Ok, so this Wall Street Journal article pits together the two top franchises of recent years, Harry Potter and the one with the glitter pixies, Twi-something. What it's claiming is that as younger Harry Potter fans grow up, they want to move on to more "mature" things and "cooler" (*snerk*) charcters like those found in Twi-whatever. The two GIRLS highlighted in that article? Both 13. Hardly a fair way to approach the topic, don't you think? How about we get the male opinion in there, don't we?
What 13 year old girl doesn't want to act more mature and do more mature things and doesn't have their hormones raging like a dog in heat? Please. I don't think 13 year old girls moving from one series to another has anything to do with maturity but the fallacious love story told in those other books. Edward Cullen is their "epitome" of perfection: perfect-looking, perfect-acting, perfect-gentleman, etc. (scary, I know) What 13 year old girl isn't boycrazy?
Those girls claim that "who cares?" about Harry Potter and “nobody really believes you can have magic, but some people believe you can find the perfect guy.” Still scary but that's not really it. If it were, the massive legions of adults that enjoy Harry Potter wouldn't read the books or watch the movies.
Harry Potter is truly a franchise that appeals to both sexes. While the article claims that 40% of Twisnot moviegoers were male, how many were actually there because their obsessed girlfriends dragged them there? What it appealing to a guy in Twicrap? I know there are a few fans but seriously, what is appealing to the opposite sex? And what is appealing in Harry Potter to both sexes? Magic, romance, evil, snakes, fighting. I could go on. Romance is not the driving force in Harry Potter; it's thwarting the bad guy. There is literally something for everyone in Harry Potter.
And the "werewolves" in Twiblech attracting guys? Um, those fwuffy wittle puppies the Pedophile and Co. transform into are not werewolves. Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf. If you feel like wanting to give said wolf a squeaky toy, it's probably not going to interest many, especially boys who want shit torn up, not newborns swooned over. *shudder*
And yes, while romanticism is played up in Half-Blood Prince, it has nothing to do with Twahblah. The sixth book itself has romance as a heavy theme because the kids are all at that right age. It would have had to play a role at some point, especially considering their relationships already.
I'm just so tired of the two franchises getting compared. They're nothing alike. And like the studio said, "“With all due respect to “Twilight,” the longevity and world-wide success of the Harry Potter franchise speaks for itself." Let Twishite maintain it's popularity for ten years like Harry Potter has and then comparisons can start being made. Until then, keep the glitter away from Harry Potter.
