Kaleidoscope - an explanation of the NejiHina fandom
Finally, this is done! The annex ended taking up more time than the essay...
I originally planned to write a whole new manifesto in order to explain the NejiHina fandom and why I like NejiHina, but I've since become a lot less active in the Naruto fandom, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for this briefer essay.
I. Why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
III. A different concept of family, one not limited to the couple
Annex 1 - Additional essays
Annex 2 - Communities
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Annex 4 - Fanfiction
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
Foreword: To those of you who aren't NejiHina fans, the purpose of this essay is not to convert. I am merely explaining what NejiHina fans may see in this pairing, and why I personally support it. I wrote this because of the people who wonder what the hell is going through our heads... so I'm merely explaining.
The rest is up to you to judge or to not judge. If you're not even curious about our stance, just press the back button.
Though please, whether you read it or not, just leave us fans alone. This is fandom. This is not serious business.
I. Why I don't view NejiHina as incest
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
III. A different concept of love, one not limited to the couple
Annex 1 - Additional essays
Annex 2 - Communities
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Annex 4 - Fanfiction
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
I. Why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest
I will start by explaining why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest, since it's the thing that comes up most often.
I.1. Cousin marriages, including first cousin marriages, aren't considered incest in every part of the world
I.2. Cousin marriages do not pose a strong genetic risk
I.3. Why I personally don't see NejiHina as a sibling relationship
I.4. Besides... it's a manga, who cares?
I've actually never even Thought of NejiHina as incest until, much to my surprise and bafflement back then, I saw people accusing it of such. I'm pretty sure that none of you will be satisfied with "I don't feel it as incest," so here is a more developed reasoning on why I don't view NejiHina as incest, nor view it as a problem.
1. Cousin marriages, including first cousin marriages, aren't considered incest in every part of the world
Close cousin marriages have actually been historically quite common: transportation was not exactly common in the old days, so people went the easy way: they inter-married. In some places such as the middle east, cousin marriages are actually still preferred. Some regions in the world actually have close to 50% first cousin marriage rates, imagine that!
European royals intermarried to keep their "bloodline pure" (and contrary to what people think, "hemophilia" is not a cousin marriage problem: hemophilia is carried by the X-chromosome. Long story short, a mother with the problem has a 50% chance of passing on the trait no matter whom she marries). Even the Bible does not list cousin marriages as among forbidden relationships.
I'd also like to refer people to Sintari's lovely piece on enculturation. Marriage has simply historically been a social or economic means above all: in places where marrying out (thus bringing in outside fortune and relations) was viewed as advantageous, people married out. In places where on the contrary they preferred to keep fortunes in the family, people married in. The concept of marrying freely for romance was actually not widespread.
Legally speaking, no European country actually has laws outright banning cousin marriages, either (even if they are not necessarily in favor of it). Half the states in the US actually allow cousin marriages as well (including first cousins). In Japan, it seems that first cousin marriages are now illegal, but it seems like a recent trend due to misguided genetics: 4 in 1000 marriages in Japan are between close cousins, and the Royal Family has historically married cousins as well.
2. Cousin marriages do not pose a strong genetic risk
This is the most common misconception about cousin marriages. YES, Repeated interbreeding increases the probability of recessive genetic traits showing up, but a one-time first cousin marriage actually only has a 6-7% chance of genetic problems compared to 3-4% for unrelated couples. The increase in risk is just about as high as if a woman were to have children after age 40 instead of before age 30.
In a past essay of mine, I've also pointed out that if you were to take genetics seriously, then the Hyuugas as a whole probably has a very high rate of inbreeding. Some could then argue that it further increases the risk for NejiHina, but in this case it actually does the contrary: if there were indeed many recessive disorders among the Hyugas, they would have shown up in mass long ago.
Yet they didn't: the Hyugas are considered among the strongest in Konoha. Neither Neji, Hinata nor their parents seem to have any disorders either. This means a NejiHina child would likely have as much a risk of genetic defects as any other visible Hyuga did (ie, not much). Inbreeding is actually a good way to weed Out genetic disorders if the ones carrying them die out at a young age: this doesn't happen in our modern society, but in the shinobi world, natural selection would probably have done the job, so the Hyugas are probably quite genetically clean.
Or you could argue that bad genes are floating around, but the Hyugas selectively "weed them out" (via Byakugan pre-diagnosis?). Well then, it'd apply to Neji and Hinata's kids, too. If you feel squeamish about that, remember that we're talking about a manga involving kid soldiers sent to kill each other.
In the meantime, those who are truly most at risk are those with a family history of dominant genetic problems: people with dominant genetic defects have a 50% risk of passing the trait on. Two unrelated people with the same recessive trait have a 25% of carrying on the defect. Smoking, drinking and taking drugs also pose risks to newborns. Do I hear people arguing that Kurenai's kid will probably have retarded growth, have attention-deficit disorder and have increased cancer risks because of Kurenai's likely exposure to massive second-hand smoke by hanging around Asuma, or that Chouji and Kiba's kids wlil have other problems because of questionable drug intake?
Long story short, scientists have rejected the genetic argument against cousin marriages long ago.
I also hear people going "ew, but cousins share 25% of their genes!" Actually, any two human beings share 99.9% of their genetic make-up. Siblings share 99.95%, so I guess Neji and Hinata share 99.925%? Pardon me if I'm not moved by the 0.025% extra.
3. Why I personally don't see NejiHina as a sibling relationship
The first thing people would point out is that Hinata refers to Neji as Neji-niisan. However, there are cultural factors to take into account here: in Asia, referring to someone as "brother" does Not necessarily mean you perceive a sibling relationship with them. Case in point: Konohamaru refers to Naruto as "Naruto-niichan." Udon and Moegi do the same in the anime (though they've had fewer contacts with Naruto in the manga). In the Tea country anime filler arc, Sasami blushed heavily at the sight of her cousin, whom she also referred to as nii-chan. In Asia, and in Japan specifically, "brother" can be a semi-generic familiar term much like how in the west, people can refer to an old person as "that old grandpa."
Also, as someone has pointed out, in Japan people rarely refer to someone as "cousin," instead automatically use "nii-san." This is despite the fact that cousin marriages may be viewed as okay. There are actually some instances of arranged cousin marriages (even if they didn't go through) in Japanese anime, even in light-hearted ones such as Card Captor Sakura and Digimon. I actually know someone who confessed that his grandmother is Japanese, and married her first cousin whom she used to call "nii-san:" the social implications just aren't the same as in the west.
The biggest reason I personally don't perceive a sibling relationship between Neji and Hinata, though, is that they were not socially Raised as siblings. People brought up in the same clan, as siblings, do indeed develop ties in a ways that prevent intimate romantic relationships later on. Let me say a few words on the Westermarck effect.
The Westermarck effect stipulates that children raised together at a young age will develop a sibling relationship that will lead to sexual aversion to each other later on in life. This is regardless of their actual blood affinity. However, the cited "critical" period is between infancy, and the ages 6 to 10.
Article
All of this implies that there is a critical period, sometime between infancy and the age of six or ten, during which time biological imprinting takes place which causes a later sexual aversion towards a person.
Article
The more time they had spent together during those crucial first thirty months, the more likely they were to reject the idea of marriage and more likely any subsequent marriage would fail.
Neji and Hinata haven't met until Hinata was 3 and Neji was 4. In one day, Neji developed an intense hatred of Hinata, and I doubt they've since interacted much, until Hinata was 12, and Neji 13.
The real barrier for me, though, is that Neji and Hinata were not brought up as siblings, but as members of separate Castes.
This social barrier (and further physical barriers created by Neji's initial hatred of Hinata) "prevents" in my view for a true sibling relationship to have developed between the two. Others may disagree, but this is how I view things. This separation goes on until Hinata is 12 and Neji is 13, well beyond the minimum 6 years described by Westermarck. Any Westermarck effect would "half-assed" in my opinion: they might still develop a sibling-type relationship from now on, but it wouldn't be Westermarck.
Also, when estranged siblings meet later on in life, the opposite phenomenon sometimes (some studies say "often", though I'm not too sure about that) happens: Genetic Sexual Attraction. Granted, documented cases were for people who were separated by adoption and only met when they were after 20 (not that it'd be easy to gather information for younger ages, since you don't exactly have many cases of estranged siblings finding each other when they're 14).
Article
When close proximity during this critical period does not occur - for example, where a brother and sister are brought up separately, never meeting one another - they may find one another highly sexually attractive when they meet as adults. This phenomenon is known as genetic sexual attraction.
It would be a rather half-assed case of Genetic Sexual Attraction, but it my mind is cancels out the half-assed W. effect just fine. You may disagree, but hey. Half-assed vs half-assed.
4. Besides... it's a manga, who cares?
If all fails... we're talking about fictional characters. So genetics, cultural considerations and whatnot can effectively be considered null in many instances.
If people wanted to be morally righteous, they'd be better off complaining about child labor and the glorification of violence in Naruto instead.
In the end, it's perfectly understandable if some people do view NejiHina as incest from their own cultural point of view, and thus dislike the pairing accordingly.
But they should realize that this view is not universal, just like some people don't like gay relationships, and some people do. As I've said, I had never thought of NejiHina as incest until I heard other people complain about it. The genetic argument is pretty much void even in real life, nevermind in a fictional universe. And as for the interpretation of manga relationships... again, it's subjective. Besides NaruSasu for example has outright been Stated as a "brother" relationship, but you don't see the yaoi fans labeling it incest, now do you?
To each their own, and this is my view. This, though, only describes why I don't have anything against NejiHina.
The next part is about why NejiHina fans like the pairing.
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
/Edit: O-kay, I have since noticed that not everybody is even up-to-date on the canon interactions between Neji and Hinata.
Apparently, some are still stuck on "Neji tried to kill Hinata!" (and Gaara tried to kill Naruto. So did Sasuke. So they'll all forever remain on bad terms?)
Also, my ears are ringing with people yelling that there is no "proof" of a romantic relationship. Of course there's no definite proof. Ever heard of crack pairing? You know... the ones that make up at good half of the Naruto fandom? (if only because of the conflicting possible main character pairings, and obviously, they're not all going to be canon. There is no proof of SasuNaru romance. Yet it's one of the most popular pairings out there!)
For those of you who need to brush up on the interactions between the two characters, pick your choice:
Watching the sun rise after the storm - my older NejiHina (cheesier) essay
The NejiHina manifesto - by Kaiyrah
Back to the essay...
end edit/
If you're only interested in why -I- like NejiHina, then you may skip this part and go to the next. But I'll have to note that mine is far from the only interpretation of NejiHina. Indeed, the variety of forms this pairing can take, thanks to the changing situations and relationships they've already gone through, is perhaps the main appeal of this pairing.
Back to this essay though, let me make things clear. NejiHina is, and will remain, a "fanon" pairing. Very few people ship NejiHina just for their canon interactions (but really, which fandom does?). Instead, they ship it for the fandom possibilities, because NejiHina spans a whole spectrum: it is described by a rainbow of "ifs" colored by the changes Neji and Hinata each went through.
What if Neji's father had been the first born?
What if Hizashi hadn't died?
What if Neji and Hinata weren't of the Hyuuga clan at all, but were able to live freely, in a happier world free of the stigma of clans?
Why did they have to be born in the one clan where the bloodline is as much a prize as a curse?
And out of the shackles of the Hyuuga policies, even more questions are raised.
What if Hinata doesn't succeed the clan?
What if Hinata -does- succeed the clan?
What if Neji takes over, and Hinata gets sent into the Branch house?
What if, in order to preserve the bloodline, Neji and Hinata were forced to marry?
What if, in the name of clan politics, Hinata were forced to marry someone else?
What if, in order to preserve the clan, Neji and Hinata chose to marry?
And in the case of any of the above, how will the two cope? Will they be brought closer together, or on the contrary, will they be torn further apart? Will they find a way to heal, or will they be broken? Are they doomed to be victims, or will they be victors? Will they even chose to stay and fight within this rotten clan, or on the contrary, will they spread their wings towards another life, outside of the clan?
Then we have Neji and Hinata themselves, with their always shifting relationships.
From childhood adoration, as Neji saw Hinata for the first time, thinking that he should protect the cute little girl. To intense hatred on one side, and helplessness on the other, as Neji learns to hate Hinata, and Hinata gets bent under the weight of her clan.
These raise more possibilities:
Will Neji revert to that sweet child who once vowed to protect Hinata?
Or on the contrary, does hate not die as easily (because, let's be honest now, Naruto's conversion sessions aren't very realistic)?
Will a newly changed Neji offer Hinata a new kind of support, a more serene, calmer one?
Or will he turn his intense hatred into a different kind of emotion?
And what about Hinata? Will she rise above her ashes?
Or on the contrary, will she once again fall into despair?
Out of all this, how does her relation with Neji evolve?
Will they view each other as kindred spirits, as mirrors, or as objects to be hated now that in some ways, the tables have turned?
And what of the clan in all this?
One thing they've never been to each other is indifferent: Neji was happy to see Hinata and first, then loathed her with a passion. Then, at the end of part I, as Neji recovered from his past wounds, Hinata became one of the few people he's ever truly smiled at and cared about. Hinata was at first helpless, but then she became the first to truly call on Neji's pain, thus setting off the events that would lead to his change of mind.
And even if they are meant to be together, would they be torn apart from the obstacles?
Will their relationship be one-sided?
Will they be able to overcome the social barriers of their clan?
Will they be able to overcome their own weaknesses?
All this is why NejiHina works range the whole spectrum as well. From fluff to angst. From family comedy to dark clan politics. From unfulfilled one-sidedness to unwanted forced marriage. From platonic observation, even repulsion, to outright smut. And all this is reflected in the fictions of this pairing (see Annex 4 - Fanfiction).
NejiHina fans take the pieces, broken or whole - of the clan, of the characters, of their relationship to each other - and piece them together. It's like a kaleidoscope: one flick of the wrist, and everything changes, even though the pieces were the same. The resulting works can be sometimes twisted, sometimes beautiful.
In the manga, we had reached a sort of serene conclusion, as Neji finds peace with himself, with his clan, and with Hinata. But the "ifs" remain, and NejiHina fans delight in exploring them, past, present and future. One thing different, one decision, and the entire outcome of their relationship would change.
The fanarts don't hurt either.
By now, maybe you can see one of the main appeals of NeijHina: the very variety that is possible because of the evolution of the two characters, and the very depth allowed by their common yet opposite backgrounds. This is why, if you were to ask different NejiHina fans what they like most about the pairing, you might come up with many different reasons. Or, they can give you the one that Sounds good, but actually ship it for the darker aspects. It doesn't matter. It's fandom.
Now what about me?
III. A different concept of love, one not limited to the couple
I do not think NejiHina to be "canon", nor do I think it will ever become "canon." I simply see no reasons for Kishimoto to develop this pairing romantically when he can simply leave it as a platonic family relationship, moreso since he doesn't seem intent on developing pairings much in this shounen manga (much less non-main-character ones). In fact, by now, I think Kishimoto might never bother to develop team 10 pairings (save ShikaTema), team 8 pairings or team Gai pairings, making a hell lot of pairings "crack," but hey, it's fandom, you're allowed to enjoy what you want.
Also, the following is only my view, and it isn't necessarily shared by everyone, not even all the NejiHina fans. The afore-mentioned sheer variety is, yes, among the reasons I enjoy the pairing. Now here's the reason I Support it, non-canon as it may be.
To understand my interpretation of NejiHina, you'd first have to go back on the definition of marriage and love.
Marriage, traditionally, was not about love. It was certainly not about two youngsters randomly meeting one day and getting hitched. Rather, it was about money, politics, or in some cases, about family. This meant the Whole family of the two about to be married, not just the two involved: in some cultures, you married as much for the in-laws as for the person facing you. You'd have to take care of said in-laws, bond with them, even as your contacts with your spouse might be limited emotionally.
And this is where, for me, NejiHina comes in. For me, NejiHina would be far from a romantic love, at least initially. But it symbolizes the union of the two broken branches. Neji and Hinata would marry not because they'd love each other, not for each other, but for the love of their family.
Simply said, I believe Neji and Hinata to be the best two to heal the broken Hyuuga clan. For me, they represent complimentary means to a common goal: the healing of the Hyuuga clan.
Neji would be the quiet strength and intelligence to support Hinata. Having transcended his past hatred, he can once again assume his role besides her as her protector, this time not out of duty, but out of choice. The birds and the clouds may end up at the same place, but Neji would have chosen this for himself.
And when people oppose Hinata, he'd silence them with his genius. If Hinata falters, I believe he can support her in his own quiet way, by reminding her of the strength she's shown him once, of how back then, like Naruto, her eyes were clearer than his. He was humble enough to remind Naruto of his strength, I believe he will be able to show the same support with Hinata. With his support, Hinata can find strength within herself and move on.
Hinata, on the other hand, is the vision that will bring the Hyuuga clan back into the sun. As I've said in my Hinata essay, I think Hinata is the best to heal the Hyuuga clan because while Neji by himself might force the Hyuuga clan back together, Hinata is the one I think would truly attempt to Heal it, to ease generations of resentment and hatred with the very touch of humanity that has been missing in the clan for so long.
Hiashi let his nephew suffer years of hatred, and whereas Neji had let himself consumed by hatred (until Naruto beat some sense into him). Hinata by contrast, despite her weakness was the one who truly had a sense of Initiative, a vision and a belief in the possibility of change. So I believe she'll be the one to truly Initialize reforms. Neji and Hiashi are physically strong, but they turned a blind eye where Hinata did not, and had to have someone else yell change at them when Hinata could hear it on her own. And Hinata might surprise opposition with her incredible persistance, unaffected by possible failures until one day, something changes.
And if she does come to doubt herself, Neji will be there as a silent reminder that she is right, and that people can change. If she lacks the necessary power to carry out her reforms, Neji would be there by her side.
Yes yes, Naruto has promised to change the Hyuugas as well. But I'm among those who believe that true change can only come from within. And for the sake of Neji and Hinata's developments, I think they're the ones who should initiate the change. Hiashi has started as well, but there's only so much he can do, not when he was helpless in sacrificing his own brother. Neji and Hinata are the new generations of Hyuugas that perhaps might make a difference.
Even if they don't succeed, perhaps, they'd lay the seeds (not That way) for a new generation to work with. It'll be hard, they will probably face opposition, but Neji and Hinata aren't complete idealists either: they're also shinobi willing to put even their lives on the line. They won't back down from reality, all the while fighting with the determination of those who have managed to change.
They may just be using each other, perhaps. They may not love each other at all, perhaps.
But their relationship would not be devoid of love, not at all. On the contrary, it'd be full of love, not of each other perhaps, but of their Clan: they'd find love in the slow healing of the Hyuuga clan. They'd find love in the eyes of new generations of Hyuuga, no longer separated by the houses, no longer bogged down by the curse seal. They'd find love in waking up each morning, knowing that their bitter past is behind them, and that nobody would have to suffer the same fate as them again. They wouldn't even need to have kids: the Hyuga clan as a whole would be their children, their love, their future. I find that to be a magnificent concept of love.
And as they face the challenges together, as they stay up late to browse through the scrolls and fall exhausted to bed each night after fighting against the council, maybe across this journey, they'd find love in each other, through the support they give each other, through the joy they receive in the reforms they've jointly accomplished. Just perhaps.
So NejiHina would not be love in the traditional sense, but it'd still be love and fulfillment, just not in the tradtional "guy meets girl and gets happily married" sense. It'd be full of challenges and possible hurt and setbacks, but the "couple" would be armed with the determination of those who have fought their own way into the sun. They would be the most dazzling example of joint leadership, and at the end of the road, even if they don't find love as a couple, they'd find love as a family.
Feel free to disagree. It is a rather unconventional interpretation of love, and that's precisely why I'm fascinated by it.
Thus concludes the essay. If you wish to find more NejiHina essays, proceed to Annex 1.
Annex 1 - Essays
Watching the sun rise after the storm - my older NejiHina essay
The NejiHina manifesto - by Kaiyrah
NejiHina defense essays
A few lessons on Enculturation - an anthropological view, by Sintari
A few facts - a few compilations by Shalei
Not all cultures consider cousin marriages as incest - addressed in more detail than in this essay
The increase in genetic risks is a lot lower than often assumed - self-explanatory
A more in-depth look on Hyuuga genetics - the specific case of the Hyuugas
Bloodline genetics - why either the Hyuugas are all inbred, or Kishimoto doesn't do genetics ^^
And for those of you who are not NejiHina fans (oy, this essay isn't dedicated solely to non-NejiHina fans), this is about it. From here I'll be listing fandom resources.
Annex 2 - Communities
Those of you who seek more of the NejiHina fandom can start with these communities.
The Hyuugacest fanclub - The Narutofan Hyuugacest fanclub.
8 Birds - The Livejournal Hyugacest community.
The Greener and Sillier Grass on Hyuuga Property - For those who want the light-heartedness of the Hyuuga family.
Hyuuga Jyuuken - A fanfiction.net Hyuugacest listing
The NejiHina Deviantart community - A small Deviantart community
The Youtube NejiHina fanclub - NejiHina AMVs
A NejiHina website
And for the rest of you, here are a few recommendations of my own.
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Deviantart fanarts
Here are some of my own recommendations. Below is a clickable gallery of deviantart works. The links will lead you directly back to the original fanwork page.
Deviantart doujins
Unfortunately, I do not have the endurance to link to every single individual page. :S Here are some links to the first page of some doujins. From there just navigate the gallery. :)
orangehope:
Autumn leaves, she smiles
The Bittersweet memories
New style NejiHina
Doujinshi
Tomato Box:
In your eyes
Neji and Hinata
KawaiiS:
Themes
Promise
Hiashi chronicles
Neji chronicles
Kamecchi
Kammechi, where in the world do you keep all your funny comics? T_T This here barely has any of those!
Japanese fanarts
Some artists have posted beautiful works on DA. On the Japanese side, NejiHina fanarts seems to be rather cyclical: we'd get truly magnificent sites, then the site will eventually close (aww), then after some time, a whole new site would open. Here are a few current recommendations:
If you don't know how to navigate them, you may always check out my fanart guide.
You can also go to Narusearch and search the entries under ネジヒナ .
Unfortunately, Japanese sites have a bigger tendency to close after a while than Deviantart accounts. As a result, some of the works may be lost. You can always try to look at the Hyuugacest Fanclub's NejiHina gallery for other artwork, though I recommend trying to find the artworks from source first. This gallery (which hasn't been updated in a while) also provides the link back to the original sites, so when possible, do visit them!
Annex 4 - Fanfiction recommendations
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
Booyah! Now to update my essay masterlist. ^_^
I originally planned to write a whole new manifesto in order to explain the NejiHina fandom and why I like NejiHina, but I've since become a lot less active in the Naruto fandom, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for this briefer essay.
I. Why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
III. A different concept of family, one not limited to the couple
Annex 1 - Additional essays
Annex 2 - Communities
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Annex 4 - Fanfiction
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
Foreword: To those of you who aren't NejiHina fans, the purpose of this essay is not to convert. I am merely explaining what NejiHina fans may see in this pairing, and why I personally support it. I wrote this because of the people who wonder what the hell is going through our heads... so I'm merely explaining.
The rest is up to you to judge or to not judge. If you're not even curious about our stance, just press the back button.
Though please, whether you read it or not, just leave us fans alone. This is fandom. This is not serious business.
I. Why I don't view NejiHina as incest
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
III. A different concept of love, one not limited to the couple
Annex 1 - Additional essays
Annex 2 - Communities
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Annex 4 - Fanfiction
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
I. Why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest
I will start by explaining why I personally don't view NejiHina as incest, since it's the thing that comes up most often.
I.1. Cousin marriages, including first cousin marriages, aren't considered incest in every part of the world
I.2. Cousin marriages do not pose a strong genetic risk
I.3. Why I personally don't see NejiHina as a sibling relationship
I.4. Besides... it's a manga, who cares?
I've actually never even Thought of NejiHina as incest until, much to my surprise and bafflement back then, I saw people accusing it of such. I'm pretty sure that none of you will be satisfied with "I don't feel it as incest," so here is a more developed reasoning on why I don't view NejiHina as incest, nor view it as a problem.
1. Cousin marriages, including first cousin marriages, aren't considered incest in every part of the world
Close cousin marriages have actually been historically quite common: transportation was not exactly common in the old days, so people went the easy way: they inter-married. In some places such as the middle east, cousin marriages are actually still preferred. Some regions in the world actually have close to 50% first cousin marriage rates, imagine that!
European royals intermarried to keep their "bloodline pure" (and contrary to what people think, "hemophilia" is not a cousin marriage problem: hemophilia is carried by the X-chromosome. Long story short, a mother with the problem has a 50% chance of passing on the trait no matter whom she marries). Even the Bible does not list cousin marriages as among forbidden relationships.
I'd also like to refer people to Sintari's lovely piece on enculturation. Marriage has simply historically been a social or economic means above all: in places where marrying out (thus bringing in outside fortune and relations) was viewed as advantageous, people married out. In places where on the contrary they preferred to keep fortunes in the family, people married in. The concept of marrying freely for romance was actually not widespread.
Legally speaking, no European country actually has laws outright banning cousin marriages, either (even if they are not necessarily in favor of it). Half the states in the US actually allow cousin marriages as well (including first cousins). In Japan, it seems that first cousin marriages are now illegal, but it seems like a recent trend due to misguided genetics: 4 in 1000 marriages in Japan are between close cousins, and the Royal Family has historically married cousins as well.
2. Cousin marriages do not pose a strong genetic risk
This is the most common misconception about cousin marriages. YES, Repeated interbreeding increases the probability of recessive genetic traits showing up, but a one-time first cousin marriage actually only has a 6-7% chance of genetic problems compared to 3-4% for unrelated couples. The increase in risk is just about as high as if a woman were to have children after age 40 instead of before age 30.
In a past essay of mine, I've also pointed out that if you were to take genetics seriously, then the Hyuugas as a whole probably has a very high rate of inbreeding. Some could then argue that it further increases the risk for NejiHina, but in this case it actually does the contrary: if there were indeed many recessive disorders among the Hyugas, they would have shown up in mass long ago.
Yet they didn't: the Hyugas are considered among the strongest in Konoha. Neither Neji, Hinata nor their parents seem to have any disorders either. This means a NejiHina child would likely have as much a risk of genetic defects as any other visible Hyuga did (ie, not much). Inbreeding is actually a good way to weed Out genetic disorders if the ones carrying them die out at a young age: this doesn't happen in our modern society, but in the shinobi world, natural selection would probably have done the job, so the Hyugas are probably quite genetically clean.
Or you could argue that bad genes are floating around, but the Hyugas selectively "weed them out" (via Byakugan pre-diagnosis?). Well then, it'd apply to Neji and Hinata's kids, too. If you feel squeamish about that, remember that we're talking about a manga involving kid soldiers sent to kill each other.
In the meantime, those who are truly most at risk are those with a family history of dominant genetic problems: people with dominant genetic defects have a 50% risk of passing the trait on. Two unrelated people with the same recessive trait have a 25% of carrying on the defect. Smoking, drinking and taking drugs also pose risks to newborns. Do I hear people arguing that Kurenai's kid will probably have retarded growth, have attention-deficit disorder and have increased cancer risks because of Kurenai's likely exposure to massive second-hand smoke by hanging around Asuma, or that Chouji and Kiba's kids wlil have other problems because of questionable drug intake?
Long story short, scientists have rejected the genetic argument against cousin marriages long ago.
I also hear people going "ew, but cousins share 25% of their genes!" Actually, any two human beings share 99.9% of their genetic make-up. Siblings share 99.95%, so I guess Neji and Hinata share 99.925%? Pardon me if I'm not moved by the 0.025% extra.
3. Why I personally don't see NejiHina as a sibling relationship
The first thing people would point out is that Hinata refers to Neji as Neji-niisan. However, there are cultural factors to take into account here: in Asia, referring to someone as "brother" does Not necessarily mean you perceive a sibling relationship with them. Case in point: Konohamaru refers to Naruto as "Naruto-niichan." Udon and Moegi do the same in the anime (though they've had fewer contacts with Naruto in the manga). In the Tea country anime filler arc, Sasami blushed heavily at the sight of her cousin, whom she also referred to as nii-chan. In Asia, and in Japan specifically, "brother" can be a semi-generic familiar term much like how in the west, people can refer to an old person as "that old grandpa."
Also, as someone has pointed out, in Japan people rarely refer to someone as "cousin," instead automatically use "nii-san." This is despite the fact that cousin marriages may be viewed as okay. There are actually some instances of arranged cousin marriages (even if they didn't go through) in Japanese anime, even in light-hearted ones such as Card Captor Sakura and Digimon. I actually know someone who confessed that his grandmother is Japanese, and married her first cousin whom she used to call "nii-san:" the social implications just aren't the same as in the west.
The biggest reason I personally don't perceive a sibling relationship between Neji and Hinata, though, is that they were not socially Raised as siblings. People brought up in the same clan, as siblings, do indeed develop ties in a ways that prevent intimate romantic relationships later on. Let me say a few words on the Westermarck effect.
The Westermarck effect stipulates that children raised together at a young age will develop a sibling relationship that will lead to sexual aversion to each other later on in life. This is regardless of their actual blood affinity. However, the cited "critical" period is between infancy, and the ages 6 to 10.
Article
All of this implies that there is a critical period, sometime between infancy and the age of six or ten, during which time biological imprinting takes place which causes a later sexual aversion towards a person.
Article
The more time they had spent together during those crucial first thirty months, the more likely they were to reject the idea of marriage and more likely any subsequent marriage would fail.
Neji and Hinata haven't met until Hinata was 3 and Neji was 4. In one day, Neji developed an intense hatred of Hinata, and I doubt they've since interacted much, until Hinata was 12, and Neji 13.
The real barrier for me, though, is that Neji and Hinata were not brought up as siblings, but as members of separate Castes.
This social barrier (and further physical barriers created by Neji's initial hatred of Hinata) "prevents" in my view for a true sibling relationship to have developed between the two. Others may disagree, but this is how I view things. This separation goes on until Hinata is 12 and Neji is 13, well beyond the minimum 6 years described by Westermarck. Any Westermarck effect would "half-assed" in my opinion: they might still develop a sibling-type relationship from now on, but it wouldn't be Westermarck.
Also, when estranged siblings meet later on in life, the opposite phenomenon sometimes (some studies say "often", though I'm not too sure about that) happens: Genetic Sexual Attraction. Granted, documented cases were for people who were separated by adoption and only met when they were after 20 (not that it'd be easy to gather information for younger ages, since you don't exactly have many cases of estranged siblings finding each other when they're 14).
Article
When close proximity during this critical period does not occur - for example, where a brother and sister are brought up separately, never meeting one another - they may find one another highly sexually attractive when they meet as adults. This phenomenon is known as genetic sexual attraction.
It would be a rather half-assed case of Genetic Sexual Attraction, but it my mind is cancels out the half-assed W. effect just fine. You may disagree, but hey. Half-assed vs half-assed.
4. Besides... it's a manga, who cares?
If all fails... we're talking about fictional characters. So genetics, cultural considerations and whatnot can effectively be considered null in many instances.
If people wanted to be morally righteous, they'd be better off complaining about child labor and the glorification of violence in Naruto instead.
In the end, it's perfectly understandable if some people do view NejiHina as incest from their own cultural point of view, and thus dislike the pairing accordingly.
But they should realize that this view is not universal, just like some people don't like gay relationships, and some people do. As I've said, I had never thought of NejiHina as incest until I heard other people complain about it. The genetic argument is pretty much void even in real life, nevermind in a fictional universe. And as for the interpretation of manga relationships... again, it's subjective. Besides NaruSasu for example has outright been Stated as a "brother" relationship, but you don't see the yaoi fans labeling it incest, now do you?
To each their own, and this is my view. This, though, only describes why I don't have anything against NejiHina.
The next part is about why NejiHina fans like the pairing.
II. The appeal of NejiHina: a multi-faceted pairing
/Edit: O-kay, I have since noticed that not everybody is even up-to-date on the canon interactions between Neji and Hinata.
Apparently, some are still stuck on "Neji tried to kill Hinata!" (and Gaara tried to kill Naruto. So did Sasuke. So they'll all forever remain on bad terms?)
Also, my ears are ringing with people yelling that there is no "proof" of a romantic relationship. Of course there's no definite proof. Ever heard of crack pairing? You know... the ones that make up at good half of the Naruto fandom? (if only because of the conflicting possible main character pairings, and obviously, they're not all going to be canon. There is no proof of SasuNaru romance. Yet it's one of the most popular pairings out there!)
For those of you who need to brush up on the interactions between the two characters, pick your choice:
Watching the sun rise after the storm - my older NejiHina (cheesier) essay
The NejiHina manifesto - by Kaiyrah
Back to the essay...
end edit/
If you're only interested in why -I- like NejiHina, then you may skip this part and go to the next. But I'll have to note that mine is far from the only interpretation of NejiHina. Indeed, the variety of forms this pairing can take, thanks to the changing situations and relationships they've already gone through, is perhaps the main appeal of this pairing.
Back to this essay though, let me make things clear. NejiHina is, and will remain, a "fanon" pairing. Very few people ship NejiHina just for their canon interactions (but really, which fandom does?). Instead, they ship it for the fandom possibilities, because NejiHina spans a whole spectrum: it is described by a rainbow of "ifs" colored by the changes Neji and Hinata each went through.
What if Neji's father had been the first born?
What if Hizashi hadn't died?
What if Neji and Hinata weren't of the Hyuuga clan at all, but were able to live freely, in a happier world free of the stigma of clans?
Why did they have to be born in the one clan where the bloodline is as much a prize as a curse?
And out of the shackles of the Hyuuga policies, even more questions are raised.
What if Hinata doesn't succeed the clan?
What if Hinata -does- succeed the clan?
What if Neji takes over, and Hinata gets sent into the Branch house?
What if, in order to preserve the bloodline, Neji and Hinata were forced to marry?
What if, in the name of clan politics, Hinata were forced to marry someone else?
What if, in order to preserve the clan, Neji and Hinata chose to marry?
And in the case of any of the above, how will the two cope? Will they be brought closer together, or on the contrary, will they be torn further apart? Will they find a way to heal, or will they be broken? Are they doomed to be victims, or will they be victors? Will they even chose to stay and fight within this rotten clan, or on the contrary, will they spread their wings towards another life, outside of the clan?
Then we have Neji and Hinata themselves, with their always shifting relationships.
From childhood adoration, as Neji saw Hinata for the first time, thinking that he should protect the cute little girl. To intense hatred on one side, and helplessness on the other, as Neji learns to hate Hinata, and Hinata gets bent under the weight of her clan.
These raise more possibilities:
Will Neji revert to that sweet child who once vowed to protect Hinata?
Or on the contrary, does hate not die as easily (because, let's be honest now, Naruto's conversion sessions aren't very realistic)?
Will a newly changed Neji offer Hinata a new kind of support, a more serene, calmer one?
Or will he turn his intense hatred into a different kind of emotion?
And what about Hinata? Will she rise above her ashes?
Or on the contrary, will she once again fall into despair?
Out of all this, how does her relation with Neji evolve?
Will they view each other as kindred spirits, as mirrors, or as objects to be hated now that in some ways, the tables have turned?
And what of the clan in all this?
One thing they've never been to each other is indifferent: Neji was happy to see Hinata and first, then loathed her with a passion. Then, at the end of part I, as Neji recovered from his past wounds, Hinata became one of the few people he's ever truly smiled at and cared about. Hinata was at first helpless, but then she became the first to truly call on Neji's pain, thus setting off the events that would lead to his change of mind.
And even if they are meant to be together, would they be torn apart from the obstacles?
Will their relationship be one-sided?
Will they be able to overcome the social barriers of their clan?
Will they be able to overcome their own weaknesses?
All this is why NejiHina works range the whole spectrum as well. From fluff to angst. From family comedy to dark clan politics. From unfulfilled one-sidedness to unwanted forced marriage. From platonic observation, even repulsion, to outright smut. And all this is reflected in the fictions of this pairing (see Annex 4 - Fanfiction).
NejiHina fans take the pieces, broken or whole - of the clan, of the characters, of their relationship to each other - and piece them together. It's like a kaleidoscope: one flick of the wrist, and everything changes, even though the pieces were the same. The resulting works can be sometimes twisted, sometimes beautiful.
In the manga, we had reached a sort of serene conclusion, as Neji finds peace with himself, with his clan, and with Hinata. But the "ifs" remain, and NejiHina fans delight in exploring them, past, present and future. One thing different, one decision, and the entire outcome of their relationship would change.
The fanarts don't hurt either.
By now, maybe you can see one of the main appeals of NeijHina: the very variety that is possible because of the evolution of the two characters, and the very depth allowed by their common yet opposite backgrounds. This is why, if you were to ask different NejiHina fans what they like most about the pairing, you might come up with many different reasons. Or, they can give you the one that Sounds good, but actually ship it for the darker aspects. It doesn't matter. It's fandom.
Now what about me?
III. A different concept of love, one not limited to the couple
I do not think NejiHina to be "canon", nor do I think it will ever become "canon." I simply see no reasons for Kishimoto to develop this pairing romantically when he can simply leave it as a platonic family relationship, moreso since he doesn't seem intent on developing pairings much in this shounen manga (much less non-main-character ones). In fact, by now, I think Kishimoto might never bother to develop team 10 pairings (save ShikaTema), team 8 pairings or team Gai pairings, making a hell lot of pairings "crack," but hey, it's fandom, you're allowed to enjoy what you want.
Also, the following is only my view, and it isn't necessarily shared by everyone, not even all the NejiHina fans. The afore-mentioned sheer variety is, yes, among the reasons I enjoy the pairing. Now here's the reason I Support it, non-canon as it may be.
To understand my interpretation of NejiHina, you'd first have to go back on the definition of marriage and love.
Marriage, traditionally, was not about love. It was certainly not about two youngsters randomly meeting one day and getting hitched. Rather, it was about money, politics, or in some cases, about family. This meant the Whole family of the two about to be married, not just the two involved: in some cultures, you married as much for the in-laws as for the person facing you. You'd have to take care of said in-laws, bond with them, even as your contacts with your spouse might be limited emotionally.
And this is where, for me, NejiHina comes in. For me, NejiHina would be far from a romantic love, at least initially. But it symbolizes the union of the two broken branches. Neji and Hinata would marry not because they'd love each other, not for each other, but for the love of their family.
Simply said, I believe Neji and Hinata to be the best two to heal the broken Hyuuga clan. For me, they represent complimentary means to a common goal: the healing of the Hyuuga clan.
Neji would be the quiet strength and intelligence to support Hinata. Having transcended his past hatred, he can once again assume his role besides her as her protector, this time not out of duty, but out of choice. The birds and the clouds may end up at the same place, but Neji would have chosen this for himself.
And when people oppose Hinata, he'd silence them with his genius. If Hinata falters, I believe he can support her in his own quiet way, by reminding her of the strength she's shown him once, of how back then, like Naruto, her eyes were clearer than his. He was humble enough to remind Naruto of his strength, I believe he will be able to show the same support with Hinata. With his support, Hinata can find strength within herself and move on.
Hinata, on the other hand, is the vision that will bring the Hyuuga clan back into the sun. As I've said in my Hinata essay, I think Hinata is the best to heal the Hyuuga clan because while Neji by himself might force the Hyuuga clan back together, Hinata is the one I think would truly attempt to Heal it, to ease generations of resentment and hatred with the very touch of humanity that has been missing in the clan for so long.
Hiashi let his nephew suffer years of hatred, and whereas Neji had let himself consumed by hatred (until Naruto beat some sense into him). Hinata by contrast, despite her weakness was the one who truly had a sense of Initiative, a vision and a belief in the possibility of change. So I believe she'll be the one to truly Initialize reforms. Neji and Hiashi are physically strong, but they turned a blind eye where Hinata did not, and had to have someone else yell change at them when Hinata could hear it on her own. And Hinata might surprise opposition with her incredible persistance, unaffected by possible failures until one day, something changes.
And if she does come to doubt herself, Neji will be there as a silent reminder that she is right, and that people can change. If she lacks the necessary power to carry out her reforms, Neji would be there by her side.
Yes yes, Naruto has promised to change the Hyuugas as well. But I'm among those who believe that true change can only come from within. And for the sake of Neji and Hinata's developments, I think they're the ones who should initiate the change. Hiashi has started as well, but there's only so much he can do, not when he was helpless in sacrificing his own brother. Neji and Hinata are the new generations of Hyuugas that perhaps might make a difference.
Even if they don't succeed, perhaps, they'd lay the seeds (not That way) for a new generation to work with. It'll be hard, they will probably face opposition, but Neji and Hinata aren't complete idealists either: they're also shinobi willing to put even their lives on the line. They won't back down from reality, all the while fighting with the determination of those who have managed to change.
They may just be using each other, perhaps. They may not love each other at all, perhaps.
But their relationship would not be devoid of love, not at all. On the contrary, it'd be full of love, not of each other perhaps, but of their Clan: they'd find love in the slow healing of the Hyuuga clan. They'd find love in the eyes of new generations of Hyuuga, no longer separated by the houses, no longer bogged down by the curse seal. They'd find love in waking up each morning, knowing that their bitter past is behind them, and that nobody would have to suffer the same fate as them again. They wouldn't even need to have kids: the Hyuga clan as a whole would be their children, their love, their future. I find that to be a magnificent concept of love.
And as they face the challenges together, as they stay up late to browse through the scrolls and fall exhausted to bed each night after fighting against the council, maybe across this journey, they'd find love in each other, through the support they give each other, through the joy they receive in the reforms they've jointly accomplished. Just perhaps.
So NejiHina would not be love in the traditional sense, but it'd still be love and fulfillment, just not in the tradtional "guy meets girl and gets happily married" sense. It'd be full of challenges and possible hurt and setbacks, but the "couple" would be armed with the determination of those who have fought their own way into the sun. They would be the most dazzling example of joint leadership, and at the end of the road, even if they don't find love as a couple, they'd find love as a family.
Feel free to disagree. It is a rather unconventional interpretation of love, and that's precisely why I'm fascinated by it.
Thus concludes the essay. If you wish to find more NejiHina essays, proceed to Annex 1.
Annex 1 - Essays
Watching the sun rise after the storm - my older NejiHina essay
The NejiHina manifesto - by Kaiyrah
NejiHina defense essays
A few lessons on Enculturation - an anthropological view, by Sintari
A few facts - a few compilations by Shalei
Not all cultures consider cousin marriages as incest - addressed in more detail than in this essay
The increase in genetic risks is a lot lower than often assumed - self-explanatory
A more in-depth look on Hyuuga genetics - the specific case of the Hyuugas
Bloodline genetics - why either the Hyuugas are all inbred, or Kishimoto doesn't do genetics ^^
And for those of you who are not NejiHina fans (oy, this essay isn't dedicated solely to non-NejiHina fans), this is about it. From here I'll be listing fandom resources.
Annex 2 - Communities
Those of you who seek more of the NejiHina fandom can start with these communities.
The Hyuugacest fanclub - The Narutofan Hyuugacest fanclub.
8 Birds - The Livejournal Hyugacest community.
The Greener and Sillier Grass on Hyuuga Property - For those who want the light-heartedness of the Hyuuga family.
Hyuuga Jyuuken - A fanfiction.net Hyuugacest listing
The NejiHina Deviantart community - A small Deviantart community
The Youtube NejiHina fanclub - NejiHina AMVs
A NejiHina website
And for the rest of you, here are a few recommendations of my own.
Annex 3 - Fanarts
Deviantart fanarts
Here are some of my own recommendations. Below is a clickable gallery of deviantart works. The links will lead you directly back to the original fanwork page.
Deviantart doujins
Unfortunately, I do not have the endurance to link to every single individual page. :S Here are some links to the first page of some doujins. From there just navigate the gallery. :)
orangehope:
Autumn leaves, she smiles
The Bittersweet memories
New style NejiHina
Doujinshi
Tomato Box:
In your eyes
Neji and Hinata
KawaiiS:
Themes
Promise
Hiashi chronicles
Neji chronicles
Kamecchi
Kammechi, where in the world do you keep all your funny comics? T_T This here barely has any of those!
Japanese fanarts
Some artists have posted beautiful works on DA. On the Japanese side, NejiHina fanarts seems to be rather cyclical: we'd get truly magnificent sites, then the site will eventually close (aww), then after some time, a whole new site would open. Here are a few current recommendations:
If you don't know how to navigate them, you may always check out my fanart guide.
You can also go to Narusearch and search the entries under ネジヒナ .
Unfortunately, Japanese sites have a bigger tendency to close after a while than Deviantart accounts. As a result, some of the works may be lost. You can always try to look at the Hyuugacest Fanclub's NejiHina gallery for other artwork, though I recommend trying to find the artworks from source first. This gallery (which hasn't been updated in a while) also provides the link back to the original sites, so when possible, do visit them!
Annex 4 - Fanfiction recommendations
Annex 5 - A personal guide to writing NejiHina
Booyah! Now to update my essay masterlist. ^_^