-- Никогда не недооценивайте логику шипперов. Она бросает вызов всякой логике. Если серьезно, то я прочитала достаточно дерьма и эссе, которые можно растянуть на пять моих жизней, так что я уже ничему не удивляюсь. Мне просто любопытно, что они придумают в следующий раз.
-- Ичиго получает поверап в битве против Гриммджо и удерживает маску неопределенный промежуток времени пока Орихиме его наблюдает, но он не смог сделать этого, когда Рукия была при смерти (дважды)? Или как он сам поднялся с порога смерти, чтобы удовлетворить её просьбу, но он не сделал ничего, когда его другие друзья (т.е. Рукия и Чад) были почти мертвы? Или как он сказал другому другу (Ишиде) защищать Орихиме, даже если он умрет в процессе? Или как он протаранил мечом своего друга (снова Ишида), говоря Орихиме, что помогает ей? Да, Ичиго ясно выделяет Орихиме среди остальных своих друзей. Где "Ичиго, делающий это, потому что Орихиме - друг, и он сделает все то же самое для остальных своих друзей"? Здесь определенно есть различие.
Эпическое ИшиХиме воссоединение - Ишида Орихиме: "С Ичиго все будет хорошо"
Эпическое ИчиРуки воссоединение - Рукия Ичиго: "Иди, спаси Орихиме"
-- Ичиго пошел в УМ воевать. Бороться за спасение Орихиме.
-- Ах, нуда, ИчиХиме фейл = Кубо - лучший автор во всей вселенной.
-- Ичиго считают OOC, потому что люди не понимают, насколько по-другому он ведет себя рядом с Орихиме, а еще потому что просто любят услышать свой собственный голос.
Примеры аргументов против ичихиме:
наличие "белых пятен" в их отношениях
их отношения отличаются от отношений Ичиго и Рукии
У обоих "рыжие" волосы.
Лучший аргумент в пользу ичихиме, который вы можете придумать?
наличие "белых пятен" в их отношениях
их отношения отличаются от отношений Ичиго и Рукии
У обоих "рыжие" волосы.
и длинная "простыня" на английскомWell, like the fight with Grimmjow. Some people thought he was going to go berserker Ichigo because Grimmjow gutted her and almost blew off her head. Then Ichigo didn't lose control and was extremely merciful when it came to Grimmjow. XD So now that he did lose control because Orihime called out for help, like how people wanted Ichigo to do for Rukia, he's a villian. Bad Ichigo. >: ( That was meant for Rukia!! Face it, guys, people are just running in circles because Orihime made Ichigo have a powerful reaction. When the argument of "Ichigo ignores Orihimes" leads to Ichigo selling his soul to the devil at the request of Orihime, well, I think that means we should like where this manga is going when it comes to our ship.
bleachasylum.com/showpost.php?p=1380562&postcou... - PerennialLurker
This essay is a companion piece to my first post in the OCDT. The first post attempted to justify Orihime's actions in the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra and to suggest an alternate interpretation to ''she's totally useless and can't fight to save her life'', which I've been hearing a little too frequently for comfort lately. The second post takes a longer look at her character arc and examines the important events which led to her breakdown in chapter 349 and her absolution of Ulquiorra in chapter 353. It tries to envision her role in Bleach as one long, slow character arc, and to see if this can both explain thematically the character she has become and the direction she might take from here.
An Ideology of Love, Compassion and Self Sacrifice.
From the very beginning of the manga, Orihime is distinguished from characters around her by her approach to the world she enters. While Chad assists Rukia with the fight against Shrieker, and Uryu is already accustomed to fighting the hollows (indeed upon his introduction he does so with more savagery than Ichigo himself), Orihime chooses a role of protection rather than agression. In the fight against Acidwire her love (in the sense of Philia) for Tatsuki drives Orihime to protect her friend, but she does so by using her body as a shield rather than by attacking the hollow directly (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/4/17/ ). Later, her choice to allow Sora to bite her rather than let him hurt Ichigo reinforces her desire to protect those important to her, not matter what the cost (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/6/07/ ). She then calmly forgives Sora, despite not knowing why he has attacked her (by this I mean that she can't justify his actions under the assumption that he's become an inhuman monster) (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/6/16/ and to the end of the chapter). Furthermore, throughout this fight she strives to end the battle rather than participate in it. She establishes herself as a character who cannot bear to see other people hurt.
I want to emphasise all of this because Orihime, in the 300+ chapters she has appeared in, has never deviated from these ideals. She remains at heart a pacifist, which would refute from the start any assumption that she might suddenly change and become an amazonian warrior. Such a change would not only remove all the character development she has accrued, but also imply that the only way for her to become strong is to become a fighter, which I do not believe is the case.
A Will to Protect: The Princess and the Dragon Mini Arc and the Soul Society Arc.
In the Princess and the Dragon mini-arc, Orihime manifests her powers for the first time and gains an easy victory. There is another reinforcement of her ideology, with her kind words to Tatsuki even as the latter kicks her in the face (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/42/13/ and www.onemanga.com/Bleach/42/17/). It is also the only time she defeats an enemy in our view. At this point, I must add that I read a fascinating post a few weeks ago (and if you recognise what I'm about to say, please tell me so I can give you all the credit you deserve) which noted that the only enemy Orihime ever defeated was one which she did not know to be human. Her compassion is too great to allow her, in all chapters of the manga that have been released, to kill a human, pseudo-human, or even vaguely human-like opponent (it is a great help to this argument that the hollow she did defeat was so reprehensible).
Then we have her training, and the trip to Soul Society, where she swears that she will protect Ichigo (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/62/14/ Note that Viz translates this a little differently - there she simply says ''To protect Ichigo). Up until they actually enter the Sereiti, she shows no sign that she is struggling to keep this oath, and why should she? She has fought only one fight, and has not yet needed to protect Ichigo.
And then she fails.
Ok, that may seem like a really harsh interpretation of her character. So I will clarify and say that what I mean is that Orihime perceives herself to have failed. Her speech to Ichigo after his fight with Byakuya indicates this (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/167/15/ and www.onemanga.com/Bleach/167/16/ ), as does her reflection after the fight against Jiroubu (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/92/11/ ). The fact that Tsubaki was damaged does not help, nor does her seperation from Ichigo (which prevents her from being useful to him even in (what she perceives as) the limited capacity of healing).
At any rate, Orihime swore to protect Ichigo, and she could not fulfill her promise. Not only does this lay the ground for her breakdown throughout the Arrancar and Hueco Mundo arcs, it reflects upon her introduction, in the fight between Ichigo and Sora. There we saw her striving to help Ichigo in his fight. That too is her desire in Soul Society, but instead she ends up feeling like a burden. As readers, we must empathise with the frustration, guilt and depression that would be incurred by such a failure. Finally, I want to stress that this failure is almost totally in Orihime's head. In fact, her healing and defensive powers grow inordinately throughout this period, but because the world that she has entered is a world of warriors, the only criteria by which she can evaluate herself is her strength as a fighter.
Cracks in her Happiness - The Arrancar Arc and Hueco Mundo.
On to the Arrancar arc... which is yet another set of failures, and this time a much more drastic one. Having failed to protect Ichigo in Soul Society, Orihime now desires to fight alongside him. I think the reader can see her logic – in her mind, she must have failed to protect him because she wasn't a strong enough fighter, so if she is able to defeat enemies on her own, she will be ready to protect him. It's terribly flawed logic, but it sees Tsubaki destroyed and Ichigo plunged into guilt because of her (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/192/10/ to www.onemanga.com/Bleach/192/14/ and all of Chapter 195 www.onemanga.com/Bleach/195/01/ ). Note, this is where the breakdown that will lead to her screams in chapter 349 begins. She is trying and struggling to justify her ideology (love, sacrifice, compassion), but this is incompatible with her current goal, and so she begins to doubt herself.
The next two important points are Urahara's request that she stay out of the battle, and her capture by Ulquiorra. Urahara's request is in many ways a rational one (as Renji points out, she really doesn't have the personality of a fighter (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/227/16/ )), but it is incompatible with Orihime's goal, and this increases her self doubt. To counter this, Rukia aids her, and together they train to become stronger (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/228/07/ ). Not only does this allow Orihime to begin to see strength in a different light, it also restores her faith in her own abilities. We can only imagine the different route her character might have taken had she not been captured before testing her abilities.
However, she is captured, in what is possibly the ultimate display of her ideology – love, sacrifice and compassion compelling her to give herself up to protect her friends. Aside from the plot-centric reasons for her kidnapping, it is valuable to recognise that it allows her character more room to grow. Had she simply returned to the real world, it is more than likely that she would have fought another Arrancar, that Tsubaki would have been destroyed and that she would have been completely crushed.
A further note about what I have written to this point. I have used ''Ichigo'' as a shorthand for the object of Orihime's desire to protect, but I in no way believe that she cares only about Ichigo. I use his name because she loves him and because he was the subject of her specific vow to protect before the Soul Society arc. As Orihime's actions while she is imprisoned in Hueco Mundo reveal, she cares about all her friends and wishes to protect them all.
I won't dwell for too long on the Hueco Mundo arc as I covered a lot of it in my last post. Suffice to say that during her incarceration Orihime is mentally torured, struggles with her fear and her own inadequacies, sees and feels her friends being killed and injured. All of this leaves her feeling totally powerless. Her love does not seem to help them, her sacrifices (I am thinking here particularly of her refusal to retaliate against Loly and Menolly, which achieves nothing as they are killed by Grimmjow) are in vain, her compassion is turned against her (Loly and Menolly's return). As I said in my last post, she reaches the nadir of her character arc. She comes to the absolute bottom of her her 'self'. She faces true despair. Then, finally, she gains one small victory. In the face of the tortures she has suffered, she retains herself. She retains her belief in her ideology.
What Comes Next.
Where does she go from here? I think, looking back over what I've written, that I need to re-emphasise the fact that much of her weakness is in her head. Orihime only ever measures herself as a fighter. She does not seem to consider her powers of healing and protection on the same level (which produces an interesting comparison with Ichigo, who does consider them important (again, I owe someone I can't remember for this insight. Thank you, whoever you are), and who measures himself by an equally absurd standard). I think that Orihime will continue to gain victories from this point on. Just as the end of the Soul Society arc confronted and finally resolved (through her conversation with Renji) Rukia's sense that she was worthless, so the end of the Hueco Mundo arc (Or is it the Winter War arc now? I can't remember.) will hopefully resolve Orihime's feelings of powerlessness. Just don't expect Tsubaki to suddenly become strong. That's still a long way away, and Orihime has a lot more growth to go through before she reaches that point. That doesn't mean she won't do so eventually, but for now I am expecting a speech similar to the ''These are the hands of a healer'' speech from Fullmetal Alchemist (Link www.onemanga.com/Full_Metal_Alchemist/47/16/ It goes on for another two or three pages). Although the situations are very different, this speech recognises different kinds of strength and a characters capacity to be strong without being a fighter. Orihime needs to be shown that her powers have grown, and she needs to begin to perceive her own capabilities in a different way. I also think that this speech needs to come from Ichigo. Because it has always been Ichigo that Orihime desires to protect, because it is Ichigo she feels she needs to catch up to, it is his evaluation that would allow her to understand most clearly how she has grown.
I also think that Hatchigen's words – ''it is not how things should be that is important, but how you want them to be'' (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/228/17/ ) – will be of great importance to Orihime's character later. If there is any assumption I would make about Kubo (besides the assumption that he is a bastard ship teaser and will never give the fans a concrete ending while he can torment us with ambiguity) it is that he is incredibly good at foreshadowing. Expect casual phrases to return with a vengeance.
It's going to be a slow journey. Maybe one day Orihime will come to understand her ideology in a way that allows her to become a fighter, (Tsubaki is one sixth of her power, ''born from her soul'', so the will to protect agressively does lie hidden within her) but even if it doesn't, she can still grow, she can still learn to be strong, she can still aim to fight alongside her friends.
Ps. Tell me if I missed any important links. Links are the basis of a good argument.
It's hard to completely avoid mentioning ships when the topic is Orihime's character development, and one of the biggest moments in her character's development is the proclimation of love she has for Ichigo.
But aside from that.
I'm starting to realize that honestly, this isn't an argument about Orihime's character development at all. People may *say* she hasn't had character development, but then when they counter other points made about Orihime, they reveal she has. In the end, people just disapprove of the type of character she is, was, or is becoming.
Some people (like myself) see a lot of Orihime's actions (not reactions) as mature. She puts herself in harms way to safeguard her friends. She hates fighting and so refuses to unless she has to in order to save her friends. The fact that she didn't fight back at ALL against the wonder twins made a lot of people mad, but honestly, I think it shows TREMENDOUS strength. That's exactly why loli got so pissed as well (or was it menoli?) Because no matter how much she was beaten... it didn't matter. They wouldn't kill her, she knew that, they knew that. Any damage they do to her she can just heal back. I mean, if it were a guy doing the same thing people would be cheering him. It's like something out of the bible, where jesus is constantly being whipped, but doesn't blame the men who's whipping him. One of his disciples tried to fight back when they went to catch Jesus, and what did jesus do? He repromanded the apostle for his actions!
Inoue, however, is not jesus. She cannot have the steely resolve, nor the certainty that what she is doing is right. She has doubts. She crumbles when she sees her friends on the brink of death. Just talking about it gets me all worked up.
But you know what? Some people hate that. Some people think that it shows weakness. Some people think that acting in such a self sacrificing manner without having a defiantly stern will to accompany it reeks of submission, or weakness.
That's their opinion, they're entitled to it, and until they feel emotions that point them in the opposite direction, they are not likely to change.
Having lived my life taught that I should place others above myself, even to the point where I may have to sit back, and let them fall so that they can learn how to stand on their own, I can relate to Orihime's character in a way that a lot of people can't.
Let's not forget though, in Japan, Orihime is pretty popular. She's was #5 in the first poll. #10 in the third poll. I can't remember where she was in the 2nd, but I'm pretty sure it was just below the top 10. Essentially, Orihime's popularity went up and down as she got more screentime. If that says anything, Orihime is probably going to jump back up to #5 in the next poll.
Honestly, Orihime is liked by a LOT of people. Not as much as Rukia, no, but that's to be expected, considering Rukia was, and always will be, an instrumental part of the plot of bleach. But the fact that Toushiro beat her out last time doesn't bode well at all >_>.
A lot of people get frustrated with Orihime's character mostly because they don't understand how her character can be considered good, or developing, or positive, or strong. Those who are frustrated with the doubting thomases can't understand how they can perceive her as weak, inactive, and selfish.
I hate to say that it really depends on your outlook on life, and experiences, but that seems to be the case. To me, Orihime is probably the third best written character in all of bleach, Second only to Ichigo and Rukia. She does things I don't like. However, I understand exactly why she does, and I can empathize with her for it. Hinamori did a LOT of stupid things. I could understand why though. That's good writing.
Kubo Tite has done an excellent job of developing Orihime's character. It just may not be developing in a way you would like, or in a way that you think is good. That doesn't mean her development isn't handled well. All signs point to Orihime developing an attitude where she will be more and more desperate to help her friends, and end all the fighting. This likely will culminate with her trying to remove the hou gyoku from existence, which will likely kickoff the final major arc of bleach. Will it be a dumb thing for her to do? Yes. Will it make sense for her to do it? Yes. Will it provide the exact sort of fall of character that is needed to elevate her up to new heights (such as Rukia's fall as prisoner, or Ichigo's fall to his hollow side)? Yes.
Love her, or hate her, you cannot effectively argue that she's being written poorly.
-- Ичиго получает поверап в битве против Гриммджо и удерживает маску неопределенный промежуток времени пока Орихиме его наблюдает, но он не смог сделать этого, когда Рукия была при смерти (дважды)? Или как он сам поднялся с порога смерти, чтобы удовлетворить её просьбу, но он не сделал ничего, когда его другие друзья (т.е. Рукия и Чад) были почти мертвы? Или как он сказал другому другу (Ишиде) защищать Орихиме, даже если он умрет в процессе? Или как он протаранил мечом своего друга (снова Ишида), говоря Орихиме, что помогает ей? Да, Ичиго ясно выделяет Орихиме среди остальных своих друзей. Где "Ичиго, делающий это, потому что Орихиме - друг, и он сделает все то же самое для остальных своих друзей"? Здесь определенно есть различие.
Эпическое ИшиХиме воссоединение - Ишида Орихиме: "С Ичиго все будет хорошо"
Эпическое ИчиРуки воссоединение - Рукия Ичиго: "Иди, спаси Орихиме"
-- Ичиго пошел в УМ воевать. Бороться за спасение Орихиме.
-- Ах, нуда, ИчиХиме фейл = Кубо - лучший автор во всей вселенной.
-- Ичиго считают OOC, потому что люди не понимают, насколько по-другому он ведет себя рядом с Орихиме, а еще потому что просто любят услышать свой собственный голос.
Примеры аргументов против ичихиме:
наличие "белых пятен" в их отношениях
их отношения отличаются от отношений Ичиго и Рукии
У обоих "рыжие" волосы.
Лучший аргумент в пользу ичихиме, который вы можете придумать?
наличие "белых пятен" в их отношениях
их отношения отличаются от отношений Ичиго и Рукии
У обоих "рыжие" волосы.
и длинная "простыня" на английскомWell, like the fight with Grimmjow. Some people thought he was going to go berserker Ichigo because Grimmjow gutted her and almost blew off her head. Then Ichigo didn't lose control and was extremely merciful when it came to Grimmjow. XD So now that he did lose control because Orihime called out for help, like how people wanted Ichigo to do for Rukia, he's a villian. Bad Ichigo. >: ( That was meant for Rukia!! Face it, guys, people are just running in circles because Orihime made Ichigo have a powerful reaction. When the argument of "Ichigo ignores Orihimes" leads to Ichigo selling his soul to the devil at the request of Orihime, well, I think that means we should like where this manga is going when it comes to our ship.
bleachasylum.com/showpost.php?p=1380562&postcou... - PerennialLurker
This essay is a companion piece to my first post in the OCDT. The first post attempted to justify Orihime's actions in the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra and to suggest an alternate interpretation to ''she's totally useless and can't fight to save her life'', which I've been hearing a little too frequently for comfort lately. The second post takes a longer look at her character arc and examines the important events which led to her breakdown in chapter 349 and her absolution of Ulquiorra in chapter 353. It tries to envision her role in Bleach as one long, slow character arc, and to see if this can both explain thematically the character she has become and the direction she might take from here.
An Ideology of Love, Compassion and Self Sacrifice.
From the very beginning of the manga, Orihime is distinguished from characters around her by her approach to the world she enters. While Chad assists Rukia with the fight against Shrieker, and Uryu is already accustomed to fighting the hollows (indeed upon his introduction he does so with more savagery than Ichigo himself), Orihime chooses a role of protection rather than agression. In the fight against Acidwire her love (in the sense of Philia) for Tatsuki drives Orihime to protect her friend, but she does so by using her body as a shield rather than by attacking the hollow directly (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/4/17/ ). Later, her choice to allow Sora to bite her rather than let him hurt Ichigo reinforces her desire to protect those important to her, not matter what the cost (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/6/07/ ). She then calmly forgives Sora, despite not knowing why he has attacked her (by this I mean that she can't justify his actions under the assumption that he's become an inhuman monster) (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/6/16/ and to the end of the chapter). Furthermore, throughout this fight she strives to end the battle rather than participate in it. She establishes herself as a character who cannot bear to see other people hurt.
I want to emphasise all of this because Orihime, in the 300+ chapters she has appeared in, has never deviated from these ideals. She remains at heart a pacifist, which would refute from the start any assumption that she might suddenly change and become an amazonian warrior. Such a change would not only remove all the character development she has accrued, but also imply that the only way for her to become strong is to become a fighter, which I do not believe is the case.
A Will to Protect: The Princess and the Dragon Mini Arc and the Soul Society Arc.
In the Princess and the Dragon mini-arc, Orihime manifests her powers for the first time and gains an easy victory. There is another reinforcement of her ideology, with her kind words to Tatsuki even as the latter kicks her in the face (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/42/13/ and www.onemanga.com/Bleach/42/17/). It is also the only time she defeats an enemy in our view. At this point, I must add that I read a fascinating post a few weeks ago (and if you recognise what I'm about to say, please tell me so I can give you all the credit you deserve) which noted that the only enemy Orihime ever defeated was one which she did not know to be human. Her compassion is too great to allow her, in all chapters of the manga that have been released, to kill a human, pseudo-human, or even vaguely human-like opponent (it is a great help to this argument that the hollow she did defeat was so reprehensible).
Then we have her training, and the trip to Soul Society, where she swears that she will protect Ichigo (Link: www.onemanga.com/Bleach/62/14/ Note that Viz translates this a little differently - there she simply says ''To protect Ichigo). Up until they actually enter the Sereiti, she shows no sign that she is struggling to keep this oath, and why should she? She has fought only one fight, and has not yet needed to protect Ichigo.
And then she fails.
Ok, that may seem like a really harsh interpretation of her character. So I will clarify and say that what I mean is that Orihime perceives herself to have failed. Her speech to Ichigo after his fight with Byakuya indicates this (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/167/15/ and www.onemanga.com/Bleach/167/16/ ), as does her reflection after the fight against Jiroubu (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/92/11/ ). The fact that Tsubaki was damaged does not help, nor does her seperation from Ichigo (which prevents her from being useful to him even in (what she perceives as) the limited capacity of healing).
At any rate, Orihime swore to protect Ichigo, and she could not fulfill her promise. Not only does this lay the ground for her breakdown throughout the Arrancar and Hueco Mundo arcs, it reflects upon her introduction, in the fight between Ichigo and Sora. There we saw her striving to help Ichigo in his fight. That too is her desire in Soul Society, but instead she ends up feeling like a burden. As readers, we must empathise with the frustration, guilt and depression that would be incurred by such a failure. Finally, I want to stress that this failure is almost totally in Orihime's head. In fact, her healing and defensive powers grow inordinately throughout this period, but because the world that she has entered is a world of warriors, the only criteria by which she can evaluate herself is her strength as a fighter.
Cracks in her Happiness - The Arrancar Arc and Hueco Mundo.
On to the Arrancar arc... which is yet another set of failures, and this time a much more drastic one. Having failed to protect Ichigo in Soul Society, Orihime now desires to fight alongside him. I think the reader can see her logic – in her mind, she must have failed to protect him because she wasn't a strong enough fighter, so if she is able to defeat enemies on her own, she will be ready to protect him. It's terribly flawed logic, but it sees Tsubaki destroyed and Ichigo plunged into guilt because of her (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/192/10/ to www.onemanga.com/Bleach/192/14/ and all of Chapter 195 www.onemanga.com/Bleach/195/01/ ). Note, this is where the breakdown that will lead to her screams in chapter 349 begins. She is trying and struggling to justify her ideology (love, sacrifice, compassion), but this is incompatible with her current goal, and so she begins to doubt herself.
The next two important points are Urahara's request that she stay out of the battle, and her capture by Ulquiorra. Urahara's request is in many ways a rational one (as Renji points out, she really doesn't have the personality of a fighter (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/227/16/ )), but it is incompatible with Orihime's goal, and this increases her self doubt. To counter this, Rukia aids her, and together they train to become stronger (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/228/07/ ). Not only does this allow Orihime to begin to see strength in a different light, it also restores her faith in her own abilities. We can only imagine the different route her character might have taken had she not been captured before testing her abilities.
However, she is captured, in what is possibly the ultimate display of her ideology – love, sacrifice and compassion compelling her to give herself up to protect her friends. Aside from the plot-centric reasons for her kidnapping, it is valuable to recognise that it allows her character more room to grow. Had she simply returned to the real world, it is more than likely that she would have fought another Arrancar, that Tsubaki would have been destroyed and that she would have been completely crushed.
A further note about what I have written to this point. I have used ''Ichigo'' as a shorthand for the object of Orihime's desire to protect, but I in no way believe that she cares only about Ichigo. I use his name because she loves him and because he was the subject of her specific vow to protect before the Soul Society arc. As Orihime's actions while she is imprisoned in Hueco Mundo reveal, she cares about all her friends and wishes to protect them all.
I won't dwell for too long on the Hueco Mundo arc as I covered a lot of it in my last post. Suffice to say that during her incarceration Orihime is mentally torured, struggles with her fear and her own inadequacies, sees and feels her friends being killed and injured. All of this leaves her feeling totally powerless. Her love does not seem to help them, her sacrifices (I am thinking here particularly of her refusal to retaliate against Loly and Menolly, which achieves nothing as they are killed by Grimmjow) are in vain, her compassion is turned against her (Loly and Menolly's return). As I said in my last post, she reaches the nadir of her character arc. She comes to the absolute bottom of her her 'self'. She faces true despair. Then, finally, she gains one small victory. In the face of the tortures she has suffered, she retains herself. She retains her belief in her ideology.
What Comes Next.
Where does she go from here? I think, looking back over what I've written, that I need to re-emphasise the fact that much of her weakness is in her head. Orihime only ever measures herself as a fighter. She does not seem to consider her powers of healing and protection on the same level (which produces an interesting comparison with Ichigo, who does consider them important (again, I owe someone I can't remember for this insight. Thank you, whoever you are), and who measures himself by an equally absurd standard). I think that Orihime will continue to gain victories from this point on. Just as the end of the Soul Society arc confronted and finally resolved (through her conversation with Renji) Rukia's sense that she was worthless, so the end of the Hueco Mundo arc (Or is it the Winter War arc now? I can't remember.) will hopefully resolve Orihime's feelings of powerlessness. Just don't expect Tsubaki to suddenly become strong. That's still a long way away, and Orihime has a lot more growth to go through before she reaches that point. That doesn't mean she won't do so eventually, but for now I am expecting a speech similar to the ''These are the hands of a healer'' speech from Fullmetal Alchemist (Link www.onemanga.com/Full_Metal_Alchemist/47/16/ It goes on for another two or three pages). Although the situations are very different, this speech recognises different kinds of strength and a characters capacity to be strong without being a fighter. Orihime needs to be shown that her powers have grown, and she needs to begin to perceive her own capabilities in a different way. I also think that this speech needs to come from Ichigo. Because it has always been Ichigo that Orihime desires to protect, because it is Ichigo she feels she needs to catch up to, it is his evaluation that would allow her to understand most clearly how she has grown.
I also think that Hatchigen's words – ''it is not how things should be that is important, but how you want them to be'' (Link www.onemanga.com/Bleach/228/17/ ) – will be of great importance to Orihime's character later. If there is any assumption I would make about Kubo (besides the assumption that he is a bastard ship teaser and will never give the fans a concrete ending while he can torment us with ambiguity) it is that he is incredibly good at foreshadowing. Expect casual phrases to return with a vengeance.
It's going to be a slow journey. Maybe one day Orihime will come to understand her ideology in a way that allows her to become a fighter, (Tsubaki is one sixth of her power, ''born from her soul'', so the will to protect agressively does lie hidden within her) but even if it doesn't, she can still grow, she can still learn to be strong, she can still aim to fight alongside her friends.
Ps. Tell me if I missed any important links. Links are the basis of a good argument.
It's hard to completely avoid mentioning ships when the topic is Orihime's character development, and one of the biggest moments in her character's development is the proclimation of love she has for Ichigo.
But aside from that.
I'm starting to realize that honestly, this isn't an argument about Orihime's character development at all. People may *say* she hasn't had character development, but then when they counter other points made about Orihime, they reveal she has. In the end, people just disapprove of the type of character she is, was, or is becoming.
Some people (like myself) see a lot of Orihime's actions (not reactions) as mature. She puts herself in harms way to safeguard her friends. She hates fighting and so refuses to unless she has to in order to save her friends. The fact that she didn't fight back at ALL against the wonder twins made a lot of people mad, but honestly, I think it shows TREMENDOUS strength. That's exactly why loli got so pissed as well (or was it menoli?) Because no matter how much she was beaten... it didn't matter. They wouldn't kill her, she knew that, they knew that. Any damage they do to her she can just heal back. I mean, if it were a guy doing the same thing people would be cheering him. It's like something out of the bible, where jesus is constantly being whipped, but doesn't blame the men who's whipping him. One of his disciples tried to fight back when they went to catch Jesus, and what did jesus do? He repromanded the apostle for his actions!
Inoue, however, is not jesus. She cannot have the steely resolve, nor the certainty that what she is doing is right. She has doubts. She crumbles when she sees her friends on the brink of death. Just talking about it gets me all worked up.
But you know what? Some people hate that. Some people think that it shows weakness. Some people think that acting in such a self sacrificing manner without having a defiantly stern will to accompany it reeks of submission, or weakness.
That's their opinion, they're entitled to it, and until they feel emotions that point them in the opposite direction, they are not likely to change.
Having lived my life taught that I should place others above myself, even to the point where I may have to sit back, and let them fall so that they can learn how to stand on their own, I can relate to Orihime's character in a way that a lot of people can't.
Let's not forget though, in Japan, Orihime is pretty popular. She's was #5 in the first poll. #10 in the third poll. I can't remember where she was in the 2nd, but I'm pretty sure it was just below the top 10. Essentially, Orihime's popularity went up and down as she got more screentime. If that says anything, Orihime is probably going to jump back up to #5 in the next poll.
Honestly, Orihime is liked by a LOT of people. Not as much as Rukia, no, but that's to be expected, considering Rukia was, and always will be, an instrumental part of the plot of bleach. But the fact that Toushiro beat her out last time doesn't bode well at all >_>.
A lot of people get frustrated with Orihime's character mostly because they don't understand how her character can be considered good, or developing, or positive, or strong. Those who are frustrated with the doubting thomases can't understand how they can perceive her as weak, inactive, and selfish.
I hate to say that it really depends on your outlook on life, and experiences, but that seems to be the case. To me, Orihime is probably the third best written character in all of bleach, Second only to Ichigo and Rukia. She does things I don't like. However, I understand exactly why she does, and I can empathize with her for it. Hinamori did a LOT of stupid things. I could understand why though. That's good writing.
Kubo Tite has done an excellent job of developing Orihime's character. It just may not be developing in a way you would like, or in a way that you think is good. That doesn't mean her development isn't handled well. All signs point to Orihime developing an attitude where she will be more and more desperate to help her friends, and end all the fighting. This likely will culminate with her trying to remove the hou gyoku from existence, which will likely kickoff the final major arc of bleach. Will it be a dumb thing for her to do? Yes. Will it make sense for her to do it? Yes. Will it provide the exact sort of fall of character that is needed to elevate her up to new heights (such as Rukia's fall as prisoner, or Ichigo's fall to his hollow side)? Yes.
Love her, or hate her, you cannot effectively argue that she's being written poorly.
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30.07.2010 в 12:49