Mutually Obsessed - A Sango/Miroku Manifesto (InuYasha)
Subject: Mutually Obsessed - A Sango/Miroku Manifesto (InuYasha)
Picture Keyword: sango/miroku
Text:
Title: Mutually Obsessed
Author: bohemianneko
Fandom: InuYasha
Pairing: Sango/Miroku
Spoilers: Sporadic, but I’ll warn you through the entire anime and up to the 523rd chapter of the manga. This manifesto may not yet be complete as the manga series is not complete.
Word Count: approx. 2500. To be checked accurately soon.
Notes: I’m going to try to make this as dial-up-friendly as possible because I have dial-up. I just recently got back into this fandom after a nearly-five-year hiatus, so if anyone finds anything they consider a discrepancy then, please, let me know.
Miroku
Name Etymology: Miroku’s name comes from a Japanese-Buddhist belief pertaining to a Messiah-like figure. While it is not suggested that Miroku is such a Messiah, this does perhaps indicate that Miroku’s father’s dedication to being a monk was not just in-the-family or centered on need due to the mystical properties of the curse. The choice of a messianic name for Miroku may (or may not) suggest that he brings hope and deliverance to his accursed bloodline. [1]
Miroku was the first of the couple to begin traveling with Inuyasha. Miroku is a traveling Buddhist monk who makes his living by conning villages and rich houses out of food and shelter by having his raccoon-dog companion, Hachi, pose as an evil, demon threat. He performs a mock exorcism and receives the praise and support of the community before moving on again.
His first brush with Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou was an attempt to steal Kagome’s jewel shards. After a bumpy start Miroku assimilates himself into the group and is the first to explain Naraku at length. The only weapon Miroku uses offensively is his kazaana (wind tunnel). It is revealed in the series that the kazaana is the mark of a curse set on his family by Naraku. Since his grandfather’s scathe with Naraku, the oldest surviving male must carry the kazaana in his right hand. The kazaana serves as a useful weapon and defensive mechanism, but it expands slowly over time and can be torn, which expedites the process. The ultimate fate of the one who possesses the kazaana is to eventually be swallowed up into the void without a trace. It is Miroku’s personal mission to find Naraku and destroy him to avert this fate to which he had already witnessed his father succumb.
Miroku is useful due to his knowledge of demons and other aspects of their world’s occult. He is highly intelligent and seems to be the wisest and most centered of the group. While some of his practices may lead one to believe otherwise, he is a generally upright and honorable man. One of his more questionable practices is his tendency to “womanize”. He is a shameless and tireless flirt and often asks the attractive women he meets if they would consider bearing his firstborn child. Initially this is seen as simply a severe lack of tact by the others, but they eventually learn that his motivation is directly related to his curse. It would seem that his grandfather and his father had succeeded more in their attempts, but all of them are rooted in a much darker idea: if Miroku, like his forefathers, does not survive to defeat Naraku, he wishes to have a male heir to carry on the battle for his family’s restoration and honor.
Sango
Name Etymology: Sango’s name is the Japanese word for “coral”. Many of the things associated with her and her past bear the names of various stones. Her armor in the colorized manga is a marbleized pink which reflects the “coral” motif. (In the anime the armor is a darker pink.) Her brother Kohaku’s name can also be traced back to the stone motif and, while his name can mean several different things, it seems to reference topaz, which is also reflected in the color of his armor. Kirara is a reference to mica. The references to stone associated with Sango’s village are never explained, and it may be just the simple use of a very common means of establishing association. It may reference, however, something “stone” or “firm” about the mentality of her people. In order to engage in orderly militaristic activity such as the demon slayers did, one would have to be highly disciplined both physically and spiritually. Such a mentality is often exhibited in Sango’s personality and is highly archetypal. [2, 3]
Sango is the last to come upon Inuyasha’s group and stay. She initially came looking for Inuyasha to try to kill him after hearing Naraku (before she knew his true identity) accuse Inuyasha of destroying her village. Sango was from the village of the demon slayers and had spent her life training to become one. By the time of the tragedy which sets her on the path that leads her to Inuyasha, she was one of the five strongest demon slayers in her village, along with her father and brother.
When the Shikon no Tama shattered, the demon slayers came to possess some of the jewel shards. Naraku decided that he wanted to take the jewel shards they possessed, so he contrived to lure the village’s five most powerful slayers to a castle in which he was posing as a Lord. After defeating the spider demon which Naraku had told them was plaguing the castle, Naraku gains control of Kohaku and makes him kill his fellow villagers including his father. Sango survives the first attempt on her life and tries to free Kohaku but in the process she and Kohaku are both shot full of arrows. What was truly an evil scheme on Naraku’s part is seen only as a tragedy, and Sango, her father, and the other two demon slayers are buried in shallow graves.
Sango, still alive, digs her way out of the grave and is nursed by the yet-incognito Naraku. He intentionally plants the idea that the destruction of her village was Inuyasha’s doing, and she vows to avenge her village. Naraku places a jewel shard in her shoulder, and she is able to hold her own in a fight with Inuyasha, but perhaps only because Inuyasha was intentionally holding back as he did not want to fight her. The truth about what had happened is eventually revealed to Sango and she allies herself, however reluctantly, with Inuyasha and his companions.
What initially started out as a quest for vengeance grows entirely more complicated with the revelation that Naraku had resurrected her little brother, who had died in the arrow attack, and had erased his memories and turned him into a killing machine. Sango’s alliance with the group is eventually made concrete because she feels she must liberate Kohaku at all costs.
Enter Sango, the Demon Slayer
Sango and Miroku’s relationship begins, as all the other relationships in Inuyasha, out of a kind of perceived necessity. Sango came after Inuyasha because Naraku led her to believe that he had slain her village. Miroku attempts to aid Inuyasha when Sango attacks him, but Naraku uses his Saimyosho to prevent Miroku from using his kazaana. When Naraku’s self-made copy steals Kagome’s jewel shards, Sango becomes suspicious, and she eventually learns the truth about Naraku and realizes that he is her enemy as well as the enemy of Inuyasha and his companions.
During her confrontation with Inuyasha, Sango loses a large quantity of blood from her previous injuries and wounds she sustained from Inuyasha’s defensive maneuvers in spite of the fact that he had held back because he did not want to fight her. This leaves her weak during her first reluctant travels with the group. She is initially reluctant to ally herself with Inuyasha because she has never known demons to be trustworthy, and she also feels that demon slaying is her sole responsibility and that Inuyasha and the others’ help is something of an interference.
As Inuyasha develops, often the group splits with Inuyasha and Kagome (and typically Shippou) going one way and Miroku and Sango (accompanied by Sango’s constant companion Kirara) in the other. This does not imply that the entire group does not share some sort of almost familial relationship. Some might suggest that because we do not actually see interaction between the two sets very often that it implies that they do not care for one another when it is hardly the case. Inuyasha relies heavily upon one assuming that we don’t see every interaction between any of the characters.
What is important, however, about this distribution of forces is that it means something with regard to the exact ways in which the characters relate to one another. Inuyasha and Kagome share a special relationship which, though often strained, binds them together emotionally and makes them very capable of playing off one another intellectually, emotionally, and in combat [4]. The question that remains, then, is what exactly is it that binds Miroku and Sango to one another?
The Tie that Binds
Sango initially bonds with Kagome and seems wary of both the men in the group. She is somewhat reluctant to trust Inuyasha for several reasons related to the circumstances which led her to meeting the group in the first place, and, even after she learns that Inuyasha is a worthy ally, she finds some solace in the sister-like relationship she quickly develops with Kagome after losing all of her family and friends to Naraku’s evil plot. The reason she is reluctant to trust Miroku, however, is on an entirely different wavelength.
Miroku had already established his reputation as the “lecherous monk” before Sango arrived. When he had plotted to steal Kagome’s jewel shards he does so when she is bathing which was in part due to the fact that she would be vulnerable without Inuyasha around but also speaks of his general nature. When Miroku becomes an ally to Inuyasha and Kagome, he also asks Kagome if she will bear his children. He soon gives up on any such enterprise with Kagome when he sees the developing relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha for what it is and seems to respect it.
By the time Sango arrives, Miroku had already shown it to be his habit to ask every eligible woman he meets to bear his children. This habit, among other outwardly flirtatious and sometimes lewd behavior, makes Sango hold the monk in some disdain because it clashes so much with her own sensibilities.
As a demon slayer, Sango is by nature very straight-laced. In order to slay demons and purify demon contaminated objects, she must possess great physical and spiritual discipline. Though Inuyasha does not discuss religion beyond its mythological tenets very often, Sango is often seen praying when there have been a large number of casualties and she frequently pays her respect to her dead father and fellow villagers. Sango often exhibits personality traits that might be perceived as prudish. She slaps Miroku when he gropes her and blushes furiously when he hugs her [5]. Sango does not think as a typical teenager or young adult because she cannot afford to be one. It would seem that her rigorous training and devotion to the Demon Slayers has left her almost innocent to a fault when it comes to some of the more “practical” ways of the world. This is not to say that she is entirely naïve, but rather that she is somewhat innately pure of thought which follows the stereotype of what one would expect a Demon Slayer to be.
Sango and Miroku are polar opposites in many ways, but they also have enough in common to make a good team. During the fighting scenes in Inuyasha, the combat against Naraku or any other enemy is often divided between Inuyasha and Kagome fighting together and Sango and Miroku doing the same. Sango and Miroku rely heavily on spiritual disciplines in their fighting techniques, though Sango's tend to be more physical in their application than mental.
They are friends without question, though Miroku's lecherous tendencies tend to get him in trouble more often than not. He gropes Sango frequently, especially when she is trying to convey something emotionally important by standing near him as she speaks. These advances are almost always met with a slap, but Miroku is undeterred and Sango continues to appreciate his friendship. She develops romantic feelings for him reluctantly and denies them at first. She eventually confides in Kagome that his flirtatious nature toward other women disturbs her and that she does not see a way for a relationship with him to go anywhere for that reason. Miroku shows genuine concern and affection for Sango, but in actual displays it is almost always tempered by groping.
Sango realizes eventually that she is the only woman he has never asked to bear his children and jealously points it out to him. She backs down quickly, however, and his subsequent request is met with her typical dismissal. In the anime, Miroku does eventually propose to Sango, asking her to come and live with him and bear his children if they survive defeating Naraku. While it may seem unromantic to suggest prolonging any further confirmation of their relationship, Miroku actually seems to do this because he does not want to hurt her and is constantly aware of the danger to his life because of the kazaana. Presumably, he would want to avoid causing her any more pain than would be necessary if he were to die in their final fight with Naraku. Sango tearfully accepts and tries to get Miroku to promise her that he will stop flirting with other women. He will not answer her and is met by a dirty look but nothing more. He does, however, stop his advances toward other women after that.
In Chapter 523 of the manga, Sango kisses Miroku while he is unconscious. The manga seems to be reaching a climax and during events prior to that chapter Miroku had taken in something that allowed him to not feel pain. Doing so, he was able to fight on alongside Sango even though his kazaana was badly damaged. After the fight he lapses into unconsciousness and is cared for by Kaede. Sango feels responsible for his injury and stays by his side, asking Kaede if she may have a few moments alone with him. Kaede complies with her request, and when alone with him, Sango reflects on how much Miroku has sacrificed for the sake of herself and her brother and kisses him. It is not known whether or not Miroku was aware of this action.
Sango/Miroku is in some ways cliché but I find even that aspect of the pairing endearing. I think it is a pairing which is worth following because it examines the age-old dynamic of neither being able to live with one another or without one another. Without at least a little controversy, life wouldn’t be worth it would it?
End Note: This manifesto is probably yet incomplete due to the fact that the manga series is not over. Edits are likely to be made at a later date.
References and Works Cited:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya
[2] http://hagakureproductions.tripod.com/clothes.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohaku_%28InuYasha%29
[4] For more on Inuyasha/Kagome please see haro’s manifesto, Anywhere I Go, I’m Home if You are There Beside Me, on the couple here.
[5] There is at least one example of this in Inuyasha: The Movie 2: The Castle Through the Looking Glass.
Sango and/or Miroku-centric episodes:
Episode:Episode Title:Character:
Episode 16The Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk MirokuMiroku
Episode 24Enter Sango, the Demon SlayerSango
Episode 25Naraku’s Insidious PlotSango
Episode 26Secret of the Jewel of the Four Souls: RevealedSango
Episode 27The Lake of the Evil Water Godbrief Sango/Miroku moments
Episode 28Miroku Falls into a Dangerous TrapMiroku
Episode 29Sango’s Suffering and Kohaku’s LifeSango
Episode 40The Deadly Trap of the Wind Sorceress, KaguraSango and Miroku
Episode 41Kagura’s Dance and Kanna’s MirrorMiroku
Episode 49Kohaku’s Lost MemoriesSango
Episode 50The Face That Can’t Be ForgottenSango
Episode 56The Lure of Beauty over the FogsMiroku, Sango
Episode 59Sango’s Young ApprenticesSango
Episode 78Only You, SangoSango, Miroku
Episode 85Evil Spirits Rising, Demon’s Severed HeadMiroku
Episode 86The Secret of the Emblem LadyMiroku, Sango
Episode 93The Mysterious Pervert Monk Who Comes and GoesMiroku
Episode 118The Heart of Mount HakureiSango, Miroku
Episode 119A Divine and Malicious SaintMiroku, Sango
Episode 132The Most Dangerous Confession of Monk MirokuMiroku, Sango
Episode 135The Last Banquet of Miroku’s MasterMiroku
Episode 152Protect and PlunderSango
Episode 153Fate is a Cruel ReunionSango
Episode 159Kohaku’s Resolution and Sango’s HeartSango
Episode 161Miroku’s Old MistakeMiroku, Sango
Episode 163Sango, Kirara, Kohaku, the Secret Garden
Information from: http://www.inuyasha-fan.com/episodes.htm
Picture Keyword: sango/miroku
Text:
Title: Mutually Obsessed
Author: bohemianneko
Fandom: InuYasha
Pairing: Sango/Miroku
Spoilers: Sporadic, but I’ll warn you through the entire anime and up to the 523rd chapter of the manga. This manifesto may not yet be complete as the manga series is not complete.
Word Count: approx. 2500. To be checked accurately soon.
Notes: I’m going to try to make this as dial-up-friendly as possible because I have dial-up. I just recently got back into this fandom after a nearly-five-year hiatus, so if anyone finds anything they consider a discrepancy then, please, let me know.
Miroku
Name Etymology: Miroku’s name comes from a Japanese-Buddhist belief pertaining to a Messiah-like figure. While it is not suggested that Miroku is such a Messiah, this does perhaps indicate that Miroku’s father’s dedication to being a monk was not just in-the-family or centered on need due to the mystical properties of the curse. The choice of a messianic name for Miroku may (or may not) suggest that he brings hope and deliverance to his accursed bloodline. [1]
Miroku was the first of the couple to begin traveling with Inuyasha. Miroku is a traveling Buddhist monk who makes his living by conning villages and rich houses out of food and shelter by having his raccoon-dog companion, Hachi, pose as an evil, demon threat. He performs a mock exorcism and receives the praise and support of the community before moving on again.
His first brush with Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou was an attempt to steal Kagome’s jewel shards. After a bumpy start Miroku assimilates himself into the group and is the first to explain Naraku at length. The only weapon Miroku uses offensively is his kazaana (wind tunnel). It is revealed in the series that the kazaana is the mark of a curse set on his family by Naraku. Since his grandfather’s scathe with Naraku, the oldest surviving male must carry the kazaana in his right hand. The kazaana serves as a useful weapon and defensive mechanism, but it expands slowly over time and can be torn, which expedites the process. The ultimate fate of the one who possesses the kazaana is to eventually be swallowed up into the void without a trace. It is Miroku’s personal mission to find Naraku and destroy him to avert this fate to which he had already witnessed his father succumb.
Miroku is useful due to his knowledge of demons and other aspects of their world’s occult. He is highly intelligent and seems to be the wisest and most centered of the group. While some of his practices may lead one to believe otherwise, he is a generally upright and honorable man. One of his more questionable practices is his tendency to “womanize”. He is a shameless and tireless flirt and often asks the attractive women he meets if they would consider bearing his firstborn child. Initially this is seen as simply a severe lack of tact by the others, but they eventually learn that his motivation is directly related to his curse. It would seem that his grandfather and his father had succeeded more in their attempts, but all of them are rooted in a much darker idea: if Miroku, like his forefathers, does not survive to defeat Naraku, he wishes to have a male heir to carry on the battle for his family’s restoration and honor.
Sango
Name Etymology: Sango’s name is the Japanese word for “coral”. Many of the things associated with her and her past bear the names of various stones. Her armor in the colorized manga is a marbleized pink which reflects the “coral” motif. (In the anime the armor is a darker pink.) Her brother Kohaku’s name can also be traced back to the stone motif and, while his name can mean several different things, it seems to reference topaz, which is also reflected in the color of his armor. Kirara is a reference to mica. The references to stone associated with Sango’s village are never explained, and it may be just the simple use of a very common means of establishing association. It may reference, however, something “stone” or “firm” about the mentality of her people. In order to engage in orderly militaristic activity such as the demon slayers did, one would have to be highly disciplined both physically and spiritually. Such a mentality is often exhibited in Sango’s personality and is highly archetypal. [2, 3]
Sango is the last to come upon Inuyasha’s group and stay. She initially came looking for Inuyasha to try to kill him after hearing Naraku (before she knew his true identity) accuse Inuyasha of destroying her village. Sango was from the village of the demon slayers and had spent her life training to become one. By the time of the tragedy which sets her on the path that leads her to Inuyasha, she was one of the five strongest demon slayers in her village, along with her father and brother.
When the Shikon no Tama shattered, the demon slayers came to possess some of the jewel shards. Naraku decided that he wanted to take the jewel shards they possessed, so he contrived to lure the village’s five most powerful slayers to a castle in which he was posing as a Lord. After defeating the spider demon which Naraku had told them was plaguing the castle, Naraku gains control of Kohaku and makes him kill his fellow villagers including his father. Sango survives the first attempt on her life and tries to free Kohaku but in the process she and Kohaku are both shot full of arrows. What was truly an evil scheme on Naraku’s part is seen only as a tragedy, and Sango, her father, and the other two demon slayers are buried in shallow graves.
Sango, still alive, digs her way out of the grave and is nursed by the yet-incognito Naraku. He intentionally plants the idea that the destruction of her village was Inuyasha’s doing, and she vows to avenge her village. Naraku places a jewel shard in her shoulder, and she is able to hold her own in a fight with Inuyasha, but perhaps only because Inuyasha was intentionally holding back as he did not want to fight her. The truth about what had happened is eventually revealed to Sango and she allies herself, however reluctantly, with Inuyasha and his companions.
What initially started out as a quest for vengeance grows entirely more complicated with the revelation that Naraku had resurrected her little brother, who had died in the arrow attack, and had erased his memories and turned him into a killing machine. Sango’s alliance with the group is eventually made concrete because she feels she must liberate Kohaku at all costs.
Enter Sango, the Demon Slayer
Sango and Miroku’s relationship begins, as all the other relationships in Inuyasha, out of a kind of perceived necessity. Sango came after Inuyasha because Naraku led her to believe that he had slain her village. Miroku attempts to aid Inuyasha when Sango attacks him, but Naraku uses his Saimyosho to prevent Miroku from using his kazaana. When Naraku’s self-made copy steals Kagome’s jewel shards, Sango becomes suspicious, and she eventually learns the truth about Naraku and realizes that he is her enemy as well as the enemy of Inuyasha and his companions.
During her confrontation with Inuyasha, Sango loses a large quantity of blood from her previous injuries and wounds she sustained from Inuyasha’s defensive maneuvers in spite of the fact that he had held back because he did not want to fight her. This leaves her weak during her first reluctant travels with the group. She is initially reluctant to ally herself with Inuyasha because she has never known demons to be trustworthy, and she also feels that demon slaying is her sole responsibility and that Inuyasha and the others’ help is something of an interference.
As Inuyasha develops, often the group splits with Inuyasha and Kagome (and typically Shippou) going one way and Miroku and Sango (accompanied by Sango’s constant companion Kirara) in the other. This does not imply that the entire group does not share some sort of almost familial relationship. Some might suggest that because we do not actually see interaction between the two sets very often that it implies that they do not care for one another when it is hardly the case. Inuyasha relies heavily upon one assuming that we don’t see every interaction between any of the characters.
What is important, however, about this distribution of forces is that it means something with regard to the exact ways in which the characters relate to one another. Inuyasha and Kagome share a special relationship which, though often strained, binds them together emotionally and makes them very capable of playing off one another intellectually, emotionally, and in combat [4]. The question that remains, then, is what exactly is it that binds Miroku and Sango to one another?
The Tie that Binds
Sango initially bonds with Kagome and seems wary of both the men in the group. She is somewhat reluctant to trust Inuyasha for several reasons related to the circumstances which led her to meeting the group in the first place, and, even after she learns that Inuyasha is a worthy ally, she finds some solace in the sister-like relationship she quickly develops with Kagome after losing all of her family and friends to Naraku’s evil plot. The reason she is reluctant to trust Miroku, however, is on an entirely different wavelength.
Miroku had already established his reputation as the “lecherous monk” before Sango arrived. When he had plotted to steal Kagome’s jewel shards he does so when she is bathing which was in part due to the fact that she would be vulnerable without Inuyasha around but also speaks of his general nature. When Miroku becomes an ally to Inuyasha and Kagome, he also asks Kagome if she will bear his children. He soon gives up on any such enterprise with Kagome when he sees the developing relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha for what it is and seems to respect it.
By the time Sango arrives, Miroku had already shown it to be his habit to ask every eligible woman he meets to bear his children. This habit, among other outwardly flirtatious and sometimes lewd behavior, makes Sango hold the monk in some disdain because it clashes so much with her own sensibilities.
As a demon slayer, Sango is by nature very straight-laced. In order to slay demons and purify demon contaminated objects, she must possess great physical and spiritual discipline. Though Inuyasha does not discuss religion beyond its mythological tenets very often, Sango is often seen praying when there have been a large number of casualties and she frequently pays her respect to her dead father and fellow villagers. Sango often exhibits personality traits that might be perceived as prudish. She slaps Miroku when he gropes her and blushes furiously when he hugs her [5]. Sango does not think as a typical teenager or young adult because she cannot afford to be one. It would seem that her rigorous training and devotion to the Demon Slayers has left her almost innocent to a fault when it comes to some of the more “practical” ways of the world. This is not to say that she is entirely naïve, but rather that she is somewhat innately pure of thought which follows the stereotype of what one would expect a Demon Slayer to be.
Sango and Miroku are polar opposites in many ways, but they also have enough in common to make a good team. During the fighting scenes in Inuyasha, the combat against Naraku or any other enemy is often divided between Inuyasha and Kagome fighting together and Sango and Miroku doing the same. Sango and Miroku rely heavily on spiritual disciplines in their fighting techniques, though Sango's tend to be more physical in their application than mental.
They are friends without question, though Miroku's lecherous tendencies tend to get him in trouble more often than not. He gropes Sango frequently, especially when she is trying to convey something emotionally important by standing near him as she speaks. These advances are almost always met with a slap, but Miroku is undeterred and Sango continues to appreciate his friendship. She develops romantic feelings for him reluctantly and denies them at first. She eventually confides in Kagome that his flirtatious nature toward other women disturbs her and that she does not see a way for a relationship with him to go anywhere for that reason. Miroku shows genuine concern and affection for Sango, but in actual displays it is almost always tempered by groping.
Sango realizes eventually that she is the only woman he has never asked to bear his children and jealously points it out to him. She backs down quickly, however, and his subsequent request is met with her typical dismissal. In the anime, Miroku does eventually propose to Sango, asking her to come and live with him and bear his children if they survive defeating Naraku. While it may seem unromantic to suggest prolonging any further confirmation of their relationship, Miroku actually seems to do this because he does not want to hurt her and is constantly aware of the danger to his life because of the kazaana. Presumably, he would want to avoid causing her any more pain than would be necessary if he were to die in their final fight with Naraku. Sango tearfully accepts and tries to get Miroku to promise her that he will stop flirting with other women. He will not answer her and is met by a dirty look but nothing more. He does, however, stop his advances toward other women after that.
In Chapter 523 of the manga, Sango kisses Miroku while he is unconscious. The manga seems to be reaching a climax and during events prior to that chapter Miroku had taken in something that allowed him to not feel pain. Doing so, he was able to fight on alongside Sango even though his kazaana was badly damaged. After the fight he lapses into unconsciousness and is cared for by Kaede. Sango feels responsible for his injury and stays by his side, asking Kaede if she may have a few moments alone with him. Kaede complies with her request, and when alone with him, Sango reflects on how much Miroku has sacrificed for the sake of herself and her brother and kisses him. It is not known whether or not Miroku was aware of this action.
Sango/Miroku is in some ways cliché but I find even that aspect of the pairing endearing. I think it is a pairing which is worth following because it examines the age-old dynamic of neither being able to live with one another or without one another. Without at least a little controversy, life wouldn’t be worth it would it?
End Note: This manifesto is probably yet incomplete due to the fact that the manga series is not over. Edits are likely to be made at a later date.
References and Works Cited:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya
[2] http://hagakureproductions.tripod.com/clothes.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohaku_%28InuYasha%29
[4] For more on Inuyasha/Kagome please see haro’s manifesto, Anywhere I Go, I’m Home if You are There Beside Me, on the couple here.
[5] There is at least one example of this in Inuyasha: The Movie 2: The Castle Through the Looking Glass.
Sango and/or Miroku-centric episodes:
Episode:Episode Title:Character:
Episode 16The Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk MirokuMiroku
Episode 24Enter Sango, the Demon SlayerSango
Episode 25Naraku’s Insidious PlotSango
Episode 26Secret of the Jewel of the Four Souls: RevealedSango
Episode 27The Lake of the Evil Water Godbrief Sango/Miroku moments
Episode 28Miroku Falls into a Dangerous TrapMiroku
Episode 29Sango’s Suffering and Kohaku’s LifeSango
Episode 40The Deadly Trap of the Wind Sorceress, KaguraSango and Miroku
Episode 41Kagura’s Dance and Kanna’s MirrorMiroku
Episode 49Kohaku’s Lost MemoriesSango
Episode 50The Face That Can’t Be ForgottenSango
Episode 56The Lure of Beauty over the FogsMiroku, Sango
Episode 59Sango’s Young ApprenticesSango
Episode 78Only You, SangoSango, Miroku
Episode 85Evil Spirits Rising, Demon’s Severed HeadMiroku
Episode 86The Secret of the Emblem LadyMiroku, Sango
Episode 93The Mysterious Pervert Monk Who Comes and GoesMiroku
Episode 118The Heart of Mount HakureiSango, Miroku
Episode 119A Divine and Malicious SaintMiroku, Sango
Episode 132The Most Dangerous Confession of Monk MirokuMiroku, Sango
Episode 135The Last Banquet of Miroku’s MasterMiroku
Episode 152Protect and PlunderSango
Episode 153Fate is a Cruel ReunionSango
Episode 159Kohaku’s Resolution and Sango’s HeartSango
Episode 161Miroku’s Old MistakeMiroku, Sango
Episode 163Sango, Kirara, Kohaku, the Secret Garden
Information from: http://www.inuyasha-fan.com/episodes.htm