I have noticed an unusual trend among fans of Fushigi Yuugi... people who like Tamahome don't like Hotohori, and vice versa. The only explantion that I can come up with for this is that both care deeply for Miaka, and fans are rooting for one or the other throughout the series, even when the final outcome becomes blindingly obvious. And while I will admit my definite position in the "Go Tamahome" camp, that is certainly not to discount Hotohori in any way. Quite honestly, Hori initially treated Miaka far better than Tamahome did ... offering to make her a queen, whereas greedy Tama just wanted her cash. Still, I don't see any reason for a point of contention ... fans of the other seishi don't seem to have such a dissension; you don't see Tasuki no mikos flaming the Chichiri followers.

So any possible points of dissension aside, I'm going to display my knack for stating the obvious: Hotohori's pretty. And he knows it. I could definitely see him as a pop star or model. But his vanity certainly doesn't define his total character; there are sides to him that prove he's not just another pretty face. Time and again, he shows his loyalty to Suzaku no Miko ... and his undying love for Miaka as a person; even in the face of her devotion to Tamahome. His will is strong, and his heart even stronger. And don't even get me started on the OVA's.

Hori moved in around the same time that I got completely and utterly fed up with Tamahome. I guess that sort of negates almost anything I said in the first paragraph ... um. Anyway, Tama had turned into some kind of mindless drone whose vocabulary was pretty much limited to "Miaka" and "okane" (moreso the former) so I decided it was time for him to go back in the book. Tama still ghosts around the place every now and then, but Hori has taken up firm residence on the couch, where he's completely fascinated by the wonders of cable television. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he decided to enter the next VJ contest on MTV.... He's very kind, doesn't whine, and lets me watch what I want to; though his role here has less to do with attraction and more to do with emotion. He'd be the one I'd go to if I ever had a problem or "emotional crisis" (because, as you know, my world falls apart every twenty minutes....)