Three-way view
Aug. 16th, 2002 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
incandescensInteresting.
(I will leave the rest of the day out of this, as it has (a) involved work, (b) been too hot and close, and neither of those are facts either that I wish to remember or in which readers might be interested. I do hope I got the grammar in that precise: I'm feeling pernickety.)
During supper tonight, I put on "some anime" and picked the Saiyuki Requiem OVA. Both my parents quite enjoyed watching it, even if they'd never seen the series and thus were clueless on most points of reference, and I had to do a lot of explanation.
Anyhow, afterwards we got into a discussion about it, and it was interesting to see exactly what each of us had been watching. My father had been more interested in studying the visuals and in trying to hear verbal patterns in the dialogue (we were watching with English subtitles, naturally). My mother was very struck by precisely _how_ flawed a hero Sanzou was, considering the impact of his actions in making the villain who he was. (We argued a bit about how much Sanzou-as-master was to blame for a disciple's actions. My point was that a master cannot be held totally responsible for everything a disciple may do, or where's a disciple's free will? Also, while Dougan may have had motivation, he didn't have to do everything that he did.) Eventually we agreed that no, Sanzou was not wholly responsible for everything Dougan did, but if he could have done something in the past which might have altered Dougan's life and obsession, and he didn't do that, then there was responsibility there, as a master does have some responsibility for his students.
No doubt Sanzou himself (a) denies any responsibility for anyone outside his own skin, (b) has yet more private guilt which he may or may not admit to himself, let alone others. And really, how does one ever know?
I remember when a boyfriend whom I broke up with told me he was going to commit suicide. (He didn't.) We were both fifteen. How much is anyone to blame for what someone else does when they say they're doing it because they care about you?
Dougan was giving his "just say "follow me", take me as your disciple" speech, and I remembered a bit from the movie Labyrinth, where Jared's talking to Sarah, offering her the final set of temptations, along the lines of, "take me as your master, and I will be your slave!" (I likely misquote.) Dougan didn't even understand the fullness of what he was asking, or realise that for Sanzou any inch is the final inch.
Maa, maa, I do seem to have babbled.
It Is Like This
Perhaps it is us, as Hakkai said. Or perhaps not.
(I will leave the rest of the day out of this, as it has (a) involved work, (b) been too hot and close, and neither of those are facts either that I wish to remember or in which readers might be interested. I do hope I got the grammar in that precise: I'm feeling pernickety.)
During supper tonight, I put on "some anime" and picked the Saiyuki Requiem OVA. Both my parents quite enjoyed watching it, even if they'd never seen the series and thus were clueless on most points of reference, and I had to do a lot of explanation.
Anyhow, afterwards we got into a discussion about it, and it was interesting to see exactly what each of us had been watching. My father had been more interested in studying the visuals and in trying to hear verbal patterns in the dialogue (we were watching with English subtitles, naturally). My mother was very struck by precisely _how_ flawed a hero Sanzou was, considering the impact of his actions in making the villain who he was. (We argued a bit about how much Sanzou-as-master was to blame for a disciple's actions. My point was that a master cannot be held totally responsible for everything a disciple may do, or where's a disciple's free will? Also, while Dougan may have had motivation, he didn't have to do everything that he did.) Eventually we agreed that no, Sanzou was not wholly responsible for everything Dougan did, but if he could have done something in the past which might have altered Dougan's life and obsession, and he didn't do that, then there was responsibility there, as a master does have some responsibility for his students.
No doubt Sanzou himself (a) denies any responsibility for anyone outside his own skin, (b) has yet more private guilt which he may or may not admit to himself, let alone others. And really, how does one ever know?
I remember when a boyfriend whom I broke up with told me he was going to commit suicide. (He didn't.) We were both fifteen. How much is anyone to blame for what someone else does when they say they're doing it because they care about you?
Dougan was giving his "just say "follow me", take me as your disciple" speech, and I remembered a bit from the movie Labyrinth, where Jared's talking to Sarah, offering her the final set of temptations, along the lines of, "take me as your master, and I will be your slave!" (I likely misquote.) Dougan didn't even understand the fullness of what he was asking, or realise that for Sanzou any inch is the final inch.
Maa, maa, I do seem to have babbled.
It Is Like This
Perhaps it is us, as Hakkai said. Or perhaps not.
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no subject
Date: 2002-08-16 05:37 pm (UTC)Found some success in providing an "anime:Saturday morning cartoons::Babylon 5:sitcoms", which, while not a perfect analogy, gives me hope for getting my parents into anime eventually. It's something which does, indeed, provide ample opportunity for discussions like the one you mention.
no subject
Date: 2002-08-16 05:46 pm (UTC)--Jared Goblinking