Yukiya in the second part of the Yatagarasu series.
(Please don’t click if you dislike spoilers. I beg you. But if you are not averse to them, then please freely discuss them with me. )
I have to scream !!!
He’s in his 40s “with an elegant appearance.” (One of my fave Japanese fan artists on X has several renditions of him as a middle-aged man. And they are fantastic. )
He’s muscular, hugely built, perhaps like Lord Genya in his prime or his dad Yukimasa (who didn’t look bad at all when he married Fuyuki, thank you to mangaka Natsumi Matsuzaki ), with long, wavy brown hair that has white streaks on it. It reaches the floor when he does a dogeza
He exudes authority, so much authority, so much power, and everyone, mostly, is afraid of him, admires him.
He’s now the leader of the clan. Something like the Prime Minister. He’s called a Yellow Raven, the leader of all government officials. When you let the military take over the government, Yukiya’s government happens. His propaganda re “monkeys” reminds me of a real-life happening where former Philippine president Duterte and his cohorts’ so-called red-tagging and anyone who is a suspected drug user/small-time drug peddler has shoot to kill order. That is, anyone who was not in line with the Duterte government’s policies (mostly political rivals) was part of the communist party/drug addict and therefore needed to be eradicated. Use a magic word, “monkey,” and everything is justified. (I thoroughly understand, on the other hand, Yukiya’s reason that “people are fools”)
He has taken a vow not to marry nor to have children to undertake the role of Yellow Raven, which compared to the others before him, these Yellow Ravens were older and begot children before they got the position. A monk or a priest in Yamauchi means that you don’t belong to any of the four houses and discard the so-called worldly delights.
He doesn’t have a love interest, but that word sparring with (Nazukihiko’s daughter) Himemiya’s other persona is oozing with sexual tension that is palpable to those who have heard them including Haruma, who is his loyal supporter/personal secretary/adjutant (just imagine a mature intelligent man and an intelligent beautiful young woman having a heated political discussion and the young woman is not at all afraid bc darn she knows this person so well as he was like her babysitter/minder/aide/quasi family member/crush when she was young. Well played Chisato Abe, well played !)
He is so disenchanted with life, and vows to hold on to power as long as it takes, yet the appearance of Himemiya’s other persona is about to rock his world
Yes, he has always had this darkness in him, and he lets this darkness prevail because he’s lost those people who have been so close to him, who he loves dearly. AND YET, he never mourned them properly. His heart suddenly closed off like a defence mechanism to assuage the pain that he’d feel. Though there was once an incident when he decided to let go during the first part of the series the reason he was so attached to Himemiya. And when (he thought) Himemiya “rejected” him, it was the day he was convinced that no one really cared. You just watch Episode 11 and listen to Wakamiya talks about Atsufusa and you have in a nutshell Yukiya now. The court will change you.
Anime * Yukiya seems to be a bit gentler. So I don’t know how will they make him so if ever we’ve gotten another season like in the books.
"The smaller one smiles at me. No, smile isn't quite right. More like smirking. I take a step back, a sick feeling coiling in my gut. The youkai goes to draw their blades, a silent apology written on their face.
This is gonna suck."
Finally felt the urge to draw something again, and for some reason it was the height difference between these two. Because I haven't forgotten about that. I really like the colors on this one!
(I'm not much of an artist, but I do draw sometimes. I'm more of a writer at heart lol.)
