I Like My Women Tainted and a Little Rough

[arcadiasilver]

Ahh, I think I'm coming out of the post Animazement crash. I dunno about my feet though, they still kinda ache.

Either way, I need to upload the 100+ pictures from the Saturday Bleach shoot and all the cosplay photos otherwise. Photobucket is gonna hate me something serious.

Onto the topic on my brain, though.

I made a post over at the Rukia FC

Comments

[nehalenia]

I have no idea what the original Japanese is, but the English Dub was on Adult Swim a week ago, and when Pyon was describing the zanpakto, she said "the blade, the guard, even the hilt are of the purest white". The English manga just says "a completely white zanpakto".

I think whoever originally posted about the "purest soul" either got that from the anime dub or just figured pure white zanpakto = pure soul. I think that might be a Western mind set, tho, since I thought white was considered the color of death in Japan. (That's what I've heard, at least.)

[arcadiasilver]

Hmm, I remember hearing that white equaled death in Japan, it was symbolic of how brides dressing in white were "dying" in their old life to be "reborn" in their new one with their husbands.

So "pure" wasnt in the original Japanese media? Good to have someone else confirm that for me. It also makes me wonder how many of the BA fans just watch the English stuff.

[nehalenia]

Well, it's hard to say if "pure" was in the original Japanese. It's not in the English manga (but Viz's translations usually leave something to be desired.) The fansub at onemanga says "pure white" instead of "completely white" here: http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/202/03/ but it seems that in this context "pure white" means the same as "completely white".

Anyway, it's hard to say with translations because there can be variations and subtleties, but I still think it's a leap to assume Rukia's either spiritual or physical purity based on the color of her zanpakto. ;)

[laurie_bunter]

Personally, I think it's a fanon thing. I remember reading an old fic by Debbiechan, where Rukia tells Ichigo no sex before the wedding. She says something to the effect, "I'm pure -- remember my zanpakutou is white?" Within the fic -- if I remember it correctly -- it was a silly, light moment. Still, the idea that Rukia is a virgin has been floating along in fanfic for a long time

[arcadiasilver]

I considered posting it to Bleachness, but I wanted to avoid clogging it with my weird thoughts and odd questions.

Rukia is a walking contradiction personality wise. In one scene we have a childish, Chappy-obsessed young girl and in the next panel, a wise, graceful, composed shinigami. But the thing about Rukia is that she's an actress, I often wonder how much of what she does is a production to keep people at a distance.

Re-reading Wind and Snowbound, several translations use the phrase "...zanpakutou of the purest white", which is where I think most of this is coming from. I really wonder how people get the idea that this means Rukia is "pure".

[kari_izumi]

I think it's just Western culture norms, like what someone else mentioned already. Some folks think White = pure and shut their brains off, in spite of everything saying otherwise.

And I too hate the idea that the only purity that matters is of the sexual variety (and I'm sure that *is* what most of fandom throwing this around was referring to), because Rukia really isn't...for all the reasons you mentioned.

(I think I've seen you around a few places and decided to click your journal to read moar. Good post!)