(no subject)
YES YES YOU'RE ALL SICK OF ME NOW
GAT GAT GAT
I am so proud of the title of this section you don't even know
BEFORE I BEGIN: the spoiler-filled story behind Gat and Hazel and how they wound up having marvelous adventures (thanks, Ukoku, NOW EAT A BAG OF DICKS D<):
Gat's original name was Gaty Nene Hawk. He was the star gunsman of the Tokacha tribe, which lived peacefully among youkai. Once upon a time, Hazel was out monster-huntin', and Gat didn't think this was very cool. In the process of protecting the youkai, Hazel accidentally shanked Gat. Hazel's guilt over the incident led him to assum responsibility for Gat's life by way of atonement ("your life belongs to me").
Ukoku describes Gat as Hazel's only human victim, which...I think inadvertently contradicts volume five in which Hazel is a-okay with allowing three human women to be killed since there are three youkai around for the soul transfer. I guess the use of the word "victim" could mean Hazel would never go after a human with the intent to kill? Or maybe he was just desensitized over the years--it's equally likely he could've gotten cockier about his ability to walk in and out of a situation with the same number of human lives intact at the beginning and end, regardless of how many people are actually killed in the process.
Anyway, Hazel and Gat have been together for a couple of years. Gat's primary role in their relationship is "meat shield," but it's certainly not the only purpose for which Hazel keeps him around. Gat's continued existence is Hazel's atonement for his sin of having killed a single human--he considers himself responsible for Gat's life and . . . continues to revive him, though Gat doesn't necessarily care if he lives or dies ("I've already lost this life once"). The two of them together have this...weird, unfair compromise--a bargain with an obvious immoral slant, but one with which neither of them have a huge problem. Hazel's guilt is alleviated because he considers Gat his responsibility, and he also gets companionship and a sweet meat shield out of the deal; Gat . . . doesn't seem to benefit directly from this relationship at all.
So it's not entirely unreasonable that Sanzo assumes Hazel has enslaved him. Granted, Hazel doesn't consider him a slave despite throwing around orders and being all your job isn't to question me; all the same, I don't think you can really question the fact that Hazel treats him like a bitch. When Sanzo starts getting all third degree at Gat re: the nature of his connection to Hazel, Gat seems pretty uninterested in offering explanations, and readers thus continue to believe that his name is indeed bitch.
The very last chapter of Reload volume eight opens with an interior monologue by Gat (nabbed from the saiyuki_manga translation): Long ago, when I was a child, the clan elder said--
"Fate is not something that is decided; nor is it something you choose. By the time you realize, it is already there."
...I feel as though I understand the meaning of those words now.
That this is my fate.
--and then there's the explanation Gat offers to Goku while pointing a gun at his head: I have no self. Everything I have is with Hazel. Or something.
Gat is probably the most zen guy in the universe. He thinks his fate is with Hazel, and that's all there is to it. What looks like enslavement to others is just him doing what he is supposed to, as decreed not just by Hazel but by the cosmos. I don't think he has self-esteem or self-worth issues, I think he defines himself by his role in Hazel's life. I. Couldn't really tell you if he's happy or sad. He just IS.
Hazel and Gat have an awesome show on the road that mostly entails killing bitches and righting wrongs, but that's not necessarily all there is to it--it's distinctly implied they kinda care about each other past the master/servant relationship. It's weird and they suck at it, but there it is. First of all, there's that brief and incredibly nerdy exchange they have at the end of volume five.
HAZEL: Gat.
HAZEL: You wanted to go with 'em, I reckon.
GAT: ...
GAT: Am I bothering you?
HAZEL: I didn't say that.
GAT: Then why are you angry?
HAZEL: I'm not angry!
HAZEL: ...
HAZEL: Stupid.
GAT: ? I'm sorry.
Hazel is kind of sulky asking in the first place, which makes this entire exchange kind of hilarious. I think it can be extrapolated that he values Gat's companionship past his value as a bodyguard...and also that if Gat actually explicitly expressed a desire to leave, Hazel would let him. I don't think Hazel would outright tell him he can leave because Hazel doesn't necessarily want him to leave, but I don't think the offer has ever been completely closed off even at the height of his bitchy ownership complex. After all, he was originally there to assuage Hazel's guilt--he's there because Hazel took him on as a responsibility, and I think that if he just up and said I'M SO QUITTING THIS PARTY Hazel is a bright enough crayon to know he doesn't have the right to deny him.
And then--the incident mentioned above in the LOL GENOCIDE section, wherein the human townspeople attempt to corner Hazel into becoming their trump card in a war of humans against youkai. For a moment, Hazel almost agrees because he feels responsible for battle's initiation--and then in a rare free will sort of moment, Gat stops him and says, "If you can't consent to this, then don't do it." Which is nice proof positive that Gat looks out for Hazel outside of the orders shelled out to him, that Gat feels the compulsion of his own accord--and the fact that he breaks Hazel's pendant is, uh, kind of a big deal, theoretically indicating that he values Hazel's free will over his own ability to regenerate.
Later, when Sanzo, Hazel, and Gat are facing off against a horde of youkai, Hazel expresses alarm over Gat getting hurt for the first time. And, well.
GAT: ...
GAT: Are you okay?
HAZEL: Stupid idiot! If you're gonna die, then kill somebody first!
GAT: ...I'm sorry.
HAZEL: --it's certainly become a hassle. Watch out for yourself.
HAZEL: If you're not around...
HAZEL: ...then it'll be even more of a hassle.
TSUN TSUN Note recurring theme of abandonment complex.
And later, Gat asks Sanzo to take care of Hazel on account of the fact that since the pendant was destroyed, Gat can't protect him forever--further emphasizing on how he defines himself by how Hazel uses him, and also possibly alluding to Hazel not functioning very well on his own. And, you know, he might also be asking Sanzo to oversee Hazel's ethical/spiritual development since he could perceive Hazel's growth over the course of the arc as...not necessarily a bad thing! HA HA SPECULATION. Anyway Sanzo replies as such: "That gun. It's got some monstrous power . . . You're the only one who can use it." Which fails at being a subtle metaphor, Gat knows it, and--this is a pretty foreboding implication actually, that Gat is the only one can protect Hazel. It's kind of sweet, but it probably also opens up the possibility of both of them dying horribly somehow.
--god, this whole essay might as well have been a manifesto. IN SHORT: Gat technically isn't Hazel's slave, just his undead zombie wife bitch; Hazel's motivation for keeping him around is sort of selfish by nature; Gat is Hazel-centric (OBVIOUS STATEMENT IS OBVIOUS); together, they fight crime!
HAZEL'S POWERS; PENDANT PARTY TRICKS
AND FINALLY: Hazel's powers.
Hazel has been studying magic since he was a kid. Officially he considers himself an exorcist. Sanzo describes Hazel's abilities as "the ability to manipulate souls".
He has this pendant, as seen in the icon! It is a hexagram in a circle. The internet tells me occult symbols tend to have circles around them, which coincides with Gyoukumen Koushu and Nii's affirmation that he's using the power of some kind of heathen religion. Notably, though, Hazel is a Christian--at least he is a bishop of some Christian denomination. Further Google searches on hexagrams in circles lead to depictions of the hexagram of Solomon, which bears a close resemblance to Hazel's pendant, and which is said to make spirits obedient to the wearer by various internet pagan stores. Accuracy of this information is totally questionable, but. Google :|b Anyway, the pendant is Hazel's medium for resurrection--each slot can store a soul that he can use to revive a dead person. Again, when in possession of the pendant Hazel states he will only use youkai souls to revive humans.
Hazel also knows magic he can do without the pendant. So far, we have seen this magic throw shit around. I'm not really sure of the extent of his ability, but it complements his fighting style pretty well (read: run and hit). He uses his magic via chanting--notably the creators of the Gunlock anime were all LOL WE TRIED TO MAKE IT SOUND ELVISH and Minekura was like, actually, it's supposed to be more like Latin. ONCE AGAIN GUNLOCK FAILS For the most part, in the manga his recitations are depicted as scribbles and not necessarily words--with the exception of this page where you can pretty clearly make out something like "owe ones . . . The Father and I". FTR I spent about half an hour staring at that chapter trying to make sense of everything else, to very little success. :|b
As of recently, Hazel's pendant has been destroyed! And he doesn't seem too broken up about it at all. This is unexpected and DAMN WEIRD; all he does is make :| faces when reminded that now Gat can't just get hurt anytime he wants, and that's. The extent of his concern right there. I was kind of surprised since . . . it was his thing. That one I'll have to think about more.
OKAY OKAY I AM DONE QUESTIONS/CONCERNS PLEASE TO DIRECT THEM MY WAY :|;;
GAT GAT GAT
I am so proud of the title of this section you don't even know
BEFORE I BEGIN: the spoiler-filled story behind Gat and Hazel and how they wound up having marvelous adventures (thanks, Ukoku, NOW EAT A BAG OF DICKS D<):
Gat's original name was Gaty Nene Hawk. He was the star gunsman of the Tokacha tribe, which lived peacefully among youkai. Once upon a time, Hazel was out monster-huntin', and Gat didn't think this was very cool. In the process of protecting the youkai, Hazel accidentally shanked Gat. Hazel's guilt over the incident led him to assum responsibility for Gat's life by way of atonement ("your life belongs to me").
Ukoku describes Gat as Hazel's only human victim, which...I think inadvertently contradicts volume five in which Hazel is a-okay with allowing three human women to be killed since there are three youkai around for the soul transfer. I guess the use of the word "victim" could mean Hazel would never go after a human with the intent to kill? Or maybe he was just desensitized over the years--it's equally likely he could've gotten cockier about his ability to walk in and out of a situation with the same number of human lives intact at the beginning and end, regardless of how many people are actually killed in the process.
Anyway, Hazel and Gat have been together for a couple of years. Gat's primary role in their relationship is "meat shield," but it's certainly not the only purpose for which Hazel keeps him around. Gat's continued existence is Hazel's atonement for his sin of having killed a single human--he considers himself responsible for Gat's life and . . . continues to revive him, though Gat doesn't necessarily care if he lives or dies ("I've already lost this life once"). The two of them together have this...weird, unfair compromise--a bargain with an obvious immoral slant, but one with which neither of them have a huge problem. Hazel's guilt is alleviated because he considers Gat his responsibility, and he also gets companionship and a sweet meat shield out of the deal; Gat . . . doesn't seem to benefit directly from this relationship at all.
So it's not entirely unreasonable that Sanzo assumes Hazel has enslaved him. Granted, Hazel doesn't consider him a slave despite throwing around orders and being all your job isn't to question me; all the same, I don't think you can really question the fact that Hazel treats him like a bitch. When Sanzo starts getting all third degree at Gat re: the nature of his connection to Hazel, Gat seems pretty uninterested in offering explanations, and readers thus continue to believe that his name is indeed bitch.
The very last chapter of Reload volume eight opens with an interior monologue by Gat (nabbed from the saiyuki_manga translation): Long ago, when I was a child, the clan elder said--
"Fate is not something that is decided; nor is it something you choose. By the time you realize, it is already there."
...I feel as though I understand the meaning of those words now.
That this is my fate.
--and then there's the explanation Gat offers to Goku while pointing a gun at his head: I have no self. Everything I have is with Hazel. Or something.
Gat is probably the most zen guy in the universe. He thinks his fate is with Hazel, and that's all there is to it. What looks like enslavement to others is just him doing what he is supposed to, as decreed not just by Hazel but by the cosmos. I don't think he has self-esteem or self-worth issues, I think he defines himself by his role in Hazel's life. I. Couldn't really tell you if he's happy or sad. He just IS.
Hazel and Gat have an awesome show on the road that mostly entails killing bitches and righting wrongs, but that's not necessarily all there is to it--it's distinctly implied they kinda care about each other past the master/servant relationship. It's weird and they suck at it, but there it is. First of all, there's that brief and incredibly nerdy exchange they have at the end of volume five.
HAZEL: Gat.
HAZEL: You wanted to go with 'em, I reckon.
GAT: ...
GAT: Am I bothering you?
HAZEL: I didn't say that.
GAT: Then why are you angry?
HAZEL: I'm not angry!
HAZEL: ...
HAZEL: Stupid.
GAT: ? I'm sorry.
Hazel is kind of sulky asking in the first place, which makes this entire exchange kind of hilarious. I think it can be extrapolated that he values Gat's companionship past his value as a bodyguard...and also that if Gat actually explicitly expressed a desire to leave, Hazel would let him. I don't think Hazel would outright tell him he can leave because Hazel doesn't necessarily want him to leave, but I don't think the offer has ever been completely closed off even at the height of his bitchy ownership complex. After all, he was originally there to assuage Hazel's guilt--he's there because Hazel took him on as a responsibility, and I think that if he just up and said I'M SO QUITTING THIS PARTY Hazel is a bright enough crayon to know he doesn't have the right to deny him.
And then--the incident mentioned above in the LOL GENOCIDE section, wherein the human townspeople attempt to corner Hazel into becoming their trump card in a war of humans against youkai. For a moment, Hazel almost agrees because he feels responsible for battle's initiation--and then in a rare free will sort of moment, Gat stops him and says, "If you can't consent to this, then don't do it." Which is nice proof positive that Gat looks out for Hazel outside of the orders shelled out to him, that Gat feels the compulsion of his own accord--and the fact that he breaks Hazel's pendant is, uh, kind of a big deal, theoretically indicating that he values Hazel's free will over his own ability to regenerate.
Later, when Sanzo, Hazel, and Gat are facing off against a horde of youkai, Hazel expresses alarm over Gat getting hurt for the first time. And, well.
GAT: ...
GAT: Are you okay?
HAZEL: Stupid idiot! If you're gonna die, then kill somebody first!
GAT: ...I'm sorry.
HAZEL: --it's certainly become a hassle. Watch out for yourself.
HAZEL: If you're not around...
HAZEL: ...then it'll be even more of a hassle.
TSUN TSUN Note recurring theme of abandonment complex.
And later, Gat asks Sanzo to take care of Hazel on account of the fact that since the pendant was destroyed, Gat can't protect him forever--further emphasizing on how he defines himself by how Hazel uses him, and also possibly alluding to Hazel not functioning very well on his own. And, you know, he might also be asking Sanzo to oversee Hazel's ethical/spiritual development since he could perceive Hazel's growth over the course of the arc as...not necessarily a bad thing! HA HA SPECULATION. Anyway Sanzo replies as such: "That gun. It's got some monstrous power . . . You're the only one who can use it." Which fails at being a subtle metaphor, Gat knows it, and--this is a pretty foreboding implication actually, that Gat is the only one can protect Hazel. It's kind of sweet, but it probably also opens up the possibility of both of them dying horribly somehow.
--god, this whole essay might as well have been a manifesto. IN SHORT: Gat technically isn't Hazel's slave, just his undead zombie wife bitch; Hazel's motivation for keeping him around is sort of selfish by nature; Gat is Hazel-centric (OBVIOUS STATEMENT IS OBVIOUS); together, they fight crime!
HAZEL'S POWERS; PENDANT PARTY TRICKS
AND FINALLY: Hazel's powers.
Hazel has been studying magic since he was a kid. Officially he considers himself an exorcist. Sanzo describes Hazel's abilities as "the ability to manipulate souls".
He has this pendant, as seen in the icon! It is a hexagram in a circle. The internet tells me occult symbols tend to have circles around them, which coincides with Gyoukumen Koushu and Nii's affirmation that he's using the power of some kind of heathen religion. Notably, though, Hazel is a Christian--at least he is a bishop of some Christian denomination. Further Google searches on hexagrams in circles lead to depictions of the hexagram of Solomon, which bears a close resemblance to Hazel's pendant, and which is said to make spirits obedient to the wearer by various internet pagan stores. Accuracy of this information is totally questionable, but. Google :|b Anyway, the pendant is Hazel's medium for resurrection--each slot can store a soul that he can use to revive a dead person. Again, when in possession of the pendant Hazel states he will only use youkai souls to revive humans.
Hazel also knows magic he can do without the pendant. So far, we have seen this magic throw shit around. I'm not really sure of the extent of his ability, but it complements his fighting style pretty well (read: run and hit). He uses his magic via chanting--notably the creators of the Gunlock anime were all LOL WE TRIED TO MAKE IT SOUND ELVISH and Minekura was like, actually, it's supposed to be more like Latin. ONCE AGAIN GUNLOCK FAILS For the most part, in the manga his recitations are depicted as scribbles and not necessarily words--with the exception of this page where you can pretty clearly make out something like "owe ones . . . The Father and I". FTR I spent about half an hour staring at that chapter trying to make sense of everything else, to very little success. :|b
As of recently, Hazel's pendant has been destroyed! And he doesn't seem too broken up about it at all. This is unexpected and DAMN WEIRD; all he does is make :| faces when reminded that now Gat can't just get hurt anytime he wants, and that's. The extent of his concern right there. I was kind of surprised since . . . it was his thing. That one I'll have to think about more.
OKAY OKAY I AM DONE QUESTIONS/CONCERNS PLEASE TO DIRECT THEM MY WAY :|;;