Tori Angeli (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tori_angeli) wrote2010-02-06 01:09 am
tori_angeli) wrote2010-02-06 01:09 am
*gets on soapbox*
I'm gonna talk for a second about something that bugs me increasingly as I leaf through the Samurai Champloo fandom. If you are not familiar with SC, all you really need to read to get what I'm saying is this:
People don't usually fall in love with people they dislike and disrespect without major self-worth issues. It happens in fiction all the time, but not generally in real life.
Now on to the geeky stuff. Spoilers ahead.
SC is 100% about a three-way relationship between three lonely characters. Mugen, having never had a healthy relationship (friendship or other), actively pushes people away with snarky comments, insults, and open hostility. Jin, having never had a friendship at all (he says this himself; I assume Yukimaru doesn't really count as a peer, therefore presumably isn't someone he could personally confide in, especially since he was so concerned with being an older brother/role model to him), is so completely unpracticed at personal relationships (friendship or other) that he ends up deflecting people with his impeccable formal social mannerisms. Fuu, having no one since her mother passed away, is ready for genuine connections and actively pursues them with the boys. Mugen pushes her away, insulting and devaluing her (even though he grows genuinely fond of her, he has no idea how to express it). Jin deflects her, responding to her inquiries and attempts to converse with his stoic catchphrase, "Hmm." Mugen and Jin clash completely, and sustain a mutual vow throughout the series that they will be the ones who kill each other.
In the end, however, they find that their experiences have led them to genuinely care for each other. Mugen goes so far as to drop arms in front of a deadly enemy to save Fuu's life. Jin also saves her, stating that he has never had anything to fight for besides himself--until now. Mugen and Jin, finally able to duel after fulfilling their promise to Fuu to help her, are unable to kill each other as they've been waiting to do. The whole series is wonderfully balanced this way, and all three relationships are well-established.
At one point, in one line in one episode, it is implied that Fuu is falling in love with one of them. Before and after that line, there are no real indications given as to which guy this is. It's beautifully ambiguous, so that the viewer can imagine her ending up with the guy of their choice--if they even care about that. It's yet another lovely, balanced aspect to the show, not its sole purpose.
The SC fandom seems to take it as canon that Mugen is the guy Fuu is falling for. This is not based on "word of god" or anything else substantial, just the general impression people have between the two of them. That would be fine, if it didn't completely rule out the credibility of people who kinda think it makes more sense for her to be falling for Jin. See, in stories, the romantic leads often have conflict. They "hate" each other at first, only to realize that their hatred is merely burning love/lust and live happily ever after. This is used to great effect in Much Ado About Nothing, where the only thing that kept Beatrice and Benedict from going mad for each other was their stubborn refusal to see how perfect they were for each other. Still, if one person constantly derides and demeans another, it's a safe argument to be made--unless stated otherwise--that a healthier relationship might be in order. Jin is really sweet to Fuu in the later episodes, and genuinely concerned with her spiritual well-being. Fuu feels safe to confide in him things she's afraid Mugen would make fun of her for. She feels physically safe around Mugen and trusts him (most of the time) to protect her, but the only positive interaction they seem to have (when he's not saving her life) is in one episode where they're making fun of Jin together.
Not that Fuu/Jin is any more canon than Fuu/Mugen, but I think there's a good argument to be made for writing or supporting both. It's worth reiterating that the show is about a three-way friendship, not a woman caught in a love triangle struggling over a decision. I think my problem tends to be more with the fact that people have embraced that "love of rivals" idea to the point where rivalry has become an "obvious" sign of love. I sure don't want a relationship like that.
EDIT: It may all be due to my extremely strong dislike for this particular trope.
People don't usually fall in love with people they dislike and disrespect without major self-worth issues. It happens in fiction all the time, but not generally in real life.
Now on to the geeky stuff. Spoilers ahead.
SC is 100% about a three-way relationship between three lonely characters. Mugen, having never had a healthy relationship (friendship or other), actively pushes people away with snarky comments, insults, and open hostility. Jin, having never had a friendship at all (he says this himself; I assume Yukimaru doesn't really count as a peer, therefore presumably isn't someone he could personally confide in, especially since he was so concerned with being an older brother/role model to him), is so completely unpracticed at personal relationships (friendship or other) that he ends up deflecting people with his impeccable formal social mannerisms. Fuu, having no one since her mother passed away, is ready for genuine connections and actively pursues them with the boys. Mugen pushes her away, insulting and devaluing her (even though he grows genuinely fond of her, he has no idea how to express it). Jin deflects her, responding to her inquiries and attempts to converse with his stoic catchphrase, "Hmm." Mugen and Jin clash completely, and sustain a mutual vow throughout the series that they will be the ones who kill each other.
In the end, however, they find that their experiences have led them to genuinely care for each other. Mugen goes so far as to drop arms in front of a deadly enemy to save Fuu's life. Jin also saves her, stating that he has never had anything to fight for besides himself--until now. Mugen and Jin, finally able to duel after fulfilling their promise to Fuu to help her, are unable to kill each other as they've been waiting to do. The whole series is wonderfully balanced this way, and all three relationships are well-established.
At one point, in one line in one episode, it is implied that Fuu is falling in love with one of them. Before and after that line, there are no real indications given as to which guy this is. It's beautifully ambiguous, so that the viewer can imagine her ending up with the guy of their choice--if they even care about that. It's yet another lovely, balanced aspect to the show, not its sole purpose.
The SC fandom seems to take it as canon that Mugen is the guy Fuu is falling for. This is not based on "word of god" or anything else substantial, just the general impression people have between the two of them. That would be fine, if it didn't completely rule out the credibility of people who kinda think it makes more sense for her to be falling for Jin. See, in stories, the romantic leads often have conflict. They "hate" each other at first, only to realize that their hatred is merely burning love/lust and live happily ever after. This is used to great effect in Much Ado About Nothing, where the only thing that kept Beatrice and Benedict from going mad for each other was their stubborn refusal to see how perfect they were for each other. Still, if one person constantly derides and demeans another, it's a safe argument to be made--unless stated otherwise--that a healthier relationship might be in order. Jin is really sweet to Fuu in the later episodes, and genuinely concerned with her spiritual well-being. Fuu feels safe to confide in him things she's afraid Mugen would make fun of her for. She feels physically safe around Mugen and trusts him (most of the time) to protect her, but the only positive interaction they seem to have (when he's not saving her life) is in one episode where they're making fun of Jin together.
Not that Fuu/Jin is any more canon than Fuu/Mugen, but I think there's a good argument to be made for writing or supporting both. It's worth reiterating that the show is about a three-way friendship, not a woman caught in a love triangle struggling over a decision. I think my problem tends to be more with the fact that people have embraced that "love of rivals" idea to the point where rivalry has become an "obvious" sign of love. I sure don't want a relationship like that.
EDIT: It may all be due to my extremely strong dislike for this particular trope.
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I REALLY like that Samurai Champloo apparently focuses on friendship. I feel like non-romantic relationships often get shortchanged in entertain in favor of romantic relationships, and that's a shame.
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