About Meiran
*sigh* So much to say, yet so little. Her character only exists in one official manga that hasn't even come out to the US officially yet, a bunch of fanfics, and maybe a few doujinshi (Fragmentary comes to mind, read it at GundamWing.Org.) And yet, she has fansites in her name and art with her image...not to mention the written arts love to explore her relationship with her husband, Chang Wufei.
The whole purpose of her existance, it seems to me, is to change Wufei. Yes, to change him. You should have seen him in his Episode Zero...some pathetic little scholar who doesn't believe in old-fashioned virtues and hates women. Yes, to some extent he still does, but that's something else. ^_~ Click here to get to my About Wufei page on his personality...including his chauvinistic ways.
Meiran is apparently the heiress to the Dragon Clan, a clan of powerful warriors that were banished from the Earth because they were too powerful. Even on their own colony, they gained power--so much that the Fedaration/Alliance (depending on which version of GW you watch) decided to get rid of them rather than just exiling them again. Meiran was a fanatic against this, determined to fight with all of her power against it.
Because she was a woman, she had limited rights (this was a very traditional society, after all). She therefore called herself Nataku--thinking that if she was Nataku, then no one could deny her strength. As the best warrior in the clan, she was rather--erm--sickened by the fact that she had to marry a scholar...a weak scholar who didn't even believe in justice, what horror!
That boy, then turned a man, was Chang Wufei.
They fought a lot--she didn't think he was worthy, he didn't think she was...classic family feud, ne? Their marriage was simple convenience...their children would be the best thing to come to the clan. As children themselves, they didn't know what to make of each other...he thought she should be a traditional woman and cook and clean, whilst she thought he should be a man and fight like her.
Then the colony is attacked, and she fights in a mobile suit against it. Wufei can only stand back and watch in the unfinished Shenlong--which he named Shenlong because "Nataku isn't a worthy name." He disobeys orders and goes in to get her--she asks him to simply take her to their field of flowers, where they fought against each other...that's when all the sap happens. I'll just give you a translation of what they say, just so that you know.
Meiran: Isn't it
beautiful here? The flowers, they're so beautiful.... [Note: Kind
of ironic. She is a warrior, what does she care about the beauty
of a field of flowers?] I protected...I protected our field of
flowers.... [It's also technically not theirs.]
Wufei: Yes, it is very beautiful, Meiran--I mean, Nataku. [He
used to refuse her requests to call her Nataku.]
Meiran: I was strong, wasn't I? I deserve to be your wife, don't
I? [She used to think he wasn't worthy of her.]
Wufei: You're the strongest person I've ever known. [Technically
untrue. When they fought a few scenes before, he actually
defeated her.]
Meiran: No Wufei...you are stronger.... *Dies in his arms*
Wufei: Nataku! I didn't get to prove to you that I was worthy to
be your husband! Nataku! NATAKU!
Now that's something. It says a lot, really... *sniff* You may or may not believe that this is love--I've heard arguments of duty, of justice. Whether or not this shows love, it does show a very high respect that once was not there. And of course, that respect carries through many of Wufei's actions. Her influence goes beyond the grave--her ideals and beliefs carried into her husband and stuck.
I like Meiran's character because she fights for what she believes in--justice and the clan. She always wants to prove her worth, almost as a challenge. And if she was able to influence The Chauvinistic One, Wufei, then that's an admirable power you just don't see every day.
Her chivalrious fight for justice is embodied in Wufei...virtue, above anything, never dies. ^_^ And although she thought she was invincible (and still died) in a way she is--her ideals and beliefs still carry in Wufei's soul. Her fanaticism could be interpreted as loyalty, and her slight egotistical manner (thinking that since she was Nataku, she was invincible) can be justified in the fact that she was the best warrior of the clan.
That's my take on Meiran. So bee-da to all you Mei bashers and have a nice day.