In Defense of Tate Yuuichi [Mai-HiME anime]

Not to be confused with ookamidesu's Tate Analysis thread: Dye's Psycho-Analysis of Tate Yuichi, This thread will serve more as a beacon of praise for Yuuichi's character. If there's any positives about the dude you can think of, list them here.

The basics. In the past, whenever someone mentions Tate in our fandom, the casual Mai-HiME fan immediately thinks of this:



Oh yeah, the big doofus with diesel sideburns who's always staring at Mai's chest and is so totally useless. Mai should turn gay immediately because this guy is ASS! *ahem* Harsh generalization, huh? I wonder how the very few Tate fans feel deep down inside? Now I'm no major fan of Tate in the Mai-HiME anime since his role was purposely set to be a male-in-distress. I know times have changed, but the guy can supposedly fight. He should of been a lot more badass than someone like Takumi Tokiha. However, like Takumi, Tate stood on the sidelines. I'm glad this was fixed in the underrated manga series.


Mai-HiME Episode 11: "Dance of Light and Darkness"
"Hikari to Yami no Rondo" (光と闇の輪舞(ロンド))

Tate constant worry for Mai is quite admirable and a tad foolish. Is Mai Tokiha worth all those headaches? He recently met the girl and already he has quite an appetite for her. Really, guys are just protective of their women. It's the sign of a gentleman (and a pimp .p ), so I can understand strong his concern for Miss Tokiha. He eventually got confirmation that Mai had something to do with all the Orphans running around Fuka Academy, whoever felt he should of "backed off" is full of shit. ^^; His feelings for Mai at that point were so strong that it rivaled Reito's dormant desires and Shiho's clingy affections.




Mai-HiME Episode 16: "A High School Girl ☆ Soars To the Heavens"
"Ama Kakeru ﾐ☆ Jōshikōsei" (天翔ける ﾐ☆ 女子高生)

It never hurts to ask, right? Not when you're Yuuichi-san! In Episode 16, the poor guy stumbles across the concealed battle between the HiME and The Searrs Foundation. It takes a lot of testicular fortitude to step into a HiME battle and offer assistance to the good guys...girls. Natsuki Kuga (look at her face in the first shot. It's like GRRRAWR XDDDD ) pretty much tells him to fuck off, reminding him that he is more useless than a frozen eraser. You have to admire his efforts though, he obviously cares for Mai's friends. If a dude cares for the girl AND the girl's buddies, you know he is a real man's man.


Mai-HiME Episode 26: "Shining ☆ Days"
(Shining ☆ Days)

On the grandest stage of all HiME battle; Mai Tokiha battles Evil Mikoto Minagi. During the battle, Tate is revived (thanks Mashiro, we love you!) to step in and take Reito Kanzaki head on for Mai's safety. Really? Really? REALLY!? Are we even gonna question this ship any longer? I think Mai's reaction says it all:



TatMai had feelings for each other as the episodes continued to pile up. Showing how much their relationship (as friends) has evolved since the days of boob staring. Yes, I still stand by what I said about the last episode being lackluster because of the Reito vs. Tate fight, but that is judging that moment as a battle. The actual act of bravery on the part of Tate shows he is willing to die for the person he treasures most.

:) Only a few examples of Tate's good points. If you have anything positive to say about Mr. Sideburns, do so below!

i like Tate. hence my username afterall. i've said a bunch of stuff in the other thread that Dye made, so i figure i'll just hang around here and see what happens i for one, agree with pretty much everything Tate did. not particularly because it was right in the gran scheme of things, but because he felt it was right at the time. and i am much like that.

and besides, what guy can't help but looking at a pair of boobs like Mai's? especially when soaking wet... *shakes off perve face* ahem... anyways...

Luu I once again cannot thank you enough for doing this. I'd say more about how grateful I am but I'd be getting too off topic. So I'll add to it.

One other thing to mention about Yuuichi is in episode one when Mai was tearing apart her cabin room looking for Takumi's pills while Mikoto and Natsuki were tearing apart the ferry. It was Yuuichi who found said pills and she told him to get them to Takumi and she was trusting him. Cut to the next episode when Mai was poking fun at Yuuichi for basically being the student council's lackey we see that Takumi does indeed have his pills. The very pills he needs to get by every day.

This isn't the first time that Yuuichi has helped out Takumi. In the ep where he, Mai, Reito and Takumi are getting chairs for the festival and once they've all fallen into the floor due to Mai trying to throttle Yuuichi for his joke,<Granted I did like the brief scene of Mai throwing her arms around Yuuichi when she was scared> Once down in the hole, cue another Orphan battle and everyone's running for their lives, Mai is with Reito and Yuuichi is trying to get Takumi out of there and to safety. If he was as bad as the fans make him out to be, he'd have probably said "Screw this" and left him to die, but he didn't.

and, his greatest CMOA: He died. He willingly accepted his death just so that the two most important people in his life would stop trying to kill one another, and to add to it he smiles while he dies, almost as if he was trying to reassure Mai one last time that it was alright that he died and that she didn't need to worry or cry over him.

I'm going to marathon the series in a few weeks or so so I may wind up coming up with a few other moments as well. I'd mention a few scenes that more or less show that Mai does indeed love Yuuichi but we're here to defend the man himself so I'll save those for another time.

hildebrant wrote:Luu I once again cannot thank you enough for doing this. I'd say more about how grateful I am but I'd be getting too off topic. So I'll add to it.

One other thing to mention about Yuuichi is in episode one when Mai was tearing apart her cabin room looking for Takumi's pills while Mikoto and Natsuki were tearing apart the ferry. It was Yuuichi who found said pills and she told him to get them to Takumi and she was trusting him. Cut to the next episode when Mai was poking fun at Yuuichi for basically being the student council's lackey we see that Takumi does indeed have his pills. The very pills he needs to get by every day.

This isn't the first time that Yuuichi has helped out Takumi. In the ep where he, Mai, Reito and Takumi are getting chairs for the festival and once they've all fallen into the floor due to Mai trying to throttle Yuuichi for his joke,<Granted I did like the brief scene of Mai throwing her arms around Yuuichi when she was scared> Once down in the hole, cue another Orphan battle and everyone's running for their lives, Mai is with Reito and Yuuichi is trying to get Takumi out of there and to safety. If he was as bad as the fans make him out to be, he'd have probably said "Screw this" and left him to die, but he didn't.

and, his greatest CMOA: He died. He willingly accepted his death just so that the two most important people in his life would stop trying to kill one another, and to add to it he smiles while he dies, almost as if he was trying to reassure Mai one last time that it was alright that he died and that she didn't need to worry or cry over him.

I'm going to marathon the series in a few weeks or so so I may wind up coming up with a few other moments as well. I'd mention a few scenes that more or less show that Mai does indeed love Yuuichi but we're here to defend the man himself so I'll save those for another time.

too true!!!! i can't remember many parts, as i am fresh off a Mai-Otome rewatch, but those are indeed good points!!

it was sad to watch him die, but it was almost empowering i guess (probably the wrong choice of words but whatever). the fact that he gave himself up to protect those who mattered most, that's not exactly a small thing.

Sergay Tate wrote:

hildebrant wrote:Luu I once again cannot thank you enough for doing this. I'd say more about how grateful I am but I'd be getting too off topic. So I'll add to it.

One other thing to mention about Yuuichi is in episode one when Mai was tearing apart her cabin room looking for Takumi's pills while Mikoto and Natsuki were tearing apart the ferry. It was Yuuichi who found said pills and she told him to get them to Takumi and she was trusting him. Cut to the next episode when Mai was poking fun at Yuuichi for basically being the student council's lackey we see that Takumi does indeed have his pills. The very pills he needs to get by every day.

This isn't the first time that Yuuichi has helped out Takumi. In the ep where he, Mai, Reito and Takumi are getting chairs for the festival and once they've all fallen into the floor due to Mai trying to throttle Yuuichi for his joke,<Granted I did like the brief scene of Mai throwing her arms around Yuuichi when she was scared> Once down in the hole, cue another Orphan battle and everyone's running for their lives, Mai is with Reito and Yuuichi is trying to get Takumi out of there and to safety. If he was as bad as the fans make him out to be, he'd have probably said "Screw this" and left him to die, but he didn't.

and, his greatest CMOA: He died. He willingly accepted his death just so that the two most important people in his life would stop trying to kill one another, and to add to it he smiles while he dies, almost as if he was trying to reassure Mai one last time that it was alright that he died and that she didn't need to worry or cry over him.

I'm going to marathon the series in a few weeks or so so I may wind up coming up with a few other moments as well. I'd mention a few scenes that more or less show that Mai does indeed love Yuuichi but we're here to defend the man himself so I'll save those for another time.

too true!!!! i can't remember many parts, as i am fresh off a Mai-Otome rewatch, but those are indeed good points!!

it was sad to watch him die, but it was almost empowering i guess (probably the wrong choice of words but whatever). the fact that he gave himself up to protect those who mattered most, that's not exactly a small thing.

It is sad indeed to watch Yuuichi die but its also one of my favorite moments to see him go out like a man and see Mai finally admit to him that she does love him. Its a heartbreaking moment that I watch over and over to see how his death affected everyone, not only Mai but we even saw Natsuki apparently hold back tears as she ran to embrace Mai. Indicating that while she and Yuuichi weren't close or anything, she too thought that was a painful moment for the both of them.

Recently, I think he looked kinda charming in the manga o_o; Especially the part before he summoned Kagutsuchi with Mai and ended up getting attacked by Mikoto

I jsut didn't understand all the hate, he is the typical shonen teen romance hero.

GAP wrote:I jsut didn't understand all the hate, he is the typical shonen teen romance hero.

Once I was in the same boat as you but eventually it was clear that the fans hated on him for the following reasons:

1. They hate him for the idea that he's getting in the way of the romance between Mai and Mikoto, and after the manga they hate him for getting in the way of the romance of Shizuru and Natsuki.

2. They hate him for not doing anything in the anime and being useless and not fighting, but at the same time they hate him in the manga for fighting and taking the spotlight away from the girls.

3. They hate him for stringing along Shiho and Mai and not being straight with either of them and causing alot of the trouble between the two girls and the resultant fight between the two and the attacks that Shiho caused to Akira and the others. I can understand and somewhat sympathize with this sort of thing since it was dumb of him to not take Shiho aside and tell her flat out that he only likes her as a friend but not as a lover and that he really wants to be with Mai but I personally think that even if he had told her this, Shiho still would have gone after Mai simply due to her own fragile state of mind and Nagi, as usual pulling the strings to get the girls to do what he wanted.

Thats all the main reasons I can think of for why the fans are out for his blood. There are others like how they think Reito is more charming than him or that he is just using Mai and is an evil manipulator that would string Mai along or other such nonsense. But this topic exists so that we can show Mai's man the respect and dignity that he rightfully deserves

I couldn't agree more with this thread and what everybody has said in it. =]

The only part I disagree with is the part about liking the manga. But that's because of Natsuki's manga character, and I think that topic (the manga, unrelated to Yuuichi) is for a different thread.

What I did like from the manga was Yuuichi. I especially liked how they elaborated on his backstory (about getting injured) and said that he recieved his injury when he was rescuing Shiho from some assholes who were trying to hurt her (which is very noble and cool of Yuuichi, and definitely puts him very high in my book). In the anime, I don't think they really elaborate on how exactly Yuuichi recieved his knee injury.

When I first watched the series, I didn't like Yuuichi. In fact, I hated him, really hated him. (Which now seems silly, to hate a fictional character so much.) I think it was partly because of some of the reasons that were mentioned earlier. My first impression of him was bad (I don't think oogling women's boobs is a very nice thing to do at all! =P). All I could do after that was think about how he upset Mai, and strung along Mai and Shiho. I also didn't understand his backstory, and thought he was unreasonably self-pitying for being all depressed and quitting kendo after getting injured. The main reason why I didn't like him is because I didn't take the time to get to know his character, and, (get ready for something totally stupid and unimportant deep here) I hadn't taken the time to get to know myself. All but one of the reasons why I didn't like Yuuichi can be tied back to things I didn't like (but hadn't at the time realized) about myself. I don't and have never oogled women's boobs (it may be hard to believe, but it's true), but I was leading somebody on (like Yuuichi was leading Shiho on) and I hated myself for it. So I hated Yuuichi. I thought he was indecisive. But really, I was the one who was indecisive. In addition, I had never suffered a really bad sports injury (until a year later), and didn't know how truly painful and actually depressing they can be. It takes a lot of strength to recover from a bad injury like Yuuichi did.

If I had gotten to know Yuuichi (which I did when watching Mai-Hime a second time) I would have realized that he's a great guy. I also don't think of Yuuichi as a "weak" character, like some people do, but that'll be explained throughout this post.

Hildebrant pretty much said everything I wanted to say about Yuuichi, but I want stress one of the points:

He died, in a very noble manner, for a very noble cause. (Reito even says so! Something like: "I wish you (Yuuichi) had suffered a humiliating end instead of a noble one like this...") He even tried to comfort Mai while he was dying, in spite of the fact that he was scared ("Dying is scary..."), and dying. Yuuichi realized what was going on, what he had done to in part to cause the mess, and he took responsibility for his actions. It takes a real stand-up guy to do something like that. It took him awhile to finally realize that he was unfairly stringing along Mai and Shiho, but he's human. Humans do things like that. Making mistakes is a part of being human. The point was that he took responsibility and fixed things. It took strength to do that.

In additon, another thing that I thought was cool was the fact that he went to see Natsuki in the hospital. If he was a bad guy, he might have just said "What do I care about a stupid friend of Mai's...." I thought that it was kind of him to wait by Natsuki's bedside until she woke up. Sure, he was at the hospital anyways, but he could have gone to get lunch or something. The fact that he waited by the bedside of a sick/hurt person he knew instead, shows that he's caring.

That brings me to another point: Yuuichi took responsibility for abandoning Shiho in the forest by taking really good care of her in the hospital. He was just trying to help his friends and his school when he left Shiho, he didn't know she'd end up getting hurt by a monster. A "bad person" would just say "Not my fault." and not even visit Shiho in the hospital, but Yuuichi felt really bad and responsible for what happened to Shiho, and even went the extra mile by really devoting himself to helping to take care of her. I think that this shows that he takes responsibility for his actions, and is a very kind guy.

If somebody can forgive characters like Natsuki and Mai for their flaws (Natsuki was pretty cold to Shizuru for most of the series, and Mai did go all psycho and kill Mikoto, (but Natsuki was dealing with her own problems, and she confronts Shizuru at the end, and Mai did think that Mikoto had killed Takumi...)), why can't they forgive Yuuichi for his flaws? The moments when he wasn't particularly kind, caring, and responsible can be explained by the fact that he's human. Like all the characters are. Like all the fans of Mai-Hime are. And, in addition to that, he's a teenager. God help teenagers. Life can be pretty sucky for them. Those kids don't understand themselves nor the world around them. They just try their best. I know this, because I'm a teenager. =P =]

In conclusion (finally, right? You guys must be tired of reading this!) I think that Yuuichi is a genuinely kind, caring, and great guy. =]

MissSoccerNinja wrote:I couldn't agree more with this thread and what everybody has said in it. =]

The only part I disagree with is the part about liking the manga. But that's because of Natsuki's manga character, and I think that topic (the manga, unrelated to Yuuichi) is for a different thread.

What I did like from the manga was Yuuichi. I especially liked how they elaborated on his backstory (about getting injured) and said that he recieved his injury when he was rescuing Shiho from some assholes who were trying to hurt her (which is very noble and cool of Yuuichi, and definitely puts him very high in my book). In the anime, I don't think they really elaborate on how exactly Yuuichi recieved his knee injury.

When I first watched the series, I didn't like Yuuichi. In fact, I hated him, really hated him. (Which now seems silly, to hate a fictional character so much.) I think it was partly because of some of the reasons that were mentioned earlier. My first impression of him was bad (I don't think oogling women's boobs is a very nice thing to do at all! =P). All I could do after that was think about how he upset Mai, and strung along Mai and Shiho. I also didn't understand his backstory, and thought he was unreasonably self-pitying for being all depressed and quitting kendo after getting injured. The main reason why I didn't like him is because I didn't take the time to get to know his character, and, (get ready for something totally stupid and unimportant deep here) I hadn't taken the time to get to know myself. All but one of the reasons why I didn't like Yuuichi can be tied back to things I didn't like (but hadn't at the time realized) about myself. I don't and have never oogled women's boobs (it may be hard to believe, but it's true), but I was leading somebody on (like Yuuichi was leading Shiho on) and I hated myself for it. So I hated Yuuichi. I thought he was indecisive. But really, I was the one who was indecisive. In addition, I had never suffered a really bad sports injury (until a year later), and didn't know how truly painful and actually depressing they can be. It takes a lot of strength to recover from a bad injury like Yuuichi did.

If I had gotten to know Yuuichi (which I did when watching Mai-Hime a second time) I would have realized that he's a great guy. I also don't think of Yuuichi as a "weak" character, like some people do, but that'll be explained throughout this post.

Hildebrant pretty much said everything I wanted to say about Yuuichi, but I want stress one of the points:

He died, in a very noble manner, for a very noble cause. (Reito even says so! Something like: "I wish you (Yuuichi) had suffered a humiliating end instead of a noble one like this...") He even tried to comfort Mai while he was dying, in spite of the fact that he was scared ("Dying is scary..."), and dying. Yuuichi realized what was going on, what he had done to in part to cause the mess, and he took responsibility for his actions. It takes a real stand-up guy to do something like that. It took him awhile to finally realize that he was unfairly stringing along Mai and Shiho, but he's human. Humans do things like that. Making mistakes is a part of being human. The point was that he took responsibility and fixed things. It took strength to do that.

In additon, another thing that I thought was cool was the fact that he went to see Natsuki in the hospital. If he was a bad guy, he might have just said "What do I care about a stupid friend of Mai's...." I thought that it was kind of him to wait by Natsuki's bedside until she woke up. Sure, he was at the hospital anyways, but he could have gone to get lunch or something. The fact that he waited by the bedside of a sick/hurt person he knew instead, shows that he's caring.

That brings me to another point: Yuuichi took responsibility for abandoning Shiho in the forest by taking really good care of her in the hospital. He was just trying to help his friends and his school when he left Shiho, he didn't know she'd end up getting hurt by a monster. A "bad person" would just say "Not my fault." and not even visit Shiho in the hospital, but Yuuichi felt really bad and responsible for what happened to Shiho, and even went the extra mile by really devoting himself to helping to take care of her. I think that this shows that he takes responsibility for his actions, and is a very kind guy.

If somebody can forgive characters like Natsuki and Mai for their flaws (Natsuki was pretty cold to Shizuru for most of the series, and Mai did go all psycho and kill Mikoto, (but Natsuki was dealing with her own problems, and she confronts Shizuru at the end, and Mai did think that Mikoto had killed Takumi...)), why can't they forgive Yuuichi for his flaws? The moments when he wasn't particularly kind, caring, and responsible can be explained by the fact that he's human. Like all the characters are. Like all the fans of Mai-Hime are. And, in addition to that, he's a teenager. God help teenagers. Life can be pretty sucky for them. Those kids don't understand themselves nor the world around them. They just try their best. I know this, because I'm a teenager. =P =]

In conclusion (finally, right? You guys must be tired of reading this!) I think that Yuuichi is a genuinely kind, caring, and great guy. =]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Nice catch on mentioning Yuuichi waiting by Natsuki's bedside like that and mentioning how yuuichi's death was a noble way to go out. You know reading all of that makes me feel a little better in knowing that there are people out there that can stop hating Yuuichi and in turn grow to like him and see just what a good guy he really is. Thanks MSN and everyone else for contributing to this topic and showing Yuuichi some kindness and respect.

hildebrant wrote:
Couldn't have said it better myself. Nice catch on mentioning Yuuichi waiting by Natsuki's bedside like that and mentioning how yuuichi's death was a noble way to go out. You know reading all of that makes me feel a little better in knowing that there are people out there that can stop hating Yuuichi and in turn grow to like him and see just what a good guy he really is. Thanks MSN and everyone else for contributing to this topic and showing Yuuichi some kindness and respect.

No problem! =]

MissSoccerNinja wrote:The only part I disagree with is the part about liking the manga. But that's because of Natsuki's manga character, and I think that topic (the manga, unrelated to Yuuichi) is for a different thread.

In the anime, I don't think they really elaborate on how exactly Yuuichi recieved his knee injury

Nobody said that they liked the manga, just saying :]

He had a knee injury? o_o

Chie-sama wrote:Nobody said that they liked the manga, just saying :]

He had a knee injury? o_o

Haha ok. I guess I misinterpreted some of the things that were said. =]

Yeah, in the anime, Yuuichi quit kendo after he injured his knee. (I'm 99% sure it was his left knee.) He was good at kendo, which was why Takeda kept trying to convince him to rejoin the Fuuka kendo team. I would assume that Yuuichi injured his knee during kendo, but how he recieved the injury was never explicitly stated.

MissSoccerNinja wrote:Haha ok. I guess I misinterpreted some of the things that were said. =]

Yeah, in the anime, Yuuichi quit kendo after he injured his knee. (I'm 99% sure it was his left knee.) He was good at kendo, which was why Takeda kept trying to convince him to rejoin the Fuuka kendo team. I would assume that Yuuichi injured his knee during kendo, but how he recieved the injury was never explicitly stated.

I wonder how did he manage to run in the anime with the knee injury :0 He did run somewhere when Searrs took over Fuuka right?

Chie-sama wrote:I wonder how did he manage to run in the anime with the knee injury :0 He did run somewhere when Searrs took over Fuuka right?

Yeah, I definitely remember him running a lot, like when Searrs attacked the school, and when he ran from the hospital to the Fuuka chapel when he realized that he cared most about Mai (and he saved Mai from being killed by Sister Yukariko's child). I'm not sure about this, but for some reason I remember it being said in the show that Yuuichi's knee had fully recovered physically (and that it was just his mind and attitude towards life and kendo that was still hurting from the injury) (Which was why Takeda was trying so hard to get Yuuichi to rejoin the kendo team). I know that, in real life, it takes awhile to recover from a severe knee injury, but it's possible to recover. I continued playing soccer (which involves a lot of jogging, running, sprinting, cuts, turns and footwork) after my knee injury.

Chie-sama wrote:

MissSoccerNinja wrote:The only part I disagree with is the part about liking the manga. But that's because of Natsuki's manga character, and I think that topic (the manga, unrelated to Yuuichi) is for a different thread.

In the anime, I don't think they really elaborate on how exactly Yuuichi recieved his knee injury

Nobody said that they liked the manga, just saying :]

He had a knee injury? o_o

Its never outright stated that he had a knee injury. The only thing we have to go by is when he and Mai are talking in the rain we see Tate look down at his knee in an almost sad look, everything is is just speculation

MissSoccerNinja wrote:

Chie-sama wrote:I wonder how did he manage to run in the anime with the knee injury :0 He did run somewhere when Searrs took over Fuuka right?

Yeah, I definitely remember him running a lot, like when Searrs attacked the school, and when he ran from the hospital to the Fuuka chapel when he realized that he cared most about Mai (and he saved Mai from being killed by Sister Yukariko's child). I'm not sure about this, but for some reason I remember it being said in the show that Yuuichi's knee had fully recovered physically (and that it was just his mind and attitude towards life and kendo that was still hurting from the injury) (Which was why Takeda was trying so hard to get Yuuichi to rejoin the kendo team). I know that, in real life, it takes awhile to recover from a severe knee injury, but it's possible to recover. I continued playing soccer (which involves a lot of jogging, running, sprinting, cuts, turns and footwork) after my knee injury.

i have had injuries to both of my knees. i can still run just fine, and do alot of stuff. but constant strain on the joint does cause some pain. but in such situations as the ones where he was running, i am sure his mind would have been on other things and he wouldn't have even realised the pain.

also, i agree with everything that is being said about Yuiichi. alot of good points have been made!

Sergay Tate wrote:

MissSoccerNinja wrote:

Chie-sama wrote:I wonder how did he manage to run in the anime with the knee injury :0 He did run somewhere when Searrs took over Fuuka right?

Yeah, I definitely remember him running a lot, like when Searrs attacked the school, and when he ran from the hospital to the Fuuka chapel when he realized that he cared most about Mai (and he saved Mai from being killed by Sister Yukariko's child). I'm not sure about this, but for some reason I remember it being said in the show that Yuuichi's knee had fully recovered physically (and that it was just his mind and attitude towards life and kendo that was still hurting from the injury) (Which was why Takeda was trying so hard to get Yuuichi to rejoin the kendo team). I know that, in real life, it takes awhile to recover from a severe knee injury, but it's possible to recover. I continued playing soccer (which involves a lot of jogging, running, sprinting, cuts, turns and footwork) after my knee injury.

i have had injuries to both of my knees. i can still run just fine, and do alot of stuff. but constant strain on the joint does cause some pain. but in such situations as the ones where he was running, i am sure his mind would have been on other things and he wouldn't have even realised the pain.

also, i agree with everything that is being said about Yuiichi. alot of good points have been made!

Wouldn't he feel the pain after calming down and seeing Shiho slightly injured after a orphan attack? (Bet she killed it ;P)

hildebrant wrote:Luu I once again cannot thank you enough for doing this. I'd say more about how grateful I am but I'd be getting too off topic. So I'll add to it.

You're very welcome. :) It's free to use for all Tate fans to defend him with. Show the world he isn't bad, nor an idiot. :) What you guys have written so far was really true. The goal is to try and offer something lacking these days in any anime/manga discussion - perspective. We has it.

hildebrant wrote:

Chie-sama wrote:

MissSoccerNinja wrote:The only part I disagree with is the part about liking the manga. But that's because of Natsuki's manga character, and I think that topic (the manga, unrelated to Yuuichi) is for a different thread.

In the anime, I don't think they really elaborate on how exactly Yuuichi recieved his knee injury

Nobody said that they liked the manga, just saying :]

He had a knee injury? o_o

Its never outright stated that he had a knee injury. The only thing we have to go by is when he and Mai are talking in the rain we see Tate look down at his knee in an almost sad look, everything is is just speculation

hildebrant:It didn't? Hmm... I have a photographic/audial version of photographic memory when it comes to some things, and I could have sworn that I saw in the sub that it was said that he injured his knee... It's quite possible though that I may have just filled in a gap in the ambiguity of the sentence though (relating it to my own experience)... (Being that I'm a tad bit obsessive =P ) I'll rewatch the series (which may not be until awhile from now, with college work and all) and get back to you on that one. I'm interested to know now (and there's nothing bad about getting to re-watch Mai-Hime)! =]

Sergay Tate: I agree. I'm sorry that you've injured both your knees. That must have been really tough. :(

Chie-sama: I'm no expert in the endocrine system, and I didn't write the script of Mai-Hime, but my guess is that when Yuuichi saw Shiho injured, his adrenaline may have spiked again (numbing the pain again). I've gotten (minor) injuries in soccer games and not noticed until well after the game was over (most often even after I got home from the game). But, if the writers/animators of the show wanted to show that he was in pain from the old injury, they could have easily done so by having him show that he was in pain during a non-action part of the anime. I like to call lack of moments like these (and moments or concepts in shows that don't make sense) "plot holes". =P Or maybe the writers just wrote him as having an injury without understanding the implications. =P It's also possible that they just wrote him as having had an injury as a plot device/in order to set him up for becoming close to Shiho (she was the one who got him to come out of his shell after he got depressed/angry after his injury), and being able to fight Reito at the end (Yuuichi's really good at kendo) without having to show him kicking butt in kendo (they can just say that he's really good but he hasn't done kendo in awhile).

@ Chei: i agree with MissSoccerNinja on the pain thing. i have done things and had my knee not hurt for a little while, sometimes hours after the activity is over. sometimes it's a sharp pain, but most of the time it's a dull aching that i get that can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. it all comes down to pain threshold i guess. and given the extent of his injury, i would say that his pain threshold was increased from sustaining the injury (i know mine was when i messed up my knee).

@ MissSoccerNinja: it's all good. i am pretty scared to play sport again because if i push it too hard or get another injury i need a reconstruction, which costs $15k O.o and i can't afford that... not even close. but drifting fills in lol. just gotta keep moving forward

@thread: the adrenaline from both the fighting, and from seeing shiho hurt (which would have spiked it again i reckon) would have allowed him to not feel it at all i'd say. and even if he was feeling pain, he'd push through it even if it was blindingly bad, because that is his character. he will be there for those that matter to him, no matter the consequences to himself. that's what i think anyway.

Sergay Tate wrote:@ Chei: i agree with MissSoccerNinja on the pain thing. i have done things and had my knee not hurt for a little while, sometimes hours after the activity is over. sometimes it's a sharp pain, but most of the time it's a dull aching that i get that can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. it all comes down to pain threshold i guess. and given the extent of his injury, i would say that his pain threshold was increased from sustaining the injury (i know mine was when i messed up my knee).

@ MissSoccerNinja: it's all good. i am pretty scared to play sport again because if i push it too hard or get another injury i need a reconstruction, which costs $15k O.o and i can't afford that... not even close. but drifting fills in lol. just gotta keep moving forward

@thread: the adrenaline from both the fighting, and from seeing shiho hurt (which would have spiked it again i reckon) would have allowed him to not feel it at all i'd say. and even if he was feeling pain, he'd push through it even if it was blindingly bad, because that is his character. he will be there for those that matter to him, no matter the consequences to himself. that's what i think anyway.

I agree completely with Sergay Tate. That seems like that's the type of guy Yuuichi is. It's one of the things I really respect about him. =]

Sergay Tate: I'm really sorry your injuries stopped you from playing sports. :( You're right though, 15K is a lot! =/
I'm glad your still moving forward though! =] Drifting? As in racing? That sounds awesome! =]

hildebrant: It does say explicitly in the anime that Yuuichi injured his left knee. Yuuichi also says so himself (that he injures his knee).
Re-watching this moment really reminded me of how strong Yuuichi is, even through his uncertainty (like I said before, I don’t view him as a weak character). I thought that you (and others who read this thread) might enjoy this scene too, so, here’s the scene:

(Start description of scene.)

Episode 19: Labyrinth of the Heart
(English Sub from the My-Hime DVD Volume 5)

Yuuichi: “See ya.” (leaves classroom)
Random classmate 1: “Tate sure is devoted…He’s going to the hospital, right?”
Random classmate 2:”Yeah, he’s been going pretty much every day.” (Random classmate 2 talks to Mai, then after Mai leaves, he goes back to talking with other random classmates)
Random classmate 3: “That must mean that Tate and Shiho are together after all…even though he acted like he wasn’t into it.”
Random classmate 1:“Yeah…Even when Tate was going through his tough time, Shiho stuck by him.”
Random classmate 3: “Tough time?”
Random classmate 2: “Didn’t you know? Tate was actually…”

(Scene goes from random classmates to Yuuichi. Yuuichi walks up to Takeda.)
Yuuichi: (Sighs. Troubled, but composed.) “Captain…”
Takeda: (serious) “Tate…I came to hear your answer.”

(Scene with Mai and Mikoto)

(Scene goes back Tate’s storyline. A flashback, narrated by the random classmates.)
Random classmate 2: “Tate was an ace fighter and assistant captain of the Kendo Club…”(Picture of Yuuichi and Takeda with their arms around each other. Both are wearing kendo uniforms.) “…back when he was in junior high.”
Random classmate 1: “But right before the national tournament…” (Picture of Yuuichi sitting, Takeda kneeling beside him. People in kendo uniforms surround them. Yuuichi is holding his left knee and grimacing in pain.) “…he injured his left knee in practice." (scene focuses in on Yuuichi’s expression, he’s sweating and grimacing in pain) “It didn’t take long to heal…” (Picture of kendo equipment) “…but he lost interest in everything.” (Picture of Yuuichi in a middle school uniform. His expression is angry/angsty. His hands are stuffed in his pockets. Background of the image is smoky and dark.) “He became really moody…”
Random classmate 3: “He was kind of scary back then.”
Random classmate 1: “Yeah…Until the student council put him to work.” (Shiho appears by angry/sad Yuuichi)
Random classmate 3: “And while everybody else was avoiding Tate…” (Scene zooms in to Shiho looking up at Yuuichi while standing beside him.) “Shiho stuck it out and did her best to cheer him up. It’s only natural that he’s looking after her like he is.”

(Scene with Mai and Mikoto)

(Scene goes back to the scene with Yuuichi and Takeda)
Takeda: (Serious. Possibly angry/upset.)“Are you absolutely certain?”
Yuuichi: (Serious. Troubled.) “She might not…be able to run again for the rest of her life. And it’s my fault. That’s why…Ever since I hurt my knee…I’ve been confused about what my purpose in life is. But…for now… it’s only right that I stick by her side.”
Takeda: (angry) “So you’re doing this for her. Because you’re to blame.” (Slaps the bamboo sword he’s holding, onto Yuuichi’s right shoulder) (Says louder and more angrily) “But is that what you really want?! Will you swear it on the bamboo sword…that you staked everything on in junior high?”
Yuuichi: (looks up at Takeda. Expression weary but certain.) “Yes.”
Takeda: (seriously. Impassively) “…I’ll take your nametag down in the dojo…” (walks away)
Yuuichi: (looks at Takeda’s retreating back, turns to face him, and bows.) “I’m very sorry, Captain…”

(End Description of scene)

Another adjective to add to Yuuichi’s list: loyal. A truly admirable quality, in my book. The scene above clearly shows (at least to me) that Yuuichi is loyal.
On another note, re-watching this scene also gave me a new respect for Shiho. Her expression when she’s looking up at the sad/angry middle school Yuuichi is very caring, understanding, and patient.

MissSoccerNinja wrote:

Sergay Tate wrote:@ Chei: i agree with MissSoccerNinja on the pain thing. i have done things and had my knee not hurt for a little while, sometimes hours after the activity is over. sometimes it's a sharp pain, but most of the time it's a dull aching that i get that can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. it all comes down to pain threshold i guess. and given the extent of his injury, i would say that his pain threshold was increased from sustaining the injury (i know mine was when i messed up my knee).

@ MissSoccerNinja: it's all good. i am pretty scared to play sport again because if i push it too hard or get another injury i need a reconstruction, which costs $15k O.o and i can't afford that... not even close. but drifting fills in lol. just gotta keep moving forward

@thread: the adrenaline from both the fighting, and from seeing shiho hurt (which would have spiked it again i reckon) would have allowed him to not feel it at all i'd say. and even if he was feeling pain, he'd push through it even if it was blindingly bad, because that is his character. he will be there for those that matter to him, no matter the consequences to himself. that's what i think anyway.

I agree completely with Sergay Tate. That seems like that's the type of guy Yuuichi is. It's one of the things I really respect about him. =]

Sergay Tate: I'm really sorry your injuries stopped you from playing sports. :( You're right though, 15K is a lot! =/
I'm glad your still moving forward though! =] Drifting? As in racing? That sounds awesome! =]

hildebrant: It does say explicitly in the anime that Yuuichi injured his left knee. Yuuichi also says so himself (that he injures his knee).
Re-watching this moment really reminded me of how strong Yuuichi is, even through his uncertainty (like I said before, I don’t view him as a weak character). I thought that you (and others who read this thread) might enjoy this scene too, so, here’s the scene:

(Start description of scene.)

Episode 19: Labyrinth of the Heart
(English Sub from the My-Hime DVD Volume 5)

Yuuichi: “See ya.” (leaves classroom)
Random classmate 1: “Tate sure is devoted…He’s going to the hospital, right?”
Random classmate 2:”Yeah, he’s been going pretty much every day.” (Random classmate 2 talks to Mai, then after Mai leaves, he goes back to talking with other random classmates)
Random classmate 3: “That must mean that Tate and Shiho are together after all…even though he acted like he wasn’t into it.”
Random classmate 1:“Yeah…Even when Tate was going through his tough time, Shiho stuck by him.”
Random classmate 3: “Tough time?”
Random classmate 2: “Didn’t you know? Tate was actually…”

(Scene goes from random classmates to Yuuichi. Yuuichi walks up to Takeda.)
Yuuichi: (Sighs. Troubled, but composed.) “Captain…”
Takeda: (serious) “Tate…I came to hear your answer.”

(Scene with Mai and Mikoto)

(Scene goes back Tate’s storyline. A flashback, narrated by the random classmates.)
Random classmate 2: “Tate was an ace fighter and assistant captain of the Kendo Club…”(Picture of Yuuichi and Takeda with their arms around each other. Both are wearing kendo uniforms.) “…back when he was in junior high.”
Random classmate 1: “But right before the national tournament…” (Picture of Yuuichi sitting, Takeda kneeling beside him. People in kendo uniforms surround them. Yuuichi is holding his left knee and grimacing in pain.) “…he injured his left knee in practice (scene focuses in on Yuuichi’s expression, he’s sweating and grimacing in pain) “It didn’t take long to heal…” (Picture of kendo equipment) “…but he lost interest in everything.” (Picture of Yuuichi in a middle school uniform. His expression is angry/angsty. His hands are stuffed in his pockets. Background of the image is smoky and dark.) “He became really moody…”
Random classmate 3: “He was kind of scary back then.”
Random classmate 1: “Yeah…Until the student council put him to work.” (Shiho appears by angry/sad Yuuichi)
Random classmate 3: “And while everybody else was avoiding Tate…” (Scene zooms in to Shiho looking up at Yuuichi while standing beside him.) “Shiho stuck it out and did her best to cheer him up. It’s only natural that he’s looking after her like he is.”

(Scene with Mai and Mikoto)

(Scene goes back to the scene with Yuuichi and Takeda)
Takeda: (Serious. Possibly angry/upset.)“Are you absolutely certain?”
Yuuichi: (Serious. Troubled.) “She might not…be able to run again for the rest of her life. And it’s my fault. That’s why…Ever since I hurt my knee…I’ve been confused about what my purpose in life is. But…for now… it’s only right that I stick by her side.”
Takeda: (angry) “So you’re doing this for her. Because you’re to blame.” (Slaps the bamboo sword he’s holding, onto Yuuichi’s right shoulder) (Says louder and more angrily) “But is that what you really want?! Will you swear it on the bamboo sword…that you staked everything on in junior high?”
Yuuichi: (looks up at Takeda. Expression weary but certain.) “Yes.”
Takeda: (seriously. Impassively) “…I’ll take your nametag down in the dojo…” (walks away)
Yuuichi: (looks at Takeda’s retreating back, turns to face him, and bows.) “I’m very sorry, Captain…”

(End Description of scene)

Another adjective to add to Yuuichi’s list: loyal. A truly admirable quality, in my book. The scene above clearly shows (at least to me) that Yuuichi is loyal.
On another note, re-watching this scene also gave me a new respect for Shiho. Her expression when she’s looking up at the sad/angry middle school Yuuichi is very caring, understanding, and patient.

It has been awhile since I watched the show and thanks for clearing things up for me. Yeah Shiho was at least patient with Yuuichi but as for her insanity, lets just leave it at Nagi screwing with her like he did everyone else. Thank you also for once again helping us on our quest to show the world that Yuuichi isn't as bad as everyone thinks he is. The more proof the better the case. Thank you once again MSN

hildebrant wrote:It has been awhile since I watched the show and thanks for clearing things up for me. Yeah Shiho was at least patient with Yuuichi but as for her insanity, lets just leave it at Nagi screwing with her like he did everyone else. Thank you also for once again helping us on our quest to show the world that Yuuichi isn't as bad as everyone thinks he is. The more proof the better the case. Thank you once again MSN

That's true. Shiho seems like an ok kid in Hime (which I think is a different case than the "Maki-Maki" Shiho in Otome...) aside from her insanity/obsession with Yuuichi. But the flames of that fire were just fanned out-of-control by Nagi and the whole Carnival... The Carnival caused more than a few himes to act crazy, out of character, and/or irrationally (in Shiho's case it'd be crazy and irrationally). Yukino, Mai, Shizuru, and Nao as well as Shiho.

No problem. =]

I like to diss on the character for fun, but Tate is a pretty solid character that is for the most part well written. The only problem I think he really suffers is being featured in a cast that main leads and support are almost utterly girls.(I only remember six guys from HIME, and once I reached Mai-Otome....)