#just like mizu is both the samurai AND the onryo and she will be the very downfall of the colonizers who caused her to appear

[multifandombullshitbabes]

(Context: im thinking abt my post canon au, i explained on my ao3, u dont even have to read it just know its there)

Mizu revealing her being a woman to taigen AFTER he confesses his feelings to mizu AFTER being bested during their duel once again is literally so fucking personal to me. Jesus fuck... FUCK. Like. How overwhelmingly loved she must feel. How SEEN. Truly for once n not just but loved and wanted!!! Its so personal to me. Just. Taigen, losing, n then immediately leaning in for a kiss. Mizu is lost cuz what?? Why?? N taigen just. Confesses, but hes holding back cuz mizus reaction was not great and he doesn't wanna ruin the friendship they've formed these past months, they've grown so close so fast n its scary but so exciting n so right but if mizu doesnt want this then nothing is happening n its ok he has a CHOICE. Like. FUCK!! N then mizu telling taigen to wait and that night she reveals it. And its just sooo fucking intimate. Its so soft. And maybe taigen is confused but one look at how small mizu is making herself, like shielding herself from him. Like he gets it. The danger of it all. And its his promise to protect her if she ever needs to that does her in cuz. SHE HAS A CHOICE. TO BE PROTECTED OR NOT. THATS SO IMPORTANT TO HER. Yes, she can protect herself. Yes, it feels good to be protected. Yknow??

Mizu revealing her being a woman to akemi totally by accident AFTER they just had an argument abt women's choices in society AFTER mizu accidentally took one (1) big sip of sake, n then deciding fuck it im gonna win this argument, guess what akemi. And that's how akemi finds out. N Mizu thinks akemi is going to hate her, n she does for a bit in silence, but mostly shes just hurt? For herself AND for Mizu. Cause she understands, so suddenly, so intimately, how hard being a woman is and how mizu has had to hide as a man to survive (not even for plot reasons that we know, mizu being mixed AND a woman? Death sentence). And she just hurts. And they thought they'd always have this weird rift between them but they cry and they let it out (for Mizu, for the first time in YEARS) and its just. Its so emotional n so important and so personal and intimate. Its maybe winter all over again, a year has passed since theyd seen each other in kyoto, so much has changed and yet not rly and. They've grown but in different ways. Akemi, in taking life by the reins n being assertive and strong and so dangerously intelligent like shes always been but now, now its crucial to be that. And Mizu in realizing that she truly, truly wants to be loved so badly but to be loved is to be vulnerable and thats what scares her the most, to be weak; but ure only strong if u can be weak too, and thats what she learns. And i think this is where they really get deep into their feelings. Before it was a crush, an annoying one. Now? Oh bby theyre down bad. Yes they are.

[boogiewoogieweeb]

I'm not saying The Terror in general and Joplittle specifically have definitively given me permanent brain rot but I am finding it funny that I'm picking up parallels and similarities with both in a series as far removed from it as Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai

[hauntingofhouses]

I just keep obsessing over how Mizu is so many things. She truly is water, so deep and unfathomable and complex, ever-changing, ever-adapting, fluid and mysterious, she fits into every shape you pour her into, she is gentle yet vicious, soft-hearted yet callous, stoic and quiet yet still sarcastic and playful.

She is Japanese and white and both and neither, she is woman and man and both and neither, she is human and demon, she is ronin and bride and Onryo and phoenix.

She is also a sword; Mizu and her sword are one.

"The sword is the soul of the samurai."

"I am... made of mixed metal. No amount of hammering can remove my impurity."

"What is a sword? [...] It is a line. On one side of the line is life. The other, death. The edge we forge cuts the line between life and death."

Mizu's soul is thus represented by her blade, but Mizu is also

the metal: beautiful, strong, sharp, and precise, but ultimately neutral, neither good nor evil, as metal can be used to craft both weapons of death, or knives for cooking and nourishment;

the maker: artistic and passionate, the maker creates;

and the one to wield it: deadly and swift, the swordsman destroys.

In the first episode, we don't even see her blade for much of it, only mentions of it, as she doesn't even deign to fight someone like Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Ringo's noodle shop.

Most people don't even deserve to see her blade. And who is the first person in the show whom the sword is even shown to? Well...

Taigen: "Are you afraid to fight with steel?" Mizu: "Thank you. No one has yet deserved my blade."

And then, more crucially, who does she actually allow to wield her blade? The first person she spars with? It is none other than Mikio, her husband.

She literally passes him her sword, letting him wield it for the rest of their fight, taking his naginata in exchange. Not purely a crossing of blades, but an exchange of it. Mizu is literally baring her soul to him and putting it in his hands.

In the whole show, the only other time we actually see someone besides Mizu holding her sword is after Mizu kills the Four Fangs and passes out from her wounds. Ringo picks the unconscious Mizu up, and in the process, her sword slips from her hand.

And then, resisting his selfish quest to reclaim his honour, Taigen tells Ringo a safe place for Mizu to recover and follows them both there, but not before he takes Mizu's sword, and also Chiaki's broken blade.

It is brief, but he does hold it, and the shot focusing on his hand picking it up places further emphasis on this fact.

Now, about the broken blade, @saessenach told me something very interesting, which is that when Mizu had helped craft this sword, it was made for the man she believed Chiaki was. And who exactly is that again? Let's go over the cover story he related to Master Eiji:

"I am not a swordsman. I bind books. I was taught my trade by... my father. He was killed by a drunk ronin, who cut my father down for splashing him with his cart. This ronin is a drunk, but he is skilled as I am not. He will kill me. I know this. But with a sword from you, Master, I can take his life as he takes mine. And die avenged."

So, as @saessenach so aptly put it, the broken blade "was made for a man who wanted to regain his honour from a stronger swordsman. He doesn't expect to survive the duel, but would just like to die with honour."

And doesn't that sound familiar? Like Taigen, a man who would also like to regain his honour by duelling a swordsman stronger than himself? Taigen, who had also come from nothing, who was raised not to be a samurai, but a humble fisherman, by his father who is now dead?

So of course that's why, when Taigen wields that broken blade, despite not even knowing the story behind it, Ringo unwittingly glimpses it anyway, and says this:

"Master Eiji's broken blade is a good fit for him."

Mizu just shrugs and frowns, refusing to accept it, because the sword isn't just bearing Master Eiji's signature, but also hers. A part of her is in this sword, just as a part of her is in all the blades she makes (though none of them are her soul, which is represented only by her meteorite sword).

But then later, after fighting together and barely making it out from the chasm of arrows alive, after seeing each other's skills, only then does she admit to Taigen:

"The broken blade fits well in your hand."

Which is why she (after knocking Taigen out and leaving him lying in the snow LMAO) leaves him with the broken blade, and again comments on how it "so well fits his hand."

Also, on the topic of the broken blade, why did it break again? Well, Mizu is one of the sword's makers, signing her name on it, thus putting a little of her soul into it as I already mentioned. According to Master Eiji, this process of the soul entering the sword occurs during the yaki-ire:

"The yaki-ire is when metal is reborn, and the soul enters the sword. All must be pure for the sword to be pure. The metal, the maker, the one to wield it."

As this process unfolds, this conversation happens:

Eiji: "Mizu. Is your mind clear?" Mizu: "It is." Eiji: "Mizu. Is your soul at rest?" Mizu: "It is."

However, after Master Eiji presents Mizu with the finished sword, it breaks, much to Mizu's disheartenment.

Chiaki: [About the blade being broken] "How could this happen?" Eiji: [...] "An unexpected element entered the blade." [...] Mizu: "The fault is mine. The element is me."

Mizu is right; she is "the unexpected element" that broke the blade, but not because of her race, nor her gender, but because her mind is not clear, and her soul is not at rest.

Why? Because the yaki-ire takes place right after she binds for the first time; she is in pain both physically and mentally, ashamed of who and what she is, hiding her true self, trying to smother an inherent part of her identity.

Then, about Bloodsoaked Chiaki wielding a sword which is broken, Master Eiji says this,

"A soul like that is drowned in blood. There is no stopping them. They will always find their broken blade."

This parallels Mizu breaking her blade after her rampage through the nine levels of Shindo and Fowler's fortress, after she gets literally soaked in blood.

After storming the fortress, her blade, too, is broken, and she is unable to melt it down and repair it.

Master Eiji: "Your sword broke because the blend was wrong." Mizu: "It was perfect." Master Eiji: "It was too pure. Your metal wants to be blended with new steel."

The sword, as, Mizu's soul, houses all the rage that has festered over the years. The purity of its meteorite steel represents her single-minded, hate-driven goal for vengeance.

On that note, it's interesting to remember that the meteor fell in front of Mizu during her confrontation with Taigen and his gang of bullies. That encounter was the beginning of her rage, the moment she stopped running and hiding, and instead fought back, clawing and throwing herself at the people who mistreated her. The meteorite thus represents her anger, her fighting spirit, her resistance.

Over time, she crafts her sword--her soul--purely out of this anger, and sets off on her revenge quest.

Of course, she then meets her mother, gets married to Mikio, and after their betrayals, Mizu once again resumes her quest.

But after her journey seeking Fowler, after meeting Ringo and Taigen and Akemi, Mizu's soul no longer feels singularly bound to her hate. She's made friends, she's starting to let people in, but she still suppresses those feelings, still insisting that she is just an Onryo, that she has no room for love or friendship or weakness, despite the fact that those are things her soul craves and needs deep down. She needs gentleness and respite, she needs to allow herself to be vulnerable and allow herself to love again, because she's not a demon--or at least not completely.

"There may be a demon in you..."

When Master Eiji says this to Mizu, he's not insulting her; by demon here, what he is referencing is the part of Mizu that is capable of great wrath and violence. Just like a demon is.

"...But there is more."

Mizu is still a human being. And she should let herself be one, should allow herself to feel more than just rage, but also joy, grief, love, and even pain.

"If you do not invite the whole, the demon takes two chairs."

So that's when she finally allows herself to start "allowing the whole"; she stands in front of the fire completely naked, no longer suppressing her true self, and melts the metal of those she collected, which are, in order,

the broken blade that now represents Taigen;

Akemi's knife;

Ringo's bell;

and Master Eiji's tongs.

These are people whom she cares about, who compel her to open herself up and see beyond her hate, who make her feel like she is capable of being more than just a demon.

By blending their steel into her future sword, she is accepting them, and the lessons and values they had taught her along the way, into her soul.

But as it stands now, Mizu does not have that sword. Not yet, for it's yet to be forged, as she gives the blended metal to Master Eiji.

Mizu: "If I succeed [to kill Fowler] and am still alive, I will return. And you can determine if I am worthy of a sword of this metal, made by your hand."

Which is why, in the finale, Mizu only fights with a random assortment of weapons she picks up (a sword, a naginata, a gun--but never shoots it--and the dagger Fowler stabs her with).

And then of course, Fowler drops the big reveals about Skeffington and Routeley; about her birth mother having been killed by one of the white men; about her Mama actually being a maid who was paid to keep her hidden.

With all this, there is so much she's still yet to know about who she is, who her parents are, and her identity is left hanging. So she leaves Japan not only to kill the remaining white men, but also to discover more about herself and her heritage--her white half. And this also mirrors the way she looks at the very end:

her hair grown out, her bangs identical to how she looked as a child; no longer wearing a scarf around her neck, no longer covering a part of herself.

Thus, Mizu will eventually receive her new sword that matches the new state of her soul, made of steel that "could kill a god."

But for now, she needs to understand who she really is, to discover the full breadth and complexities of the metal that made her, and the hidden depths within herself. In doing so, she must also learn to accept her anger as a tool, but cannot let it control her lest she become a demon; thus, she must allow herself to love as much as she hates, and most of all, simply let herself be.

Only then, can she claim her sword--her soul.

[mahlersgirl]

more on princess mizu itoh hcs (a part 2 of this)(this accidentally became a small fic as I got invested) (tagging @roninzuzu bc who else shall feed on the dynamic between these two)

as mizu becomes a young woman there are talks of her being married off, but there's the obvious question of what noble house would accept a wife with eyes of an onryo

takayoshi is genuinely worried about his cousin and writes to her about it

her short and angry answer was "worry about your own wedding, I'll be nobody's wife"

it's around this time she runs away from home and takayoshi is sure he had something to do with it and blames himself for mizu being somewhere out there doing god knows what

and for this mizu I think it would be a lot like how akemi ran away to help taigen, except mizu is seeking revenge against the white men and doesn't want to use the itoh family's resources (lots of resentment for being treated like a monster)

it wouldn't be easy at all and she involves herself in lots of trouble that makes her realize that living as a princess, even a neglected one, is still skies above what a commoner samurai would have to go through (again this is akemi arc but add violence)

eventually she would cross paths with mikio (🤮) and maybe he would take her under his wing and care for her after she's severely wounded? it will also evolve into the romance we're acquainted with

now, after the telltale moment in which mikio calls her a monster for handing his ass on a plate during sparring, instead of the bounty hunters being sent to kill her, I can see it being the _itoh family soldiers_ sent to retrieve their princess who had eloped with some good for nothing farmer it seems

not only that, takayoshi is there with them, having missed his sister for a whole year and just relieved he found her again

"how did you find me?" she hissed with slitted eyes full of ire, knife secured in hand ready to decimate his whole troop if he dared to touch her. maybe she would even make him bald for his petulence

takayoshi blinked in astonishment

"you wrote to me, mizu" he said reaching back to get the scroll, his familiar stutter making her feel nostalgic, but not less mad. "you asked me to take you back and bring gold to you and your husband."

and mizu suddenly understands, as mikio materializes by her side, looking unaffected by the number of armed soldiers on his property. she was made into a fool. when mikio looked bewildered she would trade a life of luxuries for revenge, he was in fact envious of her position.

the man mizu loved was a fucking bastard.

he was also the one who first met her blade, to the shock of everyone watching her, a bride covered in the blood of her own husband. she looks at the closest soldier next, looking ready to attack, but takayoshi was faster:

"do not raise your blades at her!" he yelled out his authority, the trembling of his voice diminishing with the loudness. "mizu, let's go home... I'll intercede with my mother on your behalf. we can forget this ever happened."

"takayoshi, in respect of our friendship and the only familial bonds I ever respected," mizu said finally raising her eyes at him, blue meeting brown, the color of the sea and the summer sky who meant a childhood of laughs and promises. "forget I ever existed. this is not your battle to fight. I was never a real part of the itoh family and you know it well. leave me alone and spare me the sin of spilling your blood."

and takayoshi understands, unfortunately, that this was never about both of them being different. mizu was always the one who was hurt the most by her origins and he could never truly know what she went through. he was still the second son of a powerful house and no stuttering or insecurity could take that away from him.

at times, to love someone also meant to let them go. mizu had chosen a path in which he was nothing more than a nuisance. the least he could do was let her be.

he makes his men retreat, but not after putting down the treasure of gold and jewelries he had brought because of the message. he didn't know if she would use any of it, but he wouldn't, either.

"the winter palace will be open." he says before stepping into the carriage. "if not as a cousin, a brother or a friend, perhaps you can still reach me out as an acquaintance. I would enjoy having tea with you once again."

she didn't offer him another word of farewell as his caravan disappeared in the hills and she was bathed by the rain, too mentally exhausted by a reaction. no husband or family, she was fated to be a lonely monster, in the end.

only revenge could keep her satisfied.

[mentally-ill-for-bes]

Blue Eye Samurai Analysis Episode 2

I published this post half-finished and I don't even remember when I did it, sorry everybody!! If you're reading this, the analysis is already complete, talking about the whole episode.

Thank you all for the reposts and likes!!

You can read the analysis of the first episode here.

The episode starts with the Four Fangs searching for Mizu at the petition of Heichi, however; what I like from this episode is:

Ringo, the episode serves to show the characteristics of the character, he wants to be great, he's kind and funny but mostly, he knows he's useful. It's not like he wants to be useful, he knows he's, the only person who has to see it too is Mizu.

And Mizu isn't even setting him aside because she thinks he's useless, she does it because he's kind, kind, and friendly enough to distract her from her purpose. That's why Ringo won't seek what he wants at her side.

I wonder if in these first moments between them Mizu sees Ringo's friendliness as a weakness, of the way she hides her own feelings from all the people while Ringo wears his heart on his sleeve. But the fact they're different doesn't mean Ringo is strongless than her, in the end:

"My whole life has been a battle"

Just like hers.

When Akemi and Taigen are shown, they are both in a yellowish and warm ambient, contrasting that Ringo and Mizu are both in the snow, cold and blueish.

The scene gives us more about Akemi and Taigen's character and their current priorities:

"— Why didn't he just kill me?

— The Gods have shown you a longer path

— Ugh

— You still have me, we'll be married-

— Your father will never allow it now.

— I can convince my father

— And have everyone to mock me?"

While Akemi's priority is marrying (since finally, her father allowed it), for Taigen marriage isn't enough. He's losing the status and prestige he's gained by his own hand, he was the son of a poor fisherman to the champion of the Dojo and fiancé of a princess; any kind of honor that will come with marrying her will be null, because as Taigen as Akemi's love for each other comes from the opportunity they offer to the other.

For Taigen, Akemi is some kind of "prize", he came from being no one to being someone good enough to deserve the love of a princess, as Akemi's father said, his rise reminded him of his own.

While for Akemi, I guess Taigen offers an opportunity to be in control of (at least) her marriage, he's someone she already knows, when she talks to him, she never lilts her voice since he's not in a situation of power as her father is; if she married to a lord, she would have to live with him, while if Taigen married with her, is he the one changing his home for hers (which also adds ro Taigen's estatus). In some way, with Taigen being poorer and Akemi having a royalty status, the power he could have on her is lesser than the one a lord would have being her husband where she loses power for being a women despiste being a princess.

But even when she doesn't lilt her voice to Taigen, she does have sex for him as a way of returning him the power he lost in his duel with Mizu. Also, I guess that in some way, consuming the "marriage" would also be a way to make Taigen stay in a moment where he refuses to marry due to what others will think of him.

The fact that in the sex is she who takes the initiative, basically serving him, not enjoying it, and narrating something that serves his sole fantasies; will make a clear contrast with the next sex scenes where Akemi is involved, where instead of being the one who serves, it's the men serving her, the men talking to her.

"I can see it now. You challenge him.

And like a dog, he comes running.

He faces you.

An onryo. His demon eyes.

But your courage drives him back like a squall against the sea.

You unsheathe your magnificent sword.

He lunges at you, but his sword is no match for yours.

You strike with your blade.

You draw his blood.

His eyes are like two angry waves in a storm.

They try to suck you in, but you're too strong.

You thrust your sword into him again.

And again. And again.

A final cut, you feel the hot spray of blood.

Glory!"

The whole recitation, besides having a clear gay sex background with all the swords stuff. It's also useful to keep relating Mizu with water "drives him back like a squall against the sea", and "his eyes like two angry waves in a storm" and it also relates Taigen with getting lost in it "they try to suck you in, but you're too strong" which defines pretty well Taigen's obsession with getting a duel with Mizu.

But this scene will start Akemi's arc; after saying this Taigen goes away, she loses the power she's gained over her life and fights to get that back.

Going back to Mizu and Ringo, they're walking through a cliff.

At first, I thought Mizu was being way too optimistic here, planning to kill a whole army and Frowler in one day. But considering she's already killed Violet, I wonder if she indeed killed him in 1 day (ending up mortally wounded).

When they try getting a boat, everybody is focused on drinking due to the Hadaka Matsuri. All the scenes establish how different Mizu is from the rest of Japanese society, blinded for her own revenge; probably, but still outcasting of it, while everybody drinks, everybody's happy, she never drinks, and she never smiles in this episode; besides this being a characteristic of the character, I think it's also how the show is constantly reaffirming how Mizu's doesn't entirely belong to Japanese society due to her identity of a mixed-person; just as Mizu won't entirely belong to English society in season 2.

For Mizu, there's no shame in making a home except if she's the one doing a home. As it's said in the first episode during her prayer, she lost direction in what, we'll know in episode 5; making a home. Mizu's constantly putting aside Ringo from getting closer to her, not because she considers him useless or something, but because she won't open her heart and affections to somebody who can betray her ever again. Not when this will cause her pain and will distract her from his purpose, when it's her purpose the only stable thing in her life.

In other matters, we're presented to Heiji Shindo and the white man he protects:

In episode 1, the four white men are presented surrounded by blue, here Frowley's color palette is red/orange, opposite to blue, his coat is red, his hair is orange, and even the paint he does is filled with red.

It's not just contrary to the first shot of the white men, but also to the whole Mizu's, her hair is black, his is orange; her clothes are blue, his are red, she's smaller and thin, he's taller and much bigger. While the demon Mizu's features are related to blue, the white man in person is related to red. He's not close to her, he's not even similar to her, but they're both considered demons.

But there's a difference in why they're both demons, while Mizu is one for the color of her eyes, Frowler is one for his violence, for his hunger for destruction and power, his brutality. While the reason of Mizu is considered a demon is blue, her eyes, the reason Frowler is considered one is red, like the blood he spills, like the fire that will keep following him for the rest of the season.

So, while our first shot of Mizu is in the snow, cold; the first shot of his enemy is at the side of the fire, with a corpse at his side.

While it is shown the story about the broken sword made by Mizu, some phrases about sword-making are dropped.

"Your fire" Until this moment Mizu's has been water, but she's also fire, just as she said in episode one, she has an ember, but isn't an ember a glowing wood in a dying fire?

What will see through the season is her ember becoming the greatest of fires.

But for now, let's focus on sword-making.

Through the season, both swords made by Mizu will break, as Swordfather says:

"The yaki-ire is when metal is reborn,

and the soul enters the sword.

All must be pure for the sword to be pure.

The metal, the maker, the one to wield it."

It's clearly explained, that the sword doesn't break because Mizu's a woman or because she isn't pure; it breaks because it was made for an assassin who lied to both of them. Later, Mizu's blue sword breaks, not because it was made by her hand, but because of the change in her soul.

"A soul like that is drowned in blood.

There is no stopping them.

They will always find their broken blade.

We can only mind our own soul, Mizu."

After this memory and a cold water bath, Mizu can cut a whole tree.

Because water is her peace, her "safe place" To put it into simpler terms, she's at peace with the water she's; she goes to water to cure herself after the duel with Taigen, and she goes to water when she wants calm and re-focus; she doesn't need to come in terms with water, she'll need to come in terms with the fire inside her, the fire that she ignores.

First, he's incredibly delusional and I find it hilarious. Second, he does it because he sees Mizu cutting a tree and he wants to put himself at the same level as she. But he isn't, Mizu's better than him and his arc goes through learning from her and improving his beliefs and point of view by meeting her. By admiting he can learn from her.

In a quick change, we see Akumi again being surrendered with golden lights, dressed in red and warm colors, the show just keeps reaffirming her as red and golden.

When she's presented to the lords to see the arranged marriage:

Akemi's dad has already been dressed in the same yellow and purple the lords are. For Akemi, they both mean the same, men who will make her lose her autonomy and freedom. Same as her father.

Blaking her teeth is so traumatic for her because it represents how much autonomy over herself she's losing, Taigen should black her teeth like a norm for being a bride, but with Shougon's son, she blackes her teeth as a way to please him, as even her teeth are for his enjoyment.

The Lord smiling with all his white teeth at the same time the ladies smile with their black teeth just reaffirm for Akemi the loss of power and domain women have over their own life. While Lords can do whatever they want with teeth.

And, the first time Akemi is under blue lights is in this scene.

When she's finally under the snow, under blue lights is in the moment where she lost it, she lost hope, and she's in an arranged marriage with someone she doesn't know. This is so opposite to her whole identity, which is golden lights and warm ambient, now she's in the cold, outside her domain and the things she knows and it's related to. I guess in some way she's thrown to the cold, a thing that looked unknown to her until now.

And the moment when she decides she'll run away is when she's again under golden light, in her domain, but under the water; just like Mizu.

When she's running away, she abandons the red kimono for a purple one, purple is closer to blue in the color wheel.

In other news, the Four Fangs find Mizu and:

Parallel my beloved! In episode one as in episode two Mizu is being persecuted, while in the first one, she gets cornered on a cliff resulting in Taigen saying "Go ahead. Just jump" In episode two she indeed jumps to the cliff. Using it as a strength.

Another thing I want to point up is that all the fights of Mizu are generally surrounded by red or yellow, opposite colors to her characteristic blue, in the Shindo Dojo the uniforms were yellow and all the ambient was illuminated by yellow lights; with the Four Fangs the fights occur during sunset, the sea literally looks like blood.

But water is water, and Mizu at the end is water, looking blue or red, she's water. As she's some fire at the same time. Japanese and white, water and fire, and red and blue, both exist at the same time.

In the town, Ringo is fighting for the sticks that the priestess throws, and, as Mizu, it's in the water where they can be reborn. Sure, under the hope of getting their fondest wishes, but it's still just as Mizu, getting in the water every time she needs to focus on getting her fondest wish, to kill the four white men.

She doesn't entirely fit in Japanese society, not like everyone else, but that doesn't mean she's entirely and totally different. Just like any mixed person, one never entirely fits but that doesn't mean there aren't places of meeting between one and the culture.

[evaglass]

Speculation about Mizu's parents pt. 3

Now, to expand even more on the connections between Kill Bill and Blue Eye Samurai, specifically with the Ronin and the Bride play, the last thing I mentioned was how both Brides woke up and quickly went to seek vengance.

Beatrix woke up from a coma while the Bride from the play came back as onryo, a vengeful spirit with blue eyes.

The Bride cuts off the Ronin's head for what he did

And then the play ends with this shot. Notice how there are four bodies, and none of them are the Ronin because they all have their heads. I don't think any of the four white men are Mizu's father, but I do think they knew her mother and betrayed her, like the Bride from Kill Bill expect that she didn't survive.

I also want to clarify really quickly that it is revealed by the end of Vol. 1 to the audience that Beatrix's daughter is alive, and she finds out in Vol. 2 in the final act of the film when she sees her daughter, BB, for the first time.

Now, I don't think Mizu's mother is alive at all, but I do think the love Mizu's mother had for her could have been similar to Beatrix's love for her daughter. I do think, unfortunately, Mizu's mother was killed before she could be with Mizu again.

Now, Kill Bill and Yentl aren't the only two films to influence Blue Eye Samurai

There is also the influence from a few other films, one of them being Lady Snowblood.

Funny enough, Lady Snowblood actually influenced the making of Kill Bill as well.

I will admit I have never seen Lady Snowblood, but I have seen and read reviews, recaps, synopsises, video essays, etc.

Lady Snowblood is about a woman named Yuki who is on a quest for revenge against the people who assaulted her mother Sayo (the woman in the picture below), killed her older brother Shiro, and her mother's husband (I will get into why I refer to him as her mother's husband).

Before she could get revenge against the people who wronged her, Sayo was sent to prison. Realizing she does not have a lot of time to spare before Sayo dies, she gets impregnated and gives birth to Yuki so she can fulfill her quest for revenge after she dies

Yuki is essentially a representation of her mother's rage beyond the grave.

Another interesting thing is that I believe there are some moments in the film Lady Snowblood is compared to a demon, kind of like Mizu. There's also the fact that Lady Snowblood's actually name, Yuki, means snow, like how Mizu means water. Snow is just frozen water, after all. Although I don't Mizu's mother had her out of the purpose of revenge, I think her conception was an accident.

Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6

[softness-and-shattering]

Oh while Im posting, I finally finished Blue Eye Samurai

SPOILERS

Im going beserk, Mizu set up a condition where he isnt dead "if I dont come back Im dead or Ive failed" and he DID fail. He did not kill Fowler. He got No But.

Akemi got Yes And. Akemi got everything she didnt even know she wanted. "I dont want to run away. I want to be great" and her dad "I raised you", so much dad stuff happening, Mizu is in a murder Mamma Mia here.

Taigen "didnt i kill you" "just look, and then kill me" "if its your fight then its my fight" "we're not finished" is he going to follow Mizu?

I also now desperately want to see Mizu struggling with English fashion. Hes a sneaky Samurai man and the clothing is different the food is different the culture shock is gonma be immense, there's gonna be a whole new racism hes gonna be so far out of his depth.

Akemi with the flames behind her auugghhhhh amazing showstopping. Reminds me of the GoT guys "we wanted to make memorable images" yeah hey you know you can do that *in service of story*???

"Youre only alive bc I will it".

And their turning points. I need to do a proper analysis of akemi and mizu as dramatic foils, but the onryo episode was the midpoint. Akemis gotten a taste of power, but its not going to come this way she wants. Its not going to come in the sexually liberated violent-blade "man" way, its going to be in politics and manipulation. Mizu ... mizu says no revenge is everything to me, and lets Akemi go and makes for Fowler. That was his last chance to turn away. Now Fowlers alive and theyre on a boat together.

What really struck me also is how much Fowler outclasses Mizu. He completely destroys him every fight. First episodes Mizu is like lightning, we're in awe, taking down the dojo and Taigen and the entire army. Half way point, he starts losing. We see the whole slog through Fowlers keep and he barely survives. Last couple episodes hes exhausted and bleeding. Fowler always has the upper hand. "Your bones break like a womans" is the hesitation that gave mizu long enough to get back on top but only briefly. Fowler is such a great villain though, that line and the one about waying his sisters organs "every bite". Shudder.

Thinking about if there are other foils. Ringo amd Taigen? Real-dad and the swordmaker? I wonder if Mizu will learn any english swordsmanship, does his ultimate sword synthesize both his heritages?

Speaking off do yall believe his "mom" was actually a maid? Idk what to think I dont trust Fowler but it does make a kind of sense. Or is it just to keep Mizu intrigued and off balance enough for him to get out of there alive? I bave so many thoughts

[rainynightmoonlight]

More about you | Blue Eye Samurai x Male Reader

The description is down below. This is also on my Wattpad and Quotev! Enjoy!

Description: The Onryo's Demon More about you: More about you | (You are here) Chapter 1: The Demon and the Onyro |TBW Chapter 2: Swords of Blood Covered Harmony | TBW Chapter 3: One-Handed Tea Party | TBW Chapter 4: Madame Kaji? Mother Kaji | TBW Chapter 5: The Birth of a Demon's Rage | TBW Chapter 6: For Whom the Bells Toll | TBW Chapter 7: Rebirth of a Demon's Purity | TBW Chapter 8: The Man must Burn | TBW

‸THIS IS SUBJECTIVE, CHANGE IT TO LOOK LIKE YOU!‸

Name: Y/n

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 16

Height: 5'7

Appearance: H/L H/C hair, Shiny E/C eyes, S/T skin. 

Personality :Helpful, Clingy, Vengeful, Serious, Caring, Skillful

Other notes: Y/n is incredibly clingy to Mizu and will do anything she says or asks. He comes from a seemingly similar background that Mizu has, but was raised by Madame Kaji. While in Madame Kaji's care, Y/n learned how to play the shamisen and the koto. Y/n played all the time in the brothel, and all the workers loved hearing the boy play. Y/n then left to find Mizu and befriended her. Ever since he found her, he has been stuck by her side forever and had always tried to protect her. Y/n is 2nd best next to Mizu, but the both are undefeatable as it seems. Y/n wears similair clothing like Mizu does, but the coloring is e/c. He also wears a large hat and orange glasses to cover his eye color. Y/n caries an e/c sword just like Mizu does, but his sword has flower petals engraved in it instead. 

Likes: Mizu, cold water, plants, warm food, his sword, the pendant Mizu gave him, playing the shamisen, playing the koto.

Dislikes: His mother, Mizu's "Mother", The foreigners, Heiji Shindou, People who hurt Mizu, not being there for Mizu, foreign products, opium, guns, shitty swordsman, shitty swordsmanship, himself

Love interests:

None in this book 

There will be a sequel after this book is finished

Picrew Link Here

Do not repost or translate without my explicit permission! Reblogs are welcome!

[koifishlite]

coming back after a while to talk about blue eye samurai, and i have so much to say about it ⚠️spoilers!!!!!⚠️⚠️

the animation was absolutely beautiful. the entire time i couldnt take my focus off the smoothness and fluidity of it, the lighting, and colors depending on the scene. insanely addictive and artistic.

the storyline was so unique and the ‘good’ characters are so quickly lovable. i was so invested the entire time in who would win, would mizu get the revenge she pushed for? even after becoming, in the end, what she truly hated? who she was trying to kill now settling in her own mind- destruction and hatred turning her into the very thing she promised herself she would get rid of (emotionally, of course). would love to get to know more about ringo and taigen. great characters with great relations to the main character.

the use of music and traditional japanese instruments was amazing, i loved the covers of modern-er songs so much.

the metaphors in just mizus backstory made me cry harder the more i thought about it. swordfather being blind and unaware of her ‘imprefections’, and not disowning her when she did say that she was of ‘mixed metal’. them both caring for each other, both having imperfections that make them seem lower to others but to each other so much closer. such a great connection to what they both bonded over, the shame that came from a broken blade translating into her own personal shame.

the puppet show, oh my god, the puppet show episode was one of the best ive seen ever— the symbolism was mind blowing. the characters in the puppet show switching accordingly, the connection back to traditional japanese culture. mizu’s initial break when her husband turns his back on her whilst shes in danger. him calling her a monster just like everyone else after loving her so tenderly. the way akemi confirms the onryo do not have feelings and cannot love, although love is what turned mizu into this monster. lack of it, withdrawal

the way geishas are incorporated and then the way s3x is used as symbolism in some scenes. god its so fucking sad (with the exception of um… some… scenes…)

this show was unbelievably well written and well animated. i cant believe im saying this about a netflix original, im just blown away by it. highly recommend. beautiful show, never getting over it and waiting very very eagerly for the second season.

[hauntingofhouses]

Hi! What do you think about the usage of time in Blue Eye Samurai? And do you think Mizu is closer to 20 towards the ending of s1?

Hi there!

Hmm... This is an interesting question, and one I find a little difficult to answer if I'm being honest. "Usage of time" is kind of broad, and I'm afraid I'm not too sure of what you're asking, so I don't know if I can give a comprehensive response. But! I will try.

Time as a narrative device in the show is honestly something I haven't thought much of. Overall the story is quite linear, and the flashbacks are also rather linear.

The most notable usage of flashbacks is of course in The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride. The way it juxtaposes past and present, making us believe past Mizu is the Bride and present Mizu is the Ronin, only for both past and present Mizu to converge into the Onryo—it's masterful storytelling, and it's no wonder most viewers (including myself) consider Episode 5 to be the best in the season.

Also, now that I recall, the first episode of the show actually starts off by framing the whole story as a "legend of a swordsman, of a sword, of revenge." You could interpret this as the story being related to an audience by an unknown invisible narrator, which might come into play at the very end of series, or it could just be a stylistic choice, which is my personal take on it.

On the other hand, time as it unfolds in the present day makes more sense the less you think about it, and I say this mostly in a nitpicky CinemaSins type way (sorry) whereby the time it takes to travel from one place to another seems incredibly fast, rather than spanning days or weeks, considering Mizu mostly travels by foot. The time it takes for Mizu (and Taigen) to recover from their wounds is twice as fast. But again, these are details that are quite irrelevant to the story itself, and I just like to hand-wave them away by saying that the show follows video game logic in many regards, and the passing of time is one of them.

On a slight tangent though, while I'm on the subject of the show stretching the bounds of what's realistic or accurate, I'd also like to point out that the show seemingly takes place in an alternate timeline from our own, or at least just a completely fictionalised version of history. I say this because the Shogun im the show is from the Itoh clan, which is in fact a real clan (more commonly spelled as Itō) that ruled the Obi-han during the Edo period. However, they were not the ruling clan of the shogunate as they are in the show. Rather, the shogunate was led by the Tokugawa clan, who ruled Edo between 1603 to 1868. So! Yeah. Thought it'd be an interesting fact to mention.

Now, for the second half of your question, I actually think Mizu is a little older than 20.

I doubt that the show will give us a concrete answer to this, so this is all speculation, but hear me out. Japan closed its borders in 1633. The Great Fire of Edo takes place in the spring of 1657. In present day (assuming early 1657), Heiji Shindo and Fowler mention that they've known each other for 20 years, which could possibly allude to Fowler being in Japan for 20 years, or their partnership lasting 20 years. I took it to mean the latter, which means that Fowler must've been in Japan for at least 24 years. This gives us the maximum plausible age limit for Mizu. She cannot be any older than 24.

She also cannot be any younger than 19. This is because the character sheets tell us that she starts to look like herself as we see her today, at age 19. We can thus infer that this is the age when she first leaves Master Eiji's house (during winter), reunites with Mama (in the spring), and marries Mikio. Her marriage with Mikio, iirc, lasts less than a year, spanning from spring to autumn.

We can then roughly assume she's about 20 when she leaves the farm behind and resumes her revenge quest. Between then and the present, Mizu kills Violet. Assuming this gap of time is about a year long, that means Mizu is roughly 21 upon meeting Ringo in Ep1. So it's possible that at the end of the season she's either 21, or nearing 22, depending on if the season begins in early 1657, around January or February (the year of the Great Fire), or around December of 1656, the previous year. Personally, because I like my blorbos on the older end, I like to interpret her as the latter.

So yeah! I hope I answered your question anon, even if a little bit. These are fun little exercises for me to work my noggin, so I appreciate the ask! <3