branchandroot | PoT: Mirror Writing: Ripple

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PoT: Mirror Writing: Ripple

Fic post from my archive.

The day after the events of "Twist", Ryouma tries to sort out his thoughts. Drama With Slight Romance, I-3

Ryouma snorted a laugh. If he ever admitted to Momo that his protective streak made Ryouma feel better, he'd be doomed. Probably for life. Momo would never again believe Ryouma was serious when he grumbled or swatted Momo away.

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*small grin* No problem. As long as you don't mind that I probably won't compromise on this one, I don't mind hearing other views.

A proper parent for Ryouma... it is a challenge. I do approve of Tezuka's style. He's quite strict, but very much in the "teach him how to live dangerously" way. I seem to be falling back on Cordelia quite a bit, here, but she is my very best model of how to raise a genius. The fact that Ryouma responds so immediately and, for him, respectfully to Tezuka says to me that he needs someone who will be blunt and straightforward with him, and not try to bait him into accomplishment. Also, perhaps, someone more comfortable with his authority than Nanjirou, the eternal adolescent, seems to be. Given that the parent is Nanjirou, the question gets harder.

I think a big part of my objection is that, as the manga tells it, the main reason Nanjirou hasn't utterly ruined his son is blind, dumb luck. Issue 0 tells us that Nanjirou decided to make his son into his rival at the ripe age of three, based on his showing a fighting spirit (good eyes, the signifier of someone who has determination and purity of purpose). Just lately, Inoue suggests that Ryouma's talent is a matter, not of natural gift, but of unrelenting training. This suggests to me that his natural gift is not for tennis in particular, but more for any physical competition that offers him a challenge. Nanjirou appears to be the one who chose to channel that into tennis, for his own rather selfish purposes (boredom, to wit) and the fact that Ryouma does turn out to like the game is the only thing that keeps this from being an unmitigated catastrophe and tragedy. Luck.

I guess I find it hard to believe that he does any of this out of care for Ryouma, especially given his constantly belittling method of teaching.

The stuff about Nanjirou aside...

I see what you mean about Tezuka, though I'd thought the reason he gets across to Ryouma better was because he met another challenge who may or may not be on par with his dad.

Also, perhaps, someone more comfortable with his authority than Nanjirou, the eternal adolescent, seems to be.

Because Tezuka is Buchou? The problem for me is that the Tezuka-Ryouma interactions don't say "I'm being a proper guide" (or parent-like figure), they say, "He's going to be a strong opponent to watch out for."

On another note... the problem with teaching someone to live dangerously is that he can become dangerous to everyone, especially himself. Cordelia's teaching is admirable and in certain respects it might be good for your genius offspring to go off and crash and burn (or fly) for himself--but ouch!--but I'm not sure if Tezuka is doing that for Ryouma. He's good and fair and he takes care of his team, but other than that, I think the other players have more positive interaction with Ryouma than he ever did.

(On a totally OT note, would Cordelia's approach have been successful if Miles weren't a genius, do you think? Or if Miles was like Ivan, for example?)

Honestly, I'd always thought that Tezuka was a tad predatory in the manga. All that watching... then out of the blue, "I wanna play a match with Echizen," and after that it's "become the pillar of Seigaku". Me: pfft.

Now that I've sort of convinced everyone that I've been reading the mutant version of PoT, hence the interpretations, I shall go ponder on Nanjirou's parenting skills a bit more. By the way, belittling as a teaching tool? Mutant-manga-reading me says: gag joke!

*laughing* Ah, but to decide whether Cordelia's methods would work on Ivan, we have to decide just what Ivan is. Not an easy task. More generally, I think Cordelia would have succeeded in assuring Miles that she loved and valued him for exactly what he was, whatever that turned out to be. She seems to be good at that, if Mark is anything to go by. To a certain extent I think the competence in living dangerously is self-adjusting; if Miles were less ingenious in coming up with dangerous things to do, there would be less demand on him to come up with equally ingenious ways of getting out of trouble. Even with a non-genius, I think Aral had a point: the trick is figuring out when to let go. That's true with any child.

More generally, I think Cordelia would have succeeded in assuring Miles that she loved and valued him for exactly what he was, whatever that turned out to be.

I expect you're right, though what I really like is the confidence she has in him, whatever happens--and it's a confidence she has helped to inculcate. Both his parents do that.

I hope you don't mind that I declare an end to this parenting session? We've got our own ideas about Nanjirou, Tezuka and so on, and I think to go on will result in a terribly undignified screaming fit (on my end, at any rate). It's been great--and surprising--to hear your views. Much thanks.

Besides, I want to read more MomoRyo from your hands soon. Like, now.

*waves hands* Working, working. Next one should be up in a day or two. Complete with an appearance by my most favorite character, Karupin. *evil grin*

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