#edo blossoms

Hakuouki modern!au (no not the game high school, a new high school lol)

Sen talked Chizuru into dyeing her hair, and she’s showing her all the pictures she’s taken of her now! ‘Look how cute you are! And you still look like you!’ ✨

I just want more bast frands y’know

Hakuouki © Idea Factory

Art: Me

I’m gonna start out by saying that Okita Souji is my bias, but if I had to pick any of the Hakuouki men to date and marry irl, it would be Harada Sanosuke.

I’m writing this out of my deep admiration for his character.

On the surface, Sano is the boy with a pretty face, who’s popular with the ladies, and really good at flirting.

*deep sighs*

It helps that in his route, you don’t have to worry about any bloodlust, and there’s more saucy CGs, and he actually wants to settle down and start a family, and he actually beds the lady. *wink wonk* So yeah, Sano probably has the most “traditional” otome route out of all the Hakuouki men.

But one of the main things I like about Sano is his honesty. He straight up says “I can’t lie”. He even stumbles when trying to cover up for the rasetsu incident in front of Itou. Honesty is really important in a relationship to build trust. It takes away room for fear and doubt. It’s easier to come to an amicable conclusion if all parties are honest about their feelings, instead of being vague, then suddenly your expectations are not met.

Also thanks to his honesty, he is not shy to say what is on his mind. And intentionally/unintentionally flirt. |D I mean, who doesn’t like compliments?

Sano is also a matured man who speaks from experience and the mistakes of his brash past. He has this advantage since he’s older (compared to Chizuru who is what, 16?) But still, experience is a great advantage, and he learns from it, and is a better person for it. He is also a man with a clear goal. He knows what he wants -  a beautiful wife, a family, a quiet life. And even when faced with difficult choices, he is able to commit to that which is most important. (family life over warrior life)

#inspirational #relationshipgoals

But most of all, I love how Sano is a respectful human being, especially towards his lover. Chizuru tried to leave him three times (srsly girl???) Each time, Sano doesn’t react in anger. Instead, he is there to listen to her thoughts and feelings.

Sano was shocked to see Chizuru sneaking away without telling him. He never says “no you can’t leave” or “I’ll kill you”. (*cough Okita cough*) He simply respects her decision, and is even willing to help her, whether or not he agrees to her actions. All he wanted to know was “why”. He wanted to know what was bothering her.

The second time Chizuru wanted to leave, she refused to tell him why. Sano doesn’t get angry. He just wanted to be sure that Chizuru has thought out a proper plan for the future, and that she was serious.

Towards the end of their conversation, Chizuru was even “seething with anger teetering on the edge of resentment” because Sano couldn’t understand her feelings for wanting to leave alone. Yet, Sano was still calm, collected. Despite throwing her frustrations at him, he reacted to her not with anger, but with love. To be honest, this is an extremely hard thing to do. By nature, we want to be heard and we want our opinions to be acknowledged. And so, we become defensive and aggressive (see: Chizuru).

But hey, that doesn’t stop Chizuru from leaving for the third time. Still, Sano is chill. A little annoyed, yes. If anything, I think Sano is just hurt that Chizuru doesn’t trust him enough to share complete honesty, and also sad that she is unable to deem herself worthy enough for his love.

But True Love™ conquers all, so Sano helps Chizuru see the light and she begins to be able to accept herself and accept Sano’s sacrifice. He helped Chizuru become better.

Even when he bones her, he asks for consent. Sano is #woke. What a wholesome love! *cries tears of joy*

In all situations, Sano doesn’t react with his emotions. He takes time to talk it through, and he makes sound judgements through logical thinking and questions.

Sano’s route was very realistic. Definitely dramatised, but the struggles were real. Sano had already gone through relationship meltdowns from his short-tempered self in the past, and so his current personality was already well-established, and he was a stable character. Instead, we see Chizuru’s struggles over her identity, and how she is undeserving of sacrifice and love, and how this blindsides her from the love that is right before her. Personally, it was all very relatable.

tl;dr Sano is a handsome, honest, matured, respectful, and dependable man. Do I dare say that Harada Sanosuke is the ideal boyfriend? Hell yeah. xD