Hello, my darlings! I'm sure you saw the title of today's post. "Ten long years..." is a running theme of one of my favorite anime series in the history of anime. I know at least one of my readers is also a long-time fan of Rurouni Kenshin (love you, Katie!). Last night, I had a friend over and we decided to start watching Kenshin again from the beginning. If you don't know the story of the love between me and Kenshin (the series - the character will not be italicized) then I won't bore you. If you know it, then you know it - my personal back-story on the series is neither here nor there. However, last night gave me the idea to follow up with one of the ideas on the list!
Today, I give you a spotlight on the ladies of Rurouni Kenshin and why they are important to a feminist nerd. To keep it easier, I think I'll be doing just one at a time. Yes, I'll be doing protagonists and "villains." And so, without further blathering from me, ONWARD!
This, ladies and gents, is Kamiya Kaoru. (Note: In case you don't know, the Japanese language puts last names first - Smith John. In the English dub, she is referred to as Kaoru Kamiya.) You see her for the first time in the pilot episode and she is the main female protagonist of the series. She has been orphaned and lives alone in her father's dojo.
Here, we come to point badass the first! Kaoru is the assistant master for the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu/Style (Japanese to English) of Japanese swordsmanship. Her father founded the style as a way to use swordsmanship to revitalize the human spirit. Let's look at this: the year is 1878 and a woman is the assistant master of a Japanese swordsmanship style. Sound badass yet? Here's more - she's 17. If it sounds demeaning that she is only the assistant master, remember this: her father died before he could formally pass down the title. The fact that she is allowed a nameplate as assistant master and can, in fact, train her own students, is pretty progressive for the time.
Kaoru is tenacious as hell. There are many examples of her being strong even to the point of recklessness - she will stand up for what she believes to be right no matter what. She has a natural trust of people, but she isn't stupid about it. Though she is a strict teacher and very skilled in her style, she does not give up her femininity. She is depicted in screen time (and in the manga) about equally in her gi and hakama (short kimono and loose trousers) and her full furisode (kimono of an unmarried woman). This, I believe, is only one of her design factors that make her a very human character. The other, is something some people may believe detracts from her. Honestly, it annoyed me for a very long time, but then I stepped back.
Kaoru is very emotional. Many people use "emotional" as a way to make women not matter. How many times have you heard, "Oh, you're just being emotional?" as a way to devalue your feelings? It does not make someone less sane, rational, or worthy to have strong emotions. It also does not render a person any less capable of competent, coherent thought. Frankly, it is a dangerous idea to believe that it does. Yes, Kaoru cries a lot, but nowhere near as much as some girls in some other series, and when things are serious, so is she. She has her dark moments - at one point, she falls into such a deep depression that she cannot get out of bed. Here's the thing, though: she accepts help from her friends and gets up to do what she needs to do. There is also a monologue of hers that I will touch on in another entry where she explains how little gender matters in what she does.
I get that anime is a very stylized form of entertainment. The characters are very often larger-than-life in ability, personality, appearance, and so on. Kaoru seems to be a wonderful counterbalance to all the over-the-top characters, particularly the guys, in Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin himself isnearly invincible as a swordsman. Sanosuke is a brawler with close to superhuman strength. I could go on about the men of Kenshin all day. Several people have heard me do so. However, Kaoru and the rest of the ladies of the series bring balance to the dynamic. No, her swordsmanship does not verge on the magical and, yes, she does have a few qualities that probably make people want to smack her. To me, that just makes her more human. She doesn't have unreal proportions or a crazy eye color. There's no sparkly transformation sequences or Care-Bear-Stare-esque magic attacks. Through her successes and failures, I find her exemplary as a strong female character.
Marigold, encouraging you all to go watch Rurouni Kenshin, over and out!
Today, I give you a spotlight on the ladies of Rurouni Kenshin and why they are important to a feminist nerd. To keep it easier, I think I'll be doing just one at a time. Yes, I'll be doing protagonists and "villains." And so, without further blathering from me, ONWARD!
This, ladies and gents, is Kamiya Kaoru. (Note: In case you don't know, the Japanese language puts last names first - Smith John. In the English dub, she is referred to as Kaoru Kamiya.) You see her for the first time in the pilot episode and she is the main female protagonist of the series. She has been orphaned and lives alone in her father's dojo.
Here, we come to point badass the first! Kaoru is the assistant master for the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu/Style (Japanese to English) of Japanese swordsmanship. Her father founded the style as a way to use swordsmanship to revitalize the human spirit. Let's look at this: the year is 1878 and a woman is the assistant master of a Japanese swordsmanship style. Sound badass yet? Here's more - she's 17. If it sounds demeaning that she is only the assistant master, remember this: her father died before he could formally pass down the title. The fact that she is allowed a nameplate as assistant master and can, in fact, train her own students, is pretty progressive for the time.
Kaoru is tenacious as hell. There are many examples of her being strong even to the point of recklessness - she will stand up for what she believes to be right no matter what. She has a natural trust of people, but she isn't stupid about it. Though she is a strict teacher and very skilled in her style, she does not give up her femininity. She is depicted in screen time (and in the manga) about equally in her gi and hakama (short kimono and loose trousers) and her full furisode (kimono of an unmarried woman). This, I believe, is only one of her design factors that make her a very human character. The other, is something some people may believe detracts from her. Honestly, it annoyed me for a very long time, but then I stepped back.
Kaoru is very emotional. Many people use "emotional" as a way to make women not matter. How many times have you heard, "Oh, you're just being emotional?" as a way to devalue your feelings? It does not make someone less sane, rational, or worthy to have strong emotions. It also does not render a person any less capable of competent, coherent thought. Frankly, it is a dangerous idea to believe that it does. Yes, Kaoru cries a lot, but nowhere near as much as some girls in some other series, and when things are serious, so is she. She has her dark moments - at one point, she falls into such a deep depression that she cannot get out of bed. Here's the thing, though: she accepts help from her friends and gets up to do what she needs to do. There is also a monologue of hers that I will touch on in another entry where she explains how little gender matters in what she does.
I get that anime is a very stylized form of entertainment. The characters are very often larger-than-life in ability, personality, appearance, and so on. Kaoru seems to be a wonderful counterbalance to all the over-the-top characters, particularly the guys, in Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin himself is
Marigold, encouraging you all to go watch Rurouni Kenshin, over and out!
Rurouni Kenshin! I remember watching Rurouni Kenshin on Toonami back in the day. I forgot so much about these characters; def got a flashback from this blog. =P
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