CHARACTER INTERVIEW!
Interviewee: Ryuuko Matoi (Kill La Kill Post-Series/AU)
Portrayed by: @OneWithSenketsu (Twitter)
Bio: Ryuuko Matoi is the heroine of the Life Fiber Crusade. Canonically, she defeated Ragyo Kiryuin in armed combat, ending the reign of terror which the life fibers had created. This version of Ryuuko still interacts with Ragyo Kiryuin and Kamui Senketsu even after the events of the conclusion (details omitted to avoid spoilers). This interview encapsulates some of her thoughts and feelings on the matter.
*Note: The name "Ryuuko" has multiple spellings. In this interview, it is spelled as "Ryuko."
Q: What is your name and what do you commonly do?
A: Well, I'm Ryuko Matoi. I'm usually hanging out with Uzu and Satsuki these days, while still trying not to lose my way.
Q: You are a student at Honnouji Academy, right? What are your thoughts on academy life?
A: I've never been one who liked school that much as a whole, but Honnouji's alright - especially now that most of the drama is over. It's a perk finding out your 'president' or whatever you want to call her is your sister.
Q: Do you get along well with Satsuki, your sister?
A: These days? Definitely. I never knew it could be so nice having an older sister!
Q: I want you to talk about an event which deeply impacted you emotionally. How did you feel as the event unfolded? What did you hope for as the end result, and how did you feel when things turned out the way they did?
A: Which event? Hm.. I guess I'd have to say the whole ending battle against my Mom. I'm still affected by it to be honest.. I hoped we could all just live happily together, even though everyone was so different. It seems like a lot of us can, but.. some of us who had to do a lot of fighting just haven't recovered completely. I can tell you though.. Had I not been able to get Senketsu back? I'd never have been the same.
Q: How would you personally describe your mother's ambitions?
A: Foolhardy, to be honest.. She seems to be getting much better these days, but the entire REVOCs ambition was ridiculous and a sham.
Q: I want you to talk about a great achievement. What motivated you to push forward in this endeavor?
A: My greatest achievement is probably when I completely became one with Senketsu. His strength is something I'd always wanted to feel within myself, and to finally become so close with someone - whether they're clothing or not, that was something incredibly special to me.
Q: What is a value that you hope to instill in other people? What is it you want people to learn from having met you?
A: Hmm.. Probably that confidence comes from within. It's something I've learned from several people lately, but I need to put it into place myself these days. I hope people can learn that you don't have to do it alone, like I always thought I had to.
Q: Is there anything which you regret thus far?
A: Sure, I have a lot of regrets.. I regret that a lot of these people ever had to get involved. I never wanted them to have to actually feel the pain I was feeling. Especially those who had worked with my father.. I feel I owe a lot to them, and hope things will work out for them now..
Q: Lastly, if you could say one thing to your father, what would it be?
A: I'd tell dad that I love him, and I'd thank him for leaving Senketsu to take care of me - even if it did start out kind of weird.
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(Reminder: Scores for AU/EU characters are Contrast - out of 3, and Overlap - out of 4. Max score for Verdict is 5. Contrast deals with the direction of the character while overlap deals with homages to the original.)
Contrast (2/3): You may recall in the interview with Uzu Sanegeyama a brief mention of romantic feelings toward Ryuko. It is this version of Ryuko who that relationship has been formed with. Much of the after-story which pertains to this AU-Ryuko will have to do with the relationship between her and Sanegeyama, as well as her relationships to Satsuki, Senketsu and Lady Ragyo. Most interesting is the implied attempts by AU-Ryuko to change Ragyo's ambitions post-series. We'll cover that more in a minute.
Overlap (3.5/4): In the interview, Ryuko made many homages to her canonical past. Becoming one with Senketsu was crucial during the Life Fiber crusade, and the portrayal of lessons learned during the experience is important. The insecurities AU-Ryuko bears are also similar to those from her canonical roots, though they manifest a little differently here. Even if the events of the post-series are radically different from what is canon, the characterization of AU-Ryuko properly depicts the changes in personality and maturity brought on by the Life Fiber crusade.
Verdict (4.03/5): The strength of this AU-Ryuko is in her mechanism for conflict resolution. She doesn't want to defeat Ragyo as much as she wants to convert Ragyo. Based on what we know from Ragyo's interview, this is entirely plausible. Furthermore, this AU-Ryuko will have Senketsu to guide her, as a remnant of the wisdom her father never got to give her in person.
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