SeiSu random thoughts...
When I was young there was a really popular anime, Hokuto no ken based on a manga (1983-88). I can't really say I was a fan because, although it had cool musics I hated the main character, though I've a weak side for some minor characters (Ryuza & Juuza) so, out of a nostalgic feeling I ended up checking the Hokuto no Ken wikia's pages about them.
While wantering there I ended up meeting the term Denshōsha. As I had no idea what it means I clicked the respective link and got this definition:
Denshōsha (伝承者), also referred to as keishōsha (継承者) "Heir", are interchangeable terms used to designate the successor of a martial arts school. Hokuto Shinken follows the code of Isshi Sōden (father to son) which means this title has greater importance, since there can only be one successor for each generation. This law also applies to Souther's Nanto Hōō Ken, whereby the new successor must kill his master to complete his training.
and since this wasn't enough to satisfy my curiosity:
Isshi Sōden (一子相伝) "Hereditary succession of 1 child" A Japanese term which decrees that a father's trade secrets can only be passed down to one son and heir. In Hokuto no Ken, this is the essence of the Hokuto Shinken tradition, as there can be only one successor for each generation. The successor will then inherit the hidden secrets of the style, whilst those who failed to become successor must renounce the art or suffer the consequences - which include having their memory wiped or their fists destroyed. The Nanto Hōō Ken school also follows this same tradition. However, in this case, the successor must also kill his master in order to complete his training.
In case you aren't familiar with Hokuto no Ken, the Hokuto Shinken and the Nanto Hōō Ken are two rival martial arts schools, Hokuto Shinken being the one of the main character and the Nanto Hōō Ken being the one of one of his adversaries.
Now... Sumeragi and Sakurazuka aren't exactly rival martial arts schools but... don't you notice a pattern?
The Sumeragis hands the title down following the family line, maybe not exactly in a father-son way as it goes in a grandmother-grandson way in Subaru's care but... you get the idea.
The Sakurazuka instead have also the heir kill his predecessor. As Hokuto no Ken had birth prior to Tokyo Babylon/X I wonder if CLAMP took the idea from it or it's some sort of trend in Japanese culture.
More interesting random stuffs. In the beginning the Hokuto Sōke, who later will create the Hokuto Shinken, found itself with two potential Denshōsha as two women who were the only remaining descendants of the original bloodline gave birth to a male child in the same day. Since having two candidates at the same time was seen as a bad omen they two children were abandoned on a mountain until one of the two would die and there would be only one successor.
The child that will becomes the heir and the founder of the Hokuto Shinken, before founding the Hokuto Shinken killed all the other disciples who learnt the techniques he learnt, including his lover.
Starting from him the Hokuto Shinken will have a 'one successor' rule, though they won't kill anymore whose who will not chosen to become Denshōsha (the sifu/master taught to more than one disciple whom he also adopted, making them their 'sons') that but would erase their memory.
It's not just the Hokuto Shinken that finds twins to be a bad omen. The same happens when the heirs to the emperor are 2 twin little girls and the solution here is to kill the younger.
This however isn't a new trend in anime/manga. We can see something similar in the Saint Seiya anime only episodes.
Doesn't this reminds you of Yui and Fai?
Though I wonder if CLAMP sort of considered it for Subaru and Hokuto... although they developed it differently...
Another possibility is that actually Hokuto's powers weren't so small but that her memory about Onmyoudo was mostly erased when Subaru was chosen as the head... which would explain why sometimes she seems to ignorant about Onmyoudo and yet she can perform a technique that Subaru won't recognize and that will be 'fatal' for Seishiro.
It also seems to confirm my suspicions that, if Seishiro were to fail in being the heir, he'll be killed.
Interesting enough when the Nanto Hōō Ken heir kills his predecessor, whom he loved dearly, the trauma makes him unable to love...
And yes, I know it's pointless to compare those two series, yet it's interesting...
In CLAMP News 9 there's an interview to CLAMP. Time ago I found a bit of it translated so here it is (though I've no idea who translated it... -_-).
Q: What about Subaru-kun & Hokuto-chan’s parents? Are they alive?
A: They are alive, but they aren’t particularly relevant to the story which is why they don’t make an appearance.
Yeah, CLAMP, bright plan. They were so unrelevant that their lack of appearance pushes the fandom to develop the following 3 theories:
- they're dead for unknown causes raging from disease to incident
- they were killed by the Sakurazukamori, be it Setsuka or Seishiro
- they disappeared for mysterious reasons that were supposedly relevant to the plot
Some, who had heard of the existence of such interview, wondered they might be the ones who're seen with grandmother Sumeragi in X worrying for Subaru but I can't really remember a fanfiction writer who had them comfortably waiting at home when, not only they don't get showed, but they never get mentioned through all the story.
It's never said there were phonecalls between them and their kids, Subaru doesn't ask about their wereabouts when he meets his grandmother in Kyoto and in Tokyo nor Hokuto asks him, when he comes back from Kyoto, if he'd seen them. And they aren't around when Subaru's comatose nor they get mentioned when talking about Subaru and Hokuto's childhood.
They, simply put, don't exist.
So, really CLAMP, what's the point of keeping them alive?
You aren't really talking about some random cousin, you're talking about the parents of a couple of 16 years old twins who're also going through hardship.
And if it's stupid that Subaru, who's marked by the Sakurazukamori, was sent to live in Tokyo alone with his sister, without an adult to protect him from friendly veterinarians, it's even worse his parents didn't volunteer to go with him.
Really, it would have spared Subaru a lot of troubles if someone had kept him from getting so close to Seishiro... but that's CLAMP for you.
In their world even CCS-Shaoran can live alone... though he at least lives in a rather safe universe!
While wantering there I ended up meeting the term Denshōsha. As I had no idea what it means I clicked the respective link and got this definition:
Denshōsha (伝承者), also referred to as keishōsha (継承者) "Heir", are interchangeable terms used to designate the successor of a martial arts school. Hokuto Shinken follows the code of Isshi Sōden (father to son) which means this title has greater importance, since there can only be one successor for each generation. This law also applies to Souther's Nanto Hōō Ken, whereby the new successor must kill his master to complete his training.
and since this wasn't enough to satisfy my curiosity:
Isshi Sōden (一子相伝) "Hereditary succession of 1 child" A Japanese term which decrees that a father's trade secrets can only be passed down to one son and heir. In Hokuto no Ken, this is the essence of the Hokuto Shinken tradition, as there can be only one successor for each generation. The successor will then inherit the hidden secrets of the style, whilst those who failed to become successor must renounce the art or suffer the consequences - which include having their memory wiped or their fists destroyed. The Nanto Hōō Ken school also follows this same tradition. However, in this case, the successor must also kill his master in order to complete his training.
In case you aren't familiar with Hokuto no Ken, the Hokuto Shinken and the Nanto Hōō Ken are two rival martial arts schools, Hokuto Shinken being the one of the main character and the Nanto Hōō Ken being the one of one of his adversaries.
Now... Sumeragi and Sakurazuka aren't exactly rival martial arts schools but... don't you notice a pattern?
The Sumeragis hands the title down following the family line, maybe not exactly in a father-son way as it goes in a grandmother-grandson way in Subaru's care but... you get the idea.
The Sakurazuka instead have also the heir kill his predecessor. As Hokuto no Ken had birth prior to Tokyo Babylon/X I wonder if CLAMP took the idea from it or it's some sort of trend in Japanese culture.
More interesting random stuffs. In the beginning the Hokuto Sōke, who later will create the Hokuto Shinken, found itself with two potential Denshōsha as two women who were the only remaining descendants of the original bloodline gave birth to a male child in the same day. Since having two candidates at the same time was seen as a bad omen they two children were abandoned on a mountain until one of the two would die and there would be only one successor.
The child that will becomes the heir and the founder of the Hokuto Shinken, before founding the Hokuto Shinken killed all the other disciples who learnt the techniques he learnt, including his lover.
Starting from him the Hokuto Shinken will have a 'one successor' rule, though they won't kill anymore whose who will not chosen to become Denshōsha (the sifu/master taught to more than one disciple whom he also adopted, making them their 'sons') that but would erase their memory.
It's not just the Hokuto Shinken that finds twins to be a bad omen. The same happens when the heirs to the emperor are 2 twin little girls and the solution here is to kill the younger.
This however isn't a new trend in anime/manga. We can see something similar in the Saint Seiya anime only episodes.
Doesn't this reminds you of Yui and Fai?
Though I wonder if CLAMP sort of considered it for Subaru and Hokuto... although they developed it differently...
Another possibility is that actually Hokuto's powers weren't so small but that her memory about Onmyoudo was mostly erased when Subaru was chosen as the head... which would explain why sometimes she seems to ignorant about Onmyoudo and yet she can perform a technique that Subaru won't recognize and that will be 'fatal' for Seishiro.
It also seems to confirm my suspicions that, if Seishiro were to fail in being the heir, he'll be killed.
Interesting enough when the Nanto Hōō Ken heir kills his predecessor, whom he loved dearly, the trauma makes him unable to love...
And yes, I know it's pointless to compare those two series, yet it's interesting...
In CLAMP News 9 there's an interview to CLAMP. Time ago I found a bit of it translated so here it is (though I've no idea who translated it... -_-).
Q: What about Subaru-kun & Hokuto-chan’s parents? Are they alive?
A: They are alive, but they aren’t particularly relevant to the story which is why they don’t make an appearance.
Yeah, CLAMP, bright plan. They were so unrelevant that their lack of appearance pushes the fandom to develop the following 3 theories:
- they're dead for unknown causes raging from disease to incident
- they were killed by the Sakurazukamori, be it Setsuka or Seishiro
- they disappeared for mysterious reasons that were supposedly relevant to the plot
Some, who had heard of the existence of such interview, wondered they might be the ones who're seen with grandmother Sumeragi in X worrying for Subaru but I can't really remember a fanfiction writer who had them comfortably waiting at home when, not only they don't get showed, but they never get mentioned through all the story.
It's never said there were phonecalls between them and their kids, Subaru doesn't ask about their wereabouts when he meets his grandmother in Kyoto and in Tokyo nor Hokuto asks him, when he comes back from Kyoto, if he'd seen them. And they aren't around when Subaru's comatose nor they get mentioned when talking about Subaru and Hokuto's childhood.
They, simply put, don't exist.
So, really CLAMP, what's the point of keeping them alive?
You aren't really talking about some random cousin, you're talking about the parents of a couple of 16 years old twins who're also going through hardship.
And if it's stupid that Subaru, who's marked by the Sakurazukamori, was sent to live in Tokyo alone with his sister, without an adult to protect him from friendly veterinarians, it's even worse his parents didn't volunteer to go with him.
Really, it would have spared Subaru a lot of troubles if someone had kept him from getting so close to Seishiro... but that's CLAMP for you.
In their world even CCS-Shaoran can live alone... though he at least lives in a rather safe universe!