Hmm, this is indeed where the thesis gets a little mucky. One of the major feedback concerning my work was that there is more "subversion going on in X than I allow." To clarify, I built my case that female nudes have more often been the object of the male gaze since the Renaissance but as my professor pointed out, these nudes are "resolutely whole." The dismembered women in X significantly varies from this model. Their fragmented presentation actually visually thwarts entire posession of the body.

I suppose what I intended to present was not that Kamui and Fuuma look upon the naked female body with desire (and vice versa with Yuzuriha) but the situation presented has eerie but significant parallels with other examples--such as erotic manga in which men are placed in the position of watchers/viewers of the violated female body.

I'm sorry if it's still confusing! As you can see, I'm still very much trying to get the wording/reasoning right and believe me, your questions are certainly helping me formulate this better. Thank you very much for your interest and comments!