TL;DR: In which I think way too much about Mai-Otome
I've been thinking about Mai-Otome. (The anime, not the manga, two completely separate beasts.) This was due to a series of unfortunate events that I can actually pretty clearly trace: Reading fanfic for nostalgic old RPGs → thinking about FF7 → being piqued by an Aeris & Tifa cosplaying secret at fandom secrets that spurred discussion about the two's interaction in the game and a comment about fanart at pixiv → falling into the pit of looking at endless fanart on pixiv ;_; → mentioning my hours-eating dilemma to viliscp, who then mentioned that there's Mai-HiME fanart there as well → succumbing to the temptation to look at said Mai-HiME fanart and being reminded how, yes, cute ShizNat can be together . (Ok, that last one, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.) Can't forget the gaynst. Oh, the gaynst.
And y'all know how much time I once spent pondering ShizNat. But this time I pondered Mai-Otome. Because, c'mon, Kruger and Viola are cute too.
Mai-Otome is an interesting beast. It's not a sequel (though speculation is rampant that Mai-Otome does take place in some far distant future of the Mai-HiME universe, which . . . yeah). However it was deliberately crafted to pander to the Mai-HiME fandom and establish its own core of new protagonists (Arika, Nina, and the expy'd but very changed Mashiro). Without sacrificing much of the original cast of Mai-HiME. Somehow.
When it aired, I didn't have much interest in the series. It didn't take for me, especially since I started getting squicked out pretty quickly by some of the plot elements (both Nina nd Arika having a thing for Sergay, later hearing the whole thing about Tomoe and Shizuru and going D: D: D: D:). But I started skimming the series after my sojourn through pixiv.
The cast of Mai-HiME was already overwhelming. The size of Mai-Otome's may make your eyes spin.
Mai-Otome makes the recurring characters lifted from Mai-HiME recognizable but different. There are a ton of personality tweaks that range from making some of the characters softer (Mai, Shizuru, Natsuki, Nao[!]) to making them way more serious (Midori!) or almost polar opposite in personality (Mashiro!). Some characters were given greater relevance to the story (Chie, Aoi) or were diminished (Mai, Mikoto). As a result, a lot of the relationship dynamics got tweaked or enhanced: Shizuru and Haruka are friendlier rivals, Nao and Shiho are vindictively acidic classmates (with Shiho herself being more of a joke character this time around), and the friendships and relationships between Mai and Natsuki and Natsuki and Shizuru got significantly different starts.
Thinking about that last is what started to spark my interest again.
You know how I said that Mai-Otome consciously pandered to Mai-HiME fans? This comes in the form of allusions and mythology gags and winks at the audience. Shizuru and Natuski almost-but-not-quite-but-yes-really being the Official Couple is one of those instances.
If you look at the Mai-Otome anime and the anime's related drama CDs, Shizuru and Natsuki are never actually main text. In fact, the show goes to lengths to not ever outright say it. Characters constantly make references to Shizuru's playa ways to get a rise out of Natsuki, while Shizuru herself puts on the appearance of never hearing or acknowledging these comments, even if they're said in her presence. Of course, Shizuru also likes to fluster Natsuki by flirting with every female in the vicinity, so, y'know, Shizuru.
(Which itself is kind of really interesting in terms of altered dynamics. From the way all the surrounding characters act, Shizuru very well may be the polyamorous sort. Her infamously flirtatious behavior may have a root in fact of her actually bestowing favors upon others who are not Natsuki. If so, that would be a significant shift from how obsessively Natsuki-oriented her character was in Mai-HiME. That she comes across as loyal to Natsuki [and Garderobe] at the core of her personality creates some interesting things to think about that I'll get to later.)
The closest the series gets to confirming that Natsuki Kruger and Shizuru Viola are an official couple is this little drama CD snippet. Yet even then Nao can't get Natsuki to say that she and Shizuru are "that way."
The first question would be why it would be an issue at all for Natsuki and Shizuru to just admit it, as the Otome narrative universe and the Otome system itself encourages situational lesbianism. The all-girl school environment fuels and promotes intimate bonds between the students (that can be devastating later in their lives if/when Otome are forced to fight each other on behalf of their Masters) and it's clear from the gossip that what goes on between older, mentoring classmates and their younger classmen "room attendants" may involve "this and that." Considering that Natsuki was Shizuru's room attendant and Shizuru was room attendant to a lecherous older classman herself (Anh Lu has a thing for relieving people of their clothing when drunk), I don't think it's hard to follow the thread of how Shizuru and Natsuki's school days may have spun out.
How Natsuki became Shizuru's room attendant, though, is one of the first breaks between the Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome universes regarding the ShizNat story. As an underclassman, Natsuki clearly admired Shizuru, who was top of her class (naturally) and whose vacant room attendant position was in hot demand. But when Natsuki requested to be her room attendant, Shizuru simply assumed she was another fangirl. Her condescension towards Natsuki and her request by assuming that all Natsuki wanted was Shizuru's physical attentions disillusioned Natsuki about the kind of person Shizuru was. It all works out, of course, as the reactions of both and the meddling of Mai and Haruka and Yukino(!) make the two look at each other differently and realize they'd like to get to know each other better. And thus Natsuki became Shizuru's room attendant. Presumably after Shizuru kicked Haruka's butt.
Let's quick flashback to Mai-HiME: Kuga Natsuki is a disaffected loner who is bent on revenge on the mysterious First District because she blames them for her mother's death. It's Shizuru who notices Natsuki and befriends her--much to Natsuki's confusion since of course she knows of Shizuru, the incredibly popular upperclassman--and tries to draw the angry, untrusting girl out of her shell.
The role reversal in Mai-Otome has Natsuki admiring Shizuru from afar before running to Shizuru to, not really befriend her, but be mentored by her (you want to be the best, you get the best to mentor you). Shizuru is the one who initially doesn't see Natsuki as being any different from any of her other worshippers.
If you situate that kouhai-sempai relationship (with a lot of akogare directed from Natsuki to Shizuru) as a precursor to their present relationship, a few interesting points of consideration start popping up.
Now, bear with me, if you believe what Sunrise says, at some point after the HiME Festival and Natsuki's graduation from Fuuka Gakuen, Kuga and Fujino manage to work out whatever differences lingered and hook up romantically. It could happen. (Don't gasp so loudly, I did say they're cute, didn't I?) But you know me, I can't picture such a relationship as being free from a lot of spikes under the surface, with potential resentments and precautions in the hearts of both parties, especially since Natsuki would be the one doing a lot of the heavy emotional lifting sorting out her feelings. That's compelling to think about and probably why there's so much post-Mai-HiME ShizNat fanfic.
What you get in Mai-Otome is compelling in a different way: you have to take two people who begin with a relationship defined by relative age and experience and bring them to a place where they're both equals--and then subtly shift that power dynamic into the favor of the one who technically had less influence at the relationship's outset.
Now I'm not saying that Natsuki wears the pants in the Kruger-Viola dynamic. Because unlike Fujino, Viola grew up in an environment that positively reinforced her charisma among and attraction to the ladies. The deluge of admiration that Viola gets probably contributes to that cool level of arrogance and confidence; she knows her effect on people and how to effectively use it. Kruger, like Kuga, is also the perpetual butt monkey of the series. Both series go to lengths to undermine Natsuki's outward appearance as a badass and humiliate her as often as possible. And we shouldn't forget that Natsuki is surprisingly feminine: Kuga for sure is a lingerie enthusiast and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that that carried over to Kruger for all sorts of fanservice reasons. On top of that, despite being one of the Five Columns, Natsuki's abilities on the battle field are often far from effective or impressive. (Which is not to say that she isn't potentially one of the most powerful Otome--her BFG has a lot of potential to be devastating as a long-range siege weapon. But that's maybe one of the few battle situations I can think of her being especially effective as a fighting unit; almost every other Otome is oriented to close combat. Most have Element weapons that double as short-range and long-range weapons. Natsuki's huge gun does not.)
It is clear, however, that Natsuki takes the lead as Headmistress of Garderobe. Shizuru's role is not as cearly defined, nor are the roles of the other Columns who seem to meddle and observe/spy all over the place. Many in the fandom refer to Shizuru as "Deputy Headmistress," but that's not an official title. She is clearly Natsuki's Right Hand Man and sounding board and soldier-to-command. Natsuki is much more likely to dispatch Shizuru to get something done rather than do it herself.
Okay, now think about that. Once upon a time, when they were sweet innocent schoolgirls (*snicker*), wise older Shizuru was the one giving younger, eager-to-please Natsuki orders.
Huh.
Part of this fun thought experiment has to consider both Shizuru's and Natsuki's graduations. Shizuru graduated first and secured a position as one of the Columns. (Which, to me, is a clear logical choice. Shizuru is a highly competent Otome, one whose talent the school would do well to keep for itself.) I wonder if the choice of Natsuki to become a Column (and I'll get to the puzzling issue of the Columns in a moment) was so clear. Mai, the top-ranking student of her and Natsuki's year, was clearly a choice for Column: Mai's cute dilemma was wondering if she should become a Meister in the service of the sponsors who paid her tuition or accept the offer of becoming one of the Columns. (Although the legend surrounding Mai's disappearance posits that Mai's choice was between love and becoming a Meister, this wasn't the actual case. XD Again, a divergence from the Mai-HiME narrative.) It could even very well be that in the vacuum created by Mai's disappearance, Natsuki got the offer Mai was given.
Before I go on: about the Columns. There are five. And, currently, they are young.
Sara Gallagher, Column I, calls Natsuki "onee-sama," meaning she's younger than Natsuki. Natsuki, II, is younger than Shizuru, III. V, Maya, is possibly the eldest? IV is eventually filled by Nao, who is younger than every other Column and is probably around 16-18 years old. Let's blithely think about this for a minute. These are possibly five of the most potentially powerful Persons of Mass Destruction in the world, in charge of running and maintaining an institution that trains and issues out other persons of mass destruction. This body of people also oversee and maintain order to ensure that the technology that provides their abilities is not stolen, abused, or misused.
They're probably all under 30 years of age. Otome have existed for 300 years.
Yeah.
Why the administration wouldn't be comprised of older members is really, really confusing to me. Retirement must come extremely early for Otome. (In a sense for the "ordinary" Meister Otome, probably yes. Marriage phases them out since marriage requires consummation, which introduces sperm into the Otome's body, which destroys the nanomachines that materialize their battle Robes. Yes, I know, I am trying to apply logic to a world that insists that sperm destroys nanomachines that allow women to form power armor, and even though this world is so advanced in technology as to have working nanomachines and devices like holograms in everyday life, they don't have contraceptive devices or procedures like condoms. I know!) Even the consideration that the Otome are trained for like two years starting at like age . . . 15? Maybe? And then contracted out is really, really disturbing. The Otome system is flawed for many, many reasons but this one doesn't seem to really occur to anyone. 'Cause teenagers with raging hormones are exactly the types of people we want to possess superhuman abilities of mass destruction.
Anyway, when we meet Kruger as Headmistress of Garderobe, she's probably only in her twenties (I couldn't say if she's in the lower part of the spectrum or the higher, though I almost want to say lower because are we given the impression that Mai has been missing for as long as a decade?). She is a Column, but that doesn't mean she was Headmistress right away. (That would make even less sense, even in a world that doesn't try too hard to make sense, to promote a recent graduate to Column and have her immediately serve as Headmistress.) So we can assume that she cut her Meister teeth by doing Column-y things until the Headmistress position became vacant and . . . she was elected to fill it?
Shall we think about this? Why Kruger for Headmistress? Why not Shizuru, who is just as competent and has leadership qualities and a big sisterly/matronly regard for the students and whom in turn is unabashedly adored by the students? Is this an elected position? Like did the faculty (all three people!: Miss Maria, Yukariko, and Yoko) and the Columns get together and elect one of their number to take the role? Did Natsuki want the position, considering how ambivalent some of the Otome seem about their roles and duties?
I mean, I can think of a few reasons for and even of a few proposals that may have resulted in this particular arrangement. Shall I speculate how I would rationalize it? XD Shizuru does seem like just as strong a candidate to be Headmistress of Garderobe. Her Authority Equals Ass Kicking is indisputable and she exemplifies many of the traits that little girls dream of when they think about the Otome, such as beauty, grace, power. However, I think presenting her as the Face and Voice of Garderobe would present a few problems just because of her personality and behavior: she's very cool, teasing, deflecting, and hard to read. Her approach to exercising authority also comes off as somewhat lax: if she's anything like Fujino Shizuru who was a la-di-da student council president, which is what drove Suzushiro Haruka nuts, then she's content letting things run as they will if they're running well. Shizuru has a subtle mind, a subtle hand. Or a lazy one, depending on your point of view.
Natsuki is much more transparent, a face and conviction that may be easier to deal with in a political sense because fellow authority figures perhaps wouldn't have to second guess her as much. (The trade off is that they may not be as intimidated either. XD) I'm not saying Natsuki can't be subtle but that she's just much more direct. For all that she is the butt monkey of gags, Natsuki is observant, competent, and surprisingly politically savvy. She's keenly aware of the limitations and treaties that bind the Otome and is a good coordinator: she usually takes the back command position in a crisis, giving orders, taking in information and making the decisions. She also seems to be the one directing the activities of all the other Columns.
An interesting question is whether she displayed these qualities before becoming Headmistress or if she grew into these qualities over the course of her tenure. Natsuki was a competent and apparently attentive student (unlike her truant Mai-HiME counterpart), ranking near the top of her class. (She and Mai were #2 and #1 respectively, I believe). Mai, who came to Garderobe ignorant of its school culture, basically learned the ins and outs of school life from Natsuki, her roommate and academic rival. (The absence of being revenge-driven and the flipside of Mai being a more selfish person in Mai-Otome--Mai was very much concerned about taking care of her brother in Mai-HiME, but in Mai-Otome, she apparently ran away from home in order to attend Garderobe--is that their friendship is even more adorable in Mai-Otome. [I am a way bigger fan of Natsuki-Mai friendship than I thought.] Kruger did have loner tendencies in the Otome universe, but Mai and then Shizuru helped bring Natsuki around. Though it is strange to me how reserved Natsuki is in expressing her emotions: Mai has literally been missing for years and when Natsuki discovers Mai is still alive, she barely reacts, though it's clear from the way she talks about Mai that she considered Mai a dear friend and that she has missed her. [Let's take a moment to wonder why they couldn't find Mai. Because when a Robe is activated, it seems to show up on Garderobe's systems. And we know Mai's must have been activated at least a few times because she makes a comment at one point about how she can't defeat Mikoto even with her Robe. And the GEMs double up as communication devices! HELLO!] Natsuki is as equally reserved when she and Shizuru are reunited near the end of the series after having been separated not knowing about each other's whereabouts. I can kind of see where all the teasing comes from to get a rise out of her.) Natsuki Kruger wasn't a slacker. XD I'm pretty sure she even wanted to be #1 in her class, but Mai was just better, which pushed Natsuki to be a better student as well. It's why she sees Arika and Nina's rivalry as analagous to Haruka and Shizuru's and hers and Mai's. It's reasonable that she'd be Column candidate material. But Headmistress?
One of my thought experiments is to wonder if, in the event that both Shizuru and Natsuki were presented as the most qualified candidates for Headmistress, Shizuru stepped aside. And, if so, why. In my mind I find it much harder not to conflate Fujino Shizuru and Shizuru Viola than it is to separate Kuga Natsuki and Natsuki Kruger. It would be easy to say "Of course Shizuru would support Natsuki!" but is it so self-evident in the Otome 'verse? I'm not sure. It's hard to say whether or not Shizuru was an ambitious student, if she took her ranking seriously or was just so naturally gifted that it was a foregone conclusion to her that being at the top of her class was where she would be, or if she was simply teasing Haruka when she told her rival that she would give her the #1 ranking if she wanted it or if she really did feel so indifferent about rank.
However you slice it, to step aside is an act of subordination. It would speak to a willingness to give Natsuki a degree of authority over her professionally. If I just accept that that's a decision Shizuru made consciously, then it's no leap for me to assume that she acknowledged that power shift with the full intention of supporting Natsuki as "deputy." I can even see her proposing to do exactly that to assuage any worries that may have popped up in promoting Natsuki to Headmistress. I mean, c'mon, they were taking a risk elevating someone so prone to Fail to such an influential position. (And elevating someone younger over persons older.)
We could also consider the possibility that at some point Natsuki was taken under wing and groomed to the position of Headmistress. Like I wondered above, if she had displayed qualities of leadership early on, it could be that an older Column, the previous Headmistress (the vacancy of the Column IV position may have been the one left by Natsuki's predecessor for all I know), decided Natsuki would succeed her. And perhaps Natsuki herself may have served in a role of Deputy Headmistress. That's something really interesting to contemplate too since Natsuki's assuming authority would have been eventual and something that would have figured into an evolving and maturing relationship between her and Shizuru. It would have given them more time to adjust to new ways of seeing and relating to one another.
Because the way the Meister Otome and even the Columns address each other shows us that to some degree the age and experience status quo remains in place after graduation. That Sara calls some of them "onee-sama" and that Shizuru and Natsuki have completely dropped these formalities is telling in its own way. (Nao doesn't count; as a rebel, she eschews many of the formalities. It's also interesting to note that some students use "onee-sama" liberally and some indicate more formality by opting for "sempai" with certain older classmates.) I like thinking about this shift happening, where a mutual admiration and respect and regard had to grow and evolve between Shizuru and Natsuki to come to this point. Whether it happened gradually due to circumstances of perhaps working together as Columns or if it happened suddenly, perhaps in much the same way their acquaintance began, where a misunderstanding led them to look more closely at one another.
Which brings me all the way back to one of my first questions: Why hide their relationship status? This is puzzling to me since it seems to be one of the big "open secrets" of the series. Just about everyone assumes that they are together romantically. As far as I know, there's nothing to prevent them being together romantically, no rules forbidding it. If anything, everyone seems to enjoy the idea of them together, if only to mercilessly tease Natsuki about it. So why all the constant denial?
The easiest answer is that Sunrise just wanted to be teasing assholes.
But if you're going to try to apply logic to this show (I know, I know, I should stop trying to apply logic to any Mai-Universe), then I'm a bit puzzled. It can't be just an issue regarding the delicacy of having it known that the Headmistress of one of the most powerful institutions in the world is dating her fellow Column because the secrecy seems to extend farther back in time, to the period before Natsuki became Headmistress. Unless the truth of it is that Shizuru and Natsuki actually didn't have a romantic (perhaps we should read that as "committed"?) relationship until much closer to the present--but I think fandom (and the in-world characters!) would most likely find that hard to believe. Perhaps they maintain appearances to protect the delicate eyes and ears of their pupils--but then Irina understood and enjoyed the dig Professor Gal took at Natsuki as much as everyone else in the room, so if that were the case, they're fooling no one.
The secrecy issue seems to mainly stem from Natsuki and her reluctance to talk about it, actually. Shizuru is mostly impervious to teasing and doesn't acknowledge comments either way, whether it's a swipe at her cheating on Natsuki or being a shameless flirt, but she does seem to take delight in teasing Natsuki herself for all it's worth. (The alternate reading of Shizuru's constant flirting is, if you don't believe they're together, Shizuru testing to see if Natsuki would care about her flirting with others.) And if the sole reason that they don't acknowledge their relationship is because Natsuki is squeamish about having it out in the public--that Natsuki is adamantly clinging to some degree of privacy--then this is an especial world of torment Natsuki has created for herself.
You can wonder too if it's for security reasons, to reduce the chances of one being used against the other in someone else's machinations, as Tomoe does to Shizuru (or attempts to). Though she's lying about Natsuki being captured, Tomoe tries to hold Natsuki's safety and well-being over Shizuru's head to keep her complacent and to take sexual advantage of her. (So. Much. Squick. But--I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was an interesting reversal of what was implied to have happened between Shizuru and Natsuki when Natsuki was injured. You know what I'm talking about.) The fact that Tomoe tries to use Natsuki as leverage just goes to prove that no one is being fooled by their reticence.
That particular situation did make me wonder, though, that if she were put in a position where she'd have to choose between saving the school and/or the world or Natsuki's life, which one Shizuru would choose. It's actually quite easy for me to see Natsuki choosing the Greater Good (I'll get to that), but Shizuru is a much, much harder read. That she cares about the students (she gives them advice and comfort and surrenders without a fight when she sees the lives of students being threatened) and doing her job well (maintaining world peace and order and all that) is not a question (and she's very good at it), but her motives may be. When Midori asks her why she fights, Shizuru pretty much lays it out that she fights for Natsuki--to protect her, perhaps, or to help Natsuki fulfill her ideals and agenda. (Though she doesn't explicitly name Natsuki. Like I said, Sunrise did it's darnedest to make sure it wasn't main text.)
Like Fujino, Viola falls into a supportive role for Natsuki's more defined agenda. But the ends those Natsukis are seeking are very different in both cases. First, it's interesting (and a bit exasperating) to me that like any other Meister, Shizuru is basically Natsuki's glorified bodyguard. Natsuki may be a superpowered being in her own right, but Shizuru is always saving her ass, to the point where one intervention prompts her to go something like "You can't do anything without me." I don't think there's any resentment about this on either side about this state of affairs--Natsuki greatly values Shizuru's support and competent assistance. In Zwei, she misses Shizuru's presence during the Strategic Otome Limitation Talks (SOLT) and laments that she can't get things done as well as Shizuru can. (This was perhaps the moment where their partnership was really solified for me, the sight of a forlorn Natsuki taking a tea break and dealing with multiple problems cropping up and wishing Shizuru was there to help her.)
Really, it could be that Natsuki Kruger is far more (concretely) ambitious (or visionary or idealistic) than Shizuru and that this was what made her more suitable to be Headmistress. And that Shizuru is perfectly willing to throw her weight behind that. (Which makes Shizuru's undefined backstory really curious to me. She comes off as the privileged and cultivated Ojou in both series, but both series never bother laying it out for us. That is to say, graduates seem to know their destined paths: where they'll end up as Otomes or, if you're Nao, intent on using the accreditation of a Garderobe education to leap frog to other opportunities, like a wealthy husband. But being offered a position as a Column may conflict with those trajectories, as it did for Mai, so one wonders if Shizuru did have a Master she was destined for and to whom she might have said no by instead taking a position as Column.) It could be that Shizuru coming to see and admire that conviction of vision and purpose in Natsuki led to their current dynamics. Again, a sort of willing stepping aside in order to walk beside.
All in all, though, that they are an effective partnership is refreshing in the wake of Mai-HiME, where Natsuki kept Shizuru at arm's length in an attempt to not get Shizuru involved with her plans for revenge and the supernatural stuff (not knowing that Shizuru was already involved in the latter). If Natsuki had had an actual partnership with Shizuru in her efforts, she probably would have gotten to the bottom of things a lot faster.
What struck me when I really got to thinking about the Otome 'verse was the realization that Kruger is so much more selflessly oriented than Kuga. Kuga's motives are selfish for the majority of Mai-HiME and it isn't until she realizes the Power of Friendship that she opens up and acts for the Greater Good (her double suicide[? how do we even define what happened there?] with Shizuru to open the way for Mai to finish things). Kruger's are oriented primarily toward Garderobe, but by the series's end, she's set her mind on advocating for dismantling the entire Otome system. Let me repeat that: She, the Headmistress of the school that trains and provides the Otome and protects the Otome nanotechnology, wants to promote an Otome disarmament plan to phase them out of use completely. She, an Otome, is basically saying that the existence of Otome is too dangerous and counterproductive, possibly counterintuitive. She's worked as hard and as long as any other Otome in existence to earn her Robe and she's come to the belief that this isn't working.
She's basically invalidating the worth of the Otome as a viable form of peace-keeping.
Invalidating the Otome.
Her agenda isn't just sending this message to the world leaders, but to the Otome who serve them. That's gonna be like a slap in the face. She's also probably right. One of the things the series (and just about every superhero tale) does well in skimming over is just how many innocent bystanders probably die whenever Otome unleash their powers. Wanton destruction follows them around like an eager puppy. Think about the scene in the first episode of Shizuru descending onto a street with such force that she broke every window in a street-block radius. Buildings are constantly sliced in half over the course of Otome fights and fall down and are plowed through with Otome being flung across city widths. Civilians have to be collateral damage in these confrontations.
Should I mention again that while these walking weapons have consciences and wills of their own, they're all like in their teens or twenties? And they've been indoctrinated to obey their masters even if the orders are ridiculous or go against their own wishes, like killing former friends or innocents? (Nagi even points out that the use of Otome has removed everyone else from the horrors of war. He's got a twisted look on it--because it's Nagi--but that's also true. If the only combatants in "war" are Otome who kill each other one-on-one, then the consequences aren't as far felt and thus aren't as abhorrent and reasons to dissuade people from engaging in war. Though the original argument in implementing the Otome system was probably to do exactly those things and minimize the effects of war. Around and around!)
Natsuki wants more than gun control. She wants their eventual ban.
Which I think could make you a lot of enemies. In every camp. You have world leaders who wouldn't want to relinquish having that power. You have Otome themselves who could possibly resent the end of a long tradition that they are a part of. You have the question of the technology itself and what happens to it in the wake of disarmament. Who keeps it? Who guards it? Who doles it out? What uses will it be put to?
If I were Shizuru Viola, I might start feeling a bit paranoid about the safety of the person I want to protect. Shizuru doesn't seem opposed to the plan. Though from the five seconds this is discussed, you can't really tell if she has a care about the issue at all. She realistically sees it as taking a long time to ever happen, even if they get the ball rolling. But that's a struggle that I think would be almost Sisyphean. And dangerous.
It's that that I find really fun to contemplate. How do you convince the world to get rid of its nuclear weapons, especially if the weapons themselves show opposition to the plan? And, if the plan seemed like it could gain purchase, who would try to stop it and how?
How would Natsuki, and by extension Shizuru, possibly bring this about? Who would be on board and who wouldn't? Is this even in the purview of Natsuki's authority? I feel like Miss Maria would be all over objecting to this. And I feel like this would be a disappointment to the students in general. How can you have a Headmistress trying to implement a measure that would restrict your future? (Maybe you don't. Nao for Headmistress anyone? XD)
. . . Clearly I've spent too much time thinking about this. Or way too much time looking at fanart on pixiv. Or both. XD
And y'all know how much time I once spent pondering ShizNat. But this time I pondered Mai-Otome. Because, c'mon, Kruger and Viola are cute too.
Mai-Otome is an interesting beast. It's not a sequel (though speculation is rampant that Mai-Otome does take place in some far distant future of the Mai-HiME universe, which . . . yeah). However it was deliberately crafted to pander to the Mai-HiME fandom and establish its own core of new protagonists (Arika, Nina, and the expy'd but very changed Mashiro). Without sacrificing much of the original cast of Mai-HiME. Somehow.
When it aired, I didn't have much interest in the series. It didn't take for me, especially since I started getting squicked out pretty quickly by some of the plot elements (both Nina nd Arika having a thing for Sergay, later hearing the whole thing about Tomoe and Shizuru and going D: D: D: D:). But I started skimming the series after my sojourn through pixiv.
The cast of Mai-HiME was already overwhelming. The size of Mai-Otome's may make your eyes spin.
Mai-Otome makes the recurring characters lifted from Mai-HiME recognizable but different. There are a ton of personality tweaks that range from making some of the characters softer (Mai, Shizuru, Natsuki, Nao[!]) to making them way more serious (Midori!) or almost polar opposite in personality (Mashiro!). Some characters were given greater relevance to the story (Chie, Aoi) or were diminished (Mai, Mikoto). As a result, a lot of the relationship dynamics got tweaked or enhanced: Shizuru and Haruka are friendlier rivals, Nao and Shiho are vindictively acidic classmates (with Shiho herself being more of a joke character this time around), and the friendships and relationships between Mai and Natsuki and Natsuki and Shizuru got significantly different starts.
Thinking about that last is what started to spark my interest again.
You know how I said that Mai-Otome consciously pandered to Mai-HiME fans? This comes in the form of allusions and mythology gags and winks at the audience. Shizuru and Natuski almost-but-not-quite-but-yes-really being the Official Couple is one of those instances.
If you look at the Mai-Otome anime and the anime's related drama CDs, Shizuru and Natsuki are never actually main text. In fact, the show goes to lengths to not ever outright say it. Characters constantly make references to Shizuru's playa ways to get a rise out of Natsuki, while Shizuru herself puts on the appearance of never hearing or acknowledging these comments, even if they're said in her presence. Of course, Shizuru also likes to fluster Natsuki by flirting with every female in the vicinity, so, y'know, Shizuru.
(Which itself is kind of really interesting in terms of altered dynamics. From the way all the surrounding characters act, Shizuru very well may be the polyamorous sort. Her infamously flirtatious behavior may have a root in fact of her actually bestowing favors upon others who are not Natsuki. If so, that would be a significant shift from how obsessively Natsuki-oriented her character was in Mai-HiME. That she comes across as loyal to Natsuki [and Garderobe] at the core of her personality creates some interesting things to think about that I'll get to later.)
The closest the series gets to confirming that Natsuki Kruger and Shizuru Viola are an official couple is this little drama CD snippet. Yet even then Nao can't get Natsuki to say that she and Shizuru are "that way."
The first question would be why it would be an issue at all for Natsuki and Shizuru to just admit it, as the Otome narrative universe and the Otome system itself encourages situational lesbianism. The all-girl school environment fuels and promotes intimate bonds between the students (that can be devastating later in their lives if/when Otome are forced to fight each other on behalf of their Masters) and it's clear from the gossip that what goes on between older, mentoring classmates and their younger classmen "room attendants" may involve "this and that." Considering that Natsuki was Shizuru's room attendant and Shizuru was room attendant to a lecherous older classman herself (Anh Lu has a thing for relieving people of their clothing when drunk), I don't think it's hard to follow the thread of how Shizuru and Natsuki's school days may have spun out.
How Natsuki became Shizuru's room attendant, though, is one of the first breaks between the Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome universes regarding the ShizNat story. As an underclassman, Natsuki clearly admired Shizuru, who was top of her class (naturally) and whose vacant room attendant position was in hot demand. But when Natsuki requested to be her room attendant, Shizuru simply assumed she was another fangirl. Her condescension towards Natsuki and her request by assuming that all Natsuki wanted was Shizuru's physical attentions disillusioned Natsuki about the kind of person Shizuru was. It all works out, of course, as the reactions of both and the meddling of Mai and Haruka and Yukino(!) make the two look at each other differently and realize they'd like to get to know each other better. And thus Natsuki became Shizuru's room attendant. Presumably after Shizuru kicked Haruka's butt.
Let's quick flashback to Mai-HiME: Kuga Natsuki is a disaffected loner who is bent on revenge on the mysterious First District because she blames them for her mother's death. It's Shizuru who notices Natsuki and befriends her--much to Natsuki's confusion since of course she knows of Shizuru, the incredibly popular upperclassman--and tries to draw the angry, untrusting girl out of her shell.
The role reversal in Mai-Otome has Natsuki admiring Shizuru from afar before running to Shizuru to, not really befriend her, but be mentored by her (you want to be the best, you get the best to mentor you). Shizuru is the one who initially doesn't see Natsuki as being any different from any of her other worshippers.
If you situate that kouhai-sempai relationship (with a lot of akogare directed from Natsuki to Shizuru) as a precursor to their present relationship, a few interesting points of consideration start popping up.
Now, bear with me, if you believe what Sunrise says, at some point after the HiME Festival and Natsuki's graduation from Fuuka Gakuen, Kuga and Fujino manage to work out whatever differences lingered and hook up romantically. It could happen. (Don't gasp so loudly, I did say they're cute, didn't I?) But you know me, I can't picture such a relationship as being free from a lot of spikes under the surface, with potential resentments and precautions in the hearts of both parties, especially since Natsuki would be the one doing a lot of the heavy emotional lifting sorting out her feelings. That's compelling to think about and probably why there's so much post-Mai-HiME ShizNat fanfic.
What you get in Mai-Otome is compelling in a different way: you have to take two people who begin with a relationship defined by relative age and experience and bring them to a place where they're both equals--and then subtly shift that power dynamic into the favor of the one who technically had less influence at the relationship's outset.
Now I'm not saying that Natsuki wears the pants in the Kruger-Viola dynamic. Because unlike Fujino, Viola grew up in an environment that positively reinforced her charisma among and attraction to the ladies. The deluge of admiration that Viola gets probably contributes to that cool level of arrogance and confidence; she knows her effect on people and how to effectively use it. Kruger, like Kuga, is also the perpetual butt monkey of the series. Both series go to lengths to undermine Natsuki's outward appearance as a badass and humiliate her as often as possible. And we shouldn't forget that Natsuki is surprisingly feminine: Kuga for sure is a lingerie enthusiast and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that that carried over to Kruger for all sorts of fanservice reasons. On top of that, despite being one of the Five Columns, Natsuki's abilities on the battle field are often far from effective or impressive. (Which is not to say that she isn't potentially one of the most powerful Otome--her BFG has a lot of potential to be devastating as a long-range siege weapon. But that's maybe one of the few battle situations I can think of her being especially effective as a fighting unit; almost every other Otome is oriented to close combat. Most have Element weapons that double as short-range and long-range weapons. Natsuki's huge gun does not.)
It is clear, however, that Natsuki takes the lead as Headmistress of Garderobe. Shizuru's role is not as cearly defined, nor are the roles of the other Columns who seem to meddle and observe/spy all over the place. Many in the fandom refer to Shizuru as "Deputy Headmistress," but that's not an official title. She is clearly Natsuki's Right Hand Man and sounding board and soldier-to-command. Natsuki is much more likely to dispatch Shizuru to get something done rather than do it herself.
Okay, now think about that. Once upon a time, when they were sweet innocent schoolgirls (*snicker*), wise older Shizuru was the one giving younger, eager-to-please Natsuki orders.
Huh.
Part of this fun thought experiment has to consider both Shizuru's and Natsuki's graduations. Shizuru graduated first and secured a position as one of the Columns. (Which, to me, is a clear logical choice. Shizuru is a highly competent Otome, one whose talent the school would do well to keep for itself.) I wonder if the choice of Natsuki to become a Column (and I'll get to the puzzling issue of the Columns in a moment) was so clear. Mai, the top-ranking student of her and Natsuki's year, was clearly a choice for Column: Mai's cute dilemma was wondering if she should become a Meister in the service of the sponsors who paid her tuition or accept the offer of becoming one of the Columns. (Although the legend surrounding Mai's disappearance posits that Mai's choice was between love and becoming a Meister, this wasn't the actual case. XD Again, a divergence from the Mai-HiME narrative.) It could even very well be that in the vacuum created by Mai's disappearance, Natsuki got the offer Mai was given.
Before I go on: about the Columns. There are five. And, currently, they are young.
Sara Gallagher, Column I, calls Natsuki "onee-sama," meaning she's younger than Natsuki. Natsuki, II, is younger than Shizuru, III. V, Maya, is possibly the eldest? IV is eventually filled by Nao, who is younger than every other Column and is probably around 16-18 years old. Let's blithely think about this for a minute. These are possibly five of the most potentially powerful Persons of Mass Destruction in the world, in charge of running and maintaining an institution that trains and issues out other persons of mass destruction. This body of people also oversee and maintain order to ensure that the technology that provides their abilities is not stolen, abused, or misused.
They're probably all under 30 years of age. Otome have existed for 300 years.
Yeah.
Why the administration wouldn't be comprised of older members is really, really confusing to me. Retirement must come extremely early for Otome. (In a sense for the "ordinary" Meister Otome, probably yes. Marriage phases them out since marriage requires consummation, which introduces sperm into the Otome's body, which destroys the nanomachines that materialize their battle Robes. Yes, I know, I am trying to apply logic to a world that insists that sperm destroys nanomachines that allow women to form power armor, and even though this world is so advanced in technology as to have working nanomachines and devices like holograms in everyday life, they don't have contraceptive devices or procedures like condoms. I know!) Even the consideration that the Otome are trained for like two years starting at like age . . . 15? Maybe? And then contracted out is really, really disturbing. The Otome system is flawed for many, many reasons but this one doesn't seem to really occur to anyone. 'Cause teenagers with raging hormones are exactly the types of people we want to possess superhuman abilities of mass destruction.
Anyway, when we meet Kruger as Headmistress of Garderobe, she's probably only in her twenties (I couldn't say if she's in the lower part of the spectrum or the higher, though I almost want to say lower because are we given the impression that Mai has been missing for as long as a decade?). She is a Column, but that doesn't mean she was Headmistress right away. (That would make even less sense, even in a world that doesn't try too hard to make sense, to promote a recent graduate to Column and have her immediately serve as Headmistress.) So we can assume that she cut her Meister teeth by doing Column-y things until the Headmistress position became vacant and . . . she was elected to fill it?
Shall we think about this? Why Kruger for Headmistress? Why not Shizuru, who is just as competent and has leadership qualities and a big sisterly/matronly regard for the students and whom in turn is unabashedly adored by the students? Is this an elected position? Like did the faculty (all three people!: Miss Maria, Yukariko, and Yoko) and the Columns get together and elect one of their number to take the role? Did Natsuki want the position, considering how ambivalent some of the Otome seem about their roles and duties?
I mean, I can think of a few reasons for and even of a few proposals that may have resulted in this particular arrangement. Shall I speculate how I would rationalize it? XD Shizuru does seem like just as strong a candidate to be Headmistress of Garderobe. Her Authority Equals Ass Kicking is indisputable and she exemplifies many of the traits that little girls dream of when they think about the Otome, such as beauty, grace, power. However, I think presenting her as the Face and Voice of Garderobe would present a few problems just because of her personality and behavior: she's very cool, teasing, deflecting, and hard to read. Her approach to exercising authority also comes off as somewhat lax: if she's anything like Fujino Shizuru who was a la-di-da student council president, which is what drove Suzushiro Haruka nuts, then she's content letting things run as they will if they're running well. Shizuru has a subtle mind, a subtle hand. Or a lazy one, depending on your point of view.
Natsuki is much more transparent, a face and conviction that may be easier to deal with in a political sense because fellow authority figures perhaps wouldn't have to second guess her as much. (The trade off is that they may not be as intimidated either. XD) I'm not saying Natsuki can't be subtle but that she's just much more direct. For all that she is the butt monkey of gags, Natsuki is observant, competent, and surprisingly politically savvy. She's keenly aware of the limitations and treaties that bind the Otome and is a good coordinator: she usually takes the back command position in a crisis, giving orders, taking in information and making the decisions. She also seems to be the one directing the activities of all the other Columns.
An interesting question is whether she displayed these qualities before becoming Headmistress or if she grew into these qualities over the course of her tenure. Natsuki was a competent and apparently attentive student (unlike her truant Mai-HiME counterpart), ranking near the top of her class. (She and Mai were #2 and #1 respectively, I believe). Mai, who came to Garderobe ignorant of its school culture, basically learned the ins and outs of school life from Natsuki, her roommate and academic rival. (The absence of being revenge-driven and the flipside of Mai being a more selfish person in Mai-Otome--Mai was very much concerned about taking care of her brother in Mai-HiME, but in Mai-Otome, she apparently ran away from home in order to attend Garderobe--is that their friendship is even more adorable in Mai-Otome. [I am a way bigger fan of Natsuki-Mai friendship than I thought.] Kruger did have loner tendencies in the Otome universe, but Mai and then Shizuru helped bring Natsuki around. Though it is strange to me how reserved Natsuki is in expressing her emotions: Mai has literally been missing for years and when Natsuki discovers Mai is still alive, she barely reacts, though it's clear from the way she talks about Mai that she considered Mai a dear friend and that she has missed her. [Let's take a moment to wonder why they couldn't find Mai. Because when a Robe is activated, it seems to show up on Garderobe's systems. And we know Mai's must have been activated at least a few times because she makes a comment at one point about how she can't defeat Mikoto even with her Robe. And the GEMs double up as communication devices! HELLO!] Natsuki is as equally reserved when she and Shizuru are reunited near the end of the series after having been separated not knowing about each other's whereabouts. I can kind of see where all the teasing comes from to get a rise out of her.) Natsuki Kruger wasn't a slacker. XD I'm pretty sure she even wanted to be #1 in her class, but Mai was just better, which pushed Natsuki to be a better student as well. It's why she sees Arika and Nina's rivalry as analagous to Haruka and Shizuru's and hers and Mai's. It's reasonable that she'd be Column candidate material. But Headmistress?
One of my thought experiments is to wonder if, in the event that both Shizuru and Natsuki were presented as the most qualified candidates for Headmistress, Shizuru stepped aside. And, if so, why. In my mind I find it much harder not to conflate Fujino Shizuru and Shizuru Viola than it is to separate Kuga Natsuki and Natsuki Kruger. It would be easy to say "Of course Shizuru would support Natsuki!" but is it so self-evident in the Otome 'verse? I'm not sure. It's hard to say whether or not Shizuru was an ambitious student, if she took her ranking seriously or was just so naturally gifted that it was a foregone conclusion to her that being at the top of her class was where she would be, or if she was simply teasing Haruka when she told her rival that she would give her the #1 ranking if she wanted it or if she really did feel so indifferent about rank.
However you slice it, to step aside is an act of subordination. It would speak to a willingness to give Natsuki a degree of authority over her professionally. If I just accept that that's a decision Shizuru made consciously, then it's no leap for me to assume that she acknowledged that power shift with the full intention of supporting Natsuki as "deputy." I can even see her proposing to do exactly that to assuage any worries that may have popped up in promoting Natsuki to Headmistress. I mean, c'mon, they were taking a risk elevating someone so prone to Fail to such an influential position. (And elevating someone younger over persons older.)
We could also consider the possibility that at some point Natsuki was taken under wing and groomed to the position of Headmistress. Like I wondered above, if she had displayed qualities of leadership early on, it could be that an older Column, the previous Headmistress (the vacancy of the Column IV position may have been the one left by Natsuki's predecessor for all I know), decided Natsuki would succeed her. And perhaps Natsuki herself may have served in a role of Deputy Headmistress. That's something really interesting to contemplate too since Natsuki's assuming authority would have been eventual and something that would have figured into an evolving and maturing relationship between her and Shizuru. It would have given them more time to adjust to new ways of seeing and relating to one another.
Because the way the Meister Otome and even the Columns address each other shows us that to some degree the age and experience status quo remains in place after graduation. That Sara calls some of them "onee-sama" and that Shizuru and Natsuki have completely dropped these formalities is telling in its own way. (Nao doesn't count; as a rebel, she eschews many of the formalities. It's also interesting to note that some students use "onee-sama" liberally and some indicate more formality by opting for "sempai" with certain older classmates.) I like thinking about this shift happening, where a mutual admiration and respect and regard had to grow and evolve between Shizuru and Natsuki to come to this point. Whether it happened gradually due to circumstances of perhaps working together as Columns or if it happened suddenly, perhaps in much the same way their acquaintance began, where a misunderstanding led them to look more closely at one another.
Which brings me all the way back to one of my first questions: Why hide their relationship status? This is puzzling to me since it seems to be one of the big "open secrets" of the series. Just about everyone assumes that they are together romantically. As far as I know, there's nothing to prevent them being together romantically, no rules forbidding it. If anything, everyone seems to enjoy the idea of them together, if only to mercilessly tease Natsuki about it. So why all the constant denial?
The easiest answer is that Sunrise just wanted to be teasing assholes.
But if you're going to try to apply logic to this show (I know, I know, I should stop trying to apply logic to any Mai-Universe), then I'm a bit puzzled. It can't be just an issue regarding the delicacy of having it known that the Headmistress of one of the most powerful institutions in the world is dating her fellow Column because the secrecy seems to extend farther back in time, to the period before Natsuki became Headmistress. Unless the truth of it is that Shizuru and Natsuki actually didn't have a romantic (perhaps we should read that as "committed"?) relationship until much closer to the present--but I think fandom (and the in-world characters!) would most likely find that hard to believe. Perhaps they maintain appearances to protect the delicate eyes and ears of their pupils--but then Irina understood and enjoyed the dig Professor Gal took at Natsuki as much as everyone else in the room, so if that were the case, they're fooling no one.
The secrecy issue seems to mainly stem from Natsuki and her reluctance to talk about it, actually. Shizuru is mostly impervious to teasing and doesn't acknowledge comments either way, whether it's a swipe at her cheating on Natsuki or being a shameless flirt, but she does seem to take delight in teasing Natsuki herself for all it's worth. (The alternate reading of Shizuru's constant flirting is, if you don't believe they're together, Shizuru testing to see if Natsuki would care about her flirting with others.) And if the sole reason that they don't acknowledge their relationship is because Natsuki is squeamish about having it out in the public--that Natsuki is adamantly clinging to some degree of privacy--then this is an especial world of torment Natsuki has created for herself.
You can wonder too if it's for security reasons, to reduce the chances of one being used against the other in someone else's machinations, as Tomoe does to Shizuru (or attempts to). Though she's lying about Natsuki being captured, Tomoe tries to hold Natsuki's safety and well-being over Shizuru's head to keep her complacent and to take sexual advantage of her. (So. Much. Squick. But--I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was an interesting reversal of what was implied to have happened between Shizuru and Natsuki when Natsuki was injured. You know what I'm talking about.) The fact that Tomoe tries to use Natsuki as leverage just goes to prove that no one is being fooled by their reticence.
That particular situation did make me wonder, though, that if she were put in a position where she'd have to choose between saving the school and/or the world or Natsuki's life, which one Shizuru would choose. It's actually quite easy for me to see Natsuki choosing the Greater Good (I'll get to that), but Shizuru is a much, much harder read. That she cares about the students (she gives them advice and comfort and surrenders without a fight when she sees the lives of students being threatened) and doing her job well (maintaining world peace and order and all that) is not a question (and she's very good at it), but her motives may be. When Midori asks her why she fights, Shizuru pretty much lays it out that she fights for Natsuki--to protect her, perhaps, or to help Natsuki fulfill her ideals and agenda. (Though she doesn't explicitly name Natsuki. Like I said, Sunrise did it's darnedest to make sure it wasn't main text.)
Like Fujino, Viola falls into a supportive role for Natsuki's more defined agenda. But the ends those Natsukis are seeking are very different in both cases. First, it's interesting (and a bit exasperating) to me that like any other Meister, Shizuru is basically Natsuki's glorified bodyguard. Natsuki may be a superpowered being in her own right, but Shizuru is always saving her ass, to the point where one intervention prompts her to go something like "You can't do anything without me." I don't think there's any resentment about this on either side about this state of affairs--Natsuki greatly values Shizuru's support and competent assistance. In Zwei, she misses Shizuru's presence during the Strategic Otome Limitation Talks (SOLT) and laments that she can't get things done as well as Shizuru can. (This was perhaps the moment where their partnership was really solified for me, the sight of a forlorn Natsuki taking a tea break and dealing with multiple problems cropping up and wishing Shizuru was there to help her.)
Really, it could be that Natsuki Kruger is far more (concretely) ambitious (or visionary or idealistic) than Shizuru and that this was what made her more suitable to be Headmistress. And that Shizuru is perfectly willing to throw her weight behind that. (Which makes Shizuru's undefined backstory really curious to me. She comes off as the privileged and cultivated Ojou in both series, but both series never bother laying it out for us. That is to say, graduates seem to know their destined paths: where they'll end up as Otomes or, if you're Nao, intent on using the accreditation of a Garderobe education to leap frog to other opportunities, like a wealthy husband. But being offered a position as a Column may conflict with those trajectories, as it did for Mai, so one wonders if Shizuru did have a Master she was destined for and to whom she might have said no by instead taking a position as Column.) It could be that Shizuru coming to see and admire that conviction of vision and purpose in Natsuki led to their current dynamics. Again, a sort of willing stepping aside in order to walk beside.
All in all, though, that they are an effective partnership is refreshing in the wake of Mai-HiME, where Natsuki kept Shizuru at arm's length in an attempt to not get Shizuru involved with her plans for revenge and the supernatural stuff (not knowing that Shizuru was already involved in the latter). If Natsuki had had an actual partnership with Shizuru in her efforts, she probably would have gotten to the bottom of things a lot faster.
What struck me when I really got to thinking about the Otome 'verse was the realization that Kruger is so much more selflessly oriented than Kuga. Kuga's motives are selfish for the majority of Mai-HiME and it isn't until she realizes the Power of Friendship that she opens up and acts for the Greater Good (her double suicide[? how do we even define what happened there?] with Shizuru to open the way for Mai to finish things). Kruger's are oriented primarily toward Garderobe, but by the series's end, she's set her mind on advocating for dismantling the entire Otome system. Let me repeat that: She, the Headmistress of the school that trains and provides the Otome and protects the Otome nanotechnology, wants to promote an Otome disarmament plan to phase them out of use completely. She, an Otome, is basically saying that the existence of Otome is too dangerous and counterproductive, possibly counterintuitive. She's worked as hard and as long as any other Otome in existence to earn her Robe and she's come to the belief that this isn't working.
She's basically invalidating the worth of the Otome as a viable form of peace-keeping.
Invalidating the Otome.
Her agenda isn't just sending this message to the world leaders, but to the Otome who serve them. That's gonna be like a slap in the face. She's also probably right. One of the things the series (and just about every superhero tale) does well in skimming over is just how many innocent bystanders probably die whenever Otome unleash their powers. Wanton destruction follows them around like an eager puppy. Think about the scene in the first episode of Shizuru descending onto a street with such force that she broke every window in a street-block radius. Buildings are constantly sliced in half over the course of Otome fights and fall down and are plowed through with Otome being flung across city widths. Civilians have to be collateral damage in these confrontations.
Should I mention again that while these walking weapons have consciences and wills of their own, they're all like in their teens or twenties? And they've been indoctrinated to obey their masters even if the orders are ridiculous or go against their own wishes, like killing former friends or innocents? (Nagi even points out that the use of Otome has removed everyone else from the horrors of war. He's got a twisted look on it--because it's Nagi--but that's also true. If the only combatants in "war" are Otome who kill each other one-on-one, then the consequences aren't as far felt and thus aren't as abhorrent and reasons to dissuade people from engaging in war. Though the original argument in implementing the Otome system was probably to do exactly those things and minimize the effects of war. Around and around!)
Natsuki wants more than gun control. She wants their eventual ban.
Which I think could make you a lot of enemies. In every camp. You have world leaders who wouldn't want to relinquish having that power. You have Otome themselves who could possibly resent the end of a long tradition that they are a part of. You have the question of the technology itself and what happens to it in the wake of disarmament. Who keeps it? Who guards it? Who doles it out? What uses will it be put to?
If I were Shizuru Viola, I might start feeling a bit paranoid about the safety of the person I want to protect. Shizuru doesn't seem opposed to the plan. Though from the five seconds this is discussed, you can't really tell if she has a care about the issue at all. She realistically sees it as taking a long time to ever happen, even if they get the ball rolling. But that's a struggle that I think would be almost Sisyphean. And dangerous.
It's that that I find really fun to contemplate. How do you convince the world to get rid of its nuclear weapons, especially if the weapons themselves show opposition to the plan? And, if the plan seemed like it could gain purchase, who would try to stop it and how?
How would Natsuki, and by extension Shizuru, possibly bring this about? Who would be on board and who wouldn't? Is this even in the purview of Natsuki's authority? I feel like Miss Maria would be all over objecting to this. And I feel like this would be a disappointment to the students in general. How can you have a Headmistress trying to implement a measure that would restrict your future? (Maybe you don't. Nao for Headmistress anyone? XD)
. . . Clearly I've spent too much time thinking about this. Or way too much time looking at fanart on pixiv. Or both. XD