Hii! I read some of your written thoughts about Atsu/Oyuki a while ago, especially what you wrote here, I loved your observations! And I was wondering if you'd be willing to share a little more about how you see them and how you see their relationship/dynamic? Do you see their relationship as romantic? Do you think it was intentionally written to be seen as romantic? (imo I find it hard not to have been, their flirting and chemistry is too obvious to have been a mistake lol) Do you think that, even after everything, Atsu grows to genuinely love Oyuki and genuinely care about her?
Hello there! I'm glad someone liked my observations💙
I see a big opening for Atsu and Oyuki there. Yes, it can be romantic for sure. And I do ship them.
Their chemistry is strong and it's not like Atsu would trust just anyone like that. She didn't trust even her own twin brother so deeply. And from Oyuki's side we see that she's completely focused on Atsu, extremely loyal and protective. She'd literally die for her.
I absolutely love the example of how Atsu sleeps deeply only around Oyuki because it proves just how much she trusts this woman. It's actually not JUST trust, it's way deeper because she also trusted Jubei enough to sleep through him leaving the camp. Yet, she was ready to stand up and fight if something happened. With Oyuki she allowed herself to drop her guard completely which is very unlike her. For 16 years she always had to sleep with one eye open, especially around men. She craved for rest, to the point of wanting to kill herself after everything's done. She didn't change her mind after she reunited with Jubei, she started changing it after she learned about Oyuki's past. Atsu started questioning herself, her motivations, even revenge. That's also when she started healing:
Yone: Wander on, my love.
Atsu: I will, mama.
And damn, Oyuki facing it all... 💙 Being there for her, by her side. Allowing her to mourn, helping her through it.
Atsu connected with Oyuki on personal level - through similar trauma. Which is something very Atsu-like because if you play a game you can notice a huge difference between Atsu with kids and animals and Atsu with grown ups. She connects best with kids and animals - vulnerable creatures, because she's also vulnerable and just hides it well. She also connects great with victims of all sorts of tragedies. She understands pain, suffering and loss. She knows how hard loneliness is.
Now, even before Atsu learned who Oyuki really is, you can see her dropping her guard down more often than not. Maybe because Oyuki stood up against Commander Fujita? She literally threatened him, which is something nobody has ever done for Atsu.
There's this funny scene where Atsu behaves quite like a child - I can't change my face.
That's also something Atsu never really does, especially in front of just met strangers. She had to feel safe to do that. And Oyuki took care of her in a way of guiding her through the whole plan, helping her understand why it's needed and how she could act nicer towards people in the inn. Without any criticism. If it was Jubei, Atsu would be like - hell no.
But the best connection from before Atsu figured out who Oyuki really is, would be the scene in the Dye House imo:
Yes, Atsu did say she was fine. But she couldn't control herself - her body betrayed her. Clear sadness on her face, shaking breaths... It's not like her to show pain and suffering. Yet, she had to feel safe to drop her guard down here. Oyuki noticed and once again took care of her in a way Atsu didn't refuse.
Oyuki is someone that cares for people and Atsu clearly feels it. It's visible even from years back. Not many people noticed, but at the night of the burning tree, Oyuki wasn't forceful towards Atsu. She actually comforted her, by making soothing circles with her hand at Atsu's back and arm:
Atsu refused to leave her mother, even tho Oyuki was trying to take her away so she wouldn't see the execution. Oyuki was trying to protect and then save her, knowing she'll pay for that herself. Atsu didn't remember that part, but once she did and learned about Oyuki's past and what were the consequences for freeing her all those years back... That was the moment Atsu started to feel for Oyuki and became protective and defensive over her too, even against Jubei.
When Atsu saves Oyuki from Saito, you can see and hear she's close to tears. She was desperate to save her too because she knew what Saito did to her in the past and was afraid something even worse could've happened this time. She blames herself for allowing Oyuki to end up in his hands again and her reaction is way stronger than the one she had in front of Jubei. She's literally shaking and when Oyuki tells her she doesn't need to apologize, Atsu needs a moment to collect herself before she says - let's go home. And here's an important thing - home. No longer "my family's homestead", not "my home" either. Just home - Atsu sees Oyuki as family at this point.
You can clearly see it was all planned and intentional. There's a growth even tho Atsu always felt safe and comfortable around Oyuki.
Also, Oyuki's VA had a live stream 2 days ago and was asked about Atsu and Oyuki's relationship, how it was described behind the scenes. And she said Oyuki was described like "older sister" 😏 Devs defo knew what they were doing there 😏
Their relationship is one of those unique ones in my book. Developed with a good pacing and understanding of both of the characters.
Oyuki clearly at least visits Atsu and Kiku after the game ends. She cares for both of them deeply and I'm sure she's helping Atsu get through another loss because it's clear Atsu isn't alright - seeing Jubei instead of Kiku is a proof of that. She keeps her face in front of Kiku but she doesn't need to do the same in front of Oyuki. And both of them know that.
I actually headcanon Oyuki living there with them (there are some things around the estate that suggest it - like 2 bottles of sake and 2 cups, 3 futons) and leaving only to play at one of the inns. I also bet she checks up on what's left of Saito's men, to make sure Atsu and Kiku are safe.
