"The Heroine Image in Anime" by Minako Saitou, Part IV

Part IV - Monsley is the Treacherous "Crimson Soldier"

Monsley is the Vice-Chief of Industria's Administration Bureau and a subordinate of Administrative Chief Lepka. This woman, who leads the troops to invade High Harbor, plays the role of the typical "Evil Queen." She is an adult woman. She spits orders out at the male soldiers and must obey orders from her male superior (Lepka). However, she isn't just a witch wrapped up in a strange costume. She's a commander, dressed up in the same kind of jersey uniform that the other team members wear. If we try thinking of Industria as a satire of the Boys' Land it might be easier to understand the situation. Monsley is closer to a Crimson Soldier in the Boys' Land than the proud "Evil Witch" with overwhelming power.

By the way, I mentioned that the weaponless High Harbor had no way to avoid being occupied. Actually a very easy solution was devised to solve that--the commander's treachery. Yes, in the middle of everything Monsley betrays Industria and joins the High Harbor side. She does it only because her life is saved by Conan once and she is moved by High Harbor's natural environment. Following her change of sides, other Industria soldiers conveniently transform into farmers and are let in to work and cooperate in the harbor. Originally, Monsley lost both of her parents due to the great changes on the earth. She reacted by denying her own femininity and becoming a tough soldier. Isn't that indeed a Crimson Soldier from the Boys' Land?

Lana is, from the start, a girl with a very weak sense of independence; the "type of girl that sticks to guys." Monsley, on the other hand, is drawn as a woman who sealed away her femininity due to trauma when she was young, a "manly woman (but who really is womanly)." The two traditional ways to explain "strong women" are exposed here: "A woman who quietly
perseveres is the truly strong woman" and "The woman who acts strong is actually gentle and sentimental."

To prove their "womanliness," Lana leaves High Harbor and follows Conan to go back and rebuild Remnant Island, and Monsley marries her former rival Captain Dyce at the story's conclusion. The climax in the final episode is a scene with Monsley all dressed up in a white wedding gown, head turned down and silent during the wedding ceremony on the ship. What both Lana and Monsley receive at the end of their long battle is a bridegroom and a path into marriage. If we follow the principle that the ultimate goal of life in the Girls' Land is to find a lover, we could probably say that "Conan" depicts the victory of the Girls' Land very clearly.