him in bed with another man sooner rather than later, and that she may have ended up discovering that he'd given her HIV
@@MechaJutaro um what???
When they leave, it's clear that the woman doesn't need the man per se, but the things she learned from him. She's just as strong by herself. Or that's what I get out of it.
If the relationship with a person is special, it doesn't have to be forever. They can go their own way and focus on someone else. Even after breaking up, the connection with the things you lived together can be just as deep, in my opinion.
@@MechaJutaro bitch what??
@@MechaJutaro come back and answer for your crimes
I enjoyed it a lot, there is only one thing: a nurturing man is not showing his feminine side, he's just a nurturing man.
"You're never lonely if you love your own company."
Lenore Appelhans, The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
Precisely, we should ALL serve as Manic Pixie Dream People to OURSELVES, and not just rely on a quirky individual to find new ways of perceiving the world!
What if you despise every second of your own company?
@@mrtyrant1680 If you care enough about your own company to ask how to remedy it, then it means you need to find what you like and don't like, then compromise with yourself for the better.
@@mrtyrant1680 Besides, everyone has times when they are unhappy, in doubt, and unsatisfied of themselves. What should be focused on is how you react to your emotions and your thoughts. In the end though, it's totally healthy to just feel what you feel and not have a 'need' to be positive if you can't - instead focus on understanding, listening, and accepting yourself as if you are in 3rd person looking at yourself as someone who you care and feel responsible for.
Finally, you are just like everyone else and deserve some understanding - especially the most important, valuable, and impactful, which is from yourself - you hear?
Yeess Jake peralta getting the recognition he deserves
All B99 characters deserve all recognition and love in the world
Even Gina
Specially Gina
The way he supports Amy over her trauma with her old precinct, having child, the mattress, deciding to move in together, and more. He is my MPDB. Noin noin!
I think another difference is that in the manic pixie dream girl trope the boy doesn't change. he usually wants a manic pixie dream girl so that she can accept him and his many downsides and after he got her maybe his life changes, but he doesn't. actually, at the end of the movie he is even more certain that his way of living and perceiving the world around him is the right way. basically, the manic pixie dream girl is a cheerleader for depressed emo boys and is never an opportunity for self reflection
in only a few cases it changes (A walk to remember)
@@dayaneoliveira5708 it's true, but to be fair that is a quite balanced exchange. if i remember correctly thanks to him she becomes more open to life experiences and thanks to her he becomes a caring human being
@@oOlaLeydelDeseoOo is one of the rare cases, in general it is very sexist like moulin rouge.
@@dayaneoliveira5708 Jamie Sullivan manic?
@@melodyclark1944 yes, she is part of the sick girl troop, in which illness is necessary to create the drama and climax of the film. she has no evolution in the film and dies when her pair is already completely changed. jack in titanic and augusto in guilt in the stars are closer to that trope, as their deaths are "Climax. in the case of titanic jack is the representation of those who die (poor lower class men).
Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle is a MPDB
Truth.
I WAS WONDERING WHY HE ISNT HERE
YES
ohhh shit you’re so right! at least in the movie… maybe not so much in the book haha
Nah, Sophie takes too much initiative and even saves Howl, for him to be a MPDB.
I'm also tired of old racist tropes (emotionless Kung Fu Fighter with no social life/nerdy Indian/Gangster Hispanic). Can you do a video about this?
Especially East-Asians are portrayed so badly in Western media. Tarantinos "Once upon a time" had a racist and poor portrayal of Bruce Lee, even though he was one of the most charismatic and good looking men back then. (Just watch his interviews). Some Hollywood directors repeated this trope intentionally for decades. If you watch movies carefully, you will notice that many East-Asians and Indians are only casted for a sidekick role. It's like pushing them down from the social hierarchy intentionally.
Similar to the "become a doctor/lawyer" trope. But when it comes to cool lawyer-shows, you don't see any Asian men as a lawyer. There is a big gap between media portrayal and reality.
Another example: South Koreans are literally dominating professional dancing and breakdance. But in Step-Up movies you will only see average white/black dancers.
Hollywood has a huge racism issue with East-Asian and Indian men.
If you look on the channel they have.
War on tropes
They have plenty videos about these tropes, but none of the specifics ones you mentioned
They have a video on the model minority if you are looking for that. Unsure about the other ones
@@aalkapa yeah, i’m pretty sure the model minority video talks about the nerdy Indian/Asian trope
Casper from the 90s Casper film with Christina Ricci too! He's a magical boy (in the form of a friendly ghost). Also, the magical boyfriend trope in general reminds me of this.
Jareth from Labyrinth can be seen as a Dark Manic Pixie Dream Boy/Man. In classic Jungian psychology, he's both Sarah's Shadow self and Animus (albeit a negative animus). He's proud, jealous, spoiled, vain, arrogant, antagonistic, mischievous, kidnaps children to be his subjects, and his seduction is that of stasis. He offers Sarah two extremes, decadent adulthood or stunted childhood. His promise to Sarah at the end ("fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave") sounds possessive and contradictory, as he only wants to have power over her. Jareth represents a tempting but sinister parody of adulthood that Sarah fears, hates, and secretly desires.
Finally! Someone who actually understands Jareth!!! Bless!
He is a Schizophrenic Demon Nightmare Boy
I really like this 💜
Arguably this trope is as old as Prince Charming in Cinderella. The only characters who, like, do things and have interactions are the heroine, her evil family, and her benefactor (usually all women). He’s little more than a plot point: that thing that gets her out of the bad place and secures her happy ending.
Well Prince charming is a trope in of himself he's not a maniac pixie dream boy. He's the "knight in Shining armour" the other part to the damsel in distress trope i.e. rich, powerful/influential strong man to save the poor miss from "everything/life itself" and take ALL her cares away preferentially through marriage.
Yeah Prince Charming is an entirely different trope
Maybe the 2015 Disney Cinderella, but yes, he's not so much manic pixie dreamboy
The OG Prince Charming is the Prince trope, not a Manic Pixie Dream Boy. Manic Pixie Dream Girls are an old trope. This isn’t. Think again.
@@rene3759 I agree that Prince Charming is not a maniac pixie dream boy, but he is not the Knight in shining armour. Cinderella saved herself. She only wanted a night out. She fell in love with him, without knowing that he is the prince. Of course she uses her chance to escape her miserable life by marrying him. But her goal while going out wasn’t „I want to go to the ball to meet a nice boy“.
Ben Wyatt from Parks and recreation is one of the healthiest male characters I've ever seen on tv. Such a great example of what the opposite of toxic masculinity is!
I LOVE BEN so much, sometimes I even felt sorry for him cause nobody listened to him but i guess it was for the humor
Because masculinity is inherently toxic, amiright?
He’s not a manic pixie dream boy, though.
@@mattymariah he's a slight variation on that but nevertheless a trope that still stands in opposition to toxic masculinity
@@marilima9986 lmao yes😂 everytime Ben stared at the camera out of exasperation I almost died laughing. You just felt you had to save him😂🤣
I love free spirit characters, in romance or not, they show us that we can be free in every part of our life
Jack Dawson won tickets to the Titanic in a poker game. He and Fabrizio boarded the ship under the names of the two Swedes he beat at poker. So naturally, there would be no record of Jack Dawson (or Fabrizio). Instead, the Swedish men would be listed as passengers on the ill-fated ship.
🤯
Oh my god, i swear that the 2000's live action Peter Pan was was what caused my sexual awakening. I would get legitimately sick to my stomach when I watched that movie because I thought he was so hot lol
I remember being in my late teens and thinking he was ludicrously beautiful. There was a whole weird kinda worrying subtext to that movie. Very fixated on young sexuality. Wasn't there a scene focusing entirely on Wendy's mouth in a really weird way?
and he made me realize i was lesbian (jk)
I think Clementine, from eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, that is usually framed like a mpd girl (even tho the whole movie is about him learning that she can’t give him happiness or fix him), actually behaves more in the actual story the way mpd boys usually do
"The perfect guy?" *shows Ben Wyatt*
Me: Yes!
*shows Jake Peralta*
YESS!!
SAME!! Love both of them!
I don't agree that peter kavinsky is a manic pixie dream boy. Peter Kavinsky does not change Lana Jean in any drastic way nor does he fully support her from the beginning. The whole conflict of the last movie is that he doesn't accept that they are not going to college together and Lara Jean is constantly worried that he is going to be upset and only after that they break up and she still is going to follow her dream does he come around to supporting her after giving her an ultimatum. Based on how the manic pixie dream boy is described, in all three versions, Peter Kavinsky is not it unless you pick and choose parts of his character.
When it comes to Peter Pan, I think he is a manic pixie dream boy if you are just looking at movie or tv show adaptions not the book by J.M Barrie where Peter Pan by many scholars is seen as the villain of the story and wants to keep Wendy as a mother figure and disposes of the Lost Boys when they no longer want to be children.
I agree. Peter doesn't give up anything in the end of the trilogy or really do anything to actively support Lara Jean. He gets into Stanford and mopes a little when Lara Jean doesn't, and then at the end accepts she'll be going to NYU (like a normal person). It's hardly the type of behavior that actual MPDBs exhibit.
Thank you! Peter Pan was the villian on the inside. OUAT got it right!
I completely agree. In "all the boys.." what differentiate the guy from, well, the majority of rom-coms love interests is mostly his emotional maturity (at least in the first movie - I think there are more but I haven’t seen them), but the point is also that Lara Jean is a pretty mature girl as well, for a rom com in particular, and she doesn’t really "need" him. I see this movie as a more "healthy" rom com for teens than the older ones we’re used to. As for Peter Pan, the book version is pretty dark and I was looking for a comment that would highlight this point👌✨
So basically the MPDB is what every woman aspires to be and the MPDG is what every guy wants a woman to aspire to be for him.
Ultimately, the "manic pixie dream" is the same regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. It's just that many women view the Manic Pixie Dream Boy as good because they find him attractive, but the Manic Pixie Dream Girl as bad because they aren't physically attracted to her. That's basically what it boils down to.
@@greywolf7577 Exactly, you can’t be a fan of manic pixie dream boys if you aren’t a fan of manic pixie dream girls, because then that is very hypocritical. They are both purely wish fulfilment characters for each gender. In my opinion both characters suck except for a few examples in comedies.
Mary Poppins fits the description of a manic pixie dream boy
@@michaelsimons3248 that may be true but frankly the male characters are more likely to be properly developed. Plus generally speaking the flavor of wish fulfillment targeted at those groups is different. I LOVE subversive MPDGs like Ramona Flowers and Ruby Sparks.
You missed 89% of the Hallmark Channel movies.
Good catch
Those are so tropey, they could be their own series. 🤪
Especially the Christmas ones. Because she's a driven single career woman who hasnt been home for the holidays in years, but when her family's fruitcake bakery is in trouble she'll have to go home again and have her world shaken by the hot widower who runs the local soup kitchen and he'll help her reconnect with what really matters!
@@Hollyberrystreats Yup and who knows, they might have been friends back in the day with tons of fun memories to talk about with the girl! let’s hope he doesn’t have any family problems either!
@@esmegigigenevievesqualor6029 but then she has to go back to the city for her career! What's she gonna do!? Is she gonna stay!? She leave behind all these MEMORIES!
My problem is that I prefer Depressed Demon Nightmare Boys 😂
That is a problem. A very very true challenge for many women (and men)
Ugh, that's my type too. No wonder I dislike all of these films
Well, good luck with that
Despite the “temporary” part, this video accurately describes my husband who I love …and also explains why my 1950’s minded dad doesn’t.
So what happens when a MPD boy and a MPD girl gets together?
Chaos
No they can’t they have to be with a toxic mate lol.
You get Team Rocket.
So what I'm hearing is that the universe will implode.
@@CrimsonColbat you have the best response to this question haha
I was not expecting the ending of Last Christmas, I cried so much. If you know you know
After this, and given the general dreaminess of Henry Golding, I kind of want to watch it, except that I purely loathe that song.
I think that Scudder from Maurice is one manic pixie dreamboy, imagine how hard to be lgbt in 1900 England, so hard that Maurice had a trouble life, but Scudder comes like a hope for the protagonist, like a prince from fairytales
wow didn't expect to see someone talking about one of my fav movies in this comment section
I suppose sneaking into a strange man's bedroom and sexually assaulting him (legal definition, I personally found nothing wrong with it) while he slept in the middle of the night is "manic pixie dream boy" territory. LOL. Scudder was VERY, VERY brave since he could've read the whole situation wrong and been hauled off to prison for sexually assaulting a gentleman in his own room. Thankfully that didn't happen. But it took Scudder to act like a creepy rapist for Maurice to snap out of his deep homophobia and embrace his true self. I do love gay men--that whole story line would've horrified most women if Maurice had been female. Yet we see it as incredibly romantic. LOL.
Well, had some differences between real people and fictional characters/storylines. E. M. Forster wanted that Scudder made what he did, Scudder is like a strange that appears I and dream and Maurice were really fine with that situation, he just was afraid of he could pass into that scary scenario.
when your "manic pixie dream boy" need not necessarily be manic, pixie like, dreamy, or boyish, i'm thinking it might be time to come up with a better name..
I’m still waiting for my black manic pixie dream boy(and girl) movie 😕😫
There are many books with them sis! May I suggest Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters book series and “Charming As A Verb” by Ben Phillipe which may be getting a movie someday. We have to be the change we wish to see and tell our own stories
It’s all a fantasy in women’s minds. I don’t think black women fantasise as much about being rescued... reality is though. Just think about how we were portrayed by Disney in Princess and the frog.
@@katiacomk I think that’s a scary myth. There’s nothing wrong with a black woman wanting to be soft, loved and feminine. I think black women get painted as strong, bold and capable so much that it seems like we don’t want the same things as women as other races. We can be romantic and soppy too but usually aren’t allowed to show that side of ourselves.
@@lillustpotion I think many Black women have voice that their tired of being portray as the strong/angry Black women. Unfortunately it seems like TV/Movies writers don't know how to write us anyway else.
@@katiacomk speak for yourself, I want black fantasy and romance to be apart of that fantasy. If there was a Black Augustus Waters, Dr. McDreamy, Mr. Darcy I’d ride that train til the wheels fall off. Black stories don’t always have to be based on reality.
The Robin Williams one where he's a doctor the guy that it's based on hated the movie because he thought it was a mockery of what he was doing and simplified
Aw, that's a bummer. I liked Patch Adams (movie). It showcases different medical professionals trying to change healthcare for the better. The Eden Alternative is a great movement to help with geriatric medicine. ZdoggMD also focuses on improving healthcare for staff and patients.
Thank you, The Take! How about a mental illness as a plot device trope video? Whether the big reveal is that some character either does or doesn't have a particular disorder. I'm sure we've all seen a movie where DUN DUN DUN......someone has multiple personalities or something like that. It's offensive, and makes it seem like we should fear people with that condition.
@@jbimperial2 the fight club, split
MPB is more gender neutral and able to be platonic.
Speaking of Martyrdom, please do one on how toxic it is, how gendered it is, how women turn to "when I die" fantasies when feeling unloved or underappreciated, and how Harry Potter has this issue
Wait, what?
You mean the trope of ''fridging'' which is more common with female characters than with men? Is it an issue in Harry Potter? I mean, if you are referring to Lilly Potter, she died more in the foreground than James, but neither character fits the ''fridging'' trope. It's more of a ''dead parents'' trope, which is also way too common and can get repetitive, but it is mostly gender neutral.
Wait, who could seriously take Ben from Parks & Rec as a manic pixie? If any of them it would be Tom or Andy or Chris. Ben is very practical and serious. He's a nerd. Poking fun at a serious man who supports his girlfriend is odd. Ben is a good example of a fair relationship. Leslie & Ben both put things on hold to support eachother equally. Ben is not a manic pixie. Also, Jake in Brooklyn Nine Nine gives Amy a good balance from her type A perfectionism. And Amy makes Jake a better dude. The robotic boss learns tricks from Jake and Jake learns alot from him. Showing that men can support their partners should be a good thing. Jake is a manic pixie but he always uses his partners/team to help him solve crimes (might take him a minute to share but he learns he's better with the team than alone). Manic Pixie energy is necessary in life and in our inner circles.. We need our super positive, adventurous friends to remind us to enjoy life. Sometimes I am that for my friends and sometimes they are that for me. The life coach with pure innocent positivity. We need it in our lives.
Jack from Titanic was my childhood & teenage love😅😅
we love well written male characters
I just find it ironic that people hate the manic pixie dream girl but love the manic pixie dream boy. I think it is because these people are attracted to the boy and thus more likely to accept that character.
@@greywolf7577 no. I don't find most of these boys attractive, but I think they're better than the MPDG. Don't get me wrong, they're both kinda cringe
OMG, you did the manic pixie dream boy! That was MY idea/suggestion! Thanks! I really appreciate it! I and a few others commented on the manic pixie dream girl video that there is, in fact, a male version of this trope. And you did it, you really, REALLY did it! :D :D :D
Anyone who thinks No-hope Centinahson is a "dream" has clearly never seen those Very Disturbing Snapchats lol
I'd love to see a look into the Castle show: a manic pixie dream boy that stays :)
Are you saying that Robert Williams is the real Pixie Man?
Ben Wyatt & Jake Peralta 😍...Michael Schur shows has the best male characters ever!!
Don't forget Chidi Anagonye! Or Jason mendoza! both perfect for Eleanor and Janet
@@Groganee yess!!! Couldn't agree more 💯
What do you call the trope about a girl who does nothing but the love interest is instantly likes her. She appears to be "avarage", sometimes "boring", she is stationary, yet everything moves around her.
Self-insert character? It happens with guys, too.
Mary Sue or audience stand/blank slate character. Less of their own character and more for the audience to project upon, hence the lack of distinguishable characteristics or agency. Its the female version of the anime harem protagonist.
I call her the "No Effort Girl." She doesn't put in any effort to being liked or in a relationship or even appearance, she is somehow the most incredible amazing girl for no reason. I think that character is made to appeal to average women that want to feel amazing without putting anything out there themselves.
The Take address this character type in their video about 50 Shades of Grey and what fantasy it really sells
Haha, do you mean Bella Swan?
The Manic Pixie Dream Boy is neither Manic nor a Pixie. We need a new term anyway.
Definitely agree with all the sentiments of this video, though. Wonderfully put.
Here's my daily dose of new Take video! 💕💕
the character Seth from the movie Moxie has big MPDB energy
The issue with mpd characters is that they seem to sacrifice their entire lives for the other while their significant other doesn't really give that same energy. Everything is all about one character. MPD characters are better in movies that are not about romance.
What I realized is that in both MPDG and MPDB a lot of them are typed as the ENFP personality type.
The ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Boy is Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful!
I know we don't own this term, but as a bipolar person I do get kinda annoyed at how the word manic is used
Howl the MPD guy to the main character Sophie.
I have only watched five minutes of this video and it's already one of my favorites on this channel.
Love it.
I mean, there are clear improvements over the girl version, but we can’t talk about it being healthy while also talking about the guys who let themselves die for a girl’s benefit, without segregating those two ideas. Unrealistic social expectations apply to guys, too, and are generally not talked about.
Wait could you please explain more, sorry
@@esmegigigenevievesqualor6029 dying for someone else’s benefit is a bad paradigm to promote
@@Werelight ohhh okay, quick question. Did the dude in Me before You do that or was it just purely because he didn't want to live a paralyzed life anymore?
@@esmegigigenevievesqualor6029 dunno haha
@@Werelight ok
Isn't this also problematic as most of these guys exist in relation to the girl only and their main function is to be a 'life coach' rather than a realistic depction of a human being ? Same issues that were raised with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl
I completely agree with that. It's a shame movies and tv fall back on these tropes so often rather than depicting realistic or memorable characters. I do think that Peter Pan and Ferris Bueller are slightly different though - because there's something very sinister, destructive and selfish about their behaviour.
I think Howl's Moving Castle does this very well. They BOTH help eachother grow. And they have lives outside if one another.
These guys have pretty rich inner lives and their own motivations and agencies. Which ones do you think lack those things? Tropes aren't inherently bad and helping people can be a pretty decent motivation.
Perfect timing. Today is the birthday of my lost Love.
It helped me realize why I fall for him and what's there for me to embody NOW. :)
So, what I’ve learned is that Robin Williams didn’t just play Manic Pixie Dream Men, he WAS a Manic Pixie Dream Man (I can’t seriously call him a boy).
Man, I miss Robin. Still the only celebrity whose death really affected me. And I would like to point people toward finding a charity in their country (or another), that researches Lewy Body Dementia, which is what cut his life short.
Because he didn’t suicide, as the sorry is often told. He self euthanised, and that difference is really important. He had a terminal illness. I’d also like to point people toward lobbying their government to support euthanasia laws. Because if that existed, Robin would have had more time with his family and been able to die surrounded by his family, instead of having to take a lucid moment when he was alone, fearing he wouldn’t have enough future lucid moments to be able to carry through with his decision. That’s tragic. We need proper euthanasia laws.
Perfect timing, I just finished watching To All the Boys Trilogy
Would love to see character analysis on the women from Desperate Housewives
Do a video about non-magical people in fantasy stories. I think you could say a lot about Squibs in Harry Potter
Tom is an illusion and Jack may not have been real. All "Manic Pixie Dream" characters of both sexes need to be like that. It would help explain away the absurd and wrong things about those characters. With the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, her male lover is usually a loser who no actual girl should put up with. With the Manic Pixie Dream Boy, the characters who need him are more free to develop and are not as bad. They get some more character development.
Could it be that you are just viewing the women characters in a better light just due to their gender? Or, even if you are correct, wouldn't it mean that movies should focus on giving a more positive rendition of male leads rather than getting rid of the manic pixie dream girl?
@@greywolf7577 Ferris Bueller is a Manic Pixie Dream Boy for Cameron, complete with the fan theories of Ferris and most of the movie being in Cameron´s head. I am viewing Cameron the same way I am viewing the female characters who need a Manic Pixie Dream Boy. I think movies have more limits to how they portray women characters. They can´t get hit in the balls and have the audience laugh. I don´t think getting rid of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is the answer either. Just get creative and make her more original. She doesn´t have to be a love interest. The character she helps does not need to be male.
I feel Rocky Balboa in the original film fits this well. He’s not as upbeat as the others but the way he helps Adrian come out of her shell is very similar.
80% of shoujo mangas. Emotionally unavailable and chill female protagonist meets MPDB, he's annoying to her at first. He breaks through to her and saves her. They get together.
Can you tell me which shoujo manga? I feel like it is more with josei tho, and trust me I would know cause that is my type. And they tend to be second male lead a lot (the bright cute type).
I would say 80% of straight romance is shy/naive girl x dominant/arrogant boy. Which I personally hate.
This is basically the plot of the anime "Say 'I Love You'" 😅
Jack in Titanic is the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Boy. He saves Rose in every way a woman can be saved, as she says. The movie isn’t just a love story. It’s also a look a mental health. Rose is on the brink of suicide, and Jack deescalates that. Over the course of the next 48-72 hours he teaches her to love herself and the world around her. The promise to never let go ensures Rose will live a full life, and she does. I really love this trope, to be honest. MPDGs are problematic, albeit charming AF. MPDBs truly add something to the film.
So true. Have you seen Elizabethtown? In contrast to Jack that MPDG is telling him to basically get over being suicidal.
@@melodyclark1944 omg I forgot about that movie. Perfect example of how bad the MPDG trope can be.
How is Jack's character different from any other MPDG? I'm genuinely curious
Yess I was waiting for this !!!
My favorite manic pixie dream boy is Tidus, from Final Fantasy X. I know y'all don't do video games but he hits all the marks.
I was just thinking about this trope omg 💖💖💖
I've never heard of the term 'manic pixie dream boy'.
It sounds like a band that I'd like 😄.
Robin Williams has played multiple Manic Pixie Dream Boys. The Take will receive no further questions.
AHHHH MAAAA ZZINNNGGG video. One of my favorites. And that’s saying something because I’m obsessed with y’all’s channel. Great work!
YES YES YES WE NEEDED THIS
The thing is, basically every relationship I’ve been in, the girl always idealizes me into this sort of character. It’s just exhausting and immature. I want to be with someone who can see my flaws and accept them, not gloss over them in the name of being an idealization
Agree both the dream boy or girl are unrealistic and people shouldn't expect real-life men and women to be these tropes. The dream boy is not a positive trope. The tank has this thing where they make the male version of negative female tropes become positive all of sudden.
Well done. I didn’t see it this way until you pointed out the difference between the two. Thanks.
Robin Williams was the REAL MPD we all needed and still need. He literally played the grown up version of Peter Pan the OG MPD
I think that the MPD male and female. Caricaturizes the “nf “ personality type or the “Idealist” personality. This is a rare personality type but a real archetype. I think the only problem is with the writers (probably mainly white and male) and the sexism that they read into the females archetype is what gives this trope a bad name. I am an ENFP and I strongly resonate with the manic pixie dream girl archetype.
yes there is a series (which I forgot the name) in which the character has these characteristics and is portrayed more realistically, not stereotyped.
Yay for bringing up The Holiday, very underrated movie and a great example for this trope. There's MPDGuys running all over it. Jack Black is the obvious equivalent on Kate Winslet's side of the movie but I think Eli Wallach's character kinda qualifies too
In theory it sounds good to be around the "manic pixie dream boy" but at the same time I don't want to be the "parent" in this relationship but at the same time I appreciate them being there for me in general.
Thank you for classifying this character type!!!
Unpopular opinion: Cameron is a lot more cute and charming than Ferris
Not unpopular, I watched the movie and couldn't stand Ferris. Him leaving Cameron with jacked up car wasn't a great thing at all. And the fact that he did all those things and left his friend shows what type of friend he really is.
What movie is this?
@@squidwardtentacles7144 Ferris Buellers Day Off
Dead Poets Society was and still gold
When I watch your videos, I always have this thought, that there is no any more trope to discover, and then you put another video,and I am so happy to be wrong again 🙂
Words and ideas have been hijacked by the magnet box👽Thank you for your cooperation and participation in this generational project
I feel like The Doctor, especially 10 and 11 seem like Manic Pixie Dream Boys!
Haven't watched the vid yet, but “Manic Pixie Dream Boy” is my transition goals thank you 😌✨
YESSSSSS! My dream came true! They finally made this video ❤️
Ironic title considering how we shame the manic pixie dream girl.
Double standard, maybe
double standard? you mean just like the whole The Take ethos on every subject they ever spoke of? women = good, victims of the system, men = bad, perpetual oppressors
@@rickydrizzle9150 yep. The manic pixie dream boy view, they exhibit the exact same the traits the manic pixie dream girl has and is only used for the girl’s journey just like the girl is tot he guy, but is more praised. Pick a side.
It's not double standards. See 5:23
I’m surprised they didn’t talk about Patrick from perks of being a wallflower
Wow I was waiting for this for a long time 😊😊😊
So cool that they mentioned the film "Beats". This was a great vid overall!