TV-Series
Description
Elle Karen is the proprietress of the Tomon Inn, a well-known establishment where she also performs dances for her patrons. She is frequently seen in the company of bodyguards, presenting the outward image of a refined and defenseless lady. In reality, she is a shrewd and tough businesswoman who is well-known and respected in her city.
Her background is rooted in a difficult past. Long ago, she worked on the streets selling flowers, a cover for prostitution. She once nursed a wounded, wanted man back to health despite his warnings about the danger he posed. He promised to return for her, a claim she did not believe based on her experiences. However, he did return, and the two married. With his efforts, they built the Tomon Inn together and ran it happily until he was killed.
At the beginning of the story, Elle Karen is motivated by the daily operation of her inn and a personal mission to find a missing niece, though her responsibilities keep her from searching personally. She becomes entangled with the main character, Alka, when the bounty hunter Jin Hazuki brings Alka to the inn to work off a debt. Karen immediately recognizes Alka as an assassin from the butterfly tattoo on her arm but does not betray her, as she has a policy of keeping business matters outside her establishment. Her initial actions are contradictory; she saves Alka’s life on more than one occasion, yet this kindness is eventually revealed to be part of a long and patient scheme for revenge.
Elle Karen is defined by key relationships that drive the plot. Her connection with Jin Hazuki is that of a frequent, debt-ridden patron. Her most significant relationship, however, is with Alka. Karen eventually reveals that her husband was one of Alka’s past assassination targets. She had not taken revenge immediately because she felt no satisfaction in killing an emotionless weapon. Instead, she waited for Alka to develop human feelings. Once Alka began to show emotion, Karen exacted her revenge by killing Miharu, a friend of Alka’s, and then setting herself up as Alka’s target in a hired assassination plot. In their confrontation, Karen reveals her true combat ability, wielding her fan as a deadly weapon with which she wounds Alka.
Throughout the anime, Elle Karen undergoes notable development. After exacting her revenge, she finds herself feeling empty and unfulfilled, realizing that her actions failed to fill the void left by her husband. She burns their marriage photo and his remains as a way to move on. Feeling regret, she later intervenes to protect Alka from being killed and attempts to revive the girl’s fighting spirit by engaging her in combat. In terms of notable abilities, besides her sharp business acumen, she is a capable fighter. Her main weapon of choice is a seemingly innocuous fan, which she uses to counter attacks and strike her opponents with precision.
Her background is rooted in a difficult past. Long ago, she worked on the streets selling flowers, a cover for prostitution. She once nursed a wounded, wanted man back to health despite his warnings about the danger he posed. He promised to return for her, a claim she did not believe based on her experiences. However, he did return, and the two married. With his efforts, they built the Tomon Inn together and ran it happily until he was killed.
At the beginning of the story, Elle Karen is motivated by the daily operation of her inn and a personal mission to find a missing niece, though her responsibilities keep her from searching personally. She becomes entangled with the main character, Alka, when the bounty hunter Jin Hazuki brings Alka to the inn to work off a debt. Karen immediately recognizes Alka as an assassin from the butterfly tattoo on her arm but does not betray her, as she has a policy of keeping business matters outside her establishment. Her initial actions are contradictory; she saves Alka’s life on more than one occasion, yet this kindness is eventually revealed to be part of a long and patient scheme for revenge.
Elle Karen is defined by key relationships that drive the plot. Her connection with Jin Hazuki is that of a frequent, debt-ridden patron. Her most significant relationship, however, is with Alka. Karen eventually reveals that her husband was one of Alka’s past assassination targets. She had not taken revenge immediately because she felt no satisfaction in killing an emotionless weapon. Instead, she waited for Alka to develop human feelings. Once Alka began to show emotion, Karen exacted her revenge by killing Miharu, a friend of Alka’s, and then setting herself up as Alka’s target in a hired assassination plot. In their confrontation, Karen reveals her true combat ability, wielding her fan as a deadly weapon with which she wounds Alka.
Throughout the anime, Elle Karen undergoes notable development. After exacting her revenge, she finds herself feeling empty and unfulfilled, realizing that her actions failed to fill the void left by her husband. She burns their marriage photo and his remains as a way to move on. Feeling regret, she later intervenes to protect Alka from being killed and attempts to revive the girl’s fighting spirit by engaging her in combat. In terms of notable abilities, besides her sharp business acumen, she is a capable fighter. Her main weapon of choice is a seemingly innocuous fan, which she uses to counter attacks and strike her opponents with precision.