#im in a minority in finding the W5 and the Amazons not that interesting

[magical-gull]

Do you see the shittenou as opposites of the senshi, or more like counterparts?

I’m usually wobbly on villain counterparts being too on-the-nose similar to heroes but with the shittenou, who KIND of legitimately have similar jobs, I can manage.  I think counterparts can work well, but usually along different lines.

Kunzite for me has shades of what I think Minako/Venus *could* be like if she still had to do all the things she does but for a mostly ungrateful, very Un-Usagi ruler. Still does the job expected of them, does it damn well, seemingly revels in the perks (relatively speaking) but there’s a resentment of the position boiling over pretty much any time it’s brought up. So a What-If kinda character.

Zoicite is similar to Ami but reversed, a playful capricious person who isn’t assumed to have an intelligent calculating side, and enough raw power or anger and resents that assumption. From there it’s a short jump to the typical catty superiority complex most Ami-coded villains have; I’d even say Ami’s “official” counterparts tend to be the most similar to her of all the girls. So a Reverse-Counterpart kinda character.

Nephlite actually fits the status of Makoto’s counterpart well, especially if you think of ToeiNeph as who Nephlite tries to *be* and  PGSM-Nephilite (decidedly more growly and prone to anger) is what he actually *is*. Someone trying to hide a wealth of easily stoked raged behind a facade of gender-specific classiness and finery, except it’s a gentleman vs Makoto’s girliness. Neph goes in for more ‘delicate’ things like astrology and tends to frame situations as ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’, removing his own strong feelings from the equation and trying to seem wise and learned. In some ways I’d say they’re the most fundamentally similar even if they go down different roads to do it. Probably rhe most striahgtforward vanilla counterpart.

Jedite is tougher to parse, but I’m reminded of that infamous monolog Rei has in the comic about how tempting it’d be to have a man hanging off your every word and totally dedicated to you, etc. I think Jedite is simultaneously and *example* of that kind of man and proof of why it’s a bad idea in reality.  You get someone very prone to resentment and feeling unappreciated, someone who pursues things purely to please a partner or attract girls (something Rei specifically sites as pathetic) although this bending is all a ruse. So Jedite tries to get good at things for perhaps petty motives, and tends to assert what little authority he has over things to feel good about himself. Jed’s relationship with Beryl in PGSM is one of my favorites because it’s so interesting, and I think its one where he’s settled into a very fucked-up yet amenable relationship. Beryl’s enamored enough with his fawning to tolerate a lot of nonsense, and Jed ironically never has to resent feeling inferior because of course that’s true, it’s his boss. It’s not a reflection of HIM. Essentially, Jedite is what you get FROM a Rei counterpart, one lacking all the restraint and positive qualities.

#disclaimer im not superdedicated to the villain groups #im in a minority in finding the W5 and the Amazons not that interesting #but this is something approaching organized thoughts #shittenou #anon #Anonymous