I was introduced to Sailor Moon through the DiC version. It was something of a shock when I started looking at Sailor Moon websites and learned that Zoisite was originally a man. It had never occurred to me that a show that appeared to be directed at children would feature homosexuals. But, after some time, I got used to the idea.
Then I stumbled across the Nephrite-Jadeite phenomenon. Since it was the Nephrite-Molly love story that had hooked me on Sailor Moon, this was devastating. It couldn't be - Nephrite and Jadeite, lovers? I watched the show carefully, learned as much as I could about the manga, and eventually discovered Soylent Green's essay on the topic and realized that this was strictly a fan-created relationship. There was no evidence whatsoever in the anime, the manga, or the characters themselves for this relationship. But the Neffy-Jeddy thing seemed to be fairly popular. Something strange was going on here.
This was my introduction to the yaoi subculture. As I went looking for something, anything, about Nephrite and Naru, it became clear that the majority of Dark Kingdom websites are heavily, if not exclusively, yaoi-oriented. In addition to Zoisite-Kunzite, I found Neffy-Jeddy, Nephrite-Zoisite (can you say, "couples counseling"?), the infamous Nephrite-Endymion pairing in Wildflowers, even a picture of Nephrite getting smoochy with Kunzite. I haven't seen any Jadeite-Zoisite or Jadeite-Kunzite, but I'm sure it must be out there somewhere. (Update: It is, and not just in the above humorous doujinshi scan, either.)
Before going any further, I want to emphasize that the Zoisite-Kunzite relationship is a legitimate and vital part of the Dark Kingdom story. They are good characters and their relationship, in addition to actually existing in the anime, is an intriguing one, and fits with the characters. It isn't surprising that there are lot of sites devoted to them, and I don't begrudge them their following. Still, they aren't the only two Kings on the show, and theirs isn't the only ill-fated romance.
Where I really have problems is with the contrived relationships. The Dark Kingdom would seem to be a merry-go-round of good-looking guys getting it on with each other. The Yaoi Kingdom, as it were. It almost seems to be taken for granted that all of the Kings are, or were at one point, sexually involved with each other, despite all the evidence to the contrary in the anime and the manga. In the manga, the four Kings share a non-sexual friendship. (What a concept - men can be friends without being lovers!) In the anime, Nephrite died for love of a young woman. He didn't try to protect Jadeite when the unfortunate first King got crystallized; in fact, he seems to have felt nothing but disdain for Jadeite. "Jadeite was a fool," he says when Beryl assigns to him to continue the work of gathering energy, shortly after Jadeite was turned into the world's largest paperweight. As for the Nephrite-Zoisite pairing, Nephrite doesn't even seem to like being in the same room as Zoisite. It's Zoisite who always comes to where Nephrite is, to get in a few digs at him. I doubt that Nephrite would want to touch Zoisite with a forty-foot pole, or anything else. And Nephrite-Kunzite? Based on the show, I think the only thing those two would possibly feel for each other is contempt. They might be bothered to try to kill each other, but that's about it.
Ah, some would say, but couldn't these feelings of dislike stem from love affairs gone wrong? I suppose it's possible, if you impose this interpretation of events upon the characters without regard for the characterizations. But to take this view is to ignore the vast depth and breadth of human experience. All right, so in the show they're not "humans." But presumably they were, once, and even as lords of the Dark Kingdom they are certainly sentient beings with thoughts and emotions, subject to a wide variety of desires and motivations, not just sexual ones.
Sex is a powerful motivator of human (or quasi-human) behavior, but it is far from the only one. Here are some that I have had experience of, either first-hand or in the lives of my family members and friends:
Others, that I don't have so much personal experience with, include fear of death, greed for money, power, or knowledge, longing for security or adventure, physical addictions to food, drink, or drugs, and fear of disgrace or failure.
To turn the Dark Kingdom into a yaoi circus, ignoring the Kings' characters and the depth and complexity of human experience, does a disservice to them, to the fans, and to the whole of Sailor Moon. The characters are distorted beyond recognition as the Sailor Moon characters we know and love (or love to hate). Zoisite and Kunzite's relationship, the only legitimate yaoi relationship among all those mentioned here, is cheapened by appearing to be only part of the crazed rash of pairings. I have to believe that, however co-dependent or dysfunctional their relationship may or may not be, they would be faithful to each other. Additionally, fans who don't care for yaoi, for whatever reason, are left feeling alienated. And a major storyline, Nephrite and Naru's relationship and his resultant death, is dismissed as though it didn't even happen.
I admit, I can't stop other people from making up whatever they want. But I feel like it's time someone pointed out that there's more to the Dark Kingdom than a bunch of cute guys boinking each other. Consider the Kings through non-yaoi-colored lenses. Who were these men before Beryl and the Dark Kingdom? If they were men of honor, as one would presume they were if they were Endymion's Guardians, how were they brought to betray their service and sell their souls? Individually, there's Jadeite the loner, seeming as solitary and surly as Nephrite - hardly the poor, meek, put-upon victim of Nephrite's lustful will that he's portrayed as in the Neffy-Jeddy scenario. He seems to both revel in and be disdainful of the crushes that some of his female youma have on him. There's Zoisite and Kunzite and their mysterious relationship: What do they really feel for each other? Are the feelings mutual? Why are they drawn to each other? What about Kunzite - why does he continue serving Beryl after the Queen kills Zoisite? These are matters that are far more interesting to consider when the answers aren't restricted to sex.
Finally, there's Nephrite, who seems to care only about his work. Sure, he likes his fast car and the occasional glass of good wine, but he doesn't seem to notice that anything else exists, until Naru comes into his life. Then, seemingly against his will, he falls in love with her and eventually gives up everything, including his life, to protect her when his rivalry with Zoisite spins out of control. In the episode where he dies and in the previous episode, right after Naru saves him from the Moon Tiara, it's very moving to see the realization dawn on him that there is something more than power, knowledge, and the material comforts he allows himself. It's from Naru that he begins to learn about love. I want to keep his true story from being buried in the growing amount of Sailor Moon yaoi, and to remind people that there's an enormous richness of human emotion and experience that is neglected when everything is focused on sex. If you, the reader, happen to enjoy yaoi, go ahead and continue enjoying it. Just don't forget that there's more to the Dark Kingdom, and to life, than that.
(January 2001)
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The Nephrite and Naru Treasury