#commodore perry

Why dance like Katy Perry when you could instead dance like Commodore Perry?

guess what the answer was

I’m surprised Japanese Historical Dramas are not added to the list so here they are:

Niijima Yae in Yae No Sakura (2013)

Takes place during the time when Commodore Perry arrives in Japan forcing it to open its border which resulted in the rapid modernization of Japan years later. Story revolves around a woman who is born into a gunnery family where her father and brothers are well versed in using “muskets”. Her desire to become stronger to protect her family in uncertain times caused her to learn to use the modern weapons despite her father’s objections. In the end, when a war broke out between the last shogunate and the new imperial government, her gun skills comes in handy in protecting the castle and her loved ones.

Nakano Takeko in Yae No Sakura (2013)

Aside from Yae, her friend, Takeko, who is more well known in history as she is more of a traditionalist as she prefers to fight the traditional way using Samurai weapons instead of guns (kind of like Katsumoto from The Last Samurai) used by the westerners at this point in time. This causes tension between the two at the beginning as they have different principles and beliefs about war but eventually respected each other during the war. A strong-headed female warrior who will lead the female warriors into battle against a modernized army as the castle’s last line of defense. 

Ii Naotora in Naotora The Lady Warlord (2017)

Takes place during Sengoku Jidai way before the arrival of Commodore Perry where Japan is at war with each other due to the many clans fighting for power (kind of like the Japanese Game of Thrones). Naotora comes from a small clan serving a bigger powerful clan which was crushed by a rising rival clan which war killed her father, uncle and all the able bodied males in her family, leaving her to be in charge of the clan as a Lord even though a woman is not allowed to do so. She goes all out to defy those who oppose her and do whatever it takes to protect her surviving clan and family. 

Gibraltar Island (or the "Gem of Lake Erie") is an island in Ohio, located within Lake Erie. This small 6.55-acre island is just offshore of South Bass Island. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio. The rocky island is named for its resemblance to the Rock of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar Island became a lookout point for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the fight against the British during the War of 1812. Perry and his men defeated a fleet of British sailing vessels during the famous Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. As a result, the lookout point on Gibraltar Island became known as Perry's Lookout. The Perry Monument can be seen in the background rising 352 feet over Lake Erie and is situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border in the world.