Do you might know why Yuna D. Kaito real name is Cristaux similar meaning to Suishou the Angel in Kobato? I know Cristaux written in katakana is クリスタル and Suishou written in kanji is 水晶. Both meaning crystals, just wondering why Clamp choice of words given their names with similar meaning like that?
Dear anon, this is something that I also wondered about as soon as Kaito's true name was revealed! Because researching here and there, I found out that the word "crystal" can be expressed in various ways in Japanese, and so inevitably I came across the word 水晶 (Suishou) too, which, as you well noted, is the name of the beautiful angel in Kobato!
First of all, I have to make a correction on Kaito's true name: its spelling in katakana is クリスト (kurisuto - yeah yeah same sound of the word Christ in some languages 😆).
It's true that Suishou's name is very related to crystals too, and that initially raised my internal "antenna" for connections and what not, but then seeing the reactions of Japanese fans, I understood their names indicate two slightly different things. The word that better describes and translates Kaito's true name in Japanese is 結晶 (kesshou), which is the kanji used to indicate any crystal or the process of crystallization. I've seen lots of japanese fans saying "ah, so his name is basically 結晶" when reacting to the revelation of his true name.
On the other hand, Suishou's kanji 水晶 indicate the transparent, crystallized quartz. It is true that it is often used as a synonym for "crystal", but I feel like it's a more specific type. Very subtle, but there is a difference! We could say that 水晶 is a type of 結晶 .
I don't think there is a particular meaning behind the similarity; CLAMP love gemstones, minerals and co.! Think about Emeraude, or Fay D. Fluorite...After all, even Kaito's "fake" name hides the name of another gemstone: unakite! (Fun word play with the pronounciation of unakite in Japanese - yunakaito 😉 this was confirmed by Ohkawa herself in a CLAMP Space on Twitter).
