|
Electra appears to have few, if any, close relationships. Most of her
interactions are professional, such as with the CEO of Cherious and
Harris. Although Steve, one of the laboratory scientists, has a crush
on her, he isn't more than an acquaintance; she is uncomfortable with
his interest in her and only reluctantly agrees to date him in exchange
for a private analysis of her blood.
Vincent:
Unlike typical fictional relationships, Electra and Vincent's isn't clear-cut.
They aren't like most anime lovers: their love isn't romantic or sweet. In
short, they aren't "in love." Rather, their relationship is most similar to
that of Spike and Julia: Electra and Vincent need each other.
It's not known how they originally met, but their first encounter occurred at
least three years ago, before Vincent went to Titan. In 2060, Vincent was
drafted into the M.A. at age 18, and two years later, he joined the Mars
Special Forces Attack Team, Unit 7. He and Electra probably met sometime
afterwards; Electra was likely also in the M.A. The extent of their
relationship is unclear; however, they were probably lovers, which is the
most convincing explanation of how Electra received the counter-nano-machines.
Electra describes Vincent as a man who has been alone his entire life, a man who
has never been loved by anyone. It was because of this that she wanted to save
him, and it's one reason why she acted alone on the monorail. But when she saw
him, he didn't recognize her; Electra realized that she was a stranger to him,
that she had already passed from his memories. It's obvious from her pain and
regret that she cares deeply for Vincent, but it's not until Spike directly asks
her, "You loved him?" that love ever comes up.
Electra answers that she doesn't know. Apparently, she has never really thought
about whether she loves Vincent. Instead, her feelings are instinctive: they
can't be questioned or decided, they just are. So even after she describes
something that sounds very much like love- how her heart "ached," how she lost
herself in feelings that she never knew she possessed- she still doesn't use the
word love to describe their relationship. What Electra feels for Vincent can't
be reduced to such an open-ended, frequently misused word.
Almost to herself, Electra muses over the possibility that it was she who wanted
to be saved, and not her saving Vincent. What she wants to be saved from is up
for debate- her life, her pain, her loneliness- but her unmentioned savior is
obvious: any resolution, any answer lies in Vincent.
Like Spike, Vincent spends his second life living in a dream: physically alive,
but dead on the inside. Although Spike recognizes the similarities between
himself and Vincent, Vincent is a darker, twisted Spike- the ruthless, sadistic
person Spike could become, if he had chosen a different path. Caring nothing
for anything, Vincent is permanently detached from the world, other people, and
even himself. He considers himself a lost soul, stuck in the place between
Heaven and Hell, fallen but still searching for a "door" to lead him out of his
dream.
As Julia is to Spike, Electra is to Vincent. She is the one thing in the world,
the one person, who can make him feel alive. It is only she who can awaken him
from his dream and bring him back to himself: seeing her again in the tower, he
suddenly remembers "the one who I loved." As he dies, he tells her, "Being with
you was the only time that felt real." Electra feels the same about him; in the
end, she was willing to die with him: "Let's go together."
They love each other because they need each other, and they need each other
because only by being together can their lives and their own selves feel
real.
Spike:
Above all, Spike admires Electra's strength; according to him, even her name
sounds strong. Strong women being Spike's type, he finds Electra attractive
and interesting, and he doesn't hestitate to let her know that. In spite of
their matched skill, Spike takes their (awesome) fight in Cherious lightly;
he flippantly offers to tell her what he knows if his coin lands on tails.
Later, Spike says that if it had been heads, he would have taken Electra out
on a date.
But while Spike thinks Electra's hot, she doesn't return his sentiments. The
only person for Electra is Vincent. However, she recognizes that aside from
being a not-so-average bounty hunter, Spike is different from most people.
She is continuously surprised by his perceptiveness, candor, and actions.
Eventually, Electra even confides her feelings about Vincent to Spike, which,
given her reticence and reserved nature, is no small event. There are things
about Spike which Electra knows are unique; she trusts him.
Perhaps part of Spike's attraction to Electra, and part of why Electra opens up
to Spike, is because of how similar they are in personality and love. Their
relationships with their loved ones are parallels; their love, their pain, and
their loss are analogous. After Electra, likely for the first time to anyone,
speaks about Vincent to Spike, Spike finds himself, with little hesitation,
telling her about Julia in return. He then says that it's amazing: Electra is
the first person he's ever told his story to. Their ability to relate to each
other, in spite being almost strangers, is natural. Meeting each other, Spike's
instincts perhaps led him to sense the kinship between he and her; maybe, he
recognized himself in her.
| 
