By: Hitsuji
Disclaimer:
This is not to bash anyone in the Sailor Moon Community, their
opinions, or any of the characters mentioned in this lemure.
That said, let's get on with this.
I don't hate Seiya. I never really hated Seiya. While Seiya isn't my
favorite, she isn't my least favorite either. Actually, if you really
want to know, Kousagi is my favorite character. I rank Chibiusa after
her, so none of the characters involved in this essay are my
favorites, or non-favorites.
Yes, Let's spell out this age-old debate. I want to present both sides
of hthe argument before presenting my own.
So what will it be? Usagi and Seiya. Usagi and Mamoru.In some fan
fictions it has even both!
Most of the time when this debate is argued it's Seiya is better than
Mamoru. Mamoru is better than Seiya. Seiya did this, Mamoru did that.
Umm.. Where is Usagi? Usagi when she is brought up is put to the side,
and then the age-old examples come up without her feelings considered.
What the debate often really is about is 2 things:
1. Which character: Mamoru or Seiya you would like to date YOU, not
Usagi. (Since this debate seems to be more popular amoung the girls)
2. Which character you like better/ more resemble. (because you want
to be Usagi's date... or imagine it.)
In both cases it's petty and useless bickering. No one seems to really
care about Usagi until someone brings it up. When she is brought up,
her choices are not brought in consideration. Her final choice was
Mamoru, and Seiya supporters hate that. She did go out on a date with
Seiya, Mamoru supporters hate that.
Seiya Manga and Anime:
The problem with the people that advocate Seiya is that they entirely
ignore that Seiya is female. Seiya was female, Seiya is female in
essence, thought and actions. Seiya is more bishounen, because she is
really a bishoujo. Even in the anime when Seiya is physically female,
Seiya is still female inside. Usually when I try to bring this up
about Seiya, it's blown over with, "I wish Seiya was entirely male."
Wishing does not make. Seiya is female. Don't forget it, and you have
to realize it.
Also in the arguments made about Seiya they are all about the anime.
Once, I asked about the manga, and the argument fizzled in 2 rounds.
Most of the Seiya advocates favor the anime, not the manga. They also
usually know nothing about the manga. They also ignore the fact that
Takeuchi-sensei never intended Seiya in the anime to ever be
physically female.
Seiya in the manga is more confused than the Seiya in the anime. Seiya
in the manga is not sure, and feels insecure without her Princess.
Some of the attraction to Usagi comes from the fact that he can sense
Usagi is a Princess, and it brings comfort to her world to know that
someone like her Princess is near. It's even indicated in the manga
AND the anime that Seiya isn't so much in love with Usagi, but instead
with Princess Kakyuu, but it's an unrequited love.
So who is Seiya in the anime. Seiya in the anime is a altered version
of Seiya in the manga. He is rash, abrupt, courageous, has a henshin,
powers, pushy, and arrogant. He did not ask Usagi on a date, he told
her that she was going on a date. He is a replacement Mamoru. The
animators obviously made him a replacement Mamoru. They made Seiya
more Mamoru than Haruka, which was exactly what Takeuchi-sensei said
that she had planned for Seiya (Materials Collection). The animators
needed to keep the romantic image of the series while Mamoru was away.
They couldn't animate the manga storyline because it was too short and
too intense. They had to stretch out the acts into several episodes,
which they couldn't do with the manga plotline. Since they had to do
that, Mamoru would be gone for a long time. So, Seiya stepped in as a
replacement for Usagi's love interest because Seiya was a Leo, and had
the same or similiar features as Mamoru.
Most people say they like Seiya because he isn't wimpy. They say he
would never break up with Usagi (though he/she's never been in a long
term relationship with any girl as far as was shown in the manga or
anime.) He has powers (even though it's in female form). He is strong
and isn't helpless. He still makes corny lines though and grows
breasts. But that doesn't matter as long as he is male. They also say
they like him because he is the kind of guy they would date/ are most
like.
Mamoru Manga and Anime:
While most fans of Seiya advocate anime, Mamoru fans advocate manga.
The anime did happen, even if Takeuchi-sensei never meant him to break
up with Usagi because she never created that story arc, and though he
says corny speeches and doesn't take as big a role, it still happened.
Mamoru in the anime is more of the typical "Mysterious Bishounen" male
that is now littering the airways. He is 100% male. He is also cheesy,
but he's also very caring. He's very paitent with Usagi and will buy
her far more stuff than any guy I know would buy for a girl, and he
buys more stuff in the anime for Usagi than in the manga. He is sexy
and hot like Seiya.. (though I admit, I'm put off by Seiya being a
female.. and I think it's unfair advantage over poor Mamoru.)
He also wears a Tuxedo, but he's smart, and not just book smart, but
resourceful. He's pointed out many-a-thing to Sailor Moon in his
Tuxedo form that most people wouldn't think of. Plus he's got
excellent balance which I'm not sure if Seiya has.
Yes, he did tease and laugh at Usagi, but that was long before he was
dating her. It was also before he was sure that he liked her. He
didn't know how to express his feelings towards her, and often it
comes out as teasing and pestering. ^_^
One of my favorite stories is Jane Austen's Emma. It's main plot is
about a guy that likes a girl, but he constantly comments about her
and trieds to improve her. She hates it. It's an old story that's been
around for a long time. I think it's romantic. It's also considered a
classic, and a very common plotline in manga and anime.
It's also said that you love a person if you can live without them.
Mamoru thought Usagi would die if he stayed with her. He loved her so
much, that he thought he could endure the pain of living without her.
He clenched his cheast and poor Mamoru, who is so easily brainwashed
that he would succomb to his own brainwashing, felt genuinely that he
would be the cause of Usagi's death. He loved her so much that he felt
that it were better that she were alive and thought of her well-being,
and let his love go.
Mamoru in the manga is no contest to the Mamoru in the anime... he is
clearly more romantic, plays a larger role, and helps out Usagi in
more ways than one. He's there to both support her and be her guide.
He was the one that finally got her to fight bravely in the first
place. He helped her make her into the courageous Sailor soldier that
she was. Usagi loves him and is devoted to him entirely. No person
could contend this.
Usagi Manga and Anime Psycology and Metality:
Anime
Usagi was feeling alone. She'd just sent off her boyfriend, and almost
fiance to the far reaches of the United States. She was feeling even
more alone with Chibiusa permenantly gone and with her training
completely finished. She loved Chibiusa beyond words that she could
really express. Two people closest to her heart are gone, and there is
a big hole there. However, she feels loyal to them and knows that she
will see them again.
Usagi in the anime particularly doesn't like to show that she's being
weak and worry others. She wants to be the one that's worried, not her
friends. She believes that it's better not to show her concern, too
much, especially when nothing can really be done about it. She wants
to be strong and often promises in the anime that she will be strong
and not bend under the pressure.
But because she hides her emotions in that way, she feels disjointed.
It's not natural for her not to show her emotions. If she shows her
emotions she's not being strong like she thinks people want her to be.
She ends up turning into a character that looks listless and
distracted. This is because she is and believes that she can't really
confide in anyone.
In her heart she loves Mamoru, she doesn't just love him because they
are destined to be together, because he's been there no matter what,
he's stuck it out with her through thick and thin. Even if he did
break up with her, she's forgotten it already, she understands his
motivations. She trusts him, literally with her life. She sees him as
wise and paitent. She sees him as a part of her that she can't let go,
could never let go, and never forget. She can't forget what he's done
for her, and also how much her heart is filled with love for him.
Chibiusa aside, she really, really loves him and trusts him. She can't
think any wrong of him, or ever believe that he could disappear from
her life.
She also loves Seiya, but doesn't know him that well. She really
doesn't follow the band that much and didn't know anything about the
Starlights. She was too occupied. But she sees him as a friend. Even
when she was going out on a date and he got close to her, she stopped
and remembered Mamoru. She realized that Seiya reminded her of Mamoru,
and it was Mamoru that she wanted in her life. She missed him, a lot.
Seiya came in searching for her Princess. Usagi knows this, and in a
way can read Seiya better than he can read himself. When they were on
the ferris wheel she told him about her dreams. She knew that it was
not her he was looking for. He was looking for the Princess he missed
dearly.
Seiya brought comfort to Usagi only because Seiya was so much like
Mamoru. It made her heart not ache so much thinking that Maoru was
still alive and with her, and Seiya was a reminder of that.
Seiya also knew it was Mamoru that Usagi was searching and waiting
for. Though Seiya felt love for Usagi, he knew in the end that she
loved Mamoru. He also knew when she called out his name on his forced
"date". Seiya liked Usagi being so loyal and knew from the start that
Usagi would never give into him no matter how hard he tried, but he
tried anyway.
Manga
Usagi in the manga was even more confused. She was blocking the memory
of her long-time love dissolving and dying before her very eyes. The
Starlights (which is NOT the name of the band, for those who do not
know), tried to get her to remember. Sent her cards, and tried to get
back the Princess that could deal with this problem. She felt
devestated by the loss, but could not express it. She also felt the
loss of Chibiusa and took it hard. It was the daughter/sister that she
missed and loved, and though Chibichibi came, nothing to Usagi could
fill the gap in her heart that Chibiusa filled. That's why she cried
tears of joy when Chibiusa returned to the past and smiled at her.
Seiya brought comfort, but so did the other Three Lights. Though she
was mad at Yaten, she became friends with them all. Though Seiya
kissed Usagi is was on the terms of respect and being strong. She knew
Seiya was a female by then.
The Arguments for the Pairings:
Usagi and Mamoru. (Just to be fair since I started with Seiya last
time.)
Usagi has never shown any tendancies to actually fall in love with
another girl. As much as girls reminence about being easy to fall in
love with the same sex, it's hard to say that sexuality is a choice.
Though there is sexuality that is not a 100%, or even a 50% - 50%
split, most of the time, it's a discovery of yourself that warrents
the change, not a sudden choice because one person seems better. While
I am all for Haruka and Michiru, and I am for bisexuality, I don't
think someone can actually change their minds and say, "Hey, I think
I'll be gay today." and then walk out of the building and say, "I
don't think I want to be gay anymore." (BTW, for those who wonder, if
you ever read the Bible in full, with historical context.. i.e.
actually look at the text... it never puts down homosexuality.
Especially in the new testiment. If anyone wants to challenge this,
I'll make a Lemure about it and relate it to so many cultural things
that people will be overwhelmed. ^_^)
Mamoru is perfect for her. When she cries, he tries his awkward best
to try to comfort her. Even without pulling out the past reincarnation
card, I can show case by case that she loves him and cares form him
and he does the same. It's love in that case and not a crush.
Mamoru in the beginning really didn't know her, but impulsively spent
the time to make fun of her. He would get her mad and she would pay
attention to him. In the manga it turned out that he always felt an
attraction that neither he or she could really express. In the anime,
though she tripped and fell, he fell for her before she became a
Princess. She showed a great amount of concern for him when no one
before had actually shown that amount of care for him. She appologized
about him and saw that he was bleeding. She sacrificed herself for the
well-being of him, and felt sorry for him in the elevator.
In the manga it was much more than that. He fell for her early on. He
loved her and didn't know how to say it. Usagi lamented that she could
not actually tell the others that she liked him-- a lot. It was love
at first sight. She had to sneak around. And she felt that since he'd
helped her so many times that she should return the favor. She finally
found out about the destiny history later.
Even when they felt that they couldn't trust each other in the
Infinity arc, they never broke up. They were cured by their daughter,
but they worked it out and realized that it was rediculous.
Usagi also in the anime chased after Mamoru because she loved him and
couldn't let go. While it was not an approved storyline by
Takeuchi-sensei, it as used to create more tension. Mamoru's
motivations were pure. He is easily brainwashed. He got brainwashed by
himself. (That's just horrible.) He couldn't sleep at night knowing
that she would die for him. He loved her so much that he would
sacrifice his love and her love of him just to save her. While people
think this is lame, it shows true courage of spirit to let go of
something for yourself to help someone else. She understood that and
forgave him. He also forgave her for the late dates. They forgave each
other for many things, and showed that no matter what, even if he was
brainwashed often that they really did trust each other.
Usagi trusted him when he went out with a college friend that was a
girl and she liked him. While Chibiusa was worried, she was not. She
was more worried about a horse or a hippo. In Japan, it's rare to have
a friend of the opposite sex, as was demonstrated in the first arc
with Makoto. So this went to double trust. She wasn't being naive, but
being tolerate and trusting. A relationship has to be built on that.
Usagi and Seiya:
Seiya was initially attracted to Usagi by the sweet scent that she
eminated. He felt attraction to her because she didn't google over him
and treated him as a true person. He found courage and stamina and
things about himself that he never knew before. He found who he was
again.
In the manga it's not even clear if Seiya really loved Usagi at all,
though she went to her concert as a fan, and was much more active in
that department, she really and she really never developed that. Seiya
seemed more interested in testing if she was the Princess. Since it
would make him sleezy to go after a girl that he knew witnessed her
boyfriend/fiance's death of, and also knew about the Sailor Crystals,
I'll assume that perhaps Seiya had an interest, but didn't seem to
really know the difference between love for a princess as supposed to
HER Princess, as supposed to Usagi herself. Again, Usagi never seemed
that interested in a relationship beyond good friends.
In the anime the case can be made stronger, ignoring a few facts and
putting a few things aside, Seiya does seem to be a better person than
Mamoru. He is stronger. He seems to be more caring and be able to
express every feeling he has quickly. He is rash, and Usagi seems to
like him enough for Rei to inquire if Usagi is not being loyal to
Mamoru.
The date did happen, even if Usagi started to remember Mamoru in
Seiya, as Seiya often remembered his princess in Usagi.
My Own Opinions:
Despite Seiya's powers and how strong and cool Seiya is, Seiya's
powers do not tell if Seiya and Usagi LOVE each other. It also does
not tell if what Seiya is doing is moralistically right. Is it right,
despite who the person is, to chase after a person that is ENGAGED to
another person? Usagi is wearing Mamoru's ring.
What's worse is that Seiya knows the code of girls.. go after a guy/
girl that is not yours, you are a slut. Simple, easy. Seiya knows what
a girl wants because she is or at least was a girl. She's been and
will be a girl for a long time. The boy appearance, physical or not is
a guise.
So I, personally think it's worse for her to chase after Usagi if she
knows what girls want to try to make Usagi weak. She also was
deceptive about her true sex. Though while that's not really the issue
(sex aside) She did lie. And lying is no way to start a relationship.
Mamoru may have teased, but he never lied to Usagi. The only time he
did lie was when it really wasn't him, but him in Usagi's dreams (SMSS
movie).
In the end of both Usagi's chose Mamoru. She didn't do it out of
obligation to Chibiusa. She didn't do it because she knew they were
destined, after all she broke up/ almost broke up several times. She
did it because she LOVED Mamoru. No one can force anyone else to fall
in love with anyone else.
Seiya learned this about Usagi. He / She also learned that he / she
found that Usagi's loyalty and honesty were refreshing, and
strengthened his / her resolve to find his / her princess. It was
positive for Seiya not to be Usagi's love interest.
In the end everyone was happy with the results. Seiya wasn't that sad,
he was satisfied with the results. He just wanted Usagi to say that
she liked him, or at least recognize that he liked her in the anime.
But Seiya found her princess. Sailor Starfighter left, smiling, and
Usagi and Mamoru kissed under the moon happy and satisfied. Why mess
with what the characters themselves said that they wanted and liked?
Seiya is building a new planet and a new life after Sailor Moon. She
is happy. Leave her at that. (Yes, once Sailor Starfighter leaves the
planet he becomes a she again.)
Note: If Sailor Starfighter was to return, she would have to return as
a girl since Kakyuu was found. The starlights did take the guise of
males to find Kakyuu (Physical guise or not.)
Comments on this article can be sent to: Hitsuji.
