I've always been drawn to the relationship between Kafei and Anju in Majora's Mask. I find Kafei/Anju to be a rather bittersweet pair, with Kafei disappearing before his upcoming wedding, Anju seeming depressed in the beginning, and them being reunited at the very end (thanks to Link).

You know what I find interesting (or maybe sad is a better word)? If you don't give Anju the Pendant of Memories, but help Kafei get the Sun Mask back, Kafei goes to the Stock Pot Inn to find that Anju isn't there. Kafei will look at Anju's wedding dress and say:

(I didn't actually do this on my own; I found a video on Youtube showing what would happen if Link doesn't give Anju the Pendant of Memories.)

What are your thoughts on Kafei/Anju?

I so love this pair!! They are what I'd call the true "heart of MM"...the best of all the many emotional experiences that game had to offer. They had such a deep love and trust filled relationship, so very beautiful. I loved how in the end Kafei comes in looking like a mere kid...missing for a month, late and nothing needs to be said, so powerful. If Termina had a "Link and Zelda"...it would be them.

Speaking of which, I know I have our essay, but I still believe that Kafei and Anju are the parallel relationship to Hyrule's Link and Zelda. The feeling is the same: the basis of unconditional, timeless love and trust. I always picture Zelda acting the same way when Link packed up and left for Termina with barely a word. And same with Link: unending determination to conquer his obstacles and eventually return to Zelda.

Anyways, Anju and Kafei. I wish they could recreate this in another game...how sad was it in MC to find Anju..but no Kafei? I could see at least one line in Link and Ilia's TP reunion that borrowed from Anju/Kafei..but IMO they failed with the TP pairing.

That is interesting to think of Kafei and Anju as a parallel to Link and Zelda, and it's not so farfetched as someone might think. To give out examples, Kafei and Link both look like kids, but they're adults on the inside; Anju is sad about Kafei's disappearance, and Zelda sure seemed a bit sad about Link leaving, even if their separation would only be for a short period of time.

I wonder what other Majora's Mask characters think about Kafei/Anju? Cremia doesn't like it much, since she's in love with Kafei, even though she never does anything to get in the way of her best friend and her fiance. Anju's mother doesn't like it at all, considering her reaction when you talk to her while wearing Kafei's Mask and her theory about Kafei ditching Anju for Cremia. I wonder what Kafei's parents think about his relationship with Anju? I'm not sure if they were too pleased when they heard their son was engaged to a woman who runs an inn.

And that really is the thing: they act the same. Zelda is pictured as a pillar of strength when Link departs...believing in him, etc, but it's not realistic. If she was any normal girl ( which she is inside ) she'd wonder if she did something to make him leave..was it her? He returns to her triumphant at the end of Ocarina of Time, in a scene that really spoke to me about how he chose her. We know MM takes place roughly 3 months after that scene ( I think the Nintendo website said this ) so what happened between then? Link went from determined and triumphant to depressed and apathetic. His friend and personal doubts were obviously the cause of this, but how would Zelda know? I never found this scene on my own but it touched me.

Imagine Zelda thinking this. While Link told her he was leaving, I suspect it was "I'm leaving." and that was that. He left her completely alone too, with no apparent promise of his return. She took upon herself to place her faith in him: while I doubt it mattered much to him when he left, I think it did later when he "regained himself".

Of course she doesn't: she's busy moping that she didn't get Kafei. I am unsure if she knew about his disappearance though she may have. If you show her Kafei's Mask, she reacts: " Ah...You.
Did some middle-aged woman put
you to work?
Kafei isn't here.."

Madame Aroma likely already had approached her..if Anju's mother had doubts concerning Cremia it's safe to say she would too. Given all this, I would bet Kafei, Anju and Cremia have a long history. Maybe like Link, Zelda and Malon growing up from children. But Cremia was likely likewise the flirtacious friend who fell in love with a Kafei already in love with Anju and couldn't win him. But she'd be a great temptation: beautiful, needy and easily flatters if her behavior towards Link is any indication.

I suspect Anju's mother may actually like Kafei, but is blinded by hatred and memories about her own husband running off and never returning. I need to go pull out MM to find the sources, but I found a bunch of other random text quotes concerning Kafei:

"Lookee here!
Don't be in'erfer'in with my dear
Anju!!! You 'fraid o' my fists?
Don' go findin' that Kafei!"

"Soooo, doesn't Kafei want to
break off his engagement to
Anju? Why not let him? That's
what he wants...
Some people..."

It seems the town is abuzz with talk: I don't know about Mayor Doutour, but I found a quote seemingly indicating he's too busy to think about it. Madame Aroma seems to just want to find Kafei.

About Kafei/Anju being the talk of the town, it seems to me that not only is it hot gossip (and probably has been ever since Kafei's disappearance), but Anju is also a popular girl with the guys, even if she's engaged to someone.

I always thought Tortus was dead, though it could be possible that he left his wife and then died.

About Link's rather cold behavior (is "cold" the right word?) in the beginning of the game, can you really blame him? He was on this life-changing adventure, and he has to go back to being a kid at the end. Maybe he was starving for more excitement, maybe he didn't want the adventures to end? (Link was looking for Navi, wasn't he?)

But yeah, Zelda probably had little idea as to why Link was leaving Hyrule. Maybe Link had distanced himself from her?

And as for the Anju-Kafei-Cremia love triangle, it's not so out there to assume that all three have known each other since childhood. Anju's mother describes Cremia as Anju's best friend, so the two have probably known each other for years. Also, Anju mentions the promise she and Kafei made when they were children, that they would get married one day during the Carnival of Time.

With this in mine, we can draw that Kafei and Anju were in love with each other since childhood, though I'm sure it started out as crushes on both ends. And since Cremia is modeled after Malon, maybe she was very open about her feelings for Kafei, only to be rejected by him.

It probably helps that Kafei is a celebrity too. I mean, think how us real-worlder's would react if Prince William just up and disappeared? While I doubt Clocktown's leadership is hereditary, he's still the son of the most powerful man in Termina.

The thing I love about Anju is that if she was popular, it would totally be the for the right reasons: she's not outstandingly pretty ( IMO ) , popular or rich. She's a simple inn-keeper with a sweet heart and spirit.

About Tortus: I believe it was established he did leave., but I'd have to check the sources again though.

Not really: the guy has had a terrible time, he's an insignificant kid again and has likely lost his confidence as well. He has all the right in the world to feel a little depressed and downtrodden.

But how that behavior affects Zelda I do dislike. If he was sent back in time, she would have no memory of the future and would be relatively innocent. She would feel trust and a connection to this guy, but he may act in ways she can't understand.
Depression has the unfortunate effect of hurting others..especially the ones you love most.

However, if the prologue is any indication, Link did indeed return to tell her the tale in the end. The intro leads into MM as a tale of the past and a dear one to the Royal Family at that. It's such a personal and deep tale that they must have been very close for her to hear it. He would likely have admitted how depressed and miserable he was, how humiliated he felt as a Deku Scrub, and maybe even how he missed her when he remembered her atop the Clock Tower.

I can't help but feel Anju and Cremia's friendship would have been badly hurt by Kafei: imagine how you'd feel if your best friend had pursued at one point and was suspect in your lover's disappearance?

I agree that Cremia's feelings were likely open. She does seem to approach life with the same attitude as Malon: she doesn't hide her feelings well. In part with this, I see her as actively pursuing Kafei when they were younger. The way she treats Link...she tells him everything he likely wants to hear. He's mature and a grown-up in her eyes. Romani calls him a hero...in short, they flatter him and make him feel everything he may be doubting about himself. I see her using her the same approach on Kafei: and to any man I can see that being a massive temptation. They almost give off an air of desperation too.

Anju in contrast seems the "believing" type who constantly doubts herself...while she undoubtably would also praise Kafei, I don't see it as being as effusive as Cremia's. I see her more as the type to simply let it go un-said. Much like a certain blonde heroine back in Hyrule

You know what this brings to mind? Have you ever seen ( or read the book ) Sense and Sensibility ? Cremia ( and Malon ) reminds me much of Marianne. Open, emotional, and vulnerable but it leads her to heartbreak. Anju ( and Zelda ) seem more like Elinor, to keep the stiff upper lip in public but ache in private. However, their virtue wins them the man in the end.

*Sigh* I'm so glad you made this topic. I love this pair so much! I'm unsure if it was intentional about Link/Zelda = Anju/Kafei, but it seems wrong that Malon ( Cremia ) would get such exploration as a character without an opposing angle. If nothing else, I'm sure Link learned about true love in Termina from Anju/Kafei. He would then take it home and if smart..apply it to the closest relationship he has.

I see Anju as having a quiet beauty; she's plain in physical appearance (especially when you compare her to the likes of Zelda), but she's rather shy and sweet natured, which can be (and usually are) endearing traits.

Yes, it's established that Tortus did leave his wife, but before I found that out, I had learned that he was dead.

To be honest, I've always imagined that Link, Zelda, and the Six Sages all remembered what happened in the alternate timeline, but the Zelda flashback in Majora's Mask infers that Zelda actually didn't remember. :(

When I first played Majora's Mask, I thought "the tale held dearly by the Royal Family" was what happened in Ocarina of Time.

I imagine that Anju's relationship with Kafei was a strain on her friendship with Cremia, especially if you don't do the Kafei/Anju side quest and you find Anju and her family at Romani Ranch, with quotes such as:

Okay, you can probably discard Anju's quote, since it's more about one of her promises to Kafei than anything related to Cremia. But what about Anju's mother's quote? After all, part of her harshness towards Anju is because she thinks Kafei ran off with Cremia. She doesn't want her daughter to be moping over a man who she thinks ditched her for a needy woman and thinks it's better for her to try to survive than to wait for her fiance (although if this is the moon that will be crashing onto the earth, wouldn't it just wipe everything out, resulting in everyone on the planet dying?).

Her beauty comes from her heart: Zelda may be beautiful, but she also has the same soul-ish beauty. ( And so did Saria ) I've always liked the fact that Anju was chosen by Kafei in spite of her lack of physical beauty. I mean, I know I come across as pretty harsh on Cremia/Romani, but with them my impression is they have very little substance inside..it's all looks and flirtations.

TP seems to infer also that those ancient Sages may not be the newly awakened ones of OoT. I suspect a WW like occurence happened, with Ganondorf killing the original ( and surviving in TP ) Sages...the result being a new awakening for all but Rauru, who was protected in the Temple of Light.

Anyways...yeah, Zelda doesn't seem to remember. But she seems to give off an indication that more has developed between her and Link since he returned to being a child. "..days we've spent together.." I think it's fair to say they re-developed a strong bond and he spent a goodly portion of those three months with her.

I couldn't imagine having to face my best friend in that situation. The resentment and agony would be too much to bear, and then most of all I would think Anju would want to confide in Cremia..but wouldn't be able to because of Cremia's conflict of interest. Personally, if my best friend fell in love with my man....she wouldn't be my best friend anymore. She'd be my competition: love is a choice...and Cremia had one. But her need for a partner was so great that she coveted ( and likely pursued )
Kafei despite the fact that Anju loved him.

Yeah...to me it sounds like Anju's mom is reacting out of protective love for her daughter.

I agree with you on everything you said, about Zelda, Saria (I've always liked her, I thought she was really cute when I first saw her), and even about Cremia and Romani. You're probably right in that Cremia, Romani, and Malon are rather flat when it comes to Zelda, Saria, and Anju.

I agree that Link and Zelda must have had reforged their strong bond during the time Link was in Hyrule (but I thought Majora's Mask took place a year after Link was sent back to his childhood in Ocarina of Time).

I wonder if Anju was all, "How could you do this!" to Cremia about the Kafei thing. After all, Cremia certainly has a motive for wanting to be with Kafei, even though he's engaged to her best friend--she needs emotional support from a partner because Romani Ranch is falling apart and she needs fiancial support from Madame Aroma. If Cremia married Kafei, she would get both.

This may seen kind of random, but here is what Anju's mother says if Anju stays at the Stock Pot Inn to wait for Kafei:

Actually, although I dislike her, Ilia has that same beauty as well. They just ruined my impression of her with her controlling streak and temper tantrum. But anyways, back to Kafei and Anju...I like how true love was allowed to win with them..the kind we are taught about as kids and dream about...the way it should be.

Without going on a rant...it seems in our world today we see so much lust: the shallow, worldly-minded yet pretty girls are in high demand whereas real women seem to suffer.
Cremia(and Malon ) to me are representative of this. To see a man of real quality desire and choose a woman like Anju makes the romantic in my heart sigh. Same with Link and Zelda: Zelda is so selfless, compassionate and loving that the thought of him choosing another makes my heart hurt.

The strength of the bond between the two is astounding, IMO. Which is why I liken it to Anju and Kafei, despite the lack of age on our hero's side. I doubt he would have promised Zelda to marry her like with Anju and Kafei( She IS the Princess), but the feeling is the same. They love each other, even if it's not realized yet. Actually, I would imagine a young Anju would be much like Zelda: insecure, trusting and a sweetheart. A young Cremia I would think can be seen in Romani...flirty, pretty and giggly. Kafei I'm not sure about..I picture him being much like Link though. Maybe that's why I felt such a connection between Link and Kafei..like they understood each other.

Anyways, that's what the Nintendo site said. I don't really think it matters though. Link looks older and more mature...a month or a year..who cares?

Again....conflict of interest. Cremia chose interest in self over that of Anju. She's not a bad person so she didn't actually attempt to steal him but she must have pursued him at some point. If not, I doubt she would be moping so sincerely.
To me, even if your intentions are to provide for yourself ( and your sister ) thinking your best friend's man is the solution is bad form. Cremia is so pretty...she could have many other man...why did it have to be Kafei? If she had actually succeeded, she would have greviously wronged Anju.

Lust has been around forever; sad, but true.

And I doubt Link ever would leave Zelda for another girl. Despite all the girls that take an interest in Link, Link has always struck me as a one-woman man, you know what I mean?

Link and Zelda's bond would have to be strong, seeing as how Zelda spills her guts to Link about her dream and about how she thinks it's a prophecy...and this is before she even introduces herself to him!

I think Cremia could have pursued another man if she wanted to, but she was so stuck on Kafei that she wasn't thinking clearly. It also may have something to do with the fact that Kafei is the mayor's son that Cremia saw marrying him as a solution.

Wasn't Cremia's hug pretty much that? I mean...she steps forward and embraces the poor kid into her chest...and he feels warm and fuzzy. But that sudden rush of emotion likely came from a) how unusual him getting hugged was and b ) she's really pretty, she thinks he's a grown up and looks cool...how flattering. But that's not love...it's infatuation. The game seems to go out of it's way to make Romani/Cremia so "cute" ( which apparently is desirable in Japanese circles, as is being called "cool" for a guy ) but it's so shallow! The girls themselves can be argued to be small, selfish and in Romani's case, whiny. ( She whines about wanting to go to town )

No, I don't think he would either. I think he can be tempted ( as I would BET Kafei was at some point ) but he'll always return to Zelda at the end. Love is wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone...and he always go back, you see what I mean?

To be fair, Link seems to inspire trust in everyone...but Zelda told him a really important secret. Her dream likely helped in that too.

The prestige eh? It seems that all three girls ( Cremia, Romani, and Malon ) see a Hero coming in as their only salvation: whether Link or Kafei, it doesn't matter. I dislike the fact that Link/Kafei have to "perform" to earn their affections. With Anju, or Zelda, it's not like that. In MM, Link is just some kid who was a Hero in a time that Zelda doesn't remember..yet that doesn't affect how strong their bond is. Kafei shows up as a kid, late and all Anju cares about is that he came. He doesn't even need to make an apology.

I agree with what you said about Anju and Kafei. Their dialogue at that time goes something like this:

Kafei: Anju...I'm sorry I was late.
Anju: Welcome home...