|uragirimono|
Hakkai's hidden capability
for violence and cruelty is another of the main reasons I like him. His
hidden temper gives him an interesting edge. It sets up tension. Readers
watch him smile and bow and wonder when he'll snap, strike out and bring
forward again the fury he demonstrated when he killed Chin Ii Sou's clan
three years before the events of the story.
I believe that many readers
of Saiyuki might be keeping their distance from Hakkai because they
smell the faintly discomforting scent of a possible traitor. We've seen
characters like Hakkai before:
Tokyo Babylon's Seishiro Sakurazuka,
for example. This character [whom I hope is sufficiently famous for you
to be familiar with] began as an exceedingly polite, kind man, only to
turn around and become ruthless and vicious.
In the "Revenge Tragedy"
story line (volume 4) Hakkai has already shown that he can be quite cruel
himself. Although he fails in his ultimate goal for revenge, Chin Ii Sou
did
come very close to bringing back the violent person Hakkai is trying
so hard to keep at bay with his smile. In order to destroy Chin, Hakkai
rips out a mahjogg playing piece that serves as Chin's heart. The scene
(pp. 145-155) is a perfect example of how twisted Hakkai's smile can become
when mixed with hatred, and Minekura plays up the incongruency by having
him say the words "thank you" while impaling Chin's chest. It is also interesting
to see how Goku reacts to Hakkai's violence. He is always surprised, even
shocked, and a bit uneasy. Readers might feel the same way, wondering how
much of Hakkai's personality is an act, dreading the moment when his smile
remains cruel.
However, I don't believe
Hakkai will betray the group. Unlike Seishiro, who dropped many hints as
to his not being quite what he seemed, Hakkai has only shown that he truly
cares for Goku and the others. When Goku disappears in volume 4, for example,
Hakkai seems truly worried, blaming himself and sagging in paternal relief
when Goku finally re-appears. His relationship with Gojyo, which is the
highlight of the "Be There" story line (volume 5), is even
more telling. When Gojyo saves him from near death, Hakkai acts perplexed
at first, but slowly opens up to him. He recognizes a kindred spirit in
Gojyo, someone who has seen as much pain as he has, and he bonds with him
quickly. Hakkai presents himself to Gojyo simply, confessing his love for
his sister, Kanan, and his acts of murder and hoping for Gojyo's understanding
and forgiveness. When Gojyo and the others understand and forgive him Hakkai
is so moved that he joins them on their journey. Minekura presents all
of this clearly, with no ulterior motives lurking in the background. She
has made it quite clear that, unlike the oily Seishiro, Hakkai truly regrets
having a violent side. She has even gone through the trouble of showing
us that Hakkai had a legitimate reason for the violent acts he committed.
Namely: the kidnapping, rape, and suicide of his sister and lover. CLAMP
[the authors of Tokyo Babylon] have recently given Seishiro a reason for his violence [in the on-going X], showing us the extremely close relationship he shared with his mother, but even these flashbacks show Seishiro as cruel, cold, and not overtly concerned with the violence he regards as merely his family's business. Hakkai questions the demonic urge to kill, and this vouches for his innocence. Seems to me like
he's quite in the clear, and I'll be the first to groan, loudly, if he
turns out to be a traitor after all.
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