Seiryuu Shichi Seishi

This is not a fanfic. This is an essay of sorts, centering on Tomo. If you like Tomo, you should read it. If you don’t like Tomo, you should definitely read it. Don't read it if you’re sensitive about sex and abuse. I was looking around online once when I found a poll of favorite and least favorite FY characters. Under the least favorite category, Tomo had been voted for six times. This outraged me. How can someone like Ashitare and Miboshi better than Tomo? I’m not asking that people love him--I realize that he’s a bit freaky.
However, there is very little reason to hate him.

Tomo is my second favorite character. My first favorite will remain unnamed. If you’ve read my fanfics, it should be pretty obvious. He has plenty of fans of his own; he doesn't need me. Therefore, I will remain in the background, writing about and quietly adoring him. Tomo, however, needs all the fans he can get, so I’m a good deal more vocal about him. Yes, he beat up on Amiboshi. Amiboshi is my fourth favorite, so I can’t be accused of disliking him. But Tomo is in the series for such a short amount of time--I have to root
for him while he’s there, and I’d say the same even if he beat up on my first favorite.

Anyway, another thing I found was an essay on the subject of Trowa Barton’s virginity and the possibility of his having been raped by a man as a child. Trowa is a character in Gundam Wing, and happens to be my favorite on that show, so I read it. It contains several very interesting points, and, the more I read of it, the more I realized how much of it held true to what I have always believed about Tomo’s past. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Tomo.

What is known about his past? Very little. He was abandoned by his mother at a young age and taken in by a dancer. The dancer named him Ryo Chuin. He suffered a great deal of pain in his youth. That’s all. But that is by no means the end of the story.

Studies show that one out of six males in the world (This is not even taking into account developing or warring countries.) in their early teens have suffered from male rape, but incidents such as these often go unreported due to the stereotypes and biases most societies have against male rape. The victims tend to be younger than the victimizers and have a weaker body build, and once the younger males have been subdued, exploited, overcome, and forced, they then become scapegoats of low status (Kirkham).

Look at Tomo. He, being a typically bishounen anime male, is slender, not bulky. It would have been worse at a young age. And Kutou is very definitely a warring country. All the Seiryuu seishi suffered, not just Tomo.

Studies have also shown that the prime target if male rapists in cases of male rapes are usually between the age of pre-teen to seventeen and rapists can range from adult males or peer males (Lee) and if the target appears to be
attractive, appealing and/or submissive, there is an even greater likelihood for such an incident to reoccur (McMullen).

Tomo was young when he was abandoned, we know that much. I’d say he was even younger than pre-teen, to not remember his real name. Tomo is very definitely attractive. Worse, as defined by the term "bishounen," meaning "man with feminine qualities," Tomo would have looked somewhat girlish. And as a young boy in unfamiliar surroundings, I highly doubt he would have been an outgoing or defiant child.

According to recent studies, most male rapes take place in all-male settings such as the military or boarding school. Males that are targeted in male rape are often the younger, smaller, newer, and slender member of the community,
and/or people who seemed unlikely to report or be believed by others (McMullen). Some experts even claimed that homosexuality is almost universal in same sex institutions and that sexual violence may be even more prevalent as a result (King), as confines in such lives appear to make sexual assault more likely and less easy to avoid (King). Rape of males in these settings is generally open and accepted, if not condoned, by the subculture. It usually involves repeated patterns of sexual assault following the initial rape (Donaldson).

A friend of mine once watched a show on the History Channel, a program on the kabuki theater, which is what Tomo's makeup and outfit spring from. According to the show, the theater was almost completely male, much like the drama of ancient Greece. So Tomo was surrounded by men. He would have been younger, smaller, newer, AND slender. Even if he did tell someone, who would care? Who would move to stop it? I doubt anyone would, for fear of making themselves a target as well.

According to psychiatrist M. Yamaguchi, male sexuality is in many ways more aggressive and primitive than that of females. Contrary to popular beliefs, perpetrators of male rapes are almost always heterosexual men for the means of
domination and control. In an environment such as that of the mercenaries, it is typical that the younger and smaller members would suffer the fate of being abused and assaulted by elder members. Such activities eventually stop when
the victim becomes strong enough to protect himself, but often by then, almost relative permanent harm has already been done to the mental health of the victim.

I believe it. What other reason could one have for such an atrocity? Tomo wasn’t the only one to suffer that--look at Nakago. Presumably, the abuse would have stopped once Tomo’s powers manifested themselves. However, look at how he came out of his childhood. Do you think that people in perfect mental health wear outfits like that? At least Soi and Nakago escaped their experiences with normal appearances. This supports my belief that Tomo must have gone through some unimaginable things in his childhood.

Male rape victims tend to place themselves behind an emotionless mask in order to separate themselves from feelings of any kind. Such acts are perceived as protective actions to avoid further vulnerability (Dimock). Appearance of
calmness, occasional altruism, but hesitant distancing of oneself from another are some of the most common behavior patterns of many male rape victims (McMullen).

How much more Tomo can you get? The makeup is his mask, not just some character quirk like Tasuki’s drinking or Miaka’s gluttony. It is the most obvious symbol of his deep psychological scars. He doesn’t just wear it to be weird. It is a semi-conscious effort to protect himself.

The time in which one suffers form the syndrome can vary from a few years to an unlimited number of years. The most common consequences and after-effects of male rape on victims in their way of life are: feelings of detachment and
estrangement from others, mistrust of others, fear of intimacy, rapid responsivity to danger, precocious maturity, dissociation of affect, decisive risk-taking, cognitive restructuring of painful experiences, as well as altruism (Watkins).

From the top--Tomo reacts very little to provocation. Even when Tamahome threatens to kill him, he is unfazed. He is completely calm, rarely becoming disturbed by anything. This he has in common with Nakago, only it is carried to a much higher extreme.

Tomo trusts no one. Do you think anyone knows about his past? I highly doubt it. The only reason fans know is because we are told so.

I can’t say much about his response time, as he takes care to avoid putting his real self in dangerous situations, but I would imagine that he walks a hair trigger.

As for maturity--he is, I will grant, one of the older seishi. Consider, however, his age. Twenty-one. In our time, that would put him in college. A third or fourth year college student. He is extremely young to be facing the things he does. This is even more true for some of the other seishi, who would only be in high school here.

What emotional pain Tomo has--and, loving Nakago, there would be quite a bit of that--is shunted off to some remote corner of the brain so Tomo won’t have to deal with it. Does he ever show any signs of pain or remorse? No. However, as stated by Watase Yuu, there was a substantial amount of pain in his life.

The risk-taking--why should Tomo put his life in danger, as he does in accepting the role of Seiryuu shichiseishi? For Nakago, yes. But how much more of it is because he doesn’t really value his life? How could he possibly, after enduring what he did?

I’m positive Tomo has buried his memories of his past so deeply that the only time he has to deal with it is in his dreams. He never healed, so he must have forced himself to forget, in order to get on with his life. He never had anyone to tell him this was wrong. Chichiri acted much the same way in regards to his past--struggling to forget it, rather than learning to cope with it.

Altruism? I realize that doesn’t seem like Tomo, but consider this: For the one he loved, Tomo risked everything. Tomo was loyal to Nakago, not Yui. Never Yui. I believe he would have done anything for his beloved, anything, up to and including sacrificing his life.

In addition, just like most male rape victims, Trowa most often exhibits the "controlled style" reaction: calm, composed, and subdued (Ageton). Male rape victims display a calm appearance and act calmly even in the face of danger. Male rape victims in general may seem to lack feelings and do not express emotions; they’re often introverted. More often than not, if the victim senses even a slight possibility of rejection, not only does he not proceed to disclosure, but he may also cut off or reject another person. The male rape victims’ stoic way of dealing with things is yet another way to protect their vulnerabilities.

Calm, composed, subdued. That’s Tomo in a nutshell. He never loses control, and certainly does his best to convince us and his peers that he is without feeling. He never tells Nakago that he loves him--there is more than a "slight possibility" of rejection there, it is almost certain rejection. Also, it would be admitting to a weakness of emotion.

I mentioned the History Channel program on kabuki earlier. A few other points were made that I would like to cite. The theater was below the dregs of society. A man couldn't go any lower than that. It was the masculine equivalent in society to a brothel, the lowest possibility for a female to reach. More telling than that, however, is the fact that, after the performances, the theater doubled as, put simply, a whore house. The audience was free to (indeed, encouraged to) go behind stage and pick an actor, which they then had for the night. The program even made a point of stating that there were children involved in this practice, and that it was a horribly painful experience.

How many coincidences and parallels must be cited before people are willing to admit the extreme likelihood of the truth of Tomo's childhood? Do fans truly believe that everything about Tomo is sheer coincidence? Do they really think Watase Yuu is that careless in the portrayal of her characters?

Everything about Tomo is a mask--his outlook, his appearance, everything. He is determined not to show weakness. Usually, characters like these are fan favorites. Consider Vegeta, Hiei, Aya, Zelgadis, etc. Is it because Tomo looks odd that he is so disliked in the FY fanbase? Perhaps because he’s gay? Doesn’t bother Nuriko fans. That he never shows any mercy or pity? Nakago has plenty of fans, so it probably isn't that. I have my own theories at to what the reason is.

Fans are shallow. Altogether too many people who watch Fushigi Yuugi are in it, so to speak, for the guys. That is certainly a plus, but it is hardly the only reason to watch the show. Many people just don't bother to look any deeper than the surface of characters--thus Tomo, Suboshi, Ashitare, and Miboshi all suffer. How many more fans would Tomo have had if he'd walked around sans makeup for two of the five episodes he was in? How many fewer fans would Nakago claim if his past hadn't been revealed in episode fifty two?

Tomo is just like many of the other Seiryuu shichiseishi--misunderstood, his past shrouded with darkness and pain. Killed before his depth of character became apparent, and largely unmissed. Do you think any of the Suzaku seishi regretted his death? Perhaps their having been pushed to kill, but personally? Do you think any of them truly wished that Tomo did not have to die? No. No
one wished that. In the entire show, even amongst those who should rightfully have been closest to him, who should have been able to help him and heal him, he was unmourned. Even after death, what kind of happiness could he have found? Certainly not a reunion with loved ones. And he didn't have his beloved waiting for him, as did Nakago.

Tomo is a tragic character in the truest sense of the word. I consider him one of, if not the most tragic character in the show. He is never fully explained, has very little character development, and is made even more freaky in the anime. He has never had a solo manga picture painted of him by Yuu Watase, in clashing contrast to the spades of Miaka/Tamahome pictures. Would one picture
be so much to ask?

Even on the Seiryuu Counterattack CD, Miaka and Hotohori are given songs rather than Tomo. You can’t tell me that there’s nothing to write a Tomo song about, because that’s a flat out lie. Tomo loves Nakago, and love is the most overused song subject in the history of music. Tomo’s seiyuu has an absolutely gorgeous speaking voice, and, even if he can’t sing really well (which I doubt), how much better is Tamahome? Or Nuriko? Or Miaka? They have three songs each, and none of them have stellar singing voices. Nonetheless, I enjoy listening to their songs. Tomo is cheated in both the anime and the manga. There was no mini novel on his past, and if there is a subject more in need of exploration, I don’t know of it. Indeed, Tomo’s characterization in the Nakago mini-novel was horrendous. I loathed it.

Tomo’s character shows all the signs of abuse as a child, and I feel that he is underestimated on all counts. He needs more fans, and is certainly worthy of them. I hope this essay has shed some light on a drastically underappreciated character. I, at least will always love him, no matter what others say. I remain one of the few, the proud, the Tomo fans.

The following is a link to the site where the Trowa essay is posted:
http://www.trowa.net/analysis/analysis1.html
I give the author full credit for the citings in this essay. (S)He put alot of work and research into it. You should go read it if you like Trowa or Gundam Wing at all. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope this has inspired a bit more sympathy for Tomo. In closing, in his defense and to any who would say, "the same thing happened to Nakago and Soi," I would like to say this, "At least with Soi it was members of the opposite sex. At least with Nakago it was only one man."