Oh look! The Pretty is being tortured!

[dangermousie]

Tamahome! Getting whipped into unconsciousness! Because he tried to escape when he heard Miaka was dying (after turning himself in to the bad guys to save villages blah blah because Yui, the evil priestess and Miaka's former best friend wants him for boy toy) and maybe I am sick, but I am thinking there is the whole thing between him and the bad guy, Nakago, where Nakago is really up for some non-con sex with the Pretty as a humiliation tool. When Tamahome is brought in at first, Nakago is is all 'I like you because you could lay a hit on me' and he slaps him and the whole interaction isn't dispassionate enemies or anything but comes across as Nakago would really enjoy some twisted twisted stuff with him as a further way to break him.

So after the attempted escape, Nakago is all 'you offered yourself as a tribute, we must teach your body to be obedient' (!!!!!!!!!!) so I am sorry, it's not just me being sick. Not quite. And then the next thing we see is Tamahome tied up in a dungeon, without a shirt, being whipped into uncosciousness by Nakago who is all 'I am just teaching you obedience blah blah you live only to please Yui blah blah." and there are burly shirtless guys besides Nakago there too. And Nakago is really having a good time, in a really creepy-crawling my skin kinda way. Seriously, it came across less as a whipping-as-pure-punishment and more like they were trying to train him through s&m and getting off on it.

Somebody up there likes me.

Yes, I am sick.

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Understanding Nakago though, you understand why he is like that and that humiliation would be part of his weaponry. I'm not sure it explains this really well in the anime, but in the manga it was very clear that Nakago's mother was violated in front of him when he was little and then he was used as the emperor's "pleasure slave" from then until he went all evil genius. It makes perfect sense if you know that that he would react to Tamahome that way.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I haven't gotten to the part where they talk about Nakago's background at all yet (hopefully they will) but now that you've explained it, it does fit perfectly as to why he'd behave that way.

I am glad to know I didn't just suddenly go crazy because I usually don't 'see' things like that, but it felt like this whole bizarre Tamahome-Nakago dynamic couldn't be interpreed as anything else.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

It also makes sense that even as crazy evil as Nakago is, he'd step in to save Yui when he found her too. The manga makes it much clearer that it's Nakago's past that warps him into what he is.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

One of the things I like about anime is that it seems to often have bad guys who have reasons for what they do and background stories that are complicated.

I mean, it's not going to make me like Nakago or Yui more, because ultimately no matter what happened, they chose the final evil step, but it certainly makes me more understanding of them and where they come from and even pity them and think of how it all could have turned so differently for them.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

That's why I've always loved anime myself. As in life, people don't generally just go white-of-the-eye, cackletastic crazy all that often. In anime, the bad guys you see a lot generally have reasons for doing what they do. Is it excusable behavior? Most often, no, but a lot of time it's either redeemable or understandable. It makes sense that Nakago is a sadist, it makes sense that Zechs wants revenge for his family, it makes sense that Folken goes semi-Dark side.

Anime also likes to grey area some of their good guys too. Alex is definitely a hero in LE, but he's not always the nicest guy. Yukimura in Samurai Deeper Kyo is one big ambiguity, but I love him. Kyo, from the same series is a bad guy who's mellowed out a bit and is now on the good side for his own reasons. Hijikata from Peacemaker makes extremely ruthless choices sometimes, but he's never questioned as a good guy, nor is Soujiro from the series, who is the sweetest guy...unless he's fighting and they he's terrifying.

Anime likes to work the greys of life, which is why I enjoy it so much.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I do like the fact that (from what I've seen) even the good guys aren't squeaky clean. It just makes it so much more interesting.

In anime, the bad guys you see a lot generally have reasons for doing what they do. Is it excusable behavior? Most often, no, but a lot of time it's either redeemable or understandable.

And I love that. It makes the whole thing seem a lot more multi-dimensional.

Btw, thanks to all your recs, I now have a stack of anime DVDs thiiiis high on my coffee table and my husband is rather happy as he likes anime a lot as opposed to my usual BBC or Bollywood stacks :P

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Aaaaand this is the reason that my 18 year old self couldn't watch FY ;P I ought to try for it again, really.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

*icon love*

I adore Yukimura. Not as much as Kyo, but a close second.

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Yukimura is love. How can you resist that voice of his? Or the way he tosses his luxurious hair and his casual disregard ;)

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I was always partial to his eyes. Or the fact that he was always so deceptively flippant about everything. Kyo I just loved for the "rabid dog on a leash" thing he had going on. Also liked the guy who fought with the hooked grim reaper looking things.

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

My sister and I used to argue who was cooler: Mahiro or Okuni. Kick ass women for the win!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OK, I can't contain self any longer. Which anime is this that you guys are talking about?

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Samurai Deeper Kyo, which is like Rurouni Kenshin except COMPLTELY different and is only 26 episodes long. Lots of hot guys (and girls!) with 1337 fighting skills, UST and general awesomeness. Incrementally cooler if you actually know something about the history of Japanese warfare.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Must check it out after I finish Kenshin and the stack of other anime (which means 2007 :P)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You should. There is so much pretty and I like the plot.