Explanation Of Why I Ship Sesshomaru and Rin
1) RT does not have anything against lolicon, and is, in fact, a supporter of lolicon as evidenced by her showing up in Tokyo to protest a law that was purposed which would ban the production of lolicon in Tokyo.
Also, lolicon is defined as 15 and under in romantic relationships, and Kagome is 15, while InuYasha is 250 years old at minimum. (Sesshoumaru is 19 in ‘human years’, according to his Japanese Language character profile, and as shown in the InuYasha companion guide book, released in English as well.)
2)The mythology (which, RT is clearly very knowledgable about Japanese mythology due to her level of detail in depiction mythological creatures/legends in InuYasha, even down to the myth that tripping and falling in the woods is what would provoke wolf demons (ookami) to attack and kill you* and that is how Rin died) of the Inugami/Inumochi stating that male dog demons are able to be ‘tamed’ (only by human females, known as Inumochi, or ‘dog-witches’) into being protection spirits by offering them food* (Rin offered Sesshoumaru food, and considereing she had to bring more each day, and there were no 'leftovers’ from the day before, we can infer that Sesshoumaru WAS in fact eating it, although his pride would never allow him to admit that aloud), and those male dog-demons become incredibly attached/bonded to their human women, and oftentimes romantically. Women with an out-of-control possesive dog demon would actually have to have them exorcized sometimes, to get them to leave them alone because the male dog-demons would kill would-be husbands, out of jealousy.
3) The fact that in the Japanese language character profile for Rin, it is stated openly that Sesshoumaru LOVES Rin, and the kanji used is that of Shitai, which means 'to love deeply, to adore, to YEARN FOR’ - this is NOT a paternal or familial or even a platonic kind of love. It is *almost* always used to indicate romantic feelings for someone, and frequently used for romantic feelings that one must wait to act upon (such as in the situation where two people were engaged to be married, but had to wait to be married in order to be together, or a woman waiting for her husband to come back from war, etc.,) which COULD, in THEORY indicate that Sesshoumaru is waiting for Rin to grow up before he acts on his romantic feelings for Rin.
3a) More telling though, is what words are NEVER used. When Sesshoumaru’s mother refers to Rin being Sesshoumaru’s 'beloved person’, she does not use any of the words that would specifically indicate paternal feelings. She does not call her a 'beloved child’, or a 'beloved daughter’… Instead, she uses one of the words for 'beloved’ that can be taken either way, and THEN follows it up with, “You have inherited your father’s strange trait and become like him,” or you could also say, “You have become strange like your father by inheriting his trait,” where the trait being referred to is understood to be his love for a human girl.
If RT wanted to end the debate immediately, she could have simply had Sesshoumaru’s mother call Rin his beloved child, 愛し子 (itoshigo), or 愛児 (aiji), or beloved daughter. 愛嬢 (aijou) or 愛娘 (manamusume). She could have had Sesshoumaru himself refer to Rin as a daughter, or have Rin refer to Sesshoumaru as a daughter would a father. It would have been easy to clear it all up once and for all by writing a scene where Rin asks Sesshoumaru if he will be her father, now. Of course, he’d refuse, but at LEAST we would know Rin feels like Sesshoumaru is a father to her.
3b) Also, we have the situation in the third movie, which, while not directly written by RT, is considered to be part of the official canon by most, including word of God from the studio. The villain’s sword (the sword could also arguably BE the villain), fights Sesshoumaru. Then a bit later he kidnaps Rin. Takemaru holds his blade above RIN’S head and says, “She is Izayoi… they are both Izayoi”, and while we do get a camera pan to see Kagome’s horrified face, it is RIN the villain tries to kill as Izayoi’s effigy; he was clearly talking about HER when he said “she is Izayoi” the first time. It could be argued we saw Kagome’s horrified face, to see her reaction to the villain saying that “Rin is Izayoi”, because that has great implications for what Rin’s relationship to Sesshoumaru is, and Kagome is reacting to finding out Sesshoumaru loves Rin - and/or we’re just seeing her reaction to seeing Rin killed (well, saved just in the nick of time by Sesshoumaru. XD).
Later on, the villain Takemaru makes a pointed remark to Sesshoumaru, and says, “When these blades touch, I know all your secrets.” It can EASILY be interpreted that he’s talking about Sesshoumaru’s 'secret’ feelings for Rin, and, that knowing this secret is why he chose to go after Rin to get to Sesshoumaru, given the context.
3c) Many times Rin is compared to Kagome, who is in love with InuYasha.
In Jaken Falls Ill, it’s even played with that Rin may be 'smitten’ with a demon. Rin doesn’t know what the word 'smitten’ means, but it was clearly meant to tease the audience a bit.
In the final one minute of episode 99, “Sesshoumaru and Kouga: A Dangerous Encounter” Kouga sits musing that he guesses Sesshoumaru doesn’t hate humans after all, and then begins to speculate on why Sesshoumaru allows Rin to follow him. He says, “If she were a pretty girl like Kagome, then I’d understand but… Hey, wait… You don’t think…?” Hikaku and Ginta immediately rush to cover Kouga’s mouth, while *sweatdropping, saying, “No! Don’t say such a thing aloud!” It is left to the viewer to fill in the blank, which is not uncommon in Japanese language/culture. Things that are uncomfortable or awkward to speak of are left unsaid, but are CLEARLY understood by everyone involved.
4. Literary Precendent: The adult man/young girl (in waiting, until she was about 13, which was marrying age in sengoku jidai era) romantic relationship has been a staple of Japanese literature since literally the FIRST novel in recorded history, 'Tale of Genji’, which featured a nobleman (an arrogant, womanizing, asshole with daddy issues and a bad temper), who found a nine year old girl on a battlefeild, saved her life, kept her with him for about a year (where, he fell in love with her, amidst his womanizing), so then he gave her to an old woman* to raise her and train her in the ways of women and how to be his 'perfect wife’ and he came to collect her for marriage when she was 13 years old. Genji/Murasaki is a classic romance story in Japan (yes, it’s romance, depsite the fact Genji starts out as quite a bastard, it’s generally accepted that he learns to love due to Murasaki’s gentle heart, and because of his love for her, he stops womanizing and being such a bastard by the end).
The story is largely misinterpreted by those with little to no understanding of Japanese culture as a story where Murasaki is somehow abused. Such is not the case. The deflowering scene, much like even modern-day Japanese erotica might read like a rape scene to someone who doesn’t understand Japanese culture and sexual politics, but IT’S NOT A RAPE SCENE. Women were and ARE actually supposed to resist and cry and say 'stop, no please!’ BECAUSE IT’S CONSIDERED 'FEMININE’. It also puts all the responsibility on the guy, thus saving the woman any embarrassment from sex. It’s not HER fault, because HE FORCED HER… Thus, she doesn’t have anything to be 'ashamed’ over… If she just happens to end up liking it, well… No one has to know that.
So, just my take on Sess x Rin on why I believe a romantic interpretation of their relationship is valid and reasonable…
