I'm not just talking about the filler episodes, or the risk of the legally translated series being known as "Samurai X," or the horrifying prospect of a Kenshin dub (starring Spike Spencer, voice of Shinji! Oh God, my head hurts just at the thought. "Kenshin's such a wimp, he won't kill anyone." Grrrrrr rrrrrrgh! Oh, wait, it's not real.) Sorry. Okay, the actual rant is: Tomoe. That's why this is a spoiler. I'm only going to give you a partial spoiler, not the full, complete, atomic flaming spoiler o' death from above. Tomoe was Kenshin's wife back when he was the Battousai. Her story is connected to his scars, which aren't just physical. Her death (yep, she dies, better late than never) greatly traumatizes my baby. Bitch. That's the first reason to hate her; she traumatizes my Kenshin. If she weren't so damn stupid, she'd still be alive... and my poor Kenshin would still be stuck with the ice queen... so I guess the trauma's worth it in the end, because he meets Kaoru. But it still does not please me that he suffers. Second reason to hate her: She's like an uncool Madoka. Part of the reason why Madoka kicks so much ass is that while she IS another Ice Queen character, we also get to see her laugh, get angry, just be odd ("Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?" "::giggle:: Plankton.") Same goes for Hayama. He's almost Rei-like in his withdrawal from people, especially at first, but he can just be so odd. ("Uncle. Uncle uncle uncle. Uncle.") Tomoe, on the other hand, smiles *twice.* Not counting the smiles in her equally-spooky brother's head. She gets involved with Kenshin at first to get revenge on him. Then, later, in her only burst of sense and coolness, she falls in love with him. At least in the manga she's pretty (beautiful, actually) while her OVA character design just looks butt-ugly to me. Nonetheless, she comes of freakish stock; her brother is equally strange and obsessive about revenge, and, jerkishly, also traumatizes my baby. Bastard. I hate him even more. The main reason to direct my hate at Tomoe, however, is that she has a following. There are those that actually favor her over Kaoru (GRRRRRRRRRR!) or believe that SHE, not Kaoru, is the love of Kenshin's life (GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRR! RRRRRRRRRR! rrrrrrrrrr.....) I have a wee tiny problem with this. Yeah, the frigid wench may have been okay for Kenshin when he was the Battousai, but only Kaoru can truly accept him for what he is. Tomoe, besides being dead, doesn't deserve him. She snipes at him, uses her sacred politeness on everyone *but* him, marries him without loving him, all of that.
I have looked into the manga containing her. For much of it, she truly is just as bad as I said. Once she cries I like her more, but before that... ugh.