Honorary Sidekick: Kanoe

Film: X (or X/1999) (English title)
             Ekkusu (Japanese title)

Voices: Atsuko Takahata (Japanese) (Feature film)
                  Denica Fairman (English) (Feature film)
                 Kaho Kouda (Japanese) (TV series)
                 Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English) (TV series)

The Character

Kanoe is Princess Hinoto’s younger sister (and her only blood relative), although I find it slightly bizarre that Hinoto is referred to as a Princess whilst Kanoe is now. These two sisters could not be any different from each other, in looks and in personality.

While Hinoto supports the Dragons of Heaven, Kanoe supports the Dragons of Earth, although her motive for doing so changes in each format of “X”. In the film and manga, her motivations seem to be out of love for Hinoto, wishing to free from her “prison” as a dreamseer. This truth is more prominent in the film for this confession is said by Kanoe as she lays wounded before dying in Hinoto’s arms. In the film, despite them being on opposite sides, there seems to be no bitterness between them. The TV series shows a far different side to Kanoe: she admits to despising Hinoto whow as always treated better than her for having strong dreamseer powers (whilst Kanoe is also a dreamseer, her powers are limited). Throughout the TV series, Hinoto is tortured by the fact that she has dreamt that the Dragons of the Earth and the “Earth” Kamui will destroy the Dragons of Heaven and the “Heaven” Kamui, bringing the end to humanity. As Hinoto’s predictions have always been correct, Hinoto knows she cannot change it and this sadness tortures her. Kanoe has seen Hinoto’s dreams and plans to make it a reality by bringing the Dragons of Earth together and helping them in order to make her big sister suffer.

Her ability is to enter and leave dreams like Hinoto and Kakyõ but she cannot dream about the future.  However, in the film, Kanoe is a complete dreamseer, an equal to her sister Hinoto in powers and abilities.

She works as a secretary in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building although this is not revealed in the film.

Whilst Kanoe looks like a china doll, to be honest, Kanoe looks and is more promiscuous. In the film, she is dressed in a long robe that shows off her well-endowed chest. She wears stockings that reach up to her thighs. In the TV series, her outfit is toned to that of a business suit.

Her behaviour reflects this as well. In the TV series and manga, she is in a sexual relationship with Yūto but she also flirts with Satsuki and Fūma. It is noticeable that even though she is in a sexual relationship with Yūto, she senses in the TV series that he is going to be late for her tea gathering and shows no emotion when Yūto dies. She is slightly more emotional when Satsuki dies.  

It is her sexual manner that could be responsible for Fūma to be with the Dragons of Earth in the film. In the TV series, Fūma has no contact with Kanoe until he becomes the other Kamui. In the film, she attempts to seduce Fūma into her way of thinking.

Her fate differs in each format as well. In the manga and film, she dies but in the TV series, she lives. Her death varies in each format. In the film, she is killed by Fūma just before the Final Battle. As he lies dying in Hinoto’s arms, she explains her reasons for bringing the Dragons of the Earth together.

Her death is very different in the manga (Volume 19 Chapter 3 pages 13-17). She enters Hinoto’s dreams when she hears Hinoto crying for help (by this point, Dark Hinoto has taken over). Unfortunately, Kanoe discovers that her older sister is trapped in the dreamscape and becomes confused when Hinoto’s dark side appears and directly confronts her. Soon afterwards, Kamui senses Kanoe’s death.  However, it has become a debate on who actually killed her; whether it was Hinoto, Dark Hinoto or even Fuma for he is seen holding up her body (Page 17)

She survives in the TV series and we can imply that she survives the Final Battle between Kamui and Fuma because her last appearance in the series is in “Betrayal” (episode 22). It is here we find out her motives and her hatred for her sister. However, when Hinoto commits suicide, Kanoe cries for her sister and this is the last we see of her.

This final scene is open to interpretation. On first glance, Kanoe looks as if she is grieving for her sister and that maybe, deep down, she did love Hinoto, despite their sibling rivalry. However, Kanoe’s goal throughout the series is to do whatever she could to make her sister suffer and she has never once shown a hint of remorse or sympathy towards her older sister. Now that Hinoto is dead and is no longer in pain, Kanoe cannot see Hinoto’s reaction to the Dragons of Earth winning so in that way, Kanoe has failed and her work has been in vain. Her role is finished for she is one of the few main characters where we do not know her destiny or fate after the Final Battle.

The voices behind the character

In the film, I love Takahata’s Kanoe; she is so dark and seductive and I love her chuckle when she has captured Kotori. She is less wooden than her English counterpart, Denica Fairman.

As with most fans, I think for the most part, the English dub for the feature film is awful….not the worst but awful. Most of the voices sound wooden but I personally feel as with the Japanese dub that Fairman was the only one to come close to perfection. She captures the dark seductive tone of Kaneoe perfectly, almost to the standard of Takahata.

When it comes to the TV series, whilst Kouda is almost the same as Takahata, Kouda does not have the seductive voice as Takahata has and her assertiveness/bitterness is more at the surface, especially when it comes to Kanoe’s confrontations with Hinoto.

They could not have chosen someone so different from Fairman. Whilst McGlynn has the darkness and bitterness is her tone and she is less wooden than Fairman, the seductive tone is completely lost, except for a few scenes. Seriously, even though I am supposed to prefer McGlynn, when it comes to the English, I think Fairman is more perfect as Kanoe.

Honorary Sidekick: Dragons of Earth/Dragons of Heaven

Film/TV: X (aka X/1999) (English title)
               Ekkusu (Japanese title)

Dragons of the Heavens     Dragons of the Earth

Kamui Shirō                         Fūma Monou
Sorata Arisugawa               Yūto Kigai
Arashi Kishū                        Satsuki Yatōji
Subaru Sumeragi                Seishirō Sakurazuka
Seiichirō Aoki                      Nataku
Karen Kasumi                     Kakyō Kuzuki
Yuzuriha Nekoi                    Kusanagi Shiyū
Princess Hinoto                   Kanoe

 

When writing this entry, there were different ways I could have written it. I thought I could do one whole entry involving every character. However, after reading about the TV series, I found this to be impossible as the TV series characters are far more detailed than they are made out in the film (which is what I watched first and how I got into “X” in the first place. In the end, now after watching the TV series, each character in accordance with the Dragons of Heaven/Earth will be given their own separate entry. This entry is purely to describe each faction in terms of their beliefs, their complexities and their accordance in life and relationships. This entry deals with the characters as a whole and will not be comparing the voices behind the characters.

Also, I know that technically, Kamui and Fuma are mainly hero and villain respectively and therefore should not be in the sidekick section. I also know Princess Hinoto and Kanoe are not Dragoens but rather seen as helpers. However, they played a key part in the factions and as they both have chosen a side, I believe they should be mentioned.

 

The Characters

The main belief behind each faction is every simple. The Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth are two groups consisting of seven individuals each that are fated to stand against each other on the Promised Day to determine the fate of the world and humanity. The Dragons of the Earth (that’s the group in blue in the picture above) represent the belief that humanity must be destroyed so that the nature of the Earth can be reborn. The Dragons of the Heaven (that’s the group in red) believe that humanity should be saved because that humans are no less precious than the Earth and that humans can learn to protect the Earth itself. The fate of the Earth and humanity rests on this: if the Dragons of the Earth win the final battle, humanity is destroyed and the Earth can go through what the characters call a “revolution”. If the Dragons of the Heavens win, everything stays exactly the way it was before the final battle begins. Nothing changes.

Sounds simple and straightforward, right? If this was a typical American film/TV series, the Earth Dragons would be written in such a way that you would easily root for the Heaven Dragons because they are the ones wanting to protecting humanity. But this is anime which is known for its complexities. The characters of the Earth Dragons are written in such a way that, despite their basic overall amoral characteristics, they are also intelligent. They bring up excellent points and question the rationality of the Heaven Dragons. So even though they are destroying humanity, in a way, you find yourself believing them and (secretly) rooting for them. That’s good writing!!

I have been trying to find an American Western format to compare this line of thinking too and I have thought of one: Air Force One. This film depicts the President (Harrison Ford) is on a journey home from Moscow when Russian hijackers reveal themselves and take over the entire plane. They want the President to ring Moscow and release an imprisoned General. The problem is that if the General is released, it could lead to slaughter in Russia. In this film, we are meant to root for the President to gain control of the plane and rescue his family. However, the head terrorist (Gary Oldman) brings home some very good points and the film brings forward the message that a killer in someone’s eyes can be a hero in another’s eyes and that who we are meant to be perceived as a hero could be a villain in another’s eyes.

The same can be said for the Dragons. Neither side is completely right or wrong. The Heaven Dragons believe that humans can be seen the error of their ways when it comes to preserving the Earth and maybe the Earth Dragons could have had this view too if they were not cynical and doubtful about this fact. If they were not so biased, then it could be said that both factions could in fact work together.

Neither side are hypocrites. They are following their destiny and they say what they believe. The Earth Dragons believe that the Earth can only survive if humanity was gone; it is not that they are doing it for power. In fact, at several points, an Earth Dragon mentions that the Earth is screaming in pain. On the other hand, the Heaven Dragons are being selfless and will die for the ones they love. It is possibly for this reason that that the Heaven Dragons of Heaven can create kekkai (barrier fields), an ability the Earth Dragons lack. This barrier fields are meant to preserve the battle field by placing the surroundings in another plane of reality and the effects will only show in the real world if the creator of the kekkai dies during the battle. Because the Earth Dragons wants all the buildings that human create will be gone if they win the war anyway, it doesn’t matter to them what ir who is destroyed during a battle as it all helps for the Earth’s revolution.

What makes the Earth Dragons different from the Heaven Dragons is the manner that they go about it. They tend to start the fights they are in whilst the Heaven Dragons are in defence.

On the whole, unlike the Heaven Dragons, the Earth Dragons seem to have no common rationality for their acceptance of their roles as the destroyers of humanity. One in particular openly admits that he is not too thrilled with the fact that he is an Earth Dragon.

The Heaven Dragons are more in tune with their emotions. They show a strong bond for each other and if another Heaven Dragon is in trouble, chances are another will come to their aid, even die to protect the Heaven Dragon in trouble. The relationship factor with the Heaven Dragons is stronger for at most times during the series (manga, film and TV), the Heaven Dragons tend to be in pairs at least. With the Earth Dragons, they tend to work alone although at some points, they are seen in pairs in communication. In fact, whilst the Heaven Dragons are seen as one unit at several times, the Earth Dragons are only seen only together in the entire manga (in the film, that is not the case and in the TV series, they are seen together only once in episode 14: “The Gathering”). The Earth Dragons are encouraged by Fūma to simply go their own ways.

Also, the Earth Dragons tend to be more avoidant when it comes to socialisation and they either lack the ability or desire to form meaningful bonds with other humans, or tend to form unhealthy relationships amongst each other.

I know what you’re thinking, “That’s it! That proves that the Earth Dragons are villains!”. No! This view on them is a general outlook. The concept and actions behind the Dragons are not as black and white as that. I’ll tell you why:

• There are at least two romantic relationships between both Dragons. One Heaven Dragon falls in love with an Earth Dragon who in turns risks his/her life to protect them. The other is far more complex and when one of the Dragon halls to kill their love, it sends them into catatonia.

• There is switching an betrayal on both sides. At least one Heaven Dragon joins the Earth Dragons. One Earth Dragon (who can be considered to be the least violent) actually helps the Heaven Dragons through dreams. One Earth Dragon will risk his life to protect a Heaven Dragon.

• One Earth Dragon is “civil” to the Heaven Dragons when not in battle. In fact, in battle, if something intervenes with the fighting, he will be happy to call the battle a “draw” although this could be more for his own safety. In fact, in one episode, he interacts with one Heaven Dragon, even praising their powers, although whether this is patronising or not is another matter.

• One Heaven Dragon has more interaction with the Earth Dragons than any other. He actually agrees with them on points when it comes to their beliefs.

• One Earth Dragon actually wants to believe in humanity.

(Sorry but I’m not naming anyone. I don’t want to spoil it completely for you lol)

Both Dragon factions are surperb characters and sidekicks. They are what make “X” so powerful and something every true anime fan should watch (although I would advise any new “X” fan not to watch the film first).