[Ronin Aquila]

All I can say is: Good relief that Kashimashi makes caraicatures out of Hazumu's father rather than a realistic portrayal.

Picture it: You are an Asian bloke who has broke his back for 14 to 16 years (the show dosen't specify WHICH high-school second year the characters are in) to raise your son, your only child in fact, with assured hope that your future desecendants will be of your bloodline.

Then LO and Behold, you learn that unless you and your missus try otherwise real quick, that hope has gone right out the window and over a decade of hard work to preserve your bloodline has been in vain.

Start flaming me if you like, I'm giving an honest assessment of how most Asian fathers behave. I am Asian myself, I should know.

Admit it, fellow blokes out there (I'm not speaking just to the Asian ones) who want to have children in the future: we will love all our children, regardless of gender.

But, even those who don't want to admit it at the risk of sounding "sexist" want deep inside to have a masculine offspring to pass on his legacy, and his father's, and his father before him. It is a debt of honor that an Asian man is obligated to pay on a cultural level. There is a reason why Asian Patriarchs, at their deathbeds, tell their grandsons they are the hope of the family's future. (I feel the flames of political correctness singing me already)

Even on a genetic and logical level, the X chromosome that the father provides to create his daughter does not even belong to him, but his mother before him. The Y chormosome that the father passes down to his son(s) would therefore be the only legacy of that bloodline having ever existed on this world. Once that Y dies with the son, so dies the bloodline.

Not to say that we as a race do not love our daughters, far from it. The birth, matruition and eventual rise to glory of any offspring is joyous indeed. But if you ever been in an Asian family, you'll see the cold look in the eyes at family gatherings towards the uncle who could have had a son, but does not even try. Leniency however would be displayed, thankfully, if further child-bearing would be hazardous to the well being and indeed life of the mother in question.

This selective privillige is not strictly a Taiwanese phenonmenon, as both Japan and European countries traditionally (and in some provinces still do) also give exclusive inheritance rights to the sons only.

Back to Kashimashi.

If Hazumu's dad was even a bit more realistic in his portrayal, the camera would have had a close-up to his face, with a twinge of dissapointment in his eyes. And rather than being as loving, "attentive" and accomodating as he was in EP2, he would still love her, but become colder, distant and aloof. Ironically however, Hazumu's connection with her mother would therefore porportionately strengthen.

It was therefore a wise choice on the part of the scriptwriters to circumvent this issue altogether, because entire episodes alone, if not seasons and shows altogether can be devoted to it, and that would detract completely from the romantic-drama-comedy core of the the narrative. Ikari Shinji would have an absolute field day with Hazumu if the show is remotely any more serious.

Phew, such a long rant.

Fire Away, I know that even honesty will get me flamed. Not like it has not happened before now has it?