#srry i just saw the side eyes she gives john...the few retorts to her fathers words before backing down and was like yeah...i get u

[yuanwang]

i'm back home and have thoughts about joh.n wick things, but more specifically akira

because akira was not subtle in her disapproval of sheltering john but it's the respect & overall trust for her father ( and with it the traditional principles that he holds that overwhelm that of the high tables ) that ultimately has her give in--if you can even call it that. she was shoved into battle with her only option being that of fighting by her fathers orders or dying against them, which if she somehow ended up surviving would be dead to him. arguably worse. i just think it was a very unique way to demonstrate the generational gap of priorities that is talked about between that of elders and the younger generation that are of asian descent, but obviously more specifically japanese, that exists outside the realm of john wick and fictional media. without getting into everything the gist we see with akira and koji were were their concerns over saving their own skin or aiding john with the clear foresight of the consequences were they to do so. from the older generation its quick to label the youth spineless and selfish, and from the younger generation those that are older are carrying a holier-than-thou attitude and an almost insincere amount of altruism that hypocrises their self-proclaimed family-orientedness. these are all very loose, exaggerated terms and both akira and koji’s beliefs are justified through many lenses, with the way the world they exist in is built i believe they are closer than most father-daughter relationships and recognize what fuels their respective actions, but i also think they both realize koji’s word is final so many things are left unsaid that can potentially turn into resentment. were they ever to make it that far..

i also think it’s important to note ( bc if you’ve talked to me at any length i wont shut up about restrictions in culture roles ) that akira is a daughter, and while that’s obvious i feel the need to reiterate that she’s a japanese daughter, in an arguably(?) male-oriented field of work. she is having her strings pulled by men in her life, majority being koji obviously, and while they share a father-daughter dynamic that is closer than most i dont think it’s entirely absent of these gender and hierarchical roles. whether she submits to koji’s wishes due to being her father or male superior is irrelevant. john ultimately pulls the strings that have her help him escape the continental, and caine is stringing her along through a path of revenge. it doesn’t matter whether these were intentional or not, the whole purpose is that all three of them just happen to be men interacting with her in some way, and yet through all the thousands of people involved in this line of work these three individuals that end up completely ruining her were men whose priorities overshadowed that of her own life. and she wasn’t even involved to begin with. it’s the words she snaps back at koji, the glares she throws at john, and the ambiguous end credit scene with caine, that drive the fact she is, was, ultimately in a role that could not do much. i wish i had the brain capacity to say what i legitimately adore about akira’s narrative but i am still jet-lagged so we move on to caine..

every piece of her anger is being directed towards caine, i think that goes without saying, and just because she does not strike at john in the train its clear she hates him equally as so, perhaps even more if she takes in his domino effect of coming to koji for help, and maybe even after hearing both john and caine are let go due to the duel..BUT ANYWAY i really adore caine in the fact he recognizes the pain and vengeance that comes from spilled family blood. and he recognizes akira’s intentions instantly, tells her he’ll be seeing her soon and AUUGHGAJGHDS i just. love it. i love it and it hurts me but i love it. there is a unique pain of doing what you have to, what you're personally against, and still going through w/ it. especially w/ caine, koji, and johns strong brotherhood..it just.HURTS WOW. and akira is fucking thrown into the shit storm of it all..