Fun Stuff: 100th Post Extravaganza

Soooo, it's my 100th post on this blog of mine, and I wanted to celebrate in a very special way! Since 100 is the magic number, I've compiled 10 top ten lists of Asian pop culture things I love- anime, manga, music, bishounens, etc- as a way to sum up all the things I've been talking about on my blog. So, without further ado, here's your chance to learn a little about the world of Quickand2thePointless!

xxxHolic, Natsume Yuujinchou, FMA: Brotherhood, Code Geass, Hetalia, X, Tiger & Bunny, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Durarara!, and Nodame Cantabile.

When it comes to anime, I love supernatural/fantasy elements, male leads (not that I don't love the ladies, but Japan is a bit heavy on the fan-service, dependent types, and I like a gal who can define herself- like xxxHolic's Yuuko), and plots that lead to unique perspectives on human emotions and behavior.

Fai (Tsubasa), Yuuko (xxxHolic/Tsubasa), Subaru (Tokyo Babylon/X), Natsume (Natsume Yuujinchou), Kotetsu (Tiger & Bunny), Scar (FMA: Brotherhood), Lelouch (Code Geass), Holo (Spice & Wolf), Hakkai (Saiyuki), America (Hetalia)

The characters I love the most are strong-willed, independent, and though they are burdened by their pasts and regrets, they actively seek paths of redemption or develop to the point where they can come to terms with who they are and the world they live in.

Just a sample of what's been on my playlist lately!

With music, I tend to gravitate towards two sounds-- either the type of pop music that reminds me of my boy band obsessed childhood during the days of NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, or inspired singer-songwriter type tracks which break through the language barrier and still manage to tell a beautiful story.

Tales of Symphonia, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, Sakura Wars, Arc Rise Fantasia, Pokemon, Dragon Age, Monkey Island, Soul Calibur, and Street Fighter

I'm a bit limited when it comes to games, since the only consoles I have access to are the Gameboy Advance, Wii (and thus GameCube), and my trusty PC. Nonetheless, I'm a huge fan of JRPGs, strategy/tactics based adventures, and anything with fantasy elements and beautiful artwork. 

Fantasy, Supernatural, Bishounen, Comedy, Shounen-ai, Shoujo-ai, Historical, Action, Music, and Samurai

Besides my obvious love for beautiful men, I also enjoy plotlines that teach me about Japanese history and folklore, as well as stories that make me laugh or tug at my heartstrings. Romances are always appreciated (hence the shounen and shoujo-ai), but shoujo didn't make the list this time since, as stated earlier, I'm not a huge fan on Japanese leading ladies (exceptions do exist, such as Toradora and Ouran High School Host Club). As a huge fan of Asian music, music themed shows are always, always on my list!

Tsubasa, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, xxxHolic, Rurouni Kenshin, Chobits, FAKE, Saiyuki, Tokyo Babylon, Cardcaptor Sakura

If we're being completely honest... I love CLAMP. Fruits Basket is also the first manga series I ever completed, and it immediately hooked me by pairing shoujo with the supernatural elements I love so much in the other series I read. 

Sebastian (Black Butler), Doumeki (xxxHolic), Keith (Tiger & Bunny), Greece (Hetalia), Sanzo (Saiyuki), Kyoya (Ouran High School Host Club), Kaname (Vampire Knight), Kratos (Tales of Symphonia), Lantis (Magic Knight Rayearth), Haruka (Tactics)

Looks like I'm shallow! But when it comes to personality, I like a little bit of stoicism that hides a truly sweet personality, a little bit of gruffness,  but someone who turns out being a little bit of a doof when you get to know them better.

Nico Touches the Walls, Shikao Suga, SHINee, YUI, Big Bang, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Yuya Matsushita, Epik High, Maaya Sakamoto, Miss A.

I love all kinds of music, and these artists span all my favorite genres: alternative rock, dance pop, singer-songwriter, hip pop, throwback rap, and straight up vocal talent.

All of these have been featured as a Theme Spotlight for a reason: I love them each!

Anime themes really need to suit the atmosphere of the show, and quite a few of these were picked because of how well they achieved that purpose- I especially get into the theme if it is paired with a brilliant opening/closing video, or if the lyrics meaningfully tie back into the message of the show. I also like a bit of fun in my music, which is probably why "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" continues to be one of my favorites.

Kurogane/Fai (Tsubasa), Winry/Ed (FMA), Doumeki/Watanuki (xxxHolic), Chiaki/Nodame (Nodame Cantabile), Seishirou/Subaru (Tokyo Babylon/X), Chi/Hideki (Chobits), Kamui/Fuuma (X), Ryuuji/Taiga (Toradora), Kendappa/ Souma (RG Veda), Okabe/Kurisu (Steins;gate)

Clearly, I love how CLAMP does their slash pairings, but when it comes to het, I LOVE vitriolic couples that leave you wondering whether they'll get together in the end (although I suppose Chi and Hideki don't exactly fall into this). I love it when both the male and female characters have difficult personalities, but still find a way to make it work. As for my CLAMP... I love it when couples suffer and sacrifice for each other, always fighting for the futures that make them happy, even when it doesn't turn out the way they want it to.

Go For the Eyes: Masculine Bodily Harm in CLAMP Part 1

(The following post contains major spoilers for CLAMP works including Tokyo Babylon, X, xxxHolic, and Tsubasa. Proceed with caution!)

(Link to Part Two)

As I mentioned in my recent post on Mushishi, I often have trouble viewing characters undergoing eye trauma, and I'm sure I'm not alone in my feelings of squeamishness. And yet, as I also mentioned, I am drawn in by my favorite mangaka group CLAMP's use of eyes as a form of body horror throughout their writing, but particularly in Tokyo Babylon, X, Tsubasa, and xxxHolic. The vulnerable nature of the eye is what repels us from witnessing any harm coming to it, but in CLAMP manga, the sacrifice of an eye is not simply horrifying, but somehow steeped in moving romantic symbolism as well, particularly to their male-centric, homoerotic subtexts. But how, exactly, is this able to work out? In a subculture where romance is dominated by glittery atmospheres, flowers, and gallant bishounens, what role does sacrifice and bodily harm play in romance in regards to men, and why does it not equally apply to females in the CLAMP-verse?

A sample of CLAMP's eye traumas. From left to right: Seishirou and Subaru from X and Tokyo Babylon, Watanuki from xxxHolic, and Kurogane and Fai from Tsubasa.

Since CLAMP's fascination with the eye as a symbol does not extend to female characters, excepting Sakura's eye-kiss with Syaoran during the events of Tsubasa, it can be assumed that the loss of eye and sight has a greater significance on male bodies. Eyes are a soft and unprotected organs for both genders, but this softness is more pronounced for men who are seen as having “hard” bodies, than it is for females whose bodies as a whole are understood as “soft.” The female body is viewed (whether unfairly or not) as vulnerable on several different fronts, but should a woman wish to harm a man, she is advised to either hit below the belt or go for the eyes, since these are the two areas where he can be weakened and be made less dangerous. 

When CLAMP indulges in female body horror, such as they do is the famous violent scenes of the X manga, the feminine body is invaded, severed, and completely dismantled, leaving her in scattered pieces. The severed head, usually seen as a terrifying image, is left intact with all its earthly beauty remaining, and even though the scene is covered in blood and broken limbs, the head is still that of an innocent, untouched maiden. In short, when a woman's body is harmed, all of her perceived vulnerabilities are attacked, leaving little left unharmed other than the haunting image of her face.

Kotori's death in X  is a particularly gruesome scene of body horror which deeply traumatizes Kamui

With men, it is much less likely that his entire body will be overthrown, and thus it is natural to hone in on his obvious weakness: his sight. In CLAMP, with the exception of Magic Knight Rayearth, RG Veda, and (to a limited extent) Cardcaptor Sakura, men are largely responsible for physical conflict, and depend on their sight to see them safely through each battle. In a more figurative sense, eyes and sight are associated with perception, and how internal and external views shift based on how they are seen, both physically and emotionally. As a rule, the loss or exchange of eyes happens between implied homosexual partners in CLAMP manga (the exception being Syaoran), which also implies that the bodily harm to the eye is a physical replacement for an emotional exchange, which unlike pure shounen-ai and yaoi, CLAMP avoids in favor of tense interactions, verbal sparring, and implication-laced contact such as Fai's blood drinking scenes with Kurogane in Tsubasa and Fuuma's constant touching of Kamui in X and to a certain degree Tsubasa.

For a closer look at how CLAMP manga pairs sight, bodily harm, and the relationship between men, let's examine the eyes of Subaru, Seishirou, Syaoran, Fai, Watanuki, and Doumeki, and the additional roles of Kurogane and Fuuma in these exchanges.

TOKYO BABYLON [For more information on this text, see my original Tokyo Babylon posting] 

Seishirou and Subaru: 

The volatile relationship between Seishirou, a cold-blooded assassin masquerading as a kindly vet, and Subaru, a lively onmyoji who deals with supernatural occurrences to benefit others, served as CLAMP's first endeavor into bodily harm to the eyes of male characters. Before Seishirou's true identity is revealed, he steps in between Subaru and a deranged woman trying to kill him, sacrificing one eye in the process with the risk of going permanently blind in the other. While this incident's primary function in the text is to lead to Subaru's awareness that he is in love with Seishirou and opposed to any harm coming to him, it becomes even more fascinating when Seishirou reveals his true identity and announces to Subaru that he sees no reason why he shouldn't be killed like anyone else, and that “If [Subaru] were to die like a dog, [he] would probably step on [Subaru's] corpse and move on.” But if this is the case, why the sacrifice of the eye? Was it simply an action to make Subaru believe in his lies, a way to preserve his prey, or just instinct kicking in?

The first and last explanations are easy to dismiss. For one, this event occurs only shortly before Seishirou's true nature is exposed, so he has little reason to to put any more effort into his facade before tearing it down. Also, as the Sakurazukamori, his only instincts are to kill others and protect himself, leading him to have no natural inclination to step in on the behalf of a weaker person if it will cause him harm. The preservation of his prey is much more likely, but it still does not explain why he would allow his eye to be harmed in the process. In the manga, Seishirou explains his actions, first by saying, "I wasn't planning on protecting you, Subaru-kun. I just happened to get between you and the woman, that's all," and then, "You were prepared to let that woman seriously harm you. I preferred you to be healthy, so I got in her way."  But the question still remains why he chose that particular mode of interference when there were surely other means of keeping Subaru safe, given Seishirou's physical prowess. 

A collection of some of the eye motifs in Tokyo Babylon

The fact that Seishirou's eye was irreparably damaged points to another answer. As the Sakurazukamori, leader of a clan of the highest ranked assassins, Seishirou is responsible for performing flawlessly executed murders for the sake clients and the clan itself. Any physical handicap could become a fatal detriment on the field when all senses need to be properly engaged and no mistakes can be made. The compassion Subaru possesses cannot be shared by the Sakurazukamori, and yet Seishirou does somehow seem to have some small degree of compassion, first when he spares Subaru's life when they were younger, and second when he allows one of his tools of trade, as it were, to be permanently injured.

In both xxxHolic and Tsubasa, CLAMP alludes to “memories of the body,” in which the body acts in response to something the mind has forgotten or rejected. The loss of Seishirou's eye in protecting Subaru most likely falls under this category. Since he denies the possibility of feeling anything for Subaru as it does not fit into his Sakurazukamori persona, his body is what reacts to step in front of Subaru, even if the cost is permanent damage to his eye. The loss can be seen as a moment of genuineness aside from the fictional identity he portrays to Subaru and the Sakurazukamori assassin that does not have any room for love, and this is why it is so fitting Subaru falls in love with him at this moment after shying away from the advances of his fictional identity. In giving his eye, Seishirou exposes a willingness to give of himself that is not seen again until the conclusion of his role in follow up X.

X

Subaru and Fuuma: 

In Tokyo Babylon's apocalyptic sequel X, the role of eyes in the relationship between Subaru and Seishirou is once again emphasized, though in this case, Fuuma acts as their intermediary due to the fact that the two men are on opposing sides in the conflict for the end of the world. The Twin Star incarnation of Fuuma, though a proclaimed Dragon of Earth, plays a fluid role in the conflict that is suited towards the desires of whoever he is facing, whether they be a Dragon of Heaven or Earth. As Kusanagi points out to Yuzuriha, “[Fuuma] resembles yet doesn't resemble everyone. Like he threw away his self to play the role the people in front of him wish.”

 In other words, Fuuma has the ability to appear as whoever a person wants to see, which points to his particular power of granting the dark, unspoken desires a person holds in their hearts. At this time, Subaru is still shattered from Seishirou's betrayal and depressed by his inability to even interest the man he loves as potential prey, and deep within his heart he is still racked with guilt that Seishirou was the one to lose an eye when the one the knife had meant to hit was Subaru himself.

Fuuma recognizes this guilt within Subaru, as well as Subaru's desire to not only accept the harm that had been aimed at him, but to become more like Seishirou in an attempt to become more worthy of his notice. Throughout X, we can see that Subaru and Seishirou have become remarkably similar from their style of battling to the habit of smoking that Subaru adopted after Seishirou betrayed him. Once again, this hints at a physical exchange-- Subaru's personality and mannerisms in favor of Seishirou's-- which replaces an emotional exchange in which Subaru shares his so called “ailing heart” with Seishirou and attempts to vocalize their complex relationship. It should be noted that his dialogues on the subject take place with Kamui, a young man in a similar situation with his own friend and love interest Fuuma, and that their brotherly (or even sisterly) bond transcends the difficulty of emotional exchange in CLAMP's male/male relations.

In any case, Fuuma gouges out Subaru's eye while appearing to Subaru as Seishirou, clearing up some of Subaru's guilt issues and giving him another physical similarity to Seishirou. Though Seishirou as an individual is physically absent from this exchange, he is figuratively involved through Subaru's perception of him taking part in it. Fuuma only serves as a tool to satisfy Subaru's repressed desire, but it is reinforced that only Seishirou can grant Subaru's true wish, which is to be killed by the person he loves.

Fuuma appears as Seishirou in his fight with Subaru

In the case of Subaru and Fuuma acting as Seishirou, the loss of Subaru's eye signifies a desire to be equal with his lover and betrayer, foremost to become someone Seishirou will consider worth killing, but also to suffer the same pain he had once suffered on Subaru's behalf. Subaru's dark wish in a sense puts on Seishirou's act of compassion and reconfirms the moment he fell in love.These actions are cleansing to him and provide him some small measure of peace, though the sight of his injury is horrifying not only to the viewer, but to Kamui as well. Kamui is sympathetic to Subaru's relationship with Seishirou (unlike his counterpart in Tsubasa), but the presence of Subaru in his life serves as a deterrent to entering into the same bitter and violent cycle in his own relationship with Fuuma. Though Kamui and Fuuma have physical exchanges of their own, particularly the striking pseudo-crucifixion scene, they make it through what exists of the manga with their sight intact.

Seishirou and Subaru (and Fuuma): 

Even after Subaru loses his eye courtesy of Fuuma, the issue of eyes and physical exchanges is not quite over in regards to Seishirou. Though Seishirou maintains a mocking, carefree attitude throughout X, he is not thrilled by the prospect of Fuuma leaving a mark on who he considers his exclusive prey. Even though Fuuma reassures Seishirou by saying, “Only you can grant his true desire,” he also gives the assassin the hint that Subaru's wish “is not what you think it is.” Seishirou, at this point, is under the impression that Subaru wishes to kill him to avenge his betrayal and the death of his sister, and given his own lack of understanding of just how deeply Subaru is in love with him, he is unable to understand that what Subaru wishes for is his own end at the hand of the object of his dark obsession. Due to his misinterpretation of Subaru's desire, as well as his belatedly realized love for Subaru (if his last words are what CLAMP fans assume they are), Seishirou allows himself to die and leaves Subaru's final wish to go unsatisfied.

However, this is not quite the end of Seishirou-- at least not in the manga. Fuuma returns to see Subaru with the only remains of Seishirou still left: his unscathed eye. The eye is not a simple gift, or a treasured, if grotesque, memento of a departed loved one. In CLAMP works, magical power is often contained within the eye, such as with Fai and Seishirou's alternate self in Tsubasa, and Seishirou's eye contains his abilities and legacy as the Sakurazukamori. If Subaru accepts ownership of the eye, he will regain his sight and become symbolically “one” with Seishirou at the cost of tainting his purity as a Sumeragi onmyoji with the cold-blooded nature of the Sakurazuka clan. However, this was always foreshadowed as his destiny, as the Sakurazukamori is fated to have their title taken from them by the person they love. Subaru consents to this destiny, placing his love of Seishirou as higher and more sacred than his duties to the Sumeragi clan.

Unfortunately, the manga series was canceled in Japan due to its violence and aforementioned female body horror at a time when violence was at an uncomfortable high in Japan and elsewhere in the world, so we are unable to witness what Subaru does as the Sakurazukamori and how his relationship with Kamui is influenced by his transformation. However, the existing chapters in the manga indicate that Subaru's possession of the eye was part of Seishirou's final wish, which Fuuma acknowledges was Seishirou's desire to keep the mark of another man from Subaru's body. This final exchange is an odd form intercourse between them; in life, Seishirou could never consent to embrace Subaru while still holding onto his identity as Sakurazukamori, but in death, he essentially becomes a part of Subaru, a part that witnesses the world through the eyes of his almost-lover, the man he gave his life for.

The exchanges between Seishirou and Subaru are only able to end in tragedy

Part 2 will delve into xxxHolic and Tsubasa. To check it out, go here!

Picking on the Cutie

This spring, I attended Animarithon at Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a handful of friends from my university's Anime Club. It was on a much smaller scale than the mammoth Ohayocon I had gone to a few months earlier, but I had a great time panel-hopping, shopping, and raving with my friends while dressed up as Dimension Witch and resident cryptic warning spewer Yuuko Ichihara from xxxHolic and Tsubasa. One of my favorite parts of the event was the Manga Library, which was filled with a good number of manga series for con-goers to enjoy in between panels or if they needed a break from wandering around the university. In bigger cons, they usually have anime viewing rooms instead, but I think I actually liked the manga library better. The moderator enforced the “quiet while people are reading rule,” and it gave avid readers like me a chance to check out series that local libraries don't usually carry (aka, something other than Bleach and Naruto).

Me at Animarathon as Yuuko.

I started off revisiting Cardcaptor Sakura (I had recently watched the anime and wanted to confirm a few of the differences I had noticed between the two), but eventually wound my way around the room looking for Toradora, a cute romance I'd been becoming a big fan of. What I found was even better: Tokyo Babylon, the early 90s CLAMP series featuring young spiritualist and too-cute-for-words Subaru Sumeragi and dashing but yet secretly sinister Seishirou Sakurazuka (better known for their stint in apocalyptic follow up series, X). I had already seen X: The Animated Series and was familiar with Subaru and Seishirou's back story, but I had been dying to get my hands on a copy of the manga to read first hand. I grabbed the whole stack, and dove right into the origin of the broken boy who had always haunted me in X.

Hmm... I wonder which era this is from?

The experience was thoroughly enjoyable, even in spite of the fact that I was undergoing heavy allergy related eye torture at the time (fitting for a CLAMP reading session) and was weeping tears of pain while trying to figure out what to do about my blood shot baby blues, considering I forgot to bring back up glasses should my contacts fail me (besides, glasses didn't go with my Yuuko cosplay). I already loved the nine-years-into-the-future Subaru from X-- which is saying a lot, considering he is quiet, withdrawn, and depressed at this point-- and I fell in love even more with his sunny younger self in his hot red jacket, tight eighties pants, and collection of hip head-wear and gloves. He seriously looked like the Japanese love child of Madonna and Michael Jackson, and was barely distinguishable from his equally cute twin sis, Hokuto.

Bringing back the nostalgia with Subaru and Hokuto

All the same, I was a bit surprised. Considering the gravity of X, I wasn't expecting Tokyo Babylon to be as light-hearted as it was at points (before the CLAMP-ness sets in, of course). The manga carries a heavy weight of cynicism regarding the unfeeling nature of the city and the shortcomings of human nature, but the moments between Subaru, Hokuto, and Seishirou (who at the beginning simply seems to be a kindly veterinarian) are initially tender. Seishirou is not at all coy about the fact that he wants the innocent Subaru to be his lover (making this one of the most blatant shounen-ai pairings in CLAMP history, coming out even ahead of Touya and Yukito of Cardcaptor Sakura and Tsubasa fame), and Hokuto cheers his affections on, in spite of Subaru's embarrassment at being singled out by the older man. These sections of the manga bring a much needed levity, especially when things inevitably go to hell later on, which I'll touch upon soon.

Hokuto and Seishirou plan his marriage to the Subaru. What on earth is a hindering koala?

The majority of the story features sweetheart Subaru (age 16) as he fulfills his duties as the head of his onmyoji family by solving occult mysteries, exorcising spirits, and helping people in need wherever he can find them. Subaru is a powerful magician, and is very good at what he does, especially since his strong sense of compassion helps people heal their hearts when nothing else works. However, Subaru's kindness is in many ways his downfall. In many of his battles against villains or dark supernatural elements, Subaru can't make the killing blow or hesitates at the wrong moment. This is when the hidden side of Seishirou begins to manifest itself. Whenever Subaru doesn't finish the job and ends up knocked unconscious, Seishirou is inevitably lurking in the shadows to take care of the messy killing for his friend. He clearly has powers beyond your average veterinarian, but at this point both his intentions and his alignment are unknown. He doesn't seem to have a problem with murdering, but protecting Subaru still seems to be a priority to him, even though the reasons why are still a mystery.

Hokuto doesn't have Subaru's powers (although she does have a few unique spells she can use when the need arises), but she likes to help him in any way she can, mostly by encouraging Seishirou whenever he gets flirtatious and by designing Subaru's elaborate Michael Jackson-esque wardrobe. She is bright and energetic, and her brother's happiness comes first and foremost to her, though she enjoys teasing him just as much as Seishirou does.

Before the WHAM chapters happen, we do get a sense that something isn't quite right. Subaru has frequent flashbacks of making a bet with a mysterious man under a sakura tree, but he can't remember what the bet was or the identity of the man. However, based on the atmosphere of these flashbacks, it's obvious that both the man and the bet were of a sinister nature.

A flashback to the bet

SPOILER TIME

Everything starts going wrong during a case that brings Subaru to a hospital where a psycho mom decides to knife someone in order to have a fresh kidney for her child on a transplant list (she's too crazy to realize medical procedure doesn't exactly work that way-- she doesn't even confirm that Subaru is an organ donor first, silly woman). Although poor, innocent Subaru is the woman's target, Seishirou leaps out and takes the blow, which unfortunately yet unsurprisingly gets him in the eye (oh, CLAMP). While Seishirou is whisked away for medical attention, Subaru is crushed. The impact of having someone make such a significant sacrifice on his behalf is astounding to him, and he can't help but wish that he was the one that had gotten hurt rather than Seishirou. When he learns Seishirou has gone permanently blind in his injured eye and might consequently lose his sight in his other eye (cue to me protectively covering my red and weeping eye, which I had just been considering ripping out moments earlier), Subaru goes nuts, punches a hole in the wall, and realizes that this powerful and consuming emotion has to be love. In this moment, Seishirou becomes Subaru's Soul Mate and Most Important Person, which in CLAMP manga is something that Cannot Be Undone. Once you find your destined partner, you share an eternal bond that cannot be severed no matter what happens. Subaru learns this one the hard way.

Wait, THESE guys are soulmates? Didn't see that coming!

Of course, it seems like everything should be sunshine and daisies after this revelation. Seishirou has been hitting on Subaru from the very beginning, and seems like a nice, supportive guy. What's more, Hokuto whole-heartedly approves, and would probably happily design their wedding, complete with Subaru's bridal suit/gown (I would be interested in seeing both). But attentive readers and X fans know that all is not well. For one, Seishirou has begun making allusions to the bet, meaning that the creepy guy under the sakura tree was him all along. For two, this is CLAMP, and realizing you're in love with someone means that one giant obstacle is about to crash land in the plot.

Not long after Subaru falls for Seishirou, the duration of the bet reaches its conclusion. Subaru and Seishirou meet once again under the sakura tree, and Seishirou declares himself the winner of their little gamble, and kindly helps Subaru remember what went down. Apparently, Seishirou is the Sakurazukamori, the leader of a clan of cold blooded assassins (the foil of the Sumeragi clan) that kills without messing around with niceties and compassion for the enemy. Little Subaru had the misfortune of stumbling upon Seishirou in the middle of one of his assassinations, and the rule is that anyone who sees the Sakurazukamori in action must die and take the secret to their grave. However, little Subaru was such a pure, darling innocent that Seishirou decided to give him a break on the condition that they make a bet with one another: Seishirou would spend one year together with Subaru and try to fall in love or at least have some sort of human emotion for him. Since he is the Sakurazukamori, this is no small task. All that matters to him is killing, and nothing else is sacred in his heart since love interferes with the pure intent to murder. But if he ends up feeling that Subaru isn't just another thing to be destroyed by the end of their year together, he'll let him live. If not, Subaru is toast. To seal the deal, Seishirou marked his hands with the inverted pentacles of the Sakurazukamori (hence Subaru's gloves; they were supposed to keep him protected, although Seishirou found him anyways) to mark Subaru as his prey. You know, just so all the other heartless assassins in Tokyo don't get any funny ideas.

This is the other purpose of the glove, naturally

Unfortunately for Subaru, Seishirou says he isn't in love with him, and can't see any reason why Subaru shouldn't be destroyed just like any other person or thing. And if this isn't hard enough for our hero to hear, Seishirou then proceeds to break his arms and torture him while mocking him for being such a failure. You can practically hear the poor boy's idealism and heart breaking into a thousand little pieces as he suffers these things for the person he loves. Death would almost be welcome at this point.

Fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be for Subaru), Subaru's wise grandmother sacrifices her mobility to break Seishirou's spell over Subaru, and Seishirou is unable to finish him due to her actions. In spite of this, Subaru has had enough. His heart is broken and his cheery optimism smashed into pieces, and the shock of it is too much for him. He enters into a catatonic state, sitting blankly while Hokuto apologizes over and over again for encouraging Seishirou, even though she sensed he was dangerous. All she wanted was for someone to touch Subaru's heart, and now she is ready to do anything to atone for her mistake.

And what better way to atone than a little bit of self-sacrifice? Of course, there is deeper meaning to this as we learn in X, but in Tokyo Babylon we see her troop out to confront Seishirou alone, only to have him impale her with his hand (one of his special finishing blows) as if they had never been friends in the first place. Subaru, who is currently locked away inside of himself, sees the whole thing unfolding in his mind's eye, and is powerless to do anything. The realization that yet another person has given of themselves on his behalf opens Subaru's eyes to the fact that he does have something have something he wants to live for, or, more specifically, a wish he wants granted before he loses his life. He wakes up from his coma and continues on as head of the Sumeragi clan, living for the day when his wish will come true.

I won't spoiler the details of his wish here. That's X territory, and I plan to post on X soon enough.

Following these events, Subaru begins to develop his more mature look from X.  The tragedies in his life have definitely taken a toll on him.

After such a heartrending ending, most readers are left with one burning question: Does Seishirou secretly love Subaru even the tiniest bit, or is he really a big ass heartless jerk?

The straightforward answer is even without Subaru in the equation, Seishirou is a big ass heartless jerk. It's part of his character. As the Sakurazukamori, he isn't going to go around weeping over the cuteness of baby kittens. He is going to kill (the baby kitten) and kill without mercy, just like he did to Hokuto, who he used to be perfectly friendly and civil to in his one year with Subaru. This is not the action of a kind person, and I am not going to go around pretending that he is not a sadistic and cruel man, even though I do enjoy him as a character. If you need further evidence of this, please refer to the manga version of X to see more of his exploits.

On the other hand, as a CLAMP creation, Seishirou is not at all a purely black and white cookie cutter ball of evil, so he deserves a closer look. Does he love Subaru? The question is never fully answered, but it is explored with more depth in X. When I write on X, I'll probably talk about what the actions Seishirou takes as a Dragon of Earth reveal, but for now, I will leave with two points to consider. For one, we later learn that Seishirou confronts Subaru many times in the years leading up to X, but never kills him. The condition of the bet was if Seishirou cannot distinguish Subaru from all the other things he's unemotionally destroyed then he will kill him. The fact that he doesn't go through with it may be telling, although I have no doubt in my mind that if Subaru's grandmother had not intervened, the Sakurazukamori would have taken care of Subaru after revealing the details of the bet. Perhaps having the time to think it over made the difference since he was no longer acting in the passion of the moment. Not to mention that one usually doesn't sacrifice an eye for someone they couldn't care less about and want to kill, but if Seishirou himself ever realizes this is uncertain.

As a general rule, the actions Seishirou takes in X counteracts these statements.

Secondly, we eventually learn that the only way to become the Sakurazukamori is to kill the former one, and that the Sakurazukamori is destined to be overtaken by the one he/she loves the most. In the case of Seishirou, he killed his own mother to become the head assassin, and when she tells him he will also one day be killed by someone he loves, he claims that love is impossible for him. His mother laughs and says she felt the same way up until she learned to love him in spite of the heartlessness of her occupation. If Seishirou does hold a little bit of love for Subaru, he's well aware that it isn't even destined to turn out well. In his mindset during the events of Tokyo Babylon, it may very well have been better for him to kill off Subaru rather than tempt fate and have an innocent boy eventually dirty his hands.

In any case, whatever love exists between them is not going to be the sweet, fluffy love of shoujo manga. No matter what you think of Seishirou, he gets his kicks out of playing mind games with Subaru, and the Subaru we are left with at the end of Tokyo Babylon is hardly Mr. Happy anymore thanks to what Seishirou has done. Any way you look at it, the relationship between Seishirou and Subaru is highly destructive, even if it is mutual.

In the end, soul mates are soul mates to CLAMP. Even in the Tsubasa multiverse, Subaru and Seishirou are destined to be entwined with one another, for better or for worse. Their eternal bond is something inescapable, and no matter what bitterness comes along with it, they have no way of forgetting each other or avoiding involvement in each other's ultimate fate.

Seishirou and Subaru appear in Tsubasa as a hunter and prey pairing. 

END SPOILERS

Tokyo Babylon is a good choice if you have a tough heart and can handle a heavy dose of cynicism and love that doesn't unfold as it should. It will make you question human nature and emotions, and wonder about what love really is, and how much pain and doubt it can withstand. It makes for light reading in the beginning, but the heavier sections near the end are what make it an excellent story rather than just a good one. For fans of X, it also makes for good supplemental reading to better understand Subaru and Seishirou's motives in the battle for the end of the world, as well as Kakyou's once his connection to Hokuto is revealed. And it's always nice to enjoy the young, cheerful Subaru while he lasts; he is an enjoyable character through and through, even when his attitude is forced to undergo a change.

And good news, anime fans! There are OVAs and a live action movie to go along with Tokyo Babylon! I haven't seen the live action, but the OVAs mostly cover Subaru as he tackles occult occurrences and tries to get to the bottom of spiritual mysteries. His bet with Seishirou is alluded to in the second OVA, but all in all the issue of their relationship is not brought up too often, and unfortunately Sei-chan never gets around to asking Subaru if he finds him sexy, as he enjoys doing in the manga. The quality of the animation is meh compared to X, and one of the songs used in the OVAs cracked me up with how bad it was, but overall I enjoyed watching them, and would recommend them for fans of Subaru and co.

The OVAs don't cover the main conflict, but still tell a good story.

As a break from my constant shounen-ai fandoms, next up will be Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom.