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Akemi - Your thoughts...(everyone)

Posted By: MACK!
Date: MON, 2/3/03, 7:55 a.m.

In Response To: Re: The Akemi issue (noh one)

: ummm..because Akemi is one of my favorite characters..i
: just wanted to say somethings... what i got
: from there relationships is more a close and
: affectionate friendship.
: as for the part with akemi and the doctor...that was the
: coolest!!! i'm kinda biased here cos i don't really
: like psycho babble...and thought akemi's way of
: dealing with the doctor was really clever...

Thanks for everyone's 2 cents on Akemi so far. For my own curiosity, I'd like to hear your feelings and thoughts about Akemi (the part she played in Skin Deep and Meta, how you view her, if you like her, why? etc).

It's fascinating to me that so many people have so many different takes on her, what she is, who she is, and what her relationship with Kabuki means.

Brian Bendis for instance doesn't view her as a real person that is separate from Kabuki, but a psychological defense mechanism that Kabuki created in her own mind. A sort of splinter personality to help her deal with the challenging situations she found herself in. He’s not the only person who reads the story this way.

I've also seen many college papers and posts on women's studies boards that present the relationship between Kabuki and Akemi as a shining example of relationships between women that defy conventional categorization and are role models for feminist and lesbian groups.

I've also seen sites dedicated to women in mythology that cite the character of Akemi as a mythological icon, echoes of which are seen in other ancient stories.

And I've also heard from other letters, papers and sites representing the individuals who refer to themselves as inter-sex (the millions of people who are born with organs of both sexes but usually present themselves in public as one or the other) that champion Akemi and Desire from Sandman as the only two characters in modern literature that represent them and give their group literary characters to identify with.

And the list of how individuals perceive and identify with Akemi goes on and on. It's amazing that some people see her as Kabuki's friend. Some people don’t trust her. Some see her as a shining example of a non-gratuitous romantic relationship in comics that doesn’t feel the need to grab press with attention getting labels. Some see her as a representative of their group that defies both of the conventional categories for labels (that is they do not even necessarily see her as a woman. And they do not necessarily see her as a man either). Other people do not even think she exists outside of Kabuki’s mind. And there are still countless other personal interpretations of her.

In fact many readers continue to change their impressions, perceptions, and views of who or what Akemi is as they continue to see her issue by issue or when the y re-read the stories with her.

I find that she often reflects what the individual reader brings with them as they view her or as they read her notes. Often this changes as the reader changes. I suppose that is true of Kabuki as well.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject.

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