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eleiyaumei · 10 months

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Poll response: Gender in Hakuōki

A few months ago I made a poll asking about how you feel about how Hakuōki portrays/handles gender and this is my response to it.

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who voted. This was intended as a poll about your feelings, i.e. personal impressions, and not meant to find out the “truth”. I’d like to encourage everyone who wants to elaborate on their impressions to do so and for those knowledgeable about topics like Historical Accuracy, to publish posts about these in order to spread knowledge and potentially clear up misconceptions.

Secondly, to the person who asked/chose the option: “Why do you care about this?”

I care about this because every person has their own relationship to gender – indifferent or not – and my relationship to it clashed so hard with Hakuōki’s in KW/EB that it gave me gender dysphoria. I wanted to know how other Hakuōki players/fans reacted to it – not to judge them, just to understand them better.

Thirdly, I want to lead the way and tell you about what I feel in regards to how Hakuouki treats gender. To be exact, I’d like to discuss the appeal of the franchise’s fem MC with the leading question:

Whom is Chizuru for?

Oh, and before I start:

Please don’t judge people for (not) being okay with Hakuōki’s treatment of gender. Everyone has their own experiences and reasons for feeling these ways. Reducing it to “internalized misogyny” is generalizing and redundant.

(BTW, internalized misogyny (or sexism) can influence both sides of the coin:

PROs can be okay with the conservative gender roles in Hakuōki because they were taught this is the way men and women are and should be and they’re comfortable in these roles.

ANTIs can be not okay with them because they were taught femininity/womanhood was inferior and weak and they don’t want to be seen that way.)

Now, I hope I can illustrate the ways that make us feel what we do in regards to gender.

1) Chizuru is for “Not Like Other Girls™ but also kinda still like other girls” girls and women

Snappy (and provocative to some) way to say:

Chizuru is for girls and women that struggle with their femininity/girlhood/womanhood but still identify with it.

Perhaps they don’t like makeup or feminine clothing, perhaps they don’t like hyperfemininity (i.e. wearing pink, skirts, dresses, accentuating their fem* body characteristics, going shopping etc.). In some areas, they might think of themselves as unfeminine but in others, they’re able to fulfill what’s expected of girls and women (e.g. having sex only in romantic relationships, marrying a man, starting a family, being a housewife or stay-at-home girlfriend).

Despite not matching with 100% of their gender’s expectations, they still want to be seen as a girl or woman and not as man or stereotypical lesbian or whatnot. And they want to be desired and respected specifically as a girl or woman.

Most Hakuōki guys, especially Harada and Hijikata, acknowledge that and that’s appealing for girls and women as described above.

And then there’s...

2) Chizuru is for people that don’t care about gender roles and expectations

Androgynous-looking, cross-dressing, sword-wearing, living-in-a-men-dominated-world Chizuru is appealing for Gender-Non-Conforming, trans*, non-binary, genderfluid, genderqueer people and others.

I was raised by a gender-non-conforming woman who builds sheds and does housework, whose income feeds the family, who wears colorful but gender-neutral outfits, whose arms are muscular, chest rather flat but body still feminine, who did karate and handball, who likes women like Whitney Houston, Sigourney Weaver/Alien’s Ripley and Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess of Grantham, who loves the military not for the “hot masculine men” but for the discipline, weaponry and combative prowess... (I don’t like the military but I see where she’s coming from.)

What I meant to say was: The way I grew up influenced my view on gender. My education lacked a focus on gender roles and expectations, with my mom constantly defying them and my dad not being fond of (hyper)femininity. I wasn’t told that fighting was only for boys and men so I never felt bad for being interested in it. I never questioned my gender identity because no one seemed to care about how feminine or not I was.

The game developers did not include the wishes of players who wanted to fight in a samurai visual novel. They added a singular training scene with Kondo, not to teach Chizuru swordfighting but for the player to develop sympathy for Kondo so that they’ll feel bad once he’s executed.

They could have fixed this easily by including the options to fight so every player that wanted to could do so and those who didn’t could have not done it – and accompanying both options should have been no or neutral consequences so as to not tell players that they are wrong to choose one option over another. Or if they are positive/negative consequences, make them adhere to the respective love interest. (Like how saving Harada at the end of KW does not give you affection because it hurts his masculinity/does not fit with his preferences for his future wife.) Easy fix to make everyone happy, no? Instead of hating the game (experience), we can instead come to the conclusion that we like one love interest less or more.

Also, I want to address this statement I saw:

“The way Chizuru is portrayed is nice to see because women should not have manly qualities in order to be seen as strong.” (*This is no direct quote.)

Yes, you’re right. Feminism is about not forcing roles and behaviors onto people depending on their gender, physical attributes etc., and it’s also about not privileging one gender (expression) over another.

But, do you know that a lot of people in the manosphere and other patriarchal spaces use this sentiment to enforce traditional gender roles and exaggerate the masculine attributes they see in popular media (like Shadiversity sees in Princess Peach in the new Mario movie) and claim that popular media only portrays “strong women” as having masculine attributes, often without convincing arguments? I just say this here to spread awareness so that you don’t fall for manosphere conspiracy theories and such.

Especially when we look at otome games, most fem MCs adhere to traditional fem gender expectations and this is okay (while also often criticized in reviews) but this makes any strong feeling you have towards not wanting Chizuru portrayed in ways you associate with masculinity seem over-the-top. Like, don’t you think that there are otome game players out there who want their MCs to be different from the majority – for whatever reason? It’s great you can see yourself in these fem MCs or you just like seeing such fem MCs but please acknowledge that you are not the only otome game players out there and others might feel differently from you.

(I hope you’re not coming from a place of seeing otome games as ‘one of the last bastions of traditional femininity/gender roles’ because gatekeeping this whole genre of games and forcing each game to adhere to certain standards relating to gender is not fair to anyone [and arguably sexist].)

Another reason why some people are frustrated with Chizuru or with the treatment of her by characters and the franchise as a whole has to do with what X talked about in their critique of the Hakuouki anime series:

Set-up and pay-off.

KW sets up Chizuru as a cross-dressing young woman with a sword, who has basic knowledge in sword fighting, proves herself to be able to protect herself sufficiently (in the test by Saito and Okita), wants herself to be useful and not a burden on others.

So it feels forced, illogical, maybe even ill-willed whenever KW/EB puts Chizuru in compromising situations where she does nothing but scream and cry and has to be saved by others which fuels her self-loathing and feelings of being a burden but she never asks or is being offered to be trained nor does she become able to defend herself in the long run. There are singular scenes of her training but it never pays off. (If she was never set-up to be swordfight-savvy enough to protect herself, her always not being able to protect herself would be justified and not (as) frustrating.) And even in Okita’s EB route, Chizuru wants to fight, Okita allows her to, she kills a man, then has to be saved from another and what does Okita say to Chizuru, who clearly wants to fight by his side? That she has to leave everything to him – without offering her to teach her even though he is a kenjutsu prodigy and instructor. Set-up: Chizuru wants to fight. Pay-off: She fights and kills a man ONE SINGULAR TIME. Like, at least adhere to the Rule of Three... (Or do you think this adheres to this rule: 1) Chizuru proves herself to Saito and Okita, 2) she saves Okita from Kazama, 3) she kills a soldier? Well, it’s at least not enough pay-off for me.)

EB especially spends a lot of time describing in excruciating detail how much Chizuru suffers from guilt and self-loathing, thinking herself a burden on anyone, and how is this resolved? By the love interests saying some phrases about caring about and loving her, needing her (as emotional support...pet, tbh), kissing, sometimes sleeping with her and/or marrying her. She is never given a character arc for growth/change because the love interests are always prioritized over her.

(And she is so goddamn passive in 'her own story'... I would argue that Hakuōki is not about Chizuru, it's about the love interests. She is the Watson to the Sherlock Holmes.)

#hakuouki #hakuoki #hakuōki #kyoto winds #edo blossoms #my polls #gender #discussion about gender #analysis #hakuouki analysis #just my opinion though

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puffybee-dreams · 6 months

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April 1865

Character: Iba (Hakuoki) x Ellie (OC)

CW: Slight mentions of War; Archery

Word Count: 2170

Comments: I wrote this literally YEARS ago. But! Here it is! It's one of my favorite Ellie fics. I had to edit some of it so hopefully it sounds good! Thanks for reading!!

The morning light shone into the courtyard of the compound men who were still sleeping finally stirred from the futons all while Ellie stood among the men giving orders and directions to her morning class of future marksmen. Some of the lower-ranking men had been startled by her suddenly commanding presence. Up to this point she had been soft, polite, sweet even. Yet in this moment, transgression wasn’t at all tolerated in the presence of the mistress of the courtyard. Her assistants, Shinpachi & Sanosuke, hardly had time to correct the young men before she was on their ass.

“Non! The left!” Her voice barked. The men only quietly obeyed. None wanted to meet the same fate as the first young man this morning who dared comment on the fact that they wouldn’t take orders from a woman.

“And why would I take orders from you? A woman’s job is to serve a man.”

A loud resounding smack was heard as Shinpachi approached. Ellie gripped the man's ear and leaned in so close their noses were almost touching.

“Listen well, you incompetent fuck. What matters is not the sex of the warrior. What matters is their aim and their ability to kill. If you’ve any problems with this I suggest you have a personal chat with Commander Hijikata.”

Shinpachi watched, mouth agape. Sano came over and whistled. “I think we have a new assistant for training.”

Shinpachi just watched on before snapping back to reality and smiling.

“You tell ‘em, lil’ sis.”

Ellie only shot him a grin before turning quickly and rattling out a new order.

Hijikata joined the bustling crowd with a grin on his face. He had witnessed her disciplinary plans and could only watch with a bemused smile. Seeing the four targets set up and men beginning to drift in and out of the way, filled him with a sort of pride. He was the one who gave the okay to organize this little training camp after all. Narrow eyes scanned the courtyard until his gaze finally landed on the dot of red perched on one of the compound walls. They were waiting on one single guest at this point.

Ellie watched the perimeter and checked the wind pull from her perch atop the stone wall. The wind was coming from the east, but rather gently, she decided. Sanosuke joined her shortly after, his broad shoulder reaching the height of her dangling feet. He and Shinpachi had only been allowed to be her aids after they had passed her far too rigorous beginner training in the previous weeks.

“You’re waiting until he gets here to start?”

She smiled down at her fellow redhead. “Of course. I have to keep him on his toes.”

The woman kicked her feet a bit as she waited for an all too familiar Okuzume to show himself. Blue eyes keenly watched the entrance to the courtyard as a familiar shadow appeared behind a particular shoji. Quietly, she nocked an arrow and took her aim. The post she locked her aim on was just next to where he would stand.

Sano looked up at her, suddenly horrified. “Oi, what are you…”

He trailed off as she let the arrow fly, the sound turning heads. The shock caused even more heads to turn as the arrow from her bow landed no further than 12 centimeters from his left ear.

Shaking his head with a bemused smile and sigh, Iba looked at his dear friend. “Hello to you too, Ellie.”

Kotaro immediately was set on edge and started scolding the young woman. “Ellie! You could have seriously hurt someone!”

Hijikata only shook his head, sighing. The woman, on the other hand, spoke to the crowd of men. “Control will be the most crucial thing in your training. Had I no control, our dear guest here would have been dispatched and I would have been too. You will not shoot at others during your training. Do I make myself clear?”

An awestruck hush blanketed the courtyard. Ellie frowned and lifted her chin before bellowing.

“DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”

A loud affirmative shout filled the courtyard as she jumped down and gestured to her male companions.

“Pass out the Yumi. I’m gonna go welcome our guest.”

Knowing their close relationship, Shinpachi could only bellow with laughter before he barked orders at the men to line up. Ellie slipped the body of her bow across her chest and trotted over before giving Hachiro a tight hug.

“Sorry, I didn’t warn you sooner. I only had the idea this morning.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine. I expect these kinds of shenanigans from you. And besides, I trust no single archer in all of Japan more than I trust you.”

Feeling her face flush from the compliment she elbowed him softly. “I’m supposed to be in charge here. Don’t start flattering me now. I may go easy on you when I teach you.”

His face dropped. “But...I was just invited to watch. Your letter said-”

She smirked at him. “A small white lie. Payback of course.”

She then turned on her heels, his eyes watching her as she walked away, noting the hakama on her legs swaying in the wind despite being bandaged in place. He couldn’t help but marvel at the way her voice, usually so kind and gentle, bounced off of the walls as if it were Hijikata speaking instead of the female.

“OKAY MEN! LISTEN UP!”

~~~

The sun was hot on everyone’s shoulders and necks. By this point, many of the men wondered where this small French woman got her commanding voice. Coupled with the fact that she was supported by Shinpachi and Sanosuke only filled them with more unease. Yet this was the selfsame woman who in the most cocksure manner possible left to and from Edo on diplomacy trips and information exchanges.

Hachiro, on the other hand, watched in complete awe. He was swiftly reminded why he often questioned his desire to protect her. She was clearly well-trained and taught to take care of herself. These trains of thought often stirred warm thoughts of her missing father. They both searched for the missing man nearly constantly. He hadn’t dared to tell her the truth. How was he supposed to tell her that the shogunate was quickly losing interest in their search; that soon they would be the last two to care? He couldn’t let her down but he couldn’t deny that she had likely already noticed his visits and subsequently their trips were becoming less and less frequent.

He just didn’t have it in him to break her heart like that.

The men were dismissed for lunch and subsequently freed from their lessons. Ellie, now glistening with a healthy sheen of sweat, trotted over to Iba smiling widely. “What did you think?”

He smiled at her, passing her a towel. “Your skills are quite impressive. One would think you’ve been doing this your whole life.”

He teased her jovially as she scrunched up her nose.

“I have. My father wouldn’t have had it any other way.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Shortly after the lighthearted exchange, Inoue brought the pair a small platter of onigiri. After their polite and formal “thank you’s” were shared the pair were left alone in the otherwise vacant courtyard. Picking the nori off of her rice ball, Ellie made a face as she laid it on the plate.

Her male companion shook his head, tousling his brown locks. “You still have no taste for it?”

She stuck her tongue out. “Not at all. If anything it tastes worse every time I try it.”

A chuckle bubbled past his lips as they ate their lunch in peace. It was such a stark contrast to the events of the morning where Ellie - the woman, as Iba knew her, was replaced by Ellie - the Colonel’s daughter, as she was known by all the men here. If he hadn’t known her any better he would have been shocked beyond all measure.

Once Ellie had finished eating she wasted no time standing up and grabbing her personal Yumi, a gift from her companion himself.

“Now. It’s your turn.”

She held the bow out to him. His eyes widened as he saw her smile, kinder still than the one that warped her face in a look of complete satisfaction as men finally understood the bare-bones basics of shooting an arrow.

He lifted both of his hands in front of him, waving them back and forth slightly.

“I'm sure I'll only disappoint you. After all, your shooting is second to none. And I have my katana. I haven't any need for a bow or archery skills."

Ellie pulled her lips back in an unconvinced smile. "Are you scared to shoot a bow?"

Hachiro looked at her, indignant. "I have two blades at my hip. Weapons don't scare me."

She then lifted her chin proudly. "Ohhhh so you're afraid of looking foolish in front of a pretty girl, is that it?"

His cheeks began to flush a rosy shade. That was his fear exactly.

Gathering his dignity he stood, sighing. She certainly knew how to push his buttons. She grabbed the sleeve of his kimono, pulling him towards the middle of the courtyard among the scattered arrows she would have to clean up after the fact. The young man allowed himself to be pulled and placed into position. He never doubted her shooting. He remembered seeing her father train with her.

Anton had been relentless. He would throw cheap pottery scraps for her to shoot and hound her with orders and commands. In those moments she was no different than a soldier in training. Being removed from his memory, the young diplomat sighed as Ellie placed the bow in his hands. She stood in front of him and looked him over with a smile.

"You look so... uncomfortable. I'll go easy on you. I promise. This is more for fun than anything. It's useful to know of course. But… I don’t know. Perhaps I wanted to spend time with my friend."

Her smirk melted into something much softer as she eyed him and helped him nock an arrow.

"Okay. I'm standing behind you. Just pull back and let it go."

Iba pulled the weapon up into the air as he'd seen her do so many times before. Pulling back was difficult. He hadn't expected the string to be so unforgiving. Ellie held back a soft giggle as he tried his best to force the string into position. Once he finally got it pulled back to any extent he let go of the fletching gripped in his fingers.

The pair watched as the arrow, flying in an all too anticlimactic arc, clattered to the ground, staring back as if it were mocking the prestigious swordsman. Sighing, he straightened his shoulders and tried again only to achieve the same result. Pressing a fist to her lips, Ellie nodded as he reached for another arrow she softly stepped towards him.

Feeling her arms securely around him caused Hachiro to freeze a bit, nearly fumbling to grab the arrow. "Here, I'll help you."

Before she did anything she snorted. "Well, first of all, your stance is terrible. Here." Her hands grabbed his hips and adjusted them.

"Your shooting is very loose. You're trying to sword fight with a bow. Tighten up here." She adjusted his right leg.

"But loosen up here." her hand went to his sides.

Her training with the foot soldiers hadn't been nearly this intimate. He was stiff now because she was so close, and maybe it helped his form. He had no idea with his mind as foggy as it was. Shaking his head to collect himself he felt her return to her original position, holding him from behind and supporting the places his hands rested.

"Now pull back."

Pulling the cord was much easier from this angle. She smiled and stepped back.

"Now fire!"

He let go and hit the outermost edge of the target. But it was a hit nonetheless.

"Excellent! Now do it again!" Ellie cheered him on.

Unknowingly his chest puffed out as his ego inflated a bit. Hachiro swiftly and gracefully nocked an arrow and pulled back. It was a bit more difficult but he had barely budged from his position. He couldn't mess up now. He released his fingers and the arrow flew straight and true...right towards the ground.

Ellie giggled as Hachiro let out an exasperated sigh.

"You tilted down unknowingly. It happens. But! I think that's enough fun for today. I'm sure Hijikata wants to hear what we thought of the lesson this morning."

Shaking his head and smiling at her, he happily handed the bow back to her. "That sounds far more pleasant than ruining the landscaping."

Ellie giggled as she slipped the bow around her. "C'mon then. I'll make some tea too. Shimada picked up a really nice new black tea blend."

#writing! ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ੈ♡‧₊˚#ellie fic! ₊˚⊹♡#hakuoki #hakuouki #iba hachirou #i doubt many people look at the hakuoki tag anymore but my friends and i were IN IT a few years back djasasas #I do still think about them from time to time sighs

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