Mizu Brainrot Blog

Where I post original fics, arts, and opinions on the netflix show Blue Eye Samurai. Back from Hiatus also 20 hello !

[hauntingofhouses]

We all already know Mizu and Akemi are narrative foils. But you know what? Lemme just say it, here's what I think:

Taigen and Mikio are foils.

Not necessarily to each other as individuals in the way that Mizu and Akemi juxtapose each other, but mostly in the contrast between their relationships with Mizu.

I've covered specific parallels between Taigen and Mikio in other posts I wrote; but as the number of parallels I'm noticing between them keeps piling up, I'm compelled to just compile them all in one post. So! This is, thus, the post in question.

First of all, let's look at their similarities.

1. Their status in society is the same. They are both samurai who lost their honour and have dreams of reclaiming it.

2. They are also both diligent as they strive to achieve this goal, they both care deeply about their work, but here as they begin to contrast, as the work in question and way they go about their goals is different:

For Mikio, his work is in taming and rearing horses; in order to prove himself, he must tame Kai—a willful and strong horse—and present it to his lord. For Taigen, his work is in sword fighting and martial arts; in order to prove himself, he must kill Mizu—a willful and strong swordsman—and present her dead body to his lord.

In the parallel above, not only are Taigen and Mikio contrasting each other, but Mizu and Kai are placed in comparison as well. And of course, Kai is Mizu's horse, and represents her. Which is why, when later, Mikio sells Kai off, it represents the way he is tossing Mizu (and their relationship) aside.

From there, the rest of the details of their character begin to contrast and juxtapose each other more clearly. So let's look at those differences, shall we?

Their backstory:

Mikio was a great samurai who was banished. A somebody to a nobody. Taigen was a fisherman’s son who rose to the top. A nobody to a somebody.

2. The first time we meet them on-screen:

Mikio is an adult. An older man. Mizu's superior in age. He is Mizu's to-be husband. A love interest. Taigen is a child. A young boy. Mizu's peer in age. He is Mizu's bully. An antagonist.

3. Their maturity and growth:

Mikio is mature, but stuck in his ways. Taigen is immature, but capable of changing and learning.

4. Their overall attitude:

Mikio is generally relaxed, easy-going and unfussy. Taigen is uptight, irritable and severe.

5. How they talk to and conduct themselves around Mizu:

Mikio is aloof, soft-spoken, and serious. Taigen is obnoxious, brash, and sarcastic. Mikio is quiet, speaking only when spoken to, even when Mizu turns to smile at him and shows openness to be near him. Taigen is loud, talking while others are silent, even when Mizu turns from him and shows no interest in conversing with him.

Mikio doesn't show much of who he is to Mizu throughout their marriage, despite their growing affection. Taigen openly shares his traumas and life story to Mizu during their brief alliance, despite their mutual antagonism.

6. Their external vs internal selves:

Mikio is calm, gentle, and considerate on the outside. Taigen is hot-headed, rude, and selfish on the outside. Mikio is cowardly and deceitful on the inside. Taigen is brave and loyal to a fault on the inside. Mikio tells Mizu that he wants to know and see all of her. But he scorns and betrays her, the woman he loves. Taigen tells Mizu that he wants to duel and kill him. But he endures torture to not betray him, the man he hates.

9. Their hair, a symbol of their honour:

Mikio's topknot is untied by Mizu during their spar. This humiliation occurs in private, the two of them alone in a rural location where no one can see them. Taigen's topknot is cut off by Mizu during their duel. This humiliation occurs in public, the two of them being watched by many others in the Shindo Dojo.

10. Their power dynamic with Mizu:

Mikio believes he is Mizu's mentor. He teaches her to throw knives, how to ride and care for horses, and about the tactical benefits of using a naginata. Taigen believes he is Mizu's equal. He views Mizu as a samurai like himself who received all the same teachings he did, and who possesses the same values.

11. Their perceptions of Mizu:

Mikio sees Mizu's feminine side first. He sees her as sweet and gentle, but also clumsy and incompetent. Taigen sees Mizu's masculine side first. He sees her as terrifying and deadly, but also strong and skilled.

12. The way they approach sparring with Mizu:

Mikio only spars with Mizu once. As the fight progresses and she is beating him, he tries to put a stop to it. When she teases/provokes him, he starts taking the fight personally and seriously, finding no enjoyment in it. Taigen spars and brawls with Mizu all the time. No matter how many times Mizu beats him, he doesn't back down. When Mizu challenges him with a chopstick, he is eager to compete with her and gladly rises up to the challenge.

Mikio and Mizu's one and only spar is a friendly match; Mizu is smiling and having fun while he grows increasingly frustrated. Taigen and Mizu's last-seen spar is a playful wrestling match; both him and Mizu are having fun and laughing.

Mikio cannot deal with Mizu being better than him, so he scorns her and walks off, avoiding her thereafter. When Taigen cannot deal with Mizu being better than him, he follows her to observe her moves and continues training in hopes to eventually beat her. After being bested by Mizu once, Mikio leaves her and sells the horse he'd previously gifted to her. After many times losing to Mizu and fighting alongside her, Taigen commends her and admits she is better than him.

13. When Mizu pins them down in a friendly spar:

Mikio sees Mizu's whole face objectively. Taigen stares at Mizu's mouth and eyes.

Mikio gets angry when she kisses him, throwing her off of him and snapping at her, calling her a monster. Taigen gets aroused, apologising, so she pulls herself off of him.

14. Mizu's blue meteorite sword is a reflection of her soul. She believes most are undeserving to face it, let alone hold it. And on that note:

Mikio is the first person (chronologically) that Mizu fights against using her sword. Taigen is the first person (we see on-screen) that Mizu fights against with her sword. Mikio is the first person (chronologically) to ever hold her sword, as she passes it to him, letting him wield it. Taigen is the first person (we see on-screen) to ever hold her sword, as she passes out, and he picks it up and carries it for her.

15. Then, last but not least, in Fowler's fortress, when she is drugged and in pain, she hears Ringo's voice in the dungeon. She then follows it to an open cell:

Mizu first sees Mikio as a hallucination, the sight of him haunting her and causing her to lose her grip on reality. Her eyes glow a surreal blue to represent this. Her Mama appears then and says Mizu's name accusingly.

Mizu then sees Taigen, but he is real, the sight of him a relief and grounding her back to reality. Her eyes return to their normal blue colour to represent this. Taigen looks at Mizu weakly and says her name softly.

Then, later, when facing Fowler, her revenge awaiting her, she instead chooses to follow her conscience (represented by Ringo's voice in her mind), putting aside her vengeance for a time, in order to save Taigen.

So that's basically all the ones I've noticed so far, but even then, I feel there's already so much that forms a contrast between these two.

What makes it especially incredible about these juxtapositions is that Mikio was Mizu's husband, the man she had fallen in love with, the one person she had ever been intimate with, the man who made her begin to accept herself, to put down her desire for vengeance and instead live a life of peace and happiness.

So for Taigen to have so many parallels with him... Do you see what I'm saying here!

Not to mention that Mizu clearly already has some burgeoning attraction to him, as indicated by how she thinks of him when asked about her desires. And Taigen clearly has shown interest as well (see: him getting a boner after their spar, him holding her hand and telling her, "We're not done yet.").

And on the topic of speculating future possibilities of this relationship, this post by @stromblessed has pointed out yet another parallel between Taigen and Mikio:

Mizu promises Taigen to meet him for their duel in autumn. Mizu fell in love with Mikio and duelled him during autumn.

With all that said, I do believe Mizu and Taigen's relationship is definitely hurtling towards something. But whether they will actually end up together in a sustainable relationship and have a happily ever after? Well, that is a whole other story; we'll just have to wait and see.

[ranbitteeth]

this post rotates in my mind 24/7… what a brilliant analysis i still think about it months and months later. oughh i hope they have a happy ending TT

[ranbitteeth]

do you have other socials besides tumblr? :]

hello friend! unfortunately not, i’m not too social-media savvy, but I do have a DC! my handle is @pinkjelloe !! ^^

[mizuakemi]

thank you for my ember (aka embers) is a digital charity fanzine exclusively focused on Mizu and Akemi (+ sapphic mizu) and will feature an anthology of stories, art and poetry to celebrate our favourite samurai and princess! All money raised will be donated towards Gaza 🌊🌸

art by our @winnie-illustrator

[ranbitteeth]

brainstorming that mizuxreader fic making me go down the rabbit hole of early britain/london’s societal makeup. curse my need to be historically accurate. my fem readers may have to be a devout Christian midwife suffering internalized homophobia open misogyny and xenophobia.

[ranbitteeth]

yea so i’m still on this. i have this need to be historically accurate for the best reader experience but the show itself is kinda immaculately inaccurate and most viewers are still enamored. but my writing is sub-par at best so what i want to do is ensure a quality set of facts and an impressive arrangement of characters that also somehow predicts some of season 2’s plot.

i think the estimate of travel time from japan to london is between 6 months-> 1 year depending on the routes they take. if it’s an independent ship they’d have to make at least a few dozen port stops bc if it’s only one small crew ?? how would they have the funds for food/water for that time? and if it’s a tea import ( i am aware british and japanese tea were different but like. they still had some trade routes with portuegal)

they could skip over the whole trip entirely and have mizu learn old english. like mizu’s smart i know but would she want to? would she care for it? how would her accent translate, if there is one included? old english (accent wise) sounded a lot like irish so would that be the shows translation of such? or is mizu a silent character besides w fowler and MAYBE one other japanese character.

and with the english people! apparently outsiders were met more often with curiosity than outright hostility. people needed to know where you ranked in society to know how to treat you. mizu’s caste in edo-period japan would fall like towards second to last place (somewhere between lowly non-working peasant and disabled persons).

then there’s the great london fire. i’m like 99.99% positive it will be incorporated in the show somehow, but the fires in edo and london were respectively 9 years apart. For the show’s runtime i wholly doubt we will spend 8.5 years in london (season 1 spanned like. 3 years no? not counting baby mizu flashbacks)

regardless, even before the fire there was a LOT going on in london. it’s 2:26 am right now for me so i’m not wholly accurate but the aristocrats were going through a lot of reform in a short amount of time due to the shaky relationship with the scottish, irish, and spanish government. they had like 3 rulers in the span of 3 decades ! only one of which was like genuinely liked by the nobility. AND (if the timeline is adjusted for story value) just recovering/in the middle of a civil war— the former of they are remaining accurate to the actual year of 1666, which is when the london fire took place.

THE REFORMATION! the nobility and the peasant peoples had a huge difference in beliefs and values, which is bound to happen right but like. even amongst each other!

from what i’ve read the nobility were kinda really catty, always trying to show each other up/ bring about new trends from marriages to public opinion on dress. and while peasants mostly kept the same attire through the 5 decades the story would most likely take place— they were also divided.

on one side were the convents (i think that’s what they were called will be edited to be accurate later), a people who were calling for a societal reform, as they considered the nobles to be sinful. where the rich were dressed in extensive ribbons, lace, and silk, they kept their attire almost dreadfully simple and plain with their own distinct quaker fashion. there was also the loyalist side of things, (this is in reference to the civil war) who were in full support of the king (i believe charles was the most controversial) because of past attitudes towards royalty as godsent and blessed peoples.

IN SHORT like. everyone hated each other. if mizu was dressed in ribbons and breeches and silk fabrics like some fanarts depict, a good chunk of london’s population would hate her— and she’d have more enemies than allies. and while i doubt mizu would actually take any side at all ( besides revenge), a good alias would be required if they’re spending so much time in london.

there was also the plague! recovering people from the civil war. protestant movements. general public unrest, OH MG GOD the witch trials too! that was also happening at the same time— mostly among the protestant community. this would be rlly difficult for mizu, even if she keeps up the appearance of a man. men were also accused of witchcraft, thought not to the same number of women— and the blue eyes wouldn’t help matters.

ALSO mizu would need to lie. like a lot. in edo period japan it was required people officially register themselves as buddhist lest they’re cut down. and while the same thing wasnt *required* in london (to register as christian) every other religion was treated like. pagan. or godless. almost everyone in london would be like “wtf. huh? what are you even talking about— ew.” and potentially make mizu MORE of an outsider than she was in japan. her glasses are also distinctly japanese but i have yet to research any tinted english eyeglasses.

regardless— mizu would fall under the loyalist caste of people if she would want the easiest option. knighthood was reserved for wealthy, connected, registered christians— and while it wasn’t *impossible* for foreigners, there would absolutely be many hurdles.

but if mizu were to arrive AFTER the great london fire, she’d see a city reduced to ashes, crosses painted in blood on rundown buildings saying (pray for the ppl inside they have plague), scary looking doctors, and wayyy more calls for social reform. they were STRICT!

the devout religious people saw the fire as a punishment from god for their sins of godlessness, women having rights, and over indulgence(nobles) so this is when >another< type of inner war comes in.

i assume the two other white bastards would be nobles as well so like. would mizu stay a loyalist? would she turn traitor and in turn lose allies/gain more enemies? would the puritan movement even accept her?

i don’t even want to START on fowler in this setting, assuming mizu doesn’t kill him as soon as she finds out where her targets are— which at this point it’s still up in the air if he was being honest. what if one of them is in wales? or scotland? or god forbid FRANCE ? (french influence was detested by protestants more so than other nations lol)

anyway but even with the protestant movement at its highest, after the fire theatres would open up again, a much beloved practice from what i’ve read. and with women this time too!

(( fun fact. both japan and london held the same practice of recruiting young male youths to play the role of women in theatre prior to women being allowed to participate— which lead to unsavory tastes in both countries. fun fact or sad fact? idek

also i do not doubt akemi will have a role in the rebuilding of edo after the fire. a sly, behind the scenes approach but the waterways would most def be her idea.

thinking about it now i’ve hardly scratched the surface. there’s too much to think about. but i will make something work!!!

iiiitss just that there’s so many possibilities of approach. initially i was like “let me make reader a devout christian midwife” as they were amongst the very few women that had some rights and weren’t at constant risk of being accused of witchcraft BUT at the same time. in my desire to be historically accurate would i need to frame this as a white woman “falling from grace” and being tempted into sinful sex shit with a japanese foreigner??? isn’t that partaking in outdated orientalist stereotypes????

even THEN is would also apply to nobles and what. make mizu a turn-coat and have her protect rich foreign pigs from the underfed general public? how would i frame the story around these ancient relationships to modern tropes without damning a group of people as sinful and the other as pure?

[ranbitteeth]

i feel like as a fandom we need to objectify taigen more. as reparations. ringo too while we’re at it taigen for reparations and ringo bc no one talks abt his sexiness

[ranbitteeth]

i see that there is a disturbing lack of blue eye samurai memes so i made these rq

[ranbitteeth]

brainstorming that mizuxreader fic making me go down the rabbit hole of early britain/london’s societal makeup. curse my need to be historically accurate. my fem readers may have to be a devout Christian midwife suffering internalized homophobia open misogyny and xenophobia.

[vampyyprincess]

”spam like = block” yeah ok buddy. when i wake up to tumblr notifs of someone spam liking my stuff i start giggling and kicking my feet

[liar-leth]

Slutty samurai sketches 💦 for a friend

my artstyle is so inconsistent that every time I draw him he looks like a different character... anyways

[ranbitteeth]

what do the people want i cant decide what to write first

pick your poison

mizu x akemi dark knifeplay/bondage shiett

mizu x reader in london

mizu x reader smutttt dont matter where

Voting ended onAug 26, 2025

[ranbitteeth]

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN !!

mizu x reader smut in london !!!

[ranbitteeth]

why did no one tell me i’m mentioned in a tik tok !!!!!!!!!!!!!! by such an amazing artist too im convulsing

such a great artist i’m such. a huge fan. and you can see my name !!!!!!!!!!!

cello_shelly on tik tok !!!!!! they’re so cool i’m sobbing

[ranbitteeth]

what do the people want i cant decide what to write first

pick your poison

mizu x akemi dark knifeplay/bondage shiett

mizu x reader in london

mizu x reader smutttt dont matter where

Voting ended onAug 26, 2025

[ranbitteeth]

heyo! Are you still active?

this was asked like a year and 4 months ago.. im so sorry yes i am now active muahahah

[ranbitteeth]

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR SEASON TWO???

BABYY IM ON FIREEEEE !!! just let me finish my homework

[blackbirdofmidnight]

Semi realistic Mizu with bangs

[ranbitteeth]

#remembering when someone like 4 months into my hiatus asked me to draw mizu pregnant. and for free !!! like hello ? that is private commission work thank you

[ranbitteeth]

akezu should have weird freaky knife play sex and i will be the one to write / draw it !!!!