My favourite detail about Sesshomaru that no one talks about
In the episode 162Ā āForever with LordĀ Sesshomaruā (anime: Inuyasha), thereās this little detail aboutĀ Sesshomaruās character thatĀ Iāve never seen mentioned in discussions his character development, so I thoughtĀ Iād add what I think is missing from the conversation. It also happens to be one of my favourite details about his character.
To set the scene, in the episode, the Head Monk assures the rescued Rin that sheādĀ ānever be able to survive aloneā after she insists that she doesnāt want to be brought back with the other rescued children to the human village. She protests his answer and proudly declaresĀ āSure I can! I can survive just fine, I can make it on my own!āĀ
At the MonkāsĀ declaration āyouād never be able to survive etcā, we cut toĀ Sesshomaru overhearing nearby in the forest. The screen moves swiftly across his side profile from left to right ā the direction that heād be walking in if he wasnāt still. When I first saw this episode I initially thought that he was somewhere else looking for Rin, it wasnāt until the cut-back to Rinās answer that I realised he was actually nearby in the woods.Ā Why do I mention this? B/c the choice of moving the pane across his side-profile in the direction that he would be walking in really gave me the impression thatĀ Sesshomaru was prepared to walk away. To let Rin live with the humans whoāve rescued her. And heās only standing still to listen to her answer, to confirm.Ā So strong was this impression upon 1st viewing that I was surprised no-one was talking about it in the comment section of the video.
Anyway, at Rinās angry snapĀ āI can survive just fine etcā, we once again cut toĀ Sesshomaru, except this time weāre closer to his features, and his brows have creased. Heās doubting his initial decision to let her stay with them, now that heās heard her protest, the scene is shown below:
I think itās notableĀ that we only see him from the side for this scene as it really gives the impression that heāsĀ prepared to walk away. If you disagree, well,Ā Iād say this:Ā If his initial decision was to take her away form the Monks no matter what, the shot would have been frontal, antically a more combative shot ā as it is when he doesĀ decide to come get her:
(Note: thereās a soft glow aroundĀ Sesshomaru [above] thatĀ no one else in this episode has (No, it isnāt the quality, it really is a soft-focus exclusively around him).Ā This faded look thatās slightly aglowĀ gives a dream-effect toĀ Sesshomaru. Personally I think itās how Rin seeās him as the above, in the anime, pans from his feet to his head giving the impression of Rin looking up to see him - her rescuer. So I think this is how she sees him: slightly aglow, slightly unearthly. A very affectionate detail, I think.)
Anyway, back to his earlier hiding in the forest. He waits quietly.Ā But when Rin, with tears in her eyes, cries out into the air:Ā āI never want to go back to a village to live with humans! LORD SESSHOMARU! Please, HELP me!ā we cut toĀ Sesshomaru, eyes closed inā¦.conflict? Decision making? I do think he hates hearing her cry out, hence the further creased brows. Thereās something very strained in his expression in the shot, and our proximity to his features and its brought on exclusively by her cries for help:Ā
Noticeably this time, the above shot moves across his side-profile from right to left, the opposite of earlier, so it mimics the direction of Rinās cries. Visually, his thoughts areĀ being brought back to Rin. We see, purely through the movement of the frame, that heās not going to be walking away now that heās heard RIn sayĀ explicitly that she doesnāt want to go back and she wants to be with him. Only then does he come for her. Nothing until that point persuaded him to come out into the open and retrieve her from what are now, post-Rin cries, her captors.Ā
We see him him open his eyes, a decision made, and turn to her:
The fact heās turning back towards Rinās direction, furthers my earlier point that he was initially prepared to walk away. His body language & the direction of the shot indicated that.Ā
The fact he didnāt immediately walk away upon discovering she was safely recused by humans that were willing to bring her back with them, for me, proves thatĀ Sesshomaru is attached to Rin. And itās that attachment that rooted him to the spot so he could overhear her answer.Ā
But far more importantly, what his waiting in forest quietly reveals is that he respected her autonomy enough to wait for her reply, he didnāt treat her like property to be retrieved (ahem, Inuyasha). He didnāt assume she wanted to return to him, (ahem Inuyasha).Ā He only came to Rin once she said herself she didnāt want the village life, and pleaded for his intervention to prevent it.
That is my favourite detail aboutĀ Sesshomaru: That innate respect he hasĀ for RināsĀ autonomy, he respects her decision-making ability and he listens to what sheĀ has to say about her situation way before acting. It shocked me so much that no one else noticed. It came across so strongly to me that first viewing.
Respect, autonomy, and listening. The foundations of any healthy relationship, be it platonic, romantic, or familial. Sesshomaru has it going on.
PS I have lots of thoughts on details of this episode that I think are really interesting concerning Rin and Sesshomaru. Would anyone be interested in a part two? Itād be more about the nature of their attachment to each other in this particular episode. Let me know!
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