Something I think about in dark times. Always honor your calling. 🍶

Kushi’s sake is her life, and as she rightly believes, nothing is stronger than that. A calling is pure light, and art contains the breadth of the artist.

For me, Kushi is saying that she’s unified with her calling. Long ago, she made a choice to give the world gifts that are hers alone, sacrificing what might have been an easier, more comfortable path.

At a glance this might feel like it’s about hard-earned expertise. But there’s something about the animation, music, and Kushi’s overall characterization that make it hit deeper.

And then Kushi says the most amazing thing. “My sake is my life. Surely it can intoxicate even Orochi.”

This screen is from Okami (2005). When saving a village from an eight-headed dragon falls on a sake brewer’s shoulders, she has an understandable moment of doubt. Can her sake do anything at all to help?

Sometimes, a lot of the time, it’s the very small things.