#He strikes me as a 'duelist' in terms of how he fights... with what little chance we get to see him in that way

[wwheeljack]

[anakinisvaderisanakin]

My entry for Rebels-week: Discourse, Ahsoka vs Vader.

I’ve seen quite a few posts online questioning why could seemingly Ahsoka (almost) go toe to toe with Vader in Twilight of the Apprentice; and I figured I’d break down why I believe she succeeded as far as she did. I have three main arguments, although they interlock and are valid contributors to one final conclusion.

One - Ahsoka was trained by Anakin. Vader is Anakin.

Despite the fact that as Vader, he has adapted new saber techniques, new practices, and relies much less on just raw Force power and more on physical brute prowess; he is still the man that trained Ahsoka as a padawan. She has learnt everything from him, and the signature moves Vader has maintained from his days as her master she inevitably would be familiar with.

Ahsoka would know how to counteract these moves; and how to sneak past Vader’s aggressive offenses. While he is a tad more restrained as Vader; Anakin still does fight with an overtly aggressive lenience. If we as an audience can still recognize certain moves of Vader's from his Jedi days, it goes without saying that Ahsoka would have no problem picking up on the same thing and deducing beforehand what move to make next as a counter attack. Add to that the fact that Dave Filoni himself did point out that Anakin trained Ahsoka specifically to be able to take on enemies much stronger and larger than her - a description Vader fits perfectly.

Pretty ironic.

Two - Ahsoka is powerful.

We may have not been tuned in to see Ahsoka hone her skills with the Force between her appearance in Rebels and her self titled book; but it is clear she has definitely grown. The Siege of Mandalore arc already gives us clues to her skill as a duelist when she actually beats Maul. Filoni pointed out that Ahsoka is an OP of the SWR universe; and that using her in the show too much would have lowered the stakes all around. He mentioned that only Vader (or the Emperor) would pose a threat to her - something I can definitely buy into - and thus, not only because of their history, but because of their powers with the Force; the two had to fight each other if we were to receive any duel worth writing home about.

Ahsoka’s appearances in Rebels are kept to a bare minimum, as are Vader’s. When Ahsoka leaves the show, so does Vader. Because neither Kanan nor Ezra stand a chance against Vader; we have seen him very nearly kill them both in Siege of Lothal; we know he could easily pick them off, especially in one-on-one combat. Vader is too powerful for our remaining heroes where the Force is concerned; and using him as a villain is pointless when we know he would win - or have to be severely downgraded in a manner that might break, or at the very least bend pre-established canon.

Hence; we know Ahsoka is the only Force wielder within the show’s direct vicinity who can take Vader on in a battle with any hopes of lasting a good amount of time, and even she would not have survived had Ezra not found a way to save her.

Three - the final argument, and my favourite.

Vader struggles briefly against Ahsoka because he still cares for her, deep down. This is the same reason he didn’t obliterate Luke in Empire; although of course Luke means much more to him in the end. Vader even asks Ahsoka, just as he later does Luke, to join him. He professes himself that they “need not be adversaries,” suggesting he would rather see her turn to the Dark Side as his apprentice, in favour of downright executing her. He will kill her if need be, as we see, but he doesn’t miss the opportunity to attempt to sway her beforehand.

Ahsoka was Anakin’s padawan, as close to his heart as any blood related little sister would be. I would argue she is the closest thing to Luke, and Padmé, in terms of Anakin's attachment. Indeed, there is the attachment to Obi-Wan; but him and Anakin clearly harboured a sort of brotherly rivalry - which in Anakin, as he fell to the Dark Side, would develop into full on resentment.

This did not happen where Ahsoka is concerned; Anakin is indeed still bitter towards her, but instead of obsessively hunting her to kill her as he does Obi-Wan; he offers her to join him, and does promise her mercy if she helps him in his quest. This speaks of how important Ahsoka is to Vader, even now.

Neither can we forget the evidence supporting this final point; that Vader actually hesitates when Ahsoka professes she “won't leave you this time”. You see it in his eyes; you can tell he's taken aback and rattled. You can tell it raises painful memories; and that Vader for a moment allows himself to open up to his past, and the pain he struggled with when Ahsoka first left the Jedi Order, as well as her almost callously brushing him off when they finally did have a chance to catch up in favour of rushing off to Mandalore.

Meanwhile Ahsoka blames herself, and believes she should have stayed for Anakin’s sake; she too doubts and second guesses her own decision as we see in Shroud of Darkness. We, the audience, know that the vision she is shown is likely very close to - if not spot on - how Vader is feeling towards what he views as her betrayal.

Final thoughts.

In conclusion; while I don't believe Vader was truly struggling against Ahsoka in terms of sheer skill and power, it is evident that he underestimates her. He knows only the saber duelist he trained during The Clone Wars, and has as little of an idea regarding how much she has grown as we do. He knows she's skilled, more so than his Inquisitors, which I would presume to be another reason why he requests of her to join him.

But he doesn't know how skilled she is now. On top of that, Ahsoka is clearly more defensive than anything throughout their duel; her only real attempt at a strike is when she splits open Vader's mask. She knows she's outmatched, and she's trying to stall Vader in order for Ezra and the crew to escape. She is only keeping Vader busy; because she's the only one who stands a fighting chance. And Vader is surprised she can stay on her feet as long as she does.

When she finally does land a blow; he's visibly shocked. And when she addresses that she won’t abandon him, and clearly shows that she is not afraid of him or of dying by his hand - Vader is overcome by a sliver of his old love for her, which is what reinvigorates his urge to kill her and sees him victorious in the end. If he was merely testing her limits before, he's not taking any risks now and he bests her.

Ahsoka is Anakin's apprentice, who has become an extremely talented duelist in her own right. But she is also one of the people Anakin loved the most. 

These things combined make her a fierce adversary for Vader; and it is all of that old attachment that links her to Vader's past which has him somewhat faltering during their final battle. This is why he goes from willing to spare her if she complies; to vowing to kill her when she refuses. If he cannot convince her to side with him and justify the lingering remnants of their old bond by making her useful; it has to die with her - as does every other remainder of who Vader really is.

To add the one thing I forgot - the way in which Vader does not brush Ahsoka off when she calls him Anakin. He startles, and instead of her receiving his usual “that name no longer holds any meaning for me,” tangent; he allows it. In that brief moment, he cannot deny that he is Anakin, and that Ahsoka and him have this deep connection. When he later states that she must die; he doesn’t say it as a threat or as a promise. It’s warning to her, that if she doesn’t leave now - he will not be held responsible for her fate. She can still flee and leave one last time, if she wishes to.

It is clear that Vader deep down doesn’t want to kill Ahsoka. Add to that, the fact that while she does engage in some defensive tactics; Ahsoka is actually the offensive combatant when they intially engage in battle. She attacks Vader first; which is another uncharacteristic mark of any duel Vader has taken part in. Usually, it’s Vader who’s on the offensive.

Thus, when Ahsoka calls Vader Anakin; it has meaning. She finally admits to herself what she has suspected and denied, but deep down knows, is true. Meanwhile, Vader for a fleeting moment acknowledges the same thing. He is Anakin; and besides Luke, Ahsoka is the only person who has ever managed to get such a reaction out of Vader. She came the closest, and that’s worthy of admiration.

[cto10121]

Is Tybalt A Poser?: On Dueling, Masculinity, and Mercutio Gatekeeping, er, Dueling

Since it is canon in the French musical that Mercutio and Tybalt have known each other “since childhood (depuis notre enfance),” and since that is a common headcanon in fanfic and in fandom, I decided to revisit Shakespeare!Mercutio’s actual comments on Tybalt, in Act 2, Scene 4, the only time he talks about him at length.

Benvolio. Why, what is Tybalt?

Mercutio. More than Prince of Cats. O, he’s the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing pricksong—keeps time, distance, and proportion: rests me his minim rests, one, two, and the third in your bosom! The very butcher of a silk button, a duelist, a duelist, a gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second cause. Ah, the immortal passado, the punto reverso, the hay!

Benvolio. The what?

Mercutio. The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes—these new tuners of accent! “By Jesu, a very good blade! A very tall man! A very good whore!” Why, is not this a lamentable thing, grandsir, that we should be this afflicted with these strange flies, these fashion mongers, these pardon me’s, who stand so much on the new form they cannot sit at ease on the old bench? O their bones, their bones!

Mercutio is clearly mocking Tybalt, but exactly what is he mocking him for, and how? Let’s delve in deeper.

So in Shakespeare’s time when most men went about armed and duels were common, there were obviously rules, protocols, “compliments,” and overall dueling etiquette that gentlemen followed. You even have to have reasons in order to challenge someone to a duel—the “first and second cause” that Mercutio mentions is “accusations of a serious crime” and “honor.”

So when Mercutio says Tybalt is a “courageous captain of compliments” and “a gentleman of the first house,” he is depicting Tybalt as someone who takes the rules of dueling and fighting very seriously. Not only that, but Tybalt “fights as you sing pricksong,” or as you sing by sight-reading sheet music. Not as most people will sing, just by hearing the song. In other words, his dueling style is by-the-book, rote, and predictable (the sarcasm Mercutio imbues these words is palpable). The “immortal passado, punto reverso,” etc., are fancy duelist terms, Italian ones, and the last one, the “hai,” Benvolio doesn’t even know.

From there Mercutio drops the sarcasm entirely and goes on a rant about “antic, lisping, affecting fantiscoes—these new tuners of accent!” Pedants, in other words, though there are some meaning of “sissies,” layered in there, especially in the use of “lisping.” Mercutio, true to form, goes from making fun of Tybalt for his hipster dueling style to making fun of pedants overly concerned with the “right” vocabulary and usage, and the adoption of newfangled words and styles over old ones.

But is Tybalt a poser? What we have seen of him so far and how he is portrayed in the play goes against that. He demands Benvolio turn and “look upon his death”; he wants to “strike [Romeo] dead” just by Romeo’s coming to the ball. He seems less like a gentleman duelist and more like a hot-blooded teen keen to score some points against the enemy. But in his criticizing Tybalt this way, we gain a lot more insight into Mercutio’s character and what he values most. He clearly does not like fighting by-the-book and is impatient with fancy terms and styles—his preferred style is more direct and in-your-face. And, considering the shade he throws on “antic, lisping, fantasticoes,” he clearly believes this is a more “truer” masculine style, without bells, whistles, and affectations, than whatever the hell Tybalt is doing.

This seems to be borne by Mercutio’s anger and incredulity at being not only felled, but felled by the likes of Tybalt:

Mercutio. ‘Zounds! A dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death! A braggart, a rogue, a villain that fights by the book of arithmetic.

Killed by the likes of Tybalt? Ew. No. What the fuck?

Did Mercutio Know Tybalt?

So there is all of this talk about how Tybalt is not a real duelist, and Mercutio as a bit of an unreliable character, although there have been versions, like the Baz Lurhmann one, that do take Mercutio’s shittalk seriously (although in that case the actor decided to make him a flashy, flamenco, OTT fighting style. Which is not exactly what Mercutio meant, but well). But it’s also kind of…impersonal? We don’t get a sense of Tybalt as an actual personality, merely his dueling style. This is most likely because Mercutio and Tybalt don’t really know each other.

Consider their meeting in Act 3, Scene 1:

Tybalt. Gentlemen, good den. A word with one of you.

Mercutio. And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something, make a word and a blow.

Tybalt. You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you will give me ocassion.

Mercutio. Could you not take some occasion without giving?

Tybalt. Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.

Tybalt’s responses here align a bit more with Mercutio’s portrait of a gentleman duelist. He is polite, and although Mercutio answers with sharp provocation, he tells him he would be up to fighting him, but with good reason or “occasion.” At last, when Mercutio tries to provoke him again, he drops the honorific. Only when he sees Romeo does the honorific return: “Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.”

TL;DR

So this small exchange shows 1) Mercutio and Tybalt don’t really know each other well, or at least Tybalt doesn’t know him well, and 2) Tybalt’s restraint and even poise, which does make Mercutio’s characterization of a “gentleman duelist” more credible. But Tybalt is still far from being unnecessary fancy or extravagant—his replies are largely curt and to the point. Despite Mercutio’s irritation at Romeo’s interference (he clearly feels he could have bested Tybalt), I doubt Mercutio would have bested Tybalt, especially if Tybalt were sufficiently angry enough to cut a bitch. I do believe, though, Mercutio probably does know more on dueling than Tybalt does—or he feels Tybalt does.

Adaptations

In the Zeffirelli film, Zeffirelli decided to direct the duel as a bit of a joke for both Mercutio and Tybalt, a kind of sword play. No doubt he did this so that Mercutio’s death could hit harder emotionally, as well as put in a little bit more lead-in into the escalation of the duel, but there is nothing in the text that suggests this is a light matter for either Mercutio and Tybalt. Still, it works cinematically, even if it does risk some tonal dissonance; the Baz Lurhmann version, on the other hand, is a mess almost from start to finish, (much like the film itself) with Tybalt assaulting Romeo for ages before Mercutio even steps in. Meanwhile Shakespeare!Mercutio was ready to throw hands over Romeo’s refusal to duel. (Why does Lurhmann do my man so dirty like this????)

[quidfree]

sirius being "The best-looking, most rebellious, most dangerous of the four marauders"? I'm not as attached to sirius as some of the other characters i think bcuz we didnt know him as well but i definitely think he's one of the most intriguing characters 2 of 2

yeah that’s totally fair! sirius is such an iconic hp character even to the gp (i think mainly bc we’re introduced to him in such a wild way and then his death comes as a massive shock) but he’s not actually featured in the books all that much- poa is “his” book but we only meet him in like the very last moments of it and we spent most of it thinking he was a crazy murderous death eater, and then we mostly see him again in ootp, wherein he’s depressed and frustrated and then dies pointlessly.

what we see of him is so intriguing to me precisely because every glimpse of sirius we get is of a ghost of a man, in a sense- everything about him relates to death and decay. he matters to the plot and to harry because of his connection to harry’s parents, who are dead; he’s spent a decade rotting in prison amongst the dying and the dead inside because of their deaths; he’s our proper introduction to the crumbling institution of pureblood wizards, trapped in an old empty house full of portraits of dead people with outdated views; his death is the first time harry loses someone who matters to him (and a parent figure at that). sirius, more than any other character, is trapped in the past- between james and lily’s murders and azkaban, he’s always written so the audience knows a massive part of him has died a long time ago. and yet at least imo he’s so different from a lot of characters like that- ofc he’s bitter and jaded and traumatised, but instead of being sad and apathetic and tragic, jkr makes sirius, well, cool- to harry and to us. he’s obviously very smart, and brave, and kind of an all round badass (he broke out of azkaban! he has a motorbike!) who talks to harry like an adult, knows a lot (and is willing to divulge a lot) about the order and death eaters, and has a sharp tongue & no fucks left to give. he’s also obviously a very flawed character- he makes little attempt to hide this, and narratively some of his “cool” traits are in fact his flaws- his recklessness, for one, and his stubborn pride, for another. sirius butts heads with an impressive roster of characters for someone with so little screen-time. to me all of this always begged the question: if this is sirius now, what was sirius like in his prime?

we kind of get some answers in the flashback scenes, obv (i will never forgive the movies for cutting those in DH)- sirius is, well, pretty much old sirius amplified by a thousand; low on angst and high on life. i love that the first things harry tells us about him are that 1/ he’s very hot and 2/ he could not be less interested in the people fawning over him because 3/ he only has eyes for james. in a sense what flashbacks give back to sirius is just james- what we have is sirius without james, hence the haunting. and suddenly all of sirius makes sense, i think- we know what he’s missing, and why he’s missing it. ofc we see all of the flashbacks from snape’s POV, which makes it all more negative and antagonistic, but it makes sense for young sirius to have been a cocky, permanently bored semi-asshole too charming to get in anyone’s bad books for long, clever and quick with his words and crueller than he needs to be. we see hints of that in him later, and we know the context.

so, to get back to the quote: the most rebellious, the most handsome and the most dangerous of the marauders? canon says yes. (he’s probably up there for most rebellious/most handsom/most generous chara in general, actually, with the disclaimer of some of the big bads in terms of danger, ofc.) sirius is a rebel both in attitude (leather jackets, motorbikes, sticking muggle posters all over his room to make a point) and in conviction (unlearning his family’s bigotry, spending his whole life fighting an oppressive movement); he’s also one of the characters jkr-via-harry spends the most time telling us is attractive, and as for dangerousness, well. sirius is dangerous, and he’s an interesting dangerous, because he teeters between acceptable canon dangerous (he’s a highly skilled duelist, he violently hates death eaters, and if he puts his mind to something he will accomplish it no matter the obstacle) and a more uncomfortable dangerousness, which both adults like molly or dumbledore and students like hermione take issue with (he feels little pity for anyone he considers in the wrong, cruelty comes easily to him, and if you cross him his vengeance borders on unhinged).

i think the quote kind of sums up why my nine-year old self was so drawn to sirius- he was a character that harry loved and looked up to tremendously, and he was so different from the kind of hero adult figures i’d seen before, always with a darkness to him, and cool in a way the other adults weren’t. since then, though, it’s the other things that have kept sirius near and dear to my heart- all the complex contradictions of his character, all the important things he teaches harry, the duality between the familial roots and traits he can’t shake off and his innate drive to do good and to make right. i’ve said so before, but the fact he’s the character that tells harry things like "we’ve all got both light and dark inside us. what matters is the part we choose to act on. that’s who we really are”, or “if you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals” is incredible to me. not only are they some of the core messages of the books, but they display such a worldly widsom, on behalf of a character you wouldn’t initially expect to have any such deep dumbledore-esque statements to make, which adds so much depth and nuance to sirius. the striking thing is that sirius is the one to tell harry (and us) these things, but they are battles he himself struggles with tremendously- he lives his life in black and white while thinking in grey, so to speak. it’s that kind of thing that has kept me coming back to sirius and will keep him close to my heart so long as i live- he feels so very human, both a walking greek tragedy and a cool uncle. not to mention he has the best roast of all seven books.

i could go on about sirius endlessly, especially sirius and james, because their relationship is such an interesting study of both their personalities while feeding into their personalities at the same time, but i think i’ve covered your question, so i’ll leave it at that for now, haha.

[yasuda-yoshiya]

im so glad you decided to give utena a go! it's my favourite anime and there truly isn't any wrong interpretation of the events, themes, and characters. what are your thoughts on the individual student council members? as well as the black rose duelists, and the black rose arc itself? that part of the series always struck me as very important in the elaboration of themes that are important for the rest, even if its 'filler', lmao. and im glad you liked utena as well!

Utena is great! I’m very glad to have watched it. And I know what you mean about interpretations, haha; I’ve been looking up a lot of people’s meta and analysis about it since I finished watching it, and people really do approach it from so many different cool and interesting ways. I think it’s a really cleverly presented show in the sense that it doesn’t really directly push any particular lesson or moral to the story; it just sort of very accurately observes and portrays a lot of really relatable and recognisable social dynamics, and lets the viewer decide for themselves what they want to take from that. I really like it a lot!

Haha, gosh, that’s a lot of characters to cover! Well, let’s see how quickly I can sum them up… For the student council members, I really liked Saionji; I think they did a good job at balancing the portrayal of his sweet and childish side with his capacity for genuine ugliness when his insecurities cause him to lash out at people. He came across to me as someone who really did want a genuinely mutual emotional connection rather than just “possessing” someone (that exchange diary was very endearing in its ridiculousness) but didn’t really know how to go about that except by clumsily forcing it on people, which feels like a pretty relatable teenager thing.

Then there’s Miki…I felt like his fixation on his memories of Kozue and later Anthy as his “shining thing” was a pretty good portrayal of how idolising and putting people on a pedestal can also be its own way of dehumanising them, and I thought his episodes did a good job of showing how those sorts of feelings can easily get diverted into something ugly despite him being a basically gentle kid at heart. I wasn’t quite sure what to make about the stuff with his parents, exactly, and I felt like the whole plotline with Kozue was a bit all over the place, but I still basically appreciate the core of the character and what he adds to the series.

Juri was interesting! Her bitterness over Shiori felt like a pretty authentic and recognisable emotion to me; it’s certainly a very uncomfortable situation as a teenager to be in that position of having feelings for someone you know you’re not “supposed” to, and then having to put up with people giving you those empty platitudes of “oh, if you like someone then you should just tell them!!” without any real understanding of the situation. I thought her relationship with Shiori was pretty compelling in how messed up and dysfunctional it ended up being on both ends, but then her last couple of episodes with Ruka really didn’t do anything for me; it felt to me like he ended up sort of hijacking her plotline in a weirdly offputting way, so I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it in the end. I still like the character, but I felt like her overall arc had potential to be more interesting to me than it was.

Touga…I didn’t really like Touga very much! He honestly just came across as a very consciously manipulative asshole for most of the series, and the show’s eventual attempts to humanise him felt like too little too late for me. I think I can somewhat see and appreciate the idea of what they were going for in terms of a lot of his gross attitudes being a misguided attempt to emulate people like Akio as role models for what a “prince” should be, and that he was also a victim and a pawn of the system in the end, but on the whole I was pretty much inclined to agree with Saionji when he said “you’ve never actually cared about anyone”. Even after Utena supposedly made him doubt himself, he still seemed to keep acting in the same gross ways for the most part, which I guess was probably meant as an intentional deconstruction of the usual tropes in some respects (falling in love doesn’t actually magically make you a better person), but that still doesn’t really make me like him any more!

Nanami was just hilarious, haha. I expected her to be a really grating character from her introduction, but her comic relief episodes were so completely over-the-top ridiculous that they sort of wrapped around to being weirdly endearing in their way, so I couldn’t really actively dislike her. I also couldn’t ever bring myself to actually take her seriously as a character at all, though; bizarre comedy episodes aside, she seemed like a pretty standard clingy brocon character without a whole lot of nuance. But at least she was a very entertaining one!

Oh yeah, the Black Rose arc was really important, I agree! I wouldn’t really say it felt like filler particularly - I suppose it’s true that Utena and Anthy don’t do much in it, but thematically I think it does add a huge amount, and I enjoyed the way it established Akio as a sort of “wise mentor” figure in the background before really putting him into the spotlight in the final arc. It sort of made me sort of instinctively want to trust him even despite him being really obviously shady, which in retrospect was a pretty impressively complicated feeling for the show to be able to pull off. But yeah, the arc itself was really interesting! I think it was definitely a really effective and thematically important choice to put the focus on the “losers” of the system, giving a voice to people you’d expect to be background characters and giving them the chance to fight for themselves. I know Ikuhara said the Black Rose arc was inspired by him hearing someone on TV say something like “society is divided into the chosen and the unchosen; to be unchosen is to die”, and wanting to explore the feelings of the “unchosen”, and I think it achieved that pretty well; a lot of the Black Rose Duelists’ stories were pretty insightful in criticising the narratives behind that sort of artificial social hierarchy and what it does to people.

I think what left the most impact about it to me, though, was that it just had such a strong atmosphere! Those elevator therapy sequences really managed to be legitimately creepy and disturbing; the juxtaposition of the duelists’ big emotional breakdowns with Mikage’s weirdly impersonal, deadpan, scripted response struck a very effectively unsettling note for me. And the Black Rose Duelists themselves had such a cool and memorable aesthetic, too…it always felt really striking to me whenever we got to see them dueling, probably because most of them really aren’t the kinds of characters you’d expect to be fighting (as opposed to most of the student council members who have established fencing and Kendo skills), so it sort of added to the impression of these people who wouldn’t normally have any power within the system being given a chance to fight. So yes, on the whole I think it’s a really cool arc, with a really fantastic presentation in particular.

As for impressions on each of the Black Rose Duelists individually, hmm, let’s see…Kanae was a good enough introduction to the concept, but didn’t really leave that much impression. I felt bad for her being used by Akio, but she didn’t really get enough screentime for me to get invested. Kozue…I think Kozue never really clicked for me, honestly? Her being so creepily possessive of Miki was sort of offputting to me (this show already has enough incest, you know…?), and I felt like I couldn’t really get a good feel for her character or what drove her on anything more than an abstract level.

Shiori was really interesting! There was a compelling sort of raw desperation behind her panicked, uncomprehending response to finding Juri’s locket that really stuck with me; it’s sort of an ugly reaction but it honestly felt pretty sympathetic to me, I think? Like, if on the one hand your former best friend is totally off-handedly dismissing your attempts to reach out and make amends with her in person and acting like she never wants to see you again, but at the same time you find out she’s also secretly treasuring an old picture of you as her most prized possession and keeping it on her at all times…well, that IS actually pretty weird, you know?! I think most people would be at least a little creeped out by that. So Shiori’s kind of totally confused panic response and weird mix of vindicated elation and anger culminating in that accusing shout of “WHY DO YOU LOOK AT ME THAT WAY?!” honestly felt pretty real to me. I felt like they did a good job of conveying a real constant sense of deep-rooted self-loathing behind her more selfish and manipulative actions that made it hard for me not to feel sorry for her a lot of the time; it seemed to me like she was stuck in a sort of toxic cycle of trying to escape her low self-esteem by “deceiving people into liking her”, which inevitably just made her feel even worse about herself and just fed deeper into the initial assumption that no one would like her unless she deceived them, and so on, which was really painful to watch. I’m not surprised that she seems to evoke such visceral emotional responses from people within the fandom, because I think a lot of what she says and does really feels uncomfortably raw and real in a way that’s difficult to process. She’s a very good character in that way!

Tsuwabuki…well, he didn’t particularly grab me as a character, but I did actually enjoy his Black Rose episode quite a bit. I feel like it makes for a pretty strong illustration of just how little coherent and accessible information there really is out there for young kids trying to understand what sexuality and relationships are like, so it’s easy for people to end up turning to dubious sources and developing weird and messed up ideas about how things work and what “adulthood” actually means. It’s really no wonder that our whole cultural standards around that stuff have become so screwed up and dysfunctional when no one’s even really willing to talk about it.

Wakaba was great! I liked her a lot. She was a genuinely good friend to Utena and a good illustration of the unappreciated strength and value of “normal people”. The end of her arc with Saionji honestly made me really sad! I sort of wish there was a little bit more follow-up after her duel with Utena, though; I would have liked it if the whole thing had a bit more of a lasting impact on Wakaba and how Utena viewed her and their friendship, but it didn’t feel like that ever really happened, so her subplot felt a bit…unresolved, I guess? Well, I think it’s probably intentional that most of the characters besides Utena and Anthy don’t really get a firm “resolution” to their arcs - the potential for growth is there, but they still haven’t broken out of their shells yet, which is fine - but I think I would have at least liked to see her take a few more steps toward being able to see her own worth without needing someone “special” to validate her. (Akio can get lost with his whole “oh normal people only ever get to shine for a short time lol” nonsense, urrgghh.)

I liked Keiko too! Devoting a whole episode to a previously nameless bit character like that was a really cool way of hammering home the whole theme of breaking down the conventional assumptions behind social “hierarchies” even on a meta/narrative level. Keiko herself was interesting to me in the sense that her grievances and anger at having her chance at happiness “denied to her” when she’s no less deserving than anyone else actually felt legit sympathetic at first in isolation, but then you look at the unspoken assumptions framing that narrative and it suddenly becomes really disturbing (this person would make me happy, everyone deserves happiness, therefore I deserve this person).

Mikage…man, I really wanted to like Mikage - the basic ideas behind his character are really cool and fascinating - but I think his arc just felt too rushed for me in the end? It felt like we basically got dumped with his entire plot and backstory immediately before it got resolved, so I didn’t really have time to get emotionally invested in his story before it was already over. Revealing midway that half of his backstory was probably a lie didn’t exactly help things either, as I was left struggling to keep up with what was actually real and what wasn’t; I still don’t feel like I really have a handle on some of the basic points like why he actually set the building on fire or when exactly Mamiya died, which makes it hard for me to really connect with the character and understand what exactly he got out of the illusionary narrative that Akio constructed for him. Theoretically I feel like he should really be exactly the kind of character I absolutely love - someone detached from their own emotions who doubts their basic humanity, who keeps clinging single-mindedly on to his memories of the only people who ever made him actually feel something even after they’re long gone? Wow, sign me up - but the execution just didn’t quite do it for me. I feel like his story might have benefited from being more spread out across the whole Black Rose arc instead of shoved entirely into two episodes, so that we got more of a chance to get more gradually invested in him? As it is, I still think he’s a conceptually fascinating character, and I’ve read a lot of great meta about his place in the story and his parallels with Utena that makes him sound incredibly interesting, but I just couldn’t really feel it from the show itself.

Wow okay I sure did write a lot! Well, that’s my initial impressions on the Utena characters. I expect a lot of those impressions would change if I watched it again, though - like I said, I don’t think I really fully grasped the real aims and themes of the show until the very end, so I’d probably pick up on a lot more nuances a second time around. But those are my thoughts for now!

[littleyugi]

l loooove your blog! and l hope you don't mind me asking what your top 3 duells are? also there is no need to give a long answer if you don't want to of course ;D l'd would mind reading it tho but only do it if you want to :P

Heck ya I don’t mind!

3. Yami Yugi vs. Yugi

Of course this duel is up near the top, but it’s a GREAT ending for the series. And it just has all the components of a good duel for the show - it emphasizes the end goals for the two Yugis (Yugi had to learn independence and Yami Yugi had to learn to lose while fighting his hardest), the cards played had major symbolism in connection with the show (Yugi stopping Monster Reborn from being played indicating that spirits need to pass on when their time has come), and of course exciting duel play (Yugi fucking destroying all three Egyptian God Cards).

2. Pandora/Arkana vs. Yami Yugi + Yugi vs. Possessed!Jonouchi

I’m gonna cheat here and place these two as tied for second, because I love them both a lot.

Pandora/Arkana vs. Yami Yugi

I’m kind of surprised how much I love this particular duel, but I think it’s because it’s around the time the audience gets a sense of a larger connection between Atem and the Dark Magician (and the Dark Magician’s connection to Dark Magician Girl). In other words, this duel ends up being foreshadowing for the relationship between these three (Atem, Mahad, and Mana) in the Egyptian Arc, despite still being quite awhile from this point. Getting to rewatch it in hindsight - it’s like watching these three finally find their way back to each other.

And Dark Magician’s sacrifice never fails to hit me right in the kokoro.

Also, I just think the duel is particularly exciting because of how evenly matched Pandora and Atem were (pretty clearly emphasized when they literally had the same moves to attack each other and revive their magicians near the beginning). Although the reason for Pandora’s downfall was a little on the nose (the whole not respecting his cards wasn’t very subtle lol), it felt a lot less like a single point that Atem was able to turn the duel around in his favor to win (like, say, drawing chain destruction to keep exodia from being summoned) but setting up moments throughout the duel that slowly lead to Pandora’s defeat which made it a lot more satisfying.

Possessed!Jonouchi vs. Yugi

The duel itself isn’t exactly top tier amazing on its own but this makes sense - the point of this duel wasn’t really to win the duel with flashy moves but to win against the struggles happening outside of it. And that’s what I liked about it - the goal of the duel wasn’t simply to reduce the opponent’s lifepoints to 0 but to strike a very careful balance between fighting on to snap Jonouchi out of his possession while keeping both players alive to the end.

So as a result, Jonouchi’s and Yugi’s main character struggles for this arc are brought to the forefront. Both Jonouchi and Yugi are coming to terms with the need to be independent of Yami Yugi - Jonouchi setting himself up as a rival (in a much more healthy way than Kaiba does) while Yugi spends a lot of time accepting that he and Yami Yugi won’t stay together forever. In terms of the duel, Yugi fights to prove his capability to be strong for his friends without Yami Yugi and Jonouchi fights to find the internal strength to break through Marik’s brainwashing through his memories (i.e. looking at everything his learned up to that point and finding his identity). And both of them supported each other to achieve these goals by…fighting each other. It’s quite an interesting set up.

(I could talk for 17 more paragraphs but I’ll mercifully end this here lol)

1. Yami Marik vs. Yami Yugi

Honestly, I really like all of Yami Marik’s duels because I love him as a villain. Sometimes it’s just interesting to watch the embodiment of chaos and bloodlust wreak havoc - but most importantly how we got from point A to point Z, since he didn’t just fly out of the womb looking to kill a man. Yu-Gi-Oh! has a few main themes, and one of them is the idea of “another self”. In this duel, we got to see Marik having to overcome the dark part of himself (with the help of Rishid - which illustrates another theme of Yu-Gi-Oh! - support through love) that manifested after years of…just having been constantly dealt a horrible hand in life, so to speak.

And speaking of support, Yami Yugi’s win was achieved because so many people came together to help Yami Yugi and normal Marik. Of course, there was Yugi + friends with moral support, but also Kaiba’s card which he gave to Yami Yugi because Ishizu convinced him so her brother would have a better chance of being saved. And as mentioned, Rishid coming to the rescue at the end to give Marik one hell of a motivational speech. The interwoven love and care for people played such a large part in this duel, and it’s really heartwarming for such a dark duel.

As for the duel itself, while the entire arc is pretty much an intense clash of the gods, this battle is particularly brought to the forefront here as a way to wrap this clash up. Not too much to say except it was hella exciting haha

Some honorable mentions:

Yugi vs. Kaiba in DSOD, Mai vs. Yami Yugi, ALL of Yami Marik’s duels, Yami Yugi vs. Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, Yami Yugi vs. Marik as the mime and Kajiki/Mako vs. Jonouchi.

[themillenniumscribe]

Yu-Gi-Oh: Brillancy (26)

Her name is Clarisa Swansea. She was born in Hong Kong to a wealthy yet loving family, a father, mother, and two older sisters. A competitive beast in women’s lacrosse with a pretty face to match, there was no mistaking that she was striving for greatness far beyond any expectations. But, when one accident took her family along with her mobility, her life took an intriguing turn into the world of chess.

Malik looked renewed with confidence as the scarlet and gold beast crept down from the steps. His eyes burrowed deep into his opponent, shoulders squaring and his deep voice carried across the field.

“Mystical Beast Selket is only a demigod who protects the true god within the shrine!” Clarisa glanced over to Jounouchi, noting the way his skin glistened through his nervous shifting. She could see his teeth grit, brown eyes shifting to his duel disk as though a begging glance would be enough to save him.

There was chatter across the way but Clarisa blocked it out. She was still studying Malik, brow furrowed and her lips pursing.

“Well, it’s official. That’s definitely Malik,” Mokuba crossed his arms over his chest with a nod. His hazel eyes brimmed with confidence and a smirk curled on his lips.

Clarisa, however, remained unconvinced. Something didn’t seem right about this guy. The Malik that was described to her was completely different than the Malik here. Originally, she was told Malik was desperate, unyielding, and cut corners to try and get what he wanted. His morals were lacking and he certainly was no friend to Yugi and his crew. He beheld certain arrogance to his name and the power he possessed yet crumbled into a fit like a child when things went awry.

But, this Malik showed a glimpse of sadness when Shizuka encouraged Jounouchi. He was even chummy with the blonde duelist, complimenting him briefly on his strength and determination. Though these actions were small in comparison to the intimidating presence he had, they were kinks in the façade that Clarisa found hard to ignore.

“Because Selket was summoned using a Ritual Magic Card, it cannot attack this turn!” Malik’s voice broke her thoughts. “Therefore, my turn shall now end!”

Jounouchi looked hopeful until he drew his next card. He switched his tactics and it was Malik’s turn to strike once again.

The first to go was Psycho Shocker, the Mystical Beast eating him almost whole. His shape changed, attack power increasing, and Clarisa could feel her stomach churn from the sight. Jounouchi went again, doing nothing once more. He paid the price by losing his Insect Queen next.

“Big brother…! I can’t! I just can’t watch anymore!” Shizuka cried. It sounded muffled to Clarisa’s ears.

“Don’t you run, Shizuka!” Jounouchi barked, turning his head. “Look at me!”

Clarisa couldn’t see the other side very well but she did see a glimpse of Shizuka standing.

“I might lose this, but I want you to watch until the end!” His previous nervousness was gone, replaced by a gentle smile. “You found light in the deep darkness. A light called courage. So, no matter what happens, don’t you run back there!”

He really was gifted with gab when he needed to be. Clarisa couldn’t help but smile wider when she saw Jounouchi nod his head toward his sister. She felt a touch of envy. If only one of her sisters was that encouraging.

Then, there it was, that sadness again. Clarisa thought she had missed it before but there was definitely a kind melancholy behind Malik’s amber eyes. They had glazed over, as though they were recalling some painful secret. God Card or not, this could not be the Malik they were talking about.

“Jounouchi!” His face shifted back to his previous stoic cruelty. “Give up your hopes of defeating me.”

Jounouchi listened but didn’t heed the words. He drew another card, deflating slightly, and switched his Fisherman into Defense Mode.

“Despite this situation, you actually plan to continue Dueling?” Malik inquired.

“That’s insulting, Malik!” Jounouchi snapped back. “It may be useless to continue fighting but I have something I want to accomplish! So, I will keep fighting until my life hits zero!”

“…I respect your spirit…” Malik replied solemnly.

That was it, the last chink in his armor.

“This guy can’t be Malik.” Clarisa stated aloud. “There is no possible way that can be him.”

“You sound confident.” Kaiba’s voice was a surprise. She glanced up at him, noting the way his azure eyes studied her. Her eyes narrowed.

“You can tell something is wrong just by observing him.” Her reply came out unusually smooth.

“But, he has the God Card, Risa,” Mokuba countered quickly. “He has to be Malik.”

“But, he doesn’t act like Malik.” Clarisa was swift to cut off Mokuba’s argument. “At least not the Malik that I saw.”

“Care to explain?” Clarisa was surprised when she saw that Kaiba’s head had turned her way. She was used to the side-glance but his head remained facing forward so he could observe the duels head on. She sighed.

“Anyone who straps an anchor to two teens for a Death Duel doesn’t pay genuine compliments to anyone, especially if they’re one of the teens they just tried to kill. If anything, he should be mocking Jounouchi, trying to get under his skin or bragging about how powerful he is.” Her grey eyes leveled to the field, eyeing Malik once more. “He has done nothing of the sort. He’s been kind, complimented him even. I don’t see any dirty tricks or terrible behavior. He’s not the same vindictive person that took over Jounouchi.”

“But…the God card…” Mokuba hesitated, trying to find another way to navigate his argument.

“Don’t bother, Mokuba.” Kaiba chided. “She’ll be proven wrong soon enough.”

“Wanna bet?” Clarisa challenged with a sneer. Jounouchi interrupted before Kaiba could agree to the terms.

“What you can see, but can’t see…” He murmured, drawing the attention of both groups. Clarisa could feel a smile tugging at her lips though she couldn’t explain why.

“I’ve got a funny feeling.” He confessed. “A little while ago, I reached the point where I was resigned to losing. And, just then, when winning or losing didn’t matter it’s like I saw something I couldn’t see before. Why didn’t I see it sooner? It must have been the heat of battle…”

Did Jounouchi remember something about Malik? Clarisa watched him curiously.

“Malik brainwashed me. He forced me to fight my friend in a Duel to the Death, a pointless battle that only hurt our hearts.” His eyes burned hot, their sharpness intensifying. “I won’t forgive the bastard who set up that Duel and forced us to fight!”

“Then go ahead and curse me!” Malik replied stonily. “But a match is different. That anger is not enough to defeat me.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say!” Jounouchi spat. “When this Duel started, I really hated your guts! But, I’ve lost that hatred now...and I tried to remember how terrible it felt when that bastard took over my mind and implanted his memory!”

He glanced down at Clarisa. It took her a moment to realize it. Once their gazes connected, however, the two of them realized that they were coming to the same conclusion. Clarisa’s grin widened and Jounouchi shared a knowing smirk.  

“But, you didn’t use any cheap tricks and fought me fair and square! I may lose to you but while fighting against you in this Duel, it became one of the best I’ve had!” He returned his focus to Malik, pointing at him. “You’re the real deal! You are a True Duelist! I may not know your reasons, but I do know one thing! You aren’t the guy who did that before! You aren’t Malik!”  

Everyone was shocked by the revelation. Kaiba’s face cracked from the haughty observer to shock.

“Impossible!” He whispered. “He’s not Malik?”

“He just said that…” Clarisa muttered.

“He’s not the wielder of God?”

“I take it I win the bet?” Kaiba glared Clarisa’s way, shushing her voice but not her venomous thoughts.

“What utter bullshit!” Malik roared from across the field, yanking out the Millennium Rod from his belt loop. He brandished it forward, his brow furrowing dangerously as he hissed through his teeth.

“The Millennium Rod is proof that I am Malik!” He barked. “This duel shall continue as I have foreseen and no one listens to the words of a loser!”

Clarisa had enough.

“Ah yes! Because getting defensive is the perfect way to convince us!” Malik jerked his head down at the woman, his amber eyes locking onto her grey orbs. She didn’t flinch and crossed her arms over her chest.  

“I haven’t even been around enough to see the ghastly deeds that you’ve done but from what I’ve heard from these people, you aren’t the same Malik they describe. They describe a man of terrible hatred and even worse cruelty. You, however, have shown none of those traits.” Her eyes narrowed and she could swear she saw a flicker of fear within Malik’s amber orbs. He tried to buffer up a glare.

“You know nothing…” He growled.

“I do know this. You have been casting seeds of doubt this entire duel.” She paused, smiling slyly. “From compliments on Jounouchi’s fighter spirit to fighting honorably without tricks. And don’t think I didn’t notice those forlorn looks of reflection when Jounouchi was talking with his sister. No man of such anger and cruelty would be capable of doing any of those things.”

Malik flinched. He was trapped in a sea of doubt. She could see his fingers trembling, even when he made the call to attack. His scorpion lunged forward, it’s claw mere inches from Jounouchi’s throat when Malik cut off the command. Everyone waited with baited breath, astonished that Malik did not fulfill his attack.

The tree was starting to sprout.