KHR: winning and losing

Another of the structural points that interests me is the way the characters win or lose. In the Mukuro arc, this is fairly straightforward, though there are some instances where losing is not a final thing, especially in Ken’s case. The ring battles start out looking equally simple and definitive but, after the Guardians’ matches are done with, takes a sharp left turn away from that built-up expectation. Once Xanxus’ overall plan is revealed, the structure of the previous fights breaks down into an impending free-for all, driven by passion and conviction and blood on the ground right then and there.

And then Amano cuts it off, leaving audience expectation without sure direction.

We appear to return to the strict (and rather sadistic) structure the Cervello have imparted to previous battles, for a time and, within that structure, Tsuna wins. Almost. The almost turns out to be critical and, despite having beaten Xanxus, having proven himself stronger, Tsuna and his side wind up losing by the numbers. Xanxus Guardians make it to the scene sooner, and the rings go to him.

And then we get another twist.

Xanxus’ prize rejects him and Tsuna wins by default. Only not, because, of course, he has already proven that he has the peculiarly Vongola strengths. It’s a marvelous tangle of mixed messages, and paves the way for the demi-redemption of the Varia. Audience expectation has been destabilized repeatedly, leaving Amano more elbow room to do unusual things without instant resistance–at least, not resistance because of her own narrative momentum. In this case, she uses that room to inject some sympathy for the previously quite unsympathetic Varia and Xanxus (see post re Villains) and, in the next arc, to rehabilitate them to an extent, presenting them as allies.

Given Mukuro’s appearance as Tsuna’s Guardian, it’s pretty safe to say this is a maneuver Amano likes.

The fact that she seems to be using the win-only-not/lose-only-not tactic again with Irie only increases my suspicion that it will wind up being used for Byakuran. But what most interests me about the whole pattern is that it allows for something we rarely see in the shounen-fight genre, which is the heros really losing–not just a motivational loss, but a “you lost the big stakes” loss. So far, this has not translated into an overall narrative loss, but only due to a personal failing in the winner, not any effort on the part of Tsuna and Family. That’s unusual enough to catch my attention, and pretty convincingly presents Tsuna as simultaneously increasing greatly in power and still in need of further build-up.

It also supports her less redemptive than usual redemptions. It’s a classic genre move to have opponents be rehabilitated or enlightened or otherwise saved by losing to the hero. The characters are generally engaged in explicit trial by combat already, and the winner has demonstrated the superiority of his side’s philosophy, as well as fighting skills. Amano has done this once, with Mukuro, but the ring battles do not resolve by combat, which leaves Xanxus and the Varia in an ambiguous position, defeated but not vanquished and, to all appearances, not redeemed either. This marches well with her approach to villains in general, providing a wide enough spectrum of despicable-ness to make characters who act very dubiously still palatable to the audience. Already pre-conditioned to accept ambiguous behavior, we are less likely to kick when frankly psychotic killers are presented as viable allies.

I will be very interested to see just how far Amano carries this, and whether the ambiguities will be resolved by the end or left as they are.