Meaning:
- Female lead, hence the heroine.
The crux is the not being male, of course cross-dressing (as male) or a case of mistaken identity is a different matter if it's only for a while, especially when it has a purpose (i.e. being forbidden to undergo training or not being taken seriously).
- Realistic, or at least semi-realistic storyline/action.
Keep things plausible please, i.e. The Twelve Kingdoms-like and NOT Claymore-like. I always dislike the over the top "jump" scenes and the Naruto type ninja-jutsu in almost any (modern) martial arts film in existence.
Magic is allowed though, but not the "easy" and accessible kind (back to Twelve Kingdoms, there obviously is magic in that world, there are even gods and mythological beings walking around, but magic is not available to anyone without use of very rare/expensive artefacts).
- She's female, so what?
The lead just happens to be female and does NOT serve as crowd attractor or potential fanservice vent, more back-story is better though. i.e. Lara Croft vs. Ichi (2008) or Come Drink with Me (1966).
- Protagonist
She may be part of a (small) set of main characters, but she should be considered to be the real lead... The beginning, the end, and the point of the story.
Whether she is considered the goodly good guy or the villainy bad guy is not important, as long as she's doing what she believes is right (which nicely includes the pirate/ninja niche), and not "good/evil for the sake of good/evil".
- Action heroine
This leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation. She can be anything from a humble adventurer, to schoolgirl, to even a martial arts expert for all I care. The profession is not what matters, nor does time or place. That said, I do prefer fantasy(past-like) over science-fiction(future-like).
The "action" bit simply means that she has to actually do something adventurous or martial. The more "epic" the better... Obviously she would either need to know basic martial arts/have basic combat experience or have a sharp (strategic) mind.
- Romance optional
It not being the point of the story, nor it playing a mayor role, the less the better (none at all > badly executed). I'm not one to really care about romance in my story especially when it doesn't come naturally (they just happen to fall in love, nothing mayor changes) and usually have an intense dislike for love triangles. I also don't care if it's straight or lesbian, love is love and sex matters not.
Many a story was ruined for me by the heroine transforming into a (meek) side character once the male "hero" shows up, or she falls in love with, that saves the day after that (see my earlier example of Come drink with me).
You could ask, then what is the point of her being female?
I'm simply sick of all those male leads and want something different for once, there are serious male "action heroes" out there (not over-sexed or immature), I want the same only with females.
... Anyway I'll take what I can get
, hope you can give me some good recommendations.________________
Who they, what are, and why?
- Manga Cover Database -
