I believe the Hollywood girl-boss trope is a symptom of a much larger problem; our culture is obsessed with power, and treats it as a solution to every problem. Economic power through capitalism, military power through imperialism, cultural power through cults. These writers either lack life experience to imagine a world not defined by power; or are spreading propaganda about the inevitability of power (especially with marvel, and their connection to the military). When these writers try to write female characters that are supposed to be looked up to; the only thing they can comprehend, is that they must be strong enough to nullify any preconceptions of weakness. That side of our culture will not accept weakness and vulnerability as a virtue.
Damn, this is a great take. Hadn't thought of that, but so true when you think about it. It makes me think of how I've heard several people criticize the new Avatar the Last Airbender show, saying it kind of lost it's soul versus the original, and one of the interesting points made was that the beloved original has a much more pacifist message. The core values of the story are unity, friendship, peace. Meanwhile the new show, although being very pretty and having cool action scenes, sends a message of "I need to be physically strong so I can wipe out the bad guys". Not exactly a great message if we want to move forwards together as human beings.
Oh damn, that's actually pretty interesting, and it kinda explains why this girl boss trope became so heavily politicized, the obsession of power plus the idea of ''divide'' ergo of man vs woman, would not sit right with many folks
Mizu having a photographic memory to memorize techniques is actually really clever. Her primary source of shame is her eyes, yet it's those eyes that allowed her to become so strong.
I think what really sets Mizu apart from modern action heroines is the fact that, while insanely skilled, she repeatedly suffers serious injuries from almost every engagement. Try as she might, she isn’t untouchable.
I agree, but I'd like those wounds to have more weight. When she gets stabbed fighting the four fangs, it takes her a couple days to recover, but then after that she mostly just shrugs everything off, at least in the heat of the moment. Like when she gets stabbed fighting the thousand claws. She gets hurt but then kicks ass anyway as if it never happened. It's just a little less consistent than I would prefer.
@@master_samwiseWhile I see your point it actually didn’t feel like that to me at all. It felt like her getting stabbed there sets a precedent for her mortality and every other time she gets hurt on a similar it feels as though it serves to make her feats right after more impressive and highlight her determination especially.
The way I saw it, the 2nd Fowler fight is not actually "over." When Fowler "gives up" but tells her of finding the other westerners in London. It's a pause in their larger conflict. He's playing a delaying tactic. He's also gaining her as an "ally" to escape Japan after his plans of conquest go sideways.
Oh for sure. My problem with that is that I didn't buy Mizu letting him live. He told her the names and location of her other two targets. She should have killed him and moved on, based on her whole character arc thus far. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't get why she didn't murder Fowler on the spot. The reason to let him live paled in comparison to an entire season spent hunting him.
@@master_samwise What you are missing is that having the names and location doesn't mean she'll find them in a foreign country. They might speak english in the show, but Mizu doesn't. Letting Fowler live is the only way she can have access to her real target.
Off the top of my head, just spit balling here. How many people in Japan at this time period know where London is or how to get there? Most likely only Fowler and a few of his associates. I think this also speaks to Fowler's greatest strengths, his ability to strategies and his ability to multiply others around him. By telling Mizu her last two targets are not in Japan . He's basically telling her in a few words, without me you're totally screwed. Japan at this point in history is completely isolationist. There were only four known white men in Japan in recent history. No one is(openly) trading with outsiders. Thanks to Fowler, killing the Shogun. There will be stricter restrictions. Mizu's skills are fighting, acrobatics , horseback riding,a little knowledge of first aid ,sword smithing and hiding the fact that she's a woman. She's a wandering swordsman, I assume she doesn't know much about the world outside of Japan. If she killed Fowler, she would have to find someone in Japan who would both know where London is and be willing to take her there. Which the vast majority of people would not. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know English. And I don't think many people in London would understand Japanese. So there will be an almost unsurmountable language barrier. It's not completely impossible for her to get her revenge, but it's an extremely slim chance , and it's way simpler and much easier just to keep Fowler around and kill him later .
Mizu belives herself to be heartless but it's not true. She saves Taigen from Folwer. She didn't have to but she does it. She defends the brothel against at mafia guys because she got them into trouble and she wants to fix it. She could have ran. After all it's not like one samurai can win against an army or anything.
@@adriangeorge9197 Youre implying that a character cant have nuance. She is dead set, and she kills kids to achieve her goal. But we see that there is still a small spark of hope for her character. She let ringo come with her, she saved the brothel, she saved taigen, she smiles when she prays for the swordmaster. She has a heart, she often just surpresses her feelings to do what she needs to achieve her goal. Its nuance, not a plothole.
@@adriangeorge9197 But it is nuance? She doesnt have a single character defining characteristic, she still has troubles walking down that path. She sometimes goes in her own way to achieving her goal. Her defending the brothel shows that she is a good person deep down. But in the bloodrush of battle, all that gets thrown out. She kills a CHILD. Its not excused either, its just so that nobody notices it or is alive to tell. The viewer knows, and she does as well. We judge her for that, and she does too. She thinks shes lost all love in her life, thats why she gives in. She gave up being good when killing that kid. Im genuinely baffled how one thinks the show gives her a free pass on killing kids? And she saves taigen from that big tower, risking her own life twice, barely making it out. And after her defeat, she realized her mistakes, and tries to be good. She apologizes to ringo and accepts that she cant do it all alone. She comes to save akimo (or however that princess is called). Its a character arc. She started a lone wolf, cocky, arrogant and barely human. But there was a sliver of hope for her. She didnt kill taigen, she took ringo in, she tried to defend the brothel. But in battle emotions just piled up and she saw herself again as an onryo, killing a kid because she thinks shes done trying to be good. She lets that princess be arrested and leaves ringo. In the tower she realizes her wrongdoings and tries to save taigen while jumping down. She knows she needs friends to achieve her goal and genuinely wants to do good as well. Thats why she saves the princess and places ringo to help her.
@@adriangeorge9197 I was as well expecting that to happen to her in the end, but I dont see a problem with a redemption arc? And the show never excused her actions, it clearly showed how despicable she was when killing the kid for example. Just because there havent been repercussions, doesnt mean the actions are excused.
@@adriangeorge9197 No, I never started reading mangas, I also never watched anime. But I heard good things about berzerk and dont care about being spoiled.
The biggest incident of her displaying compassion is definitely how, despite having killed countless, we can see that killing Kinuyo rocks her to her core.
12:01 - while I do agree basically, that her agression is self-destructive, I think the key point is how her agression is framed as opposed to male aggression. This series goes out of its way to show that every single male character gets away with incredible violence of every possible colour, no one bats an eye. But take a woman with the same attributes and she it's perceived as problematic, public enemy number one so to speak. If you look at their fight between Mizu and Mikio closely, it is literally the ONLY fight in which Mizu is NOT ACTUALLY AGGRESSIVE, but playful. She's careful and only gradually showing off her skills. What she does, however, is hurt her husband's ego, and see how quick he is to condemn her. It's not that Mizu is not in control in this fight - it's the opposite! She feels comfortable enough around her husband to banter, to sparr. The smile in her eyes says "See? You never saw it coming from me, right?" And THAT'S why he condemns her. Just imagine the same scene with two men sparring. If you have difficulty picturing Mikio calling a fellow man a monster, you already get my point. And I think that is the point of this entire episode! An angry woman can never just be an angry woman. They reframe her as something dangerous, an actual monster, an Onryo. Because no matter which culture we look at, women are never allowed to be angry. In western culture they call it hysteria, and here we have the onryo. Bot serve to dehumanize the female experience. And yes, i hear you saying "But hardly anyone knows that Mizu is a woman" - true. But not in this particular scene. And beyond that, Mizu is perceived as the "other", which places her in almost the same category as women. Neither are allowed to make mistakes, neither are allowed their human nature.
I 100% agree with you on this. I do feel that Mikio's reaction to Mizu's playful aggression and her winning their sparring match is because his ego is bruised, and he doesn't expect a woman to be aggressive. You literally encapsulated my thoughts on that whole scene!
@@caitlin5742 I think there's a little more to it. Mizu lets Mikio see a hint of her darkness. She doesn't just relish the fun of sparring, or showing off her skill, though it's mostly that. But There's also just the tiniest hint of bloodlust in her smile when she puts the blade to his throat. We love her for it, of course. But it clearly freaked Mikio out. Especially on top of her crazy skill level, which of course, he took a bit too personally.
@@thejuliakitchen Yeah, it's a different world now, or at least, we're trying to make it a different world. But it turned out that Mikio was just trying to affirm his masculine superiority, and Mizu ruined that. Poor Mikio, he just wanted to show off what a man he was, and Mizu went and destroyed his whole paradigm. So thoughtless of her.
@@rottensquid This is how I took it. Poor girl enjoys the thrill too much now due to her life being nothing but the sword. It's her version of flirting. Which is why I worry her and Taigen are gonna end up together. Dude literally got excited from play fighting with who he currently thinks is a man. 👀 Drama ☕️
Not only that, we've seen her pass out, get knocked out, struggle, limp around, use items to balance with and take breathers. Mizu has been shown to lose, take the loss and stride on. Its so refreshing to actually see a character take time to recollect their thoughts and refocus in their encounters while the overexertion sets in on the body.
I agree with the fact that we see her struggle a lot but I disagree with the real stakes part cos she keeps surviving these impossible odds. One was that she literally dodged a bullet being shot at her point blank but . Ig we can say it's all just fictional but the fights and settings of the story has a realistic approach. After the end of the season I can 100% conclude she has some sort of superpower or its just plot armour.
I'm not sure how right this is, but I think the reason the final fight with Fowler is so uncreative is to highlight Fowler's personality. Like he says at some point in the show that the japanese have mastered the best ways to make swords, while his people (back in Britain) keep creating the best ways to kill people. In the same way that the appearance of fire arms in japan completely nullifies the mastery of all the swordsmen in the castle once the coup begins, just like how the bullet obliterates the art of swordsmanship in war, so does Fowler obliterate his final confrontation. So of course their duel isn't a masterpiece of swordsmanship and martial arts, Fowler isn't an artist. He even tells his business partner how sick he is of learning every beautiful art that japanese culture has to offer. Fowler obliterates art. Yes he mastered swordsmanship during his time in Japan, but he probably hates it and is as sick of it as he is of painting.
Yeah, that's how I see it, Fowler is a POS with no sense of honor or integrity, he fights dirty & runs because he is a coward, and drags Mizu down w him because he exploits her need for revenge(I think it's revenge anyway).
Honestly I think you couldn't be more right. The final 'duel' is the brutish, bloody brawl of two pragmatists, one of whom is satisfied only by the destruction of the soul. Fowler even says outright that he has "no need for souls" in the chapel scene. He is flesh, huge and rude and ugly and shameless, and all the sick cunning of the oppressor's bootheel. And I think he wins that fight-by corrupting Mizu away from the ones they love, by surviving, by escaping to the British isles. He runs away even though he has Mizu and Taigen knocked down because he knows they won't stay down for long and he doesn't really give a shit about them anyways. Because he doesn't give a shit about anything outside himself. Abijah Fowler is, above all, a man who came to understand the systems of oppression that ruined his life and decided to *become* those systems. He is the man who was forced to eat his own sister's liver and decided to dedicate his life to doing the same to others. An artistic, beautiful duel would miss the point of that.
very well said! (2nd time I'm telling these words to someone in this comment section, what a great place). their final fight being a struggling fist-throwing mess somehow made sense in my head but I haven't been able to finalise it with words. and you did just that, thank you 😊
I think the reason Fowler acts the way he does in the final fight is simple: fear. He's lost everything that has given him an advantage up until now, and without it, he's lost and afraid. Because of this, he starts making irrational decisions and just tries to run and survive. It shows just how much of a demon Mizu is, and how no one, not even Fowler, is immune to fear.
Also, imho, Fowler is depicted as that "shameful westerner" who has no honor and just wants to survive and fulfill his desires. If kicking and fistfight is more effective, then I think it's really in his character to do so. And Mizu, again, adapted.
I kinda felt like Fowler was a bit overpowered from the start, and then it kinda evaporated when the plot decided it should. But that's a minor nitpick of a masterpiece of a show.
@@eslee_alien I think it's unwise to assume the show itself has prejudices, especially prejudices against westerners. The people in the show have prejudices, for sure. But the show itself is just depicting people. And there are plenty of people like Fowler in all corners of the world. His honorlessness has nothing to do with where he came from. And he was no worse in that regard than Haiji Shindo. He certainly fit the Edo period's myopic view of westerners. But after all, because of the country's isolationism, the only westerners they're going to meet are ambitious criminals like him. So it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the show has a bias, it's against having a bias.
@@rottensquid but that's what I wrote. That he is depicted as, and most probably for the reasons you provided not that all of westerners are like that. And probably, it will be shown in the second season.
I also like that Mizu also uses skills she as a woman has over men. We don’t see her being stronger than a healthy adult male (when she also had a life of neglect and lack of food etc). We see her use her speed that being lighter (especially when the weight it taken off) and seeing her use how limber she is. I’m all for men and women being equals but in different ways. I’ll never be as strong as a man by my nature, but fights can be won in different ways. I like they use that and being an all male society in fighting they are not used to what she can do.
"We don’t see her being stronger than a healthy adult male" She carries Taigen on her back up a vertical fortress wall. To be clear, I don't mind, it's about showing how determined she is, more than her strength; and, it's a legend, after all.
@@Hohum37 Purposely missed the point. That's not an example of being stronger than a healthy adult male, just a feat of equal strength that I'm fairly certain is more difficult for a woman than a man. Mizu would lose in a contest of pure strength, which is why she doesn't typically overpower her opponents the way a man in her position would.
Akemi's entire character is a good example of this too. She demonstrates on multiple occasions that not being able to fight does not make one powerless. Once she embraces her advantages of manipulation and status, she becomes an incredibly interesting character.
It's possible the goons want to avoid hitting each other so they try to assess an opening to attack. When I play the Sifu game, it's somewhat easy to get enemies to hit each other because I dodge an attack while someone else gets hurt. Alternatively enemies can be thrown at each other, taking 1 or people out of the fight temporarily because they tried to group up. Wolverine said it best that everyone else has to avoid hitting their teammates but he can hit anyone he wants when outnumbered.
It's also a trope known as "Conservation of Ninjitsu", iirc. Meaning: the more enemies at ounce, the less powerful they are individually. It's present in basically every martial arts movie, really every action film ever made. And _Blue Eye Samurai_ very much wears it's inspirations on its sleeve.
I remember seeing videos of kenpo practitioners who basically say the same thing. As long as you aren't completely surrounded, your enemy can only attack with 1-2 people at a time.
@@zacharychristy8928 Exactly. It's not nonsense to attack sparingly simultaneously. It's practical to avoid hitting your teammates. We're talking about weapons like swords and spears in Mizu's fights that can easily harm or kill someone even if it's unintentional team injuries.
There's an even simpler explanation. They're just fucking scared. Sure, ten spearmen can surround one guy with a big fuckoff sword, and if all ten just rush right in, point forward, the swordsman will 100% die as a kebab. But at least one of those spearmen is ALSO going to die, and none of them wants to be the one to take the fall.
Her husband didn't betray her due to "unchecked aggression" - she wasn't being aggressive at all in that scene. She was simply being skilled, and enjoying her skill. She was practically flirting with her husband using her sword, showing off a bit sure, but he was into it before he realized HOW skilled she was. Once he realized, then instead of seeing that joy and love, all her husband saw was a woman who was a better fighter. He didn't have what it takes to feel happy for her without feeling unnecessarily ashamed of himself. His pride was her downfall, and Mizu's takeaway was that no one will ever like her for her whole self. I enjoyed this video overall, thanks so much for sharing!! Just wanted to share my two cents about that one tiny piece, that's all.
Brother, mizu comes off as a complete psychopath in that scene that any normal person would have had an adverse reaction to. It wasn’t about her being a better fighter than him, it was about her insistence on unsheathing the weapons, and taking things too far for a “friendly bout” between lovers. The session ends with her pressing her blade against the husbands neck and taking joy in it, obviously from his pov she’s going to look insane. We understand mizu was enjoying and embracing her combat skill, however she sparred like she was sparring against that assassain in episode 2, not a loved one. And that’s what mizu didn’t understand, that not everyone spars that way
Still pretty aggressive if you asked me. Her pride got in the way, actively taunting him when he asked for a withdrawal. I would say both are just stubborn-headed, and he didn't like her true colors when she finally revealed all of her. I believe the last straw on the camel's back was the man's dignity taking another hit - A disgraced samurai being taken down by a woman, his own wife.
Not to 'um, akshully' ~ because I do rather agree that Mizu is presented as extra powerful in her abilities and there are times it feels like a stretch that she didn't die ~ One thing that I remember learning about specificually being trained as a fighter in this era of Japan is that a lot of the training is actually about learning to hold back and show restraint. Basically, to wait - because in this era simply getting a cut could be fatal, so going through the actual process of a sword fight was something that warriors would train UP to their entire lives for - it was supposed to be a big deal to finally do it 'for real'. Which isn't to say they didn't have fights, but the number of swordfights a single, average fighter that was say paid to protect a gambling house or den would be minimal in their average lifetime. Clearly that's not exactly the world that we're portrayed with in Mizu's case, swordfights are presented as somewhat more commonplace, but the idea that lesser trained fighters that haven't reached renouned samurai status with many battles under their belt might sort of hang back and 'wait their turn' because they're honestly hoping someone else takes her down first is actually somewhat reasonable and would fall in line with attitudes and teachings of the times (in that, it was just seen as wise to not engage in needless fights and put yourself at risk like that, which is true.)
I think your initial aside gets back to the problem with the whole argument against "strong female characters." Why do men get to be unkillable superheroes like John Wick or Ethan Hunt, but if women have the same amount of plot armor, it's "woke"? Mizu is extra powerful and unkillable because this is a story about an extra powerful and unkillable bad-ass. Where's the problem? But to the rest of your point, I wholeheartedly agree. Anyone who asks "why don't they all rush in at once?" has clearly never been part of a bukakke. That's how you get hit with friendly fire. 😉
I think what makes Mizu work is two factors. One is there's always a nice push and pull with her powers and capabilities. Like her initial fight with Taigen she's challenged only for the reveal to be that she is still holding back so it excalates and she practically shows off. It means that scenes aren't always the most predictible and allows her to showcase her skills, experience etc against other opponents. The other side is how it's used to characterise her. One key aspect constantly brought up is how Mizu's pursuit of power is a one-way path to destruction, how her quest for vengeance has transformed her into a monster who will inevitably get herself killed since she doesn't look after herself. It's a nice thematic element that almost acts like a 'cost' for her power. She's strong and skilled but what she's doing isn't necessarily good for herself or others, she only really stumbles into taking moral actions sometimes for convenience, because she wants something. And in the end she doesn't even really get what she wants. I think this latter thing is what these other protagonists tend to lack, a bit of character that comes from the power, ways they change or things they represent. It allows the power set to be more than spectacle, there's a purpose behind them being as good as they are be it good or bad. The inverse of this would be like Superman and how he's used to represent the very best of mankind.
Thank you! I think many people miss the point that her revenge quest is not good for her or others. It is a character flaw. Not the message of the show.
@@Eilonwy95 I agree. She thinks she's on a revenge quest. But though she doesn't know it, the show is actually about her quest to find a greater meaning for her life.
@@rottensquid Agreed. I think that is where it will eventually lead. Pretty much all revenge quests need to go to complete tragedy or discovery for the protagonist that it is unfulfilling and there is more to life.
I love that she was able to switch between a sword, traditionally a male weapon, and a naginata, traditionally a woman's weapon, fluidly. And she didn't try to say that one was better than the other, she just knew to use it in different contexts. I think that's part of why I loved her as a character even though she was OP: she used her whole toolkit. You touched on so many things that make me love protagonists like her when done well. The 5th episode is also hands down my favorite. And it broke my heart watching the moment that she decided that it didn't matter who had betrayed her, that this was inevitable and that she was foolish for having thought otherwise. That experience isn't even unique to a female protagonist, and seeing it done so well and in a way that didn't lead to overt madness was refreshing. Like did it break something in her? Very much so. But all it did was ensure a return to form. I loved that. Also I kind of like to think that it was the mom that betrayed her, in the end. I like to think that a man that would know how to care for horses in the way he did would have enough emotional intelligence to know that his wife is more or less a wild animal pretending to be domesticated, and that he was just scared that she had been able to best him in a moment he wasn't taking her seriously. But maybe that's wishful thinking on my part. Though yeah the 8th episode was just... weird. I'm hoping it does better in the next season.
I agree about Mioko not turning her in, but he very much still betrayed her by not coming to help. Ik he said he came to help, but he was so late to the fight when he was riding a horse? He definitely just waited until the fight was over, maybe as some kind of backwards "punishment" for beating him...which also explains WHY he left. I think he knew she could handle them so he knew he could just wait it out.
“The worst thing you can be is predictable. If you’re predictable, you’re not nearly creative enough” I understand what you mean, but I also think this is an oversimplification and a bad general take away without exploring it more deeply. Yes being unpredictable can be a great show of creativity, however being predictable can also be an amazing display of narrative consistency and implementation of cause and effect. I think a better way of paraphrasing the point would be “the best subversions are finding unorthodox solutions within the established rules of the story”
there are scenes in a show where I predict what will happen next that makes me say "ugh" when I'm right and then there are scenes that I will predict and feel excited for being right about it. I feel like there is anticipation and there is predictability. The two differences.
@@RustinMarkJandongan I personally wouldn't use the word predictability. both of these were predictable as evidenced by the fact that both outcomes were predicted. predictable isn't good or bad. it just is or isn't. the way many people use predictable is as a synonym for boring or overused. a clearer distinction would be anticipation or dread, opposite emotions that can both be invoked by predictability.
I. Love. This show. And I cannot stand the overpowered strong independent female trope of today. My summary for why she works as a character is “she earned it.” She earned her power and skills, she earned her talents and abilities. And when the show sorta drops the ball in maintaining all of the principles, I have less of a genuine problem with it because the show worked hard earlier to earn a little reprieve and unrealistic flair. Like when the guards kinda stand around, or when she is pinned underneath 100 guys and none of them get her… they are few and far between moments of being ridiculous, with dozens of amazing moments before and after. It’s a mere spot on a canvas you can overlook rather than a splash dumped all over the canvas, especially when compared to most modern shows and movies.
She earned her power AND she is allowed to screw up and be wrong about things. She isn't the story's indisputable moral authority the way a lot of the Strong Female Characters are clearly constructed to be. Mizu's character and story don't exist to make some point about women being strong and capable, despite the fact that she is undeniably both. The story shows you the position of women in the society and how different women experience the restrictions of that status so that you as the viewer can feel their rage without the script needing to pontificate about it. I forgive the occasional bending of realism in the fight sequences because 1) the world and characters are so well established; and 2) I see it as a nod to the intentional unreality of martial arts films generally. I accept that the Rule of Cool will win out over pure physics in these scenarios because everything else is so grounded and the fights are so heightened. My disbelief is successfully suspended.
I think something a lot of people don't take into account is numbers plus weapons plus space doesn't equate to a good rush on one person. Yeah all the warriors guarding Fowler could have rushed in at once but there would be crowding a friendly fire. Prime example is the Fleet battle of Cape Ecnomus from the first Punic wars saw a numerical advantage to the Carthaginians, but were too crowded and couldn't move efficiently. So I understand the whole "oh everyone wait there turn to fight the one person is dumb", it doesn't always work practically
Something I noticed in my third rewatch (this show is just...SO GOOD) that elevated the writing even more: Because she learned ONLY from sight, never from practice (two very different things in martial/weapon arts learning), her guard is terrible. She has excellent blows, her form is perfect, but she gets injured the same way every time: Her left side is weak. At first, I thought this was just to give her a weakness...and then I learned how much the animators learned from the fight choreographer. When you learn how to spar, you learn your patterns first (usually against a pells or in front of a mirror), and then how to use those patterns for defense. Then offense. The patterns teach you when and how to balance the two. Through that process, you also REALLY learn your weak points- either your guard too much (afraid of pain), you leave yourself open (overconfidence/overstretching), or even if you have a dead side (a lot of right handed people see their left hand/side as a dead weight. I, as a leftie, have had to learn how to be ambidextrous-- but it can happen to anyone). Mizu, having never fought against someone during her foundation years, never learned her weaknesses. She never learned to strengthen her left side, and she never had an opponent to teach you how BADLY YOU NEED TO GUARD CORRECTLY. She would never have anyone to teach her how to strengthen both sides, regardless of what hand she fights with. So. She repeatedly gets KO'd in her left shoulder. Or her left arm. And so this show is in my Top 5 forever, because whether intentionally or otherwise, they revealed her greatest weakness through her injuries: Being alone does not work forever.
@@crazypeopleonsunday7864 Small obsession with fighting choreography. As someone who learned actual fighting (not for LARP for acting- real fighting), it's something I kinda get picky about. Avatar and Blue Eye Samurai get forever kudos from not just having real martial experts on the team, but TRUSTING those experts and drawing them line-for-line. There's a reason for every move, every limb placement, every stance. It's art in itself. They should be damned proud there are things like this to notice!!
@@SoulSpectar Ah! That makes sense. Yeah, a masterpiece like Avatar seems like it would pay close attention to details like that. I'm not fighting expert, but even with my layman's (a.k.a. non-existent) knowledge of martial arts, it seemed liked like the writers had put considerable thought into the movements of each of the bending styles. And it's nice to know Blue Eye Samurai has the same attentiveness.
By the time you get to the later episodes the whole story has been so damn good that they were able to get away with a lot more... She reached super human levels but it didn't take away anything because you were already balls deep in the story
Would have loved to see Fowler bust out a fucking Zweihander and make some comment about white people knowing how to wield a blade too, would have been very in character for him Also definitely need a parallel video for Akemi, because I thought she was one of the bright spots of the last episode, as well as the invasion of the castle, it felt very heavy.
I also think of All Might as an amazingly written Overpowered Character. An analysis from you would be amazing. You seem to be insanely knowledgeable. Wish you well on your videos.
There's a scene I like in the first Man of Steel movie, it's one of the first scenes where "Clark" is on a boat. Clark makes a mistake and is almost crushed by a metal cage falling over him, but one of the sailors rushes to save him, pushing him out of the way. The guy screams at Clark to be careful and to keep his eyes open, but doesn't make a big deal out of it. The thing is, Clark knows that the guy could have died, but he didn't even hesitate when trying to save him. To Clark/Superman, saving others from impossible things means the world to them, but to him everything is easy, with almost no risk. Brushing his teeth, walking a dog or going inside a volcano are all about the same to him. I think one of the reasons Superman tries his best to save everyone is exactly because he wants to compensate for the fact that, to him, he's not risking his life at all, it's all the humans around him who are the real heroes in his eyes, putting their lives on the line every day. As someone who wishes to be accepted as a "human", he must believe that using his powers to save others is the least he can do.
I think you really hit the nail on the head here on what sets Mizu apart as one of the best female action stars in recent fiction. It’s not just that she’s not a Mary Sue, that she is badass but not immortal - sure that’s important to making us invested in her struggle, but it’s not what makes her such a brilliant character. What makes her a brilliant character is how her power and mastery as a warrior is both deeply ingrained into who she is as a person and what makes it impossible for her to find connection with others. It’s her greatest strength and her greatest weakness, which is a really tricky needle to thread but I think this show pulls it off flawlessly. Frankly even some of the less impactful fight scenes don’t bother me that much, because it all serves her characterization so well. I also agree that ‘The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride’ is the best episode of the whole series so far. I was on the edge of my seat during pretty much every episode, but I was literally slack jawed by the end of that episode by how well written and executed it was. One of the best episodes in animation I’ve ever seen.
I think it's important to understand that Mizu is also meant to represent two themes within the story: 1.) Difference 2.) Revenge And to also understand how these themes incorporate into her fights. I'll start with difference. Blue-eyed Samurai makes their audience aware of the fear and loathing it's society has against anything that doesn't conform with the established normality. Mizu's biracial appearance has most people immediately assume she is dangerous and evil demon - an onryō. This perception of society thematically adds to her abilities and skills; because those around her believe she is capable of supernatural power, then the story supports that. It's why I believe her first fight with Fowler is incredible - he does not have the same mindset as the Japanese society. To him, Mizu is just another man who can bleed and die. (I think there's also another cool point to add that those who don't see Mizu as all powerful tend to be her allies because they are aware of her limits and lack of mystical abilities but that's a whole other rant). The second theme is revenge. Revenge is rarely ever portrayed as a heroic and just theme - unlike vengeance -and again the story makes it very clear that revenge comes with a hefty cost. It is brutal and consuming and destructive, and because it is embedded so deeply into Mizu's character, she also adopts these descriptions. She is the theme itself within the story, and thus her power is emphasised within her fights. I agree that it is sometimes frustrating to see fights where clearly the character can be beaten in someway if the baddies just rub their two braincells together but I also think it's super cool when characters are op because they represent themes and narratives within the story.
I mean, show me one action show where the character doesn't have a bit of plot armor. Curious what distinction you draw between revenge and vengeance. I always considered them the same thing.
@@rottensquid I mean, I may be wrong but I think revenge revolves more around personal injustice whereas vengeance is done on behalf of someone who has been wronged. Both are very similar - choosing pursuit and (sometimes) violence as their resolution but I believe vengeance is often treated as the more socially and morally acceptable theme than revenge. And, yeah your so right about plot armour. Sometimes, plot armour is necessary to a story. Sometimes it's fine to have characters survive against the odds. Imo, as long as it leads to the character having a satisfying arc and conclusion, then I'm cool with it.
I think the biggest advantage Mizu has in regards to her writing is that her fights are rarely effortless. The episode one fight with the training swords is a bit of an exception, but every other fight is a struggle, and she doesn’t ever walk away untouched. It’s not just talent that gets her this far, it’s resourcefulness and determination.
What in the show suggested that Fowler was anything more than a competent swordsman at best? So far as I can remember, he is never set up to be anything more than that; his power lies in wit, technology, moveny, and connections.
Mizu notices a flower cut by Fowler and says that only a master could have made such a cut. Also Fowler says that he has had so much free time that he has mastered many arts, which probably includes swordsmanship, if he wasn’t already a master before being in Japan.
In episode three, Fowler is told that the Four Fangs failed to kill Mizu. In a tantrum, he takes a sword and slices a table in half, but he also slices a flower from a flower on the table in that same swing. He takes the flower and pins it to Shindo's robe before telling Shindo to go take care of Mizu. Later on, Mizu notices the flower and says "only a master swordsman could have made that cut." Why that cut was so special is beyond me though.
@@johnleonard9102 i think the cut was special because it was on a flower stem. Something flimsy, fibrous and thin. Yet it was a straight cut and at a rather shallow angle no less. cutting through much more of the stem that was strictly necesary, but still cutting straight
@@carloguerrero6583 Right. I imagine it takes exactly the right thrust and speed. And the blade must be perfectly sharp. Otherwise, the fibers wouldn't cut evenly. Of course, only a well practiced swordsman would notice. It's also important to remember that this is all ridiculous. It's highly unlikely an actual swordsman could tell the skill of another but the cut of a flower stem. But it's the kind of exaggerated mastery common in martial arts storytelling. It's like when Sherlock Holmes learns a man's life story by studying his hat. You have to just accept the rules of the story's universe, or you're not going to have fun.
THANK YOU! I saw so many people arguing online about who betrayed Mizu, and all the while I was thinking "It's both, and neither, and it doesn't matter. What matters is that Mizu feels betrayed by both of them. And it doesn't matter if she's right, it just matters that's what she perceived."
1. Reasonably interesting origin for the character's power 0:49 2. The character's power cannot be absolute 2:04 3. Displays of power by the character must be creative (includes design of fight + character's own ability to innovate) 4:13 4. Don't make the character's power the entire point of their character 9:08
Her quest for vengeance is not over her mother's murder. She is not hunting a murderer. She is hunting the only four men that could potentially be her father. Her revenge is for her own existence that she herself believes to be a crime against nature because she has suffered so much. If anything that's another extremely interesting spin on an old cliché.
Idk man, I find the struggle with self doubt and need to be defined by others more relatable and close to human nature than thirst of revenge ( I am the weird person who really liked Mrs Marvel, it isn't society it is her own assumptions btw) but I really liked your point about the fights needing to be creative and entertaining. It does make all the difference
honestly i liked the second fight between mizu and fowler, it wasn't cold and calculated like their other engagements - neither had the upper hand or home advantage either. it's a desperate adrenaline fueled scrap while fleeing from a collapsing building and being hunted down. they make dumb choices in that situation and thats very humanizing to both of them - fowler is not just a one note villian here, he's a desperate person making some dumb choices under extreme pressure he's not used to being under. they both need to get out of dodge, theyre both severely injured, and mizu can't let him get away. Fowler gets a moment to think and uses his old ploys to get out not just alive but protected by someone who "needs" him alive. this is fantastic writing and an excellent exploration of them both being stripped of their usual power /together/
Most annoying thing I noticed was how often she’s able to shrug off crippling injuries, it’s most noticeable in Fowler’s castle where in one scene she’ll get stabbed or concussed or anything else that would’ve knocked anyone out of a fight, and then the next scene she just carries on like nothing happened. In such times she kinda goes into superhuman territory rather than just “skilled warrior.” But it’s passable, overall a great show.
The 2nd fight with Fowler not being a cinematic swordfight matches Fowlers personality. He's not honorable, he's not a swordman, he took the fight away from Mizu's strengths. He's much more of a Thomas Shelby than he is a foreign Ronin.
There's a reason I grew up loving Mulan. She was a character I was able to relate with and look up to. And not becauee she was some perfect op charcater, it was becauee she never gave up, she was brave, she was at a disadvantage, but she worked extra hard to succeed. I was not naturally gifted in many ways, so always watching characters just being perfect at everything was t boring and in some ways disheartening. Jet Lee was a small guy and he didn't rely on his strength to fight, he relied on his speed, precision and skill; you have to.know your weaknesses and your disadvantages, and try to overcome them in other ways.
The "side" characters are equally important in defining the moral shape of the story and Blue Eye does a solid work there. Equal to Episode 5 are the interactions with Sword Father and the powerful nature of humility that comes with the attempted forging of the meteorite, the cunning ruthless compassion of madame kaji, the earnest clear hearted Ringo. They all add depth by their varying answers to the world, they aren't mere props for the main character. The last episode was really perplexing as it abandoned so much of what the story had built leading up to it.
This was a really good video. I get the feeling I would disagree with a lot of your takes, however you're also really good at media analysis and I appreciated this video a lot.
I just wanted to say I always appreciate seeing people who can compliment and see the good in people they may disagree with on a number of things. Good for you.
Haaang on though. I get what you’re saying here about that last fight with Fowler. But here’s the thing: Fowler = Foul-er. His character sullies everything he touches. Including fights. He dragged it down to that bare-fisted, hammy level. The storytelling was being done in that action sequence was meant (probably) to be a warning of how far down he’ll drag Mizu going forward.
This series has quite homages and similarities to ( 1973 ) Lady Snowblood movie snd Samurai Champloo anime which I think anyone who has watched these two can understand and see the similarities in Blue eye samurai and how these have big influence in the show and one thing I have also noticed is that Mizu have some similarities with a certain female character from Demon Slayer anime is Shinobu Kocho. Both female characters want revenge for what happened in their life, their portrayal of female rage is very well done and both are very well written characters but the difference is the Shinobu constantly smiles because of her sisters wishes but if Shinobu didn't do that her personality would have literally been like Mizu.
I would say that the way the character gets power must be not just be unique or interesting, but also earned. That's the most important point. That can either be through training as in Blue Eye Samurai, or it can be at some great personal cost to the character. What it cannot be is just hand-waved or given for free. That, by definition makes the character non-relatable and/or boring. This one point is the biggest tripping point for most modern female leads. They are suddenly better than everyone else, and they did not earn it. They try to cover for that by making the sense of "responsibility" be the cost or "no one acknowledges how great I am", which are both completely stupid and unrelatable. Also I agree on your points about the final fight in the series. I greatly enjoyed the series, but I also found Mizu's sudden amplification in ability to be unrealistic and annoying, but it wasn't a fatal flaw. I wish they'd have found a more creative way for her to take on the IronClaws instead of just raw fighting strength. Same with the Samurais a the season finale, but I could at least somewhat justify that in the sense that she had a whole season to prepare and also didn't care to survive per-say. One last thing I think that really helped this show was that her power did not come at the expense of the side characters and we see lots of other powerful individuals and we see our protagonist saved by others pretty regularly (you briefly touch on this).
The theory behind not everyone attaching at the same time is you can hurt your own people more than person you’re trying to hurt. Friendly fire is not turned off lol sometimes you can get in the way more than being efficient. That’s why the 1v1 me bro lol😅
"Trust me. I'm a TH-camr." HAH! Awesome. I agree with your assessment, for the most part. But, personally, I think the reasons why Mizu works as a female protagonist of incredible strength and skill, as opposed to other examples, are slightly different than what you articulate. 1. *Power is earned* . I get what you mean when you say that a protagonist's powers/skills need to come for an interesting place, but I think it's more to the point to say that a character needs to earn their power and/or skills (as you have said in a different video, though I can't remember which, exactly). As you say in this video, Mizu earns her skill in swordsmanship through years of difficult training, determination, and, most importantly, trial and error. She learns to be a great swords(wo)man, but she isn't perfect off the bat. She makes mistakes and learns from them. Like the swords she learned to make and wield, Mizu was forged in fire. This is more realistic, and it makes Mizu seem more determined and just plain awesome. 2. *She's not invincible* . A common criticism for modern "strong" female characters is that they are over powered and unstoppable, and while Mizu is ridiculously skilled and powerful, she also takes her fair share of beatings, smoothing the rough edges off this trend. Mizu will often find herself cutting down swarms of trained fighters, but she'll also take a great many hits herself during these fights, progressively weakening her as the fight goes on. This, in my opinion, serves to make Mizu's fights seem more realistic, and build the tension as the fight goes on. Like, yeah, Mizu just killed three guys all by herself, but they cut her arm, and her side, and gave her a bloody nose, and she's limping away from this encounter. Now the five guys she'll have to face next will be even more challenging than if she didn't have those injuries. She's powerful, but not an indestructible, unstoppable force of nature. The traps and guards she has to deal with on the way up to Fowler at his castle are a great example of this. 3. *She receives help* . Like you mention briefly, Mizu often needs help, especially from Ringo (who is very useful). It's a small thing in this show, but modern female protagonists are often portrayed as not needing any help, if the concept of complete self-reliance isn't touted as a virtue by the story they feature in. Mizu needing, accepting, and eventually even asking for help both undermines this trend and makes her feel more plausible. 4. *Feminism isn't the point* . Another glaring trend in modern stories starring female heroes is a clear theme, underlying or blatant, of feminism. "Strong" female protagonists are intended to be empowering for young girls and women, show that women can achieve great things like men, and/or otherwise make commentary on women's role in society (though they typically miss the mark, often drastically). Mizu's story has no such themes. Oh, sure, this show addresses these sort of themes via Akemi (half-well, half-poorly, in my opinion), but these themes hardly affect Mizu's journey, or at the very least aren't at its center. In story, this frees Mizu's personal journey up so it can focus on other themes, while not being bogged down with the extra thematical baggage. It also keepings the show from feeling preachy or same-y in the eyes of the audience. (Plus, the trend of female protagonists having to deal with feminist themes in most modern stories ironically places a limit on female characters, in that they are restricted to stories with such themes. Stories with male protagonist can address a wide variety of themes; male characters can just be 'characters' in the eyes of audiences. Female characters will always be thought of as '*female* characters' so long as their stories deal with feminist themes.) 5. *She has flaws, and isn't universally right* . Finally and most importantly, Mizu has character flaws that she needs to overcome and she isn't depicted as always being in the right. She has room to grow as a person, such as learning to accept help, letting go of her pain and anger, etc. I'm not going to go over her entire character journey in a TH-cam comment, but she does have room to grow as a character and does so over the course of the series. Additionally, Mizu isn't framed by the story as being constantly and infallibly correct in what she does. The writing doesn't prop her ideological position(s) up as being correct and contrast her with a villain that represents a strawmanned depiction of the alternative view. This is in large part because Mizu isn't a spokesperson for any particular intellectual view; her journey is based much more in overcoming the emotions of pain, anger, betrayal, and sorrow than in puzzling out or promoting ideologies. Ultimately, what this does is allow us as the audience to root for Mizu as a character; we want HER to succeed, or at least improve or just... *survive*, unlike so many other female heroes who are just tools for writers to express their (usually oversimplistic and flawed) feminist ideologies and values. With these characters, audiences aren't rooting for their success or best interests, if we're rooting for them at all, we're rooting for the ideologies being expressed through them, but this only works if we audience members actually agree with the values and ideas being expressed, or can be convinced to agree with them. If not, then we simply reject the character that has become the face of the things we disagree with. (Note that this is true of any character(s) that only serve as avatars to promote an ideology, whether the ideology is feminism or anything else. Feminism (at least, Hollywood's bland flavor of feminism) is just the ideology relevant to this example.) Also, **DISCLAIMER**, I speak of feminism rather negatively throughout this comment. I would like to clarify that I don't actually take issue with true feminism itself (that is, the idea that men and women are equal, and the advocation for acknowledgment of that equality where it is needed). Rather, I take issue with the current state feminism has taken, generally speaking.
I didn't hear about this show! I have a kind of OP character I wanted to write, but I didn't feel I had the experience yet so I'm writing a different story right now. Thanks for making this!
First of love the video, love blue eye samuri! I would add/expand one more principle that I think u largely missed out (maybe touched on). The aesthetic of the show is not total realism. Its art and that can be as simple as "wow its so pretty". I enjoyed the visuals as well as the narrative and personally I'm happy to sacrifice a small part of the realism of the goons not just reaching around the door and instead allowing it to be a metaphor displayed in an awesome visual
I don’t know if I’m just dense but I never really thought Mizu was over powered, it’s written so well that she isn’t (in my eyes) “over powered” she’s just insanely skilled from years and years of training. She constantly gets hurt and almost never walks away from a fight in a good state. She is usually limping or at least very very worn out. My main issue with over powered characters is when they literally never seem to be strained from anything. It makes it boring to watch, it’s why I hated captain marvel. What is fun about watching a character constantly end up on top, it’s clear there is no one who can match them so there is no stakes. There’s no “are they going to die?! How are they gonna win!?” It’s so bland, it’s less how will they win, and more what kind of bs are they gonna pull out to try and make it look like there are stakes for the main over powered protagonist.
Just a very strong analysis of a series I very much enjoyed while talking eloquently to the issues of storytelling I've had difficulty describing for a while now. Thank you, absolutely wonderful and informative watch!
This show is one of the few that I am not bothered by the “enemy’s wait their turn to fight the protagonist” because it makes sense for the show. Japan during that time period samurai were taught to only fight one on one because fighting 2 on 1 was not a honourable duel and not an honourable kill. So this is one of the few shows that it makes sense
Yes to everything, I also want to add how important it is that Mizu is not morally perfect. She absolutely is a victim of oppression, but she is also hellbent on vengeance and willing to sacrifice anyone for it. She's not "100% right and morally correct and everyone just hates her because they're bad people", she's kind of fucked up, and it's awesome. It gives her so much depth, and the fact that her quest for vengeance is ruining any chance at happiness for her is especially interesting. So often female characters have to be paragons of virtue to justify their place at the top of the call sheet. It's almost like people are overcompensating for misogyny: "oh I don't hate women, women are perfect!" It's almost as dehumanizing as misogynistic hatred. We're as complex as men, we are just as capable of anger and cruelty, but also heroism and kindness. We are humans, not plot devices.
Exactly! I’m all for a paragon of virtue if a character is truly virtuous. But women characters can and should be just as complex and well as men. It’s more fun for everyone
I never heard of this series before now. The only reason I got here was because I'm writing a personal project, and searching through TH-cam for tips and ideas. However, these little pointers has been very helpful and insightful. Plus I have something to look for later to watch!
I also like how her name which means water shows she is more than power as well. Water adapts to whatever container it is put in, she learns from every situation and knows what she can or cannot do. She reminds me very much of Balsa from Moribito.
sounds like the "ninja mob" trop is active in this show. Where one or few opponents are a threat either by matching skills or effective team coordination, when a mob is involved, they come at the protag one at a time while the rest stand around at most blocking escapes.
I'm willing to excuse Mizu effortlessly defeating goons because it plays into a power fantasy that is fun to watch. As you pointed out, when facing a serious opponent like the four fangs, the combat is more realistic in terms of power balance. This allows the audience to feel hyped when the character is a badass without making stakes too low. The final battle was just bad though.
Agreed. I think there are a lot of fantasy stories where random goons are easily defeated to show just how awesome the heroes are. Avatar, lord of the rings, Star Wars, and really most superhero stories come to mind. You need fights against more intimidating opponents, but it’s fun to watch (and still makes enough sense based on what we know of the skill of the hero) the hero cut through a lot of goons in creative ways.
@@Eilonwy95 "It was just so unrealistic that a teenage water farmer from the ass-end of the galaxy was a better shot than clones trained from birth to be soldiers," said no one.
Fowler was always unnecessarily overpowered, as a lazy way to make him seem more intimidating. In the final episode, they ran up against this problem, and ended up nerfing him at the last minute so they could hand Mizu a win. But he shouldn't have been such a skilled sword fighter in the first place. It would have been more than enough for him to be a brute who used his strength or his cunning to win all his fights, and never needed to learn the finer points of swordplay. That would have been enough to give Mizu the edge in the final showdown. And it wouldn't have made Fowler any less imposing. Still, this is a minor complaint for an overall excellent show.
@@rottensquid I see your point I think. And I don’t like when people complain about realism in fantasy. Of course the women characters, like the men, can be unrealistically strong or win. It’s fantasy. The pedantic Star Wars fan in me needs to point out that the Stormstroopers aren’t clone troopers any more. They were replaced with regular humans. But still trained for a long time I’m sure so I see your point. Additionally, Luke being a better shot is really just him using the force.
@@Eilonwy95 Ah, right! I still haven't watched the Clone Wars show. It's in the queue. I mean, a viewer can come up with a excuse for a character like Luke having plot armor. The real reason, of course, it's that it's their damn story. Of course, Game of Thrones got a lot of mileage out of setting up character like Luke Skywalker, with magical powers and a Destiny with a capital D, and then he gets shot by Stormtroopers randomly because in GoT, "any character can die at any time." Which is why I never particularly enjoyed that show. Plot armor is really there to make sure the story has a point, and actually gets there. Of course, this gets to the core issue. People who look for reasons to question the plot armor rather than excuse it are doing so because they like the point of the story, and don't want the protagonist to succeed. They blame the unbelievable plot armor for this dislike. But in fact, it's the other way around.
I also find the "wahmen strong" trope really irritating (it feels like producers digging for brownie points but that's beside the point.) So it really surprised me when I watched Alita: Battle Angel and genuinely respected the character and her unmatched combat skills. Like the samurai, she does come up with creative ways to win and gets help from others beside herself. She also has losing conditions that are not her dying: She has fragile people that she cares about that she is trying to keep safe. It was only with the help of an adversary-turned-good that she came up with a clever way to save her love interest and get her rival, who was trying to kill the love interest, to back down. (In case you haven't seen it or forgot, there's a bounty out for her boyfriend, so she basically fakes his death and takes credit for it, so she is protected by enforcement because you cannot steal someone's kill)
Indeed it is, @@master_samwise! Iirc, it's directed by Robert Rodriguez and written and produced by James Cameron among others (a rather explosive combination if I do say so myself)!
Fragile isn’t the way to put it. And beyond that, the movie covers VERY little compared to what the source material has, so reading it is highly recommended. Another thing with Alita is she’s not overpowered in all aspects, and like all well written characters has quirks and flaws. She and Mizu come off as mentally fortified, but have a clear limit and are not nearly as stoic as you initially believe (at least for the latter).
When I started watching BES, I saw a female lead samurai Ronin archetype and thought "oh great another boss bitch yass queen power fantasy" but less than two episodes in and Mizu legitimately gets her ass handed to her on multiple occasions and never seeming to walk away from a fight unscathed grabbed me in. It quickly turned into a Kill Bill/ John wick vengeance plot but questions that motive too. Deserves it Emmys and can't wait for season 2 (coming 2028 🥲)
Thank you. I found the final episode so disappointing that my brain dismissed the other seven. Its nice to be reminded that most of this show was excellent.
I probably watched a different series. In the one I watched, I only felt some tension in the first episodes. Then I learned from experience and did not feel any tension anymore. Mizu "struggles" almost to exhaustion, get all kinds of injuries, but continues on that 1 last hitpoint quite successfully. There isn't really tension, it's simply waiting for another dazzling display of "creativity" against another horde of clueless goons. Still more fun to watch than some of the content you mentioned. But not really subverting those expectations (which are: main characters are op, they win, just go with it).
This series felt like a very clever subversion of dreaded expectations by creators who are keenly aware of the current cultural BS. Everyone felt like a human in it, not just a paper hero or dimestore villain. Great breakdown of a great series on your part. I am so impatiently excited for the next installment!
"One of the worst things a story can be is predictable." I can't say I entirely agree with this. One of the things I enjoyed most about the tv-series V(2009), was the fact that I could see Anna(the leader of the aliens)'s plans coming a mile away, but despite that I still couldn't think of effective ways of stopping said plans. This is just one example of being "predictable" not being a bad thing. So while I agree on it as a general rule of thumb, it is worth pointing out/mentioning, that just like any other rule, exceptions are entirely possible.
Also predictability isn't inherently a bad thing in that it can also showcase very good foreshadowing. The audience being able to piece an outcome together though subtext or small clues dropped here and there is fun and engaging. To attempt to avoid predictability altogether ends you up with writing where characters will do inane things that make no sense at all just for the sake of catching the audience offguard and to be praised for being unpredictable.
I found this channel for the same reason most people did that video. And oh my god, your channel is so wholesome! By the way, forgive my terrible English.
The problem with the “look inward / self acceptance” arc is that it essentially says “You were always perfect the way you are”, which means the heroine never actually had a real shortcoming to overcome.
Another good example of overpowered characters is in the book series Arcane Ascension. In Sufficiently Advanced Magic, the character Keras Salerian is shown to be incredibly fast and powerful and fights basically a god in one of his first appearances, but the amount of restraint and character Andrew Rowe put into him is incredible. He even wrote a prequal to establish rule number 1 in your video. The full series isn't out yet and a lot of mature topics are in the books so I personally don't recommend for under 18
The narrative that she was a demon, driven purely by revenge and undefeatable was compelling. I read episode 8 as almost as though she was fighting as a mortal for the first time.
I feel like every time there was an incompetent's goon it could be justified by them being in utter shock with how badass he is and it is always complimented with a surprise or really competent warrior like the giant. Its a little disappointing that the Fallower duel ends short but the beating and stabbing in the beginning actually made a lot of sense to me. Mizu is a skilled warrior who didn't have his sword, Fallower is a pub brawler. And yeah episode 5 was the best episode by far but idk personally every frame of this show was pure delight for me. There was only a handful of gripes I had with fights in the last episode and most of them were negligible. I think the reason the ending isn't as satisfying is because this show isn't over. The adventure of Mizu isn't over and I can't wait!!
In summary, if you want an overpowered character, you write a character like John Wick or Gojo/Whis. John is better than any one character in his verse, but when faced with impossible odds he has to rely on his wits and surroundings. He has to improvise and at times almost dies against a handful of cannon fodder thugs. And in the flip side, you have Whis and Gojo in their universes respectively. They are strong. Broken compared to anyone else in their respective verses. There is no ass pulls or plot armor that results in them winning (Whis doesn’t actively fight, but you get the point). We the audience and the characters know that they are a “cheat” character. I live Superman as a character and what he represents, but as someone who can and has lifted a book with infinite pages, or wiped away universes with a sneeze, it’s tiring to see him lose to characters like Darkseid or Batman. The goalpost keeps getting pushed back and forward.
This dude does have some points honestly……..like when I heard him say “Mizu is an Overpowered character” I was like……wait hold on now that I think on it he’s right……the show never made me think that because it honestly does so well with how Mizu is still human…..Plus the action and gore is just too much fun to watch
I had to stop the vid midway through to go actually watch the show now. This stuff looks exciting! Edit: I'm back from binging it all night and cannot wait for Season 2!
The genre isn't called "fantasy". It's called Chanbara, and is the Japanese genre of samurai films which depicts them as a mythical era. It's conventions are conventions of the genre itself which includes the hero battling multiple opponents where these often stand around allowing the hero to fight a series of duels. If you don't know about the ethos of the samurai class, you won't understand why this happens. The duel is more or less sacred in samurai myth. Adding more opponents ups the stakes as it communicates the hero is outmatched and stands alone - which another key element where the samurai hero being alone in standing for honour and truth in a society ruled by corruption and injustice. This captures the tension inside Japanese culture which is very group and obedience oriented while still lauding individuals or small groups willing to take a stand against authority even to the detriment of themselves. Thus, being surrounded by a sea of enemies represents this element of social solitude and exposure, while still showing that the struggle is an individual one, fought inside the heart and mind of each person. Having the enemies of the samurai hero act "realistically" would be to miss the entire point of one of the corner stones of this genre. The Rônin samurai represents social and political dissent or isolation and while it is lauded, it is also destructive and subversive. In this fashion, Chanbara heroes are not engaged in a good vs evil fight in the way Western fantasy heroes are, but rather involved in a complex negotiation woth the societal values and structures of Japanese culture at large. (Apart from this, great video!)
The title alone explained why I love Well written overpowered mcs. The point of the story isn’t how strong can the main character get, but how much internal growth can happen so that the mc knows what to do with that power
While listening to this outline of why this overpowered character works in this story it reminds me of the 1982 John Milius directed Conan the Barbarian that largely cemented Anold Schwartzenneger’s fame. Many if not all the same points you make apply there. The chief similarity is that the character is supremely powerful but forged through great personal tragedy and hardship and at the cost of almost total distrust and development of close bonds with others.
I liked the show much more than I thought I would. As my mother was Japanese, I tend to scrutinize western depictions of Japan (as with Assassin's Creed Shadows). It was more interesting than I thought it would be. It was easier to suspend disbelief than I anticipated. I look forward to the next season.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm actually writing something (a book though, not a movie) that features a strong protagonist and Blue Eye Samurai may give me some thoughts for how better to flesh him out. I got most of the principles you were talking about down, 4 in particular, but it never hurts to have a better understanding of things. I struggle with principle 3 especially, since although I actually do practice HEMA I'm not very creative combatively; victory to me is a mixture of superior skill and good luck (which can and will turn against you at some point). I may have to break that mindset going forward.
Blue Eyed Samurai still has what Overly Sarcastic Productions' Trope Talks calls "Conservation of Ninjitsu". One ninja? Very dangerous. Lots of ninja? Each will be cut down easily bc there's always the same amount of ninja skill in the fight.
I love a well-written OP character!! I think like you said, most people miss the mark when writing these characters because they confuse being “over powered” with “omnipotent”. OP characters not only can but should routinely get their ass handed to them. It should never feel like a given that they’re going to survive an encounter, or at least not survive it intact. Mizu works so well because after each encounter and battle nothing about her remains intact. Whether it’s her broken ass body riddled with injuries, broken self-worth, broken moral compass, or broken heart, every single encounter leaves Mizu scarred to some degree. As the titular character, the audience knows she’s gonna make it to the end of the show…. But at what cost?
One thing to add to her fight with the four fangs is that in addition to her having to use her wits, they very nearly killed her as well. Despite her killing all four, she was on death's door by the end of it and would have died if not for Ringo. It also adds weight to the power of the four fangs, I can imagine legend going around that it took an Onryo; something supernatural, to kill them.
I loved the fight against the claws, yeah maybe the pile up on the door shouldve lost, but the rest of the fight was amazing and the coreography of her fighting style was amazing
I agree on your take with the later fight scenes, I had to suspend my reason after they did a great job making some of the fights somewhat reasonable within a fantasy context. But I liked the plot and characters enough to look past it. Looking forward to season 2
When a character is overpowered, make the conflict about something that can't be won just with power. And a big thing in group fights is, only so many of the group can attack at once. You don't want to hit your allies. There is only so much room. So most stand back for their turn. You have the numerical advantage, you can rotate in and out. Tire out the single opponent.
![[TH] 2024 PMGC League | Survival Stage วันที่ 1 | PUBG MOBILE Global Championship](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FVFT-PFwU80/mqdefault.jpg)
I believe the Hollywood girl-boss trope is a symptom of a much larger problem; our culture is obsessed with power, and treats it as a solution to every problem. Economic power through capitalism, military power through imperialism, cultural power through cults.
These writers either lack life experience to imagine a world not defined by power; or are spreading propaganda about the inevitability of power (especially with marvel, and their connection to the military). When these writers try to write female characters that are supposed to be looked up to; the only thing they can comprehend, is that they must be strong enough to nullify any preconceptions of weakness. That side of our culture will not accept weakness and vulnerability as a virtue.
Damn, this is a great take. Hadn't thought of that, but so true when you think about it. It makes me think of how I've heard several people criticize the new Avatar the Last Airbender show, saying it kind of lost it's soul versus the original, and one of the interesting points made was that the beloved original has a much more pacifist message. The core values of the story are unity, friendship, peace. Meanwhile the new show, although being very pretty and having cool action scenes, sends a message of "I need to be physically strong so I can wipe out the bad guys". Not exactly a great message if we want to move forwards together as human beings.
Oh damn, that's actually pretty interesting, and it kinda explains why this girl boss trope became so heavily politicized, the obsession of power plus the idea of ''divide'' ergo of man vs woman, would not sit right with many folks
This is brilliantly said.
@@master_samwise Awesome! this is the first time I have been pinned on a video, Thank you!
Damn... damn.
Mizu having a photographic memory to memorize techniques is actually really clever. Her primary source of shame is her eyes, yet it's those eyes that allowed her to become so strong.
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I think what really sets Mizu apart from modern action heroines is the fact that, while insanely skilled, she repeatedly suffers serious injuries from almost every engagement. Try as she might, she isn’t untouchable.
She’s like the protagonist version of when Austin Powers fights that one assassin “WHY! WON’T! YOU! DIE!?”
I agree, but I'd like those wounds to have more weight. When she gets stabbed fighting the four fangs, it takes her a couple days to recover, but then after that she mostly just shrugs everything off, at least in the heat of the moment. Like when she gets stabbed fighting the thousand claws. She gets hurt but then kicks ass anyway as if it never happened. It's just a little less consistent than I would prefer.
@@master_samwise adrennnnnalinnnnne
@@master_samwiseWhile I see your point it actually didn’t feel like that to me at all. It felt like her getting stabbed there sets a precedent for her mortality and every other time she gets hurt on a similar it feels as though it serves to make her feats right after more impressive and highlight her determination especially.
Yeah, sure. Especially those spiketraps that should've crippled her, but barely even stopped her from fighting further.
The way I saw it, the 2nd Fowler fight is not actually "over." When Fowler "gives up" but tells her of finding the other westerners in London. It's a pause in their larger conflict. He's playing a delaying tactic. He's also gaining her as an "ally" to escape Japan after his plans of conquest go sideways.
Oh for sure. My problem with that is that I didn't buy Mizu letting him live. He told her the names and location of her other two targets. She should have killed him and moved on, based on her whole character arc thus far. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't get why she didn't murder Fowler on the spot. The reason to let him live paled in comparison to an entire season spent hunting him.
@@master_samwise What you are missing is that having the names and location doesn't mean she'll find them in a foreign country.
They might speak english in the show, but Mizu doesn't. Letting Fowler live is the only way she can have access to her real target.
@@arenkaithat is a very good point.
Off the top of my head, just spit balling here.
How many people in Japan at this time period know where London is or how to get there? Most likely only Fowler and a few of his associates.
I think this also speaks to Fowler's greatest strengths, his ability to strategies and his ability to multiply others around him.
By telling Mizu her last two targets are not in Japan . He's basically telling her in a few words, without me you're totally screwed.
Japan at this point in history is completely isolationist. There were only four known white men in Japan in recent history.
No one is(openly) trading with outsiders.
Thanks to Fowler, killing the Shogun. There will be stricter restrictions.
Mizu's skills are fighting, acrobatics , horseback riding,a little knowledge of first aid ,sword smithing and hiding the fact that she's a woman.
She's a wandering swordsman, I assume she doesn't know much about the world outside of Japan.
If she killed Fowler, she would have to find someone in Japan who would both know where London is and be willing to take her there. Which the vast majority of people would not.
I'm pretty sure she doesn't know English. And I don't think many people in London would understand Japanese. So there will be an almost unsurmountable language barrier.
It's not completely impossible for her to get her revenge, but it's an extremely slim chance , and it's way simpler and much easier just to keep Fowler around and kill him later .
Also in her pursuit for revenge, she lit the capital on fire. She needs to get out of dodge almost as much as Fowler does.
Mizu belives herself to be heartless but it's not true. She saves Taigen from Folwer. She didn't have to but she does it. She defends the brothel against at mafia guys because she got them into trouble and she wants to fix it. She could have ran. After all it's not like one samurai can win against an army or anything.
@@adriangeorge9197 Youre implying that a character cant have nuance. She is dead set, and she kills kids to achieve her goal. But we see that there is still a small spark of hope for her character. She let ringo come with her, she saved the brothel, she saved taigen, she smiles when she prays for the swordmaster. She has a heart, she often just surpresses her feelings to do what she needs to achieve her goal. Its nuance, not a plothole.
@@adriangeorge9197 But it is nuance? She doesnt have a single character defining characteristic, she still has troubles walking down that path. She sometimes goes in her own way to achieving her goal. Her defending the brothel shows that she is a good person deep down. But in the bloodrush of battle, all that gets thrown out. She kills a CHILD. Its not excused either, its just so that nobody notices it or is alive to tell. The viewer knows, and she does as well. We judge her for that, and she does too. She thinks shes lost all love in her life, thats why she gives in. She gave up being good when killing that kid. Im genuinely baffled how one thinks the show gives her a free pass on killing kids?
And she saves taigen from that big tower, risking her own life twice, barely making it out. And after her defeat, she realized her mistakes, and tries to be good. She apologizes to ringo and accepts that she cant do it all alone. She comes to save akimo (or however that princess is called). Its a character arc.
She started a lone wolf, cocky, arrogant and barely human. But there was a sliver of hope for her. She didnt kill taigen, she took ringo in, she tried to defend the brothel. But in battle emotions just piled up and she saw herself again as an onryo, killing a kid because she thinks shes done trying to be good. She lets that princess be arrested and leaves ringo. In the tower she realizes her wrongdoings and tries to save taigen while jumping down. She knows she needs friends to achieve her goal and genuinely wants to do good as well. Thats why she saves the princess and places ringo to help her.
@@adriangeorge9197 I was as well expecting that to happen to her in the end, but I dont see a problem with a redemption arc? And the show never excused her actions, it clearly showed how despicable she was when killing the kid for example. Just because there havent been repercussions, doesnt mean the actions are excused.
@@adriangeorge9197 No, I never started reading mangas, I also never watched anime. But I heard good things about berzerk and dont care about being spoiled.
The biggest incident of her displaying compassion is definitely how, despite having killed countless, we can see that killing Kinuyo rocks her to her core.
12:01 - while I do agree basically, that her agression is self-destructive, I think the key point is how her agression is framed as opposed to male aggression. This series goes out of its way to show that every single male character gets away with incredible violence of every possible colour, no one bats an eye. But take a woman with the same attributes and she it's perceived as problematic, public enemy number one so to speak. If you look at their fight between Mizu and Mikio closely, it is literally the ONLY fight in which Mizu is NOT ACTUALLY AGGRESSIVE, but playful. She's careful and only gradually showing off her skills. What she does, however, is hurt her husband's ego, and see how quick he is to condemn her. It's not that Mizu is not in control in this fight - it's the opposite! She feels comfortable enough around her husband to banter, to sparr. The smile in her eyes says "See? You never saw it coming from me, right?"
And THAT'S why he condemns her. Just imagine the same scene with two men sparring. If you have difficulty picturing Mikio calling a fellow man a monster, you already get my point.
And I think that is the point of this entire episode! An angry woman can never just be an angry woman. They reframe her as something dangerous, an actual monster, an Onryo. Because no matter which culture we look at, women are never allowed to be angry. In western culture they call it hysteria, and here we have the onryo. Bot serve to dehumanize the female experience.
And yes, i hear you saying "But hardly anyone knows that Mizu is a woman" - true. But not in this particular scene. And beyond that, Mizu is perceived as the "other", which places her in almost the same category as women. Neither are allowed to make mistakes, neither are allowed their human nature.
I 100% agree with you on this. I do feel that Mikio's reaction to Mizu's playful aggression and her winning their sparring match is because his ego is bruised, and he doesn't expect a woman to be aggressive. You literally encapsulated my thoughts on that whole scene!
@@caitlin5742 I think there's a little more to it. Mizu lets Mikio see a hint of her darkness. She doesn't just relish the fun of sparring, or showing off her skill, though it's mostly that. But There's also just the tiniest hint of bloodlust in her smile when she puts the blade to his throat. We love her for it, of course. But it clearly freaked Mikio out. Especially on top of her crazy skill level, which of course, he took a bit too personally.
I was surprised that he wasn’t proud/turned on by her prowess but I gave him too much credit.
@@thejuliakitchen Yeah, it's a different world now, or at least, we're trying to make it a different world. But it turned out that Mikio was just trying to affirm his masculine superiority, and Mizu ruined that. Poor Mikio, he just wanted to show off what a man he was, and Mizu went and destroyed his whole paradigm. So thoughtless of her.
@@rottensquid This is how I took it. Poor girl enjoys the thrill too much now due to her life being nothing but the sword. It's her version of flirting. Which is why I worry her and Taigen are gonna end up together. Dude literally got excited from play fighting with who he currently thinks is a man. 👀 Drama ☕️
Despite being over powered, we still see her struggle and we are never sure how things will turn out. There are real stakes.
Not only that, we've seen her pass out, get knocked out, struggle, limp around, use items to balance with and take breathers. Mizu has been shown to lose, take the loss and stride on. Its so refreshing to actually see a character take time to recollect their thoughts and refocus in their encounters while the overexertion sets in on the body.
Yeah… but her abilities are so far detached from reality that I honestly don’t root for her
@@MaticTheProtoelaborate
@@chris.48 the fact that no matter your skill, taking on 3 opponents at a time is already deadly af and trying that with 30+ should be suicidal
I agree with the fact that we see her struggle a lot but I disagree with the real stakes part cos she keeps surviving these impossible odds. One was that she literally dodged a bullet being shot at her point blank but . Ig we can say it's all just fictional but the fights and settings of the story has a realistic approach. After the end of the season I can 100% conclude she has some sort of superpower or its just plot armour.
I'm not sure how right this is, but I think the reason the final fight with Fowler is so uncreative is to highlight Fowler's personality. Like he says at some point in the show that the japanese have mastered the best ways to make swords, while his people (back in Britain) keep creating the best ways to kill people. In the same way that the appearance of fire arms in japan completely nullifies the mastery of all the swordsmen in the castle once the coup begins, just like how the bullet obliterates the art of swordsmanship in war, so does Fowler obliterate his final confrontation.
So of course their duel isn't a masterpiece of swordsmanship and martial arts, Fowler isn't an artist. He even tells his business partner how sick he is of learning every beautiful art that japanese culture has to offer. Fowler obliterates art. Yes he mastered swordsmanship during his time in Japan, but he probably hates it and is as sick of it as he is of painting.
Yeah, that's how I see it, Fowler is a POS with no sense of honor or integrity, he fights dirty & runs because he is a coward, and drags Mizu down w him because he exploits her need for revenge(I think it's revenge anyway).
Honestly I think you couldn't be more right. The final 'duel' is the brutish, bloody brawl of two pragmatists, one of whom is satisfied only by the destruction of the soul. Fowler even says outright that he has "no need for souls" in the chapel scene. He is flesh, huge and rude and ugly and shameless, and all the sick cunning of the oppressor's bootheel.
And I think he wins that fight-by corrupting Mizu away from the ones they love, by surviving, by escaping to the British isles.
He runs away even though he has Mizu and Taigen knocked down because he knows they won't stay down for long and he doesn't really give a shit about them anyways. Because he doesn't give a shit about anything outside himself.
Abijah Fowler is, above all, a man who came to understand the systems of oppression that ruined his life and decided to *become* those systems. He is the man who was forced to eat his own sister's liver and decided to dedicate his life to doing the same to others.
An artistic, beautiful duel would miss the point of that.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that fight. This makes me see that last episode in new light and I like it even more now!
very well said! (2nd time I'm telling these words to someone in this comment section, what a great place). their final fight being a struggling fist-throwing mess somehow made sense in my head but I haven't been able to finalise it with words. and you did just that, thank you 😊
@@cptpropane Cheers mate
I think the reason Fowler acts the way he does in the final fight is simple: fear. He's lost everything that has given him an advantage up until now, and without it, he's lost and afraid. Because of this, he starts making irrational decisions and just tries to run and survive. It shows just how much of a demon Mizu is, and how no one, not even Fowler, is immune to fear.
Also, imho, Fowler is depicted as that "shameful westerner" who has no honor and just wants to survive and fulfill his desires. If kicking and fistfight is more effective, then I think it's really in his character to do so.
And Mizu, again, adapted.
I kinda felt like Fowler was a bit overpowered from the start, and then it kinda evaporated when the plot decided it should. But that's a minor nitpick of a masterpiece of a show.
@@eslee_alien I think it's unwise to assume the show itself has prejudices, especially prejudices against westerners. The people in the show have prejudices, for sure. But the show itself is just depicting people. And there are plenty of people like Fowler in all corners of the world. His honorlessness has nothing to do with where he came from. And he was no worse in that regard than Haiji Shindo. He certainly fit the Edo period's myopic view of westerners. But after all, because of the country's isolationism, the only westerners they're going to meet are ambitious criminals like him. So it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the show has a bias, it's against having a bias.
@@rottensquid but that's what I wrote. That he is depicted as, and most probably for the reasons you provided not that all of westerners are like that. And probably, it will be shown in the second season.
I also like that Mizu also uses skills she as a woman has over men. We don’t see her being stronger than a healthy adult male (when she also had a life of neglect and lack of food etc). We see her use her speed that being lighter (especially when the weight it taken off) and seeing her use how limber she is. I’m all for men and women being equals but in different ways. I’ll never be as strong as a man by my nature, but fights can be won in different ways. I like they use that and being an all male society in fighting they are not used to what she can do.
you have lower center of gravity. its a huge advantage if someone can teach you to use it
"We don’t see her being stronger than a healthy adult male"
She carries Taigen on her back up a vertical fortress wall.
To be clear, I don't mind, it's about showing how determined she is, more than her strength; and, it's a legend, after all.
@@Hohum37 Purposely missed the point. That's not an example of being stronger than a healthy adult male, just a feat of equal strength that I'm fairly certain is more difficult for a woman than a man. Mizu would lose in a contest of pure strength, which is why she doesn't typically overpower her opponents the way a man in her position would.
Akemi's entire character is a good example of this too. She demonstrates on multiple occasions that not being able to fight does not make one powerless. Once she embraces her advantages of manipulation and status, she becomes an incredibly interesting character.
@@zacharychristy8928I was thinking the same. Akemi used her feminity to get information or to manipulate others for her survival.
It's possible the goons want to avoid hitting each other so they try to assess an opening to attack. When I play the Sifu game, it's somewhat easy to get enemies to hit each other because I dodge an attack while someone else gets hurt. Alternatively enemies can be thrown at each other, taking 1 or people out of the fight temporarily because they tried to group up.
Wolverine said it best that everyone else has to avoid hitting their teammates but he can hit anyone he wants when outnumbered.
It's also a trope known as "Conservation of Ninjitsu", iirc.
Meaning: the more enemies at ounce, the less powerful they are individually.
It's present in basically every martial arts movie, really every action film ever made.
And _Blue Eye Samurai_ very much wears it's inspirations on its sleeve.
A lot of truth to this. I remember reading about a green beret or some instructor in that world, and he said he'd rather face 10 men than 2.
I remember seeing videos of kenpo practitioners who basically say the same thing. As long as you aren't completely surrounded, your enemy can only attack with 1-2 people at a time.
@@zacharychristy8928 Exactly. It's not nonsense to attack sparingly simultaneously. It's practical to avoid hitting your teammates. We're talking about weapons like swords and spears in Mizu's fights that can easily harm or kill someone even if it's unintentional team injuries.
There's an even simpler explanation. They're just fucking scared. Sure, ten spearmen can surround one guy with a big fuckoff sword, and if all ten just rush right in, point forward, the swordsman will 100% die as a kebab. But at least one of those spearmen is ALSO going to die, and none of them wants to be the one to take the fall.
Her husband didn't betray her due to "unchecked aggression" - she wasn't being aggressive at all in that scene. She was simply being skilled, and enjoying her skill. She was practically flirting with her husband using her sword, showing off a bit sure, but he was into it before he realized HOW skilled she was. Once he realized, then instead of seeing that joy and love, all her husband saw was a woman who was a better fighter. He didn't have what it takes to feel happy for her without feeling unnecessarily ashamed of himself. His pride was her downfall, and Mizu's takeaway was that no one will ever like her for her whole self. I enjoyed this video overall, thanks so much for sharing!! Just wanted to share my two cents about that one tiny piece, that's all.
Brother, mizu comes off as a complete psychopath in that scene that any normal person would have had an adverse reaction to. It wasn’t about her being a better fighter than him, it was about her insistence on unsheathing the weapons, and taking things too far for a “friendly bout” between lovers. The session ends with her pressing her blade against the husbands neck and taking joy in it, obviously from his pov she’s going to look insane. We understand mizu was enjoying and embracing her combat skill, however she sparred like she was sparring against that assassain in episode 2, not a loved one. And that’s what mizu didn’t understand, that not everyone spars that way
That's really sad
Still pretty aggressive if you asked me. Her pride got in the way, actively taunting him when he asked for a withdrawal.
I would say both are just stubborn-headed, and he didn't like her true colors when she finally revealed all of her. I believe the last straw on the camel's back was the man's dignity taking another hit - A disgraced samurai being taken down by a woman, his own wife.
I began watching the series alone until I finished episode 5 and thought "Oh, my wife needs to watch this with me".
if she starts asking about naginatas, run.
@@sbj2k1what’s that 💀
@@chris.48 it's a spear that mizu's husband had
@@paxonite-7bd5 alright thanks mate
@@chris.48 A type of spear with a fairly long, curved blade at the end, that's also effective at slashing, not just stabbing.
Not to 'um, akshully' ~ because I do rather agree that Mizu is presented as extra powerful in her abilities and there are times it feels like a stretch that she didn't die ~ One thing that I remember learning about specificually being trained as a fighter in this era of Japan is that a lot of the training is actually about learning to hold back and show restraint. Basically, to wait - because in this era simply getting a cut could be fatal, so going through the actual process of a sword fight was something that warriors would train UP to their entire lives for - it was supposed to be a big deal to finally do it 'for real'. Which isn't to say they didn't have fights, but the number of swordfights a single, average fighter that was say paid to protect a gambling house or den would be minimal in their average lifetime. Clearly that's not exactly the world that we're portrayed with in Mizu's case, swordfights are presented as somewhat more commonplace, but the idea that lesser trained fighters that haven't reached renouned samurai status with many battles under their belt might sort of hang back and 'wait their turn' because they're honestly hoping someone else takes her down first is actually somewhat reasonable and would fall in line with attitudes and teachings of the times (in that, it was just seen as wise to not engage in needless fights and put yourself at risk like that, which is true.)
Also friendly “fire” is just always an issue when you’re playing with swords. Certainly don’t want to slash your friend!
I think your initial aside gets back to the problem with the whole argument against "strong female characters." Why do men get to be unkillable superheroes like John Wick or Ethan Hunt, but if women have the same amount of plot armor, it's "woke"? Mizu is extra powerful and unkillable because this is a story about an extra powerful and unkillable bad-ass. Where's the problem?
But to the rest of your point, I wholeheartedly agree. Anyone who asks "why don't they all rush in at once?" has clearly never been part of a bukakke. That's how you get hit with friendly fire. 😉
its because being a little overpowered is fucking fun to watch.
@@venus9312 It can be double-edged sword when it undermines the stakes of a story. But yeah, there's no denying we kinda love it.
I think what makes Mizu work is two factors. One is there's always a nice push and pull with her powers and capabilities. Like her initial fight with Taigen she's challenged only for the reveal to be that she is still holding back so it excalates and she practically shows off. It means that scenes aren't always the most predictible and allows her to showcase her skills, experience etc against other opponents. The other side is how it's used to characterise her. One key aspect constantly brought up is how Mizu's pursuit of power is a one-way path to destruction, how her quest for vengeance has transformed her into a monster who will inevitably get herself killed since she doesn't look after herself. It's a nice thematic element that almost acts like a 'cost' for her power. She's strong and skilled but what she's doing isn't necessarily good for herself or others, she only really stumbles into taking moral actions sometimes for convenience, because she wants something. And in the end she doesn't even really get what she wants. I think this latter thing is what these other protagonists tend to lack, a bit of character that comes from the power, ways they change or things they represent. It allows the power set to be more than spectacle, there's a purpose behind them being as good as they are be it good or bad. The inverse of this would be like Superman and how he's used to represent the very best of mankind.
Ooo, framing her self-destruction as a "cost" is a really good point. It does sort of function like that.
Thank you! I think many people miss the point that her revenge quest is not good for her or others. It is a character flaw. Not the message of the show.
@@Eilonwy95 I agree. She thinks she's on a revenge quest. But though she doesn't know it, the show is actually about her quest to find a greater meaning for her life.
@@rottensquid
Agreed. I think that is where it will eventually lead. Pretty much all revenge quests need to go to complete tragedy or discovery for the protagonist that it is unfulfilling and there is more to life.
I love that she was able to switch between a sword, traditionally a male weapon, and a naginata, traditionally a woman's weapon, fluidly. And she didn't try to say that one was better than the other, she just knew to use it in different contexts. I think that's part of why I loved her as a character even though she was OP: she used her whole toolkit. You touched on so many things that make me love protagonists like her when done well.
The 5th episode is also hands down my favorite. And it broke my heart watching the moment that she decided that it didn't matter who had betrayed her, that this was inevitable and that she was foolish for having thought otherwise. That experience isn't even unique to a female protagonist, and seeing it done so well and in a way that didn't lead to overt madness was refreshing. Like did it break something in her? Very much so. But all it did was ensure a return to form. I loved that.
Also I kind of like to think that it was the mom that betrayed her, in the end. I like to think that a man that would know how to care for horses in the way he did would have enough emotional intelligence to know that his wife is more or less a wild animal pretending to be domesticated, and that he was just scared that she had been able to best him in a moment he wasn't taking her seriously. But maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.
Though yeah the 8th episode was just... weird. I'm hoping it does better in the next season.
I agree about Mioko not turning her in, but he very much still betrayed her by not coming to help. Ik he said he came to help, but he was so late to the fight when he was riding a horse? He definitely just waited until the fight was over, maybe as some kind of backwards "punishment" for beating him...which also explains WHY he left. I think he knew she could handle them so he knew he could just wait it out.
The trust me, I'm a TH-camr line killed me lol
So *youre* the guy she killed at the end 😅
😂😂
“The worst thing you can be is predictable. If you’re predictable, you’re not nearly creative enough”
I understand what you mean, but I also think this is an oversimplification and a bad general take away without exploring it more deeply. Yes being unpredictable can be a great show of creativity, however being predictable can also be an amazing display of narrative consistency and implementation of cause and effect.
I think a better way of paraphrasing the point would be “the best subversions are finding unorthodox solutions within the established rules of the story”
there are scenes in a show where I predict what will happen next that makes me say "ugh" when I'm right and then there are scenes that I will predict and feel excited for being right about it. I feel like there is anticipation and there is predictability. The two differences.
@@RustinMarkJandongan I personally wouldn't use the word predictability. both of these were predictable as evidenced by the fact that both outcomes were predicted. predictable isn't good or bad. it just is or isn't. the way many people use predictable is as a synonym for boring or overused. a clearer distinction would be anticipation or dread, opposite emotions that can both be invoked by predictability.
So true, nothing gets on my nerves more than "subverting expectations" just for the sake of it, leading to complete non sequiturs
@@lightningmonky7674 I have heard some media completely changing the story for the worse because some people predicted the ending.
I was confused on the ronin and bride episode, couldn't tell which one she was suppose to be, I never realised she was both
Same
I. Love. This show. And I cannot stand the overpowered strong independent female trope of today. My summary for why she works as a character is “she earned it.” She earned her power and skills, she earned her talents and abilities. And when the show sorta drops the ball in maintaining all of the principles, I have less of a genuine problem with it because the show worked hard earlier to earn a little reprieve and unrealistic flair. Like when the guards kinda stand around, or when she is pinned underneath 100 guys and none of them get her… they are few and far between moments of being ridiculous, with dozens of amazing moments before and after. It’s a mere spot on a canvas you can overlook rather than a splash dumped all over the canvas, especially when compared to most modern shows and movies.
She earned her power AND she is allowed to screw up and be wrong about things. She isn't the story's indisputable moral authority the way a lot of the Strong Female Characters are clearly constructed to be. Mizu's character and story don't exist to make some point about women being strong and capable, despite the fact that she is undeniably both. The story shows you the position of women in the society and how different women experience the restrictions of that status so that you as the viewer can feel their rage without the script needing to pontificate about it.
I forgive the occasional bending of realism in the fight sequences because 1) the world and characters are so well established; and 2) I see it as a nod to the intentional unreality of martial arts films generally. I accept that the Rule of Cool will win out over pure physics in these scenarios because everything else is so grounded and the fights are so heightened. My disbelief is successfully suspended.
@@jojobookish9529 Yes, 100% 👏
I think something a lot of people don't take into account is numbers plus weapons plus space doesn't equate to a good rush on one person. Yeah all the warriors guarding Fowler could have rushed in at once but there would be crowding a friendly fire. Prime example is the Fleet battle of Cape Ecnomus from the first Punic wars saw a numerical advantage to the Carthaginians, but were too crowded and couldn't move efficiently. So I understand the whole "oh everyone wait there turn to fight the one person is dumb", it doesn't always work practically
Something I noticed in my third rewatch (this show is just...SO GOOD) that elevated the writing even more:
Because she learned ONLY from sight, never from practice (two very different things in martial/weapon arts learning), her guard is terrible. She has excellent blows, her form is perfect, but she gets injured the same way every time: Her left side is weak.
At first, I thought this was just to give her a weakness...and then I learned how much the animators learned from the fight choreographer.
When you learn how to spar, you learn your patterns first (usually against a pells or in front of a mirror), and then how to use those patterns for defense. Then offense. The patterns teach you when and how to balance the two. Through that process, you also REALLY learn your weak points- either your guard too much (afraid of pain), you leave yourself open (overconfidence/overstretching), or even if you have a dead side (a lot of right handed people see their left hand/side as a dead weight. I, as a leftie, have had to learn how to be ambidextrous-- but it can happen to anyone).
Mizu, having never fought against someone during her foundation years, never learned her weaknesses. She never learned to strengthen her left side, and she never had an opponent to teach you how BADLY YOU NEED TO GUARD CORRECTLY. She would never have anyone to teach her how to strengthen both sides, regardless of what hand she fights with.
So. She repeatedly gets KO'd in her left shoulder. Or her left arm.
And so this show is in my Top 5 forever, because whether intentionally or otherwise, they revealed her greatest weakness through her injuries: Being alone does not work forever.
That's some awesome insight! (And how the ever-loving heck could you notice such a thing??)
@@crazypeopleonsunday7864 Small obsession with fighting choreography. As someone who learned actual fighting (not for LARP for acting- real fighting), it's something I kinda get picky about.
Avatar and Blue Eye Samurai get forever kudos from not just having real martial experts on the team, but TRUSTING those experts and drawing them line-for-line. There's a reason for every move, every limb placement, every stance. It's art in itself. They should be damned proud there are things like this to notice!!
@@SoulSpectar Ah! That makes sense. Yeah, a masterpiece like Avatar seems like it would pay close attention to details like that. I'm not fighting expert, but even with my layman's (a.k.a. non-existent) knowledge of martial arts, it seemed liked like the writers had put considerable thought into the movements of each of the bending styles. And it's nice to know Blue Eye Samurai has the same attentiveness.
By the time you get to the later episodes the whole story has been so damn good that they were able to get away with a lot more... She reached super human levels but it didn't take away anything because you were already balls deep in the story
Would have loved to see Fowler bust out a fucking Zweihander and make some comment about white people knowing how to wield a blade too, would have been very in character for him
Also definitely need a parallel video for Akemi, because I thought she was one of the bright spots of the last episode, as well as the invasion of the castle, it felt very heavy.
I also think of All Might as an amazingly written Overpowered Character. An analysis from you would be amazing. You seem to be insanely knowledgeable. Wish you well on your videos.
There's a scene I like in the first Man of Steel movie, it's one of the first scenes where "Clark" is on a boat. Clark makes a mistake and is almost crushed by a metal cage falling over him, but one of the sailors rushes to save him, pushing him out of the way. The guy screams at Clark to be careful and to keep his eyes open, but doesn't make a big deal out of it. The thing is, Clark knows that the guy could have died, but he didn't even hesitate when trying to save him. To Clark/Superman, saving others from impossible things means the world to them, but to him everything is easy, with almost no risk. Brushing his teeth, walking a dog or going inside a volcano are all about the same to him.
I think one of the reasons Superman tries his best to save everyone is exactly because he wants to compensate for the fact that, to him, he's not risking his life at all, it's all the humans around him who are the real heroes in his eyes, putting their lives on the line every day. As someone who wishes to be accepted as a "human", he must believe that using his powers to save others is the least he can do.
Such an interesting and largely well done show.
I think you really hit the nail on the head here on what sets Mizu apart as one of the best female action stars in recent fiction. It’s not just that she’s not a Mary Sue, that she is badass but not immortal - sure that’s important to making us invested in her struggle, but it’s not what makes her such a brilliant character. What makes her a brilliant character is how her power and mastery as a warrior is both deeply ingrained into who she is as a person and what makes it impossible for her to find connection with others. It’s her greatest strength and her greatest weakness, which is a really tricky needle to thread but I think this show pulls it off flawlessly. Frankly even some of the less impactful fight scenes don’t bother me that much, because it all serves her characterization so well.
I also agree that ‘The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride’ is the best episode of the whole series so far. I was on the edge of my seat during pretty much every episode, but I was literally slack jawed by the end of that episode by how well written and executed it was. One of the best episodes in animation I’ve ever seen.
I think it's important to understand that Mizu is also meant to represent two themes within the story:
1.) Difference
2.) Revenge
And to also understand how these themes incorporate into her fights. I'll start with difference.
Blue-eyed Samurai makes their audience aware of the fear and loathing it's society has against anything that doesn't conform with the established normality. Mizu's biracial appearance has most people immediately assume she is dangerous and evil demon - an onryō. This perception of society thematically adds to her abilities and skills; because those around her believe she is capable of supernatural power, then the story supports that. It's why I believe her first fight with Fowler is incredible - he does not have the same mindset as the Japanese society. To him, Mizu is just another man who can bleed and die. (I think there's also another cool point to add that those who don't see Mizu as all powerful tend to be her allies because they are aware of her limits and lack of mystical abilities but that's a whole other rant).
The second theme is revenge. Revenge is rarely ever portrayed as a heroic and just theme - unlike vengeance -and again the story makes it very clear that revenge comes with a hefty cost. It is brutal and consuming and destructive, and because it is embedded so deeply into Mizu's character, she also adopts these descriptions. She is the theme itself within the story, and thus her power is emphasised within her fights.
I agree that it is sometimes frustrating to see fights where clearly the character can be beaten in someway if the baddies just rub their two braincells together but I also think it's super cool when characters are op because they represent themes and narratives within the story.
I mean, show me one action show where the character doesn't have a bit of plot armor.
Curious what distinction you draw between revenge and vengeance. I always considered them the same thing.
@@rottensquid
I mean, I may be wrong but I think revenge revolves more around personal injustice whereas vengeance is done on behalf of someone who has been wronged.
Both are very similar - choosing pursuit and (sometimes) violence as their resolution but I believe vengeance is often treated as the more socially and morally acceptable theme than revenge.
And, yeah your so right about plot armour. Sometimes, plot armour is necessary to a story. Sometimes it's fine to have characters survive against the odds. Imo, as long as it leads to the character having a satisfying arc and conclusion, then I'm cool with it.
I think the biggest advantage Mizu has in regards to her writing is that her fights are rarely effortless. The episode one fight with the training swords is a bit of an exception, but every other fight is a struggle, and she doesn’t ever walk away untouched. It’s not just talent that gets her this far, it’s resourcefulness and determination.
What in the show suggested that Fowler was anything more than a competent swordsman at best? So far as I can remember, he is never set up to be anything more than that; his power lies in wit, technology, moveny, and connections.
Mizu notices a flower cut by Fowler and says that only a master could have made such a cut. Also Fowler says that he has had so much free time that he has mastered many arts, which probably includes swordsmanship, if he wasn’t already a master before being in Japan.
Yeah Mizu says it out loud.
In episode three, Fowler is told that the Four Fangs failed to kill Mizu. In a tantrum, he takes a sword and slices a table in half, but he also slices a flower from a flower on the table in that same swing. He takes the flower and pins it to Shindo's robe before telling Shindo to go take care of Mizu.
Later on, Mizu notices the flower and says "only a master swordsman could have made that cut."
Why that cut was so special is beyond me though.
@@johnleonard9102 i think the cut was special because it was on a flower stem. Something flimsy, fibrous and thin. Yet it was a straight cut and at a rather shallow angle no less. cutting through much more of the stem that was strictly necesary, but still cutting straight
@@carloguerrero6583 Right. I imagine it takes exactly the right thrust and speed. And the blade must be perfectly sharp. Otherwise, the fibers wouldn't cut evenly. Of course, only a well practiced swordsman would notice.
It's also important to remember that this is all ridiculous. It's highly unlikely an actual swordsman could tell the skill of another but the cut of a flower stem. But it's the kind of exaggerated mastery common in martial arts storytelling. It's like when Sherlock Holmes learns a man's life story by studying his hat. You have to just accept the rules of the story's universe, or you're not going to have fun.
THANK YOU! I saw so many people arguing online about who betrayed Mizu, and all the while I was thinking "It's both, and neither, and it doesn't matter. What matters is that Mizu feels betrayed by both of them. And it doesn't matter if she's right, it just matters that's what she perceived."
1. Reasonably interesting origin for the character's power 0:49
2. The character's power cannot be absolute 2:04
3. Displays of power by the character must be creative (includes design of fight + character's own ability to innovate) 4:13
4. Don't make the character's power the entire point of their character 9:08
Her quest for vengeance is not over her mother's murder. She is not hunting a murderer. She is hunting the only four men that could potentially be her father. Her revenge is for her own existence that she herself believes to be a crime against nature because she has suffered so much. If anything that's another extremely interesting spin on an old cliché.
Idk man, I find the struggle with self doubt and need to be defined by others more relatable and close to human nature than thirst of revenge ( I am the weird person who really liked Mrs Marvel, it isn't society it is her own assumptions btw) but I really liked your point about the fights needing to be creative and entertaining. It does make all the difference
honestly i liked the second fight between mizu and fowler, it wasn't cold and calculated like their other engagements - neither had the upper hand or home advantage either. it's a desperate adrenaline fueled scrap while fleeing from a collapsing building and being hunted down. they make dumb choices in that situation and thats very humanizing to both of them - fowler is not just a one note villian here, he's a desperate person making some dumb choices under extreme pressure he's not used to being under. they both need to get out of dodge, theyre both severely injured, and mizu can't let him get away. Fowler gets a moment to think and uses his old ploys to get out not just alive but protected by someone who "needs" him alive.
this is fantastic writing and an excellent exploration of them both being stripped of their usual power /together/
Most annoying thing I noticed was how often she’s able to shrug off crippling injuries, it’s most noticeable in Fowler’s castle where in one scene she’ll get stabbed or concussed or anything else that would’ve knocked anyone out of a fight, and then the next scene she just carries on like nothing happened. In such times she kinda goes into superhuman territory rather than just “skilled warrior.” But it’s passable, overall a great show.
The 2nd fight with Fowler not being a cinematic swordfight matches Fowlers personality. He's not honorable, he's not a swordman, he took the fight away from Mizu's strengths. He's much more of a Thomas Shelby than he is a foreign Ronin.
There's a reason I grew up loving Mulan. She was a character I was able to relate with and look up to. And not becauee she was some perfect op charcater, it was becauee she never gave up, she was brave, she was at a disadvantage, but she worked extra hard to succeed. I was not naturally gifted in many ways, so always watching characters just being perfect at everything was t boring and in some ways disheartening.
Jet Lee was a small guy and he didn't rely on his strength to fight, he relied on his speed, precision and skill; you have to.know your weaknesses and your disadvantages, and try to overcome them in other ways.
Mulan is truly awesome!
The "side" characters are equally important in defining the moral shape of the story and Blue Eye does a solid work there. Equal to Episode 5 are the interactions with Sword Father and the powerful nature of humility that comes with the attempted forging of the meteorite, the cunning ruthless compassion of madame kaji, the earnest clear hearted Ringo. They all add depth by their varying answers to the world, they aren't mere props for the main character.
The last episode was really perplexing as it abandoned so much of what the story had built leading up to it.
Totally agree.
This was a really good video. I get the feeling I would disagree with a lot of your takes, however you're also really good at media analysis and I appreciated this video a lot.
I just wanted to say I always appreciate seeing people who can compliment and see the good in people they may disagree with on a number of things. Good for you.
Haaang on though. I get what you’re saying here about that last fight with Fowler. But here’s the thing: Fowler = Foul-er. His character sullies everything he touches.
Including fights. He dragged it down to that bare-fisted, hammy level.
The storytelling was being done in that action sequence was meant (probably) to be a warning of how far down he’ll drag Mizu going forward.
Fowler is a brute so him treating this like a street fight vs two equal swordmasters made sense for me.
Bro I literally can't wait for a season 2 of this show, this is literally the best animated show in Netflix or at least it's on par with arcane
This series has quite homages and similarities to ( 1973 ) Lady Snowblood movie snd Samurai Champloo anime which I think anyone who has watched these two can understand and see the similarities in Blue eye samurai and how these have big influence in the show and one thing I have also noticed is that Mizu have some similarities with a certain female character from Demon Slayer anime is Shinobu Kocho. Both female characters want revenge for what happened in their life, their portrayal of female rage is very well done and both are very well written characters but the difference is the Shinobu constantly smiles because of her sisters wishes but if Shinobu didn't do that her personality would have literally been like Mizu.
I would say that the way the character gets power must be not just be unique or interesting, but also earned. That's the most important point. That can either be through training as in Blue Eye Samurai, or it can be at some great personal cost to the character. What it cannot be is just hand-waved or given for free. That, by definition makes the character non-relatable and/or boring. This one point is the biggest tripping point for most modern female leads. They are suddenly better than everyone else, and they did not earn it. They try to cover for that by making the sense of "responsibility" be the cost or "no one acknowledges how great I am", which are both completely stupid and unrelatable.
Also I agree on your points about the final fight in the series. I greatly enjoyed the series, but I also found Mizu's sudden amplification in ability to be unrealistic and annoying, but it wasn't a fatal flaw. I wish they'd have found a more creative way for her to take on the IronClaws instead of just raw fighting strength. Same with the Samurais a the season finale, but I could at least somewhat justify that in the sense that she had a whole season to prepare and also didn't care to survive per-say.
One last thing I think that really helped this show was that her power did not come at the expense of the side characters and we see lots of other powerful individuals and we see our protagonist saved by others pretty regularly (you briefly touch on this).
I binged the show just to be able to watch this vid. Worth
The theory behind not everyone attaching at the same time is you can hurt your own people more than person you’re trying to hurt. Friendly fire is not turned off lol sometimes you can get in the way more than being efficient. That’s why the 1v1 me bro lol😅
"Trust me. I'm a TH-camr." HAH! Awesome.
I agree with your assessment, for the most part. But, personally, I think the reasons why Mizu works as a female protagonist of incredible strength and skill, as opposed to other examples, are slightly different than what you articulate.
1. *Power is earned* . I get what you mean when you say that a protagonist's powers/skills need to come for an interesting place, but I think it's more to the point to say that a character needs to earn their power and/or skills (as you have said in a different video, though I can't remember which, exactly). As you say in this video, Mizu earns her skill in swordsmanship through years of difficult training, determination, and, most importantly, trial and error. She learns to be a great swords(wo)man, but she isn't perfect off the bat. She makes mistakes and learns from them. Like the swords she learned to make and wield, Mizu was forged in fire. This is more realistic, and it makes Mizu seem more determined and just plain awesome.
2. *She's not invincible* . A common criticism for modern "strong" female characters is that they are over powered and unstoppable, and while Mizu is ridiculously skilled and powerful, she also takes her fair share of beatings, smoothing the rough edges off this trend. Mizu will often find herself cutting down swarms of trained fighters, but she'll also take a great many hits herself during these fights, progressively weakening her as the fight goes on. This, in my opinion, serves to make Mizu's fights seem more realistic, and build the tension as the fight goes on. Like, yeah, Mizu just killed three guys all by herself, but they cut her arm, and her side, and gave her a bloody nose, and she's limping away from this encounter. Now the five guys she'll have to face next will be even more challenging than if she didn't have those injuries. She's powerful, but not an indestructible, unstoppable force of nature. The traps and guards she has to deal with on the way up to Fowler at his castle are a great example of this.
3. *She receives help* . Like you mention briefly, Mizu often needs help, especially from Ringo (who is very useful). It's a small thing in this show, but modern female protagonists are often portrayed as not needing any help, if the concept of complete self-reliance isn't touted as a virtue by the story they feature in. Mizu needing, accepting, and eventually even asking for help both undermines this trend and makes her feel more plausible.
4. *Feminism isn't the point* . Another glaring trend in modern stories starring female heroes is a clear theme, underlying or blatant, of feminism. "Strong" female protagonists are intended to be empowering for young girls and women, show that women can achieve great things like men, and/or otherwise make commentary on women's role in society (though they typically miss the mark, often drastically). Mizu's story has no such themes. Oh, sure, this show addresses these sort of themes via Akemi (half-well, half-poorly, in my opinion), but these themes hardly affect Mizu's journey, or at the very least aren't at its center. In story, this frees Mizu's personal journey up so it can focus on other themes, while not being bogged down with the extra thematical baggage. It also keepings the show from feeling preachy or same-y in the eyes of the audience. (Plus, the trend of female protagonists having to deal with feminist themes in most modern stories ironically places a limit on female characters, in that they are restricted to stories with such themes. Stories with male protagonist can address a wide variety of themes; male characters can just be 'characters' in the eyes of audiences. Female characters will always be thought of as '*female* characters' so long as their stories deal with feminist themes.)
5. *She has flaws, and isn't universally right* . Finally and most importantly, Mizu has character flaws that she needs to overcome and she isn't depicted as always being in the right. She has room to grow as a person, such as learning to accept help, letting go of her pain and anger, etc. I'm not going to go over her entire character journey in a TH-cam comment, but she does have room to grow as a character and does so over the course of the series. Additionally, Mizu isn't framed by the story as being constantly and infallibly correct in what she does. The writing doesn't prop her ideological position(s) up as being correct and contrast her with a villain that represents a strawmanned depiction of the alternative view. This is in large part because Mizu isn't a spokesperson for any particular intellectual view; her journey is based much more in overcoming the emotions of pain, anger, betrayal, and sorrow than in puzzling out or promoting ideologies. Ultimately, what this does is allow us as the audience to root for Mizu as a character; we want HER to succeed, or at least improve or just... *survive*, unlike so many other female heroes who are just tools for writers to express their (usually oversimplistic and flawed) feminist ideologies and values. With these characters, audiences aren't rooting for their success or best interests, if we're rooting for them at all, we're rooting for the ideologies being expressed through them, but this only works if we audience members actually agree with the values and ideas being expressed, or can be convinced to agree with them. If not, then we simply reject the character that has become the face of the things we disagree with. (Note that this is true of any character(s) that only serve as avatars to promote an ideology, whether the ideology is feminism or anything else. Feminism (at least, Hollywood's bland flavor of feminism) is just the ideology relevant to this example.)
Also, **DISCLAIMER**, I speak of feminism rather negatively throughout this comment. I would like to clarify that I don't actually take issue with true feminism itself (that is, the idea that men and women are equal, and the advocation for acknowledgment of that equality where it is needed). Rather, I take issue with the current state feminism has taken, generally speaking.
I didn't hear about this show! I have a kind of OP character I wanted to write, but I didn't feel I had the experience yet so I'm writing a different story right now. Thanks for making this!
First of love the video, love blue eye samuri! I would add/expand one more principle that I think u largely missed out (maybe touched on). The aesthetic of the show is not total realism. Its art and that can be as simple as "wow its so pretty". I enjoyed the visuals as well as the narrative and personally I'm happy to sacrifice a small part of the realism of the goons not just reaching around the door and instead allowing it to be a metaphor displayed in an awesome visual
I don’t know if I’m just dense but I never really thought Mizu was over powered, it’s written so well that she isn’t (in my eyes) “over powered” she’s just insanely skilled from years and years of training. She constantly gets hurt and almost never walks away from a fight in a good state. She is usually limping or at least very very worn out.
My main issue with over powered characters is when they literally never seem to be strained from anything. It makes it boring to watch, it’s why I hated captain marvel. What is fun about watching a character constantly end up on top, it’s clear there is no one who can match them so there is no stakes. There’s no “are they going to die?! How are they gonna win!?” It’s so bland, it’s less how will they win, and more what kind of bs are they gonna pull out to try and make it look like there are stakes for the main over powered protagonist.
Just a very strong analysis of a series I very much enjoyed while talking eloquently to the issues of storytelling I've had difficulty describing for a while now. Thank you, absolutely wonderful and informative watch!
This show is one of the few that I am not bothered by the “enemy’s wait their turn to fight the protagonist” because it makes sense for the show. Japan during that time period samurai were taught to only fight one on one because fighting 2 on 1 was not a honourable duel and not an honourable kill. So this is one of the few shows that it makes sense
i love how you broke this down, well balanced, logical, yet fair and understanding to the genre themselves, when creativity meets logic and empathy
Yes to everything, I also want to add how important it is that Mizu is not morally perfect. She absolutely is a victim of oppression, but she is also hellbent on vengeance and willing to sacrifice anyone for it. She's not "100% right and morally correct and everyone just hates her because they're bad people", she's kind of fucked up, and it's awesome. It gives her so much depth, and the fact that her quest for vengeance is ruining any chance at happiness for her is especially interesting. So often female characters have to be paragons of virtue to justify their place at the top of the call sheet. It's almost like people are overcompensating for misogyny: "oh I don't hate women, women are perfect!" It's almost as dehumanizing as misogynistic hatred. We're as complex as men, we are just as capable of anger and cruelty, but also heroism and kindness. We are humans, not plot devices.
Exactly! I’m all for a paragon of virtue if a character is truly virtuous. But women characters can and should be just as complex and well as men. It’s more fun for everyone
Also, I love your videos, MS, keep it up!
I never heard of this series before now. The only reason I got here was because I'm writing a personal project, and searching through TH-cam for tips and ideas.
However, these little pointers has been very helpful and insightful. Plus I have something to look for later to watch!
I also like how her name which means water shows she is more than power as well. Water adapts to whatever container it is put in, she learns from every situation and knows what she can or cannot do. She reminds me very much of Balsa from Moribito.
Oh! Like how her "mother" says she let Mizu think she was dead so she could "be like water"! Clever.
sounds like the "ninja mob" trop is active in this show. Where one or few opponents are a threat either by matching skills or effective team coordination, when a mob is involved, they come at the protag one at a time while the rest stand around at most blocking escapes.
Absolutely loved this show, can't wait for the next season!!!
I'm willing to excuse Mizu effortlessly defeating goons because it plays into a power fantasy that is fun to watch. As you pointed out, when facing a serious opponent like the four fangs, the combat is more realistic in terms of power balance. This allows the audience to feel hyped when the character is a badass without making stakes too low. The final battle was just bad though.
Agreed. I think there are a lot of fantasy stories where random goons are easily defeated to show just how awesome the heroes are. Avatar, lord of the rings, Star Wars, and really most superhero stories come to mind. You need fights against more intimidating opponents, but it’s fun to watch (and still makes enough sense based on what we know of the skill of the hero) the hero cut through a lot of goons in creative ways.
@@Eilonwy95 "It was just so unrealistic that a teenage water farmer from the ass-end of the galaxy was a better shot than clones trained from birth to be soldiers," said no one.
Fowler was always unnecessarily overpowered, as a lazy way to make him seem more intimidating. In the final episode, they ran up against this problem, and ended up nerfing him at the last minute so they could hand Mizu a win. But he shouldn't have been such a skilled sword fighter in the first place. It would have been more than enough for him to be a brute who used his strength or his cunning to win all his fights, and never needed to learn the finer points of swordplay. That would have been enough to give Mizu the edge in the final showdown. And it wouldn't have made Fowler any less imposing.
Still, this is a minor complaint for an overall excellent show.
@@rottensquid
I see your point I think. And I don’t like when people complain about realism in fantasy. Of course the women characters, like the men, can be unrealistically strong or win. It’s fantasy.
The pedantic Star Wars fan in me needs to point out that the Stormstroopers aren’t clone troopers any more. They were replaced with regular humans. But still trained for a long time I’m sure so I see your point. Additionally, Luke being a better shot is really just him using the force.
@@Eilonwy95 Ah, right! I still haven't watched the Clone Wars show. It's in the queue.
I mean, a viewer can come up with a excuse for a character like Luke having plot armor. The real reason, of course, it's that it's their damn story. Of course, Game of Thrones got a lot of mileage out of setting up character like Luke Skywalker, with magical powers and a Destiny with a capital D, and then he gets shot by Stormtroopers randomly because in GoT, "any character can die at any time." Which is why I never particularly enjoyed that show. Plot armor is really there to make sure the story has a point, and actually gets there.
Of course, this gets to the core issue. People who look for reasons to question the plot armor rather than excuse it are doing so because they like the point of the story, and don't want the protagonist to succeed. They blame the unbelievable plot armor for this dislike. But in fact, it's the other way around.
I also find the "wahmen strong" trope really irritating (it feels like producers digging for brownie points but that's beside the point.)
So it really surprised me when I watched Alita: Battle Angel and genuinely respected the character and her unmatched combat skills. Like the samurai, she does come up with creative ways to win and gets help from others beside herself. She also has losing conditions that are not her dying: She has fragile people that she cares about that she is trying to keep safe. It was only with the help of an adversary-turned-good that she came up with a clever way to save her love interest and get her rival, who was trying to kill the love interest, to back down.
(In case you haven't seen it or forgot, there's a bounty out for her boyfriend, so she basically fakes his death and takes credit for it, so she is protected by enforcement because you cannot steal someone's kill)
I haven't seen that, but have heard it's good. Will have to check it out some day.
Indeed it is, @@master_samwise! Iirc, it's directed by Robert Rodriguez and written and produced by James Cameron among others (a rather explosive combination if I do say so myself)!
Fragile isn’t the way to put it. And beyond that, the movie covers VERY little compared to what the source material has, so reading it is highly recommended.
Another thing with Alita is she’s not overpowered in all aspects, and like all well written characters has quirks and flaws. She and Mizu come off as mentally fortified, but have a clear limit and are not nearly as stoic as you initially believe (at least for the latter).
When I started watching BES, I saw a female lead samurai Ronin archetype and thought "oh great another boss bitch yass queen power fantasy" but less than two episodes in and Mizu legitimately gets her ass handed to her on multiple occasions and never seeming to walk away from a fight unscathed grabbed me in. It quickly turned into a Kill Bill/ John wick vengeance plot but questions that motive too. Deserves it Emmys and can't wait for season 2 (coming 2028 🥲)
Thank you. I found the final episode so disappointing that my brain dismissed the other seven. Its nice to be reminded that most of this show was excellent.
I probably watched a different series. In the one I watched, I only felt some tension in the first episodes. Then I learned from experience and did not feel any tension anymore. Mizu "struggles" almost to exhaustion, get all kinds of injuries, but continues on that 1 last hitpoint quite successfully. There isn't really tension, it's simply waiting for another dazzling display of "creativity" against another horde of clueless goons.
Still more fun to watch than some of the content you mentioned. But not really subverting those expectations (which are: main characters are op, they win, just go with it).
This series felt like a very clever subversion of dreaded expectations by creators who are keenly aware of the current cultural BS. Everyone felt like a human in it, not just a paper hero or dimestore villain. Great breakdown of a great series on your part. I am so impatiently excited for the next installment!
"One of the worst things a story can be is predictable."
I can't say I entirely agree with this.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the tv-series V(2009), was the fact that I could see Anna(the leader of the aliens)'s plans coming a mile away, but despite that I still couldn't think of effective ways of stopping said plans.
This is just one example of being "predictable" not being a bad thing. So while I agree on it as a general rule of thumb, it is worth pointing out/mentioning, that just like any other rule, exceptions are entirely possible.
Also predictability isn't inherently a bad thing in that it can also showcase very good foreshadowing. The audience being able to piece an outcome together though subtext or small clues dropped here and there is fun and engaging. To attempt to avoid predictability altogether ends you up with writing where characters will do inane things that make no sense at all just for the sake of catching the audience offguard and to be praised for being unpredictable.
I found this channel for the same reason most people did that video. And oh my god, your channel is so wholesome! By the way, forgive my terrible English.
Congrats on 100k!
Ringo sighs… “I’ll get my needles…”
The problem with the “look inward / self acceptance” arc is that it essentially says “You were always perfect the way you are”, which means the heroine never actually had a real shortcoming to overcome.
Bro that castle infiltration sequence was like a video game. My mom doesn't even play video games but she said it too which shows smthng i think
Another good example of overpowered characters is in the book series Arcane Ascension. In Sufficiently Advanced Magic, the character Keras Salerian is shown to be incredibly fast and powerful and fights basically a god in one of his first appearances, but the amount of restraint and character Andrew Rowe put into him is incredible. He even wrote a prequal to establish rule number 1 in your video.
The full series isn't out yet and a lot of mature topics are in the books so I personally don't recommend for under 18
The narrative that she was a demon, driven purely by revenge and undefeatable was compelling. I read episode 8 as almost as though she was fighting as a mortal for the first time.
I feel like every time there was an incompetent's goon it could be justified by them being in utter shock with how badass he is and it is always complimented with a surprise or really competent warrior like the giant. Its a little disappointing that the Fallower duel ends short but the beating and stabbing in the beginning actually made a lot of sense to me. Mizu is a skilled warrior who didn't have his sword, Fallower is a pub brawler. And yeah episode 5 was the best episode by far but idk personally every frame of this show was pure delight for me. There was only a handful of gripes I had with fights in the last episode and most of them were negligible. I think the reason the ending isn't as satisfying is because this show isn't over. The adventure of Mizu isn't over and I can't wait!!
I've never watched that show but I love how the artistry looks. The way the animations looks.
In summary, if you want an overpowered character, you write a character like John Wick or Gojo/Whis. John is better than any one character in his verse, but when faced with impossible odds he has to rely on his wits and surroundings. He has to improvise and at times almost dies against a handful of cannon fodder thugs. And in the flip side, you have Whis and Gojo in their universes respectively. They are strong. Broken compared to anyone else in their respective verses. There is no ass pulls or plot armor that results in them winning (Whis doesn’t actively fight, but you get the point). We the audience and the characters know that they are a “cheat” character. I live Superman as a character and what he represents, but as someone who can and has lifted a book with infinite pages, or wiped away universes with a sneeze, it’s tiring to see him lose to characters like Darkseid or Batman. The goalpost keeps getting pushed back and forward.
I love your videos... its how I've been seeing these shows
This dude does have some points honestly……..like when I heard him say “Mizu is an Overpowered character” I was like……wait hold on now that I think on it he’s right……the show never made me think that because it honestly does so well with how Mizu is still human…..Plus the action and gore is just too much fun to watch
Good writing, that is the difference
"Trust me, I'm a TH-camr." Bro, those are the only people I trust nowadays 🤣🤣
I had to stop the vid midway through to go actually watch the show now. This stuff looks exciting!
Edit: I'm back from binging it all night and cannot wait for Season 2!
The genre isn't called "fantasy". It's called Chanbara, and is the Japanese genre of samurai films which depicts them as a mythical era. It's conventions are conventions of the genre itself which includes the hero battling multiple opponents where these often stand around allowing the hero to fight a series of duels. If you don't know about the ethos of the samurai class, you won't understand why this happens.
The duel is more or less sacred in samurai myth. Adding more opponents ups the stakes as it communicates the hero is outmatched and stands alone - which another key element where the samurai hero being alone in standing for honour and truth in a society ruled by corruption and injustice. This captures the tension inside Japanese culture which is very group and obedience oriented while still lauding individuals or small groups willing to take a stand against authority even to the detriment of themselves.
Thus, being surrounded by a sea of enemies represents this element of social solitude and exposure, while still showing that the struggle is an individual one, fought inside the heart and mind of each person. Having the enemies of the samurai hero act "realistically" would be to miss the entire point of one of the corner stones of this genre. The Rônin samurai represents social and political dissent or isolation and while it is lauded, it is also destructive and subversive.
In this fashion, Chanbara heroes are not engaged in a good vs evil fight in the way Western fantasy heroes are, but rather involved in a complex negotiation woth the societal values and structures of Japanese culture at large.
(Apart from this, great video!)
The title alone explained why I love Well written overpowered mcs. The point of the story isn’t how strong can the main character get, but how much internal growth can happen so that the mc knows what to do with that power
I loved her, she's awesome
“Sitting back doing nothing” I believe it’s more of calculation and looking for an opening given it’s sword fight and the numbers are off
While listening to this outline of why this overpowered character works in this story it reminds me of the 1982 John Milius directed Conan the Barbarian that largely cemented Anold Schwartzenneger’s fame.
Many if not all the same points you make apply there. The chief similarity is that the character is supremely powerful but forged through great personal tragedy and hardship and at the cost of almost total distrust and development of close bonds with others.
I liked the show much more than I thought I would. As my mother was Japanese, I tend to scrutinize western depictions of Japan (as with Assassin's Creed Shadows). It was more interesting than I thought it would be. It was easier to suspend disbelief than I anticipated. I look forward to the next season.
Anyone who has a problem with how unrealistically good at fighting Mizu is, must not watch enough anime.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm actually writing something (a book though, not a movie) that features a strong protagonist and Blue Eye Samurai may give me some thoughts for how better to flesh him out. I got most of the principles you were talking about down, 4 in particular, but it never hurts to have a better understanding of things. I struggle with principle 3 especially, since although I actually do practice HEMA I'm not very creative combatively; victory to me is a mixture of superior skill and good luck (which can and will turn against you at some point). I may have to break that mindset going forward.
Or use it to you advantage. Just an idea.
Blue Eyed Samurai still has what Overly Sarcastic Productions' Trope Talks calls "Conservation of Ninjitsu". One ninja? Very dangerous. Lots of ninja? Each will be cut down easily bc there's always the same amount of ninja skill in the fight.
I love a well-written OP character!! I think like you said, most people miss the mark when writing these characters because they confuse being “over powered” with “omnipotent”. OP characters not only can but should routinely get their ass handed to them. It should never feel like a given that they’re going to survive an encounter, or at least not survive it intact. Mizu works so well because after each encounter and battle nothing about her remains intact. Whether it’s her broken ass body riddled with injuries, broken self-worth, broken moral compass, or broken heart, every single encounter leaves Mizu scarred to some degree. As the titular character, the audience knows she’s gonna make it to the end of the show…. But at what cost?
One thing to add to her fight with the four fangs is that in addition to her having to use her wits, they very nearly killed her as well. Despite her killing all four, she was on death's door by the end of it and would have died if not for Ringo.
It also adds weight to the power of the four fangs, I can imagine legend going around that it took an Onryo; something supernatural, to kill them.
I loved the fight against the claws, yeah maybe the pile up on the door shouldve lost, but the rest of the fight was amazing and the coreography of her fighting style was amazing
I agree on your take with the later fight scenes, I had to suspend my reason after they did a great job making some of the fights somewhat reasonable within a fantasy context. But I liked the plot and characters enough to look past it. Looking forward to season 2
I absolutely love this hypercompetent but hyper unlucky badass mf. Fantastic show and fantastic main character.
Always love Mizu so much indeed this series is just never lose amazing points whether old video or recent like this one
When a character is overpowered, make the conflict about something that can't be won just with power.
And a big thing in group fights is, only so many of the group can attack at once. You don't want to hit your allies. There is only so much room. So most stand back for their turn. You have the numerical advantage, you can rotate in and out. Tire out the single opponent.
The kill la kill duo protagonists are also a very good example of how to write overpowered characters.
Mizu sees a flower cut with such precision by Fowler, just for him to run away and not show any of that skill when forced to fight her.