Shino

though my mind's at peace, the world out of order

Shino is one of Samurai Champloo's many one-shot characters: she shows up for only one episode (Episode 11), and is never even referred to beyond that one episode. Yet, I think her significance to Jin's character is important enough to highlight.

Shino was an unfortunate woman; her parents married her off to a wealthy man, but her husband gambled away all of their money. He sold his wife to the local brothel in order to relieve his debt -- a choice she had no say in and could not escape, because women were not allowed to initiate divorces. Rain fell hard on her last day of freedom; she stood over a canal, contemplating suicide, when a certain bespectacled samurai passed by...

"This canal is much shallower than it looks. If you're going to throw yourself off, it would be prudent to do it elsewhere."

She laughed, asking if she really looked like she was going to do something "that painful". She thanked him and bid him farewell. Later, as if by fate, Jin met up with her again at his part-time job as a kabayaki merchant; Shino helped the culinarily-challenged Jin with the business until night fell.

The next day she was in the brothel. Jin returned once, then twice, to visit her; the second time he got kicked out for having no money. However, he didn't give up -- he borrowed Mugen's kabuto sumo earnings to see Shino again. After seeing her husband try to extort her tips, he suggested that they run away; she agreed with some convincing. Jin fought through the brothel guard and helped Shino onto a boat, which he pushed off without himself. Shino was surprised and sad, but tearfully thanked him as she faded into the mist.

The amazing thing about Jin's encounter with Shino is how we get to see him so emotionally unguarded. When Shino says good-bye to him at the bridge, the camera zooms on his face -- and you don't need me to tell you that that's not a typical Jin face.

He showed more of these atypical expressions during the kabayaki scenes. Judging from his reactions, it must have been the first time he had ever been treated so genially -- yet firmly -- by a woman. She leads Jin through preparing the kabayaki, though not without some correction (he wanted to cut the eel with his freaking sword). As he watches her cut the eel, a soft expression of wonder is all over his face. The face returns when she asks him to put the sliced unagi on skewers, which he does...pretty pathetically. Shino looks mildly amused; Jin utters an uncomfortable grunt. Later, he makes some kabayaki for her, only to burn it so badly that she says, laughing, it must "be a talent". Note how he pointedly looks away afterwards, clearly embarrassed.

When he visits Shino for the second time at the brothel, Jin not only carries her umbrella but lets himself get beat up by the guards in open vulnerability. When he returns to his temporary home, he's wearing an uncharacteristic expression of helplessness. This, coupled with his wish to "buy a woman", shocks Fuu and Mugen -- perhaps so much that it convinces Mugen to let his precious earnings go.

Jin returns to the brothel, and guess what? Our stoic samurai is smiling! Now if that wasn't enough, Jin hands over his katanas -- his lifeblood -- without a single word of complaint. He shows an unforeseen romantic side in wishing that the "rain would never end", so he could stay in the town [with Shino] forever.

so, why?

Though I have a number of favorite episodes, Episode 11 is definitely one of them. Why? It was one of the key character episodes for Jin; it showed viewers that as unemotional as he might try to make himself, he's still capable of falling in love and acting upon those feelings. There's also the factor that I have a weakness for characters involved in doomed relationships. I'm not sure whether or not he will eventually return to her, but there's always the chance.

Also of interest is how Shino's outer beauty is not glorified -- she's most likely older than Jin, and isn't sexualized or made excessively beautiful like many female anime characters. I think he fell in love with her personality, which makes this all the more sweet.