5 replies to this topic

[MathiasonThe5th]

Don't know about you guys but I'm having a little trouble determining what happened on the bridge in Wolf King's Bride ch11. From the pictures it looks like Kouju stumbled, Okisaki called out a warning, one of them pulled the other, and then Okisaki fell into the water. Thing I'm having trouble with is when Okisaki called out the warning was she reaching for Kouju, or was Kouju reaching to her for support? Did Okisaki pull Kouju to safety but had too much inertia to stop before going over the edge? Or did Kouju pull Okisaki in a moment of anger and then panicked because Okisaki didn't surface but kept sinking? It's hard for me to tell because their sleeves look too similar and it looks like Kouju was the one pulled by Okisaki instead of the other way around. Since the puller used the left hand to grab the other's right hand if Kouju was pulling she would have had her left shoulder facing Okisaki not her right. That or the artist got their lefts and rights mixed up.

[Purple Library Guy]

Moment of anger my butt. Most of everything Kouju does and says is calculated poses. Not that she's evil exactly, or even totally hardened, but she's doing her duty to her father and family by playing for power and part of that is acting all cute and batting eyelashes. She wasn't angry at that moment, it was just a manipulative schtick.
IMO, Kouju "stumbled back" towards the edge. Okisaki reached to stop her from falling. Then Koujo pulled Okisaki past her and over the edge. The key frame for me is p. 23, on the bottom left. You see Okisaki in the middle of going over, but Kouju is already turned all the way around; it looks to me like she powered her pull with a spin--as Okisaki takes her hand she's faced away from the edge, she does a pull-and-turn and ends up facing towards it. I think that works no matter which hand she uses. It's a powerful yank. Then she goes all "innocent me" calling for help; with nobody else actually seeing what happened, she'd seem innocent and with luck nobody will come in time.
Then Okisaki covers for her when she could have had her head, and Kouju develops a girl-crush on her.

Edited by Purple Library Guy, 23 May 2012 - 11:17 PM.

[MathiasonThe5th]

Don't think she was pretending to be innocent. Granted her initial reason for going over was because of her father, She is only 14 and did look shocked that Okisaki fell in before calling for help. If it was on purpose she would have gloated a little or looked happy. Also, Kouju was using Sama, which indicates strong respect, instead of San to refer to Okisaki. Finally, when telling her father she failed to join the inner court she wasn't acting like a conspirator but more like a girl who was rejected by her crush. Kouju probably is kept in the dark about her father's sinister plans or attempts. Otherwise she wouldn't have referred to Okisaki with great respect in front of her father, acted more sinister than enamored, and not stated that Okisaki was so wonderful much less possibly more suited than her to be consort. As for her being turned around, could argue she spun because of trying to regain her balance and Okisaki pulling her.
Or that the artist accidently reversed the image. I've seen similar mistakes in other manga like Rosaro+vampire where Kurono (Succubus), Moka (Vampire), and Yukari (Witch) had headshots grouped together but Succubus was put next to Moka's picture and Vampire next to Kururu's. And this was from the printed manga at a bookstore, not a scan. In Princess Resurrection during the jail story Hiro scraped his RIGHT arm on the floor and Riza delivered a killing blow bloodying her RIGHT hand/paw. Yet a couple pics later Hiro's LEFT arm is healing with the RIGHT arm unmarked, and Riza's LEFT hand/paw is the one covered in blood while the RIGHT hand/paw is clean.

[Purple Library Guy]

Well, well, perhaps I was too cynical. Looking over 10&11 again I think perhaps it was an accident, and she's somewhat less calculating than I'd been figuring. Although oddly it's mostly not your arguments that convinced me . . . she uses "Sama" because she's talking to/about the King's consort; it's what someone in her position should be calling her; it's a matter of etiquette, not attitude. And by the time she referred to Okisaki with respect to her father it was post-bridge, by which time yes, she had genuinely had an attitude change and fallen for her. And I figured that by seeming distraught when Okisaki went in the drink, she was merely hedging her bets; brought up in palaces, she knows there could always be someone watching.
But . . . in her private confab with her father, even aside from her new affection for Okisaki, she doesn't come off as someone hard enough to be attempting assassinations, just someone who wanted to use her cuteness and bat a few eyelashes, "trip" and fall into the king's arms and so forth. And in later chapters she continues to act cute in settings where there's no percentage in it. There isn't really any sign of the scenario I'd been coming up with.
So yeah, reckon I was wrong.

[MathiasonThe5th]

Since it's been at least a year since someone posted on this, does anyone know how to close it?  

 

Also, been rereading the manga and light novel for the chapter and have decided this (agree or disagree as you will) Koujo really did stumble for a moment but purposely yanked on Okisaki's arm to throw her into the water on impulse, not from prior planning or desire to hurt/kill Okisaki. This is because she's an innocent 14 year old kid who was raised to be a shallow minded obedient doll to show off to others that doesn't need to think or show any thoughts of her own  rather than a strong minded, deep thought,  worldly girl who can think for herself. Granted she's probably acting like a typical (noble family) 14 year old of the times, but considering her behavior in this and other chapters it seems like she's so busy trying to be perfect that she doesn't see the forest for the trees.  Such as being surprised Okisaki was more worried and thinking about the country's finances over having the king get an expensive dress to show how much he cares for her and look good to him. Hence, when Okisaki hit the water Koujo thought she'd surface wet and humiliated not realizing that trying to move (nevermind swimming) in a wet dress is not only really heavy but hard as well. (If you think its easy to move in wet clothing go with a friend, ie lifeguard, and hop into some shallow water while wearing typical clothes. Then try swimming or moving in the water. I did it for scouts once and believe me its nowhere as easy as movies make it look.Clothes get heavy, restrict movement and speed. )  That's why she sincerely panicked  and started crying for help immediately rather than gloat, deliberately wait, or "pretend" to be calling for Okisaki while wasting time.  Most likely would be shocked and horrified if she found out what her father and maid have been up to. Probably hasn't given up on being the Wolf King's bride yet, but sincerely wants to be Okisaki's friend after Okisaki defended her in front of a very angry Wolf King.

[kimagure]

The scene is: http://vatoto.com/read/_/93432/ookami-heika-no-hanayome_v3_ch11_by_%E2%9D%A6%E2%9D%A6-tiramisu-strawberry-%E2%9D%A6%E2%9D%A6/23

 

My read on the situation was that Koujo stumbled and began falling off of the bridge, but that Okisaki rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and yanked her back onto the bridge (top, far-left panel), falling into the river in her place. 

 

I honestly don't think Koujo did anything malicious or wrong.  She got over emotional and stumbled.  Yuurin wasn't a victim, she was a self-sacrificing heroine.