Thursday, November 20th - 2:11 am
Update
- Jay
Navok
Kitagawa Keiko: She may
be Rei-san, but can she dance?
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That
may be what the rules say but I won't tell anyone if you don't. |
You will hate the word "first" after reading this paragraph:
For the first time in a while, we've got a Sailor Moon content article rather than
news article. Another first- this is our first Live Action Sailor Moon content
article. And an even bigger first, this is the first article ever written by
staff member Dr. Xadium. Even more of a first, this is the first article in a series.
Its also the first time we're going to be introducing a new Genvid site
run by Dr. Xadium:
Kitagawa Keiko dot com (note to
Kitagawa's talent agency: please don't sue us. we won't make fun of her like
we do to Hama Chisaki. we promise we'll be good.)
All Kitagawa, all the time for your reading
pleasure. Hama Chisaki's official site may not want you but our unofficial
Kitagawa one will welcome you with open arms.
Here's a preview of the article up there currently.
Shinto Series I: The Shinto Miko and the Kagura Dance
by Dr. Xadium
"From all I know about Rei-chan, the two of us are exactly alike. It’s a
very smooth transition into her role, I can't think of any ways we
differ."
-- Kitagawa Keiko, on being Hino Rei
As a die-hard Sailor Venus fan of long standing, I am faced with a crisis
of conscience. On the one hand, I have supported the cause of Aino Minako
through Manga, Anime and Fanfiction—I even worked her character into the
“all Outer Senshi and their Pals” Suburban Senshi series.
But six episodes into Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and one thing
becomes stunningly clear to me—in terms of sheer verisimilitude and screen
presence, no one better represents their assigned Senshi than Kitagawa
Keiko-san as Sailor Mars. In action and appearance, she fits “to a T” the
expected role of a Shinto Priestess. (And she doesn’t run like an airplane,
which is an added bonus). [Edit- Those who make fun of Komatsu will
live to regret it, herr doctor!]
Yes, Kitagawa-san definitely has the necessary solemnity, aloofness and
gravitas… but there is one more skill she needs for the role, one question
about her that remains unanswered, and is critical to her proper portrayal of
Hikawa Jinja’s mysterious miko-- can she dance?
“Dance? But the solemn manga-style Hino Rei that Kitagawa represents is
too stolid a character to ever indulge in something as frivolous as dancing!
We all know how she feels about things like Karaoke!”
Perhaps so, but believe it or not, dancing is a vital part of the
Shinto miko’s repertoire.
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If
you worked at McDonalds in a miko outfit, would that bring kinda
honor (with fries) to the family?
Something to ponder while eating your McTeriyaki burger. |
But what is a Miko, anyway?
(a.k.a. utterly dodging the question for the moment, or “Rei’s lonely life”.)
“Yes, yes,” you protest—“I already know what a “Miko” is—someone
who works at a Shinto shrine.” There’s more to it than that. Have you ever
wondered why there only seem to be young women serving as miko at Shinto
shrines? Or why it is that the Hino Rei of the manga and live action series
has little interest in boy chasing? (Or for you InuYasha fans, why a Kikyo /
Inuyasha pairing would either be highly unlikely IRL or at least why it would
mean the end of Kikyo’s career?) Well these things are all inextricably
bound with what it means to truly be a Shinto miko.
(And yes, I know that Manga Rei has had bad experiences with men that might
drive her away from them, but that would just draw her more into the lifestyle
of the miko, as you will see)
In ancient times, the miko was a spiritual person who went into deep
trance, and was said to channel the gods, bringing their message to the
people. To this day, some sects of Shinto rely on miko to perform this function, although
in modern times the role of the miko has been
relegated to a support position, wherein she serves as an assistant to the
priest (and is usually his daughter).
Miko have to be unmarried (along with everything else that implies
in a traditional society). Thus, Rei (or Kikyo, for that matter) cannot get
truly “involved” with men / (or hanyou) without forsaking their
status as miko.
(So any fanfics you see that have Rei, shall we say, in a deeper
relationship with Mamoru / Yuuichiro / whoever and then going back the next
morning to tend the sacred flame are way off base as far as traditional Shinto
is concerned, unless, as I’ll get to in a moment, she gets a promotion).
Incidentally, this also explains why teenagers are mainly featured in anime
as miko; the aged Kaede from InuYasha is a notable exception
(and now we know what her social life must be like).
The reason for this required celibacy can be traced back to the legends of
old; miko still learn the songs which speak of how the first miko
was originally offered up as a bride to the gods. Her purity gives her
power… it is said “her touch is holy; the grain sown by her hand is
blessed”. (Many followers of folk Shinto still feel this way about miko,
who have become titular heads of many splinter offshoot religions independent
of the shrines.)
Thus, Rei’s disinterest in boys is a quite logical one—personal issues
aside, at this stage in her life, because of her duties, she can’t
waste her time on them, and it would just cause problems for her to try.
It keeps going so check out KitagawaKeiko.com for
the rest!
And while you're waiting for the next Kitagawa update, be sure to drop by Suburban
Senshi IRC whose website design is curiously similar. (You were
experiencing an odd deja vu for good reason when you visited the Kitagawa site.) I'm not about
to say that Xadium's a one-trick pony but I'll readily insinuate that he might
be a one-trick 900 year old Timelord.
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