I Love Character Analysis Sm. It Makes Sense Why Mizu And Taigen Are Rivals. They Share A Lot Of The

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

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-

-

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.

-

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?

-

Taigen: I feel as if I've disappointed you.

Akemi: Oh, don't worry Taigen. You already disappoint me on the daily.

-

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.

-

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?

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?

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.

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?

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.