Reply To: 101 Secrets – Chapter Ayeka (2 page sample/segment)

Yes, going off what Kajishima said. But would you want to be traveling in space twiddling your thumbs for 2 or 3 years if you had an option to go to sleep when you left and wake up when you arrived?

So what STILL doesn’t make any sense to me is Sasami’s aging. How could she possibly age into a teenager after only a few years on Earth if it takes about 700 years for a Juraian to physically age 2 or 3 years? It should take her hundreds of Earth years before she looks like this.

The thought hadn’t occurred to me until pondering your question, Wisps, but now after talking it over with a few others here, I’m of the opinion that the implications are disturbing. You’re right Wisps, it’s reasonable to wonder not only “how” but more importantly “why?” (Possible) answer: she’s now “fair game” to be in the harem as soon as possible, adding to Kajishima’s grand design for every female character to be in someone’s harem.

wtfisthis1

Yes, OVA2 Yosho’s explanation regarding his tree and the gems can be used to explain the surface-level apparent aging discrepancies (could have also been thought up after OVA 1, but I won’t assert that, as it would only be pure speculation anyway) but again, that’s the “how” and now I can’t help but focus on the “why” concerning Sasami’s rushed and overly-emphasized maturation into womanhood. What other reason would there be for focusing on an otherwise unnecessary point of attention? You can try to point to the cultural significance of it in Japan, but not only does that seem irrelevant to the story (using that logic, I could ask “well, why doesn’t any Tenchi series ever mention seppuku? It’s Japanese.” Yes it is, but it has no relevancy to the story, now does it?) but okay, let’s keep going down that track: it was to emphasize this Japanese tradition, that of the marking point of a girl physically becoming a woman. Why would this need to be highlighted in Tenchi Muyo?

Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

All I can say is, I hope this isn’t the case.

I always assumed that Juraians aged normally until reaching physical maturity, at which point it slows down considerably. As in, at that point 700 years looks more like 2 or 3 years of aging after that point.

But, yeah, some of it might also be because of Kajishima’s harem fantasies. It’s probably not just Kajishima, though. The dark side of Japan is that it can be an incredibly sexist place. You’ve gotta cringe at how this lawmaker apologized for his sexism, as his apology is dripping with it. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27971062” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27971062 Somehow it’s still considered to be an acceptable apology, too. There’s also Fumito Ueda’s stupid comments about a game that has plunged into development hell by now. http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/03/09/editorial-last-guardians-girl-trouble” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/03/09/editorial-last-guardians-girl-trouble

This is also probably why Aeka and Sasami/Tsunami are the favorite choices to wind up with Tenchi amongst the Japanese audience, and possibly why Kajishima really wants to age Sasami up. Ryoko doesn’t get the love that she does with us. Ryoko is independent and speaks her mind, Aeka and Sasami (especially Sasami) are domestic.

EDIT: I’m going with my first theory that Juraians age naturally (by our standards) until adulthood. Sasami is 708-years-old, so, having spent 700 of those years in suspended animation, she’s physically matured into an 8-year-old in 8 years time.