Ban/Ginji (Get Backers)

[pantswarrior]

Title: The S in Get Backers
Author: Andrea (mullenkamp)
Spoilers: Minor; basic character/setting information
Personal Website: Altistic



I can see it in your eyes. They've shown you things your soul can't handle. They no longer count on anyone. They've deceived you and you don't trust them anymore. I know, because long ago, I had the same eyes. But when I met Ban-chan, I realized... that all any of us need is one good friend to make life good again.
          --Ginji, Volume 2

I first discovered this series through a friend (angrybabble) who recced it on her LiveJournal. It's an action series, sometimes silly and sometimes dark and tragic, about two good friends who run the Get Backers retrieval service. They're hired by people who have had things lost or stolen, with the rather simple purpose of getting those things back. Sometimes it's as simple as going through the garbage to get a briefcase that was accidentally thrown away. Sometimes it's as complicated as bringing back someone's memories. Sometimes it's as large-scale as retrieving a high-tech device stolen from the government.

Ban and Ginji, the two main characters, are pretty good at this retrieval business, and boast of their (almost) 100% success rate. And yet no matter how many cases they manage to take, or how lucrative, they always wind up back where they started - which in their case means living in their car, mooching food off the sympathetic, and taking showers in public fountains.

At one point while describing Get Backers, my friend described it as a show where (to paraphrase) "someone is having a serious conversation about life and friendship and unhappiness, and the two main characters are super-deformed in the background fighting over pizza." Well, I wasn't even a big fan of anime, but my sense of ironic amusement was sold.

I downloaded the first couple episodes of the anime (it wasn't licensed yet, back in February 2003), watched, and despite this friend's mention of the show being incredibly slashy, did not see "teh gay" so readily at first. I wasn't even looking for it. What I saw was a bond between the two main characters that was impressively strong and intimate, as described by their benefactor Paul (or Pore, or however you prefer his name romanized) during the aforementioned scene:

"Money and status... cars... jewels... lovers... Being a human is going through life stealing precious things, and having precious things stolen from you. That's the kind of hopeless creatures humans are. If what got taken was money or things, you can just get it back. But if it was something like 'humanity' or 'warmth'... then what can fill up the cavern made inside a person's heart... is meeting another human who holds the same emptiness."

"Teh gay" came later, but it didn't really matter by that time. Ban and Ginji are an entertaining and interesting pair no matter what form their relationship may take.

Midou Ban
Ban is the sensible half of the Get Backers, or so he'd like to believe. He's the one who's constantly trying to drum up business, being a complete cheapskate to avoid unnecessary (and sometimes necessary) expenses, refusing to work for free, and driving the hardest bargain with clients or negotiators that he possibly can. If he had a motto, it would be "every man for himself".

Part of this is undoubtedly due to his past, which has only recently been detailed in the manga. Hints are made early on, however, that he had a rather extensive education in many subjects, and this is a good thing. He lived by his wits alone, and got used to doing whatever he could just to get by, aside from a period of time when he lived with the only real friends he ever had during his youth. The surviving friend from that time now wants him dead - and in fact, that's pretty much the status quo with anyone who once considered Ban a friend before he met Ginji.

You see, Ban's an extremely dangerous and destructive person. His mysterious grandmother referred to him as a "genius" when it came to fighting, and he frequently brags about his strong grip - 400 pounds of crushing force. When using it to rip people's limbs off or crush their heads or so on, he calls it his "snake bite" attack.

This is not his only supernatural characteristic - Ban also has a skill called the "jagan", or "evil eye". When he makes eye contact with someone, he can make them see a vision, indistinguishable from reality, that lasts exactly one minute. There are limitations - three uses a day, never twice on the same person within twenty-four hours - but his mind is sharp enough to find creative ways to get around any difficulty these rules might cause. Physically and psychologically, he has the capacity to do serious damage to anyone who goes up against him.

On an average day, you don't see any of this. Ban's just an abrasive young man with a habit of groping women (particularly the well-endowed negotiator called Hevn, which doesn't help him with the bargaining), a chain-smoker, absent-minded enough to chronically park in no-parking zones - which leads to tickets and fines and towing fees that eat up whatever money the Get Backers do make before they can use it to buy unimportant things like, say, food. He's cocky, rude, selfish, and sometimes downright cruel.

Despite all this, Ginji always refers to him with the cutesy nickname "Ban-chan".

Amano Ginji
If Ban is the brains behind Get Backers, Ginji is the heart. Where Ban is complicated and distant, Ginji is straightforward and friendly. He doesn't care about bargaining for more money, or often enough whether or not they're getting any money at all - he's a sucker for a sad story, and just wants to give help to people who need it, regardless of what he might get in return.

After all, he has his own sad past, for which the Get Backers' business may be helping him to make amends. He grew up in a highly unsual section of Shinjuku called "Mugenjou", or the "Infinite Castle". Crime and gang warfare ran rampant in this place, exacerbated by people with superhuman powers - and Ginji was the leader of the most powerful gang, Volts. During this period of his life, he was called Raitei (Thunder Emperor), for his ability to generate electricity within his body in a similar way to electric eels. As Raitei, he was incredibly powerful, able to harness the vast energy within Mugenjou and use it against his opponents. He could (and did) kill those who went after his friends without effort. He ruled the anarchist area called Lower Town. He was respected, feared, and... very, very unhappy living such a life.

During the course of the series, you see a very different Ginji. He's cheerful, bouncy, physically affectionate, sings nonsense in the car, and comes off as childish, if not downright dense. Theories in fandom about whether Raitei is just a berserker aspect of Ginji or actually an alternate personality vary; it may be that after Raitei's first manifestation at age 12, Ginji himself never grew up, but let his Raitei persona do it for him.

What changed him from the moody, violent Raitei to sweet happy Ginji? Ban-chan, of course.

No one knows exactly what happened when Ban met Ginji, except for Ban and Ginji. We do know that they were enemies, and had a huge fight. And then at some point soon afterwards, Ginji simply left Mugenjou, and formed Get Backers with his deadly enemy.

Passionate Male Friendship
Get Backers is not a yaoi series. It's not even a shonen-ai series. It's a shonen series, which means fighting and fanservicey females and friendship.

On the other hand, the manga's artist, Ayamine Rando, admits to being a fan of "boys love" manga. Two other characters are about as close to a gay couple as you can possibly get without actually saying they're a couple. (And that's only if you don't count Ginji commenting something to the effect of "Don't they look like a love-love couple on a honeymoon?" at one point.) In one manga storyline, there is a beautiful two-page spread of two male characters kissing - only because the kiss was necessary to save one's life, but still. The anime's character designer has an artbook full of pictures of Ban looking like he's about to molest a chained-up Ginji.

In other words, not only is the subtext everywhere, but it's on purpose.

The biggest part of the slashiness, however, is just inherent in the characters' personalities and the way those personalities react to each other. It doesn't need pictures of Ban and Ginji chained to each other while dressed in leather and fishnet, although that doesn't hurt. It's in, for instance, the way Ginji jumps on Ban, and hugs him. Ginji's awfully cozy with just about everyone, but not to the point he is with Ban, who he picks up and swings around excitedly at one point when they haven't seen each other for maybe six hours, tops. There's the way whenever Ginji is badly injured, he starts thinking about his partner, and calling out for "Ban-chan". (Note to those who aren't familiar with Japanese: the "chan" suffix is an affectionate honorific usually used for someone the speaker considers small or cute, most often used by or towards children and/or girls.) And then, of course, there's the way he followed Ban, puppy-like, out of the only home and the only life he'd ever known, and never went back no matter how hard things got.

While Ginji shows the touchy-feely physical side of affection, Ban shows his affection more subtly. Normally grouchy and putoffish, Ban not only puts up with Ginji's cuddliness, but sometimes even smiles and drops an arm around his shoulders in return. He gives in to Ginji's pleas to help people who can't afford their services. Ginji is one of the very few people in the series who Ban actually calls by his given name; normally he refers to people by family names or rude nicknames. He claims he can hear Ginji's voice no matter how far apart they are. "You're not like me," he says, watching Ginji slipping into berserker Raitei mode - and then proves that he isn't either, by putting himself in mortal danger just to snap Ginji out of it. And, of course, it was selfish, insensitive Ban who first said the hopelessly mushy "S in Get Backers" line.

They're physically and emotionally comfortable around each other. Physically, they have to be - thanks to their homelessness, they're sleeping side by side in a Subaru 360, which is a very small car. They'll get into minor squabbles over the littlest things, and end up rolling around on the floor; even though they both have incredible destructive power, they never do any lasting damage. Neither of them knows all the dark secrets the other has kept inside for so long, but as Ginji says, it's not important. They know each other, and the details of what happened in the past don't matter. And yet Ban, who doesn't get along at all with Ginji's old friends, is the one who says it's perfectly all right for him to dwell on the past sometimes - Ginji's memories are precious, and shouldn't be forgotten.

In the here and now, however, they reject the people they used to be. They are the Get Backers recovery service, with a nearly 100% success rate. They're partners, and together they can do anything.

Ban and Ginji together
There's an analogy Ginji relates about the retrieval business being like solving a puzzle: You can see what kind of picture it's forming, but "you won't know what the true picture is until you place that last piece in." It's as much an analogy to his and Ban's relationship, romantic or otherwise, as anything else. Somehow, despite being polar opposites in so many ways, they complete each other.

Ginji thinks almost entirely with his feelings, while Ban relies on cold logic. Ban will never show vulnerability, while Ginji will offer comfort and understanding even to those who are trying to kill him - so of course he'll offer the same to Ban without prompting. Ginji believes that no one is really a bad person - they're just confused and hurting, like he was. Due to past experience, Ban doesn't know how to like or trust anyone, including himself - except for Ginji, who trusted him when he thought he was unredeemable, and therefore is a constant exception to any number of things Ban thinks.

Ginji might seem like the childish, dependant one, but it's likely Ban who needs Ginji more than the other way around. Ginji retains his old friendships and constantly cultivates new ones, but Ban has no one besides Ginji. But really, he's okay with that. With Ginji, he's free to be all kinds of things he never really had the chance to be before. Ginji makes him smile and laugh and relax, and would never, ever leave him or turn on him, no matter how many times they try to steal the last piece of pizza from each other. And maybe, just maybe, no matter how much he snarks at Ginji's friends, he might have decided that even if they're not his friends, they're decent enough people to have at your back.

As for what Ginji gains from his relationship with Ban, I believe it's something like a safety net that he hasn't had since he became Raitei. He doesn't have to be the strong one all the time, because Ban is just as strong, maybe stronger. He doesn't have to take care of everyone, because it's just him and Ban, and Ban will take care of him if something happens. He doesn't have to do all the thinking and make all the tough decisions, because Ban is more than willing to do that himself. Plus, Ban is living proof that deep down inside even the worst enemy, there can be a friend, if Ginji just tries hard enough to draw it out.

Although they both offer each other security in their own way, neither of them were weak before they met. They didn't need anyone to survive. It could even be argued that from a strictly logical standpoint, they're worse off now than they were before they met. But even though they're broke, homeless, and starving on the street, despite having terrible pasts filled with angst and darkness and violence that constantly come back to haunt them, they're together now, and they're happy.

In finding each other, and discovering the ways that they fill in the pieces that neither of them knew were missing, the two of them have really found themselves. They're both free to let themselves go, to get over all the terrible things life has thrown at them and be silly and dorky. Ban has learned that he's not as heartless as he thought, and discovered that some people can be trusted after all, maybe even himself. Ginji has found that the miserable life that he thought was his fate wasn't the only way he could live, and he didn't have to deny his feelings for everyone else's sake all the time.

But it's not like Ginji's a generic submissive sidekick, either. True, he'll go on at length about how wonderful Ban is, how he's powerful and great and will always come to rescue him. Despite Ban's never saying anything like that about Ginji, and his eagerness to run to the rescue, he really does believe in Ginji. When Ginji's in a tough fight, Ban will sit there on the sidelines and watch - ready to jump in if needed, but trusting that Ginji is strong enough to handle it, even to the point of holding back anyone else who might go to Ginji's aid. Some things a guy's just got to do for himself, after all.

But as the two of them repeat at several points throughout the series, they don't really have to do anything all on their own anymore - because...

I believe in you, Ban-chan. You were the one who told me that the 'S' in Get Backers meant we weren't alone.
          -- Ginji, Episode 5

Recs
Fics:
I'm only linking one fic per author (or in one case, authoring team), but if you want to see more, click on their names if they're linked. (Those who haven't actually completed other GB fic - though they should, hint hint - don't have links.)

Strawberry & Vanilla Swirled by Kitarin - In which Ban is a cheapskate and Ginji wants ice cream. Several fics along this line have been written by this time, but this was the first "Ginji loves ice cream and Ban is stingy" fic.

In The Moment: Today by WhiteCat - An ordinary day in the life of Ban and Ginji, with a job which actually allows them to have dinner for once, and then dozing in their car. ...Almost an ordinary day.

Striptease by Ka - Ginji tries stripping for Ban's pleasure. Oh, did I mention everyone in Get Backers is a giant dork, especially Ban and Ginji? Fics in which they remain giant dorks are close to my heart.

Fairy Tales by Kirachu - Ginji asks Ban for a bedtime story. One he hasn't already heard. Throw in some mythology, and things start hitting a little too close to home.

Last Minute by X-parrot - A deathfic. Usually I'm not much for deathfics, but this one is so perfect it broke everyone in the fandom back when it was written.

Looking Through You by Ellcrys and Kitarin - okay, so it's kind of a self-rec, as I'm responsible for one half of this rather lemony account of Ban and Ginji's first meeting, but I asked other Ban/Gin fans for their favorites and this came up. It's almost certainly not how it actually happened, but wouldn't it be nice if it was...?

Links:
dakkanya.net - an all-around Get Backers site with character info and tons of pictures.
Honky Tonk Café - Another all-around GB site, with very detailed character profiles, analysis, and summaries. Spoilers included, but labelled - and actually of the variety that you have to highlight.
getbacklove.net - wen's GB site, Ban/Gin-centric and featuring a lot of gorgeous artwork of our two boys.

Comments

[kimlore.livejournal.com]

This was a lovely essay.
What draws me to this pairing is that you can feel, in the end, that Ban and Ganji are always going to be together.
I had known about this series a few years back.
When you can only find one Get Backers site in English. XD
So, I can first through fanfiction.
By the time I had gotten to the manga and anime, I saw the slash on the spot.
I can love Getbackers without the slash, but having it makes it so much better.

[pantswarrior]

*nods* I've been saying all along that GB is hilarious and cool and fun without the slash, but even people who don't like slash end up going "Uhm... are those guys gay?" ;) Easiest to just go with it...

And yes, after the events in the "Get Back the Eternal Bond" manga arc, it certainly seems like nothing could ever tear Ban and Ginji apart. They're the stuff of legends. =)

Thanks for the compliments. =)

[lluvia]

Thank you for writing this. After nights and nights of hopelessly browsing ff.net (finding only BanxKazuki fics) one starts to think that she's alone in her shipping.

You've proven me wrong, definitely. This is a great essay that expresses perfectly the kind of relationship Ban and Ginji share. You've put in the right words in the right places. This is just perfect.

And, here comes my fangirlish self "OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECS I NEED MORE BANXGINJI AUTHORS TO STALK SQUEEEE!!!1"

There ^_^ <3

[pantswarrior]

...Alone in Ban/Gin shipping? Oh, how the fandom has fallen... ;) But seriously, I actually wrote a rant the other day in my own journal about the sudden swell of Ban/Kazuki fanstuff, and why I just can't figure it out. I could understand when the fandom was taken over by Kazuki/Juubei fics, but... -_-

But then again, even before the random pairings started up, good Ban/Gin stuff was getting to be hard to find. Sadly, like a lot of characters in yaoi-prone series, the two of them seem to be easily pigeonholed into dull yaoi stereotypes. Ban becomes "cruel and perverse seme" and Ginji becomes "cute and dense uke". Bah, they're so much better than that.

Thanks for the many compliments... and you know, writing this made me forcibly remember why I fell in love with them in the first place. I think I'm going to end up writing more about them myself. As much as I enjoy Amon/Emishi and Masaki/Teshimine, perhaps it's back to the basics...

[lluvia]

I hope I'm wrong when I read Kazuki/Juubei as Kazuki being on top, because that is certainly a disturbing thought.
I don't mind KazukixJubei, I find them rather cute in the happily married sort of way, but my favorite flavor is definitely BanxGin.

When I see BanxKazuki and stuff of the sort, I often find myself wondering if I saw the same series as those people. Because really, I understand pairing up Ban with someone else than Ginji, it could happen. But Kazuki? Kazuki-han LIVES for Juubei and viceversa, period.

And yeah, about the pigeonholed issue... it's so sad because even if people write BanxGin, they'll most likely write OOC!fics or bad!fics (come on, Ginji throwing himself at Ban? Ban abusing Ginji? WTF).

I just noticed that you have a considerable amount of fiction at your site, so I think I'm going to let myself drown in the glory that is canon and then come back to squee a bit more ^_~

[pantswarrior]

Heh heh... well, Juubei is Kazuki's servant. ;) I'm personally very supportive of Kazuki calling all the shots, but yeah, in fandom it mostly is Juubei on top. Either way, they're so married. And awfully popular - I think there's more doujinshi for the two of them than Ban and Ginji.

And huzzah for canon! I just bought and marathoned the third DVD - the IL arc is even better than I thought it was, now that I can actually see it on something other than my slow computer. ;)

[torsui.livejournal.com]

ditto on the kazuki-calling-shots bit cause.... not like juubei can do much if kazuki chooses to take somebody else to bed.

not that i see it happening but still.

[pantswarrior]

...Except maybe Toshiki. But within the confines of a nice ...healthy...? threesome. I don't think Kazuki would even go for that unless Juubei agreed. Though Juubei might just agree because it's Kazuki, and then we run into all kinds of problems. ;)

[torsui.livejournal.com]

manga toshiki or anime toshiki?

[pantswarrior]

...Considering that Toshiki's anime appearances were largely ripped from scenes in the manga's card arc, I suppose there's not that much difference except that anime Toshiki knows Masaki and Ren and Kaoru and Kanou instead of Lucifer and those angel kids...

[torsui.livejournal.com]

^^; wouldn't know. am waiting very impatiently for the day that tokyopop manages to get up to the kami no kijutsu arc...

[pantswarrior]

*nods* Only... about 8 more volumes! If I remember right, it starts in 14. Otherwise 15.

And I don't understand much of it either, despite owning a good portion of it. I do understand that Maria is completely whacked and hilarious, though. ;)

[incandescens]

I have the impression, though it may be wholly inaccurate, that manga-Toshiki comes across in some ways as younger than anime-Toshiki. Okay, so both are moody and magnificent (in black spandex!) and both feel All Betrayed, but in the manga I think there's more of the relationship between Toshiki and Lucifer (and there's something that's begging to be written about) and Lucifer being the one in charge, even if he gives Toshiki a brainwashed Dark Kazuki, while in the anime it's more Toshiki organising his team and being the one dominating Ren.

OF course, this is totally based on picture-reading attempts on my part, given that I can't actually read the Japanese . . . but it does give a bit more differentiation to give Toshiki that slightly younger and more impulsive edge, as opposed to the slightly older Kazuki and Juubei.

[akatonbo.livejournal.com]

It's kind of strange how the anime has given us visions and ideas of characters who are quite a bit different, may be totally different, or may not even exist in the manga -- particularly, Toshiki, Masaki, and Ujiie Kaoru. I'm fond of... well, I'm fond of EVERYONE after the GBRPG, but especially Toshiki and Masaki, since I played Ren and Teshimine, and I sort of collect female pyros, so I've got a particularly big dose of Mad Love for characters who diverge a lot from the manga. That's unusual for me; I'm more of a manga fan than an anime fan, both overall and when it comes to most specific series that were manga before they were anime (I am mostly uninterested in manga based on anime).

It's particularly strange when I turn around and bring Amon, who appears only in the manga, into a clearly anime-universe setting.

[pantswarrior]

Hahah, yes. I'm still living in fear that manga Masaki will be completely different and then he'll get woven into all the manga storylines with a distinctly different personality than the one I've been playing him with, and eventually people will decide I'm horribly OOC with him. ;)

[incandescens]

It'll be interesting to see what the manga makes Kanou like, given he's appeared briefly in it (so we know he exists) but hasn't been around for more than a few pages. I admit I'd like to see Kaoru turn up in the manga . . . (Poor Sakura never had a chance. A cloth-wielder is at a significant natural advantage against a pyrokinetic. Though Himiko _won_ that fight, dammit.)

I think it may depend a bit on how well the characters are defined. The ones that are defined _clearly_, such as Amon, one can port either way, from manga-anime or anime-manga.

[pantswarrior]

Hmmm, in the anime, I thought Masaki was more or less calling the shots for the team, sort of in the Lucifer spot, with Toshiki sort of being his second and filling in while he did other things.

The manga, I really don't know. I mostly can pick up characters' names and a few common words, and I only have up to volume 16. ;)

So I'm in no place to differentiate... Either way, though, there's the obvious connection to Kazuki, which was what I was getting at. (Can't wait for the manga translation to get that far...)

[incandescens]

True, Masaki's calling the shots, but I had the impression -- which may be wrong, I fully admit -- that Toshiki had a fairly high degree of autonomy, and certainly recruited Ren on his own. Not sure. Should clearly watch it again to be sure.

But yes, that lovely, lovely Kazuki-connection.

*swoon*

[dreamistress.livejournal.com]

At last. A review of GetBackers that actually does it justice! - Written by someone equipped with sufficient style, flair and insight into the series at that. *has died and gone to heaven*

I've been obsessed with GetBackers for the last .. 1/2 year or so (it's one of the first animes I've been exposed to). Through it, I've plunged into the deep end of anime/manga/fanfics, searching for more, attempting to understand my affinity for the series and the two main characters especially. I even introduced myself to the world of yaoi-sm and doujinshi. (Not that I'm complaining though! *snicker*) But to cut the long story short, you've hit the nail on the head for me when you wrote "Get Backers is not a yaoi series. It's not even a shonen-ai series. It's a shonen series, which means fighting and fanservicey females and friendship."
It is precisely the intimacy and complete ease at which Ban and Ginji display in each other's company that has me coming back for more. I wonder if this might be extended to describing what being soul-mates truly means.

Fortunate beyond words is the one who has had the privilege of such a bonding with another soul in his/her lifetime....

Re: *swoon*

[pantswarrior]

Aww, thanks for the compliments! I was initially like "Wha, a review of GB? I was just writing about why I like pairing up Ban/Gin!" But I sort of did have to summarize the series to explain it, didn't I...? -_-

Amusingly, GB is also the first anime/manga I've really gotten into. I mean, sure, I watched Sailor Moon and Ranma and so on back in the day, but I was never so fascinated by them as I am by GB. (Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I actually like the main characters in GB... and actually, all the characters. ;) So darned likable.)

And yeah, soulmates is a word that comes to mind with Ban and Ginji. Paul's a smart guy, and I think he was right about the two of them completing each other. And Teshimine commented on it during the IL arc... and Maria said something about it during the card arc... The whole theme of GB seems to be about just how deep partnerships can go (no wonder it's slashed to heck and back), and the two of them seem to be the prime example.

Great essay!

[madamhydra.livejournal.com]

Congratulations for writing this terrific essay and character analysis! I must say that after reading the first few volumes of the manga and watching a few anime episodes, Ban and Ginji are one of the most strongly 'connected' pairs of individuals (on an emotional level) that I've ever encountered in anime. And that's counting Saiyuki, Yu-Gi-Oh, and other series that have very intense personal connections between various characters.

I do have to confess that for this series, I find that the actual act of sex between Ban and Ginji would be almost superfluous, given the sort of the emotional trust they have in each other. It's the bond between true soulmates, no matter how cliche or trite that sounds. Ban is there for Ginji and Ginji is there for Ban. That's all there is to it, and all that is needed.

All that being said, I'm certainly not adverse to a well-written piece of Ban/Ginji smut when I can find it. ^_-

Perhaps like you, I find the best evidence for the depth of their relationship come not so much from Ginji's behavior -- given that he's inclined to be friendly at the drop of a hat, as long as it's not Akabane's -- but from Ban's behavior. I mean, given my understanding of Ban's personality, it's almost incredible what he tolerates from Ginji -- getting glomped, addressed by cutsie nicknames, talked into doing things he normally wouldn't touch, etc. Any other person foolish enough to try pulling that stuff on Ban would unquestionably regret it deeply. Ban would make damn sure of it. The mere fact that Ban *does* tolerate it from Ginji (with a minimum of fuss), and on rare occasions is even willing to reciprocate Ginji's behavior (in his own much more self-controlled way), speaks volumes as to their relationship.

Well, enough of my obsessive ramblings on the subject. I just want to compliment you again on such an excellent piece of writing! ^_^

Re: Great essay!

[pantswarrior]

Heheh, thanks! And I agree that actual physical sex between them is almost gratuitous, really. I like them paired up mostly because, as in most of the pairings I like, I like seeing them interact with each other in any form. It's just... that their happiness together is so much more obvious and significant than most other pairings of which I would say the same thing.

Writing them as ambiguous can be fun, though. In my mind they're a couple, but the physical/romantic/sexual part of that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things...

[(Anonymous)]

Ooooh, I loved it!! It was wonderfully well written!! ^_^ I'm a huge fan of your writings, I'm always glad when there are BanGin fics by someone who can write! ;) hehe
I wanted to ask, where's that scene where two male characters are kissing? o_O I never saw it, but maybe that's because I'm too early in the manga (we're only at volume 8 over here -__- I'll finish these series when I'm 30 @_@) but I did see some scans of later volumes.
Be sure to write more! Fangirls like I will always be grateful!! ^.^ Muah

June

[pantswarrior]

Heheh, thanks for the compliments... and the kiss is in ... er, either volume 18 or 19, at pretty much the tail end of the "kami no kijutsu" arc, frequently referred to as the "card arc".

(I only just got my own copies of 17 and 18 a week ago in Japanese, and haven't had time to look all the way through 17, so I'm not sure how far that story arc goes... and we should get it translated here in about two years. -_-)

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks a lot! Yep, I wasn't there yet (and prolly won't be before a couple of years -__- if I want to read a language I can understand) Sorry for the late reply, I'm having finals now ;_; but when they're over I'll be watching the GB anime! Oooh am I happy ^.^
Yeah, I think over here we'll get it in 2 years (if not more) approximately as well... *sigh* Why don't they hurry up the damn translation? It's not as if the later volumes were not available! :S

June

[giyenah.livejournal.com]

I am a little late on the love fest but I just want to say: FANTASTIC essay.

You managed to convey everything I love about this pairing, and in such a articulate way too. Whereas my response is mostly on the OMGSOCUTEOTP4eVAR!!!11 variety. -_-;;;

Also, big HONKING props for reccing WhiteCat's "In the Moment: Today". Damn, I love that fic. Have you read her Ginji-centric gen called "PATH"? Hurts so fucking good. ^_^

[pantswarrior]

Hmmm, I don't think I have - I haven't been reading much fanfic since I finally got a job. Heh heh... I should go looking again.

Anyway, thanks, glad you enjoyed it. =)

[chastity-rowan.livejournal.com]

You melt my heart. You seriously do.

That and you make me love BanxGinji even more ^___^;

[pantswarrior]

Heheh, thanks. Writing it made me love Ban and Ginji again... I'd kind of fallen away from it.

[mushroom18.livejournal.com]

BanxGinji is just SO right. No matter what angle you look at it, no matter how vicious some BanxKazuki fans are, they are RIGHT. You can't just say BAN, Ginji's name always follows and vice-versa.

This was an excellent read. I'm so glad you made this, BanxKazuki was making me so sick already. I just hate couples that are not supported by at least a hint of canon-ness.

[pantswarrior]

Heh, the Ban/Kazuki discussion on the comms recently spawned a lot of "what I like/don't like in pairings" posts... and I discovered I don't discount all pairings that don't have at least a little canon backup... but er, Ban/Kazuki has things in canon going directly against it. Most importantly the bonds between those two and Ginji/Juubei. :P

*eyes comments* None for two months, then four comments overnight? Was this essay linked from someplace? ;)

[(Anonymous)]

Yes! It was linked from the GB's Yaoi Journal ^_^

http://www.livejournal.com/community/getbackers_yaoi/

What can I say? You are loved xD!!!

June

[ironpuncher2.livejournal.com]

Thank you for writing! That was excellent. I really agree with you about how Ban and Ginji complete each other. Opposites attract, right? ~_^ I always thought Rando had to like yaoi at least a little bit, especially after seeing Ginji in his cow jammies. ^^

Oh, and if anyone wants to see those chans and fishnet (http://photobucket.com/albums/v294/seiliez/getbackers/artbook/) pics... Seiliez has an album <3

[pantswarrior]

Ahaha, excellent - linkage!

And yep, there was even a little thing in Shonen Magazine sometime last year, an omake story with A&A talking about what kind of doujinshi they would do for GB if they did doujinshi... and Ayamine went all chibi and was like "I would make YAOI doujinshi!!!!! And Kazuki would be kidnapped by big ugly thugs and Juubei would rescue him bravely and then <3 and <3 and <3 <3 <3!!!" There was also something about Akabane/Ginji in there, but I forget what it was...

I'm assuming it was tongue-in-cheek, but it was hilarious, especially as Aoki was portrayed sitting there going "..........." at Ayamine. ;) At least we know that they're aware of just how slashy GB is considered to be...

[reppu.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for this essay! I have always believed that their love was so pure, and the more I kept watching/reading, the more I agreed. Finding out that Rando liked BL manga was the final straw for me. I'm very happy that you shared this wonderful pairing with the world. You proved your point very well, in my opinion. I'm a bit biased, but I can tell a good argument when I read it. ^_~

[madamada-chan.livejournal.com]

Lovely, lovely essay~♥ you made me fall in love with this pair all over again. v(^o^)v

the intricate details you put in were not too much to spoil but adequate enough to make any reader (probably even those who don't know the series) adore these two. cleverly thought out, and brilliantly written ^o^ ::claps::