I'm Not Convinced That Kaze To Ki No Uta Is That Cut In Dry In It's Relationship To Pedophilia And Sexual

I'm not convinced that Kaze to Ki no Uta is that cut in dry in it's relationship to pedophilia and sexual assault. I think it's obvious that Gilbert's relationships with older men are supposed to be interpreted as unhealthy and self-destructive. We're supposed to think that's tragic and want for Gilbert to experience more healthy connections with people. I mean, his relationship with Serge banks on the reader feeling that way. But Takemiya is a weird pervert lady, and she actually does write plenty of stories with much older dudes sleeping with much younger boys that aren't particularly interested in unpacking the morality of such a thing. I dare say she's fujoing out about it, and I don't think Kaze Ki's exempt from that.

There is an aestheticism to Gilbert's relationship with Auguste that is meant to compel a certain kind of reader. It's that codependency, its that Gilbert is the only person Auguste ever shares his wounds with. Auguste made Gilbert because he needed Gilbert. A lot of the ways Auguste grooms Gilbert is his own fucked up way of saving himself. He genuinely believes hes doing whats best on some level, and I think he really does care about Gilbert. It's very stimulating!!! I can understand why there are people who are more interested in that dynamic than what Gilbert has with Serge. I mean, JUNE magazine, (of which Takemiya was a major contributor) is full of similar dynamics.

Side tangent: Kaze Ki's much more light-hearted cousin, Mari to Shingo is incredibly flippant about pederasty. Mari fucking loses his virginity to one of his dad's business partners when he's 14 and literally no one cares. Mari's just like "i guess I must be gay for that, I never thought about it before." In fact, Mari keeps sleeping with the guy no problem after returning to Europe. I bring this up because I think historical context is important and I think MariShin is really funny for pulling shit like that....

Serge and Auguste aren't as different as they seem on the surface. We want to see Gilbert and Serge happy together, but what Serge envisions as healthy for Gilbert is rooted in his own selfish desires. If Serge can "fix" Gilbert, he can perceive himself as noble. We have to remember that Serge is someone who got very little love and support growing up. He freaks out when Gilbert is called dirty because he was seen as dirty and lesser for his background. He sees himself in Gilbert and wants to save him because of that. (God, Utena really is daytime television Kazeki) To some degree, Serge is on the same level as all of Gilbert's "suitors."

I think its kind of dumb to analyze media in an effort to glean to moral standing of an author. It kind of takes away from the fun. Taboo themes in media are always erotic because the content is always meant to shock the reader to some degree. People like the danger.