Kakashi Sensei

Its been a while since I changed my profile image for blogger, and so now that I'm done with the fall school quarter, un nuebu na tata, with a new calendar year looming on the horizon, I thought, what better time than now?

This is my old image, of the legendary West Indies cricketer Viv Richards. My rationale for choosing this image can be found on my post from May of 2007, "Cricket and Liberation."

Seeing this reminds me, that I should post more about cricket, since I've become a huge fan of it over the past few months. In fact as I'm typing this right now, I'm watching the commentary for the India vs. Pakistan and Sri Lanka vs. England Test matches. The last thing I wrote about it was "The Tip of the Spear" which discussed the implausible relationship between Zimbabwe beating Australia and my dissertation on how a tiny place such as Guam produces American sovereignty.

My new image, should not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen my bookshelf, but its this image of Hatake Kakashi, "the mirror ninja" and "Kakashi of the Sharingan" from the manga/anime Naruto. I must admit, that for several years, I loathed Naruto, primarily because of Naruto, the character. How many times can he say "I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" before either someone just outright kills him, or his brain simply explodes. Yes, Naruto is a somewhat interesting character, but he is also a frustratingly annoying and repetitive character. In fact, i che'lu-hu Kuri yan Guahu are both in agreement that the three main characters from Naruto are all pretty dumb and not really why the series is interesting or exciting.

Kakashi, however is a character I was always drawn to, because of the way he always seemed to carry an impenetrable visage and unfathomable burden. He was a friendly, happy character who obviously seemed to care for the three main characters who became the members of his ninja cell team. But at the same time, there was este ti komprendeyon na triniste, this incomprehensible sadness, that he always seemed to take with him whever he went. Yes, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, meant plenty to Kakashi, hunggan ha guaiya i tres, ti bei kepuni, but at the same time, it seemed that his affection for these three, just trembled delicately above a tragic and deep loss.

When Sasuke is mulling over leaving Konohagure, prior to being attacked by the Sound Four, he threatens Kakashi, saying that in order to make him understand what the young ninja feels, he will kill all of the people close to Kakashi. For those who don't know, Sasuke's entire clan was killed when he was younger by his older brother Utachi. Sasuke lives and fights to become powerful enough to destroy his older brother. Kakashi, with his characteristic closed eyes, smile, responded that everyone close to him, is already dead.

Another reason for liking Kakashi, is his love for reading. Although we aren't told what is exactly in the books that he is always reading, each of which has the word "make out" in the title (such as "make out violence" and "make out tactics"), we are given tiny hints that the books have "mature" content in them, which makes Kakashi always giggle and blush.

Returning to the more serious side of Kakashi, in volume 27 of Naruto I finally learned what that intense and tragic loss was for Kakashi. How he became the happy, but quiet and yet always solemn ninja he is today. I won't spoil any details for those who haven't read it yet, but for me it was very moving and very tragic (in a manga sort of way), and it was powerful because of the way it looped in and made tangible so many of the silences and gestures that Kakashi has been known for throughout the manga. His signature phrases, his sharingan eye, even his attitude and his love for his teamates, all of it is strung together to rest circling around, but never covering that traumatic loss.

While flying on the plane today from Los Angeles to Hawai'i, and after finishing the chapters on The Kakashi Chronicles, I wrote the following poem, which discusses some of the issues of trauma, loss and pain that I've discussed so far, but also is meant to commemorate after several months, the change in my profile image.

*******************

Kakashi

Masångan na triniste muna’tekkon i taotao, lao,
Masångan lokkue na,
I triniste sin palabras muna’lalokkat i taotao
Ha na’annok gui’ ginnen i batkåda
Ha na’fo’ña gui’ginnen i linahayan
Ha na’kalaktos i atadok-ña esta ki
Siña ma pacha’guan i sanhalom-mu

Masångan na i mata’ i fanhalom’an i ante
Lao gi i mata’n este
Tåya’ respuesta para un sodda’
Tåya’ ni’ para u na’tungo’ hao
I chi-ña, i tinituhun, i piniti

Masångan na
Gaige gi i kilot i atadok-ña
Tinahdong siha taitinahdong
Lao ti tairason este na annok na tinaya’

Masångan na komprendeyon
Este ni’ ti komprendeyon,
Yanggen un hasso na i sinieñten “finalingu”
Un betsu, ni’ palabrås-ña ti taitaiyon
Un betsu ni’ palabrås-ña ti alok’on
Un betsu ni’ palabrås-ña mansieñtenyon ha’