I discuss my current fixations
43 posts
Localtheorycorner - Mizu Is My Wife - Tumblr Blog
Yoo Joonghyuk canonically having a weak pullout game will never not be funny because I know for a fact that child he had in the 2nd round was NOT planned-
Anyways we should all thank Kim Dokja for irritating a guy so much, that he distracts him from getting another child. Joonghyuk being a father terrifies me because a mini version of him is enough reason for me to become an Eunuch and a Vestal Virgin from Rome at the same time.
My Roman empire is that despite Kim Dokja being a loving and caring man at the core, he cannot muster up any love for himself as a whole. We, the readers, aka Kim Dokja fragments, can love him through all his faults. But Kim Dokja as a whole can never love himself. No matter how much his companions and the readers do.
Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan
I know the svsss fandom jokes about Shen Qingqiu/Yuan being like Helen of Troy because he has a tendency to wifebeam himself. But what about Shen Jiu as Clytemnestra? Helen of Troy was the more universally known/liked one out of the two. Clytemnestra is practically Helen of Troy's shadow of a sister. Clytemnestra wasn't the face that launched a thousand ships to Troy. Instead her story is filled with betrayals that lead to her death by her son. It's similar to how Shen Jiu was killed by Bingge. Shen Jiu essentailly plays a parental figure to Bingge, but Bingge seeing how violent Shen Jiu could be, swears revenge and kills him. Just like how Orestes saw that Clytemnestra killed his father and swore revenge. Killing her in the end. You could even go as far as saying that Agamemnon abandoning Clytemnestra is similar to how Yue Qingyuan failed to come back for Shen Jiu.
Another interesting to note is that in the end, Orestes, who killed Clytemnestra, was acquitted by the gods. An eerie parallel to how PIDW fans would go to lengths to forgive Luo Bingge's crimes.
Instead of being sent on the mission that ended with Shen Yuan getting stripped by a Skinner Demon (before Shen Yuan killed the demon), Yue Qingyuan sends Shen Qingqiu to the imperial city to deal with some political matters.
It's far safer - Shen Qingqiu won't get physically harmed and lost memories or not, Yue Qingyuan reasons that Shen Jiu's innate sharp tongue is going to inflict more emotional damage than he could even possibly receive. Plus, for good measure, he sends Shang Qinghua too.
So, Shen Yuan gets sent to the imperial city to help Shang Qinghua with a particularly difficult trade negotiation and a couple extra days for sightseeing/vacationing because Yue Qingyuan Likes To Spoil Shen Jiu Like That.
As a bonus, Shen Qingqiu's presence also reminds the imperial court to fuck off - Cang Qiong doesn’t deal with politics, they stay out of it and prioritize saving people, so please stop telling them to accept bribes and refuse missions to this or that place that just so happens to be where some enemy politician's fam is located.
Luo Binghe tags along to act as Shen Qingqiu's servant because Shen Yuan demanded it - the sheep can't get bullied on the peak while he's away! - and Yue Qingyuan also thought that Luo Binghe's presence would help encourage Shen Qingqiu to take his meds and eat properly. You know, the basic self-care things that Shen Qingqiu should do more.
Anyways, Shen Yuan does what Shen Yuan does and wifebeams the crown prince. And the whole court. And the city too.
Yue Qingyuan has Regrets. The sheep is watching everything with wide eyes, only narrowly escaping the wifebeam thanks to his age and having not started puberty yet.
(The Luo Binghe a few years later will view those memories with Very Very different outlook. But it's too late.)
A literal line of horse-drawn carts come stampeding to the peak with proposal letters for Shen Qingqiu. And that's how Shen Yuan starts off his second life with a bang.
[More in #shen yuan's wifebeam hits the entire imperial city and there are Consequences AU]
You know what would be evil? If Mizu has gone through all her trials and tribulations, has killed, been betrayed, lost her humanity, lost all her companions, suffered, face humiliation, only to find out that the white man she has been searching for is dead. Dead. All of suffering and the revenge she was going to get would be pointless because who would she get revenge on? It's entirely possible too. We don't know how old her dad is. We know nothing about her father. All of what she went through. Pointless because she wasted her life. She will still remain a monster because the one who damned her to hell has already escaped through death. That would be a cold ending. In the end, Mizu couldn't get justice. She couldn't get revenge because justice was never for people like her. No matter what era you live in, whether the Edo Period of Japan or the modern day, justice will never be served. Because the justice system we believe in was just a sweet lie to damn us to suffer for all of eternity.
Kim Dokja is my favourite hopeless romantic. Not because he's utterly smitten but is too shy to make a move. No, it's because he knows he's hopeless but strives to show his affection by sacrificing himself, over and over again. After all, it was his mother's way of showing her love. Kim Dokja knows it's hopeless, but he can only hope that his countless of sacrifices will bring happiness to his companions. Won't they appreciate it once they're safe. They will....right?
My Roman Empire is that Bingge's adoptive mother would be disappointed with him if she were still alive in PIDW because she raised him to be kind and thoughtful. Not a tyrant that would resort to sexual pleasure whenever he was bored. And if she were to find out the way he treated his wives, she would be furious. Bingge treated his wives indifferently and essentially abandoned some of them. How could he abandon them when both he and his mom were left to rot in dust. The only thing Bingge and his mom had were each other.
If Shen Jiu were to bring up this fact, it would hurt Bingge more than falling down to the abyss ever could.
Which protagonist are you? The cool, unfeeling, emotionally repressed, muscular, perfect hair (usually black), super handsome, and ridiculously OP protagonist?
Or are you the scammer, obsessed with money, my little pathetic meow meow, cunning, grabbable waist, average/pretty boy, scammer smile, and lowkey kinda weak/at the same time powerful, loser protagonist?
Shen Qingqiu is literally the Danmei version of whatever the fuck Helen of Troy did
I don't think i'll ever be able to get over how coquetish Shen Qingqiu is, like, bro is supposed to be a repressed nerd inside a villain's body so why is he acting like the type of man wars are fought over? That head tilt with his voice drawing out the word "Shidi" would make ME fight a deranged half-demon over his corpse for 5 yrs straight, Liu Qingge was victim
Incorrect quotes
Mizu: Before I am a woman, I am a menace to society
Taigen: *Whips his head around* YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU'RE ACTUALLY A WOMAN?!?!
Mizu: Do you have a problem?-
Taigen: OH THANK THE GODS! Now I don't have to have a crisis about being attracted to a man.
Mizu: Wtf-
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Young Mizu: But Swordfather, how did you know I was a social outcast?
Master Eiji: Child, if you weren't a social outcast, you would not have had to act like a rat and freeload at my house.
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Akemi: *sobbing because of her failed engagement to Taigen*
Ringo: *trying to comfort her* Aw, well I'm sure you can find someone else like him.
Akemi: No, you don't understand. I'll never find someone like him.
Ringo: What was he like?
Akemi: Well, he was nice to me.
Ringo: You could buy a dog...???
Akemi: That's not helping.
Ringo: *Under his breath* At least a dog wouldn't celebrate your engagement at a brothel.
Akemi: What?
Ringo: What?
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Taigen: I feel as if I've disappointed you.
Akemi: Oh, don't worry Taigen. You already disappoint me on the daily.
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Mizu: Ringo, did you know that atoms don't touch each other? And since we're made out of atoms, I never actually committed murder?
Ringo: Master, you used a sword to stab people. Not your bare hands.
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Shindo: Abijah, the man I met was no man. He was a monster.
Mizu: I have something crazy to say-
Fowler: Why tf did his ribs break like a woman then?
Names and their meanings - Blue Eye Samurai
Mizu- means water; this can represent that Mizu travels across the waters to find her biological father to kill him. Can also represent her flexibility within her identity. There is nothing solid. Mizu has lived her life as a man and a woman. She is both white and Japanese. Mizu draws the line between a swordmaster who appreciates the art of the sword and a person stricken with grief who will stop at nothing to achieve the vengeance they so crave. During the play, Mizu was both the ronin and the onryo. There is not one identity you can give to Mizu because she is as flexible and changing as water. After all, you can't keep water in your hands forever the same way you cannot tie down Mizu to one identity.
Akemi- translates to Bright Beauty. Akemi is mentioned to look nothing short like a princess even when her kimino was covered in dirt. The bright in bright beauty could also be taken as intelligence. Akemi throughout the series becomes knowledgeable, and well tempered. Fitting of a wise princess. You could also argue that bright could refer to her ambition to be great.
Taigen- means strong, fearless, and warrior. Taigen is regarded to be a strong samurai throughout the series, with Mizu even acknowledging his strength. He definitely fits into the warrior archetype. Always wanting to restore his honour, appreciating the art of the sword, physically strong, coming from a humble background, etc. Taigen is fearless to an alarming degree. Of course, he's brave but it can be deadly to the point of recklessness. For example, he was confident he could beat Abijah Fowler's gun with his sword. Not even considering the advance technology of guns.
Ringo- means apple. This one kinda stumped me, but I have an explanation that I hope makes sense. There's the saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Usually referring to children being alike to their parents. In the beginning, we see that Ringo is helping out with his father's restaurant. Cooking noodles and serving customers. After seeing Mizu's showdown in the restaurant, he's inspired by her. Wanting to be her apprentice because Ringo wants to be a great samurai. In the season finale, Ringo is led to believe that Mizu has died. Master Eiji takes Ringo under his wing to learn the art of sword making. I believe his name refers to his willingness to always learn. Ringo learned from his father, Mizu then Master Eiji. (Taigen even teaches some stuff about fighting) I'm sure that him learning from all these people will lead up to something. Maybe Ringo will become a Jack of All Trades.
He did all the crimes above and worse, but I love him so let him free
Tcf fandom/Calefam when Cale's accused of a crime he did commit:
Mikio is such a loser
The audacity of some fucking man, I didn't feel rage in the moment while watching the episode with the amount of rage I felt after is unexplainable, she trusted him enough to fuck him, then show her her real self and then, he may of had something to do with the man that attacked her, then he ran away like a pussy as if he has one and then he came back called her mom a hoe killed her mom and then begged for forgiveness he is so lucky that mizu had enough, because if I was her he would have gotten much worse than what he did
I love character analysis sm. It makes sense why Mizu and Taigen are rivals. They share a lot of the same values/interests but the way they view their interests/values differ from each other. They make the perfect rivals
uhhh thinkin about how mizu and taigen's relationship being described as "this meeting of the minds, this meeting of the swords, that they could not share with anybody else" in one of the netflix articles about the show
and i'm going crazy because YEAH they're both equally invested about swords and fighting in a way that nobody else in their lives are
cuz like after mizu and taigen's duel, when taigen is examining his bald spot in the mirror where mizu cut off his hair, he's literally like. in awe, openly admiring mizu's skill DESPITE the fact that mizu beat his ass and stripped his honour and status from him
in the next episode, mizu says a very similar line when she examines the cut flower that fowler had pinned to heiji shindo's robe.
this was also such a sudden thing to notice in the middle of their conversation (my interpretation of this is that it hints to fowler's own skills with a blade, and gives mizu information about her enemy being a formidable opponent), but the fact that mizu had such a keen eye and managed to honed in on such a tiny detail from like a foot or two away is interesting because it shows us just how attentive mizu is, especially when it comes to blades and anything to do with them!
to mizu (when she's not spiralling and agonising over her own self-hatred and the way the world treats her), swords are not a mere tool for revenge, but an art form which she is fascinated by and loves and admires. we see this from time to time, during rare moments of respite, like when she admires the duel in the beginning of ep4
mizu also takes to heart all the teachings from her years training, while taigen is (interestingly!) less strict about them, considering some of those teachings mere pedantry, or at least tells mizu as much in his attempt to comfort her after her sword breaks
but that doesn't mean he doesn't care for the more formal aspects of his training at all. because in ep3 when he says this
this is a recitation of a line from the lotus sutra, which are among the mahayana sutras (like the heart sutra that mizu writes on her body in ep7 during her rite of rebirth) that they learned as part of their spiritual training, as zen buddhism forms a lot of the basis for samurai doctrines and philosophy
so taigen saying this, as i see it, is a way to bond with mizu, or at least make conversation over their shared knowledge, as we see him await a reaction as soon as he says this. but mizu gives him none, and he looks disappointed/annoyed/frustrated or what have you as he watches her walk off without a word
also we see a little more of their shared knowledge of swordsmanship in the last episode when it's clear that mizu has been training ringo in sword fighting techniques
and later taigen recognises it instantly
they're both nerds about swords and fighting!!!
they both respect each other's skills!!!
GOD i really hope in future episodes they get to bond some more over their shared passion and common training and just samurai camaraderie in general!!! mizu clearly loves the artistry of sword fighting so much, she deserves to have a confidant who shares that with her, someone she can talk openly about these things to!!!
because like remember when mikio was telling her about the naginata, she looked soooo uwu in love!!! admiring her husband as he took out the naginata!!! believing at the time that she found a match who she could openly share her love of martial arts with!!
except the difference is that mikio--due to, among other things, their large age difference and subsequent gap in life experience--believes he is mizu's teacher, rather than her equal. this is the role he's readily taken throughout their marriage, from teaching her how to throw a knife to cut down fruit (not like she needed that particular lesson), to teaching her equestrian skills.
meanwhile taigen and mizu have were both kids growing up poor in the same backwater fishing village, which means that they are and always have been peers. and this becomes even more pronounced once taigen is stripped of his giant ego and unlearns his prejudice, allowing them both to fully respect each other and view each other as equals
which is again why it frustrates taigen when mizu admits later in this scene that she basically doesn't care about saving the shogun. like he gets mad because it upends his initial belief in their shared goals and aligned values as samurai!
ALSO i'd like to add, that though mizu is the better swordsman as we see her win all their brawls and matches, she doesn't surpass him by that much, and mizu knows this.
these words coming from mizu is such a huge compliment all things considered. and also her saying that chiaki's broken blade suits him well, giving it to him as a surety as she promises him a duel that "he deserves." like!! even though she finds taigen an annoying brat and oftentimes an obstacle to her mission for revenge, she DOES respect him!!
IN CONCLUSION nobody else is on their level, nobody else shares their love of swordsmanship and that is such an important factor to their bond and the way they relate to each other. i rest my case your honour
Madame Kaji's role
Madame Kaji is a headstrong, strong-willed, sharp tongued, yet caring woman in Blue Eye Samurai. We see her softer side when she was heartbroken that Kinuyo was taken from her by Boss Hamata. Her disdain for men shows up when she tells Akemi that men are weak, yet still feel the need to be powerful.
Eventually Madame Kaji and her girls are recruited to be Akemi's Lady-in-waitings, her advisors, and her companions in the palace. We see that Madame Kaji is serious about the job when she sees Mizu. Stating that it was improper of a man to be in the womens' quarters, and that she saw how Mizu watched the guards take Akemi away. Madame Kaji only budges when Mizu mentions that Akemi is in danger. So, we see that Madame Kaji does care for Akemi.
The question now is, what will be Madame Kaji's role in the future? With Seki dead, I believe that Madame Kaji will become Akemi's new mentor. But, she will differ from Seki. Madame Kaji will most likely assist Akemi's goal to becoming great. Chances are, she will encourage Akemi to manipulate her husband even further to give Akemi more power in the palace. After all, Madame Kaji did advise Akemi, "...nurture his weakness and become his strength."
Madame Kaji will push Akemi to become ruthless and manipulative to gain power in court. We've already seen Akemi manipulate Taigen during sex when she convinced him that Mizu did not give him a proper duel. Madame Kaji will Akemi the push she needs to gain control in the palace. If Seki taught Akemi how to bring honour, then Madame Kaji will teach her how to take it. Either by manipulation or by swaying the court to her favour.
I noticed that I thought Madame Kaji and Lady Ito were similar in a way. They were both women in positions of authority. (Lady Ito is currently the Empress and Madame Kaji was the manager in a brothel before becoming Akemi's Lady-in-Waiting.) Both Madame Kaji and Lady Ito have no problem with talking back to Akemi. Also both are intelligent, well-spoken, have groups of people that are loyal to them (Lady Ito's clan, sons, and the nobles in court. Madam Kaji and her girls.) And both are ruthless when it comes to their enemies. Lady Ito made her son lock the door behind them, trapping the nobles, because they saw the Shogun's less honourable side. While Madame Kaji killed Boss Hamata due to his abuse.
Since Lady Ito had made it clear she does not like Akemi, I believe that Madame Kaji will be her foil. Her parallel of some sort. Both women share multiple qualities but one is at the top of society while the other has been near the bottom almost her whole life. From what I have seen of Lady Ito, I believe that she will look down on Madame Kaji and will have a rivalry with her. Same with Madame Kaji, since Lady Ito has constantly taunted Akemi during her stay at the palace.
Madame Kaji will most likely become the key for Akemi to gain the upper hand against the Empress. Perhaps Madame Kaji or one of her girls will overhear of a secret of the Empress. Remember that Lady Ito knew of her husband's secret tradings with the West and kept it on the down low. She probably has some secrets of her own as well. Secrets that could strip her of her power or ruin her reputation.
When the palace burnt down, we learned that Akemi's father is still alive. Akemi offers to take care of him, but she has a devious smile. Akemi will try to punish her father in some way of course, but I believe she will also try to use him. From what we've seen from Akemi, she doesn't use brute force to control people. She prefers emotional manipulation. She's done this to Taigen, the random man she served in the brothel, and her husband to get her way.
Akemi's way of control lines up with Madame Kaji's view on how women get their revenge. Stating that revenge is a luxury for men, but women need to be more practical and focus on the result. They make the perfect duo. An experienced, cunning, and cutthroat advisor paired up with a ruler who is ambitious, conniving, and eager to play Go with the people around her as her Go pieces.
They will most definitely pair up to use Akemi's father for their plans. Whether through blackmail or something more sinister. Perhaps they will use Madame Kaji's girls to eavesdrop on important conversations that hold secrets of the royal family. No matter the method, Madame Kaji will ensure that Akemi will achieve greatness because not only will it benefit Akemi's future, but also her girls' future.
Seki was the mentor that Akemi needed while growing up, but Madame Kaji is the advisor that Akemi needs if she wants to navigate the backstabbing, dishonourable royal court to get to the top.
Incorrect quotes
Mizu: What doesn't kill me should run, because now I'm fucking pissed.
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Taigen: I must restore my honour back.
Ringo: Would you like some soup to grow back your hair? I hear that these mushrooms make hair growth more effective :)
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Mizu: You seem familiar? Have I killed your father? How about your lover? I probably stabbed you at some point.
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Mizu: Ringo.
Ringo: :3
Mizu: I need you to be serious.
Ringo: >:3
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Taigen: I fear no man
Taigen: But that
*homoerotic feelings towards Mizu*
Taigen: That scares me
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Akemi: I actually don't mind when people underestimate me because I am a woman. It makes it much easier to plan the downfall of people when they're focused on me being a proper lady.
Seki: That's my girl :)
Mizu: New year, New me. Gonna cause the Great Fire of London, kill the 3 other white dudes that could be my father, and just stab my way through life
#1 hater
I sincerely hope Taigen becomes bald like Caillou.
I am his #1 hater. If he has 100 haters, I am one of them. If he has 10 haters, I am 10% of those haters. If he has 1 hater, I am that hater. If he has no haters, I am dead and my soul has been erased. If everyone else loves him, it's me against the world.
Him and his little bald spot can leave me and my wife, Mizu alone.
Spot the difference (you can't)
Truly the greatest thing to ever happen to the fandom
doing my part to make the blue eye samurai fandom worse
Why Seki needed to die
After watching the season finale of Blue Eye Samurai, Seki tragically dies protecting Akemi. In his last moments, he asks Akemi to choose her own path. Whether it would be running away with a lover or choosing to rule over Japan, it should be Akemi to choose her own path. Not her father's, not the royal family, not even Taigen. Just her. I do think it's especially depressing that Seki was the only person to ever ask what Akemi wanted. He was also the only person to encourage her to choose her own path, no matter what anyone else thought.
Seki was Akemi's mentor, closest friend, mother-figure, father figure, and caretaker through out Akemi's life. That is exactly the reason why he needed to die. Akemi needed to choose, and after Seki's death, she realized she wanted to be great. Not just for herself, but for the women of Japan, and for Seki. He died for her, and she couldn't let his death be in vain.
In Blue Eye Samurai, Akemi is often depicted as a bird in a cage. Beautiful but trapped. Throughout her whole life, she's always been subjected to the decisions of others. But this bird symbolism goes beyond feeling trapped.
In order for a bird to be able to fly, it needs to fly for itself. The parent bird can't interfere otherwise the baby bird will never learn how to fly. I believe that Seki was both the parent bird and the cage. Akemi can't always rely on Seki to achieve greatness. She must break out of her cage to fly. Seki was her only parent figure growing up, eventually a child needs to leave their parent to continue the cycle of life. Seki dying represented a bird leaving its nest.
Now how is Seki also the cage in Akemi's life? Her dependance on others was Akemi's cage. Akemi always relied on other people; she had no choice. After all, she was a woman in the Edo Period. Women did not have many choices. For Akemi to be great, she cannot always depend on others. Seki was the one person Akemi full heartedly depended on. But his death finally broke the cage Akemi was in. Seki wanted Akemi to have freedom to do whatever she wanted in her life. Akemi had been struggling with what path she truly wanted for her life. Seki's death made her choose her destiny. Akemi finally escaped her cage so she decided to fly with greatness that only a competent Empress of Japan could be.
Symbolism with Akemi and theories on how she could become a ruler in Japan
Throughout Blue Eye Samurai, we see that Akemi constantly struggles with her freedom, life, and what she wants in life. While Akemi may be a princess, she is also a woman in the Edo Period. She barely has any say on her life. The only times she has any say on her life is when she convinces another man to change things for her. (Her father, Taigen, and her husband.)
There's this one moment when she is first introduced that showcases what little say she has over her life. When trying to convince her father that she should marry Taigen, Tomoe (her little half brother) throws food at her. In fact, Akemi's father even praises Tomoe for doing as he pleases. He even remarks that Tomoe would grow up to be a great lord. This is insulting to Akemi. Her little brother, a child; most likely not older than 5 or 6 because he doesn't talk, has more say over Akemi's own life, than she does. She's an adult, a princess yet this little boy could kill her at a second's notice, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
What hurts even more is that the only 2 times her father speaks softer to her is when Akemi brings up marriage candidates and when he shows her the 12 and 20 sex positions. He doesn't see her as a person, he didn't even see his late wife as a person. The only thing he mentions about his late wife is that she was unladylike, but she knew how to please a lord. That's the kind of man that Akemi's father is. He only views people based on their importance to him. Tomoe is valuable because he is an heir. Akemi is valuable because she is his key to becoming the Shogun of Japan. His late wife's only use was her ability to please.
Akemi's father doesn't even show an ounce of sympathy when Akemi is down on her knees, begging to not get married.
Another symbol of Akemi's lack of say is the pet bird she receives as a wedding gift. Akemi releases the bird because she relates to its lack of freedom. She follows it, yet when it is close to gaining freedom, it is shot by her husband.
Do you know what else this parallels? Akemi when she was trying to escape her marriage. She was close to getting away, but she was caught by her family's guards.
Akemi's lack of freedom is constantly mocked. To her father to Lady Ito. Lady ito does not care about Akemi because it is what is expected. Even going as far as to mock her mourning of the bird as she feeds her 2 other birds.
Akemi is a bird in a cage, pretty but trapped. But Akemi has the potential to control Japan through her husband. Like what Madam Kaji said, "nurture his weakness and become his strength." Akemi could become a shadow ruler of Japan and have her husband be the puppet ruler. It isn't unheard of women being the actual power the thrones while a puppet ruler was the face of it. Many queens regents often acted as the absolute monarch in place of their husbands or sons. Sometimes Queen mothers would intimidate their sons so they could have power. Catherine de' Medici, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and many more are great examples.
Two other possibilities is that she could become more of a popular ruler of Japan and therefore people would be in support of placing her on the throne. Catherine the Great of Russia did this with her husband. Peter the III was incompetent so Catherine the Great overthrew her husband and became the ruler of Russia. Akemi could make the first son of the Shogun seem unfit to rule Japan and have her husband become the Shogun. Then she could slowly become more popular and have the nobles and the common people treat her more as the absolute monarch in Japan. Remember Takayoshi seems insecure and could possibly let Akemi rule instead. Effectively becoming more of the face of the throne with Akemi becoming the power of it.
The second possibility is that Akemi completely overthrows one of the 2 sons of the Shogun (either her brother in law or Takayoshi) and just become the sole ruler in Japan. While unlikely, we do have real life examples of women being the sole rulers to the throne. Queen Seondeok of Silla in Korea, and Wu Zetian, the only Female Emperor of China. Both rulers ruled before Edo Japan. Queen Seondeok of Silla was the daughter of the King, and she protested to be an heir to the throne. She was described as a kind and wise ruler. Technically, Akemi could be in line for the throne if everyone dies except her.
Wu Zetian was described to be more ruthless, but she was extremely innovated and a competent emperor. Empress Wu allowed women and commoners to be her advisors and have a place in the royal court. This is awfully similar to how Akemi allowed Madam Kaji and her girls to be her Lady-in-waitings and her companions at the palace. This also reflects on how Akemi wishes for women in Japan to be equal to men. Wu Zetian also fixed the famine problems of the common people, had a part in inventing printing for the Chinese people, and advocated for women's rights. During her reign, many women had more political power, and some even donned men's attire.
If Akemi learns how to use her manipulation skills to manipulate the royal court, she could bring a revolt to place her as the sole ruler. Akemi could possibly appear as the benevolent and wise ruler like Queen Seondeok of Silla, but behind closed doors she could use the same tactics like Wu Zetian did. But of course, still have her competence and approval of the common people. Also side note that Wu Zetian was worth about 16 trillion dollars USD and the Shogun is the second richest man in the world, so Akemi has the chance at being the richest woman in the world.
While Akemi still has much to do before she can become the ruler of Japan, I do believe that through the recent development that we've seen she could become the sole ruler of Japan. An Empress that is kind, wise, and generous like Queen Seondeok, but also a ruthless, cunning, yet powerful and beloved empress like Emperor Wu Zetian. Akemi may be a bird in a cage at this moment, but she will find a way to break out of her prison and make all of Japan worship her as the Divine Empress of Japan.
Theory on Mizu's heritage
After the season finale, we see Mizu go on a boat to find the other white men who could possibly be her father. But, one theory that has been brought up is that her mother is of European descent and that her father is the Shogun. It would make an interesting twist.
People have brought up that Lady Ito would do anything to make people forget that her husband had been dealing with Western traders. She even makes her son lock the door behind them, trapping the nobles because they saw Fowler. Evidence of the Shogun's dealings with the West. But you know whole else they saw? Mizu, a half Japanese, half white person. More evidence of her Husband's dealings, and evidence of a forbidden affair.
When Mizu confronts Fowler, he notes that he isn't sure if Mizu's his child because he was sure he counted all of his bastard children. I doubt that Mizu is his child because it would make things too easy. Besides, we should talk about the bounty on Mizu's head. Mizu's "mom" isn't actually her mom. Fowler says that she was a maid, and that Mizu's heritage is much more complicated than that. The bounty on Mizu's head wouldn't make sense if Fowler did it because he doesn't even recall her. Plus, Mizu believes that her mother was most likely a commoner, and her mom is dead. So I doubt her own mother put a bounty on her head. Also the bounty was implied to be a very high one. Also, Mizu's "mom" was revealed to be a maid. Since white people don't have power in the Edo Period, I doubt the maid came from her European heritage. It likely came from the Japanese side. Perhaps the Shogun felt some sympathy for the child of his affair, and paid a maid to take care of Mizu.
Regarding who put the bounty on Mizu's head, it was most likely Lady Ito. Of course she would want the evidence of an affair killed off, she's constantly sadistic towards Akemi, her daughter in law. Again, I doubt a white person put a bounty on Mizu's head because of their lack of power. Why would the Japanese people listen to a foreigner's demand? But, if it came from the Empress, it would be more appealing. Plus, it was to a point where Mizu had to pretend to be a boy so that it could throw off the bounty hunters. So that implies the bounty was very high, something that Lady Ito could afford.
This just leaves one factor though. There were only 4 white men let into Japan, so where could Mizu's mom be? I have 2 theories. One of them is that while the 4 men were let in, there was nothing said about their wives. Often times, traders would bring their wives along with them. I doubt the Shogun would have cared if the men brought their wives because Edo Japan did not see women as people, and therefore they were no problems. My second theory is that one of the 4 white men was actually a woman crossdressing. While women crossdressing was uncommon, it wasn't unheard of if they needed to gather more power. Joan of Arc being an example. Mizu also dresses like a man to have more power because women did not have power. I also believe that there are historical examples of women being raised like sons because they were to be the heirs of their families. It's definitely possible. Besides, it would be a nice twist to see that Mizu had been searching for the wrong thing. Instead of searching for a white man, she should have been searching for a white woman.