flowers'n'stuff in the RK OVA
Sep. 10th, 2006 04:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wombat1138(The first OVA, "Trust/Betrayal", of course. This post is inspired by this site, which I found shortly after seeing the OVA for the first time and then obsessively watching it over and over again for about two weeks.)
There are a lot of flowers and plants specifically depicted in Trust/Betrayal. I mean, a whole lot of them. Several of them are recurring motifs, suggesting a strong component of deliberate symbolism. Once I've got this material straightened out, it'll probably form the core of the Beginner's Guide to the RK OVA which I've had in mind for a while, ever since my initial bewilderment at certain aspects as well as gradually realizing how many subtle things ADV got wrong. Not that I'm nec'ly getting stuff right either, but at the least, this is an attempt to clarify some things which were initially WTF for me. Most of the dialogue will be paraphrased from the original ADV subtitles.
Spoilers are inevitable. This is still a work in progress.
In the prologue, the flora indicate that it's autumn; the conical vaguely scarecrow-looking things are bundles of rice straw hung out on drying racks. The flowers seen in the grass include lilies-of-the-valley (suzuran), plume-like pampas grass, and a pink(?) five-petalled flower whose shape strongly resembles the Chinese bellflower (kikyou or rindou) although the latter is usually an intense blue-violet; bellflowers and pampas grass are two of the traditional "seven plants of autumn".
The transition between the flashback prologue and the main OVA timeline always gives me an icewater chill down the spine-- the sweet-faced altruistic child of the past has turned into an automaton with cold, dead eyes and only a vestigial sense of mercy. (The coup de grace he gives to Kiyosato is almost exactly the same as the bandits gave to Kasumi, the last of the three girls who tried to protect Shinta.)
Red camellia blossoms (tsubaki) bloom in late winter/early spring. They symbolize the death of warriors because each flower falls off all at once, like a decapitated head. (In some other contexts, a camellia flower falling off its stem is a stock visual euphemism for (ahem) defloration, frex in Ranma 1/2 when Kuno imagines boy-type Ranma ravishing his pigtailed goddess.)
Shortly after Kenshin's first mission, there's a quick shot of a red pinwheel in the grass, planted among a cluster of jizou statues (guardians of children and travellers). An old Usenet discussion said that while pinwheels and spinning tops are standard symbols of childhood in Japan, there's also a penumbra of the turning wheel of fate-- note the red pinwheel in the end credits of each of the original OVA episodes. As he undertakes more missions, the same scene recurs with a larger number of red pinwheels-- propitiation of his victims' spirits? acknowledgement of the gradual death of his own childhood innocence and idealism?
Kiyosato's dying thoughts include the flowering houzuki plant he gave to Tomoe before his departure from Edo, probably around the time of the Houzuki-ichi festival/market in early July. At some point (I'll have to check the OVA again, though I always end up absorbed into the narrative instead of taking notes), I think when Tomoe is looking at the blade of her dagger just before Katsura comes to talk her into "sheath" duty, there are some *very* brief flashback stills that really have to be freeze-framed to see them clearly-- one of them seems to be her swearing vengeance in front of her household altar, and then as she leaves, she glances at the dead houzuki plant discarded inside the courtyard walls; after that, cherry petals are floating in the streetside canals of Edo as she walks away from her home, never to see it or her father again.
When Kenshin keeps pouring water over his head, it isn't just to physically wash away blood; it's also a purification ritual. Water always seems to trigger memories for him in the OVA-- not only are there the transitions back and forth between his work as Battousai and his training with Hiko, but there's also an apparent nested flashback when he cools his blistered hands in a pool and whispers "Nee-san", almost certainly the form of address he used for Kasumi and the other two girls. (He might've had a biological older sister; according to the manga, he did have siblings. However, their genders and relative ages aren't known, and the same line states that he was the only member of his family to survive the cholera epidemic.)
Just before Tomoe meets Kenshin near the end of 1.1, lilies of the valley reappear. According to the barely-legible scribble I jotted down from somewhere, in specifically Japanese symbolism they represent purity, innocent love, a return to happiness, and similar happy things. (I need to find Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design by Merrily C. Baird; the local library system has a copy, though at a branch we don't usually go to.)
When Kenshin brings Tomoe back to the inn, the innkeeper immediately raises the issue of prostitution ("This isn't a whorehouse"); the next scene reinforces the concept, with the anonymous flower-seller walking the streets and calling out her wares. Throughout the OVA, Tomoe is strongly associated with white plum blossoms; their image was even flashed on the scene when Kenshin first encountered her, to indicate the scent of her perfume. Tomoe = flowers; flowers for sale = prostitution; Iizuka later repeats the theory that she'd been sold into prostitution to settle her family's debts. (IIRC, while samurai wouldn't technically sell off their daughters, the daughters might sell themselves for the sake of filial obligation; this may've been a polite fiction in some cases.)
Tomoe's surname, "Yukishiro", is the other answer to the "Fruits Baskets" riddle, "When snow melts, what does it become?"; it's a stock seasonal reference to early spring, and refers to the water from melting snow. The "shiro" half, although homonymous with the word for "white", is a different kanji which in this context carries the general idea of FMA-esque "equivalent exchange".
I haven't yet been able to identify the stylized foliage on her umbrella. I suspect it's a wisteria vine, but have no definite ref pix so far. When she's asleep in Kenshin's room, the door screen behind her has a pattern of pink and white blossoms, cherry and/or plum, and possibly bamboo (bleh can't read my notes). When he goes from room to room looking for her the next morning, the one next door is decorated with an image of pines. In the downstairs public rooms, when Katsura asks Tomoe for her assistance toward the end of 1.2, the doorpull handles on the screens behind her are decorated with golden chrysanthemums, a symbol of the Emperor (cf. the victory banners at the very end of 1.4).
When Kenshin tries to provide for a more permanent position for Tomoe at the inn, the landlady and her staff are cleaning lidded lacquer bowls. They're decorated with what I think are stylized plum or camellia blossoms. The lidded bowls are a common symbol of a married couple, since they fit together and form a matched pair; the landlady firmly settles one set together at the end of their conversation.
To ADV's partial credit, their notes do attempt to provide some historical context, but I don't think they do a very good job of it. The faction they refer to as "patriots" are the Imperialists attempting to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and (at least nominally) return the Emperor to supreme executive power. The OVA invokes three of the Shogunate's military forces: the Shinsengumi (also referred to as the wolves of Nibu [sic; it should be "Mibu"]), the Niwanbanshuu (called the Oniwabanshuu in the regular series), and Tatsumi's group out in the woods (the Yaminobu?).
Saitou and Okita are historical figures. Both of them were captains of different squads of the Shinsengumi-- there's absolutely no reason for ADV to've decided that Okita was Saitou's pupil or subordinate; they were peers of equal rank. Like Takasugi, Okita eventually died from tuberculosis. ADV's background note that Saitou disappeared in the chaos of the Revolution is likewise nonsensical, both in strict historical terms and the context of this series; he survived and became a policeman, as seen in the second tv season of RK.
There are a lot of flowers and plants specifically depicted in Trust/Betrayal. I mean, a whole lot of them. Several of them are recurring motifs, suggesting a strong component of deliberate symbolism. Once I've got this material straightened out, it'll probably form the core of the Beginner's Guide to the RK OVA which I've had in mind for a while, ever since my initial bewilderment at certain aspects as well as gradually realizing how many subtle things ADV got wrong. Not that I'm nec'ly getting stuff right either, but at the least, this is an attempt to clarify some things which were initially WTF for me. Most of the dialogue will be paraphrased from the original ADV subtitles.
Spoilers are inevitable. This is still a work in progress.
In the prologue, the flora indicate that it's autumn; the conical vaguely scarecrow-looking things are bundles of rice straw hung out on drying racks. The flowers seen in the grass include lilies-of-the-valley (suzuran), plume-like pampas grass, and a pink(?) five-petalled flower whose shape strongly resembles the Chinese bellflower (kikyou or rindou) although the latter is usually an intense blue-violet; bellflowers and pampas grass are two of the traditional "seven plants of autumn".
The transition between the flashback prologue and the main OVA timeline always gives me an icewater chill down the spine-- the sweet-faced altruistic child of the past has turned into an automaton with cold, dead eyes and only a vestigial sense of mercy. (The coup de grace he gives to Kiyosato is almost exactly the same as the bandits gave to Kasumi, the last of the three girls who tried to protect Shinta.)
Red camellia blossoms (tsubaki) bloom in late winter/early spring. They symbolize the death of warriors because each flower falls off all at once, like a decapitated head. (In some other contexts, a camellia flower falling off its stem is a stock visual euphemism for (ahem) defloration, frex in Ranma 1/2 when Kuno imagines boy-type Ranma ravishing his pigtailed goddess.)
Shortly after Kenshin's first mission, there's a quick shot of a red pinwheel in the grass, planted among a cluster of jizou statues (guardians of children and travellers). An old Usenet discussion said that while pinwheels and spinning tops are standard symbols of childhood in Japan, there's also a penumbra of the turning wheel of fate-- note the red pinwheel in the end credits of each of the original OVA episodes. As he undertakes more missions, the same scene recurs with a larger number of red pinwheels-- propitiation of his victims' spirits? acknowledgement of the gradual death of his own childhood innocence and idealism?
Kiyosato's dying thoughts include the flowering houzuki plant he gave to Tomoe before his departure from Edo, probably around the time of the Houzuki-ichi festival/market in early July. At some point (I'll have to check the OVA again, though I always end up absorbed into the narrative instead of taking notes), I think when Tomoe is looking at the blade of her dagger just before Katsura comes to talk her into "sheath" duty, there are some *very* brief flashback stills that really have to be freeze-framed to see them clearly-- one of them seems to be her swearing vengeance in front of her household altar, and then as she leaves, she glances at the dead houzuki plant discarded inside the courtyard walls; after that, cherry petals are floating in the streetside canals of Edo as she walks away from her home, never to see it or her father again.
When Kenshin keeps pouring water over his head, it isn't just to physically wash away blood; it's also a purification ritual. Water always seems to trigger memories for him in the OVA-- not only are there the transitions back and forth between his work as Battousai and his training with Hiko, but there's also an apparent nested flashback when he cools his blistered hands in a pool and whispers "Nee-san", almost certainly the form of address he used for Kasumi and the other two girls. (He might've had a biological older sister; according to the manga, he did have siblings. However, their genders and relative ages aren't known, and the same line states that he was the only member of his family to survive the cholera epidemic.)
Just before Tomoe meets Kenshin near the end of 1.1, lilies of the valley reappear. According to the barely-legible scribble I jotted down from somewhere, in specifically Japanese symbolism they represent purity, innocent love, a return to happiness, and similar happy things. (I need to find Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design by Merrily C. Baird; the local library system has a copy, though at a branch we don't usually go to.)
When Kenshin brings Tomoe back to the inn, the innkeeper immediately raises the issue of prostitution ("This isn't a whorehouse"); the next scene reinforces the concept, with the anonymous flower-seller walking the streets and calling out her wares. Throughout the OVA, Tomoe is strongly associated with white plum blossoms; their image was even flashed on the scene when Kenshin first encountered her, to indicate the scent of her perfume. Tomoe = flowers; flowers for sale = prostitution; Iizuka later repeats the theory that she'd been sold into prostitution to settle her family's debts. (IIRC, while samurai wouldn't technically sell off their daughters, the daughters might sell themselves for the sake of filial obligation; this may've been a polite fiction in some cases.)
Tomoe's surname, "Yukishiro", is the other answer to the "Fruits Baskets" riddle, "When snow melts, what does it become?"; it's a stock seasonal reference to early spring, and refers to the water from melting snow. The "shiro" half, although homonymous with the word for "white", is a different kanji which in this context carries the general idea of FMA-esque "equivalent exchange".
I haven't yet been able to identify the stylized foliage on her umbrella. I suspect it's a wisteria vine, but have no definite ref pix so far. When she's asleep in Kenshin's room, the door screen behind her has a pattern of pink and white blossoms, cherry and/or plum, and possibly bamboo (bleh can't read my notes). When he goes from room to room looking for her the next morning, the one next door is decorated with an image of pines. In the downstairs public rooms, when Katsura asks Tomoe for her assistance toward the end of 1.2, the doorpull handles on the screens behind her are decorated with golden chrysanthemums, a symbol of the Emperor (cf. the victory banners at the very end of 1.4).
When Kenshin tries to provide for a more permanent position for Tomoe at the inn, the landlady and her staff are cleaning lidded lacquer bowls. They're decorated with what I think are stylized plum or camellia blossoms. The lidded bowls are a common symbol of a married couple, since they fit together and form a matched pair; the landlady firmly settles one set together at the end of their conversation.
To ADV's partial credit, their notes do attempt to provide some historical context, but I don't think they do a very good job of it. The faction they refer to as "patriots" are the Imperialists attempting to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and (at least nominally) return the Emperor to supreme executive power. The OVA invokes three of the Shogunate's military forces: the Shinsengumi (also referred to as the wolves of Nibu [sic; it should be "Mibu"]), the Niwanbanshuu (called the Oniwabanshuu in the regular series), and Tatsumi's group out in the woods (the Yaminobu?).
Saitou and Okita are historical figures. Both of them were captains of different squads of the Shinsengumi-- there's absolutely no reason for ADV to've decided that Okita was Saitou's pupil or subordinate; they were peers of equal rank. Like Takasugi, Okita eventually died from tuberculosis. ADV's background note that Saitou disappeared in the chaos of the Revolution is likewise nonsensical, both in strict historical terms and the context of this series; he survived and became a policeman, as seen in the second tv season of RK.
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no subject
on 2007-07-08 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-07-09 03:04 am (UTC)Since the phrase "kan-tsubaki" (寒椿, winter tsubaki) appears in haiku seasonal keyword lists alongside (and apparently as a poetic synonym for) "sazanka", I got confused by the semantic slippage. But it does seem that the red tsubaki would have been properly blooming in April after all.