Channeling the Inner Feminist – Manwha & Manga

Something that bothers me the most about romantic manhwa and manga is the way the “strong female” is presented. Not because I have a problem with there being strong females, but because no matter how “strong” the female is, she is portrayed as emotionally weak and unstable underneath it all.
The reason I bring this up is because of Clamp’s “The Legend of Chunhyang.” While this piece may seem to portray women in a positive light, there is something that really bothers me about the story. It just seems to me that, even though the women are so seemingly independent, the men often become the dominant figure in the end. Clamp’s Chunhyang is young and high-spirited, but is only really able to channel her emotions through violence. I know the violence is essentially there for comic relief, but I find it all extremely annoying. I realize I’m asking a lot of a thirteen-year-old girl, but it really bothers me that women are often portrayed as emotionally unstable and immature. Chunhyang can deal with matters easily when the right and the wrong are so obviously defined, but when it comes to confusing emotional matters she either breaks down or kicks somebody or both. Not exactly what I would call a role model. Not to mention that when it really comes down to a trial of emotional and physical strength, the Am-Hang-Osa has to help her out. Chunhyang is not the only case of this in the comic, either. The female Yang Ban in the second scene seems like an independent (albeit a bit corrupt) woman, but in reality she can’t really do anything without her male Mudan. This can be seen in the scene where Chunhyang and the Am-Hang-Osa confront her after defeating her Mudan. She calls for him, and when they tell her that he is no longer there for her, she breaks down. Again, not my idea of an independent female.
I think I feel this way because my idea of an independent woman is not one who just has power, but also knows how to deal with that power and with her own emotions as well. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the leads in romantic comics don’t know how to do any of that and they come off as blubbering, whiny, violent and apparently “cute” and it just frustrates me to no end.