Ranting About Female Characters for Women's History Month*
(*I know it was last month, but these characters still deserve to be talked about. It's not their fault I got busy and distracted.)
(Master Post)
Part 19: Robin Sena
From: Witch Hunter Robin (anime)
Description: A half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with pyrotechnic powers who has been sent to Japan to work with a local group of government-authorized witch hunters
*****
I kinda love the description of Robin because it immediately begs the question: what separates her from a witch? It's a valid question, especially when paired with her goth aesthetic. But it's hiding the real question: what do you do when you realize that the group you've been raised to think of as evil and the enemy could also include you?
If Witch Hunter Robin was released today, I think Tumblr would love it, because Robin's story mirrors that of too many people who were raised in conservative Christian families only to realize that they were, in some way or another, queer. And the story doesn't give easy answers. Recognizing and internalizing her similarities to witches is a process for Robin. At first, she finds it utterly unthinkable, but as she spends more and more time actually interacting with witches, she becomes unable to deny the similarities.
But she's not the only one on this journey. Most of the people at her place of employment have some sort of ability, but since none of those abilities are as volatile as being able to control fire with your mind, they're just not deemed to have the same potential threat value that she is.
Besides, they're all adults, and while it would be a lie to say they've figured themselves out, they're definitely at a point where their compliance with the system is not as much in question.
Working woith Robin requires them all to reconsider their stances on a lot of things.
Meanwhile, Robin just wants to be seen. Like many of us at 16, she just wants to be recognized for who she is and seen as a person, someone who is capable even if they still have much to learn, and someone who is worthy of love. This desire doesn't change as she struggles to accept the parts of her she's been told were evil. Initially, it becomes an even deeper insecurity, because if she's actually a witch, isn't it the duty of her teammates to take her down? Isn't it her duty as a witch hunter to submit to it without a fuss?
But she, of course, doesn't want to die or go into permanent captivity for something she was born with. She didn't ask for this. Why should she be punished for it?
Her journey isn't an easy one, but even in her darkest moments, she finds people who genuinely care about her. She doesn't always understand their reasons, and she's not always sure they even should, but they do anyway, helping her to find that place where, regardless of what she is, she is also truly and deeply loved.
