Name : Fujima Kenji   藤真 健司
Club : Shoyo High School Basketball Club
Year : 3 [last year]
Height : 178cm
Weight : 66kg
Hair Colour : Brown
Eye Colour : Blue
Fan-set Birthday : 12 August [Leo]
Playing Position : PG [Switch Point Guard]
Player Number : 4
Team Status : Coach, Manager, Captain
Items of note : Left-handed
Family : Father, Mother, Elder brother, Elder sister

Confident to the point of egotism, Fujima is the quintessial basketball captain, with gaijin good looks [i.e. handsome to the point of beauty]. Though shorter than all of his playing members, he nevertheless maintains full control of the situation, exuding power and authority, as well as a magnetic charisma. His team often look towards him for guidance, and treat him with a reverential respect. Fujima is incurably proud - hating to show any signs of weakness, but is also an honourable sportsman. In terms of on-court playing, Fujima is a faultless point-guard and player. Though perfectly capable of making baskets, he passes willingly and often if it improves the chances of the team - in short, he does what it takes to win.

Name : Hanagata Touru   花形 透
Club : Shoyo High School Basketball Club
Year : 3
Height : 197cm
Weight : 83kg
Hair Colour : Black
Eye Colour : Dark Grey
Fan-set Birthday : 17 November [Scorpio]
Playing Position : C [Soft Center]
Player Number : 5
Team Status : Vice-Captain
Family : Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Younger sister

A ‘superstar of the Shoyo Basketball Club’, Hanagata maintains superb control over the team in Fujima’s absence. Often selfless and self-sacrificial, he will stop at nothing for the team’s victory, even at physical cost. Hanagata possesses a desire to prove his worth to Fujima, but is ultimately dependent, as is the rest of the team, on his captain - with a respect akin to worship. Often neat and composed, he is nevertheless emotional at heart. On court, his lean, 197cm tall frame makes him an excellent ‘soft’ Center, fast and flexible despite his height. His trademark move is the ‘fade-away shot’ - a high-technique ‘three-pointer’ shot executed by throwing oneself back midair to create a ball path difficult to tap. Off-court, Hanagata is also an excellent scholar.

Profiling...FUJIMA KENJI

Family - Laying the basics
First, let’s try to figure out Fujima’s family background. This part is mostly extrapolation, please take with a pinch of salt.
What we know about the Fujima household :
Consisting of father, mother, elder brother, elder sister. As Fujima looks gaijin, probably first-generation mixed-blood. Mother is most likely Caucasian.
What we can thus extrapolate about the Fujima household :
A remnant from the post-war period, Japanese view of Caucasian has always been one akin to worship [thus explaining the Westernisation of the Japanese youth]. Not every Japanese gets to marry a Caucasian - the most common route is for a wealthy Japanese businessman to go on an overseas business trip/posting, and meet a nice Caucasian woman he falls in love with, marries, and eventually returns to Japan to settle. Logical conclusion - the Fujima household is rich. [A hypothesis backed up by Fujima’s unusual and expensive-looking casual clothes.] Furthermore, that Fujima is the youngest of the household suggests that he has the least responsibility, and is the most doted upon - merely a guess, but something that might go some way in explaining his egotism [to be touched on later]. Nevertheless, being part of a rich and influential household develops his sense of authority and duty - making him a natural leader. Furthermore, being a part of an influential household always comes with certain expectations, and the propagating of certain ‘legacies’.

The [2^nd] Original Bishounen
Slam Dunk, being a shounen manga, has an admitted lack of proper bishounen - it can be argued that Inoue Takehiko-sensei, for all his genius, won’t be able to draw ‘beautiful’ if it hit him in the face. Fujima isn’t so much beautiful [heck, even the girls aren’t truly beautiful] as much as devastatingly good-looking, but he’s sure as hell the closest to bishounen as you can get in Slam Dunk [after Rukawa, who’s the 1st original bishounen]. But let’s examine what’s going his way to make him so desirable.
1. Fujima is [half] gaijin.
Seriously, SD’s gaijin have a lot going for them - not the least of being big, eye-lashed eyes and nice brown hair. [If anyone remembers the Takezono arc after the Shoyo arc, Oda sure looked quite a bit like Fujima gone wrong about the nose.] In fact, across all manga, being gaijin or half-gaijin is a sure way to announce you’re hot stuff [picture Takagi Shimon, Sotsugyo M].
2. Above-average height guy among many way-above-average height guys.
It may sound silly, but it really does help. The other day, I was just appreciating a certain classmate of mine who is 184cm tall, and, damn, that’s tall. Of course, it takes a bit to realise that he’s only Mitsui’s height, and to us, Mitsui’s not that tall. After realising that most guys are around 167cm tall, I realised that even Miyagi, who’s always seemed a bit of a midget, is at least average. Damn. Fujima’s tall. But most of everyone else is taller. ^.^;; That certainly reduces the intimidation factor quite a bit.
3. He sparkles.
He does. One of the first things that I learnt stepping into animanga fandom is that you can always tell who’s the wonderstud of the series by the ‘sparkle’. ^.^;; Following that line, Fujima’s hot. [Of course, even if he didn’t, he’d still be hot.]
So the bottom line would be? Fujima’s drop-dead bishounen. Then again, we all knew that already. But does that mean that he’s a big-eyed, beautiful uke? Well. Big-eyed, yeah, but those are some steely big eyes. Those are the most assertive big-eyes I’ve ever seen, in fact. And when you come to think about it, they’re not so big, not all the time. So what am I trying to get at? Fujima’s not necessarily uke. He may be beautiful, but it takes more than that to make an uke. For example - Touma Seguchi, Gravitation. A 30-year old who looks like a 13-year old Quatre Raberba Winner. But seme to the core. I’m not saying that Fujima can’t be uke, but judging him an uke on looks alone may be a bad move.

‘Alpha Wolf’ - The Leader of the Pack
This area is almost unquestionable. ^.^;; Fujima is, without a doubt, the dominant figure in almost any organisation involving him. As afore-mentioned, he is a natural-born leader, the best in the business, and he knows it. Luckily for Fujima, the others know it too - everyone he leads just happens to be taller than him. ^.^;; His leadership is unquestionable, even other leaders such as Maki acquiesce to his reign. In fact, Fujima could be said to be a bit of a control freak - being coach, captain, and manager of the Shoyo basketball team is a lot of duty. One can gather that, when there is no one better for the job than he, he’ll take it, no matter how many jobs there are. His authority is assertive, and makes itself known, a matter aided by his great pride.

Manipulative
Definitely so. To the point that he’s occasionally quite a bastard. First, on the good side of this manipulation - Fujima obviously knows how to handle his associates. As Kogure has mentioned, he is the perfect ‘manager’. With his Shoyo-mates, he dominates them quite unquestionably - these are people used to his authority, obviously subservient to him. With new factors such as Maki and Sendoh, in the last all-star arc in the anime, he treats them on equal terms, acknowledging their power. Throughout all this, his magnetic charisma is a definite bonus - with a smile suaver than Sendoh’s, it’s hard to say no. Damn, he’s good. Furthermore, he does acknowledge hard work - taking in point the case of Hasegawa, where he neatly puts the nod on his continuous training.
However, he’s not always good. Sometimes, it’s quite clear that his careful treating of people is all related to the game - and the victory involved. Case in point : Hanagata. When Hanagata gets rather painfully injured by Sakuragi, we are treated to two seconds of FujiHana goodness. "Hanagata!" he says, kneeling by his fallen vice-captain to put one hand on the wound and the other on his body. Just as we fangirls over here are ready to swear that he really does care, here comes the clincher. They show his innermost thoughts : ‘We can’t lose him! He’s our key player under the basket!’. *groan* Oh you bastard, you. While on some level, Fujima probably is concerned for Hanagata on a personal level, his first concern and duty is for and towards the game. Perfectly understandable, but still saddening. Luckily poor Hana-chan will probably never find out.

Egotistical and confident
Other than his unquestionable authority, and his undying confidence that ‘We are the great Shoyo’, and his assuming of so many duties, we have the final assurance in the All-stars arc in the anime. Firstly, Fujima wants to offer his encouragement to Shohoku - the losers who trashed them. That in itself speaks for itself - he still considers himself better than them, proclaiming that ‘Shoyo will beat them next time’. This is further shown when Hanagata, upon having observed half the match, comments that their era seems to be over, whereupon Fujima says rather arrogantly : "True. But as long as Shoyo has me, we’re the best." Oh yeah. But, hey, he does have the solidity to back up that kind of claim, so his egotism and confidence definitely isn’t unfounded. [Heck, I think he’s the best, why shouldn’t he?]

Proud
Definitely so. Other than his authority and his confidence speaking for themselves, his strong pride is also an obvious characteristic. It can be best shown at the end of the Shoyo arc - his teammates are bawling right, left, and center, yet he tries so hard to restrain his tears, and finds it so difficult to thank Shohoku. Indeed poignant.

Sadist
Fujima certainly seems to have a bit of a sadistic streak, backed up by his total authority. His idea of encouraging his teammates is by smacking them a hard one on the butt. And you know it’s a hard one if well-trained basketball players are left gingerly rubbing their sore behinds. ^.^;; Furthermore, the look he imparts Hanagata after the smack in the anime is rather suggestive - seeming that, more than encouragement, it’s a subtle form of punishment for their unforgivable weakness.

Nevertheless, a nice guy? After painting him a bit of a monster in the previous paragraphs, it’s time to look at the other side of the picture. Does that mean that Fujima is mean? Probably not. While the courts and his duty probably brings out the impersonal worst in him, and he obviously considers himself the best, and is probably impatient with those who can’t keep up with him, Fujima is only human. This can be best shown by certain incidents. Firstly, his moments of indecision in the Shoyo arc. When Shoyo is losing, and his teammates look to him for guidance, he is at a loss for words. As hard as he tries, as much as he should have a solution, he cannot help. Later, at another team’s match, when girls come up to him for a handshake, he complies willingly. [This brings up another point - why is he so surprised that girls moon over him? Leads one to conclude one of two things - 1. With his natural authority, he doesn’t rely on his looks to bring others to his side, so he doesn’t think much about them. 2. Shoyo is a boy’s school. I mean, all the people in Shoyo uniform are male. O.o **Update : After rewatching the scene, I realised that he's not surprised at their offer, but their presence. He knows exactly what to do with them, so he's obviously aware of his good looks. It still supports the fact that Shoyo seems to be an all-male school though - he seems to be surprised that they're there.] Furthermore, he was nice enough [if rather egotistically so] to want to offer Shohoku his best wishes. What does this all say? Fujima’s probably a nice guy, but ruthless in the line of duty, with a rather superior air. Man, if he were born a couple of centuries ago, he’d have made a great aristocrat.

Lastly, the clothes which maketh the man
We see Fujima at least once in casual clothes - a light purple [sometimes coloured blue] intern-style ensemble [later, it morphs into a turtleneck, but same difference]. Expensive-looking, certainly unique, and quite quite tasteful. Reflecting, most probably, his rich background, and the fact that, no matter what Fujima might be, he’s most certainly different from everyone else. [**Update : After much agonising, I'm really not sure if the turtleneck is tasteful or not. But it's certainly unique.]


Profiling...HANAGATA TOURU

Family - Laying the basics
As above, let’s try to figure out Hanagata’s family background. This part is mostly extrapolation, please take with a pinch of salt.
What we know about the Hanagata household :
Consisting of father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, younger sister. Family name, Hanagata.
What we can thus extrapolate about the Hanagata household :
The family name ‘Hanagata’ is composed of two different kanji, ‘hana’ and ‘gata’. Without deeper reading, the words simply mean ‘flower form’. However, with slight research, one will realise that ‘hanagata’ traditionally means ‘star of the stage’ [which is why Altavista invariably translates it as ‘star’], or the theatre prima donna. The most common theatrical performance art in Japan is ‘kabuki’, ‘noh’ is also a possibility. Either way, it is safe to assume that Hanagata’s ancestors were reputable theatre performers. More than it, one will note that ‘Hanagata’ is a pretty traditional Japanese family name. That, coupled with his household demographics - they still reside with the grandparents - will suggest that Hanagata’s family is a traditional Japanese one. Furthermore, with Hanagata being the only male offspring in the household, and the eldest sibling to boot, this would suggest that his innate sense of quiet duty and responsibility comes from his role in the family. [This role also suggests that his family expects him to bear a grandkid to carry on the family name. Conflicts abound. ^.^;;]

Dr. Hanagata?
It’s undeniable. The first thing everyone notices about Hanagata is either his immense height - or his black-framed spectacles. The spectacles aren’t there for no reason either [has anyone noticed that, after they shatter, Hanagata’s play isn’t so aggressive? He declines to try for a rebound that practically everyone else is grabbing for, and his last [pathetic] shot is desperately indecisive. Of course, it’s just a thought.]. Though I don’t have first hand evidence of this, one thing I’ve gathered from quite a number of unrelated Slam Dunk sites is that, at the end of the series, as chronicled in some compilations tanks, one thing that happens on the Shoyo end is that Hanagata graduated with honours, being top of the form. I’ve also heard that he’s pursuing a study in medicine. This all just means that he’s a smart, smart boy. ^.^ [This could also go some way in explaining his pallor. While Kenji has an obvious excuse - Caucasian gaijin tend to have fair skin, and Rukawa sleeps all the time, why is Hanagata so pale? Maybe, other than basketball, he’s too busy studying to get out in the sun much. ^.^;;]

Fastidious
Hanagata is neat. It’s a small point, but it’s there, nonetheless. At the beginning of the match [especially in the manga], his hair is more or less immaculate, the slight center parting just so. At time-out, the first thing he reaches for is a towel.

Melancholy and reflective
A strange occurance, but true nevertheless. In almost every frame of the manga that Hanagata appears in, if it doesn’t appear after a scene of provocation, he looks a little sad. Just that bit melancholic. Why? Dunno. Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s true. Furthermore, unlike Fujima, Hanagata seems more prone to reflection and poignant thoughts. In the All-stars arc in the anime, he is the one who comments, with a bitter-sweet smile, that their era seems to be over.

Cool, self-possessed, self-assured
At the beginning of the Shoyo arc, Hanagata presents himself as a composed player, quietly confidently, hard to heckle, and a good deputy leader. An example of this would be when Hanamichi stalks up to him with threats of defeat, whereupon he looked unflappable and simply walked away. He trusts in his skill, certain that a techniqueless Sakuragi would not be able to beat him - displaying his own measure of pride. He calls the team together, encouraging them gently [as opposed to Kenji’s in your ass philosophy. ^.^;]

Self-sacrificial
That’s probably his best form of encouragement. >.< Akin to Shiryuu, Saint Seiya’s walking blood bank, Hanagata seems more than eager to sacrifice himself, most of all physically, having been knocked down at least thrice. In the former two times, he’s made it a point to smile and point out to his teammates that his injury means fouls for Shohoku, and that the great Shoyo cannot be beat. *cough* Hana-chan has a great future in sympathy politics, because, damn, the Shoyo folks are fooled every time. [To Fujima’s credit, he was flattened once, but he brushed it off rather suavely. The Shoyo folks were fooled by that too.]

Emotional
Despite his cool, calm, unflappability, he’s a pretty excitable creature. First, note the flashback frame in Book 24 - Hanagata Touru in Year 2, all 197cm of him, cheering enthusiastically on his feet. ^.^;; Pretty silly, really. Second, note end of Shoyo arc, particularly in the anime - he’s pathetic, he cries like he just got jilted. When the teams are meeting to ‘arigatou gozaimasu’, he has his arm desperately over his eyes. When Kenji finally gives in to the tears rather quietly, he’s still hitching. ^.^;; What can I say? Actually, it’s not so much that this vunerability is notable in itself, but that it’s a direct contrast to the image he usually presents. What, then, to make of that? A probable explanation would be that he is of an emotional nature, but familial pressure and conditioning ensures his levelheaded-ness. Furthermore, his height would have brought expectations of maturity within him since young, and possibly a slight ostracisation.

Lastly, the clothes which maketh the man
We see Hanagata at least once in casual clothes - a preppy red-checkered buttoned-up shirt under a long-sleeved cream cardigan. Frankly, we’re not sure what that says, other than that he’s obviously preppy and rather conservative. It’s rather confusing what he would need a cardigan for, though. O.o Doesn’t it get hot in the stadium? Fujima’s wearing short sleeves. Sure, everyone wears basketball jackets, but that’s different. That’s ‘patriotic’. And why a cardigan? I mean - a cardigan? O.o ...Did I mention that I love that cardigan?

**Update - Random Episode Analysis [Shohoku vs. Ryonan arc]
From a very heartfelt blog entry of mine [will be processed soon] :

'When life is at its darkest, one is driven to the strangest ways of revival. Mae and I just spent half an hour or so watching a 2-second long snap-recorded clip of Hanagata [Slam Dunk] over and over again, slow-speed forward, slow-speed backward, on pause, and just about every other video mode one can think of. [Not that we wouldn't do this at any other time, actually. It's rare to get a proper speaking about as decent as you can get clip of Hana-chan.] Did you know that his jeans are a bright-light blue, he sits with his legs crossed [i.e. one leg over the other in what most call the feminine style [as opposed to the masculine t]] and his hands on his knee, one wrist dangled over the other, fingers half-closed? [Of course, the real issue is whether you'd care.] Furthermore, old news reproven would be that his voice is really higher than Fujima's, and he regularly speaks quite softly, especially the ends of his sentences, and his eyelids are usually half-lowered, giving him a melancholic/wistful expression that's complemented by his voice and speaking habits. And his cardigan is still a kawaii sou piece of clothing.'

From Fujima’s Side...

At least friends
This is pretty obvious. Though Fujima is a bit of a loner, and obviously the leader of the gang, seeming quite superior, they nevertheless hang around together quite often, sometimes with Hasegawa tagging along. Amusingly, especially in the All-stars arc, neither Fujima nor Hanagata addresses the Hasegawa right next to them. If nothing, it probably shows that they are closer friends than the rest.

Superior - Surbordinate
As with the rest of the Shoyo folks and just about everyone else in the world, Fujima’s the boss. He tells Hanagata what to do and he expects his instructions to be followed.

Trusts Hanagata
To a certain extent. Hanagata has shown himself to be trustworthy, going to all lengths for Shoyo’s good, and has the skill to back up his duty. Therefore, Fujima is quite willing to trust him, going as far as to inform him of that. However, once signs of faltering are shown, trust schmust, Fujima’s first duty is to victory.

Uses Hanagata
Consequently, it’s quite true that he uses Hanagata for his gain - or in this case, Shoyo’s gain. It’s also quite true that he uses just about everybody, but seeing as their depth of trust is deeper, so is the ‘betrayal’. It’s just sad sad, if practical, to see his concern for the game preceding over his concern for Hana-chan. -.-;;


From Hanagata’s Side...

At least friends
As above.

Subordinate - Superior
Though Hanagata is a great player in his own right, he sees Fujima as his captain and his superior, looking to him for guidance and following his orders. [In a way, perhaps that’s why, even though he’s a Shoyo superstar, he’s never seen as truly superb. All the really great players acknowledged as such in Slam Dunk see themselves as the best. E.g. Fujima, Maki, Akagi, Mitsui, Rukawa, Sakuragi, etc.] Of course, Hanagata does seem naturally quite obedient.

Desire to prove his worth
Hanagata has a desire to prove his worth to Fujima, wanting to be dependable. It would make sense if this complex was a hangover from his familial responsibility too. *ponders* Too bad for Hanagata, he is ultimately dependent on Fujima. ^.^;; Though this desire to prove his dependability seems a wild card in his obedience, it seems, as opposed to being a desire for leadership, to be a desire to prove himself a reliable second-in-command. Evidence? When Fujima comes on-court, rather than being reluctant to relinquish command, he seems rather ecstatic about it, as at least two adulatory gasps of ‘Fujima!’ will attest to. Furthermore, Hanagata often seems best as a support for Fujima’s moves - leading to some stunning combinations such as the Shoyo ‘alley-oop’ in the All-star arc. It is also interesting to note that, more than proving that he is of worth to Shoyo, he seems to be trying to prove that he is of worth to Fujima himself.

Worships Fujima?
*wryly* Him and the rest of Shoyo. But his constant gasps of adulation certainly do make him a prime candidate for head priest, as does his relative importance and his obediance.


Verdict

FujiHana
Based on all the data gathered above and in Character Analysis, Fujima is the obviously dominant character, with Hanagata playing a submissive support for his performance. [Furthermore, with Fujima’s desire for total control and his possible sadistic tendencies, it sets the tone for a slight master-slave relationship - an observation not made by myself alone, but also speculative Japanese fans, unbiased in their views.] It can also be argued that while Hanagata remains mostly devoted to Fujima, Fujima does not care as much in return - seeing Hanagata as advantageous in other fields. On the other hand, one can also argue that, as they seem closer to each other than anyone else, the association brings out a rare tenderness.

...or all the nasty little things I don’t really want to do.

Arguments for HANAFUJI
Well, the number one and just about all encompassing reason for Fujima to be uke to Hanagata - he’s pretty. And the number one and just about all encompassing reason for Hanagata to be seme to Fujima - he’s 197cm tall. Well, personally I don’t truck with HanaFuji, but these reasons seem to work for just about the rest of the world. Okaaay. In my opinion, the only way HanaFuji will work is if the ‘sasoi uke’ concept is in play - Fujima being uke, but calling the shots. [I’ve seen a TsengxRufus carried off like this before, and though I didn’t like the idea, I have to say it’s possible, and very well done.] In that case, HanaFuji will sorta work. But I still don’t truck with it. What I truly don’t believe in is Fujima being a big-eyed beautiful soft baby uke. That’s practically insulting his intelligence. >.< That’s not Fujima! If he’s going to be uke, he should in the least be a strong one. [Yep, I’ve seen that done too, and I respect that. But I still don’t truck with it. ^.^;;]

FUJIMA’s other rendevous...

Fujima with Maki
Popular, but I think less credible than Fujima with Hanagata. Nevertheless, a pairing with some basis to it, and probably grounds for some interesting powerplay. They do respect each other on a professional basis, and it could lead to a raunchy something more. However, I also don’t truck with it.

Fujima with Miyagi
With even less credibility than the above. I don’t think this really works. I mean, they were one-shot rivals. O.o Well, there’s always flash-in-the-pan attraction. [Of course, I don’t truck with it either.]

Fujima with Sendoh
Kinda like the above. These guys worked well together once. A bit of doubtful reasoning for a long-lasting relationship, though you could say ‘first-sparks’ and all, but I think they just acknowledged each other's skill, that’s all. And I am a SenKosh supporter, another relationship I think has almost canon basis.

Fujima with anybody else
Er. Well, I don’t know. Who else is there that he’s talked to?


HANAGATA’s other rendevous...

Hanagata with anybody else
Well, there was this *cough* disturbing portion in the Shoyo arc where Akagi, Sakuragi, and Rukawa were just about ready to massacre Hanagata...and the subtitlers translating Sakuragi’s wrath as ‘That damn megane! I’m going to eat him up!’ was probably a *cough* bad call... But all things aside, I think if there’s anybody in Slam Dunk Hanagata is and will ever be interested in, it’s probably Fujima and no one else.


WILD cards...

The Hasegawa factor
I think someone in SDBC joked about HanaHase once. The result of that is that I have since then nursed an unforgivable burning hatred towards Hasegawa. Long periods of careful emotion-management has since eroded my hatred, and now I rather like the guy, if only as a plot device, or a foil, or some other literary prop. Back here - One will notice that Hasegawa is the other member of Shoyo people are expected to know. He oftenly hangs around Fujima and Hanagata too, and they have been, on occasion, seen talking to him. I don’t think it’s basis for any relationship with any one of them, especially seeing as, in the All-stars arc, they didn’t address him once.

y = mx + c
[I hope I got that right, I dropped maths the first chance I got. ^.^;;] Could our boys be straight? *shrug* Very possibly. Inoue Takehiko-sensei is, after all, a guy, and a shounen mangaka. Other than Kogure, who’s the closest to obviously gay you can get in Slam Dunk [no, I mean it. I tested out his behaviour and dress sense with very nice, sensitive guys, often suspected to be gay guys, and the results were still a general disbelief.], and MitKo, which, thanks to many hints and the ending animation for ‘Sekai ga Owaru Made wa’, I believe is just about canon, Slam Dunk isn’t really a shounen ai vehicle. Of course, it’s a not-shounen-ai vehicle filled with male bonding and male affection, etc, so just because our guys could be straight doesn’t mean they can’t be bi or gay either. ^.^;; In a way, that’s what yaoi fandom is for. Furthermore, neither Fujima nor Hanagata has shown any interest in girls so far.

Here, I’d like to introduce you to my deshi, or my FujiHana no Seito#1, also my apprentice - Mae[Hikou]. For the sake of keeping things straight, we’ll refer to her as Hikou, cause, damn, she gets rabid if anyone mistakes her for Vaerys Mae. ^.^;; Gomen ne, Mae-san! Hikou will keep me company here, ‘cause it’s finally time for me to let down my hair and ramble about the guys. ^.^ I’ve been objective for around 5000 words.

On the subject of FUJIMA...
Djinn : Damn, he’s cool.
Hikou : Bastard! [But KAKKOI!]
Djinn : Er. You know what I said about fixation on one particular point?
Hikou : ...He’s really very cool. ::nod nod::
Djinn : Basically, our impression of Fujima is ... he’s damn cool. I mean, he comes onto the scene and takes the team by storm, sparkles, smacks, and all! And his voice...
Hikou : Is deeper than Hanagata’s! Wahahahah!
Djinn : *cough* I was going to save that for later. No, I meant that his voice is perfect - not too deep, but deep enough to be suave and authoritative. I was afraid that they were going to take the Ogata Megumi-type route, but they sure surpassed themselves. ^.^! We’re so proud of the casting directors. I mean, Fujima is seriously cool, he’s just about as cool as Hikou [Rurouni Kenshin], who is just about the coolest anime character in the world. Fujima looks great, sounds great, acts great - what’s there not to like?
Hikou : In fact, he’s practically my idol. I want to be just like him! *brandishes whip*
Djinn : Er...Um. *backs away slowly*

On the subject of HANAGATA...
Djinn : Well. To my knowledge, I’ve only ever loved one other animanga character as much as I love Hana-chan, and that’s Crawford. That’s saying a lot.
Hikou : Since our list of animanga favourites reads a couple of miles and Crawford tops it, yeah, that’s saying a lot of a lot.
Djinn : Furthermore, much to his credit, I actually picked up on FujiHana first before I eventually fell hook, line and sinker for him. So my love for FujiHana was not born of bias. >.< Trust me. There were a lot of things I wanted to finally say about Hanagata, but now that I can finally say them, I don’t know what to say. -.-;; Firstly...um...personally we both call him Hana-chan most of the time, but we try not to do that in the presence of others because most people either assume we’re talking about Sakuragi, or that we’re crazy. I hate being presumptous, anyway, but it’s really quite punishing to have to constantly call him Hanagata. *sighs* I’ll also elaborate a bit about his voice. To say the least, we were pleasantly surprised when we heard his original Japanese voice. You’d think that they’d be tempted to give him one of those deep bass voices to match his height [a fate none of the other centers completely escaped], but it’s...really quite high. Higher, in fact, than Kenji’s. [I swear. I’ve burned down several tapes making sure.] High enough that he sounds absolutely adorable when he’s crying. ^.^-<3 ...You know, I really shouldn’t say so much about Hana-chan, cause I don’t want to take up another thousand words. The page is too long as it is. But I’ll also have to say that I love his eyes, and the way he usually looks so sad... In fact, despite the fact that it puts FujiHana at an unfair disadvantage, I also love his height - I’ve always loved tall boys, because their legs go on forever, and he’s pretty slender, so it does quite accentuate his figure and damn, I’m rambling, aren’t I?
Hikou : Yes, you are. Anyway, I love his height, but damned if he’s too tall for Fujima to kiss properly. >.< I bet Fujima hates his height. ^^;;;;
Djinn : But it makes him so gorgeous. *sighs* Ah well, before we reach a word quota, I’ll just conclude that - it was really his vunerability despite his defenses that attracted me to him in the first place. I always thought him an uke because of that, despite the fact that he’s 197cm tall. I’ve never believed in the height rule anyway. I believe that the way a relationship will go depends on the personality. I mean, look at my *mumble mumble never mind*...

On the subject of FUJIHANA...
Djinn : I’ve sold my soul to FujiHana.
Hikou : I worship FujiHana.
Djinn : That’s kinda putting it mildly. How can we explain? When we first entered the Slam Dunk fandom, the pairing we looked for was MitKo [which we still adore]. Shoyo, at first glance, was just a bunch of other guys not Shohoku. FujiHana was something we noticed only upon watching the anime [and then reading the manga] - the dynamics were right smack in our faces. It was just so obvious that we couldn’t help but pick it up, and once we were hooked we were really hooked. I hate being presumptous, so I worried - mainly because everyone else seemed to think that Fujima was a big-eyed beautiful uke... ^.^;; I worried so much I must have gone over the Shoyo arc [and later the rest of their appearances] a couple of thousand times over to make sure I was more or less right before I managed to convince myself that I was and that I was fighting for a just cause. I’ve gone through everything up down right left center and then some to justify things to myself, in the very least, and I came through hellfire purified. I believe. I know practically all the rest of the world thinks otherwise, but I’m not trying to make anyone else believe, or do anything about it, I just want to show that it’s true, or that it could be true, and that I’m not a raving lunatic, and if you don’t agree with me, in the very least don’t condemn me and say I’m wrong. I still get readily depressed over this issue [especially after seeing HanaFuji fanworks on the net. >.<], it’s really quite a desolate stand. Argh. It’s all here, my bleeding heart. This is the culmination of my logic, my labour and love. It’s hard to say anything. I don’t know what to say. It’s just as is. ...Bleah. I’m losing my mind. >.< You can just ignore me now. ^.^;;