(no subject)
Two things I'm updatin' with...
Zangetsu & Ichigo as Swanky Lawers
Done for
emlan
why: the idea of Ichigo as Zangetsu's court-boy assistant was too hot to handle
other: that's Gustav Klimt's painting in the background, not mine. But it fit really well.
Secondly... taken from my personal journal, I finally figured out what Bleach is all about. It's all about Aizen being Dutch and the Meiji era and Shinsengumi.
Elli and I were talking today... apparently there is some game coming out with speculation that you'll get to see Aizen when he was a vice captain? We worked out that Aizen would have been promoted to captain anywhere from 50 to 70 years ago (or more), which conveniently places the timeline.... smack bang in the middle of WW2, which makes for an interesting theory...
...Hiroshima's effect on Soul Society!?!? Sudden huge influx of souls?! I don't mean to make light of such a horrendous event, but maybe that's what Rukongai is all about... they couldn't manage the millions of souls coming in and just dumped them right outside?!
...anyway, to step away from a contentious issue, it might be worth setting it 100 or more years ago, which got us thinking about the Meiji restoration. And suddenly a million things made sense, particularly if you consider the political leanings of all those who might have been involved.
I don't know too much about it myself, but simplified in brief, part of the Meiji restoration was about the attitude of Western culture coming to Japan. The movement was against the goverment, the Tokugawa Shogunate and the samurai class, and I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) they were against Western influence, wanting to maintain their own authority and falling into a panic when attempting to reconcile the old traditions with the percieved inferiority to new Western technology. On the other hand came the rebellion from peasant classes, people wanting to open up to the West and further their economic opportunity. Apparently peasant classes were on side due to food shortages and wealth imbalances, and the aim was to restore the power of the Emperor (though it actually created a new ruling class).
Naturally, this is an oversimplified description, but if you've seen Kenshin (har har) you'll have a vague idea of that historical period. Assassinations of political figures, killings of Westeners, Perry with his big black ship on the horizon...
...now, what about Soul Society? >:D
Well, first consider the important people and their political stance...
Byakuya: It's obvious he'd be conservative. Old Nobility from an Ancient House... he'd be all for ridding Japan of the foreigners and maintaining class structure. I imagine he'd be a lot more passionate, actually, and really nasty at the Captain's meetings as he raved on about preserving the 'natural order of things'.
Aizen: AIZEN IS A DUTCHMAN, COME ON, IT'S OBVIOUS. Elli tells me the Dutch introduced glasses, too!!! :O Aizen was clearly killed as a foreigner in the ports of Yokohama, and would be all for introducing new technologies and opening up the world and protesting for gaijin rights. After all, the bigger the world, the bigger the world to take over. ;3
Mayuri: Mayuri would be all for new technologies. He'd just about bust a gut as Urahara left the captaincy wide open... a whole new world of medical science to explore!
Urahara & Yoruichi: They must have left RIGHT in the middle of this Meiji revolution, doesn't it make amazing sense all of a sudden? I imagine they'd be both very sympathetic to opening up the world and restoring some of the class balance and engaging with the technology of the new world; clearly, though, this would be totally inappropriate for a woman of Yoruichi's noble standing, and it wouldn't take much for Urahara to suggest disappearing to the real world to get involved in the thick of it, amidst the chaos.
Also, I think Yoruichi must be some ancient Buddhist figure, she must come from India. :O
Kyouraku & Ukitake: Have been there before. They've lived for so long they've seen Japan opening and closing itself many times over, and know that it's wisest to only observe things until they get too drastic. We reckon they'd have tried, once, when they were young and passionate (in the Heian period!) to escape to the real world to get involved with human politics and fight the noble battles.... and realised there wasn't much they could do, and that human affairs weren't theirs to meddle with.
I bet they still don't believe that in their hearts, though.
That's why Ukitake has all the relics of the house of Shihouin on hand for emergencies. ;3
So yes. Turning crap anime into ancient Japanese history... I love it. I'd love to write something full of intrigue and wit and oyaji-uke encounters behind paper screens. >:D
Zangetsu & Ichigo as Swanky Lawers
Done for
emlan
why: the idea of Ichigo as Zangetsu's court-boy assistant was too hot to handle
other: that's Gustav Klimt's painting in the background, not mine. But it fit really well.
Secondly... taken from my personal journal, I finally figured out what Bleach is all about. It's all about Aizen being Dutch and the Meiji era and Shinsengumi.
Elli and I were talking today... apparently there is some game coming out with speculation that you'll get to see Aizen when he was a vice captain? We worked out that Aizen would have been promoted to captain anywhere from 50 to 70 years ago (or more), which conveniently places the timeline.... smack bang in the middle of WW2, which makes for an interesting theory...
...Hiroshima's effect on Soul Society!?!? Sudden huge influx of souls?! I don't mean to make light of such a horrendous event, but maybe that's what Rukongai is all about... they couldn't manage the millions of souls coming in and just dumped them right outside?!
...anyway, to step away from a contentious issue, it might be worth setting it 100 or more years ago, which got us thinking about the Meiji restoration. And suddenly a million things made sense, particularly if you consider the political leanings of all those who might have been involved.
I don't know too much about it myself, but simplified in brief, part of the Meiji restoration was about the attitude of Western culture coming to Japan. The movement was against the goverment, the Tokugawa Shogunate and the samurai class, and I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) they were against Western influence, wanting to maintain their own authority and falling into a panic when attempting to reconcile the old traditions with the percieved inferiority to new Western technology. On the other hand came the rebellion from peasant classes, people wanting to open up to the West and further their economic opportunity. Apparently peasant classes were on side due to food shortages and wealth imbalances, and the aim was to restore the power of the Emperor (though it actually created a new ruling class).
Naturally, this is an oversimplified description, but if you've seen Kenshin (har har) you'll have a vague idea of that historical period. Assassinations of political figures, killings of Westeners, Perry with his big black ship on the horizon...
...now, what about Soul Society? >:D
Well, first consider the important people and their political stance...
Byakuya: It's obvious he'd be conservative. Old Nobility from an Ancient House... he'd be all for ridding Japan of the foreigners and maintaining class structure. I imagine he'd be a lot more passionate, actually, and really nasty at the Captain's meetings as he raved on about preserving the 'natural order of things'.
Aizen: AIZEN IS A DUTCHMAN, COME ON, IT'S OBVIOUS. Elli tells me the Dutch introduced glasses, too!!! :O Aizen was clearly killed as a foreigner in the ports of Yokohama, and would be all for introducing new technologies and opening up the world and protesting for gaijin rights. After all, the bigger the world, the bigger the world to take over. ;3
Mayuri: Mayuri would be all for new technologies. He'd just about bust a gut as Urahara left the captaincy wide open... a whole new world of medical science to explore!
Urahara & Yoruichi: They must have left RIGHT in the middle of this Meiji revolution, doesn't it make amazing sense all of a sudden? I imagine they'd be both very sympathetic to opening up the world and restoring some of the class balance and engaging with the technology of the new world; clearly, though, this would be totally inappropriate for a woman of Yoruichi's noble standing, and it wouldn't take much for Urahara to suggest disappearing to the real world to get involved in the thick of it, amidst the chaos.
Also, I think Yoruichi must be some ancient Buddhist figure, she must come from India. :O
Kyouraku & Ukitake: Have been there before. They've lived for so long they've seen Japan opening and closing itself many times over, and know that it's wisest to only observe things until they get too drastic. We reckon they'd have tried, once, when they were young and passionate (in the Heian period!) to escape to the real world to get involved with human politics and fight the noble battles.... and realised there wasn't much they could do, and that human affairs weren't theirs to meddle with.
I bet they still don't believe that in their hearts, though.
That's why Ukitake has all the relics of the house of Shihouin on hand for emergencies. ;3
So yes. Turning crap anime into ancient Japanese history... I love it. I'd love to write something full of intrigue and wit and oyaji-uke encounters behind paper screens. >:D