GARO Special – Kouga’s evolution

SPOILERS!!!


We have to add very few things about his idealism and faith. His only doubt, a logical scepticism about young Rin skills, was banished after her first demonstration, and he will be able to entrust his life to her.

Chapter 1. Kouga has not been tolerant to Rin when she did not want to return to Kantai so early, and he dragged her along; he let himself go when she took his hand, but now he tries hard on speaking to her about their respective mothers. It will become a feeling of evident affection.

We see a great change in the development of the social aspect. Even though as much serious and elusive he still is, he finishes with a girlfriend -even though we knew it since before- he is among people in farewell time and, when Tsubasa says " we are in Kantai and we will do things in my way" he answers "we do things in our way": in his case, the use of plural uncovers a sort of consciousness of group.

His bumping into Tsubasa was unavoidable due to their pride, but he tries hard on being kind with Rin, and Garai, and it is clear that he gets along with Rei. Even dares to scold Tsubasa because he is so cold with his little sister. For him, you can not behave like this with those people you love.

But Kouga’s case goes beyond.

Chapter 2. Even though at first he himself is not much courteous to Rin, we can not disregard his great alarm, very emotional when, after finishing their first fight against Lègules, Kouga runs to her side and see her hurt by the demoniac blood.

In this scene, even Jabi has been forgotten, though she was a bit hurt too and was closer to him. Is he rmembering Kaoru’s case through the young Rin?

But there is another possibility. If we accept that the relationship between he and Jabi was a sort of continuation of the one that they had as being children, look at his reaction when he sees her after taking her from the magical tree –his brighting face– and when he knows, perhaps telepathically, that has gone out of saving Rin and surviving, and he pronounces her name. It looks like a very deep friendship. We also remember how he was affected |in the series -chapter 18- when was noticed about the dead of the Makai priest Amon. We might conclude that Kouga is a man of some few friends, but very good ones, and he is ready to do everything for them.

Certainly, this allows us to ask why such a powerful defensive barrier –his closed nature– turned up. Perhaps he thought that this emotional capacity made him vulnerable. Suture against the loss of his parents? We aimed the importance of this factor at the comments about the series, but we did not say anything about a possible emotional past of him, led to be interrupted before or after his father’s dead. Did he lose anybody else?

A friend of mine thinks that between Kouga and Jabi had something more than a childhood friendship, and we have seen already there are some scenes supporting such a theory. Thus, it would make some sense Jabi’s violent reaction as they met in the series, accusing him of letting her to win when they played -chapter 18-, and her sweeter reaction afterwards too. Did one of them break up? Did either person or circumstance split them apart, and things kept on cooling in the time? The poor boy must have panic of losing also Kaoru. How can we not understand his first incapability of accepting his feelings towards her!

We can not answer any question made here but, oh yes, there was an emotional past for Kouga, blocked, and retrieved since he fell in love. It looks that for him, friendship and love can be equally intense, only different in nuance.

Chapter 2. In the two chapters of the special we have attended some details telling us that Koga is still in love. When at last Kaoru comes back, we feel comforting to see he has learned of his feelings. Enough about of taking her wrist and dragging her along: now he waits for her to want to go with him.


Thanks very much for the screenshots, Radix.