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Some analysis of why Jinchuu was orchestrated that way: without hitting the Kenshin-gumi (who are directly related to Kenshin), and without going on a grander or lesser scale than necessary.
(Kamorgana)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/all_about_yukishiro_enishi/message/414
Except for Kaoru, no one actually very close to Kenshin had been directly a
target of the attacks.
Megumi is a very close friend of Kenshin, moreover, she is a good doctor, and
depriving Kenshin of that advantage would have been a good strategical move (and
our DearDevil is definitely into strategy, ne?). She was also a very easy
target...
Since the people having what I consider as an irrational hate towards Enishi
(not dislike, this is different) are mainly motivated by the fact that he hurt
Kenshin and kidnapped Kaoru, I was
wondering whether the fact that the direct innocent victims of Jinchuu (Tae/Uramura
keiji) were not main characters was a move of Watsuki to limit the popularity
damage made to Enishi?
If he had attacked characters with a bigger fanbase, or very familiar to the
readers, like Megumi, Misao, Tsubame, or even Sano, and especially in a
"traitorous" way, wouldn't have it been more difficult to like him?
Personally, the attacks against Tae and Uramura Keiji are the ones that I have
the most difficulties to forgive, they are completely exterior to the problem
between Kenshin and Enishi. I can understand why Enishi used Kaoru to get back
at Kenshin, and the resent that he has towards her as his sister's replacement.
I think that Enishi is entitled to hate Kenshin (and again, I don't condone his
methods, let's be clear). The fights between the Companions and the Kenshingumi/Saitoh
were direct confrontations, so they are different than unilateral attacks...to
me, at least (^-^).
OTOH, I'm not sure that I would have been so understanding if Megumi or Tsubame
(to take one that I don't like, as it has nothing to do with the "favorite or
not" problem here (^-^)), who aren't fighters, had been direct targets of
Jinchuu...
So I tend to think that Watsuki might have used the very secondary characters to
show Enishi's determination and the blindness of his hate, while trying to avoid
to make him completely evil, and irredeemable, from the very start.
(Mary Ann)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/all_about_yukishiro_enishi/message/417
It’s true that the fact that Enishi doesn’t go after the other Kenshingumi,
helps us understand him, accept his choices and like him. If he had started
attacking absolutely everyone, then he would have seem like a total madman and
the readers would have had way more difficulties accepting him. In fact, he
would have lost his humanity, hence making it hard to find him sympathetic. That
is the force of the villains in RK: they are not totally evil, they have a
purpose clearly explained and they do not kill, only for the thrill of it.
In Enishi’s case, it’s particularly evident. After the first two brutal attacks
Watsuki could have chose to go on with that trend, but he didn’t and that’s a
good thing for us, Enishi fans. But did Watsuki make that choice consciously or
not? I would be more than tempted to say that it was unconscious.
When you read Watsuki’s free talks in the manga, he always complains about the
fact that is villains are not evil enough and he deplores the fact that readers
even comes to love them most than some of the Kenshingumi members. Then, during
the revenge Arc, he constantly says that he wanted to correct that aspect of his
work during Jinchuu and that he wanted to portray pure evil villains, hence
Enishi’s little group of friends. Then, according to Watsuki’s sayings, Enishi
should be like them. In fact, Watsuki even says that he wanted Enishi to be a
"terminator". And he goes farther saying that the companion should have existed
and that Enishi should have been all alone against the Kenshingumi. Then, he
adds that like this, Enishi would have been a more attractive character.
Can I disagree with Watsuki, for once? Hopefully, Watsuki failed once more to
portray a pure evil villain, as he says. Watsuki loves complex characterisation
and that’s the great thing about his work. I’m glad he didn’t listen to what his
mind told him. (^-^)