#mizu is a woman! but also a man! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

canichangemyblogname · 2 months

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I watched all eight episodes of season 1 of Blue Eye Samurai over the weekend. I then went browsing because I wanted to read some online reviews of the show to see what people were thinking of it and also because I wanted to interact with gifs and art, as the series is visually stunning.

Yet, in my search for opinions on the show, I came across several points I'd like to address in my own words:

Mizu’s history and identity are revealed piece-by-piece and the “peaches” scene with Mizu and Ringo at the lake is intended to be a major character reveal. I think it’s weird that some viewers got angry over other viewers intentionally not gendering Mizu until that reveal, rather than immediately jumping to gender the character as the other characters in the show do. The creators intentionally left Mizu’s gender and sexuality ambiguous (and quite literally wrote in lines to lead audiences to question both) to challenge the viewer’s gut assumption that this lone wolf samurai is a man. That intentional ambiguity will lead to wide and ambiguous interpretations of where Mizu fits in, if Mizu fits in at all. But don't just take my word for this:

Re: above. I also think it’s weird that some viewers got upset over other viewers continuing to acknowledge that Mizu has a very complicated relationship with her gender, even after that reveal. Canonically, she has a very complicated relationship with her identity. The character is intended to represent liminality in identity, where she’s often between identities in a world of forced binaries that aren’t (widely) socially recognized as binaries. But, again, don’t just take my word for this:

Mizu is both white and Japanese, but she is also not white and not Japanese simultaneously (too white to be Japanese and too Japanese to be white). She’s a woman and a man. She’s a man who’s a woman. She’s also a woman who’s not a woman (yet also not quite a man). But she’s also a woman; the creators said so. Mizu was raised as a boy and grew into a man, yet she was born a girl, and boyhood was imposed upon her. She’s a woman when she’s a man, a man when she’s a man, and a woman when she’s a woman.

Additionally, Mizu straddles the line between human and demon. She’s a human in the sense she’s mortal but a demon in the sense she’s not. She's human yet otherworldly. She's fallible yet greatness. She's both the ronin and the bride, the samurai and the onryō. In short, it’s complicated, and that’s the point. Ignoring that ignores a large part of her internal character struggle and development.

Mizu is intended to represent an “other,” someone who stands outside her society in every way and goes to lengths to hide this “otherness” to get by. Gender is a mask; a tool. She either hides behind a wide-brimmed hat, glasses, and laconic anger, or she hides behind makeup, her dress, and a frown. She fits in nowhere, no matter the identity she assumes. Mizu lives in a very different time period within a very different sociocultural & political system where the concept of gender and the language surrounding it is unlike what we are familiar with in our every-day lives. But, again, don’t just take my word for this:

It’s also weird that some viewers have gotten upset over the fact women and queer people (and especially queer women) see themselves in Mizu. Given her complicated relationship with identity under the patriarchy and colonial violence, I think Mizu is a great character for cis-het women and queer folks alike to relate to. Her character is also great for how she breaks the mold on the role of a biracial character in narratives about identity (she’s not some great bridge who will unite everyone). It does not hurt anyone that gender-fluid and nonbinary people see themselves in Mizu's identity and struggle with identity. It does not hurt anyone that lesbians see themselves in the way Mizu expresses her gender. It does not hurt anyone that trans men see themselves in Mizu's relationship with manhood or that trans women can see themselves in Mizu when Mama forces her to be a boy. It's also really cool that cis-het women see themselves in Mizu's struggles to find herself. Those upset over these things are missing critical aspects of Mizu's character and are no different from the other characters in the story. The only time Mizu is herself is when she’s just Mizu (“…her gender was Mizu”), and many of the other characters are unwilling to accept "just Mizu." Accepting her means accepting the complicatedness of her gender.

Being a woman under the patriarchy is complicated and gives women a complicated relationship with their gender and identity. It is dangerous to be a woman. Women face violence for being women. Being someone who challenges sex-prescribed norms and roles under patriarchy also gives someone a complicated relationship with their identity. It is dangerous to usurp gender norms and roles (then combine that with being a woman...). People who challenge the strict boxes they're assigned face violence for existing, too. Being a racial or ethnic minority in a racially homogeneous political system additionally gives someone a complicated relationship with their identity. It is dangerous to be an ethnic minority when the political system is reproduced on your exclusion and otherness. They, too, face violence for the circumstances of their birth. All of these things are true. None of them take away from the other.

Mizu is young-- in her early 20s-- and she has been hurt in deeply affecting ways. She's angry because she's been hurt in so many different ways. She's been hurt by gender violence, like "mama's" misogyny and the situation of her birth (her mother's rape and her near murder as a child), not to mention the violent and dehumanizing treatment of the women around her. She's been hurt by racial violence, like the way she has been tormented and abused since childhood for the way she looks (with people twice trying to kill her for this before adulthood). She's been hurt by state-sanctioned violence as she faces off against the opium, flesh, and black market traders working with white men in contravention of the Shogun's very policies, yet with sanction from the Shogun. She's been hurt by colonial violence, like the circumstances of her birth and the flood of human trafficking and weapons and drug trafficking in her country. She's had men break her bones and knock her down before, but only Fowler sexually differentiated her based on bone density and fracture.

Mizu also straddles the line between victim and murderer.

It seems like Mizu finding her 'feminine' and coming to terms with her 'female side' may be a part of her future character development. Women who feel caged by modern patriarchal systems and alienated from their bodies due to the patriarchy will see themselves in Mizu. They understand a desire for freedom that the narrow archetypes of the patriarchy do not afford them as women, and they see their anger and their desire for freedom in Mizu. This, especially considering that Mizu's development was driven by one of the creators' own experiences with womanhood:

No, Mizu does not pass as a man because she "hates women" or because she hates herself as a woman or being a woman. There are actual on-screen depictions of Mizu's misogyny, like her interactions with Akemi, and dressing like a man is not an instance of this. Mizu shows no discomfort with being a woman or being seen as a woman, especially when she intends to pass herself as and present as a woman. Mizu also shows the women in the series more grace and consideration than any man in the show, in whatever capacity available to her socially and politically, without revealing herself; many of the women have remarked that she is quite unlike other men, and she's okay with that, too.

When she lives on the farm with Mama and Mikio, Mizu shows no discomfort once she acclimates to the new life. But people take this as conclusive evidence of the "only time" she was happy. She was not. This life was also a dance, a performance. The story of her being both the ronin and the onryō revealed to the audience that this lifestyle also requires her to wear a mask and dance, just as the bride does. This mask is makeup, a wedding dress, and submission, and this performance is her gender as a wife. She still understands that she cannot fully be herself and only begins to express happiness and shed her reservation when she believes she is finally safe to be herself. Only to be betrayed. Being a man is her safety, and it is familiar. Being a boy protected her from the white men as a child, and it might protect her heart now.

Mizu shows no discomfort with being known as a woman, except when it potentially threatens her goals (see Ringo and the "peaches" scene). She also shows no discomfort with being known as, seen as, or referred to as a man. As an adult, she seems okay- even familiar- with people assuming she's a man and placing her into the role of a man. Yet, being born a girl who has boyhood violently imposed upon her (she did not choose what mama did to her) is also an incredibly important part of her lived experience. Being forced into boyhood, but growing into a man anyway became part of who she is. But, being a man isn’t just a part of who she became; it’s also expedient for her goals because men and women are ontologically different in her world and the system she lives under.

She's both because she's neither, because- ontologically- she fits nowhere. When other characters point out how "unlike" a man she is, she just shrugs it off, but not in a "well, yeah, because I'm NOT a man" sort of way, but in an "I'm unlike anyone, period," sort of way. She also does not seem offended by Madam Kaji saying that Mizu’s more man than any who have walked through her door.

(Mizu doesn’t even see herself as human, let alone a woman, as so defined by her society. And knowing that creators have stated her future arc is about coming into her “feminine era” or energy, I am actually scared that this show might fall into the trope of “domesticating”/“taming” the independent woman, complete with an allegory that her anger and lack of human-ness [in Mizu’s mind] is a result of a woman having too much “masculine energy” or being masculine in contravention of womanness.)

Some also seem to forget that once Mama and Mikio are dead, no one knows who she is or where she came from. They do not have her background, and they do not know about the bounty on her (who levied the bounty and why has not yet been explained). After their deaths, she could have gone free and started anew somehow. But in that moment, she chose to go back to life as a man and chose to pursue revenge for the circumstances of her birth. Going forward, this identity is no longer imposed upon her by Mama, or a result of erroneous conclusions from local kids and Master Eiji; it was because she wanted people to see her as a man and she was familiar with navigating her world, and thus her future, as a man. And it was because she was angry, too, and only men can act on their anger.

I do think it important to note that Mizu really began to allow herself to be vulnerable and open as a woman, until she was betrayed. The question I've been rattling around is: is this because she began to feel safe for the first time in her life, or is this part of how she sees women ontologically? Because she immediately returns to being a man and emotionally hard following her betrayal. But, she does seem willing to confide in Master Eiji, seek his advice, and convey her anxieties to him.

Being a man also confines Mizu to strict social boxes, and passing herself as a man is also dangerous.

Mizu doesn't suddenly get to do everything and anything she wants because she passes as a man. She has to consider her safety and the danger of her sex being "found out." She must also consider what will draw unnecessary attention to her and distract her from her goals. Many viewers, for example, were indignant that she did not offer to chaperone the mother and daughter and, instead, left them to the cold, only to drop some money at their feet later. The indignity fails consider that while she could bribe herself inside while passing as a man, she could not bribe in two strangers. Mizu is a strange man to that woman and does not necessarily have the social position to advocate for the mother and daughter. She also must consider that causing small social stirs would distract from her goals and draw certain attention to her. Mizu is also on a dangerous and violent quest.

Edo Japan was governed by strict class, age, and gender rules. Those rules applied to men as well as women. Mizu is still expected to act within these strict rules when she's a man. Being a man might allow her to pursue revenge, but she's still expected to put herself forward as a man, and that means following all the specific rules that apply to her class as a samurai, an artisan (or artist), and a man. That wide-brimmed hat, those orange-tinted glasses, and her laconic tendencies are also part of a performance. Being a boy is the first mask she wore and dance she performed, and she was originally (and tragically) forced into it.

Challenging the normative identities of her society does not guarantee her safety. She has limitations because of her "otherness," and the transgression of sex-prescribed roles has often landed people in hot water as opposed to saving them from boiling. Mizu is passing herself off as a man every day of her life at great risk to her. If her sex is "found out" on a larger scale, society won’t resort to or just start treating her as a woman. There are far worse fates than being perceived as a woman, and hers would not simply be a tsk-tsk, slap on the wrist; now you have to wear makeup. Let's not treat being a woman-- even with all the pressures, standards, fears, and risks that come with existing as a woman-- as the worst consequence for being ‘found out’ for transgressing normative identity.

The violence Mizu would face upon being "found out" won’t only be a consequence of being a "girl." Consider not just the fact she is female and “cross-dressing” (outside of theater), but also that she is a racial minority.

I also feel like many cis-het people either ignore or just cannot see the queerness in challenging gender roles (and thus also in stories that revolve around a subversion of sex-prescribed gender). They may not know how queerness-- or "otherness"-- leads to challenging strict social stratifications and binaries nor how challenging them is seen by the larger society as queer ("strange," "suspicious," "unconventional," even "dishonorable," and "fraudulent"), even when "queerness" (as in LGBTQ+) was not yet a concept as we understand it today.

Gender and sexuality- and the language we use to communicate who we are- varies greatly across time and culture. Edo Japan was governed by strict rules on what hairstyles, clothes, and weapons could be worn by which gender, age, and social group, and this was often enshrined in law. There were specific rules about who could have sex with whom and how. These values and rules were distinctly Japanese and would not incorporate Western influences until the late 1800s. Class was one of the most consequential features to define a person's fate in feudal Japan, and gender was quite stratified. This does not mean it's inappropriate for genderqueer people to see themselves in Mizu, nor does this mean that gender-variant identities didn’t exist in Edo Japan.

People in the past did not use the same language we do today to refer to themselves. Example: Alexander The Great did not call himself a "bisexual." We all understand this. However, there is a very weird trend of people using these differences in language and cultures across time to deny aspects of a historical person's life that societies today consider taboo, whether these aspects were considered taboo during that historical time period or not. Same example: people on Twitter complaining that Netflix "made" Alexander The Great "gay," and after people push back and point out that the man did, in fact, love and fuck men, hitting back with "homosexuality wasn't even a word back then" or "modern identity didn't exist back then." Sure, that word did not exist in 300s BCE Macedonia, but that doesn't mean the man didn't love men, nor does that mean that we can't recognize that he'd be considered "queer" by today's standards and language.

Genderqueer, as a word and as the concept is understood today, did not exist in feudal Japan, but the people did and feudal Japan had its own terms and concepts that referred to gender variance. But while the show takes place in Edo Japan, it is a modern adult animation series made by a French studio and two Americans (nationality). Mizu is additionally a fictional character, not a historical figure. She was not created in a vacuum. She was created in the 21st century and co-written by a man who got his start writing for Sex in the City and hails from a country that is in the midst of a giant moral panic about genderqueer/gender-variant people and gender non-conforming people.

This series was created by two Americans (nationality) for an American company. In some parts of that country, there are laws on the book strictly defining the bounds of men and women and dictating what clothes men and women could be prosecuted for wearing. Changes in language and identity over time mean that we can recognize that if Mizu lived in modern Texas, the law would consider her a drag performer, and modern political movements in the show creators' home country would include her under the queer umbrella.

So, yeah, there will also be genderqueer people who see themselves in Mizu, and there will be genderqueer fans who are firm about Mizu being queer to them and in their “headcanons.” The scene setting being Edo Japan, does not negate the modern ideas that influence the show. "Nonbinary didn't exist in Edo Japan" completely ignores that this show was created to explore the liminality of modern racial, gender, class, and normative identities. One of the creators was literally inspired by her own relationship with her biracial identity.

Ultimately, the fact Mizu, at this point in her journey, chooses to present and pass as a man and the fact her presented gender affects relationship dynamics with other characters (see: Taigen) gives this story a queer undertone. And this may have been largely unintentional: "She’s a girl, and he’s a guy, so, of course, they get together," < ignoring how said guy thinks she’s a guy and that she intentionally passes herself as a guy. Audiences ARE going to interpret this as queer because WE don’t live in Edo-era Japan. And I feel like people forget that Mizu can be a woman and the story can still have queer undertones to it at the same time.

#Blue Eye Samurai #‘If I was transported back in time… I’d try to pass myself off as a man for greater freedom.’#^^^ does not consider the intersection of historically queer existence across time with other identities (& the limitations those include)#nor does it consider the danger of such an action #I get it. some come to this conclusion simply because they know how dangerous it is to be a woman throughout history.#but rebuking the normative identities of that time period also puts you at great risk of violence #challenging norms and rules and social & political hierarchies does not make you safer #and it has always been those who exist in the margins of society who have challenged sociocultural systems #it has always been those at greatest risk and who've faced great violence already. like Mizu #Anyway... Mizu is just Mizu #she is gender queer (or gender-variant)#because her relationship with her gender is queer. because she is gender-variant #‘queer’ as a social/political class did not exist. but people WE understand as queer existed in different historical eras #and under different cultural systems #she’s a woman because queer did not exist & ‘woman’ was the sex caste she was born into #she’s also a woman because she conceptualizes herself as so #she is a woman AND she is gender-variant #she quite literally challenges normative identity and is a clear example of what sex non-conforming means #Before the actual. historic Tokugawa shogunate banned women from theater #there were women in the theater who cross-dressed for the theater and played male roles #so I’m also really tired of seeing takes along the lines of: ‘Edo Japan was backwards so cross dressers did’t exist then!’#like. please. be more transparent won’t you?

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xxc0mp4ctd1scxx · 4 months

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I wish that who uses only "she/her" or "he/him" referring to Mizu kinda get the drip that Mizu isn't neither a man nor a woman.

That whoever is using only one of these pronouns is actually seeing that Mizu is kinda beyond gender shit, and any other category.

So when using those are all in a genderqueer/genderfuck way. When calling them girlfriend or man or bf is in an ironic way.

I really wish I'm not seeing people thinking Mizu is a woman just bc they are AFAB or bc "this trope is ant-women" terf's shit. Cuz I guarantee that Mulan (1998) and Blue Eye Samurai (2023) aren't being feminist in a simple "We Can Do It, too" way, but rather "See, gender roles are stupid and fuck you if you think that genderqueer people don't exist and people are only MAN or WOMAN."

Man, I really hate when people look at a genderqueer story and think only in binary. Adult Mizu could have been a woman if they really were one, cuz the point of they being perseved as a boy was only to be more difficult to find them as a kid, when their mom couldn't protect them with her hands or power, cuz she had none.

I think that when they were in the wife role, they weren't really performing it as a woman, but more like a duty commonly attributed to wife (more like my father being the cook in the house and a really good caretaker who is really considering and cute, and also being the dad figure, when my mom is in the finances business of the house and isn't the best caretaker of all times...) and for they mom respect and consideration, cuz they loved her and wanted to show their love, retributing by marry that guy.

But they were rejected by their mom and their husband, when being their own singular self. When showing they weren't the wife, neither the woman people thought they should be.

Yes, they suit a masc appearance and mannerisms, but it seem dehonest to call them a man. They really don't perform a man image.

Just like non binary transmasc or butches... We aren't really men just bc we are mascs. And we aren't really, by the book, women, solely by the fact we are AFAB.

Why? Cuz it is just like that. Gender isn't the binary we were thought and I wish everyone a really good search and thinking on genderqueer thesis and documents, already documented discussions and a read on "Butch Blues", a watch on "Tomboy", etc.

#blue eye samurai #queer discourse #more like #queer rant #cuz im pissed fearing people are missreading the whole show #just bc Mizu is genderfucking around not giving a single shit about the binary #only doing what makes sense and (i also thinking) better suits and easy theirself in their skin #they wear a binder for fucks sake #it cant be thay they are binary #neither Mulan really was binary to be honest #look at how the movie ended #they weren't shouting “Im a binary woman human being”#they werent denying the improviment on self-realization that they had #also they were seemed to be kinda ok and enjoying it #not like “oh fuck I really hate being in this situation. being persived as a man”#fuck you if you dont agree #by the “but is better to be a men” logic trans women and transfem nonbinary people wouldn't fucking exist #soo fuuuuuck youuuuuu #im really not in to a discussion #this is my statement #not an invitation #if you disagree bc you think those points im criticizing are right #and you also want to talk???#i just want to punch you in the face you fucking transphobe #this is no discussion #and stop invalidating queer people's history. lives and ownselfs #fuck you #mizu

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miaobae · 6 months

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Mizu is my non-binary gf now

#personal #help #they are so hot #also it's not lost on me that they apparently make a really ugly woman (in their world) and a simultaneously really hot man #like mizu is constantly being told by dudes that they've got a butterface #but the women are like hello there handsome #blue eye samurai #mizu

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marvelous-mushroom-lady · 6 months

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HEAVY ASS SPOILERS (and headcanons) FOR MY MINI BRAINROT OF THE MONTH THAT IS THE GENDER FUCKERY AND MURDER IN EDO ERA JAPAN ANIMATED SHOW KNOWN AS BLUE EYE SAMURAI

Okay okay but my personal opinion/headcanon is that the whole thing with Mizu's Ex-husband would be more heart wrenching if she was explicitly betrayed to the authorities by her (fake) mom for more opium money. Her hubby could actually be low key into her violence and after she pinned him with the sword they should've made out right there and then and be genuinely happy and thriving. He would give her an outlet for all that pent up rage (with his DI- Sorry no no just as a sparring partner but yes also with his dick and possibly some BDSM stuff?) and maybe even make plans to yes eventually go on the revenge journey together. And then comes the fake mother who sees how happy this burden that she carries ends up being AND she can't even get her to enable her drug dependency? Fuck that noise she snitches on Mizu and the scene goes exactly the same only instead of turning away, hubby tries to reach Mizu desperately, only to get there in time to be brutally shot while trying to defend her. His last dying wish is that she doesn't try to avenge him, the whole nine levels of angst and pain. And then Mizu finds out that the woman she thinks is her mother turned her in. The woman tries frantically to blame the husband, a fight insues, some really harsh stuff is said about Mizu and hubby, Mizu stabs her (fake) mother dead. Now you get both 'Everyone I love and hold closest ends up betraying me' aaand 'Everyone who doesn't betray me ends up getting hurt or die because of who I am.' also 'These white men not only ruined my life and the life of countless others in my country but ALSO killed maybe the one and only person who was willing to spend his life with me and also fight me upon request, that is one too many reasons to kill them brutally and I am all out of reasons to not do it.'

I just think giving her more diverse ways that her life is ruined because of her white parent other than just straight up being betrayed by everyone except the blind mentor gives her a better reason to soften up to the people that end up helping her later. And it's more true to life, to be honest. Some people in her life will rise to the occasion, and the universe will still find a way for her to lose them. Also the one true, visionary ship is Mizu sandwiched between Taigen and Akemi with some occasional overlap or you know what make it a complex polycule situation with Akemi's prince husband I don't care just let these crazy kids fork around with eachother.

#Also noticed how I said white parent not white dad?? Yea Ithink this whole things os gonna be way more complex than just a japanese woman #possibly nobility being raped by a white man who infiltrated Japan.#blue eye samurai netflix #blue eye samurai mizu #blue eye samurai

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kermit-coded · 5 months

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the reveal that mizu is not only the ronin but also the bride is so well executed. the way she walks the line between man and woman, white and japanese, victor and victim... it's good fucking writing.

#soda speaks #bes #bes spoilers #blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai spoilers #mizu #mizu blue eye samurai

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kaladinkholins · 2 months

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mizu is not a butch ... mizu is a mean femboy twink

#transmasc nonbinary mlm mizu get behind me NEOWW #“mizu is a woman” i mean yeah but mizu is also a feminine man. hope this helps.#i must be clear that this is a JOKE #but i do seriously interpret mizu as nonbinary. she just doesnt know it & will never care to find out cuz too focused on the Horrors™#taimizu = a mean deranged twink obsessed with vengeance x a very bitchy uptight bisexual man with a bald spot #once you see it that way suddenly it's like your third eye is open your skin will be clear and your crops will be watered #fandom.rtf #shut up haydar

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stromblessed · 5 months

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Mizu, femininity, and fallen sparrows

In my last post about Mizu and Akemi, I feel like I came across as overly critical of Mizu given that Mizu is a woman who - in her own words - has to live as a man in order to go down the path of revenge.

If she is ever discovered to be female by the wrong person, she will not only be unable to complete her quest, but there's a good chance that she'll be arrested or killed.

So it makes complete sense for Mizu to distance herself as much as possible from any behavior that she feels like would make someone question her sex.

I felt so indignant toward Mizu on my first couple watchthroughs for this moment. Why couldn't Mizu bribe the woman and her child's way into the city too? If Mizu is presenting as a man, couldn't she claim to be the woman's escort?

However, this moment makes things pretty clear. Mizu knows all too well the plight of women in her society. She knows it so well that she cannot risk ever finding herself back in their position again. She helps in what little way she can - without drawing attention to herself.

Mizu is not a hero and she is not one to make of herself a martyr - she will not set herself on fire to keep others warm. There's room to argue that Mizu shouldn't prioritize her quest over people's lives, but given the collateral damage Mizu can live with in almost every episode of season 1, Mizu is simply not operating under that kind of morality at this point. ("You don't know what I've done to reach you," Mizu tells Fowler.)

And while I still feel like Mizu has an obvious and established blind spot when it comes to Akemi because of their differences in station, such that Mizu's judgment of Akemi and actions in episode 5 are the result of prejudice rather than the result of Mizu's caution, I also want to establish that Mizu is just as caged as Akemi is, despite her technically having more freedom while living as a man.

Mizu can hide her mixed race identity some of the time, and she can hide her sex almost all of the time, but being able to operate outside of her society's strict rules for women does not mean she cannot see their plight.

It does not mean she doesn't hurt for them.

Back to Mizu and collateral damage, remember that sparrow?

While Mizu is breaking into Boss Hamata's manse, she gets startled by a bird and kills it on reflex. She then cradles it in her hands - much more tenderly than we've seen Mizu treat almost anything up to this point in the season:

She then puts it in its nest, with its unhatched eggs. Almost like she's trying to make the death look natural. Or like an accident.

You see where I'm going with this.

When Mizu kills Kinuyo, Mizu lingers in the moment, holding the body tenderly:

And btw a lot of stuff about this show hit me hard, but this remains the biggest gut punch of them all for me, Mizu holding that poor girl's body close, GOD

When Mizu arranges the "scene of the crime," Kinuyo's body is delicate, birdlike. And Mizu is so shaken afterward that she gets sloppy. She's horrified at this kill to the point that she can't bring herself to take another innocent life - the boy who rats her out.

MIZU'S ONE MOMENT OF SOFTNESS AND MERCY, COMING ON THE HEELS OF HER NEEDING TO KILL A GIRL TO SPARE HER THE WORST FATE THAT THIS RIGID SOCIETY HAS TO OFFER WOMEN, AND TO SPARE A BROTHEL FULL OF INNOCENT WOMEN WHO ARE THE CASTOFFS OF SOCIETY, NEARLY RESULTS IN ALL OF THEIR DEATHS

No wonder Mizu is as stoic and cold as she is.

And no wonder Mizu has no patience for Akemi whatsoever right before the terrible reveal and the fight breaks out:

Speaking of Akemi - guess who else is compared to a bird!

The plumage is more colorful, a bit flashier. But a bird is a bird.

And, uh

Yeah.

I like to think that Mizu killing the sparrow is not only foreshadowing for what she must do to Kinuyo, but is also a representation of the choice she makes on Akemi's behalf. She decides to cage the bird because she believes the bird is "better off." Better off caged than... dead.

But because Mizu doesn't know Akemi or her situation, she of course doesn't realize that the bird is fated to die if it is caged and sent back home.

Mizu is clearly not happy, or pleased, or satisfied by allowing Akemi to be dragged back to her father:

But softness and mercy haven't gotten Mizu anywhere good, recently.

There is so much tragedy layered into Mizu's character, and it includes the things she has to witness and the choices she makes - or believes she has to make - involving women, when she herself can skirt around a lot of what her society throws at women. Although, I do believe that it comes at the cost of a part of Mizu's soul.

After all, I'm gonna be haunted for the rest of this show by Mizu's very first prayer in episode 1:

"LET" her die. Because as Ringo points out, she doesn't "know how" to die.

Kind of like another bird in this show:

#blue eye samurai #mizu #akemi #kinuyo #bes #women are birds okay they are BIRDS #the let me die line is so SCARY AND SAD like a part of Mizu wants death but she cant? she doesnt know how?? excuse you show???#when all these other delicate birds are dying all around her #akemis character gets more and more gutwrenching upon subsequent rewatches because whenever she says her life is in danger #NO ONE BELIEVES HER - certainly not other women #because shes rich and pampered and that means shes safe and is worrying about nothing right? right?????#and it turns out that all of akemis instincts were right and she was in danger the ENTIRE TIME #also I need to make a post just for kinuyo because I am sad

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aye-of-newt · 6 months

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mizu is a woman who believes herself to have been conceived through violence and whose ethnicity makes her even more vulnerable than other girls, all while living in a time period of extreme sexism that severely limits her options and freedom, and so she is forced to conceal her identity for both personal safety and to be able to achieve her goals

mizu is a trans man who is wrestling with what it means to be a half-white man when he loathes and fears the white man who created him all while he attempts to find a foothold in the hyper-masculine world of samurai

mizu is a nonbinary biracial person who lives between the lines of society in all possible ways and is at constant war with the conflicting sides of themself and seeks some way to find a sense of being whole

mizu is all of them. mizu is a marginalized person and a fucking badass who a lot of people are going to relate to and see themselves reflected within and while it appears the show is going with the first option I don't think it's wrong for anyone to use the lens of the show to explore their own identity or to feel empowered

and also it's fun to explore how the story would change (or stay the same) when viewing mizu as a gender other than cis woman

#I think it's fun to give mizu every gender #I can hold multiple things in my head at once #blue eye samurai

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sudenlyanime · 5 months

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Taigen’s love confession NEEDS to come before he finds out Mizu is a woman.

Listen. I have given this a lot of thought and the more I think about it, the more I’m sure. When looking at Mizu and Mikio’s marriage, we can see how Mikio was in to the idea of a strong woman only so far as he was still stronger than her. This is clear when Mikio insists that he wants to “see all of [mizu]” and insists that they spar; Mikio doesn’t unsheath his blade even though Mizu tell him not to hold back. He assumes he is stronger than her and when this is proven false, like the beta bitch he is, he bails.

But with Taigen it’s different. Mizu and Taigen’s relationship has been a power struggle from the start. Taigen wasn’t introduced to Mizu as a woman or a wife. Taigen has always seen Mizu as a swordsman first. And when the hostility between the two starts to cool, it is because of their mutual admiration of the other’s skill. Mizu’s strength and boldness are what win Taigen over in the first place.

We also see a very important juxtapose between when Mizu pins Mikio to the ground and when she pins Taigen to the ground. In the first instance, Mikio pushes Mizu off him and calls her a monster. He feels put off and emasculated by being overpowered. In the Mizu/Taigen scene, however, once Mizu has Taigen pinned, he stares, awestruck, into Mizu’s eyes and gets a raging hard on. Instead of feeling emasculated, Taigen get so aroused that he has a full blown bi awakening.

So we know that Taigen is different to Mikio in that he is attracted to Mizu BECAUSE she can kick his ass, not in spite of it. But Mizu has been burned before. Badly. So if Taigen were to confess his feelings and tell Mizu that her strength is what he adores most about her, she’d be like, “right, sure, heard that one before.” And that’s why Taigen needs to confess his feelings BEFORE he finds out what’s in Mizu’s pants.

In my daydreaming about a Migen love confession, I find myself reminded of this quote. How Mikio was like the exotic bird collector. He only liked the idea of Mizu knowing her way around a sword so long as at the end of the day, he can still put her back into the caged-in roll of the house wife.

Taigen is also guilty of this with Akemi. I sure there is still no small amount of attraction and love between them, but I think Taigen pursues Akemi mostly out of the personal fable he has written about himself; the poor fisherman’s son who raises himself up to be the star of his Dojo and then marries a princess. He might not have wanted to cage Akemi as much as other men would have, but he still sees her as the exotic bird. The prize. And thats why I can’t ship them.

But with Mizu it’s different. Taigen even admits that Mizu is a better fighter than him. He KNOWS he could never cage her and by the end on the first season he strops trying, opting to stand beside her instead of against her (“it’s your fight, so it’s mine” 😭) So when he does confess his feelings, he has to do is as one man to another and make it clear to Mizu that her strength is what he loves most and that he would never want her to be anything less then the superior swordsman she is.

Only then will Mizu have a chance of believing that Taigen wants to be with her, not to subdue her into a wifely role, but to stand beside her in all her greatness. If Taigen’s confession were to come after he finds out she’s a woman, Mizu might just think, “oh, NOW you want to be with me, cause you think just because I’m a woman I’ll eventually submit to you.” Mizu needs to know she is loved AS SHE IS.

Also, I just think it would be HILLARIOUS if Taigen confesses, and Mizu is like, “ well then….. I guess I should let you know…” and then Taigen spends the rest of the episode with his mind fucking BLOWN and complaining that he has spent the last several months coming to terms with the fact that he is attracted to another man only to find out the man he is attracted to is a woman! He goes through a whole bi awakening for nothing!

#blue eye samurai #mizu #mizu x taigen #taigen #mizu/taigen #blueeyesamurai #mizugen #blue eye samurai spoilers #tv: blue eye samurai #akemi

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angelltheninth · 4 months

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the jealousy i felt when mizu pinned taigen and akemi to the ground ☹️🤚, can we have reader getting jealous and being all sulky and pouty the whole day when mizu's flirtatious side comes out when dealing with people??? i can imagine reader ignoring mizu and mizu sighing at her stubbornness trying to explain herself

This started off one way and then ended up well, here. How did that happen?

Pairing: Mizu x Fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, very suggestive, jealousy, grinding, making out, self-doubt, possessiveness, neck biting, mention of sex, flirty Mizu, jealous Reader

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: Originally this was very, very fluffy, and then I said but what if it was just a little bit smutty?

You were beyond seething at the sight of seeing the inn keeper's daughter flirting with Mizu. She was more then just flirting, she was also touching her, tracing her hand softly up Mizu's arm even if Mizu tried to shrug her off. Some people really don't respect boundaries.

Staying at inns and keeping a low profile was always necessary, sometimes being in the less popular ones was a better move, gets less eyes on you. Well except for the eyes that also followed Mizu where ever she went. Like yes, your girlfriend was handsome and hot as fuck, but that didn't mean that other people could flirt with her so blatantly!

"And here is the rest of your coin back, I'm sorry to keep you waiting young samurai. And little lady." The old man was back. Great, now after Mizu counts all her change you can go to your room. Your single room. That you will clearly share.

Mizu seemed content and put her coin purse away, her hand always hovering next to her sword. "Thank you. We'll be on our way then."

"Are you sure you'll only be here for one night? There are many bad people here and we could really use the protection of someone skilled. I'm sure if can work out a deal or two." You saw Mizu trying hide her smirk.

"Sadly we can't stay long. We're very busy people. Thank you again for your generosity. Make sure to alert us if any guards come looking. This is such a beautiful place we don't want it to get burned down in a fight." Mizu would never hesitate to burn a place down and tear it apart if needed but she was quite tired right now. You understood that. What you didn't understand was why she kept standing there while she was being looked at like a piece of meat.

You didn't utter a word to her while you walked to your room but Mizu did make it a point to put her arm around you. You could have slapped it away but at that point it was more pettiness that drove your actions. The silence wasn't a bother while you changed for bed either. She was used to it, so many days traveling alone before she met you.

Mizu was more then comfortable changing around you, a trust you won over the years in which you knew her.

"It seems like we'll have a peaceful night tonight." Mizu walked up behind you and embraced you. "Or if you'd prefer," you sucked in a breath as her lips found your neck, "we could take advantage of being on a warm, soft bed." Her hands played with the front of your robe, tugging on the sash to let it fall open.

This time you did slap her hands away and even pushed your body away from hers. She was surprised to say the least, his pretty blue eyes wide and her eyebrows vanishing into her now free hair.

"Maybe you should go and ask the inn keepers daughter." You didn't spare her a glance as you set your robe back into place.

"Why?" God this woman was so...

"Because Mizu..." You sighted heavily and rubbed your temples to get rid of the upcoming headache, "She was moments away from begging you to fuck her. The worst part? I think you were enjoying it." Crossing your arms was done more in a protective gesture then an angry one.

"I wasn't-"

"You were flirting with her. It's so easy for you isn't it? One smirk, one a few not rude words and people are ready to jump into bed at you. Honestly sometimes... I don't even know why you're still with me." You didn't mean for your voice to crack the way it did.

Silence washed over the two of you, no longer comfortable even by Mizu's standards. "Won't you look at me?"

"No." You mumbled.

"Stubborn brat." Mizu's hands locked around your wrists and turned you around. You tried to pull away from her grip but she wasn't letting up, only stepping closer.

"Mizu..." You warned and narrowed her eyes at her, "Let me go right no-" She cut your angry rant off with a kiss, chasing your lips even when you pulled away. Your feet slipped on the bed covers, sending you both toppling down, Mizu pinning your hands against your head, not pulling away even when your teeth pressed together.

Her lips were tightly pressed against your own, her grip locked around your wrists and her hips pushing your legs apart. "Finally looking at me." The smugness in her tone shouldn't have been so attractive, you were supposed to be angry with her right now. "I'm used to the kind of attention I got from her. It can get really lonely on the road and when you're a man, or presenting as one, there are certain expectations when it comes to interacting with women who flirt with you. Flirting like that was more of a necessity then anything more. I suppose over time it became a natural response for me."

Blue eyes followed your tongue as it wet your lips. "You could have said no."

"I should have. That was my mistake. One that I will work on." Her hands moved down to your shoulders, revealing more skin under the dim light of the candles. "But don't think, even for a moment, that she's the one I want." You had just enough time to take a breath before she was kissing you again, trying to convey her apology and her desire. Nimble hands moved further down, stopping just before touching skin.

You gasped into her mouth, a sound that she loved hearing. Embracing her tight around her shoulders you kissed her back, opened your mouth and let your tongues slip and roll around each other, pulling apart barely, strings of saliva falling apart in thing strings.

The familiar touch of Mizu's fingers skimming along the inside of your thigh made your legs open wider, but at the same time, "You're tired Mizu."

"I've had sex in worse conditions than this." That wasn't the brag she thought it was. Okay, maybe it was a little impressive. Just a tiny bit.

"Horny demon." Her lips spread in a smile as she cupped your ass cheeks and pushed you upwards.

"You're not any better. I don't have to touch you to make you wet. You could probably get off from this couldn't you? These light touches and my kisses." It didn't help that you rolled your hips against her right at that moment. "My pretty girl. How could I want anyone else?" Mizu didn't want to stop kissing you yet. With every kiss you felt her getting closer to you, until finally you felt her thigh between your legs.

"Mizu." You whimpered, gathering all of your strength to push her away. You didn't want to look down and see her thigh being wet. Instead you focused on her eyes, her face, "I appreciate this but I won't have you collapsing from the lack of sleep. Again. Not for sex."

Pouting was something was something you'd never get used to from her. "Are you sure? I told you I can keep going. You're already close as i-!" Mizu moaned against your shoulder at the bruise you were in the middle of sucking against her neck. You let go with a wet pop, nodding at your work. "Brat."

"Only for you." Mizu gave you one more kiss before she moved away. You hissed at the sticky slickness that coated your thighs as you turned to your side and let her spoon you. "Do you think you can kiss me in front of her tomorrow." You were reaching extraordinary levels of petty right now.

"If it will make you happy." She pressed one last kiss against the back of your head before the fight was put behind you, replaced by pleasant, and slightly horny, dreams for the both of you.

#blue eye samurai #mizu #bes #blue eye samurai x reader #mizu x reader #mizu blue eye samurai #bes x reader #blue eye samurai imagine #mizu imagine #bes imagine #blue eye samurai headcanons #mizu headcanons #bes headcanons #blue eye samurai fanfic #bes fanfic #mizu fanfic #x reader #x female reader

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