Essay: Mutsuki/Nozomi

[estirose]

Title: The Fate-driven Hope
Author: Estirose
Fandom: Kamen Rider Blade
Pairing: Kamijou Mutsuki/Yamanaka Nozomi
Word Count: ~3000
Spoilers: The entire series (though not the movie or special).
Notes: Since this is a Japanese-language series that's not available in most of the English-speaking world, I've retained Japanese name order (that is, family name first) when I talk about the characters. Also, I've made the images clickable in case readers want to see larger-sized versions.
Credit: I based this essay on the TV-Nihon subs. I occasionally quote from the subs, as well as use screencaps that feature sub lines. metaclipse07 looked over this essay for me before I posted it.


The Series: Kamen Rider Blade

The four riders from left to right - Mutsuki (Leangle), Hajime (Chalice), Kenzaki (Blade), Tachibana (Garren)

Kamen Rider Blade is one of the Kamen Rider series, aired in 2004. The various Kamen Rider series feature Riders who can form armor of some kind or another. Such armor often has insect motifs, with very few exceptions, as well as the common trait of the heroes riding motorcycles. The first Kamen Rider series aired in 1971, with various versions airing off and on again for thirty-six years at this point. Kamen Rider Blade, like most of the more recent versions, exists in its own universe, not related to prior or subsequent Kamen Rider series.

In the world of Kamen Rider Blade, humanity's dominant status is the result of a battle called the Battle Fight, waged 10,000 years ago by 53 creatures called the Undead, each representing a different species (and one representing no species at all). The Undead representing humankind won, and therefore humans are the dominant intelligent species on the planet. Each Undead is represented by a playing card.

About two years before the series opens, the Undead have been released once more. Now an organization called BOARD and its Kamen Riders might be all that saves humanity from another Battle Fight and the possibility of humans losing their dominant status on Earth, and possibly being wiped out of existance. Two Riders - Kenzaki Kazuma and Tachibana Sakuya - are initially Riders, joined later by an ally, Aikawa Hajime, and then by one more Rider, Kamijou Mutsuki.

Mutsuki: Fate-driven guy

Mutsuki is interrupted as he prepares to transform

Kamijou Mutsuki, called just Mutsuki during most of the series, is the youngest of the four Riders. He's seventeen years old, and while he secretly yearns to be a hero, wanting to know what it's like to be a hero, mostly he doesn't like to make waves. He'd rather apologize and suck it up than defend what's right. Unfortunately for him, his personality makes him a perfect target for two Undead - one, Isaka, who's looking for a Rider to help cheat his way into winning the Battle Fight, and the Spider Undead, who's looking to win the battle fight without risking himself. Between them, Mutsuki picks up a Belt - what he needs to transform into a Kamen Rider - and ends up both a Rider and eventually under the control of the Spider Undead. He becomes the fourth Rider, Kamen Rider Leangle. He regards this as his fate, and accepts it most of the time.

Very little of Mutsuki's early history is revealed. We know that he was kidnapped as a baby, and was hidden in a locker, since he dreams of this frequently. He loves playing basketball and, for a few episodes, also works at a store at the checkout.

During most of the series, Mutsuki is either coming under the control of, or under the control of, the Spider Undead. He tries to fight it, but eventually ends up going off by himself, away from anybody who cares for him or tries to cure him. Eventually, he starts to regain himself, partially thanks to another Undead (Shima, the King of Clubs), who sacrifices himself for Mutsuki. Things go back to normal for him towards the end thanks to another Undead who sacrifices herself for Mutsuki as well.

By the end of the series, Mutsuki has grown up a bit. He finally understands the downsides of being a hero - having to risk your life for people, and them probably not knowing, and having to keep at it, no matter how you might feel about it. He's still not a bold personality - but he has learned from what's happened before.

Nozomi: Hope, Desire, Wish

Nozomi is confronted by Tigress Undead

Nozomi, also seventeen, is introduced in flashback in episode 15, where Mutsuki has finally gotten to where they were going to meet after being kidnapped by Isaka and his crew. He describes Nozomi as strong, and she is by his standards. Yamanaka Nozomi might not be a Rider, but at least at first she's bolder than her boyfriend. She's often seen nudging Mutsuki, either yelling at him or encouraging him to be more than he is. She obviously likes, if not loves him.

If little is known about Mutsuki's past, even less is known about Nozomi's. We know only that she is probably in Tennis Club and that she likes cooking. She obviously cares about the people she likes and loves, but often she's in the sidelines, kept in the dark by the regulars, in the hopes that she can be left out of the whole battle. Unfortunately, she can't be; as Mutsuki is drawn in, she's indirectly drawn in as well.

But Nozomi is determined and dedicated. She's not willing to give up easily, waiting and waiting for her boyfriend when he succumbs to the Spider's possession. Even if it sometimes seems that she's not going to get him back, she's still waiting, and trying. She might be occasionally afraid, but she'll get over that fear to save the ones she loves.

Mutsuki and Nozomi: Teenage Sweethearts

Mutsuki and Nozomi in happier (more or less) times

Mutsuki and Nozomi are portrayed as one of two canon couples on the series, even though their relationship is on the sidelines as the story progresses. There's nothing really touchy-feely with them, no kisses or handholding, though there is a bit of hugging. One could argue that they are merely good friends, but I don't think so.

When we see Nozomi for the first time, it's in flashback; Mutsuki has managed to miss their date, thanks to Isaka and his crew. The date is apparently important to Mutsuki, and so he's in an absolute panic when he arrives at the cafe and she's not there. The cafe owner's daughter is of no help when she thinks he's scum for missing the date. When we meet Nozomi the next day, she's very unhappy with him - and he's not very happy with the fact that he can't explain very well that he's not a liar because of the missing time. She apparently thinks he tried to get out of the date. Of course, that irritation turns to concern when he picks up the Belt and starts acting weird and secretive.

He seemingly returns to normal, and turns more confident, after he's had the Belt for a few days. In fact, he does very well in a basketball game, much to Nozomi's delight. This is how she apparently wants him to be, a confident man. But that illusion is shattered when he apologizes to his teammates for hogging the basketball. He continues to frustrate her later on when he lets a customer have a special that's expired instead of fighting over it at the store.

Unfortunately for Nozomi, she does get her wish. As Mutsuki comes under the Belt's (and the Spider Undead's) influence, he becomes more aggressive. Now Nozomi is alarmed. She doesn't want Mutsuki to be the way he becomes - moody and striking out at people. In fact, under the influence of the Spider Undead, he attempts to strangle her after she follows him in concern. He comes back to his senses a few moments later, realizing what is happening, and attempts to toss away the Belt. He doesn't want to have it anymore, now that he's hurt Nozomi.

Unfortunately for both Mutsuki and Nozomi, the Belt (well, the Spider Undead inside) is rather persistent. Despite Kenzaki's reminder that Mutsuki has a normal life and a cute girlfriend (Nozomi is called Mutsuki's girlfriend throughout the entire series), Mutsuki is still drawn towards the belt. This is despite the fact that he's seen the pain it causes - when Nozomi calls him after Kenzaki's warned him about the Belt again, he can't reply because he's crying. It's an addiction that he can't quite shake off, even as he knows what happens when he has the belt. And once again, it's Nozomi that finds him and is there for him.

And it's Nozomi who realizes that despite Mutsuki's weaknesses, he is her boyfriend and she's relieved to see when he goes back to normal, even if it is short-lived. Mutsuki soon recovers the belt, and is moody once more. He tries to be his normal self, but he can't quite deal with the changes, and when Kenzaki confronts him about the belt again, he takes off - leaving a very confused Nozomi behind. She's beginning to get a glimmer of something going on, but neither her boyfriend or Kenzaki will explain.

But still she persists. She calls Mutsuki later on, and they affirm they're at least friends. He seems relieved that she'd still consider him that. In fact, a few episodes later, we see them having fun together at an amusement park, where Mutsuki seems to have regained some of the confidence he had before. She comments that she kind of likes the 'new' Mutsuki, but she also is still not quite sure about him (given what happened the last time he gained confidence).

Unfortunately for her, this is the last time Mutsuki will be normal. She is next seen worried about him because he's quit basketball, and alarmed when he says that it, and everything is boring. But she still must trust him, because she goes to see Tachibana in the hospital when Mutsuki asks her to. And when she calls to ask him to see her, he does. When it turns out that Shima has asked her to call him to the place, he asks her to stay back, and she does, seemingly trusting him, even though she really wants to see what he has to say, and what's going on. When Shima shows Mutsuki her thoughts, she's thinking that she loves Mutsuki and she's worried about him, wanting him to return to the person he was before everything happened.

But she's not going to get her wish, no matter how worried she is about him. No matter how much Shima shows Mutsuki her thoughts, the Spider Undead has possessed him so much that even though Mutsuki himself is stunned by Nozomi's love, he doesn't get a chance to do anything about it before he's completely taken over.

However, as he's possessed and stops caring, she's still waiting for him. One episode, she's seen waiting in the cafe where she waited for him the first time, when he was kidnapped by Isaka. It's implied in another one that she's in the area often, waiting for him to come back. In fact, he does come back to the cafe, but alas not for her; he's after Hajime, who happens to live there. When he wonders why she bothered, she slaps him; he's only prevented from slapping her back by Hajime, who intevenes. She then tears off after her boyfriend, not reaching him only because she ends up being mislead by the Undead King of Spades.

There's some indication, however, that despite being Spider Undead-possessed, Mutsuki still cares for Nozomi as well. At the tail end of his fight with Hajime, he hears her cry, and later comes upon her unconscious form, the King of Spades waiting nearby. "I knew you were worried about that girl," the King says, and despite Mutsuki's denial, he laughs, as if he knows something Mutsuki doesn't. Of course, Mutsuki leaves without Nozomi, but he just leaves her behind, not harming her.

Mutsuki goes on with his possessed life, having a strange (though not romantic) relationship with Tigress Undead, and Nozomi still looks for him. She doesn't find him until several episodes later, though, when the daughter of the owner of the cafe she's frequenting runs across him. The girl gives Nozomi directions to where Mutsuki's been hanging out. And Nozomi, not willing to give up on her sometime boyfriend, goes there after stopping to get some ongiri (rice wrapped in seaweed).

There, she encounters Mutsuki, having an argument/fight with the Tigress. She runs to intervene, protesting to Mutsuki that what he's doing is dangerous, and this isn't like him. He's still possessed, so he shoves her aside, but she's not willing to back down. She offers him lunch, telling him that he always liked them after Basketball club, and despite his attempts to shove her aside, she still persists. The Tigress later comments that he has light in him, that strengthens when Nozomi's nearby.

Mutsuki manages to lock her into the club when he goes looking for the Tigress, but she manages to get free, furious at him for locking him in. She arrives just in time to see Mutsuki about to transform; where the two Riders on scene have failed to restrain him, he stops on his own when he sees Nozomi. Unfortunately, it only lasts a moment - he's still harsh with her, and annoyed at the other Riders' words, he finishes his transformation. Nozomi is understandably startled to see her boyfriend change into Rider form, and runs when he starts screaming and advancing towards her.

But it's still not the end of their relationship. She returns to the club where she found him, most likely the next day, bearing food in apology but still ready to scold. She encounters a figure that turns out to be an enraged Tigress Undead, but this time refuses to back away, telling the Tigress that she's not afraid of Mutsuki or the Tigress. She's prevented in finding out how mad the Tigress really is by Tachibana, one of the Riders, who directs her to go to where Mutsuki is. Unknown to her, he's been poisoned by an Undead and is reacting like an Undead, attacking everyone in sight. When she comes across Mutsuki, she smiles, but her smile soon turns to terror when he attacks her. She's saved by Kenzaki, only to see Mutsuki assume the form of the Spider Undead. Being Nozomi, when Kenzaki urges her to run, she does... right to Mutsuki, to embrace his Undead form, telling him that she won't run away, no matter what form he takes. That action forces him back into human form, but he runs away, perhaps to save her from himself.

Fortunately, this has a happy ending; Mutsuki is not only cured of the Undead poison, but after a fight with both the older Riders, ends up back to himself, the Spider Undead no longer possessing him. Nozomi is the first to reach him, and it is her shoulder he cries on when he realizes all that's happened.

After Mutsuki is freed of the Spider Undead's influence, he and Nozomi finally get to talk. Mutsuki is trying to figure out what it means to be a Kamen Rider, and where to go from where he is; Nozomi is getting used to the fact that Mutsuki is a Kamen Rider. She makes it clear she's by his side, there to cheer him on. Both of them have to accept that Mutsuki might be called at any point to go into battle or deal with an Undead. She is there for him, listening to him ponder what it all means, and visiting him in the hospital when he lands there.

But at the end, they have peace. Mutsuki isn't a Rider anymore. He's a normal kid playing basketball, just as he was in the beginning, and Nozomi is there for him, waiting, like she always is.

Why I ship Mutsuki/Nozomi

Nozomi doesn't give up, even when her boyfriend turns into a monster

I started watching this series after watching a prior Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider 555. The friend that had introduced me to that series also introduced me to this one, and it so far has turned out to be my favorite Kamen Rider series. This couple is part of that love. Mutsuki and Nozomi attracted me because of the tragedy that somewhat befell them and their relationship over the series. However, despite everything, they persist as a couple from their first appearance to their last. I guess it was Nozomi's persistence and patience that won me over, and the hints that Mutsuki loved her just as much, despite not being in control of himself half the time.

The duo are not the main characters of the series, so their relationship tended to take a back seat to the ongoing storylines in the series. However, they were one of two canon relationships in there, and the only one really allowed to develop throughout the series. I believe their relationship was strong enough, mostly due to Nozomi's stubborn streak, to last through everything that happened. In a series dealing with guys in armor and ancient monsters trying to take over the world, it's a beautiful, if sad romance that's sometimes lost in the action, but much worth seeking out.

Resources:

Information:
TV-Nihon has subbed the entire series, including a special and a movie related to the series.
Wikipedia has articles on both the series Kamen Rider Blade and Mutsuki as Kamen Rider Leangle, though at the time this is written, Nozomi isn't mentioned in Mutsuki's article. There's also an article on the Kamen Rider series in general.
kamenrider, Livejournal's Kamen Rider community, that covers the Kamen Rider series in general.

Fandom:
The English-speaking part of Kamen Rider fandom is rather small, and the fandom for Kamen Rider Blade even smaller. There is very little English-language fanart or fanfic for the series, much less for the Mutsuki/Nozomi pairing.

There's one story that I know of for this pairing, and I'm the one who wrote it:
Dai Suki: Nozomi reflects on what happened to Mutsuki. Set late series.