Sensui and Itsuki- Yû Yû Hakusho
Okay, this is a bit off the cuff, but I'm going to give it everything I have.
WARNING: Spoilers for YYH ahead!
Title: Sensui and Itsuki: Devoted Dysfunction
Author: Sir Psycho Sexy (akai_senshi
E-mail: verinsedai@madrid.com
(Personal site included in the body of the essay.)
What is Yû Yû Hakusho?
YYH (as it is commonly abbreviated) is about a juvenile delinquent, Urameshi Yûsuke, who dies trying to save a little boy from a car accident- something that he usually wouldn't do. As a reward for his good behavior, he is allowed a test by Koenma, the son of the lord of the dead, to come back to life. Being the protagonist that he is, he does so; however, he comes back with spiritual fighting abilities. The series follows him and his newfound allies as they help save the Human World from demons and other supernatural threats.
Sensui: Dark Angel
Sensui Shinobu is an antagonist that appears later on in the series. He is a former Reikai Tantei ("Spirit Detective", the position that our protagonist Yûsuke holds in the present). During his career days, he was absolutely convinced that he was killing yôkai ("demons") because humanity was purely good and they were purely evil. However, due to an assignment he went on that showed him the true, horrible nature of humanity (in this particular instance, a group of wealthy businessmen torturing demons for their own amusement), and the viewing of a tape from the Spiritual World caled the "Black Chapters" that showed every despicable act humans had inflicted upon demons and also upon other humans, his position did a 180 [which included killing everyone at the businessmen's mansion]. Also because his mind was so delicate as a teenager [when he witnessed this] that it could not process this information without making Sensui feel guilty about his own being a murderer, he eventually developed seven different personalities to deal with the shock.
Sensui is [indirectly] responsible for opening a tunnel between the Human and Demon Worlds in order for the yôkai to come out and kill all of humanity, himself included. But the real reason for all of this commotion, however, was so that Sensui could die with dignity, as he was diagnosed with a terminal illness when he made the decision to open the tunnel.
Itsuki: Gatekeeper
Itsuki is a yaminade, a [very rare] species of yôkai that has the power to open gates between dimensions [hence why he is the one directly responsible for opening the tunnel], and also the power to tame lesser yôkai and make them his "pets". He is senselessly loyal to Sensui because he's madly in love with him; however, he does not believe in fighting himself, and has Sensui do his "dirty work" (if you can call it such). He has an eerily Zenlike approach to things and does not get easily angered.
Because of Itsuki's nature, we're going to discuss the rest of his personality in the next section.
Sensui and Itsuki: Why Pair Them Up?
The easiest answer to this question is the least interesting: They're considered canon. But I'm not one to defend every single canon pairing I run across.
The reason I love Sensui and Itsuki is that their relationship is exceedingly psychologically complex. They met when Sensui was going after Itsuki for esentially just being a demon. The rest is anime history:
Sensui: Would you like anything to say before you die?
Itsuki: If possible, I would like to live for one more day.
Sensui: Why?
Itsuki: Because tomorrow the last episode of my favorite TV drama airs.
Sensui: I watch that show too. *walks away, doesn't kill him*
By maneuvering around Sensui's defenses by showing that one little speck of humanity to him, Itsuki moves into his heart (this is taken from the English dub):
"He has everything. Sensui can be violent, courageous, spiritually pure, and even fragile. He can be a graceful spokesman with charisma to bring anyone to his side. Indeed, I have been drawn to his aura like a moth to the flame since the very first moment that we met. I first saw him in the darkness, forging a path of light. I would follow him for hours, unbenownst to him. Just watching him work made me feel alive....
'...And so he let me live. I was his first step in realizing his relationships between good and evil could not be so...'traditionally defined'. ...
''Who could have dreamed that this hunter I admired for physical prowess, this killer of killers, could also be warm, compassionate, intellectual, open to broadening his view of the world...Yes, I admit my attraction was not merely academic; I always wished he would become my lover."
However, not all is rainbows and butterflies in S/I Land. The most interesting part of the relationship is that there is a significant amount of back-and-forth coercion going on. Both men are very psychotic and adept at screwing with other people's heads, and this shows in their relationship. Itsuki (or so I take it) would let Sensui think he's getting his way, when he actually isn't, and vice versa. Underneath Itsuki's loyalty is something of a manipulative facade, one needed to pry into the normally distant, cold Sensui's emotions. The success of this is shown by a female personality that Sensui has developed, "Naru", who only appears around Itsuki and acts as an emotional vent for Sensui [and some would argue also as an outlet to mock women]. This being said, there is no seme/uke in this relationship; the men are equals.
Finally, each man trusts the other completely. Itsuki trusts that what Sensui is doing is right, and also he trusts each of Sensui's personae, even "Kazuya", a cold-blooded Yakuza thug who delights in torturing and killing anything in his path; Sensui trusts in Itsuki to take care of his broken soul, and his body after he dies. (He wills his soul not to enter Spirit World for judgement, and for Itsuki to keep vigil over his soul and body after death in his subspace dimension.)
Websites
Limbo- The official SxI fanlisting. The only site out there for them as a couple.
Fallen from Grace- my shrine to Sensui Shinobu.
Enjoy the Silence and Never Ending Dreams- two awesome Itsuki shrines.
LJ Groups
itsusen_comm
Fanfic Recs
Everything and Again by MarMar3- A very sweet story involving the question of "What if Itsuki had more powers than he demonstrated in the anime, like the power to bring someone back to life for a week at the expense of his own life?"
That Man by Starlite-Destiny- Itsuki's feelings for Sensui, basically.
Title Still Pending by Kantomon- AU fic, but a damn good AU fic. In her words, "A young Sensui Shinobu foolishly gets himself caught in an uraotoko dimension warp, only to find himself in the future and discover the nightmare of what he's destined to become."
Faux Pas by BondageInc- A speculative post-Sensui-arc fic. Nice and epic, so be prepared to sit in front of the computer for a few hours.
It Takes All Kinds by Sir Psycho Sexy (i.e., me) and Black and Blue by KarasuMouri- Two NC-17-rated looks at how Sensui and Itsuki may have gotten together. (I've read "Black and Blue" about 20 times, it's so damn good!)
-Armand
WARNING: Spoilers for YYH ahead!
Title: Sensui and Itsuki: Devoted Dysfunction
Author: Sir Psycho Sexy (akai_senshi
E-mail: verinsedai@madrid.com
(Personal site included in the body of the essay.)
What is Yû Yû Hakusho?
YYH (as it is commonly abbreviated) is about a juvenile delinquent, Urameshi Yûsuke, who dies trying to save a little boy from a car accident- something that he usually wouldn't do. As a reward for his good behavior, he is allowed a test by Koenma, the son of the lord of the dead, to come back to life. Being the protagonist that he is, he does so; however, he comes back with spiritual fighting abilities. The series follows him and his newfound allies as they help save the Human World from demons and other supernatural threats.
Sensui: Dark Angel
Sensui Shinobu is an antagonist that appears later on in the series. He is a former Reikai Tantei ("Spirit Detective", the position that our protagonist Yûsuke holds in the present). During his career days, he was absolutely convinced that he was killing yôkai ("demons") because humanity was purely good and they were purely evil. However, due to an assignment he went on that showed him the true, horrible nature of humanity (in this particular instance, a group of wealthy businessmen torturing demons for their own amusement), and the viewing of a tape from the Spiritual World caled the "Black Chapters" that showed every despicable act humans had inflicted upon demons and also upon other humans, his position did a 180 [which included killing everyone at the businessmen's mansion]. Also because his mind was so delicate as a teenager [when he witnessed this] that it could not process this information without making Sensui feel guilty about his own being a murderer, he eventually developed seven different personalities to deal with the shock.
Sensui is [indirectly] responsible for opening a tunnel between the Human and Demon Worlds in order for the yôkai to come out and kill all of humanity, himself included. But the real reason for all of this commotion, however, was so that Sensui could die with dignity, as he was diagnosed with a terminal illness when he made the decision to open the tunnel.
Itsuki: Gatekeeper
Itsuki is a yaminade, a [very rare] species of yôkai that has the power to open gates between dimensions [hence why he is the one directly responsible for opening the tunnel], and also the power to tame lesser yôkai and make them his "pets". He is senselessly loyal to Sensui because he's madly in love with him; however, he does not believe in fighting himself, and has Sensui do his "dirty work" (if you can call it such). He has an eerily Zenlike approach to things and does not get easily angered.
Because of Itsuki's nature, we're going to discuss the rest of his personality in the next section.
Sensui and Itsuki: Why Pair Them Up?
The easiest answer to this question is the least interesting: They're considered canon. But I'm not one to defend every single canon pairing I run across.
The reason I love Sensui and Itsuki is that their relationship is exceedingly psychologically complex. They met when Sensui was going after Itsuki for esentially just being a demon. The rest is anime history:
Sensui: Would you like anything to say before you die?
Itsuki: If possible, I would like to live for one more day.
Sensui: Why?
Itsuki: Because tomorrow the last episode of my favorite TV drama airs.
Sensui: I watch that show too. *walks away, doesn't kill him*
By maneuvering around Sensui's defenses by showing that one little speck of humanity to him, Itsuki moves into his heart (this is taken from the English dub):
"He has everything. Sensui can be violent, courageous, spiritually pure, and even fragile. He can be a graceful spokesman with charisma to bring anyone to his side. Indeed, I have been drawn to his aura like a moth to the flame since the very first moment that we met. I first saw him in the darkness, forging a path of light. I would follow him for hours, unbenownst to him. Just watching him work made me feel alive....
'...And so he let me live. I was his first step in realizing his relationships between good and evil could not be so...'traditionally defined'. ...
''Who could have dreamed that this hunter I admired for physical prowess, this killer of killers, could also be warm, compassionate, intellectual, open to broadening his view of the world...Yes, I admit my attraction was not merely academic; I always wished he would become my lover."
However, not all is rainbows and butterflies in S/I Land. The most interesting part of the relationship is that there is a significant amount of back-and-forth coercion going on. Both men are very psychotic and adept at screwing with other people's heads, and this shows in their relationship. Itsuki (or so I take it) would let Sensui think he's getting his way, when he actually isn't, and vice versa. Underneath Itsuki's loyalty is something of a manipulative facade, one needed to pry into the normally distant, cold Sensui's emotions. The success of this is shown by a female personality that Sensui has developed, "Naru", who only appears around Itsuki and acts as an emotional vent for Sensui [and some would argue also as an outlet to mock women]. This being said, there is no seme/uke in this relationship; the men are equals.
Finally, each man trusts the other completely. Itsuki trusts that what Sensui is doing is right, and also he trusts each of Sensui's personae, even "Kazuya", a cold-blooded Yakuza thug who delights in torturing and killing anything in his path; Sensui trusts in Itsuki to take care of his broken soul, and his body after he dies. (He wills his soul not to enter Spirit World for judgement, and for Itsuki to keep vigil over his soul and body after death in his subspace dimension.)
Websites
Limbo- The official SxI fanlisting. The only site out there for them as a couple.
Fallen from Grace- my shrine to Sensui Shinobu.
Enjoy the Silence and Never Ending Dreams- two awesome Itsuki shrines.
LJ Groups
itsusen_comm
Fanfic Recs
Everything and Again by MarMar3- A very sweet story involving the question of "What if Itsuki had more powers than he demonstrated in the anime, like the power to bring someone back to life for a week at the expense of his own life?"
That Man by Starlite-Destiny- Itsuki's feelings for Sensui, basically.
Title Still Pending by Kantomon- AU fic, but a damn good AU fic. In her words, "A young Sensui Shinobu foolishly gets himself caught in an uraotoko dimension warp, only to find himself in the future and discover the nightmare of what he's destined to become."
Faux Pas by BondageInc- A speculative post-Sensui-arc fic. Nice and epic, so be prepared to sit in front of the computer for a few hours.
It Takes All Kinds by Sir Psycho Sexy (i.e., me) and Black and Blue by KarasuMouri- Two NC-17-rated looks at how Sensui and Itsuki may have gotten together. (I've read "Black and Blue" about 20 times, it's so damn good!)
-Armand