Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”
As Golden Week comes to a close, you’ll start to see carp streamers floating above rooftops all across Japan. These are hoisted to celebrate Children’s Day!
Originally, the holiday was called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the Chinese Calendar. When Japan switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1948, the date was transferred to May 5th, after which it also received the name “Kodomo no Hi” (子供の日).
While nowadays the holiday is for all children, there is still a strong focus on boys. Before 1948, the date celebrated boys and men as a male counterpart to the Girls’ Day, Hinamatsuri.
According to an ancient Chinese legend, fish once tried to swim up a waterfall called Ryumon (龍門), or “dragon gate”. Out of all the different fish in the school, only the carp persisted and became dragons once inside the dragon’s gate. Their grit and strong will are now symbolized in the streamers that dance above the rooftops, as a wish for boys’ good health.
The father gets a black one, the mother gets a red one, the first son gets a blue one. If the family has more than one child, green and orange carp are added.
Some households also display a samurai doll or the samurai suit of armor.
But because we’re all otaku here, we have to add a little anime flair to the holiday! (˘ ▽ ˘) So why not tweak the tradition and display an armored Goku instead?
How time flies ( ´•̥̥̥^•̥̥̥`) I remember when he was a boy, flying around in a golden cloud!
Shounen anime, with its message of relentless grit and positivity, gives us the boost of energy we need when the woes of the adult world weigh us down. The characters all face harrowing ordeals, but they always find their way with a strong will and the power of friendship!
To celebrate, we have selected figures that best represent children’s resilience and youthfulness. We hope you enjoy our picks!
Digimon
In your group of friends, remember having siblings that made you wish you had a brother or a sister?
Like how there was something in T.K.’s eyes whenever he looked up to cool Matt onii-chan that made you wish you had an older brother…
… or how the way Kari happily reached out to Tai nii-chan gave you hope you could still be that cool older brother.
And then when you finally got the little sibling you wanted, you learned things weren’t as great as you thought. (´∀｀；) Sibling relationships are 80% fights over remote controls and 20% getting along well. On an optimistic estimate, of course.
Boku no Hero Academia
“MOOOOOOOOOOM” is a child’s favorite word, and its usage and length increase exponentially as you add siblings. (ง •̀_•́)ง ผ(•̀_•́ผ)
We’ll go off the trail just a little bit now to give a little nod to mother’s day. (๑・ω-)～♥” Mothers are (usually) the ones tending to the owies earned after a full day of fun, and also making these rambunctious kids apologize properly after a fight.
Mama’s boy Deku is a great balance to mother hen Inko. Her love spills into jittery overprotectiveness, but Deku’s steadfast wish to become a hero eases her anxiety. Emotional empathy is a power too!
Remove empathy and you get Bakugou: spoiled, selfish and savage. A skilled brat is still a brat. Like mother, like son! At least tiger mother Mitsuki takes responsibility for the boy’s poor upbringing and is now trying to rein in this wild child.
Not everyone is blessed with a good family, however. This is Shoto’s reality: he has the best of his parents, but receives the worst treatment from both of them. His heroism lies in learning how to accept all of himself and becoming a better person than his parents were. It is absolutely despicable to put such a burden on a young child’s shoulders. May Shoto rise above it all!
Hunter x Hunter
Speaking of the abhorrent things parents make children do for their twisted principles, let’s talk about Killua Zoldyck next.
When the family’s trade is rotten from the start, the only option is to leave it. Killua did, and now he can enjoy the freedom to be a child, stuff his face with sweets and cause mischief with Gon. His past catches up to him, but his true noble nature shines brighter!
Sometimes fate pushes people into their paths of heroism. Such is Kurapika’s story. Beneath the tough surface with which he protects himself there is a noble and kind heart that yearns for justice. This wish is countered by the trauma of losing his kind to poachers, causing him to walk a fine line between revenge and retribution.
When darkness threatens to engulf the souls of those two scarred youths, Gon’s warmth and friendliness help steer his friends back towards the light! The plucky enhancer is the head and the heart of the Hunter x Hunter squad. Not without burdens himself, but he doesn’t let those weigh him down.
Kimetsu no Yaiba
A hero that has similar traits is Tanjiro Kamado! Are the writers trying to draw parallels between them and dogs? Because that’s what we think when we see those two: loyal, always positive and a very keen sense of smell...
We must mention the demonic little sister who tags along, Nezuko. She is already the village’s beauty, but when it is condensed into this super cute look-up figure we. just. CAN’T. *dies of cuteness* ／(x~x)＼
Also available in the series are Zenitsu and a (human) Inosuke. Because you can’t have a shounen squad without a whiny comic relief and an absolute freak!
Jujutsu Kaisen
She shatters gender stereotypes with a squeaky hammer, and don’t you D A R E underestimate it. She is friggin’ strong and she is friggin’ pretty (redhead (♡ヮ♡) ).
OK, maybe she takes things a bit too far, but it’s a consequence of her unwavering self-confidence. Strong and girly are not opposite!
The whole Jujutsu Kaisen series is full of refreshing characters. One wouldn’t think that fan favorite Satoru Gojo with his nonchalant personality would make him a good mentor at all, but somehow he goes well with hardheaded optimist Yuji Itadori.
Nobara also has a lookup version, one that shows the sweet under the sadist. And Megumi is looking extra mopey with those sad puppy eyes… (◕ᴥ◕ᴗ)
We hope you enjoyed this selection!
Until next time ヾ(＾∇＾)
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