#tag credit: @kenniex2

[blue-eye-samurai]

@ira-sairain exactly!! No one here is saying that ONLY biracial women (in this case Asian + White) are allowed to enjoy this show. We all understand that Mizu is a very relatable character who’s story + lived experiences will resonate with many different people. Having said that, though … it still doesn’t change the fact that Mizu IS canonically a biracial WOMAN.

Her gender is not “up for interpretation” in canon — it’s not an unsolved mystery by the end of season one.

Trans men are men, but Mizu is not a man. Mizu is a woman who has been forced to present as a man for most of her life and for reasons that have nothing to do with being trans masc. Plus, it’s a well known fact that women throughout history have often had to disguise themselves as men in order to survive, travel safely and be able to pursue interests that go beyond marriage and/or motherhood.

@kabutone you should be able to resonate with the lyrics of a song without erasing the original intent of the person who actually wrote the song.

People don’t actually have to be Black in order to enjoy fictional media like “Black Panther”, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for non-Black folks to decenter Black people from their own canon stories.

Can y’all try to understand that? If yes, then why is it so hard for you to understand us (women of color) and our perspectives when it comes to Mizu in Blue Eye Samurai?

Stories are not JUST stories, okay. Mizu is not merely a blank canvas for all marginalized people to project themselves onto. Can ANYONE relate to Mizu’s story? Absolutely. But that still doesn’t mean Mizu’s story is actually about everyone.

Mizu’s story was written with very clear intentions because one of the co-writers of the show is in fact a biracial Japanese woman herself (Amber Noizumi) and she obviously shaped Mizu’s story around her own lived experiences as a woman of color too.

All the creators of this show refer to Mizu mainly by she/her pronouns, so it honestly does feel deeply misogynistic (and racist as well tbh) when some people on here constantly argue that Mizu isn’t canonically a woman.

Also, not everyone who lives + presents as male or “masculine” is going to identify as a man. Assuming so invalidates the lived experiences of many people who are marginalized and that definitely includes cishet women of color.

Honestly, I can’t help but feel like many of you with this mentality online are just completely incapable of relating to women of color unless we’re either A.) performing hyper femininity like Akemi does or B.) canonically queer as well.

And that really hurts a lot, especially because as a fellow biracial (Chinese + Iberian) and multicultural woman myself (who’s not traditionally feminine either but still very much identifies as a woman), I’ve never felt more seen and heard in my life until I saw Mizu.

There aren’t many well written stories about cis women of color in general, much less ones with heroines who aren’t traditionally feminine either but who still want to be loved and secretly want a soft life.

And yeah, I’ve seen some of you argue on here that maybe Mizu doesn’t identify as a woman because she’s never been allowed to openly be one. I get that and I hear you, but I still feel it’s deeply wrong to discount Mizu’s as a woman when she gives us a very valid perspective of being a woman — particularly one who doesn’t fit into society’s racist and misogynistic ideal standards “womanhood”.

Again, we are NOT saying that ONLY women of color are allowed to like this show, but y’all should be able to resonate with Mizu without striping away the canon narrative of her story.

This thread is already long AF, so I’m just gonna end it here by quoting the lovely @kenniex2 once again:

“media as a window and a mirror. blue eye samurai is a window for y’all you are on the outside looking in”

I don’t know how some of you could watch blu eyed samurai and still debate Mizu’s gender like hello ??? media literacy dead ??? Mizu is a woman, that’s the whole fucking point !!!! That’s her biggest crime !!!

Eiji couldn’t care less about her heritage but he literally cut her off when she tried to confess her gender !!!!

Mikio was fine with her being half white but the moment she dared to show him that -as a woman- she was a greater fighter it was over. His ego was irreparably hurt because a woman defeated him !!!!

And he calls her a monster !!!! He calls her a monster because she’s a woman and she’s strong she’s capable she can fight she isn’t submissive and that’s the point !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[blue-eye-samurai]

How the FUCK did people watch Blue Eye Samurai from beginning to end and y’all still didn’t realize that this show is NOT a queer story???

You watched a scene where Mizu (who IS canonically a cishet woman — so far) finally get a chance to show her husband who she really is: a woman who is not submissive, traditionally feminine and is also better at combat than he is. And how does he react? The way EVERY man reacts when presented with a woman who bests him in every possible way: he freaks out and calls her a monster. Mizu’s husband could accept that she is biracial only under the condition that she still play the role of a traditionally feminine, submissive housewife.

That scene is not about being queer. It is not a “metaphor” for queerness. You can still choose to interpret it that way if you want, but that doesn’t make your personal interpretation an irrefutable fact. Headcanons are still just headcanons. You should be able to separate your own headcanons from the actually canon material you’re given.

Speaking as a biracial (Asian/White) + multicultural cisgender woman myself (one who isn’t traditionally feminine either but still very much identifies as a woman), I related to that scene deeply for several reasons and so did many other women (cishet or not). Women, including cishet ones, are constantly being told how we should be and/or how we should behave if we want to be loved. Queer people are not the only ones who have complicated feelings about their gender and sexuality, cishet women have them as well.

Mizu’s whole narrative is that she can’t be truly herself: a biracial Japanese woman who’s an excellent warrior. If she wants to be taken seriously as a fighter and pursue her interests, she must play the role of a “man” in society. If she wants to be loved by her husband, then she must play a different role as well. I’m sorry but none of this is a “metaphor” for something else. The show’s creators (who are primarily two women of color) are quite literally telling us (especially in that particular scene) that women are not enough just as we are. THAT is the point of the whole scene — anything else is just projection from people who want to see something else.

How the FUCK do people watch The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride and go "ah shucks, cishet Mizu confirmed," like they didn't just watch Mizu go "here's a part of me, a secret, forbidden part of my life that I've never told you about, that makes me feel so fucking alive. Can you love me in spite of it? Can you love me for it?" And then watch her shatter, lose her family and her home, when it turns out the answer to that question was "No." How do you watch that and not think "Hot holy hell this shit is queer as fuck"???

[blue-eye-samurai]

Thank you @kenniex2 and @foxglovevibes for openly saying this. It’s sad how this is even considered a controversial take for some. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I am also a woman who is biracial (EastAsian/Iberian) and multicultural (Cuban American), so I understand what it’s like to be marginalized because of my phenotype + ethnicity (and other things as well). Honestly, Blue Eye Samurai was such a wonderful and pleasant surprise for me. I’m not used to seeing well written stories that center around Biracial women and how they’re double marginalized in most societies due to racism + sexism, so it’s deeply frustrating how lots of people on here (mainly White Queers) are decentering these issues from Mizu’s story.

Can Mizu be biracial AND queer? Absolutely. Does Mizu HAVE TO BE both in order for their story to be worthy of being told? No, absolutely not. Biracial/POCs deserve representation, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Anyone who thinks Mizu isn’t an amazing character because she’s not “queer enough” for them has clearly completely missed the point of the story and it shows. I’m sorry but not everything is about you and not everything has to appeal to you. Not every piece of fictional media has to represent every single marginalized community at the same time. Blue Eye Samurai is story about a biracial Japanese woman in 1600s, Edo Japan. It was written and created by Asian North American women who biracial and/or bicultural. Yes, there are queer elements in the show (and there are also some characters with disabilities too), but the central themes of this show are racism and sexism.

If you are not a biracial woman or bicultural woman of color and yet still found things about Mizu’s story that resonate with you, then that’s awesome. Headcanons can be fun and it’s okay for various people to interpret fictional media differently, but please don’t decenter racism and sexism from Blue Eye Samurai’s storyline. This story was made by biracial/bicultural Asian women and their lived experiences are what this show is really about. Stop projecting your modern western views on the lived experiences of biracial/bicultural women.

it is so painfully obvious that white gays have never been oppressed or marginalized outside of their queerness. y’all see Mizu, a woman marginalized into hiding her gender for her own safety and you think it’s a story about you. You’ve never been discriminated against as a woman of color. All the people on this site that I have seen saying the same things as me are other women or people of color, with few outliers, who understand what Mizu is going through. I’m sorry that you’re starving for representation but so are we, if you want to project go watch Nimona or Our Flag Means Death. If you want to understand, you need to sit down and shut up.

if you think this is a story about a trans man you are missing the point

if you think this is a story about a man you are missing the point

[blue-eye-samurai]

@pumpumdemsugah awww don’t be sorry, I’m always happy to discuss these things. And I like the comments you added here as well.

“It’s so crazy to me how much was put into the setting of the show and how much race is a core theme only for people to act like headcanons are a civil rights issue and you must behave differential and congratulatory towards any shit someone projects or thinks about a character. I’m not doing that lol” — THIS! 💯

“God forbid we contend with what’s happening in the show and talk about racism, misogyny and all really well animated violence” — Agreed!

It’s very frustrating how so many people here in the tags (mainly white queers) are more interested in speculating about Mizu’s gender identity or sexual orientation than they are in having (or even listening to) discussions about the show’s main central themes: racism and misogyny. Rarely do we ever get shows with canon material that is so complex, well written and well researched as Blue Eye Samurai is. Women of color (including cishet ones) are rarely ever the main character of any story, much less one that doesn’t fetishize us and that doesn’t overlook issues of racism + patriarchy.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time that I (a biracial + multicultural cishet woman who’s not traditionally feminine) felt this seen and heard with a fictional character like I do with Mizu. I’m so used to feeling invisible in the media I consume that it actually came as a shock when I first saw all eight episodes. I haven’t even had much time to entertain myself with my own personal headcanons about any of the show’s characters because I’m still processing a lot from the canon material.

That’s why it’s so disappointing to see white people (including queer ones) making everything about themselves yet again by being so loud about how their “headcanons are just as valid as canon”. Like no, y’all need to sit down and shut up for once.

People happily headcanon Mulan as nonbinary or trans all the time, but nobody ever shies away from saying that character is still canonically a woman. I’ve never seen anyone lash out at somebody for simply saying that Mulan is a strong woman character from Chinese folklore. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, certain people are treating Mizu very differently even though both of these characters are in very similar situations.

Like damn, I genuinely can’t understand why they’re being this entitled and self-righteous about a story that isn’t about them at all. They need to stop demanding that everyone accept their own personal interpretations as irrefutable facts. They need to stop throwing around baseless accusations at anyone who doesn’t agree with them. They need to understand the differences between what is their own personal headcanon (especially as an outsider looking in) and what is the actual canon text of the material they are consuming.

are you transphobic or just ignorant? no one is mad that mizu is being called a girl in interviews because they are sexist. They have just watched the show and seen that the writers are clearly implying Mizu’s gender isn’t something as simple as a mulan situation, and are disappointed to see them turn around and deny any non-cishet reading of the show.

There are already a number of very strong and well written female characters in the show, such as Akemi!! And for the record, I do not ship akemi with mizu or any of that nonsense, it has clearly been shown teh few times mizu did feel attraction it was towards men.

Lmao like clockwork. I made that post because I thought people would become immediately and increasingly stupid about this so let's pour cold water on it. The minute ppl have an attachment to a character they start being ridiculous and I've seen people feel bad for saying she's a woman. Why? Because someone thinks differently?

You're essentially saying 'you have Mulan' is there a quota lol ? Mulan is a kids movie, this isn't. Might as well bring up Steven Universe next. You bring up Akemi like ' here you go' Akemi is cool but again, is there a quota? The creators made that behind the scenes before most people were even aware of the show & some are acting like they said what they said to personally spite them. Disappointment is fine but come on! Ppl are being extra.

Some need to relearn appropriate reactions. Have your theories, headcannons and memes but others aren't obligated to go along with that. The creators are mixed race with a mixed daughter with blue eyes and wondered how the world will react to her and took it from there.

How is someone " denying " something they never wrote about their own creation in the first place? Do you understand how insane that sounds ? No one is or can stop you from reading her differently, many are without being annoying.

" there are already a number of well written strong female characters in the show" again! IS THERE A QUOTA?? Lool please I'm just waiting for more cool fanart and find some people's behaviour silly.

Desist!!! And relax!

We can all hold hands and sing kumbaya! Have you tried having fun?