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MAKO WITHIN
Mako is definitely an admirable person on the outside, but she
has a lot of inner qualities that make her even more loveable! This
will be a sort of all-encompassing look at Mako-chan, mostly based
on Anime, with some manga sprinkled in.
Strength...
Mako-chan is, without a doubt, one of the strongest of the senshi,
not just physically, but emotionally as well. Something about the
way she stands, her appearance, her poise, all of this seems to
exude the strength that she carries within.
Her physical strength was very apparent, even when little else
was known about her. Sailorjupiter is the strongest Inner Senshi,
and her towering height could intimidate most anyone. Mako-chan
had the strength to beat up three bullies that picked on Usagi,
and she was the one senshi who was brave enough to fight against
Zoisite alone. She did this in human form, just to save the life
of another human being, a person who was a virtual stranger to her.
And who can forget the occasions where the Senshi meet a grim
demise? "Why is she always the FIRST to die?!" is a common complaint
from Mako fans. As regrettable as it is that she always meets death
before the others, you have to realize that it's usually because
she sacrifices herself for the good of her friends. You can see
how emotionally strong she is to sacrifice herself so selflessly,
even when she knows that she may not make it out alive.
Independence...
Mako-chan has spent a lot of time fending for herself, in normal
life and as a senshi. She's been known to defeat her share of enemies
all by her lonesome, without any help from the other senshi. She
also has immense respect and admiration for Haruka, because she
admires the Sky Senshi's strength and independence. She lives alone,
without parental guidance, so she has learned to rely on herself,
and to let others rely on her. True, she does have great friends
that she can trust and take pride in, but when it's necessary, Mako-chan
has no trouble making it on her own.
Mako-chan had to learn self-sufficiency early on, since she has
no real parental guidance in her life. The manga establishes that
her parents were killed in a plane crash, and thus, suddenly, she
had to take care of herself, without her parents there to help her
every step picked up the skills that she needs to live through her
own resourcefulness, and is making life what she wants it to be.
Her independence was obvious, even right from the start, the first
time we saw her. She shared her lunch with Usagi, who commented
that Mako-chan's mother was a very good cook. Mako-chan corrected
Usagi, saying that SHE had made the delicious lunch entirely on
her own. Usagi looked a bit surprised upon hearing that. To see
this self-sufficiency in a girl, and at such a young age, would
most surely be surprising.
Femininity...
When looking at Mako-chan's power, strong wills, and that dash
of a temper that makes her fight for what she believes so strongly,
one might be led to think that she is all brute-strength and boyishness.
But, behind the tough, independent exterior, there's a girl who
knows what it means to be a woman.
Why does Mako-chan cook so well? She's obviously good at it. But
perhaps it is also a desire to become more feminine. Cooking is
one of those stereotypically "female" skills, after all! And on
top of that, she also dances and ice-skates, and is quite the natural
at housekeeping. Mako-chan is always trying to be that stereotypical
ideal of what is feminine and demure, but sometimes her strong personality
gets in the way of it. However, the '90s are all about strong, self-assertive
women, at least in America. Maybe Mako-chan doesn't quite fit into
the classical view of femininity, but from an American perspective,
strength is an asset to a woman's character. Of course, this is
a Japanese series, so that probably doesn't have a lot of bearing
on Mako-chan, but it is still something to consider.
Mako-chan has a lot of trouble seeing her own feminine side, which
is why she's always trying to do more feminine things. She feels
that she needs to be skilled at such things because she lacks a
certain feminine quality, even though Usagi has told her previously
that she's plenty feminine already! And her simple grace and beauty
is just another testament to the womanly side of her.
Power of Love...
Mako-chan has a lot of love to give, and she lets it show, sometimes
when it's less than appropriate! We've all seen her get google-eyed
over a cute guy too many times to count, and they all seem to remind
her of a boy she used to know...yes, it's that old "senpai" of hers.
And it seems like there's just a multitude of guys that she could
go for in an instant, so Mako-chan might come across as a bit frivolous
and flighty about boys. Truthfully, she takes love seriously, and
she wishes for love as much as any of the senshi, perhaps even more
than all of them. It seems as though she's been going the longest
without a boyfriend out of the whole group, so you can see why she
might feel a greater urgency about finding someone to love and be
loved by. Love is very important to her, and it's a big part of
the vision she has for herself in the future.
She not only wishes for romance, but has boundless love for her
friends. She wishes to protect all of them, sometimes at her own
expense, because she cares for them so. Her friends have become
a sort of second family to Mako-chan, she cooks for them and shares
her life and problems with them. Perhaps at first, it was because
she lacks a family of her own, but no matter what, they will always
be important to her, and they will carry her love with them in their
hearts.
(Doesn't that make you feel all warm and squishy? ^_^)
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