#okiku

[honeytoasts]

another of my girl okiku

[should-they-kiss]

Should they kiss?

Yes

No

Remaining time: 2 days 6 hours

[should-they-kiss]

Should they kiss?

Yes

No

Voting ended onJun 13

[acesbeadednecklace]

On the topic of Okiku. Do yall consider Kikunojo to be her dead name? She didn't seem bothered by it or anything but it seems like a dead name imo? There's also the option maybe she just doesnt mind her name. Not all trans people want to change names or dislike/feel offended by the name that was given to them at bird, i think? Idk. I never use it anyway in case it is her dead name but I'd like to know others opinion on it.

[rjalker]

some public domain art of Okiku, one of the legends Sadako from the Ring is based on.

[ID: Two Japanese paintings showing Okiku, a woman who has become a vengeful ghost. The first is mostly greyscale, with some pink and gold added in, and shows her as a fully human woman that is slightly transparent, hovering over a well in a robe that is checked with black and white rectangles, her head bent. The second is much more vibrant, and shows her as a floating head with long black hair fading into a snake-like body made of ornate porcelain plates as she rises from the wooden rim of a well, breathing out soke in the dark blue night sky. End ID.]

[acesbeadednecklace]

Right after losing her arm, Kiku surely was met with the struggle of having to learn to do simple basic daily life things with one arm only. Yes, the red scabbards would help, but there's only so much help she can take before it wounds her pride as a Samurai. Eventually she did get the hang of most things, even fighting with a sword in one hand only (with the guidance of Zoro bc of his fighting style), but there are still things that are hard or even impossible to do without two arms. So despite accepting the loss of her limb and even thinking she'd do it again to save her country, there's always that nagging feeling in the back of her head that tells her she is no longer as useful as the other scabbard. She pushes the thoughts away obviously. From a logical standpoint, she understands they are just insecurities and that those things aren't true, and no one sees her as less for having lost an arm, but the thoughts exist nonetheless. But she believes Izou is watching her so it motivates her to push through any bad thoughts and keep trying.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

A Destiny of Roses

We talked about this a little bit yesterday but it's a fun thing in and of itself. What you see above is a shot from a Japanese theatre production in the 50s, and every person on stage is a woman. The Takarazuka Revue is an institution and has been for over a century, popping up as just a tourist attraction to bolster a hot springs town at the end of a rail line. Save for a brief period in WW2 it's been going strong since and this is no niche thing. It's a premier theatre for Western drama, though I'd argue there's an element of smashing them all together. Broadway musicals, Shakespeare & European folktales, Russian drama and dance. Takurazuka has elements of all of them, and typically even one troupe that does traditional Japanese fare.

And all the performers are female as a direct rebuttal to Kabuki doing the opposite. Because in the 1910s Kabuki would be stodgy and passe. The Takarazuka Revue was built on being the anti-Kabuki! How did they get away with this gender treachery 100 years ago? Well, partially by selling people on the idea it's all a way to promote good wives and mothers but also people let you get away with it if it's good. If you've ever asked why shoujo anime is so heavily steeped in androgynous European princes...it's because landmark series like Princess Knight and The Rose of Versailles looked to Takarazuka for inspiration. Especially the former, Tezuka spent most of his childhood in Takarazuka City with a mom who was a fan. We'll also have a great segment about it when I get the next volume of Stop!! Hibari-Kun in.

So Queen Candelle having this aesthetic in a very musical country, being framed just like legit Prince Charming Cavendish, and even adding in the former Royal Guard captain element just like Oscar in Rose of Versailles...yeah clear reference in a long line of them through manga history. Long enough there's a clear evolution between Princess Sapphire and Oscar Francois de Jarjyes.

Great little element the latter's author added early to really nail the difference. Sapphire pouts about not wanting to show up a boy she likes in a swordfight, Oscar initially tries to resist the call to adventure but is prideful enough she just has to still show the guy she's the better swordsman...which in turn leads her to accept the military uniform.

With Kiku & Yamato, we talked about how times have changed and who is this action girl tomboy really for? Oscar still is about the struggle between two worlds but thats so out of touch now in a world where something like Bamboo Blade isn't really breaking barriers. Thats why I get a kick out of Yamato and the reaction to him in the shonen fan base. The biggest "fans" are the ones who took one look, praised the heavens for bonk girl, and proceeded to ignore half the story. Meanwhile Kiku trots along pulling something you probably could build a gangbusters shoujo around today if editors didn't nag it to death. All by recontextualizing those old lady samurai movies.

And now, to compliment our very 70s yakuza flick vibe Rocks flashback and Rayleigh/Shakky's love ballad in a hail of arrows...the old guy on the crew is opening up about how he was inspired by this gallant queen. Yet another variation on a woman playing a man's role. I'm really excited to see where this one leads, because it's just adding in more of my favorite stuff. Brook always had this element to him. He never really shows the type of chivalry Zoro/Sanji do. Quick to cut down Giolla and gives Big Mom his all. That tracks with learning so much from a figure like Lady Oscar. And honestly? I think a new generation of young men, from what I've seen, sorta is more open to that in their own lives than young men in the 70s would be.

And yeah, you do gotta think about how we're deepening that connection internally. Brook did kick off his time in the series grappling with this samurai with his shadow. Candelle in his backstory seems to be building on a theme of theatrical gender muddling in a very shoujo-coded context.

[fallensnowfan]

New post for the final stretch of the poll's voting window and final spot vote design. It's yellow with a similar doodle style as the red spot vote design. The neon stars design and the pink design are my favorites.

930 votes for Kiku.

York x50, Hamlet x2 , Moria x3, Kin'emon x6, Izo x5, Otohime x2, Chopper, Cindry x4, Cho, Ida x2, Mato x2, Gaban, Gerd, Bellemere x3, Nami x4, Nojiko x5, Ripley, Perona, Yasuie, Miss Goldenweek, Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, Tama, Kawamatsu, Denjiro, Ashura Doji, Raizo, Lilith, Stussy, Brook, Carrot x40.