“I saw it once. It’s . . . a little too bloody for me,” I said.

“I’ll warn you when it gets to the violent parts,” she said, pouring out two more glasses from the stolen bottle of wine.

I could tell it was important to her even if I didn’t know why, so I agreed to watch it, scooting closer to her on the couch and resting my head lightly on her shoulder.

During the movie, I caught Elise glancing at me a few times, and I realized she really wanted me to like it. At the end of Vol. 1, Elise didn’t say anything, just looked at me, awaiting my verdict.

“It was good,” I said, trying to be diplomatic.

“Good?” She sounded disappointed.

“Really good,” I said. “Really, really good.”

“Promise?”

“Yes,” I said.

“What was your favorite part?” she asked. I hadn’t sold her yet.

“All of it,” I said, wanting to be loyal.

“No, really,” she insisted.

“Okay,” I said, stalling. “If I had to pick, it’d be all the Hattori Hanzo scenes? When she convinces him to make her a sword.”

Elise nodded eagerly. “What else?”

“Um. The O-Ren Ishii fight in the snow. When she actually apologizes to the Bride.” I really did like these scenes, but I wanted to impress her, too, and I didn’t want to let her down.

She nodded again. “See, I knew you’d like it.”

“Mm-hmm.” I hoped that would be it, that the questions would end.

“It’s just all so poetic,” Elise continued, excited. “Here’s this girl who’s lost everything, who’s been betrayed by her family, and—and she’s not a victim. She doesn’t let herself wallow in it. She’s a survivor. She doesn’t give up. She doesn’t wait around for justice to deliver itself.” Elise sat up and began waving her hands around as she spoke faster and faster. “She doesn’t have anyone but she doesn’t need anyone anymore. She lives and breathes revenge. Don’t you wish the world could be like that sometimes?”

“What, filled with indiscriminate murder by katana-wielding assassins?” I said, laughing a little.

“No, I mean, don’t you wish there was a way to get even?” Her face was flushed, her voice excited, growing louder.

“I guess,” I said, confused. “But it’s not like we can just kill everyone we don’t like.” I was joking but there was a flash in Elise’s eyes, something hard. “I mean, we can’t all fly to Japan, get samurai swords made, and hunt down every asshole who wronged us. It’s a movie.” I shrugged.

“Right. It’s just a movie,” she said, collapsing back against the couch and sighing. “It’s just—I know it’s a movie but it’s so much more than that. It’s the code she lives by. It’s not just about revenge. It’s having respect for yourself. It’s believing you don’t deserve all the shitty things that people do to you. It’s believing that even if you get knocked down, there will be a day of reckoning. There’ll be a day you’ll rise out of the ashes and destroy the people who tried to destroy you.” Elise looked like she was going to cry, but she didn’t. She blinked away the tears and took a deep breath. “You know, there’s a reason she doesn’t have a name in the first movie. She could be anyone. The Bride could be me or you.”