Analysis: The Hayami & Mutio Relationship Part II (Hayami’s Perspective)

**Warning: Gratuitous display of geekiness, boredom and passion towards the BS6 universe (duh perhaps). Oh and spoilers too.

So I’m back with part II, where I will now dissect and examine each significant event Hayami has experienced with Mutio, and argue whether the said event is evidence of him having feelings for her. The list is much shorter, surprisingly, and much harder to argue in favor of a romantic pairing. I suggest going back to the first article (here) to understand the color coding and how I did my assessment. Please note that this is all done out of fun and boredom, and is simply my opinion.

Episode 1: Blues

None; its way too early for even sensible romance supporters to expect Mutio to develop feelings for Hayami at this point IMO. For Hayami however…

Episode 2: Pilots

– As he is just about to attack the incoming Umigumos, Hayami suddenly has a flashback of his encounter with Mutio, and shouts “Is she in one of those?!”. He is then unable to bring himself to shoot at the ships.

1. Hayami is unable to attack them, because it would be a tragic waste if Mutio were to die so soon, after he saved her only a few days before.
2. Hayami is unable to bring himself to attack, because didn’t want to risk killing a creature he had come to have feelings for. He’s killed so many Umigumo’s before, and wouldn’t hesitate otherwise. [Supported]

Episode 3: Hearts

– Hayami talks to Mutio, despite knowing that she can’t understand him

1. He’s bored, bitter and sad at the same time. Just needed someone to talk to, even if the person didn’t understand him. [Supported]
2. Hayami isn’t a talkative or sentimental person. The fact that he would openly voice his thoughts and despair showed that he felt a closeness towards her.

– Hayami returns Mutio’s smile, before going back to his thoughts

1. Just being polite [Supported]
2. He’s smiling back because he is fond of her

– Hayami holds back a screaming Mutio after the Musuca is hit by torpedoes, preventing her from jumping into the sea (it was dangerous as the acid-tipped torpedoes were still in effect)

1. He is concerned for her safety merely as a friend [Supported]
2. He was concerned for her safety as a friend, and having enjoyed her company, didn’t want her to leave so quickly.

– Hayami tries to reach for Mutio as he is swept away by the waves
– And shouts out to her after being rescued by Kino, after she is nowhere to be seen

1. He was concerned about her safety, out of gratitude, and perhaps wanted to say goodbye 
2. He was concerned about Mutio’s safety, because he had feelings for her, and having enjoyed her company, doesn’t wish for it to end so abruptly. [Supported]

Episode 4: Minasoko

– Hayami stares quietly at Mutio as she departs with Verg. He does not say a word to her

1. You’d think he’d say or do something if he liked her, especially if looks like she was leaving forever. Fact is he doesn’t have feelings for Mutio. [Supported]
2. [Even I can’t think of a reason here. If he liked her, he should have done something.]

---

Final score:
He likes her = 2
He likes her not = 4

Whoops! Looks like our protagonist doesn’t really have any romantic feelings for the fish girl, at least not by the end of the anime. My belief however, is that both of them (given all the experiences they have shared together) will be thinking about each other in the many months following the end of the series, which may or may not develop into romance.

But wait! You might be asking now: “But Ticktank! Analysis aside, what is your *preferred* pairing? Surely, as a hardcore fan of BS6, you must have a fantasy couple?” To answer that, and give myself a cheap excuse to abuse colors:

• Hayami & Mutio = Sweet, cute, difficult to write about, but fun.
• Hayami & Kino = Sweet, not as cute, easy and boring to write about, most realistic.
• Verg & Mutio = Unfortunately, this makes the most sense because of the species factor, but its repulsive to me. I think Verg is a cool character too by the way, but…maybe too violent and childish for Mutio.
• Mutio & Kino = Lesbians are always good.
• Hayami & Verg = M/M Slashers need to go to hell. Long live heterosexuals (and lesbians).
• Verg & Kino = Now that I think of it…they might just get along. Angry sex!

So yeah, I guess you could say that I’m equally in favor of Hayami/Kino and Hayami/Mutio. If GONZO does ever make a sequel to BS6 (oh God yes please!), and are serious about staying true to the atmosphere and theme of the original, then they will definitely have to address Hayami & Mutio’s relationship, one way or another. It was, after all, their relationship that lead to the end of the war.

But until that day comes, us fans will simply have to accept our own conclusions. At least the ambiguity isn’t critical to the overall plot, and not as stupid as the ending of Evangelion or something.

And there’s still a good selection of pro Hayami/Mutio fan material (fiction, doujin, artwork) around to keep you satisfied, if you’re that passionate about them :).

Or just get a boyfriend/girlfriend. 

~ by ticktank on August 7, 2008.