blue exorcist post prompt: any thoughts on Shura !!
I'll go first: I love the way she's kind of awkwardly placed in age between Father Fujimoto and Yukio, so that to Yukio she's kind of like an obnoxious older half-sibling he didn't Quite get raised with but to Rin she's like aunt-coded because he met her later when she was well above him in exorcist rank. the weird annoying older person who sort of could've been your dad's kid except that your dad kind of sucked and didn't really adopt her. yay <3
everybody wants to know my shura thoughts yay!
ok so my thoughts on shura kind of break down along these lines: shura and shiro, shura and yukio, shura and rin, shura and gender, and shura and life.
Shura And Shiro: i don’t have much detailed analysis along this lens. it’s a really important relationship for shura, though. he’s the one that saved her! he’s the one that rejected her, not just romantically (because she was like five jesus christ) but parentally as well. but he’s still the one that saved her and kept saving her. following this thread leads me into shiro analysis rather than shura analysis, but there’s a lot of complicated feelings towards him (they should form a Complicated Feelings About Shiro Fujimoto club)
Shura And Yukio: ok so when yukio comes in, shuras in late high school age, probably the 17-19 range. and yukio is a child, but she treats him like a threat because he’s Her Replacement. this is the one shiro likes better this is the one shiro chose. he didn’t choose you he chose this annoying kid and his annoying brother (you haven’t met the brother yet but you are sure he is also annoying). and then yukio also happens to be (to shura) very funny to tease. by virtue of their shared mentor, and yukio being extremely little brother shaped, the relationship between them becomes something of a big sister/bully thing. even when they’re both exorcists and somewhat On Equal Ground, shura still antagonizes yukio (although since shiro is dead now, it’s pretty solidly for her own amusement/purposes/acting on orders), and doesn’t realize how much distance that places between them until she starts trying to cross it later on.
Shura And Rin: oh hey look it’s Shuras Replacement, Part 2, except not really, because shiros already dead. it’s harder to say my thoughts here bc due to the rin pov in canon, this one’s pretty much laid out for me already.
Shura And Gender: shura you are so transmasc to me. like. being raised to fit a specific model as a Woman. you must find a man you must bear a child and you must stay beautiful. you must follow the destiny already laid out for you to be A Woman. your biological clock is ticking. there are no other options for you. and then she gets free, tries to be something else, but that clock is still ticking. and then she goes home and is constantly called by the name and forced back into the role laid out for her (bearing children and dying before she’s no longer beautiful). and in the process of defeating that demon and curse, her hair is cut (to a shorter, perhaps even boyish length), making her look less like the woman she was made in the image of. my transgender. also her introduction was literally her hiding her identity wearing a gray hoodie. which i find funny
Shura and wanting to be alive: this one’s also more textual. post-aomori arc, she’s moved into a bit of an awkward stage: she’s finally free, after all. she has her own life to live, and she’s not quite sure what to do with it. and she’s Not free, either. she could finally leave if she wanted, but there’s a war to fight and rin and yukio are still caught in it (just as she’s lost the power she did have, too). she has reasons to live and she doesn’t fear death if that’s what it takes. i need to get more coherent on this one
