#KimuraBenvolio

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

KimuraBenvolio easing the tension by falling over his own feet.

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

“And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.”

(Romeo and Juliet: Act 1, Scene 5)

I’ll stop flooding your dashboards with these, I promise, but look at how deliberately Benvolio takes Mercutio’s hand after Mercutio dies, making sure their palms actually touch. I know I’m overanalyzing it, but it’s a really lovely moment. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

This breaks my heart. KimuraBenvolio is so distraught at the thought of watching Mercutio die that he tries to turn and run (maybe to get help, maybe not—I don’t think he knows where he’s going) and has to be stopped by the rest of the Montagues. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

MiuraBenvolio telling Romeo about Juliet’s death vs. KimuraBenvolio telling Romeo about Juliet’s death. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

Kimura Tatsunari and Miura Ryosuke as Benvolio Montague in Roméo et Juliette (Act 1)

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

KimuraBenvolio looks like he’s just finished running laps in P.E. class and realized no one else took it seriously. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

Benvolio, completely knife-less, throwing himself in the middle of Mercutio and Tybalt’s knife fights is absolutely ridiculous. A+ right there. Absolutely genius. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

Assorted gifs of KimuraBenvolio being a ray of sunshine.

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

I really love the way MiuraBenvolio looks at Escalus like he wants to explain, but can’t find the words, and KimuraBenvolio just breaks down. They have such different characterizations of the same character and that’s amazing. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

So... I noticed something else. 

When Romeo lets go of Mercutio’s hand to take the knife (and stab Tybalt), KimuraBenvolio almost immediately reaches to hold Mercutio’s hand, like he needs Mercutio to know that he’s there, even though Mercutio is already gone. 

See? In the first picture, Romeo is holding Mercutio’s hand, then he lets go, and then Benvolio holds Mercutio’s hand. It’s very deliberate, too. He thinks it through as much as he can think anything through in his state of grief and confusion. 

Oh, and he’s still holding Mercutio’s hand in the beginning of the song, “La vengeance.”

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

Let’s be honest about one thing: KimuraBenvolio thinks a hug is a handclasp and an awkward thump on the back. MiuraBenvolio thinks a hug is pretty much the Heimlich. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

If you choose to interpret Benvolio and Mercutio’s relationship as romantic in the Toho Black Version of Roméo et Juliette, “Comment lui dire?” is just that much more painful. 

Look at the way Benvolio shakes his head before he confesses that he understands Romeo’s pain. It’s a subtle, semiconscious gesture. He has to bring the news of Juliet’s death to Romeo. He knows Juliet’s death will hurt Romeo. It’s a pain they can share, but in order to share it, Benvolio has to tell Romeo the full extent of his relationship with Mercutio, and he doesn’t seem ready for that. 

When he tells Romeo that Juliet is dead, too, he looks like he wants to say more. But Romeo isn’t listening anymore, so telling him won’t make a difference. Instead, Benvolio just runs. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

I’d like to point something out really quickly. Look at the difference between KimuraBenvolio in “Comment lui dire?” and MiuraBenvolio in “Comment lui dire?”

KimuraBenvolio is ready for a fight. He has a tendency to ball his right hand into a fist in response to grief, as if he’s angry (which is a pretty common expression of grief, I think). He isn’t ready to accept that Mercutio is dead. He isn’t ready to accept that Juliet is dead. He definitely isn’t ready to accept that Romeo will likely be dead by morning. 

But MiuraBenvolio has a tendency to hold his arms out as if to show the world he’s defenseless. If a fight comes, he doesn’t want any part of it. He’s given up. He’s resigned to the inevitability that, one way or another, he will be alone from now on. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

[TW: Suicide, death, murder, stabbing, poison, major character death, etc...]

Anyone else think that KimuraBenvolio seems much, much more surprised to see his cousin dead than MiuraBenvolio does? 

Here’s MiuraBenvolio immediately after seeing Romeo’s body lying next to Juliet’s in the crypt. He’s heartbroken, but I don’t think he’s surprised. Some part of him knew exactly what he would find when he got to the bottom of those stairs.

To me, he looks more resigned than surprised. Part of it has to be that he’s still in shock and emotionally numb from Mercutio’s death, Romeoe’s exile for killing Tybalt, and then Juliet’s apparent death by poison. But I think part of it is that he already knew what he would find. Maybe it’s because of how well he knows his cousin, but I think it may also be because he thought about doing the same after Mercutio’s death. 

He also stays on his feet for the rest of “J’sais plus,” only falling to his knees at the end. He wobbles a bit when one of the Montagues goes to comfort him, but that’s it.

KimuraBenvolio, on the other hand, looks surprised. Shocked. There’s obviously little hope for Romeo at this point, but KimuraBenvolio looks like he’s been clinging to that tiny shred of hope for dear life. When he comes down the stairs and sees Romeo’s body lying next to Juliet’s on the crypt, his face falls. 

Rather than backing away from Romeo’s body, he goes to touch him, like he’s checking to see if he’s really dead. MiuraBenvolio just stares and backs away. Lord Montague shoves KimuraBenvolio aside and KimuraBenvolio falls. More importantly, he doesn’t pick himself back up. You can still see him crying on his knees as Lady Montague desperately tries to wake her son. 

Sorry for the long post. I just really love both portrayals of Benvolio and realized I don’t post enough about KimuraBenvolio. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

The quiet intensity in KimuraBenvolio’s voice during “Comment lui dire?” is beautiful. I don’t rave about his performance enough, but he’s a really good Benvolio. 

[drawn-and-talk-of-peace]

One of the things I love most about Miura Ryosuke’s version of “どうやって伝えよう” is the sound and tone of his voice that betrays the fact that Benvolio is desperately trying not to cry and failing miserably. It’s one thing to see the tears in his eyes (which you can) and another thing entirely to hear them in his voice and his breathing.