So A Detective And A Sorceress Walk Into A Classroom...
Title: So A Detective And A Sorceress Walk Into A Classroom...
Author: windtear
Fandom: Magic Kaito and Detective Conan (aka Case Closed)
Pairing: Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru
Spoilers: For all the currently-published Magic Kaito manga
So A Detective And A Sorceress Walk Into A Classroom...
A Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru Relationship Manifesto
This manifesto will explore the reasoning behind the pairing of Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru, two of the antagonists in the manga Magic Kaito.
Casting Environment :: Background Circumstances - A Short Overview of Magic Kaito
By day, Kuroba Kaito is a hyperactive high school student and magician, living a happy, carefree life with his mother and his best friend, Nakamori Aoko. By night, however, he sheds his masks and dons a white suit and monocle to become the Kaitou Kid, jewel thief extraordinaire. The Kaitou Kid is notorious, not just for delivering notices to the public and police of what he's going to take and when, or for taking his targets despite the most sophisticated security systems human ingenuity can devise, but also for returning what he takes a few days later, unharmed. That last is, of course, what drives the police force, headed by Aoko's father, crazy. They don't know that Kaito is in fact the son of the first Kaitou Kid, who was murdered by a criminal organisation that he had once been hired by, and that his heists are not for gain but an attempt to lure his father's murderers out of hiding - an attempt that seems to be getting mixed results so far....
Magic Kaito is the first of Aoyama Gosho's three major series (the second being Yaiba,and the third being Detective Conan. Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are generally considered to be separate parts of the same story, as the main character from Magic Kaito makes semi-regular appearances in Detective Conan, the lead character of Detective Conan has appeared in one of the Magic Kaito special chapters, and there is a strong suggestion that the overarching adversaries from both series are in fact the same entity). Magic Kaito has been published in Shonen Sunday since 1988. It has been collected in four tankoubon. It is not available commercially in English, but fan-translated scanlations of the series may be found online.
The Feminine Principle :: Co-Primary Suspect Number One - Koizumi Akako
Koizumi Akako is a sixteen year old sorceress-slash-femme fatale who's out to rule the world. She believes that all men should be her slaves and doesn't deal with other women very well. (Actually, she doesn't deal with other women at all if she can help it.) She can command the Devil to do her bidding (although it's never said if sometime in her past she made a Faustian-style bargain with the Devil, or if she really is that powerful). She becomes obsessed with Kaitou Kid because he is the only man who is immune to her allure; as time goes on her feelings for Kuroba Kaito soften into a more affection-based attraction, but she never fully gives up the thought that he should be her subordinate or that she should control all men.
Akako is a continuing antagonistic character, with sporadic appearances throughout the series. She is introduced in the sixth chapter, 'Scarlet Temptation', and features in Chapter Seven, 'Don't Touch Me!' and Chapter Ten, 'Adults Don't Understand'. Her final major appearance is in the seventeenth chapter, 'A Gift from Akako', though she makes cameo appearances in the special chapters, 'The Clock Tower Heist' and 'The Red Tear'.
The Masculine Principle :: Co-Primary Suspect Number Two - Hakuba Saguru
Hakuba Saguru is a sixteen year old half-Japanese, half-English detective who models himself on Sherlock Holmes. He is a genius-level intellect who doesn't deal with illogic or emotions very well, and who strives to understand the motivations of others. He is obsessed with Kaitou Kid because he is the only criminal whose motivations Hakuba can't work out. Over the course of the series he becomes convinced that Kaitou Kid is in fact his classmate, Kuroba Kaito, but is never able to obtain enough conclusive proof to establish that fact. As time goes by, his relationship with Kaito becomes friendlier, but he never lets himself forget that a thief and a detective are ultimately on opposite sides.
Hakuba enters the series in the fifteenth chapter, 'The Great Adversary Arrives', and features prominently in Chapter Sixteen, 'A Nearby Enemy' and Chapter Seventeen, 'A Gift from Akako', as well as making a cameo appearance in the special chapter 'Goldeneye' and taking a prominent role in the second half of the special 'The Dark Knight'. He also has appeared in Detective Conan, in Files 562-566, the 'Detective Koshien' arc.
Historical Castings :: Previous Evidence - In Canon
Let's be honest here: Akako and Hakuba don't interact in canon at all, although we know they do know of each other - in 'A Gift from Akako', Hakuba thinks, 'That girl... is in this classroom, too?', while in 'The Clock Tower Heist', Akako thinks, 'Someone inside that [police] helicopter is as strong as Hakuba. I can feel it, the same aggressive power as the Devil.' (It is later shown that she is sensing the presence of Kudou Shinichi, the lead character of Detective Conan.)
Despite this mutual acknowledgement and respect, there is no indication they know any more of each other or deal with each other at all outside the manga panel. This is a pairing built on extrapolation and perceived compatibility.
Projected Castings :: Extrapolated Deductions - In Fanon
Akako/Hakuba tends to be found mostly as a secondary pairing in Kaito/Aoko fanworks, and tends to be used as a more mature foil to the main pairing. There are only a few, shorter fanworks that feature Akako and Hakuba as the main pairing and they tend to have Kaito and Aoko as their secondary pairing.
The reason for this reflective use is fairly simple: although they are a unique couple with a dynamic all their own, on first glance Akako and Hakuba are a reverse reflection of Kaito and Aoko, and therefore are able to be used in fanworks to explore a different configuration of events than the main couple, without risking the main couple's dynamic.
Analysing the Configuration of Elements :: Deducing the Chain of Events - So Why Do They Work?
Hakuba and Akako both hold a number of similarities to each other whilst being very different. They are both 'effective orphans' - Hakuba's parents are not present in his home, and Akako appears to have had none in the first place. They are both outsiders - Akako is set apart by her beauty and her magic, Hakuba by his intelligence and drive. They are both used to acting for themselves rather than through intermediaries. They both have a fondness for cosplay.
...
Hakuba both represents and craves order, constantly seeking after reason. Akako, however, represents and craves chaos, constantly finding and enjoying ways of kicking over other people's applecarts. Hakuba is drawn to chaos; this has been shown by his making and strengthening friendship with the actively chaotic Kuroba Kaito. Akako is drawn to order; we can see this in the way she can't leave Nakamori Aoko, an orderly personality, alone. They are not destructive in this attraction; although Akako teases Aoko, she doesn't do so unmercifully, and although Hakuba constantly comments on Kaito's chaos, the comments aren't cruel.
So fans of this pairing believe that they would be drawn to each other's opposing elements, and after they each came close enough to see their similarities, they would develop an empathy between them, leading to affection.
This isn't a 'fall into each others' arms and live happily ever after' pairing. Akako's need for control and Hakuba's clinging to reason with teeth and toenails are ongoing issues with both of them that won't melt away in the face of True Love. But this is what makes them a realistic couple, and what makes a lot of fans like them.
Problems in Casting :: Preventative Events to the Hypothesis - Reasons to Disagree
But Hakuba/Akako's gay!
I respectfully disagree. It's easy to see subtext in several of Aoyama-sensei's stories and Hakuba's obsession with the Kaitou Kid is fairly easy to construe as at least partly a sexual attraction. However, Hakuba has demonstrated a romantic attraction to Nakamori Aoko in canon, so he is attracted to women. He may possibly be bisexual or merely gay for the Kid, but he definitely isn't exclusively gay. Akako's concentration on Nakamori Aoko is far less suggestive, as most of it concentrates on establishing Akako's intentions towards Kaito, and her attraction to Kaito holds a strong element of sexuality.
In short: they could be bi, but canon has established that they're not gay.
But they've never met!
Which is why this is a crack pairing.
Fellow Mages' Results :: Colleagues' Deductions - Other Fans' Opinions
Here are some contributed opinions from other fans:
randomaicoholic:
It's one of the most interesting of the MK fandom, and I think there is a strong basis to build a relationship between those two.
They share a similar relationship with Kaito.
Both of them know the truth about his secret identity, both of them have helped him against his opponent, both of them want to capture him(even if it's in a different way). To be short, they feel the same ambigous mix of fascination and frustration toward the same thief.
Secondly, both of them are an obstacle to the schemes of the other. Akako has already noticed Saguru for that in canon (she compared Shinichi's strong aura to Hakuba's), and it's just logical for Saguru to notice Akako as well.
Thirdly. In canon, Hakuba blushed the first time he saw Koizumi, and they hadn't exchanged a single word before.X3
Akako acts like a man-eater, Hakuba acts like a playboy despite his gentlemanly behaviour (come on, see how he acts with Aoko, it's not so far from Akako's behaviour with Kaito). Another commun ground.
They both have a hunter's mentality, and they have the same favourite prey.
According to her artifact, except for the Kid, every man on earth is a potential candidate to become Akako's love slave. Hakuba is not the Kid.
Akako loves a challenge more than an easy road. When Kaito avoided her in the ski competition and chose Aoko, she said clearly "Kuroba Kaito, I love you more for that."
According to his behaviour with Kaito, Hakuba is similar to her on this area.
Hakuba is a challenge, they share the same pride (and the same narcissism?XD), they would never kneel to another in front of everyone, and a man looking her the eyes in the eyes and not like a goddess is already an affront of Akako, so much potential for sexual tension to be resolved in a competition for Kaito's head/heart...or in bed.Xd
And since Hakuba loves a challenge and pictures himself as the most handsome man for any lady (What? A girl judging him not interesting enough and pretending to be immune to his awesomess? Unacceptable!), and love to compete with Kaito for the conquest of the heart of a lady...XD
It's maybe extrapolation and personal interpretation of the character, but I think that Akako's greatest fear is to become dependent on a man...to the point of feeling inferior to him.
Hakuba is the kind of person who would respect his partner and treat them as his equal.
He said to Aoko that she deserved a more respectful man than Kaito, he plays fair, enough to help Kaito by giving him pieces of information.
And come on, Hakuba would never recognize someone as superior to him, and he would never admit to being interested in someone he would judge inferior to him.
Records of Castings :: Case Histories - Fanworks and Resources
There is a real dearth of Akako/Hakuba fanwork in the MK/DC fandom. Most fanworks featuring the two of them are multipairing stories, and they are a minor pairing. Here, however, is a list of works in which their relationship is a major factor.
Fiction:
(This list has been limited to completed works)
Holy Mackerel by Trisana Kara - Friendship fic.
Knowledge is Power by Jeva - Innuendo.
Pre-Valentine's Day by Heart of Perpetual Ice - Romance.
Morose by Icka M. Chif - Friendship fic.
The Benefits of Mistletoe by Icka M. Chif - Friendship that grows.
[http://ysabet.bravepages.com/writings/JustALittleJoke.htm] "Just A Little Joke" by Ysabet - Implied lemon.
Art:(Please accept my apologies; I was unable to make direct links to the artwork. Please cut and paste the following URLs into your browser bars to view the artworks.)
http://dagronrat.deviantart.com/art/Quand-on-elimine-l-impossible-35334759]: 'Quand On Elimine l'Impossible' (When You Have Eliminated the Impossible), by dagonrat
[http://dagronrat.deviantart.com/art/Red-and-White-Black-and-Blue-24373873]: 'Red and White, Black and Blue', by dagonrat
[http://kkaze.deviantart.com/art/Detective-Conan-and-Ice-Cream-2820832]: 'Detective Conan and Ice Cream', by kkaze
Casting Materials :: Investigative Materials - Credits
All images used within the manifesto are from the manga Magic Kaito and Detective Conan, and are copyright Aoyama Gosho.
I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Magic Kaito LiveJournal Community in providing me with links and opinions to include in this manifesto.
Individual contributions have been credited to their providers within the text.
Author: windtear
Fandom: Magic Kaito and Detective Conan (aka Case Closed)
Pairing: Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru
Spoilers: For all the currently-published Magic Kaito manga
So A Detective And A Sorceress Walk Into A Classroom...
A Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru Relationship Manifesto
This manifesto will explore the reasoning behind the pairing of Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru, two of the antagonists in the manga Magic Kaito.
Casting Environment :: Background Circumstances - A Short Overview of Magic Kaito
By day, Kuroba Kaito is a hyperactive high school student and magician, living a happy, carefree life with his mother and his best friend, Nakamori Aoko. By night, however, he sheds his masks and dons a white suit and monocle to become the Kaitou Kid, jewel thief extraordinaire. The Kaitou Kid is notorious, not just for delivering notices to the public and police of what he's going to take and when, or for taking his targets despite the most sophisticated security systems human ingenuity can devise, but also for returning what he takes a few days later, unharmed. That last is, of course, what drives the police force, headed by Aoko's father, crazy. They don't know that Kaito is in fact the son of the first Kaitou Kid, who was murdered by a criminal organisation that he had once been hired by, and that his heists are not for gain but an attempt to lure his father's murderers out of hiding - an attempt that seems to be getting mixed results so far....
Magic Kaito is the first of Aoyama Gosho's three major series (the second being Yaiba,and the third being Detective Conan. Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are generally considered to be separate parts of the same story, as the main character from Magic Kaito makes semi-regular appearances in Detective Conan, the lead character of Detective Conan has appeared in one of the Magic Kaito special chapters, and there is a strong suggestion that the overarching adversaries from both series are in fact the same entity). Magic Kaito has been published in Shonen Sunday since 1988. It has been collected in four tankoubon. It is not available commercially in English, but fan-translated scanlations of the series may be found online.
The Feminine Principle :: Co-Primary Suspect Number One - Koizumi Akako
Koizumi Akako is a sixteen year old sorceress-slash-femme fatale who's out to rule the world. She believes that all men should be her slaves and doesn't deal with other women very well. (Actually, she doesn't deal with other women at all if she can help it.) She can command the Devil to do her bidding (although it's never said if sometime in her past she made a Faustian-style bargain with the Devil, or if she really is that powerful). She becomes obsessed with Kaitou Kid because he is the only man who is immune to her allure; as time goes on her feelings for Kuroba Kaito soften into a more affection-based attraction, but she never fully gives up the thought that he should be her subordinate or that she should control all men.
Akako is a continuing antagonistic character, with sporadic appearances throughout the series. She is introduced in the sixth chapter, 'Scarlet Temptation', and features in Chapter Seven, 'Don't Touch Me!' and Chapter Ten, 'Adults Don't Understand'. Her final major appearance is in the seventeenth chapter, 'A Gift from Akako', though she makes cameo appearances in the special chapters, 'The Clock Tower Heist' and 'The Red Tear'.
The Masculine Principle :: Co-Primary Suspect Number Two - Hakuba Saguru
Hakuba Saguru is a sixteen year old half-Japanese, half-English detective who models himself on Sherlock Holmes. He is a genius-level intellect who doesn't deal with illogic or emotions very well, and who strives to understand the motivations of others. He is obsessed with Kaitou Kid because he is the only criminal whose motivations Hakuba can't work out. Over the course of the series he becomes convinced that Kaitou Kid is in fact his classmate, Kuroba Kaito, but is never able to obtain enough conclusive proof to establish that fact. As time goes by, his relationship with Kaito becomes friendlier, but he never lets himself forget that a thief and a detective are ultimately on opposite sides.
Hakuba enters the series in the fifteenth chapter, 'The Great Adversary Arrives', and features prominently in Chapter Sixteen, 'A Nearby Enemy' and Chapter Seventeen, 'A Gift from Akako', as well as making a cameo appearance in the special chapter 'Goldeneye' and taking a prominent role in the second half of the special 'The Dark Knight'. He also has appeared in Detective Conan, in Files 562-566, the 'Detective Koshien' arc.
Historical Castings :: Previous Evidence - In Canon
Let's be honest here: Akako and Hakuba don't interact in canon at all, although we know they do know of each other - in 'A Gift from Akako', Hakuba thinks, 'That girl... is in this classroom, too?', while in 'The Clock Tower Heist', Akako thinks, 'Someone inside that [police] helicopter is as strong as Hakuba. I can feel it, the same aggressive power as the Devil.' (It is later shown that she is sensing the presence of Kudou Shinichi, the lead character of Detective Conan.)
Despite this mutual acknowledgement and respect, there is no indication they know any more of each other or deal with each other at all outside the manga panel. This is a pairing built on extrapolation and perceived compatibility.
Projected Castings :: Extrapolated Deductions - In Fanon
Akako/Hakuba tends to be found mostly as a secondary pairing in Kaito/Aoko fanworks, and tends to be used as a more mature foil to the main pairing. There are only a few, shorter fanworks that feature Akako and Hakuba as the main pairing and they tend to have Kaito and Aoko as their secondary pairing.
The reason for this reflective use is fairly simple: although they are a unique couple with a dynamic all their own, on first glance Akako and Hakuba are a reverse reflection of Kaito and Aoko, and therefore are able to be used in fanworks to explore a different configuration of events than the main couple, without risking the main couple's dynamic.
Analysing the Configuration of Elements :: Deducing the Chain of Events - So Why Do They Work?
Hakuba and Akako both hold a number of similarities to each other whilst being very different. They are both 'effective orphans' - Hakuba's parents are not present in his home, and Akako appears to have had none in the first place. They are both outsiders - Akako is set apart by her beauty and her magic, Hakuba by his intelligence and drive. They are both used to acting for themselves rather than through intermediaries. They both have a fondness for cosplay.
...
Hakuba both represents and craves order, constantly seeking after reason. Akako, however, represents and craves chaos, constantly finding and enjoying ways of kicking over other people's applecarts. Hakuba is drawn to chaos; this has been shown by his making and strengthening friendship with the actively chaotic Kuroba Kaito. Akako is drawn to order; we can see this in the way she can't leave Nakamori Aoko, an orderly personality, alone. They are not destructive in this attraction; although Akako teases Aoko, she doesn't do so unmercifully, and although Hakuba constantly comments on Kaito's chaos, the comments aren't cruel.
So fans of this pairing believe that they would be drawn to each other's opposing elements, and after they each came close enough to see their similarities, they would develop an empathy between them, leading to affection.
This isn't a 'fall into each others' arms and live happily ever after' pairing. Akako's need for control and Hakuba's clinging to reason with teeth and toenails are ongoing issues with both of them that won't melt away in the face of True Love. But this is what makes them a realistic couple, and what makes a lot of fans like them.
Problems in Casting :: Preventative Events to the Hypothesis - Reasons to Disagree
But Hakuba/Akako's gay!
I respectfully disagree. It's easy to see subtext in several of Aoyama-sensei's stories and Hakuba's obsession with the Kaitou Kid is fairly easy to construe as at least partly a sexual attraction. However, Hakuba has demonstrated a romantic attraction to Nakamori Aoko in canon, so he is attracted to women. He may possibly be bisexual or merely gay for the Kid, but he definitely isn't exclusively gay. Akako's concentration on Nakamori Aoko is far less suggestive, as most of it concentrates on establishing Akako's intentions towards Kaito, and her attraction to Kaito holds a strong element of sexuality.
In short: they could be bi, but canon has established that they're not gay.
But they've never met!
Which is why this is a crack pairing.
Fellow Mages' Results :: Colleagues' Deductions - Other Fans' Opinions
Here are some contributed opinions from other fans:
randomaicoholic:
It's one of the most interesting of the MK fandom, and I think there is a strong basis to build a relationship between those two.
They share a similar relationship with Kaito.
Both of them know the truth about his secret identity, both of them have helped him against his opponent, both of them want to capture him(even if it's in a different way). To be short, they feel the same ambigous mix of fascination and frustration toward the same thief.
Secondly, both of them are an obstacle to the schemes of the other. Akako has already noticed Saguru for that in canon (she compared Shinichi's strong aura to Hakuba's), and it's just logical for Saguru to notice Akako as well.
Thirdly. In canon, Hakuba blushed the first time he saw Koizumi, and they hadn't exchanged a single word before.X3
Akako acts like a man-eater, Hakuba acts like a playboy despite his gentlemanly behaviour (come on, see how he acts with Aoko, it's not so far from Akako's behaviour with Kaito). Another commun ground.
They both have a hunter's mentality, and they have the same favourite prey.
According to her artifact, except for the Kid, every man on earth is a potential candidate to become Akako's love slave. Hakuba is not the Kid.
Akako loves a challenge more than an easy road. When Kaito avoided her in the ski competition and chose Aoko, she said clearly "Kuroba Kaito, I love you more for that."
According to his behaviour with Kaito, Hakuba is similar to her on this area.
Hakuba is a challenge, they share the same pride (and the same narcissism?XD), they would never kneel to another in front of everyone, and a man looking her the eyes in the eyes and not like a goddess is already an affront of Akako, so much potential for sexual tension to be resolved in a competition for Kaito's head/heart...or in bed.Xd
And since Hakuba loves a challenge and pictures himself as the most handsome man for any lady (What? A girl judging him not interesting enough and pretending to be immune to his awesomess? Unacceptable!), and love to compete with Kaito for the conquest of the heart of a lady...XD
It's maybe extrapolation and personal interpretation of the character, but I think that Akako's greatest fear is to become dependent on a man...to the point of feeling inferior to him.
Hakuba is the kind of person who would respect his partner and treat them as his equal.
He said to Aoko that she deserved a more respectful man than Kaito, he plays fair, enough to help Kaito by giving him pieces of information.
And come on, Hakuba would never recognize someone as superior to him, and he would never admit to being interested in someone he would judge inferior to him.
Records of Castings :: Case Histories - Fanworks and Resources
There is a real dearth of Akako/Hakuba fanwork in the MK/DC fandom. Most fanworks featuring the two of them are multipairing stories, and they are a minor pairing. Here, however, is a list of works in which their relationship is a major factor.
Fiction:
(This list has been limited to completed works)
Holy Mackerel by Trisana Kara - Friendship fic.
Knowledge is Power by Jeva - Innuendo.
Pre-Valentine's Day by Heart of Perpetual Ice - Romance.
Morose by Icka M. Chif - Friendship fic.
The Benefits of Mistletoe by Icka M. Chif - Friendship that grows.
[http://ysabet.bravepages.com/writings/JustALittleJoke.htm] "Just A Little Joke" by Ysabet - Implied lemon.
Art:(Please accept my apologies; I was unable to make direct links to the artwork. Please cut and paste the following URLs into your browser bars to view the artworks.)
http://dagronrat.deviantart.com/art/Quand-on-elimine-l-impossible-35334759]: 'Quand On Elimine l'Impossible' (When You Have Eliminated the Impossible), by dagonrat
[http://dagronrat.deviantart.com/art/Red-and-White-Black-and-Blue-24373873]: 'Red and White, Black and Blue', by dagonrat
[http://kkaze.deviantart.com/art/Detective-Conan-and-Ice-Cream-2820832]: 'Detective Conan and Ice Cream', by kkaze
Casting Materials :: Investigative Materials - Credits
All images used within the manifesto are from the manga Magic Kaito and Detective Conan, and are copyright Aoyama Gosho.
I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Magic Kaito LiveJournal Community in providing me with links and opinions to include in this manifesto.
Individual contributions have been credited to their providers within the text.