Mai-Hime ep 22 (aka f*cking with our minds…)
As you could judge from my previous entry, ep 22 traumatized me. Tremendously. In fact, it is 3 days after the episode aired, and I still feel outraged and depressed and disgusted and heartbroken and sickened and manipulated.
Setting aside the fact that it’s actually quite ridiculous to angst over make-believe characters on celluloid (or, now that anime is digital, computers), I think my reaction stems partly from the betrayal of the writers in twisting the expectations of their viewers, the indescribable disappointment associated with being able to rave about an anime character for exactly one episode before having the mat pulled out, and the unpleasant light that this episode’s events have played on my own personal philosophies.
Or, to put it in a simple way, I’m just really pissed that they turned Shizuru from ultra-cool to despicable.
Why was Shizuru cool? Well, it wasn’t because of the Kansai-ben, despite what other fans may say :P Shizuru was cool because she was the calm and collected shachou who knew exactly what was going on (but no-one knew she knew, except for Mashiro). She was cool because she was rational, knew exactly what she was doing, and chose to sit on the sidelines until she absolutely had no choice but to act. She ruled because when she did finally act, she kicked ass like no tomorrow, and then disappeared again. She was the hero of all fangirls, and guys, because she appeared just to save Natsuki, who was her Most Important Person. And of course, she was freakin’ awesome because she had a thing for Natsuki, cared deeply for her, and looked damn sexy whenever she smiled fondly for our little stoic Kuga-san.
We also thought she put Natsuki above all else, would willingly sacrifice all (and defeat all!) for Natsuki, and would be forever there for her, silent and patient and selfless, even if Natsuki’s “like” was different from her “like”. Not that we really thought it was all that different, for long. *laugh*
Make that, *ironic laugh*.
Ah yes, Sunrise’s writers. I was not terribly upset when they messed up the other HiME. Tate kisses Shiho? Hah, Mai never really got my sympathies anyway. Akira’s CHILD gets zapped? Ah well, too bad. Mikoto gets brainwashed, Mashiro gets soundly thrashed… Eh.
To be honest, I was not a Natsuki fan either, so the whole “betrayed by mom” bit was simply an interesting plot device.
Oh, but Shizuru… Shizuru-sama. Now that’s a whole different game. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve really liked an anime character? Probably the last one was Umi-chan, and that was, what, 1997? Ah yes, f*ck you Sunrise, for screwing with our feelings so totally and utterly effectively.
When I look back, it was so well executed, I have to admire them for their balls. With 5 episodes left to go, they, in one fell stroke, stoked up all expectations and admiration for Shizuru, and then completely demolished it in one of the most stomach-turning ways imaginable. Not a Kannaduki, but close enough.
You see, you thought Shizuru was the noblest of characters, the white knight in shining armour arriving in the nick of time to save the damsel in distress and take her back to a safe place where she can recover from all the pain she’s been through. Then, oh and how well, they start painting it in a more sinister light. Ah yes, you don’t think much of it, but when you go back, you see the signs… When Natsuki plays with the puppy and says, “Hey, whatcha licking there, it tickles!” Shizuru’s expression… could possibly be construed as sad… or something a little less innocent. Notice how they’ve alternated the shots of Shizuru’s face, and the back of Natsuki’s exposed neck. You can tell she is staring.
Then, of course, the infamous scene that Haruka and Yukino happen to spy. Shizuru, who can’t help but be tempted to steal a kiss from a sleeping Natsuki. Boom, the shit hits the fan, and the scene is set for another confrontation, this time between Shizuru and Yukino.
Yukino tries to call Shizuru back, for the sake of Haruka. Shizuru couldn’t care less. The otherwise demure Yukino then resorts to blackmail - “If you won’t come back… I saw, just like you kissed her just now, what you did to Kuga-san who was asleep… How could you do that to somebody who trusted you completely as a friend!”
At which point we get the other, extremely infamous, scene.
It’s reality, however, is ambigious. Did it really happen? Was this what Yukino saw? Or was it simply Natsuki’s shocked imagination run wild after her “nightmare” of a ghostly Shizuru trying to kiss her? I subscribe to the latter… because of the way the sequence was constructed.
So I was more than sickened to read on some posts (most posts!) that that scene was taken as fact, that Shizuru did in fact molest Natsuki in her sleep. And this is where on the personal philosophy side, I am more than slightly upset. Because there is no excuse of non-consensual actions, and if taken at face value, this means that Shizuru is nothing more than the most selfish and perverted of individuals.
Dude, that hurts. I’m way past the age of childhood, but dang it I subscribe to the right to worship fictional characters. Therefore, I claim also the right to bitch when they turn out to be despicable. Doesn’t happen very often, which is why this whole episode hit me so hard.
I’ve gone back and watched the scenes several times, and the sad part is that I can’t help but hope that a rational explanation exists for all this. I cannot accept that Shizuru is simply a half-way rapist psychopath!
Remember, we can only take what the other is willing to give. This should be the guiding philosophy of human interaction. I’m sure something similar is somewhere in Buddhist scripture :P
That fateful moment when Shizuru can’t resist temptation.
Two busybodies see something they shouldn’t have… And make the mistake of not getting away with it.
At which point they adjourn to the courtyard for the catfight of the century. Shizuru looks incredibly cool, and so I shall screencap plenty of her, and none of Yukino or Haruka.
“I saw it!” Is this what Yukino really saw? Or is it just Natsuki’s imagination, horrified with the revelation that…
Um, bunch of Shizuru screencaps follow. I think I will skip the captions on these… Shizuru is freakin’ scary as hell. Dammit, there’s no sane reason to pull out your naginata!!
And there you have it folks. Final scene, highly highly well-done. When the wind springs up and the maple leaves start blowin’ by and the lonely notes of the piano begin to play…
“Would you do anything for the one you love? Yes, so would I…”
