u/Business_Dare_1285

I'm continuing rewatching the show episode by episode.

The first version of the post was started many months ago and I forgot/revised my opinions, so rewatching ep7 was the only decision - I noticed more interesting or less obvious details, ones I wouldn't have noticed before. Also I'm gonna share not complete details but rather my opinions on certain moments.

Personally for me ep7 is a twin to ep4 in which we had just endless visual art in colours, winter animation, brothel interiors and women's clothing. Episode 7 is also a visual pleasure, I will share my favourite shots and you can share yours)

Another peculiarity of ep7 is that it focuses more on the inner world of secondary characters alongside Mizu, rather than their direct actions. This logically echoes the fact that Mizu is unconscious for some time and nothing happens to her, while snow melts all over Japan and Akemi is thrown into a hostile palace.

There's a lot to talk about, therefore I'll make part 2 later:)

Picture 1: I'm starting with a trump card, I absolutely love that shot of Edo and especially the palace complex!

The realistic water in the canals and the way the foundations are visible beneath the surface. If you look closely at the palace complex, you can see that "islands" have different layouts of the buildings and different amounts of trees, meaning there are outbuildings and gardens. Pay attention to the fortification buildings. The "spit" near the foreground island, where the city merges with the palace complex, seems to me to serve purely as a fortification point as there's almost nothing there. There are "pools" which I think simply create a beautiful pattern in the plan. You can see areas with sakuras and I suppose a garden where the Spring Matsuri celebration will later be.

In the background, there are "relaxed" brushstrokes of rivers and the fairly clear contours of streets, ordinary little towns as well as plantations(!). I won't even explain the reflection of the sun in the sea.

Picture 2: We started with the beautiful, let's continue with it. Ringo brought two wounded people and their swords on this cart made of shit and sticks. Bravo Ringo💪🏻

Picture 3: Here I've got mini expressions of Abijah. I'd like to discuss if he knows Heiji plans on removing or weakening him(spoiler he does). I'm absolutely sure Fowler knew but didn't act or confront Heiji directly, simply because his position in Japan is better with Heiji than without him.

Several times during the episode Heiji really actively asks about guns and transportation and of course Fowler knew it wasn't a pure desire for control.

At first he brushes off Heiji's fake complaints, and then when he asks: "But do you know when?" In a couple of seconds Abijah puts on a smile, says he doesn't and asks about their evening plan. Heiji is not stupid, he plays along. They both understand everything.

Also poor map gets blood stains meaning dudes combined the pleasant with the useful(reading the map).

Before getting into the cab Fowler has a whole monologue "my cage". Man has quite long conversations with himself.

Picture 4: There's going to be little analysis of the Fowler's Conquest scene itself. Picture is not provocative: I'll just say that Fowler uses a wakizashi to kill a man.

Now ✨imagine✨ a few seconds before this: candles, a woman wearing wings. Firstly, don't do that it's flammable.

Secondly I looked it up and it's possible the wings are a reference to "tennin," which as I understand are celestial maidens. There's a legend about Hagoromo, where a celestial maiden loses her feather cloak and a fisherman finds it. She asks for it back but the fisherman... doesn't ask for what you thought, he wanted a celestial dance and the creature dances) I don't know what this story has to do with Fowler's preferences or the services of prostitutes, but that's how it is. Maybe it is some kind of fetish I do not know.

Abijah's mask is especially interesting and no, it's not the big-nosed one; this one has horns and ears, and even a wig.

Knowing a bit about Japanese mythology, it's difficult to pinpoint a specific creature but I'm leaning toward the Oni. They are associated with violence, threats, enemies, and disturbers of stability.

Even Japanese religious history scholar Satoko Koyama directly examines the connection of the Oni demons with outsiders, women, enemies, and other people facing prejudice. So, from a Japanese perspective, Oni fits white foreigner Fowler just as well as Onryo fits Mizu and in fact, Fowler's nature is similar to the Oni. He even eats human flesh (according to Madame Kaji and her acquaintances) just like the Oni.

Also the mask has the wig and even ears so it completely hides his identity.

Now ✨ imagine ✨ the very first scene in the brothel. There we had the whole visual bouquet of Fowler's and Heiji's kinks. Discussing other people's sex lives is indecent so we only focus on prostitutes' masks:)

They all wear kitsune masks. In Japanese culture a fox could take the form of a beautiful woman and lure poor men of course, so the image of kitsune gradually acquired strong erotic connotations. In Yoshiwara(legal brothel district in Edo) the word kitsune could be used derogatorily to refer to a prostitute, and an attractive courtesan could be called a "fox without a tail" (o no nai kitsune).

Picture 5: Did Heiji adapt to writing with his left hand quickly or was he always left-handed/ambidextrous?

Picture 6: in love with these detailed, beautiful and so diverse bushes.

Picture 7: Also no big analysis, just the general hopeless feeling of Mizu and the depressing conversation, but somewhere in the distance the sea is illuminated by the sun.

Also in episode 1 there were rocks at the bottom of this cliff but now they are not visible. I think it's either the different time of year or the tide.

Picture 8: Akemi's brother as a contraceptive pill.

Picture 9:

Taigen: "You're good, maybe better than me. And no one is better than me."

Mizu: "😏"

What exact shogun's words made Lady Itoh react the same way?

Picture 10: Here we get the mentality of the supporting characters I mentioned, Taigen and him visiting Kogama.

We know very little about Taigen's life in Kogama and even less about his path to becoming one of the best. He was the leader of the boys who bullied Mizu and his father was an alcoholic and beat him.

Seeing Taigen's kimono as a child, I suspected he'd long outgrown it, meaning his parents either didn't keep an eye on him or couldn't afford a new one. But that's not correct. I looked it up, and this style of wearing kimonos by children was normal, but I was really confused as other kids were wearing warm long kimonos in the rain, while Taigen was bare-legged.

He arrives in Kogama already accustomed to the good life in the big city and his new status. I think the depiction of Kogama's streets as dirty, the houses crooked and the haphazardly placed fish barrels is more about what Taigen is focusing on than the actual appearance of Kogama.

At the same time I don't think Mizu sees Kogama the same way it is shown in episode 1, where she's being bullied, because the emphasis there isn't on the appearance of the village but on the chase and the resulting conflict, which is then interrupted by a much more important meeting with Eiji.

Taigen comes to Kogama like many people come to their childhood homes when abusive or alcoholic parents are dead, probably to regain control of their current life.

I've met the opinion that Taigen bullied Mizu not only because he was a shitty child and a racist, but also because everyone else did it. And that's partly true as the place where we live and the people around us greatly shape our views. But in Mizu's flashback Taigen is the gang's leader. He finds her and gestures to the boys where to run, and later stops another boy's insults to voice his own.

In his "imagination" (I wouldn't call it a flashback), Taigen is running behind, makes a sad face and throws a pebble down. This is his true adult view, looking at the situation from a different perspective, how he changes his memories a little more to his current liking.

I don't think real little Taigen was sad about bullying Mizu but he did it anyway. I think what we see is his adult imagination and not a flashback.

Picture 11: Akemi was given a multitude of chests and jars as part of her wedding gifts. It's impossible to tell exactly what's inside but the musical instrument in the foreground is a koto. It's logical as Akemi is educated and must know how to play it.

Picture 12: Akemi's outfits are something eternal. Also I may be wrong but she starts dressing with bird patterns after working in a brothel. I'm not sure if Ise's old dress is the first time she wears something with birds or if she did it in her home palace too. For the road she for sure wears a kimono with trees.

Other people here wrote a bunch of good analysis. If someone is interested here are the links, first for Akemi's bird and the second for sparrow symbolism:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueEyeSamurai/s/jdhIt4DmsR

https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueEyeSamurai/s/cSXY9yuRq1

Dudes say Takayoshi has stroked the bird right on its wing but when it falls we clearly see it's the side of its belly and not a wing. It's sad to be Takayoshi: you're around 30, people flatter and lie to you and applaud you theatrically. And then you go to Mommy.

Picture 13: Once again I worship the bushes.

Picture 14: Expressions of Lady Itoh. First of all, she really reminds me of Mizu here. My personal take is that she's Mizu's biological mother or at least her close relative. I shared it in this post and it turned out into a pleasurable discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueEyeSamurai/s/Q0WGD2YMkZ

Secondly, let's talk about her.

We know not much about Lady Itoh and see her only a couple of times. Mainly she becomes visible in that episode.

A lot of people discussed how she uses sexuality and manipulation to affect the shogun. Also her sons are heavily affected by her.

Perhaps the shogun chose wives for his sons among his wealthy allies, but after marriage they seem to fall under Lady Itoh's sway. She has certain rules for how Takayoshi and his wife should behave and this also applies to the the heir. And in a traditional society this wouldn't seem strange: a new woman comes into the family and adult woman sorts things out with her, helps her integrate into the family, or doesn't, like in this case. Both noble and peasant families were once larger and could live in the same house for several generations, children were raised not only by their parents but also by grandparents, aunts, uncles, + village, +nannies for wealthy families.

This is certainly a conflict-ridden and difficult environment, and this is probably where all the stories of nasty mothers-in-law tormenting their new "daughters", as well as daughters-in-law who cannot adequately care for their ✨sweet boys✨.

And yet I simply cannot accept that Lady Ito's control over her sons and the palace as a whole is natural. I already wrote about this, and a commenter said that she may emotionally influence her sons and has tied them since childhood. But I honestly can't understand what makes an adult be like that tofu and do everything for a parent, Takayoshi and his brother are clearly ~30 but idk, maybe I just haven't seen such adults. No matter how manipulative a mother is and how much she has tied you to herself, it's simply impossible to constantly indulge her in everything at that age, right...? I wanna believe that.

My opinion is that if Lady Itoh controls the princes' wives, can kill them, influences her husband's decisions, and then literally kills the nobles by locking them in a tunnel and her son thinks it's valid, then she could also threaten her children. Perhaps indirectly, perhaps through manipulation or blackmail. But the threat to their status and security (she needs them too much to threaten their lives) could very well be leverage. And that's why men play out this theater of obedience to her.

Picture 15: Let's continue about that family but now from Akemi's perspective.

I feel like we don't talk enough about how Akemi was literally driven to suicidal thoughts? She honestly tells Seki it doesn't matter how or when she dies and that's creepy and tragic.

I suppose it's a normal strategy for Lady Itoh - taking control away from Akemi, demonstrating she can make no decision.

A special place here belongs to those two bitches who were supposed to be her "companions" (who the hell were they?). Their phrases weren't outright aggressive or flattering. They were telling Akemi what she should be like, that she would be strangled, raped, murdered, put in a bag if she doesn't follow the rules. They continued chattering even when Akemi was silent and doing nothing right before her meeting with Madam Kaji in the city.

Another thing I notice in both Lady Itoh and the two bitches is convincing Akemi that it's her who has problems. Not straightforward but still. For instance they scare her with stories about her fiancé and then laugh at her. Later Lady Ito treats Akemi with some set of vomit-inducing dishes, especially a gift bird, and while Akemi is horrified, the old woman mumbles something about what a sweet boy this Takayoshi is. Akemi sees the opposite and it is made to confuse her. Also it was done in front of a bunch of people and the shogun when Akemi can't show any weakness.

Takayoshi is a special type. On the one hand he seems to treat Akemi "normally"; many believe they have chemistry and could be something like a power couple and I see it too. But for now he's a poor guy himself - we still don't know if he's just playing along with Itoh to avoid problems or if he's truly a mama's boy in his thirties or something like that. Good Akemi took Madam Kaji's lessons and tries to maintain control over her husband, but unfortunately it is anyway her coddling him and his self-esteem, just remember their first real talk. I just hope he can't be a mama's boy for real and he'll show his personality later.

Ah and I remembered that Takayoshi's silence was another way to demoralize Akemi. She gets angry, afraid, tries to interfere, and in response she gets indifference.

Akemi had Seki and Madam Kaji, who gave harsh but sound advice and forced Akemi to think about her future. And many girls in such cultures and such marriages lacked/still lack support. Especially when your parents aren't there and there's no one close to you in your new home, your mother-in-law and others are pressuring you and convincing you of your own madness. Then unfortunately, it's not unusual to break down, contemplate suicide, and become tofu. Akemi literally "doesn't live"; she doesn't care how she dies, and she's been convinced that's how it will be.

Picture 16: Not my last take about Akemi. Have you ever thought Seki's words about game aka gathering territories and so on is a foreshadowing of Akemi's future actions?

Picture 17: What are you smiling about, Master Chiba? You gonna die really soon.

I don't know about all his clothes because they're folded, but on his chest there's a pair of cranes, which I think is universally associated with marital fidelity and nobility. Where I live cranes are respected animals and also a national symbol. If cranes settle near a house no one bothers them because they bring good luck so to say. If you have gardens and so on crane will walk around and eat snakes, frogs, mice, small hares and other animals that harm the plantation. And no one will say no, I believe that symbol doesn't really change in Japan:)

If I'm not mistaken, this mockery of Akemi was a wedding and then Master Chiba is just showing his good taste.

Picture 18: Love that shot. Home sweet home even if Mizu doesn't wanna bother Eiji for long.

Picture 19: When Mizu attempts to melt the metal and breaks the furnace, Master Eiji and Ringo turn in different directions. I suspect that Sworddad's heightened hearing is causing him to turn directly toward the sound, while Ringo tries to locate Mizu both visually and by sound.

Picture 20: Shocking Mizu with her real father and giving her a strict, harsh talk.

Maybe I'm getting too much into the phrases and watch the show like a real life, idk.

So at the beginning of e3, we see a newborn, or at least baby, Mizu. The first man who is trying to persuade another to kill her, mentions that Mizu doesn't even cry "what a child doesn't even cry?" If I remember correctly. And when he shakes her she wakes up and reacts fine(alright, maybe her parents are just lucky with a calm baby).

Several things struck me about this moment.

The first, and not really the most important, is that Mizu didn't care when he shook her and at all didn't really react to those men. Alright, babies generally see badly and most likely the voices and smells were familiar to her. Then someone from her family or close planned Mizu's murder?

The second thought is more sad to me, and I only began to think about it after I'd done a little research into how children's (and frankly humans) evolutionary needs work. Crying is practically the only way a baby communicates its needs, and most adults respond automatically, even to others' children.

For a child as young as Mizu in the flashback, it's crucial for a parent or a constant caregiver to respond (babies even badly regulate their body temperature), plus it's a sense of security in a confusing world of stronger animals than we humans are.

If you've directly or not encountered orphanages or families with aggressive/uninvolved parents where responding to a baby's crying is impossible, you've probably noticed that such children become quiet and may even stop crying. Even a three-month-old baby, for example, might be enough of this time in an orphanage to realize that no one will come, and they stop crying. This of course disrupts the basic sense of safety and affects mental health problems (I can't say exactly how this affects, I'm not a neurobiologist or someone like that, but Mizu clearly has these problems).

I suppose newborn Mizu is calm not because her mother was blessed with a calm baby but because, even at that age, she was in an unstable environment and no one would respond to her cries. Perhaps her mother intentionally didn't respond or perhaps they were separated at that moment already.

Don't know if the showrunners had that idea while writing the script or if I analyse too much, but we've already had Fowler's "Your bones break like a woman's" as well as the attention to detail in the animation, so it just popped into my mind.

Found it unfinished from the last year and fixed it:)) Still don't understand the YouTube rules but it's not the point) Here's the link:

https://youtu.be/p5jHzFMiOwo?si=Yyc2311XjUTENrR4

Насправді не перша, а десь третя, але ті попередні ну зовсім кринжові.

Радьте, критикуйте:)

So I've gathered several pictures (both shots and production art)! Hope you enjoy it and also share your favourites:)

My first thought was naming the post just unpopular opinions, but I didn't want to clickbait or ask a vague question.

So normal explanation: what something that is generally considered natural, well know fact in the show or in the fandom but you disagree? Or something you particularly disliked? Or what is something you loved especially that most of the fandom didn't or didn't pay attention to?

Or rather, how does she neutralize him?

He depends on her and the sailors while he is literally caged on the lowest deck of the boat. In that situation he is forced to cooperate.

But the moment they land Fowler is in charge. He knows the country, the people, and has connections. At least he is fluent in English and I believe Mizu only knows the basics.(I think everyone is sure she'll learn from Abijah)

How do you think Mizu keeps herself safe while traveling and relying on Abijah?

She can't rely on his word, and their agreement — “you keep me alive and I lead you to maybe fathers” — isn’t concrete either.

I believe this could lead Mizu to seek services from another wasian person. Even meeting another Asian person who isn’t mixed-race would be a character development for her honestly and show her a world beyond Japan.

But there is still a physical danger named Abijah Fowler. Do you have any theories on what could force him into need of cooperating with Mizu?

How probable do you think the theory that Mizu might amputate his hands or disable in other way?