In defense of Kotori Monou
Yup, you heard me. Sweet, gentle Kotori gets possibly the most hate of any character in the X fandom (with the possible exception of Seiichiro and possibly Karen). Why this is? [Spoilers for X ahead]
I understand why people hate Kotori, though I don't agree with the reasoning at all. It's mostly the old fangirl idea of "she gets in the way of my OTP!!!11!" Now, while I'm not a personal supporter of Fuuma/Kamui (I like Kamui/Kotori better), I can stand it--
on one condition. Do not bash Kotori or make her into a whiny, conniving, murderous bitch who kills Fuuma just because she's jealous of the fact that Kamui wuvwuvs him. That goes so against Kotori's character that it makes me want to vomit.
Anyway, in her defense.
Let's take a look at the first of the series. Kotori is shown as a kind girl who looks up to her older brother (and in the manga version, has a weak heart). She has a dream about Kamui returning, which, shock of all shocks, he does. She approaches him, he tells her to go away. Now, maybe most Kotori-bashers have only seen the TV series, in which she just says "How weird, I don't get it," and walks off. More likely they've only read the manga, in which she has a severe reaction to Kamui's rejection and ends up passing out (weak heart, remember).
Point one: She obviously cares for Kamui; she continues to try and approach him in various instances both in the series and in the manga.
Point two: Kamui seems to still care for her, though he tries not to let it show. He softens toward her and Fuuma, and is a much gentler person when they are around (as Sorata points out).
Now, let's look a little further on in-series.
Kotori goes a bit crazy when she sees Tokiko Magami's shredded body, mainly because it is the exact way in which her mother died and she's been suppressing that memory for years. Even while her mind is "asleep," as Kakyou puts it, however, she manages to still show that she cares for Kamui and her brother. (Unfortunately, this is not expressed in the series, where Kotori just goes into a real sleep after Tokiko dies).
Let's take a look at one of my favorite quotes from the manga (apologies; I don't have the manga on hand so this will be a bit slaughtered):
"It's all pretty, because this is where Kamui is, with the air and the wind."
Even in her dreamlike state, she manages to let Kamui know that she loves him. In a roundabout way? Sure. But she still does.
And of course, one of the most memorable scenes in the series, where Kotori is killed.
She has Kakyou move her dead body and delay Fuuma from killing Kamui--partly because she loves Kamui too much to let him die, but also partly because she loves Fuuma as well, and he would never become himself again if he killed Kamui.
So, she's not just a floozie for Kamui; she has a genuine love for her brother (though I wouldn't go so far as to say incestual). Early in the series she also shows herself to be fairly innocent and sometimes clueless, similar to Tohru Honda of Fruits Basket. I still remember the way Kotori fretted over which kind of ice cream to give Kamui because she didn't know what he would like.
And her last words are in effect determining the rest of the story-- "The future has not yet been decided." Goes against everything Kakyou and Hinoto know about the future, and yet, she gave both of them hope by saying it. And I always admire characters who can give others hope like that.
People find Kotori annoying and ditzy; I think she's sweet and genuinely self-sacrificing. "If the Earth... if Kamui is going to break, I'd rather break instead." Sure, characters in anime say they'd give their lives all the time, but a majority of said characters are men (and therefore liked by the fangirls).
I know this has been more of a random raving than a real defense, but I really, really don't understand Kotori-bashing. I guess it's because she's "special," but really, who in X isn't?
xposted to my own journal.
I understand why people hate Kotori, though I don't agree with the reasoning at all. It's mostly the old fangirl idea of "she gets in the way of my OTP!!!11!" Now, while I'm not a personal supporter of Fuuma/Kamui (I like Kamui/Kotori better), I can stand it--
on one condition. Do not bash Kotori or make her into a whiny, conniving, murderous bitch who kills Fuuma just because she's jealous of the fact that Kamui wuvwuvs him. That goes so against Kotori's character that it makes me want to vomit.
Anyway, in her defense.
Let's take a look at the first of the series. Kotori is shown as a kind girl who looks up to her older brother (and in the manga version, has a weak heart). She has a dream about Kamui returning, which, shock of all shocks, he does. She approaches him, he tells her to go away. Now, maybe most Kotori-bashers have only seen the TV series, in which she just says "How weird, I don't get it," and walks off. More likely they've only read the manga, in which she has a severe reaction to Kamui's rejection and ends up passing out (weak heart, remember).
Point one: She obviously cares for Kamui; she continues to try and approach him in various instances both in the series and in the manga.
Point two: Kamui seems to still care for her, though he tries not to let it show. He softens toward her and Fuuma, and is a much gentler person when they are around (as Sorata points out).
Now, let's look a little further on in-series.
Kotori goes a bit crazy when she sees Tokiko Magami's shredded body, mainly because it is the exact way in which her mother died and she's been suppressing that memory for years. Even while her mind is "asleep," as Kakyou puts it, however, she manages to still show that she cares for Kamui and her brother. (Unfortunately, this is not expressed in the series, where Kotori just goes into a real sleep after Tokiko dies).
Let's take a look at one of my favorite quotes from the manga (apologies; I don't have the manga on hand so this will be a bit slaughtered):
"It's all pretty, because this is where Kamui is, with the air and the wind."
Even in her dreamlike state, she manages to let Kamui know that she loves him. In a roundabout way? Sure. But she still does.
And of course, one of the most memorable scenes in the series, where Kotori is killed.
She has Kakyou move her dead body and delay Fuuma from killing Kamui--partly because she loves Kamui too much to let him die, but also partly because she loves Fuuma as well, and he would never become himself again if he killed Kamui.
So, she's not just a floozie for Kamui; she has a genuine love for her brother (though I wouldn't go so far as to say incestual). Early in the series she also shows herself to be fairly innocent and sometimes clueless, similar to Tohru Honda of Fruits Basket. I still remember the way Kotori fretted over which kind of ice cream to give Kamui because she didn't know what he would like.
And her last words are in effect determining the rest of the story-- "The future has not yet been decided." Goes against everything Kakyou and Hinoto know about the future, and yet, she gave both of them hope by saying it. And I always admire characters who can give others hope like that.
People find Kotori annoying and ditzy; I think she's sweet and genuinely self-sacrificing. "If the Earth... if Kamui is going to break, I'd rather break instead." Sure, characters in anime say they'd give their lives all the time, but a majority of said characters are men (and therefore liked by the fangirls).
I know this has been more of a random raving than a real defense, but I really, really don't understand Kotori-bashing. I guess it's because she's "special," but really, who in X isn't?
xposted to my own journal.