Bleach musings (spoilers)
I wanted to usher in this new icon with some musings on Bleach. Beware, spoilers up to anime episode 62 ahead.
Each of the 13 Court Guardian Squads seems to me to kinda emphasise one aspect or another of the captain/lieutenant (/vice-captain/adjutant/your translation of choice) dynamic, and this interested me. It's sort of a smaller scale representation of the superior/subordinate relationships in total, and my musings on it go something like this:
Squad one: Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni and ???? (seriously, no clue what this guy's name is). Although we see very little of these two, I definitely get the feeling of professional respect and loyalty here. When Soi Fong directs the lieutenants to chase Renji, Genryuusai's lieutenant checks for his captain's approval first and then responds sqiftly upon getting it. For these two, Respect is the word I'd pick.
Squad two: Sui Fong and Ohmaeda Marechiyo. One reserved, insightful, and small of stature; the other loud, dim, huge and opinionated; these two are complete opposites in personality and, accordingly, seem to hate one another. They just rub against each other the wrong way (although Ohmaeda seems to feel this less, perhaps because of his direct and simple thinking). The term appropriate here is definitely Dislike, though.
Squad three: Ichimaru Gin and Kira Izuru. Kira's position in this show is never entirely clear. He seems to be a loyal fellow, and that puts him in a tough position- he wants to be loyal to his friends Hinamori and Renji, but also genuinely feels a strong tie of loyalty to his captain, the eminently dislikeable Gin. Exactly how much of Gin and Aizen's plot he knew of, we don't know (it seems likely that he was largely unaware, seeing as how he was not taken along when Tousen, Aizen, and Gin left and his general good nature). He is, however, constantly torn between these. Gin seems to have no qualms about using his lieutenant in whatever way suits him, but the overall atmosphere of their relationship is probably defined by Loyalty.
Squad four: Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane. Unohana-taicho seems one of the most reserved, intelligent, and good-thinking of the captains, making her well suited to her supporting and medical role. Retsu seems to be a loyal friend as well as a trusted assosciate, and in all the pair give me a feeling of Friendship.
Squad five: Aizen Sousuke and Hinamori Momo. Well, it's the big one. The obvious characteristic we see at first is love (from Hinamori) and affection (from Aizen). Of course, we now know that all this is a lie, and so the only appropriate term is Deception.
Squad six: Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji. This relationship, unsurprisingly, is all about Byakuya. Byakuya's narcissistic and self-centred personality is seen in the show in his absolute belief in his own strength and rightness of path. He's what is referred to in villainous terms as a 'Right Man'- someone who absolutely believes he knows the right way and will do anything to facilitate that. He's also very confident in his own power and so doesn't seem at any stage to feel genuinely that he is outclassed by any opponent. He uses Renji in the fight against Ichigo early on as a kind of tool, to prevent his needing to step in and do the dirty work himself. From Renji's point of view, his only purpose in being in Sixth Squad is to learn about and surpass Byakuya out of jealousy and guilt. So here, there's less of a relationship and more of a one-sided Obsession.
Squad seven: Komamura Sajin and Iba Tetsuzaemon. From what we know of these two, they both have made great efforts and sacrifices to get where they are today. Sajin has worked past the prejudice his appearance leaves him open to, and worked hard to become a captain. From his conversation with Ikkaku, we see that Iba is likewise a hard worker, once from the Eleventh but having worked to improve himself and his skills, and even being prepared to move out of his squad of choice, in order to make the position. The little part of them interacting we see is not much, but from their shared backgrounds I imagine these two as sharing Camaraderie.
Squad eight: Kyouraku Shunsui and Ise Nanao. Another pair of opposites, although not at odds in the same way as Sui Fong and Ohmaeda. Shunsui is laid back (usually quite literally) and easy-going; "Nanao-chan" on the other hand is officious, stern, and always seen to be carrying a large book. Shunsui's idle flirting seems to be built in to his psyche, from what we see of his past, but in comparison he is reserved with Nanao and it's not hard to see some genuine affection from him when he is shown to protect her in their squad themed outro, or in the confrontation with the stern and terrifying Shigekuni. She responds to him with stiff formality and apparent dislike, but it seems to me that it's all a front to hide, possibly even from herself, her feeling of shared Affection. Incidentally, my favourite scene of these two is again from the outro sequence on Eigth Squad, where we see Nanao leave a fun-looking lieutenant's social occasion (with a smile on her face, no less), to take care of a drunk Kyouraku-taicho. Her demeanour suggests a lot more than just duty, to me...
Squad nine: Tousen Kaname and Hisagi Shuuhei. Although these two barely interact, on all occasions Shuuhei seems in awe of his quiet, reserved, and just captain (who, if anything, is even more of a Right Man than Byakuya). Both when Kaname announces his intention to join the fight against the invading Ryoka, and when we see his Bankai released against Zaraki, we see his Awe. As an aside, I cna't help but wonder if Tousen and Komamura's meeting with Zaraki wasn't designed by Aizen, to get rid of him. It seems to me that Zaraki, as one of the most powerful captains even without any synchronicity with his zanpaku-to, could be a potential threat in the long term to Aizen.
Squad ten: Hitsugaya Toushiro and Matsumoto Rangiku. Considering Hitsugaya's unreserved dislike of Gin, and Matsumoto's youthful attachment to him, you'd think this relationship might be strained or even hostile. But we see nothing but loyalty, friendship even, and good faith between them. Matsumoto comes back against orders to protect Hitsugaya upon feeling Hyourinmaru's reiatsu. Hitsugaya takes on her work in order to let her get some sleep. Of course, Hitsugaya's general likeability, professionalism, and good work ethic, and Matsumoto's good sociability, might help this, and it seems that Gin and Matsumoto aren't as close as they once were. I wonder if they ever talked about him, or Matsumoto's connection to him, in private? Anyhow, in general this squad is all about Trust.
Squad eleven: Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru. This one isn't hard; Zaraki is a clear surrogate father figure (or possibly older brother, but in my opinion father; he even named her!) for Yachiru. Like many children, Yachiru firmly believes in her dad as the strongest, best guy in the world- a stage that many have to leave at some point. But for Yachiru, whose entire life is painted in violence, it goes beyond that- after all, she actually gets to see her 'dad' fighting, and winning, on a regular basis; after all, he actually is one of the strongest shinigami out there. They're a close father-daughter pair, with a shared 'hobby', and it really is all about Family. Incidentally, I've had it drawn to my attention that Yachiru, who's already adorable, has tiny little wheels on the bottom of her zanpaku-to's sheath, so she can pull it along behind her. Cute or what? : )
Squad twelve: Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Kurotsuchi Nemu. The 'real' father-daughter pair here, albeit not in the natural sense. Why an organisation full of people that love justice and even object to bloodthirsty killers like Zaraki allows Mayuri to commit violently immoral and twistedly sadistic expirements, often for little apparent effect, is beyond me. Mayuri of course thinks of his 'daughter' and lieutenant as an object, a tool, and not a particularly liked one at that. He physically and verbally abuses her, ignores her, and generally is an all-around bastard to her. She responds, whether out of programmed loyalty, fear, or some genuine (if misplaced) affection, with patience, tolerance, and obedience to the utmost degree. She seems absolutely genuinely thankful when Ishida, consciously or otherwise, spares his life, and that says an awful lot about her. There's no doubt that these two are defined by Abuse, though.
Squad thirteen: Ukitake Juushirou and various. With Shiba Kaien, or with the tandem of Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone, Ukitake knows he has to rely on strong seconds-in-command to make up for his own ill health. It's a testament to his strength, wisdom, and loyalty that he's been allowed to continue in a position of captainship when he is often not well enough even to attend captain's meetings. His various seconds, however, all support and love him for the man he is (in Kiyone's case a little too literally, perhaps) and devotedly serve him, in return for his gratitude and fierce protection. Devotion sums it all up.
Wow, that ended up a whoooooole lot longer than I intended it to be!
Each of the 13 Court Guardian Squads seems to me to kinda emphasise one aspect or another of the captain/lieutenant (/vice-captain/adjutant/your translation of choice) dynamic, and this interested me. It's sort of a smaller scale representation of the superior/subordinate relationships in total, and my musings on it go something like this:
Squad one: Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni and ???? (seriously, no clue what this guy's name is). Although we see very little of these two, I definitely get the feeling of professional respect and loyalty here. When Soi Fong directs the lieutenants to chase Renji, Genryuusai's lieutenant checks for his captain's approval first and then responds sqiftly upon getting it. For these two, Respect is the word I'd pick.
Squad two: Sui Fong and Ohmaeda Marechiyo. One reserved, insightful, and small of stature; the other loud, dim, huge and opinionated; these two are complete opposites in personality and, accordingly, seem to hate one another. They just rub against each other the wrong way (although Ohmaeda seems to feel this less, perhaps because of his direct and simple thinking). The term appropriate here is definitely Dislike, though.
Squad three: Ichimaru Gin and Kira Izuru. Kira's position in this show is never entirely clear. He seems to be a loyal fellow, and that puts him in a tough position- he wants to be loyal to his friends Hinamori and Renji, but also genuinely feels a strong tie of loyalty to his captain, the eminently dislikeable Gin. Exactly how much of Gin and Aizen's plot he knew of, we don't know (it seems likely that he was largely unaware, seeing as how he was not taken along when Tousen, Aizen, and Gin left and his general good nature). He is, however, constantly torn between these. Gin seems to have no qualms about using his lieutenant in whatever way suits him, but the overall atmosphere of their relationship is probably defined by Loyalty.
Squad four: Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane. Unohana-taicho seems one of the most reserved, intelligent, and good-thinking of the captains, making her well suited to her supporting and medical role. Retsu seems to be a loyal friend as well as a trusted assosciate, and in all the pair give me a feeling of Friendship.
Squad five: Aizen Sousuke and Hinamori Momo. Well, it's the big one. The obvious characteristic we see at first is love (from Hinamori) and affection (from Aizen). Of course, we now know that all this is a lie, and so the only appropriate term is Deception.
Squad six: Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji. This relationship, unsurprisingly, is all about Byakuya. Byakuya's narcissistic and self-centred personality is seen in the show in his absolute belief in his own strength and rightness of path. He's what is referred to in villainous terms as a 'Right Man'- someone who absolutely believes he knows the right way and will do anything to facilitate that. He's also very confident in his own power and so doesn't seem at any stage to feel genuinely that he is outclassed by any opponent. He uses Renji in the fight against Ichigo early on as a kind of tool, to prevent his needing to step in and do the dirty work himself. From Renji's point of view, his only purpose in being in Sixth Squad is to learn about and surpass Byakuya out of jealousy and guilt. So here, there's less of a relationship and more of a one-sided Obsession.
Squad seven: Komamura Sajin and Iba Tetsuzaemon. From what we know of these two, they both have made great efforts and sacrifices to get where they are today. Sajin has worked past the prejudice his appearance leaves him open to, and worked hard to become a captain. From his conversation with Ikkaku, we see that Iba is likewise a hard worker, once from the Eleventh but having worked to improve himself and his skills, and even being prepared to move out of his squad of choice, in order to make the position. The little part of them interacting we see is not much, but from their shared backgrounds I imagine these two as sharing Camaraderie.
Squad eight: Kyouraku Shunsui and Ise Nanao. Another pair of opposites, although not at odds in the same way as Sui Fong and Ohmaeda. Shunsui is laid back (usually quite literally) and easy-going; "Nanao-chan" on the other hand is officious, stern, and always seen to be carrying a large book. Shunsui's idle flirting seems to be built in to his psyche, from what we see of his past, but in comparison he is reserved with Nanao and it's not hard to see some genuine affection from him when he is shown to protect her in their squad themed outro, or in the confrontation with the stern and terrifying Shigekuni. She responds to him with stiff formality and apparent dislike, but it seems to me that it's all a front to hide, possibly even from herself, her feeling of shared Affection. Incidentally, my favourite scene of these two is again from the outro sequence on Eigth Squad, where we see Nanao leave a fun-looking lieutenant's social occasion (with a smile on her face, no less), to take care of a drunk Kyouraku-taicho. Her demeanour suggests a lot more than just duty, to me...
Squad nine: Tousen Kaname and Hisagi Shuuhei. Although these two barely interact, on all occasions Shuuhei seems in awe of his quiet, reserved, and just captain (who, if anything, is even more of a Right Man than Byakuya). Both when Kaname announces his intention to join the fight against the invading Ryoka, and when we see his Bankai released against Zaraki, we see his Awe. As an aside, I cna't help but wonder if Tousen and Komamura's meeting with Zaraki wasn't designed by Aizen, to get rid of him. It seems to me that Zaraki, as one of the most powerful captains even without any synchronicity with his zanpaku-to, could be a potential threat in the long term to Aizen.
Squad ten: Hitsugaya Toushiro and Matsumoto Rangiku. Considering Hitsugaya's unreserved dislike of Gin, and Matsumoto's youthful attachment to him, you'd think this relationship might be strained or even hostile. But we see nothing but loyalty, friendship even, and good faith between them. Matsumoto comes back against orders to protect Hitsugaya upon feeling Hyourinmaru's reiatsu. Hitsugaya takes on her work in order to let her get some sleep. Of course, Hitsugaya's general likeability, professionalism, and good work ethic, and Matsumoto's good sociability, might help this, and it seems that Gin and Matsumoto aren't as close as they once were. I wonder if they ever talked about him, or Matsumoto's connection to him, in private? Anyhow, in general this squad is all about Trust.
Squad eleven: Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru. This one isn't hard; Zaraki is a clear surrogate father figure (or possibly older brother, but in my opinion father; he even named her!) for Yachiru. Like many children, Yachiru firmly believes in her dad as the strongest, best guy in the world- a stage that many have to leave at some point. But for Yachiru, whose entire life is painted in violence, it goes beyond that- after all, she actually gets to see her 'dad' fighting, and winning, on a regular basis; after all, he actually is one of the strongest shinigami out there. They're a close father-daughter pair, with a shared 'hobby', and it really is all about Family. Incidentally, I've had it drawn to my attention that Yachiru, who's already adorable, has tiny little wheels on the bottom of her zanpaku-to's sheath, so she can pull it along behind her. Cute or what? : )
Squad twelve: Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Kurotsuchi Nemu. The 'real' father-daughter pair here, albeit not in the natural sense. Why an organisation full of people that love justice and even object to bloodthirsty killers like Zaraki allows Mayuri to commit violently immoral and twistedly sadistic expirements, often for little apparent effect, is beyond me. Mayuri of course thinks of his 'daughter' and lieutenant as an object, a tool, and not a particularly liked one at that. He physically and verbally abuses her, ignores her, and generally is an all-around bastard to her. She responds, whether out of programmed loyalty, fear, or some genuine (if misplaced) affection, with patience, tolerance, and obedience to the utmost degree. She seems absolutely genuinely thankful when Ishida, consciously or otherwise, spares his life, and that says an awful lot about her. There's no doubt that these two are defined by Abuse, though.
Squad thirteen: Ukitake Juushirou and various. With Shiba Kaien, or with the tandem of Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone, Ukitake knows he has to rely on strong seconds-in-command to make up for his own ill health. It's a testament to his strength, wisdom, and loyalty that he's been allowed to continue in a position of captainship when he is often not well enough even to attend captain's meetings. His various seconds, however, all support and love him for the man he is (in Kiyone's case a little too literally, perhaps) and devotedly serve him, in return for his gratitude and fierce protection. Devotion sums it all up.
Wow, that ended up a whoooooole lot longer than I intended it to be!