vesperh ([info]vesperh) wrote,
@ 2007-11-08 20:32:00
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Unified Field Theory of Orihime. Also, first post!
 I've officially joined you all in the 21st century. To celebrate, some thoughts on what makes fictional teenager Inoue Orihime (from the Bleach manga and anime) tick.

So here’s my Unified Field Theory of Orihime. We know very little about her history, except for this: one day when she is 12 or 13, a group of girls gang up on her and cut her hair off because she is too pretty.
From this experience, Orihime learns that her beauty is something that brings resentment, jealousy and unhappiness. Orihime does not stand up to her tormentors, instead going home and taking out her anger on big brother Sora. She knows that he doesn’t deserve it, but hey, that’s the way it is in families: a lot of displaced anger ends up on lovers, parents, children and siblings. Hours later, Sora dies. A good counselor would help her see that there is no causal connection, but there is no counselor for Orihime: no mom, no dad, no helpful aunty or big sister. She’s alone, and in her head the expression of her anger is now inextricably linked to death, loss and loneliness.

 

I think it is interesting that the physical expression of Orihime’s power is linked to her brother’s gift. It seems her emotional development was arrested at the time of Sora’s death. In the years since she has ignored her own anger. Is she afraid of it? Afraid of what might happen if she were to be angry again?

 

Without her anger, Orihime has hamstrung herself. She’s never going to be able to oppose her adversaries effectively unless she allows herself to be angry at their wrongdoing.

 

You can’t fight evil as an intellectual exercise. You have to care. And if you care, then it naturally follows that you will be angry when you see the ways that evildoing brings harm to those around you. That anger is what drives you to take the risks necessary to remove and vanquish evil. In real life we may have to risk losing face, losing our jobs, losing a friend, but even in RL sometimes life-threatening risks are necessary to oppose evil. I think righteous, justified anger at evil/oppression/injustice makes it possible to take those risks.

 

I think I must be in the tiny, tiny minority, but I really like the way this character is being developed, because it is a story I haven’t seen six hundred times before. Ichigo’s got the standard Coming to Terms with the Dark Side of Himself story as well as Tragic Death of a Parent/Mentor. Ishida’s dealing with Tragic Death of a Parent/Mentor and Bad Relationship with Parent. Rukia’s got Tragic Death of a Parent/Mentor complicated by Guilt at Tragic Death of Parent/Mentor and Unrequited Love.

 

Orihime’s story has a philosophical/ethical component I find intriguing. It seems to me that she is struggling with her power—what it means, what it’s for, how to use it, when it’s right to use it. She has the power not just to kill people, but to make them never exist. She has the power of a god. Is it ever right for a human to use that kind of power? Orihime hasn’t figured it out yet, but we as readers have been given hints that she is conflicted. Her expression when Loly and Menoly call her a monster is devastating. Does Orihime think of herself as monstrous?

 

And it’s not just the magical girl superpower she’s dealing with. Orihime also has to figure out the ordinary girl power related to her sexuality. Everyone who sees Orihime comments on how gorgeous she is, but we have never seen Orihime recognize or acknowledge the power this gives her. Every girl has to somehow come to terms with this power on her path to womanhood. The confusion and blindness about her sexuality is a pretty common teen girl thing, but I think it’s also related to the haircut incident—her beauty, like her anger, is another power Orihime is afraid to own.


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[info]_debbiechan_
2007-11-09 04:24 am UTC (link)

FIRST COMMENT! FIRST COMMENT! I HAVE YOU NOW!

her beauty, like her anger, is another power Orihime is afraid to own.


Preach it, sister girlfriend!

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[info]chichiris_chica
2007-11-09 08:54 am UTC (link)
You win at life, and I agree with everything you said. Orihime has so much she can do but it's like she's not ready to do it yet. In any way - if she attacked in a battle rather than heal, if she really used her anger I think she'd be pretty good. In the same way, if she told Ichigo what she feels for him she'd probably get something good out of it (or anybody else she'd want as a love interest, in any case). It's like she's not aware of all the things she can do, and that's why she lets somebody else take the spotlight.

Plus the fact that you pointed out that Orihime's power is not just to devastate but to reject that something ever happened kills me dead. I mean, imagine that she went and rejected Aizen. I would probably laugh myself stupid. A world without Aizen. What if she could really do it? o.o

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[info]laurabryannan
2007-11-09 02:50 pm UTC (link)
I believe Orihime's struggle with power, as you frame it, is also one that most women in this culture struggle with. So many of us have to reclaim our righteous anger and learn to bare our claws when appropriate. Perhaps this is why she engenders the kind of passion she does in Bleach fans. Some folks hate her because of these struggles--they want her to 'get over it' and DO SOMETHING--others identify with her. I'd like to think Tite will allow her this kind of growth as a character. We shall see.....

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[info]vesperh
2007-11-10 03:35 am UTC (link)
She does seem to be a polarizing character for people, either loved or hated but not ignored. I think women have a hard time being angry. We're socialized out of it at such a young age: play nice, get along, share, be good. Not that those things are bad, but if you've been taught to please people it's hard to contemplate doing things that will make other people angry or unhappy or uncomfortable, even when that may be right or necessary.

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[info]eilowyn
2007-11-10 10:14 am UTC (link)
Singlehandedly revolutionized my thinking of Orihime. No, really - it's not just bullshit compliments. I'm one of the mean girls who take my PMS anger out on her as a character - generally bitching about her to other Ichiruki fans (preaching to the choir, if you will). You've officially given me hope for her as a 3-D character. I think I've always been more of a Rukia fan because I see my weaknesses in Orihime - or at least she is what I fear becoming - but the well-articulated analysis has helped with some of my fictional character hangups.

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[info]vesperh
2007-11-12 03:53 pm UTC (link)
Hey, that's encouraging to hear! I'm also a Rukia fan, but I expect a certain level of maturity from her because she's a grown-up. I tend to give the kids in the story a bit more leeway. We're catching these two women at very different stages in their life journeys. In a hundred years time (how old is Rukia anyway?) and with the benefit of many more experiences under her belt, I bet Orihime will be stronger and more confident too.

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[info]cait_rose
2007-11-11 02:21 am UTC (link)
I just got around to commenting, I meant to do it last night but forgot to log in and then decided to go to bed.
I think this is really well written, you've made valid points - nice first post! Keep up the good work (no pressure :D)

It seems to me that she is struggling with her power—what it means, what it’s for, how to use it, when it’s right to use it. She has the power not just to kill people, but to make them never exist. She has the power of a god. Is it ever right for a human to use that kind of power? Orihime hasn’t figured it out yet, but we as readers have been given hints that she is conflicted. Her expression when Loly and Menoly call her a monster is devastating. Does Orihime think of herself as monstrous?

I think she does think of herself as monstrous, and perhaps a little worthless, because, perhaps, maybe, if she'd known about her powers, she could have saved her brother - she was just a few years too late, which must be a horrible feeling.
ANd being only fifteen also changes things; she's not a grown woman, her emotions are still running around completely out of control - so I agree with the anger thing.

I hope I'm making sense here, but what I really meant to say was 'this is well-written, I like it alot, and I'm going to mem it. Thankyou for writing such a piece, and I can't wait to see more; if you don't mind me lurking, and I hope I'm not being rude :D'

Cait

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[info]vesperh
2007-11-12 02:04 pm UTC (link)
maybe, if she'd known about her powers, she could have saved her brother - she was just a few years too late, which must be a horrible feeling.

Now that's interesting, and something I hadn't considered...Poor Orihime.

I certainly don't mind you lurking. I'm a champion lurker myself. :-)

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[info]cait_rose
2007-11-13 12:13 am UTC (link)
Yeah that thought was one I'd been thinking about for a while, your post just made me go 'Well... that's coming from my sort of angle... is it possible...?'
Yay for the lurking! Lots of lurkers are too afraid to post, but when they do - wow. Like yours :D

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[info]vesperh
2007-11-21 12:51 pm UTC (link)
I'm one of those in the small minority who believe that Orihime can only come to terms with her role when she reconnects with Tatsuki

YES!! YES!! (Does the happy dance) I'm in that small minority too. Orihime really needs Tatsuki. It's interesting to me that it is the women in this story with whom Orihime connects emotionally--Tatsuki, Rukia and Rangiku. For all that she's crushing on Ichigo, there's no emotional connection there. If Orihime is ever going to assert herself again, I kind of think it will be on behalf of one of her female friends.

I'm still not convinced Orihime knows that she is beautiful, but you're right that if she does, she's tremendously level-headed and down-to-earth about it.

Thanks for this very thoughtful comment!

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[info]priscalthum
2008-02-10 04:49 pm UTC (link)
I love your analysis about Orihime. I think it put into words what I was feeling about this hounded priestess. I also think that Orihime is on the way to accepting herself and her powers, especially when Ulqu demands that she devote herself to Aizen and she goes along with it wholeheartedly, but then later reveals her resolve to use her gift to make the hyogoku never exist.

So I say, "Go you!!! (to you, the writer of this wonderful post)" while waving brightly colored flags excitedly.

Does anyone else feel something ominous about Orihime's desire to unravel the hyogoku? I feel that when it comes to that point, her unmaking (lord of the rings anyone? :) ) of the thing might just play into Aizen's hands.

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[info]vesperh
2008-02-10 11:56 pm UTC (link)
her unmaking (lord of the rings anyone? :) ) of the thing might just play into Aizen's hands.

I certainly hope so! Otherwise Aizen is going to lose villain points in my book.

I understand how frustrated readers are with Orihime's paralysis right now, especially because the pace is so slow. I sometimes wish I could get the plot outline Kubo is working from and just skip right to the end. But in general I’m finding the journey interesting. And I don’t hope for resolution any time soon. I think Orihime has lots more down ahead of her. We need to see her manipulated, out-thought and out-manuevered by Aizen a couple more times. That would give him the opportunity to be a more convincing Big Bad, and it would give Orihime the opportunity to get truly and righteously angry, which she needs.

My prediction: Aizen likes to push people’s buttons. I think he will push Orihime’s buttons several more times before he accidentally hits the one marked ‘self-destruct.”

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[info]fuku_taicho
2008-02-10 10:19 pm UTC (link)
I've been directed to your entry by [info]debbichan's entry and I hope you don't mind me reading and commenting on it.

This is the best Orihime analysis I've ever read. While I agree on some points, I'm still in the majority who don't like the process Orihime has been in. May it be a real person or a fictional character, it doesn't change that the process of getting over her self-esteem and coming to understand where her true strength lies in is not something to cheer for nor adore. The consequence is, however, if it resulted in that way. But the period of time to accomplish it is annoying, for the lack of a better term. You could say I'm a Rukia/Tatsuki-like person who would try to help her by doing whatever the situation needs to be done, including telling her kindly and then moving on more harsh methods.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I don't find her adorable or strong as she is now. I have no doubt that she will eventually come out of her depression and will master to be angry and defend herself for her sake. But the thing is, I'm just sick of waiting for it. In real life I'd be more patient because, well, people need time to solve these kind of issues, But in a fiction, it bothers me to read the same thing over and over again.

oh BTW, I've really liked your take on her, definitely not the usual "oh she is a princess and perfect as she is" kind of analysis I mostly come to read. *mems*

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[info]vesperh
2008-02-11 12:05 am UTC (link)
Hey, is that Naru? Hooray for Ghost Hunt!

May it be a real person or a fictional character, it doesn't change that the process of getting over her self-esteem and coming to understand where her true strength lies in is not something to cheer for nor adore.

It certainly isn't pretty to watch, in fiction or in real life. And this story arc has been a hard slog for Orihime fans. I've heard the words "Kurosaki-kun" about 20 times too many.

I still like her, though. I even think she's strong, or at least stronger than she is often given credit for. After all, she lost her brother not once, but twice: first to actual death, and then she lost the precious, innocent image of him when he tried to kill her in Hollow form. It’s an astonishing loss, and Orihime's ability to stand up under it is more astonishing still.

Being surrounded by Hollows must be excruciating--she's afraid all the time. And once her friends showed up she must have worried that she'd done the wrong thing in coming to Hueco Mundo. And then to feel their reiatsus fading--how terrible that must have been. She's been physically beaten and emotionally manipulated. And then she saw the boy she's hopelessly in love with transform into a Hollow in front of her eyes. I give her credit for managing to retain her sanity and function well enough to heal people even after all that.

But I agree that what Orihime needs is for Tatsuki to show up and give her a good swift kick. You know Tatsuki would do it, too.

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[info]priscalthum
2008-02-11 03:43 am UTC (link)
"I even think she's strong, or at least stronger than she is often given credit for."^^

I agree with that completely. Too often I read about Orihime being weak and without a backbone (usually in contrast to Rukia), but I think that Orihime is just about as strong as Rukia, considering she's been alive, or at least not dead, not as long as Rukia. Orihime's had to grow up practically alone, except for Tatsuki, and I'm sure that's difficult for anyone. While she'll always hold a special place in my heart, her focus on "kurosaki-kun" is really tearing at my last nerve, even if, in the context of the development of her character and place in the story, it makes sense, and is almost necessary. Also, I really feel for her, and wish she wouldn't have to go through all this crap, since her troubles are really only just beginning.

I anxiously await "self-destruct" mode, which I hope resembles robo-hime, who goes at 250 km/hr and fires lasers, or whatever was in that wacky drawing of hers.

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[info]suna_no_naoko
2009-03-28 06:14 pm UTC (link)
This is perfect~ Orihime really doesn't get enough of the proper love from the fandom (meaning non-pinup/hentai business). This essay perfectly catches on to the Orihime 'mojo' and carries through with it, exploring her very unique development without bringing in all the romantic possibilities. Kudos to you~

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[info]vesperh
2009-03-28 08:10 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for stopping by! I do love Orihime--think she's a great character--and also it's a pity that so much of the discussion around her centers on boys, when I find her so intrinsically interesting in herself.

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