Power of Sunflower
Baka-Raptor’s reckoning that Kei was 20 times better than xxxHOLiC’s first season is somewhat hyperbolic but I do agree with the core of his argument. Watanuki is, or rather – becomes, less whiny and shows tremendous growth as a lead. But also because, as he changes, so do the people around him and their interactions.
The character of Kunogi Himawari stands out in this respect. I had thought that Itou Shizuka had been rather wasted in playing this supporting role since she had so little screentime. I had only read the manga up to Vol.9 so I was surprised and delighted by her arc across Ep 11 and 12 of Kei.
An ominous sense about Himawari had been building up since the first season and we finally learnt the reason why. Shizu-sama is at her best when playing women who are strong but with a vulnerable side too like Tama-nee from ToHeart2, Hinagiku from Hayate no Gotoku and Amanda Werner from BLASSREITER. I’d say Himawari fits into this typu too. There’s a strength and vulnerability all interwoven in her faux nonchalance and cheerfulness as she reeled off the list of misfortunes she caused those closest to her, classic Itou Shizuka ‘Being genki in order to cope’ delivery. Watanuki easily saw through it all and summarized her pain: ‘She must have been lonely.’
And she made a great sacrifice to save Watanuki’s life. Large deep scars don’t just adversely affect a cute girl’s appearance but as anyone with significant amount of scar tissue knows, the scars themselves can feel stiff. Or even painful. But mostly annoying, for example, when you walk into an air-conditioned room from hot outdoors and you can feel the scar(s) pulling as they contract at a different rate from the surrounding flesh. Her tearful lines about being sad at causing Watanuki’s accident but being glad to have saved the life of the only person who has said he was glad to have met her was also great Shizu-sama stuff: tears of pain and sadness mixed with tears of relief and happiness.
We get more Itou Shizuka goodness when Watanuki gives Himawari the little bird that he ‘incubated’, a bird born just for Himawari and thus immune to her attribute. Watanuki has always described her as cute and cheerful but this is probably the first time that we’ve seen her truly cheerful from the bottom of her heart. From her heartful ‘Thank you’ to her whimsical attempts to name the bird, I enjoyed so much, yet again, the power of sunflower across the full spectrum of emotions (backed up by dandelion – Tanpopo) brought to us by the one and only Itou Shizuka.
Related posts:
- HATED BY HINAGIKU It
- Finessing the Shizu-sama Doctrine Theologi
- Boarding Blassreiter Mentar
No offense to anyone who’s a Himawari fan, but Himawari creeps me out ever since she got those scars. And because of her “attribute” to Watanuki.
Hyperbolic? Not at all! Watanuki was 4x less annoying and the plot was 5x more addictive.
I have read the manga and enjoyed the 2nd season os XXXholic.
You’d be delighted to know that Shizu-sama herself did indeed enjoy voicing Himawari during this arc very much. She revealed in a previous interview with CLAMP that she read the relevant Manga chapters in a caf
Aizen, none taken. To each his own. I was creeped out by Himawari’s attribute at first but after she was open about it to Watanuki, it made sympathetic towards her; taking his scars caused me to admire her for her willing sacrifice and loving nature.
Baka Raptor, ok just multiplier then. ;)
maglor, the manga-to-anime adaptation has certainly been very faithful.
Dav, many thanks for the genealogy of Shizu-sama’s involvement with this scene. It’s great to know that a great seiyuu enjoyed her work and her enjoyment has multiplied (go, Baka Raptor!) our enjoyment. :D