The Body as a Bargaining Chip
This essay is going to go some pretty bad places, places I’ve personally had to confront. I just want to tell you up front that if you can’t handle discussions of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, do not read this essay, because that’s what this is all about. As well, this essay does not assume that Anthy was an innocent who was taken advantage of by Akio, for reasons that will be explained.
Very few people note the relationship Touga and Anthy have in the television series, and for good reason. It’s a non-relationship. The few times we see them alone together they never talk about anything important or personal, and sometimes ignore each other completely. The question here is– why? Why would Touga, so ambitious and so grasping, pass up the chance to try to turn Anthy to his ends? Why would Anthy refrain from her passive-aggressive digs and spare Touga her more subtle machinations? It just doesn’t make sense. These are two characters who have been shown in almost every other situation to manipulate everyone around them. So why wouldn’t they try to use and manipulate each other?
I believe the answer lies in something that most people overlook– Touga and Anthy are the same base character expressed differently because of their genders. And further, I believe that Anthy and Touga use themselves and their bodies in the same way, again, expressed differently only because of their genders.
Now, that’s a lot to swallow, and I get that. Touga is ruthless and cunning and manipulative, and he is active, moving schemes forward on his own, toying with the people around him, and always reaching for more and more power. Anthy is also ruthless and cunning and manipulative, yes, but her actions are much smaller, more subtle, and generally seem to forward Akio’s plans rather than her own– if she even has a plan of her own. Despite this difference, the base motivations and character traits, I would argue, are roughly the same.
So let’s dig a little deeper here, and see what we uncover. And you should know by now that it’s not going to be pretty.
2087
vaporwave
ellievsbear
