Title: Souji or Hijikata ~what route makes more sense for canon~
(NOTE: This a biased opinion of a Souji fan).
This post will be more biased and opinion oriented so it’s not really an appropriate analysis, but this topic has been swirling around in my head recently.
Without a doubt, Hijikata’s route is good, and at the same time it’s downright depressing. The romantic relationship he has with Chizuru is present and notable, but is it strong? Sure, they seal the deal with a kiss in season 2, but to me it almost seemed like a one-sided love from Chizuru’s perspective until the last 3-4 episodes.
Now I know that statement is arguable, but the romantic scenes from Hijikata’s route seem more like methods to prove just how good of a warrior and leader Hijikata is. Plus, it’s hard to see Hijikata caring more for Chizuru in the beginning since he’s only concerned about her family relationship with Kodo, and he’s worried about making sure that the fury secret doesn’t leak out. Nevertheless, the romance is still there.
But from the way the anime depicted the Hakuouki story, it’s notable that Souji has a very present and strong relationship with Chizuru.
All of the other characters have their moments with Chizuru, but Souji’s moments with her are constant, present throughout almost the entire series, and very in depth in terms of romance.
Starting early in season 1, we see Chizuru make several decisions that in the game would’ve increased romance with Souji (she talks to Souji and Saito in the compound while proving her defensive skills, she goes out on patrol, and she decides to help Souji over Heisuke at Ikedaya). Sure, she doesn’t throw a bowl at Kazama, but she still steps in and shows her obvious concern for Souji. In return, we see a crippled Souji stand in between her and Kazama, despite him threatening to kill her if she got in the way. We know that duty wasn’t his motive to protect her, otherwise he would’ve answered her question immediately. So from early on, without Souji himself realizing it, he is genuinely concerned for Chizuru’s sake.
And throughout the anime, we see Souji and Chizuru constantly interacting with each other; they even have scenes together that can’t be found in the game. For example, we see Souji “defend” Chizuru from Itou the creep. Obviously in a sly way Souji warns Itou to gtfo/get away from Chizuru. Once again, Souji shows his concern and need to protect Chizuru.
Another scene in the anime that’s also included in the zuisouroku game is when Chizuru dries Souji’s hair. Let me note that zuisouroku focuses more on the romantic aspects of Hakuouki, so the fact that this scene is included in the anime gives a very clear indication that Souji starts to develop strong feelings for Chizuru. And though Chizuru may not fall in love with him in the anime (since she’s obsessed with Hijikata), it’s apparent that he’s dear to her, considering that she cares and worries a lot for him.
Then we get into a very important moment that’s in Souji’s route: Chizuru decides to catch up with him and Matsumoto and discovers that he is diagnosed with tuberculosis. That choice increases romance because it allows Chizuru to see Souji’s vulnerability and fear -a side of him that no one ever really sees. He’s good at hiding it, but he’s afraid of not being useful to Kondou, which shows part of his desperation to keep his illness a secret. So it means A LOT to him when Chizuru promises him that she wouldn’t tell anyone about it. And so from then on, Chizuru is constantly taking care of him when he’s forcibly confined at headquarters. After that moment, Souji trusts Chizuru wholeheartedly. Even when Kaoru sneaks into his room and tells him that Chizuru leaked his secret, he doesn’t believe Kaoru for a second.
Point is, Souji trusts Chizuru so much that he begins to open up to her about secrets he would never tell to anyone else (even something as simple as his dislike for green onions). He even shares his thought process about “killing” being the only thing he’s capable of. And though it’s not exactly portrayed the same way in the anime, I believe that Chizuru still manages to change his view of himself simply by being there for him and supporting him.
Also, in season 2 we get part of a scene that’s critical to Souji’s route, and that’s when he unknowingly confesses his love to her. Sadly (for me at least), we don’t see them hug or hear Souji’s confession, but Souji still recounts his past to Chizuru, something that happens past the middle threshold of him falling in love with Chizuru in the game. But one the thing that breaks my poor little heart is that Souji is basically left with nothing. With Kondou dead, Souji no longer has a purpose (in the game his purpose would be to stay with Chizuru, but that can’t happen…dammit). He’s left to just wander the streets -all while his tuberculosis is getting progressively worse- without knowing what to do with himself. But he somewhat accepts his path without Chizuru because he understands that she’s in love with Hijikata -the man he can’t forgive for Kondou’s death. Instead of killing Hijikata or hurting him more, Souji decides to entrust him to Chizuru -letting her get what she wants, but at the same time suffering alone without a purpose.
Even after Souji lets Chizuru go (more like walks away from her instead of claiming his woman, but that’s just a small fantasy of mine), he still can’t get her out of his head. He even envisions her when a young girl asks him what he’s doing with himself. Then that same night the answer comes to him in a dream he has about the conversation he had with Chizuru before he left. He’s not going to abandon his friends and sever his ties because it’s what Kondou and Chizuru would’ve wanted for him (plus he can’t really throw away his bro-teasing relationship with Hijikata). So in a sense, Chizuru is the one who gives meaning to Souji’s life.
So instead of succumbing to his illness without a purpose, Souji chooses to fight until he turns to ash to protect Hijikata and Chizuru (I’m trying very hard not to cry while I’m picturing the scene in my head). Notice how when Chizuru finds out he’s dead, she cries for him. There’s no denying that they’re chemistry is strong and very emotional (it’s definitely more complex than just a simple friendship).
And besides the romance in Souji’s route, Kaoru -in my opinion- makes for a better villain/rival than Kazama. With Kazama and Hijikata, their battles just seem more like contests to see if demon pride or warrior pride is better than the other. And though Kazama is after Chizuru, he admits in his own route that he was never interested in her, so he used her as an excuse to fight the Shinsengumi. (Going into a little rant here. I don’t like how Hijikata turned into a fury. There was no purpose or even a goal to achieve. He was simply throwing a fit and taking out his anger on Kazama. Hijikata is usually composed and badass, so for him to turn into a fury just because he’s mad sounds like a childish move and not leader-like, and it’s definitely a situation that could’ve been avoided and maybe Yamazaki could have lived. And it’s because of that irrational decision that Kazama and Hijikata became permanent rivals). Kaoru, on the other hand, legit hates Chizuru and his evil plan of world domination and murder is certainly a much bigger deal than earning the title “Hakuouki” (once again, my opinion).
Kaoru, Chizuru, and Souji are also connected by their similar pasts. All of them experience hatred in some sort of way, and they’re constantly struggling against the world (this is more notable with Kaoru and Souji, but Chizuru does remember her hatred for humans when she dreams about her home). Souji and Kaoru have the perfect relationship in terms of hero vs villain. They’re two sides of the same coin. Both have suffered as subjects for pity and uselessness, and they strive to get stronger to escape that title and to get revenge on anyone who did them wrong. Of course, Souji escapes that fate when he values protecting the people he loves who love him back over cursing the world. But Souji and Kaoru are perfect opponents for that reason: Kaoru is the representation of letting hate consume him and Souji is the representation of growing up and learning to appreciate the people he cares for.
All in all, Souji’s story just makes more sense to me. Everything is connected perfectly, and the romance is more compelling and believable to me than what we see in Hijikata’s route. I’m not trying to discredit Hijikata, but I’m just saying that it’d be a really good idea to animate Souji’s route because it’s a balanced, emotional, and dramatic story that ties in nicely to Chizuru.
(Sorry that this ended up being really long)
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