mtdthoughts

[mtdthoughts]

Possible References to The Carpenters (Migi & Dali Analysis)

Before I begin, I'd like to credit and dedicate this post to the wonderful @moscasines for messaging me and pointing out the series of observations that will be discussed below. This post would not be possible without your help, so thank you very much! 🫶

As always, spoilers for Migi & Dali are discussed!

This post is also a bit on the longer side...

To begin, the subject of this post is The Carpenters, an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of Karen Carpenter and her older brother Richard Carpenter. You can find more info on Wikipedia here.

The Carpenter siblings started their career in 1965 and achieved major success in the soft rock, easy listening, and adult contemporary music genres with hit singles such as "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun".

They've also toured continually in the 1970s, including in Japan where they performed at the famous Budokan in 1974.

This article gives some interesting insights into The Carpenter's influence in Japan, and I'd recommend checking it out! Namely, the Carpenters were known for their melody-oriented sound production that fits Japanese sensibilities, excellent vocals and English pronunciation, and their songs that give off the image of a good old American family.

In fact, the 1972 song "Top of the World" by The Carpenters was used as the theme song in the 1995 hit Japanese TV Drama "Miseinen" ("Under Age"), showing how The Carpenters' influence persisted in Japan even after their joint career abruptly ended in 1983 with Karen's tragic death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia.

Anyway, because of The Carpenters' influence in Japan, it is possible that Sano may have taken inspiration from them and their songs when creating Migi & Dali, and here are some possible references:

One of the characters is literally named Karen, who also possesses musical talent but specifically with the piano. As it turns out, Karen Carpenter is four years younger than her piano prodigy brother Richard, which seems to around the same age gap between Karen and Eiji. Furthermore, some have claimed that the root cause of Karen's anorexia was her overbearing, perfectionist mother who clearly favored her 'musical genius' brother Richard; this idea seems to parallel Reiko's obvious favoritism for Eiji and her relative disdain for Karen, someone who "never resembled Akira or Reiko" ---

One of the most iconic foods in the story other than cherry pie and omelet is jambalaya, which was featured in the first chapter and Episode of Migi & Dali. Interestingly, The Carpenters featured Hank William's song "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" on their album 1973 album Now & Then, which sold well in the US, UK, and Japan. The song is about lost love, life, parties, and Cajun cuisine. ---

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is song expressing the yearning to be close to someone you love, emphasizing how special and unique that person is. Some of the lyrics are particularly interesting, such as "Why do birds suddenly appear / Every time you are near?" and "So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold / And starlight in your eyes of blue", with birds being Akiyama's fascination and "hair of gold" and "eyes of blue" describing the twins' appearance. Perhaps this song references the Sonoyamas' and Akiyama's longing to be close to the twins. ---

"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a melancholic song that describes one's feeling of melancholy and loneliness and being unable to fit in, but finding comfort in knowing that another person loves them. Some notable lyrics are "What I've got they used to call the blues / Nothin' is really wrong / Feelin' like I don't belong" and "Funny, but it seems that I always wind up here with you / Nice to know somebody loves me". This could be a reference to the loneliness that Dali suffers, though he does find comfort in Migi's love for him. ---

"Top of the World" is an upbeat and joyful song about the feeling of being on top of the world due to being in love. It could be a reference to Migi's infatuation with Sali. ---

"Superstar" expresses longing and heartache, telling the story of someone yearning for a lost love using the example of a fan and a rock star. Some lyrics that stand out are "Don't you remember, you told me you loved me, baby? / You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby". This song could be a reference to Migi's feelings towards Sali, especially after Migi was rejected for Eiji. ---

"Ticket to Ride", a song by The Beatles that the Carpenters covered, is about someone leaving a relationship with a metaphorical ticket to ride, claiming that her partner was holding her down and that she would never be free, as her partner is left upset singing that "my baby don't care". This song could be a reference to Migi's separation from Dali as Migi literally rides away with his new freedom. ---

"Goodbye to Love" explores the sadness of lost love and the realization that one might not find love again, and one notable lyric is "I'll say goodbye to love / No one ever cared if I should live or die". It could be a reference to Dali when he believed that Migi would never love him again (especially when he was about to die), or to Eiji after he killed Reiko, believing he had no one left. ---

"Hurting Each Other" is a ballad that addresses the pain and difficulty of a troubled relationship where both parties are emotionally harming each other despite their love for each other. It could be a reference to some aspects of the twins' relationship, including their fight where they literally hurt each other despite their love for each other. ---

"We've Only Just Begun" explores the optimism of a couple beginning their new life together while mixing cautious introspection for the future. Some notable lyrics are "Before the risin' sun, we fly / So many roads to choose" and "And when the evening comes, we smile / So much of life ahead". It could be a reference to the twins' reconciliation after their fight, heading towards their happiness despite the danger ahead. ---

"Merry Christmas, Darling" is about the longing and fervent desire to spend Christmas together with a loved one that is apart. Some lyrics that stand out are "Merry Christmas, darling / We're apart, that's true / But I can dream and in my dreams / I'm Christmasing with you". This could be a reference to Migi's desire to live together with Dali while Dali was isolating himself in the shadows. ---

"Please Mr. Postman", a song by the Marvelettes that The Carpenters covered, is about the excitement, impatience, and eagerness of waiting for news of a loved one far away. It could be a reference to the twins in the short sequel manga. ---

In general, many songs that were covered and sung by The Carpenters share themes of love, lost love, longing, and loneliness, which also happen to be important themes in Migi & Dali.

I encourage the reader (including myself) to check out all of the songs I listed and more, as it's very fascinating to notice all the different connections to Migi & Dali and perhaps understand the characters better. There may be more songs that deserve to go on this list, so I may decide to update this post later (and of course the reader is very welcome to let me know if I missed any 😊)

Given these potential connections, The Carpenters might be another cultural reference that had a significant impact on Migi & Dali that helped Sano shape the characters and the direction of the story. Of course, I can't discount the possibility that all of this is just a big coincidence and that this post is just a big load of crap, but this wouldn't nearly be as interesting 😜

With all this in mind, I think that Migi & Dali would make a great musical, and it's interesting to imagine the characters singing songs like these in the anime. However, I've never seen a musical before, so I know nothing about them, but I have a good feeling that a Migi & Dali musical would be good. I'd probably see it.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #karen carpenter #the carpenters #analysis

[mtdthoughts]

Realization Pt. 2 (Migi & Dali Thought)

Recently, I also had another thought.

Just as I was wondering when the Sonoyamas figured out that Migi and Dali were actually twins, I began to wonder when Reiko figured out that Hitori was actually Metry's child.

At first, I thought it was this (anime-only) moment when she was wondering who attempted to kill her son.

But then I realized that I probably didn't give her enough credit, as she is one of the most intelligent and dangerous characters in the show.

Now, I'm thinking that she realized it much earlier than this. After all, for eight years she's lived her life in absolute paranoia, desperate to keep her secret by surveilling all of Origon Village and keeping track of those that threaten her way of life, especially Metry. I don't think she ever forgot about Metry, especially not after seeing a boy who is the spitting image of her.

But when exactly did she realize Hitori's identity?

One possibility is during the welcome party all the way back in Chapter 5 (or Episode 2) when they first met. Think about it. Blondes are already very rare in Origon Village, and suddenly she sees a blonde boy who looks just like Metry. This most likely made her suspicious, and her suspicions could have been confirmed when Dali mentioned that he'll be turning 13 as she states that he's the same age as Eiji. Perhaps she became wary of Metry's potential return at this point.

But what about the fact that she seemed to be unaware of both twins until Chapter 34 (or Episode 9)? She may or may not have taken that into account, but in my opinion that doesn't really matter. What's important is that she's aware that Metry's son has returned to Origon Village, and so of course she'll be wary of his behavior and actions.

Another possibility of when she realized it was after the midterm exams, when Eiji revealed that Hitori had the pajama button that he lost eight years ago. This is a HUGE clue as this button was what caused Eiji to start asking questions about Metry. Thus, at this point it wouldn't be unreasonable to conclude that she knew about Hitori being Metry's son, and that it may be possible that he knew the truth (which he didn't).

But then why doesn't she just kill him the moment she realizes his identity? Well, until the Halloween incident, Hitori didn't seem to pose as a threat to her. He might have some vague idea of his past in Origon Village, but at this point none of his actions seemed to suggest that he knew the truth, and so there wasn't really a reason to shake things up. This all changed once Dali attempted to kill Eiji, and feeling cornered she decided to resort to violence.

That's where the brainwashing or "baby-fying" comes in, which may have been her "peaceful" attempt to solve her problem. Just as she brainwashed Eiji into forgetting everything about Metry so that he would play the role of her perfect son, she may have attempted to brainwash Migi into doing the same, becoming another cog in her perfect system (like his brother Eiji). Furthermore, keeping Migi captive may have also been a way to bait Metry if she was still around. But once the Halloween incident occurred, she likely concluded that her brainwashing failed and that Hitori was more dangerous than she thought, and so tried to kill him.

With all this in mind, it's quite scary to consider that the twins were treading in dangerous waters the entire time, even more so than I previously thought.

You twins thought you were being clever and sneaky by crawling around people's houses and switching around? Well, you wouldn't guess that a dangerous and unstable woman has been aware of your existence the entire time, watching yours and everyone's actions.

I wonder, what was going through Reiko's head the entire time when she was interacting with Hitori? For example, when Migi was pretending to be a 5-year-old at the Ichijo family dinner, what was Reiko thinking when Migi was asking questions about his blonde hair and "Eiichi"? What was she thinking when she was consciously trying to brainwash Metry's son?

Ugh, thinking about this makes me shudder...

#migi and dali #migi to dali #thought

[mtdthoughts]

The Psychiatrist (Migi & Dali Observation)

In an earlier post, I noted that Akira wore reading glasses, which I thought was rather interesting since someone else also wears glasses.

In this post, I wanted to briefly mention the book that Akira was reading.

As you can see, he's reading "The Psychiatrist", likely a reference to a novella of the same name written by Brazilian author Machado de Assis, which was first published in 1882 as "O Alienista".

In the novella, Dr. Simão Bacamarte, a well-respected physician, returns to his hometown and dedicates himself to psychiatry, opening an asylum called Casa Verde ("Green House) where he aims to cure mental illness. His initial purpose is noble and scientific, but his blind faith in science and rationality leads him to admitting more and more people for behaviors he deems irrational. His methods and diagnoses become increasingly questionable as he goes from a well-meaning and respected physician to a tyrant, incarcerating many of the town's inhabitants, only to realize his own madness in the end.

While I'm not 100% certain whether this is the exact book that Sano was referring to, it's very interesting that Akira's situation is similar to Bacamarte's. Namely, while Akira is a respected and a well-meaning psychiatrist, his devotion to his work seems to have blinded him to what went on with his family, particularly his wife. As Karen mentioned, Akira had a patient with him the whole time, and his blindness allowed for Reiko to essentially take control of everyone in Origon VIllage, realizing this when it was too late.

Note to self: This book should also go in the reading list

#migi and dali #migi to dali #observation

[mtdthoughts]

A random thing I just noticed:

Apparently, in Chapter 20 of the manga, Akira is shown to be wearing glasses, likely reading glasses in particular.

Now, I'm not so surprised that Dali is suddenly wearing glasses in the short sequel manga. Like father like son I suppose.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #observation

[mtdthoughts]

I recently had another possible explanation for this.

Remember when Youko found two pairs of clothes waiting for her when the twins took their first bath?

I wonder, have the twins always left two sets of clothes every time they bathed? It just seems odd to me that the usually cautious twins would make a rather foolish mistake of leaving a big hint for Youko that they're twins.

If this is the case, then Youko would have a rather vital clue after Migi ran away from Dali around Halloween.

Namely, she would most likely find only one pair of clothes waiting for her. Moreover, if Dali never wore striped underwear, then she'd likely notice yet another inconsistency in her son's laundry.

Since Youko is someone who pays very careful attention to clothing and laundry (e.g. when she asked about Hitori's clothing when the twins first moved in, and when Micchan mentioned how she always handwashes Hitori's underwear), it is possible that this inconsistency may have led her to start suspecting that she had twins.

Realization (Migi & Dali Thought)

I think I finally have a satisfactory answer to the whole "When did the Sonoyamas..." question.

It was so simple, yet I wasn't even thinking of it for such a long time.

As always, spoiler warning.

At this point, I am like 99.99% convinced that the Sonoyamas figured it out themselves without any help. Maybe some third party (e.g. Akiyama or Akira) confirmed it with them, but the Sonoyamas did most of the realizing themselves. They're not as senile as the twins thought they were, and to be fair, if I (a young man) were in their shoes, I would have totally fallen for the twins' tricks.

The lines in this scene are only found in the anime, but I do think that they provide the most likely explanation.

Namely, the Sonoyamas pretty much realized it during Halloween, specifically after the Halloween contest. Sure, the Sonoyamas had clues a while back, but I think that it was really because of Halloween that they began to suspect that they had twins.

Before I get into why, the timing does make sense. I don't think that the Sonoyamas would want to keep up the whole "one son" act if they had known the twins' secret for a very long time, and the amount of time between the contest and Christmas seems pretty short enough. This is especially true considering the fact that during a good chunk of this time, Dali was bedridden and the twins went missing after Reiko attempted to kill them. There just wouldn't be a good time to put in a "Oh hey, I think we have twins" moment.

To support my hypothesis, there were a couple crucial giveaways.

Only the Sonoyamas knew that their son dressed up twice for the Halloween contest. And when the chaotic scene of Migi's near "death" played out, I'm sure the Sonoyamas' eyes were glued to the scene. They probably would have noticed their son in a stork costume with his head exposed, as well as their other son, the ONLY person who had worn a mosquito costume. I'd like to believe that the Sonoyamas noticed this.

Another potential hint was when Dali was calling out for Migi after the incident. Youko claims to have thought that he was talking about his heart (because "migi" is "right" in Japanese), but I think that at some point, she started suspecting that "Migi" was the name of a person, as well as an explanation for the likely possibility that she saw both of her sons at Halloween. She would then have plenty of time to put all the clues together (e.g. the "double clothes", the "Groundhog day" incident, etc.) to finally conclude that she had twins all along, and Christmas was just close enough for her to finally reveal that she knew. She may have also investigated the twins' room while they were away, who knows.

Anyway, now I'm certain that it really was Halloween that basically gave it away to the Sonoyamas, and I can't believe I took this long to find myself satisfied with an answer.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #thought

[mtdthoughts]

Alright, it's finally time to write the final chapter of the fanfic. I already know what I'm going to write about though it will take some time to develop.

Hoo boy, I am rather nervous since the ending is one of the most important, if not the most important parts of a story.

I do hope that I can finish it by the end of next week, as long as I don't get too busy.

[mtdthoughts]

I have just finished writing Chapter 13 of the "Dolphins" fanfic.

For some reason, one of my headcanons is that Migi tends to sleep in on the weekends. Am I the only one who thinks this?

Anyway, here's the chapter, which I'll also post to AO3 as usual.

CHAPTER 13 - Looming Divergence

It was a usual, lazy Saturday morning when I woke up.

As I rose from bed and yawned, I looked around at our room. Dali was nowhere to be seen.

Ah. He probably went out on his usual morning run.

After I changed out of my pajamas, I slowly made my way downstairs, greeting the beasts with an unenergetic “Good morning” as I passed them by.

Mom and Dad were also nowhere to be found. I then noticed a note on the dining table that read:

My dear Migi,

Dad and I are out shopping right now, so we’ll be back in a few hours!

I left your breakfast on the counter, and when you’re done eating, could you please pick up today’s mail?

Thank you so much sweetie and see you soon!

Love as always,

Mom

Just as she had written, I found a plate of untouched food sitting on the counter along with a glass of orange juice. Once I finished breakfast, I went out to get the mail just as Mom asked.

I was about to leave the mail on the living room table and continue my latest art project until a certain letter addressed to “Dali Sonoyama” caught my eye.

It was that elite school that Dali really wanted to study at!

Instantly, I took the letter and ran upstairs to our room to have a look. If it was good news, I needed to be the first to know so that I could celebrate with him. If it was bad news, I still needed to be the first to know so that I would know how to console him. I’m sure Dali would forgive me for invading his privacy this one time.

I tore open the letter and began reading. Once I saw the word “Congratulations”, I immediately knew what this meant. Dali got accepted!

Immediately, my heart was filled with joy. This was Dali’s dream school, the school he set his eyes on for a long time! Now, he would be one step closer to fulfilling his dreams, and I couldn’t be happier for him.

But then I read the words “We look forward to seeing you soon”.

Ah, that’s right, I thought as reality began to set in. The school was very far away from Origon Village. Although Dali and I were already living different lives, we always had each other close by.

Unlike before, Dali and I would be separated by hundreds of miles.

Unlike before, there would be long periods of time where we wouldn’t see each other.

Unlike before, our lives would be detached from each other.

I knew deep down for a long time that this would happen, yet I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon. The fear in my heart that I thought I had completely suppressed began to resurface as I trembled. I almost started crying until I heard a sudden creak of a door.

“Migi?”

I barely contained myself as I looked over, and there was my brother in his running clothes standing at the door with his long hair undone, drenched in sweat.

He noticed the look on my face as he approached me with an inquisitive look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Migi?”

My face remained frozen. I couldn’t say anything as I handed him the letter.

“Hmm, what’s this?”

…

“Oh my god… I can’t believe it, Migi. I got accepted. I actually got accepted!” Dali exclaimed as his eyes brightened and his arms fell onto my shoulders.

Even without looking at him I could tell how excited he was. He worked so hard for this. He spent countless nights studying for exams, all while spending so much time together with me. If I were him, I’d be jumping for joy after finding out about this.

“I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad the news, I’m sure they’ll be happy. Right, Migi?”

“…”

“Migi?”

Over the course of a few seconds, Dali’s face changed from delight to a longing sorrow.

He must have realized it as well. I began to feel him shaking a bit. 

Suddenly, Dali’s hands dropped from my shoulders to my back as he pulled me towards him and held me tightly.

“Migi… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

I couldn’t hold back my tears as I grabbed onto him, crying onto his shoulders like I’ve always done long ago. There was no way I could imagine a life without Dali. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

I felt Dali’s tears drip onto my shoulders, and I knew he was crying silently, feeling the same pain as me.

“Dali… Dali…!”

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. I was at a complete loss, and I had no idea to say or do.

This was supposed to be a happy moment for Dali, and yet he’s here crying because of me. Because I’m holding him back from achieving his dreams.

No. There’s no way I can let this continue. I can’t keep holding Dali back like this.

We released each other and wiped our tears. For a few moments, we stared into each other’s eyes while the air was filled with silence.

…

“I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

We said these things at the same time, instantly shocking each other.

“But Dali, you worked so hard to get into that school! You can’t just give on your dreams because of me! That’s why I’ll go with you!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Migi. I know how much this town means to you, and I can’t possibly ask you to leave everything and everyone behind because of me. No dream of mine is worth losing you, so that’s why I’ll stay with you.”

…

We were at an impasse as our feelings were one and the same. We wanted each other to be happy, but if we remained together, one would have to sacrifice his own happiness. We were each willing to give up our own happiness for the sake of the other but refused to let the other do the same.

We couldn’t help but stare at each other in frustration, as neither of us would yield to the other.

 …

“I don’t want to leave you, Migi…” Dali muttered with a wistful face.

“Me too. I don’t want to leave you either, Dali…” I replied with the same face.

Dali then took a deep breath before placing his hands on my shoulders once again.

“Don’t worry, Migi, I’ll figure something out. We’ll still be together, I promise. You trust me, right?” he said with his usual confident smile.

I nodded, though I understood that underneath that smile was deep turmoil and conflict. For a long time, I could never fully understand the things my older brother thought and felt, but now his emotions, his happiness, and his suffering were all fully visible to me.

For the rest of the day, we didn’t dare bring up this topic because we both understood how painful the discussion would be. I couldn’t bear to see Dali sad, and Dali couldn’t bear to see me sad.

At dinner, Mom and Dad mentioned how they met an old friend while they were shopping. Apparently, her friend’s son was away at college, and whenever they heard from him, he always sounded so excited to share the things that he learned and all the wonderful experiences he had.

“Oh my, imagine if our Dali got into that school that he applied to. I’m sure he’d be the same way. Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

Dali and I flinched.

“Huh? Oh, yes, that’s right, Mom, nothing would make me happier.”

Suddenly, the golden beast came to the table and started smelling Dad’s feet like he usually does.

As our parents were distracted by the beast, I began wondering if I should say something.

I then felt a nudge at my feet, and as soon as I turned, I saw Dali slightly shaking his head at me rather nervously, as if he knew what I was about to do.

In the end, I didn’t say anything, and dinner went on as usual with our parents none the wiser. It stung that I couldn’t tell them, but I’m sure that Dali felt the same way.

When it was bedtime, I asked Dali if I could sleep next to him tonight. He paused for a bit before saying “yeah” blankly.

We got into bed together, which filled me with nostalgia of the days when it was just the two of us. Those days were long gone, and it filled me with dread to think that perhaps soon, the two of us would no longer be together.  

I turned towards him, wrapping my arm around his waist, and pressing my chest against his back as his long hair slightly tickled my nose. He didn’t make a sound, and he responded by holding my hand close to him.

The loneliness that crept upon me was temporarily stifled by the outline of my brother’s body. But one day, the boy before me might no longer be here, and he’ll be alone.

How long could we keep this up?

Dali may have promised that we’d remain together, but we both knew that eventually, our differences would take us to completely different worlds.

I struggled to sleep as I held Dali, uncertain of how to come to terms with our eventual divergence. Hey, Dali, what should we do?

[mtdthoughts]

I've compiled all of my findings on the comparisons between Kristof's book trilogy (The Notebook, The Proof, and The Third Lie) into a single document linked on this post.

Is using a Google doc the best way to do this? I've been considering using screenshots of my notes, but I feel like that just makes things harder for the reader.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #agota kristof

[mtdthoughts]

WIP(?)

I have had this image in my head for quite a while now. I'm not sure if I should continue this, because frankly it looks a bit cursed to me lol

[mtdthoughts]

OK... two chapters remain. And it really is just two chapters, since I don't think there's much I can add anymore.

I have a general idea of what I'll be writing in these two chapters, but I am a bit nervous about giving a good finish to the fanfic.

[mtdthoughts]

OK, I have just finished writing Chapter 12 of the "Dolphins" fanfic, and will post to AO3 soon.

In the meantime, since it's not too long this time, I decided that it can go here too.

Beginning Notes:

This is written in a weird, joint POV that is a combination of the twins, and sometimes switches back and forth between them. Think of it as a journal that the twins are writing together at the same time. 😊

You can also think of this as the headcanon (mine) chapter, though I try not to speculate too much.

CHAPTER 12 – Family

After we finally became a part of the Sonoyama family, we started becoming more different just as we expected.

Dali developed an interest in math and science and could often be found conducting experiments or reading books while enjoying a cup of coffee. While he was reading, I would always bring a slice of cherry pie to him, and he would proceed to tell me about the story he was reading while we ate pie together. I always listened with perked ears as this reminded me of all the times we read together when we were little.

Meanwhile, Migi developed an interest in the arts, particularly avant-garde art, and he could often be found painting or sculpting unconventional pieces which can now be found everywhere throughout the house. He would also occasionally have small picnics in various places such as our backyard, the nearby lake, or the park, often with our parents, Akiyama, Maruta, and of course me. I almost always made sure that I was there.

I agreed to have Mom cut my hair regularly, though Dali decided to grow out his hair.

Nonetheless, Mom was very supportive of my decision, and she said that someone like me would surely look very handsome with long blonde hair.

We also began wearing different clothes and sleeping in different beds, though some things never changed. We still bathed together since it was helpful to wash each other’s backs, and from time to time one of us would slip into the other’s bed at night, and we would fall asleep together without a single word.

Funnily enough when we told our parents that we’d been scrubbing each other using a broom, they couldn’t help but laugh as we looked at each other in embarrassment.

We made many fond memories together in the Sonoyama family. We played a lot together during summer vacation, and we celebrated many fun holidays together.

At school, we had to apologize and confess to the staff that we were twins pretending to be one boy, though like our parents they were actually very understanding and allowed us to continue the rest of our year in 1-5. Akiyama couldn’t have been more thrilled to have seen both of us in class every day.

And just like at home, we became more different at school too.

Because Dali was really smart and always studied hard, it was easy for him to advance to Class 2-1 during our second year. In fact, he became the second-year representative since Eiji was no longer here, and he even gave the farewell speech to the seniors that year. I’ll admit, I was a little bit jealous from all the attention that Dali got, and it was a bit annoying whenever someone mixed me up with him, though I know that Dali certainly deserved the praise that he got.

Meanwhile, Migi stayed behind in Class 2-5, which wasn’t surprising since he never enjoyed studying. Well, I suppose it’s okay if it’s okay with him, though I couldn’t count how many times I had to step in and hold his feet to the fire to stop him from failing a test. Strangely, he would still get motivated to study every time I put on a wig, even though he already knew it was me.

Dali also joined the student council and eventually became the student council president. Sometimes Dali would come back late because he needed to take care of paperwork, though I would sometimes stay behind to help.

Migi joined the art club and occasionally did volunteer work around the school. His unconventional art would eventually become quite well-known, and his artwork would always be a big hit whenever their club had an exhibition. I always made sure to be in attendance even if I still had work to do.

Though we were now in different classes and in different clubs, we always made sure to spend as much time with each other as possible. We regularly caught bugs with Akiyama and played video games with Maruta on the weekends, and we frequently hung out with them during lunch and after school. We would share our lunches with each other, study in the library together, and we would compete with each other in gym whenever our classes competed.

Truly, the time that we spent apart only made the time we spent together even sweeter as we would always look forward to each other’s company.

After some time, Eiji’s father arrived at our house, asking us to have a chat. He now knew who we were, and he apologized profusely for not realizing the truth any sooner, and for everything we had gone through with our mother. He told us that he truly loved both our mother and his wife, and he apologized for his role in everything that happened.

As he bowed his head in shame, we looked at each other and nodded. Though this man’s actions were undoubtedly foolish and reprehensible, we could strangely understand him and what he felt. We told him that that as long as he would never do something like this again, that we would forgive him. Immediately, he burst into tears and hugged both of us to our surprise. We slowly hugged him back.

He asked us if we would like to visit Eiji. We agreed, and a few days later we found ourselves at the correctional facility, waiting for our brother to see us.

Well, there is one detail I need to add. Before we left, I suddenly had a great idea. I was certain that Eiji would be nervous seeing us while he was in prison, so perhaps seeing his first love might ease his nervousness a bit. As soon as I told Dali my idea, he immediately flipped in anger, telling me that I was out of my mind. However, after explaining my reasoning, he couldn’t argue against it as he reluctantly put a wig and dress on.

Admittedly, I was a bit nervous seeing Eiji as I wasn’t quite sure what to say to him, though this feeling seemed to have been overwritten by my anger towards Migi for wanting me to wear this ridiculous outfit. Thinking about ways to get back at him served as a convenient distraction for myself.

As soon as Eiji saw us, he froze in shock with his eyes widened and mouth agape. After a while, he slowly walked up to us as he chuckled.

“So, it was you. It really was you all along. I had a feeling, yet I must admit that this is still quite a surprise. Still, you look quite good in it,” he said with a gentle smile on his face.

I couldn’t have been more embarrassed to hear that, and to make matters worse, I caught Migi leering at me and giggling. Frustrated, I tore off the wig and threw it in Migi’s face to put an end to this nonsense.

We then talked with Eiji about everything that’s happened in Origon Village while he was gone, and we exchanged stories of our pasts.

He seemed genuinely sad to hear what we went through, but also glad to know that we finally found a family and friends that loved us.

At the same time, I could tell from his eyes that he still longed for his mother when he shared his childhood with us. I knew that this would be the case, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorrowful. But I needed to do this, I needed to face these feelings head-on.

We bowed our heads as we apologized for our part in causing everything that’s happened to him.

A few moments later, Eiji patted us on the shoulders, saying that it was alright and that there was nothing to apologize for.

We looked up.

With a soft look in his eyes, Eiji told us that no one person could be blamed and that we only did what we could to survive our world. He said that he deeply regrets what he did and that he’ll have to carry this burden for the rest of his life, and that his time in prison would be nothing compared to the vast, uncertain future he would face without his mother, one that he couldn’t fathom, and one that he feared to face.

We responded by placing our hands on his shoulders as we said that he would never be alone, that we’d always be with him.

Eiji looked at us in surprise for a while before forming a warm smile, his eyes almost forming tears. He told us that he looks forward to the day that he’ll see us again, and the three of us hugged for a while.

As we were about to conclude the visit, I decided to poke a bit of fun by holding up the wig and asking Eiji if he wanted to kiss Dali again before we left. Dali immediately tackled me down and shoved the wig onto my head, yelling that I should kiss him instead. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh, and I think I could hear Eiji chuckle a bit too.

When the dust settled, Dali took out a camera and told us to gather together and asked the nearby guards to help us take a picture. After they did, Dali took the printed photo and handed it to Eiji, telling him to stay strong with a brave smile on his face.

Eiji’s eyes brightened as he nodded and took the photo, looking upon it quite fondly. We then waved goodbye to him as he left to return to his cell.

After we finished our visit, Eiji’s father took us home. We got out of his car together with him, and as we approached our house, he thanked us for seeing Eiji. He told us that he would move to a faraway town with Karen, and once again he apologized for everything that happened to us and our mother. He told us that he had no right to call himself our father and that he couldn’t possibly ask us to come with him, though he felt at ease knowing that we would be in good hands in the Sonoyamas. He then told us to let him know whenever there was any trouble he could help us with, and that it was the least that he could do for us.

We nodded, and then he proceeded to hug both of us one last time before saying goodbye. We waved goodbye to him as he drove away.

After this day, life continued as usual. We would continue to live together in the Sonoyama house, each doing different things and pursuing different passions. But this was okay because we were always close by to each other. Truly, life was a constant and stable bliss.

That is, until the day a certain letter arrived.

End notes:

I am not entirely certain if their school has a student council. I assume it does.

I am not entirely sure what holidays are celebrated in Origon Village. We know that Halloween and Christmas seem to be celebrated, but I don’t know if I can say the same about other Western holidays, or about traditional Japanese holidays.

I am not entirely clear on the rules about visiting prisoners, so perhaps the scenario I gave here isn’t entirely realistic, but whatever.

[mtdthoughts]

Migi & Dali Manga Volume Covers

In this post, I wanted to compile all of the volume covers, including the illustrations shown and the quotes given at the side. I won't analyze them in detail... yet.

Volume 1:

Front: Twins make a rice ball and lunch together much like how they would make a pie (e.g. Dali's again in the back), and some grains of rice are on Migi's face. The quotes shown are "油断するなよミギ" and "百も承知さダリ" (i.e. "Don't let your guard down, Migi" and "Fully acknowledge, Dali"

Back: Twins peer through a door like how they would sneak around the Sonoyama house. The quote shown is "しめしめまんまとぼくらの思うたこつぼさ" (i.e. "Good, good, everything is going as good as we planned")

Volume 2:

Front: Twins riding their bicycle together side-by-side (also in anime OP). The quotes shown are "ダリのえりあしまるでミジンコ" and "ミギののうみそまるでミジンコ" (i.e. "Dali's hair is like a water flea" and "Migi's brain is like a water flea")

Back: Twins hide under a bed (maybe Maruta's?). The quote shown is "ぼくらに上も下もないよあるとしたら右と左それだけさ" (i.e. "Neither of us is above nor below the other. If anything, we're just left and right")

Volume 3:

Front: Twins are at school in the nurse's office, covering each other's eye with an occluder. The quote shown is "いざ行かん学びの舎へ" (i.e. "Let's go to the building of learning")

Back: Twins are doing cleaning duty(?) together at school. The quote shown is "ぼくあの山秘鳥" (i.e. "I'm Hitori Anoyama")

Volume 4:

Front: Twins are sitting at a couch (in the Ichijo house?) talking on a phone, with Dali listening and Migi answering. The quote shown is "この家をしらみつぶしんだ" (i.e. "You must search through the house)

Back: Twins are lurking in the shadows inside the house. The quote shown is "さあ内情を引きずり出すぞ!" (i.e. "Now, let us spill their secrets!")

Volume 5:

Front: Dali (dressed as Sali) is sitting in front of a collection of wigs with Migi sitting below him and holding his leg. The quote shown is "さあ復讐劇の幕開けだ" (i.e. "Now, the state is set for revenge")

Back: Dali is now shown without the wig while Migi is wearing a long-haired red wig. The twins are looking in different directions. The quote shown is "もうぼくは誰の指図も受けない" (i.e. "I won't take orders from anyone anymore)

Volume 6:

Front: The twins are sitting down, tied up together, facing a shadowy figure overlooking them (probably Reiko?). The quote shown is "胸の虫ケラがそぞろ歩いている" (i.e. "It feels like an insect moving about in my chest")

Back: The twins are still tied up together, standing up and trying to move. The twins are facing opposite directions, with Dali facing the shadows and Migi facing the light (and the shadowy figure). The quote shown is "老女と老夫とぼくとダリとでチェリーパイ食べるんだ" (i.e. "The old woman, the old man, me, and Dali, we'll all eat cherry pie together)

Volume 7:

Front: The twins are sitting at the edge of the cliff behind their mother's grave; the setting is daytime. The quote shown is "これが僕の復讐だ" (i.e. "This is my revenge")

Back: The front of Metry's grave is shown. The twins seem to be gone. The quote shown is "不様に生きろ" (i.e. "Live disgracefully")

#migi and dali #migi to dali #manga covers

[mtdthoughts]

Connections to Kristof's Book of Lies #13

The connection this time is a bit of a stretch, but I can't help but mention it.

This post also explains my reasoning for the post titled "Art Attempt #19"

As always, spoilers for the books and Migi & Dali below.

In "The Notebook", the twins Lucas and Claus have a neighbor that has a daughter that everyone calls "Harelip" (due to her harelip, duh.). Harelip is a tragic girl who is clearly insecure about her appearance and condition and is bullied and made fun of by others because of it. Furthermore, based on details given in the story, it's implied that she wasn't really loved by anyone, including her mother, and perhaps the twins sympathized with for this reason.

But this post isn't about Harelip, it's about her mother. When the twins first meet her, they learn that she is supposedly both blind and deaf, though Harelip mentions that there's nothing wrong with her ears, and that she pretends not to hear anything, which suits her when Harelip asks her questions. The twins heard from other townspeople that she lost her mind after the man who impregnated her abandoned her with Harelip, and later they found out that she pretended to be blind and deaf and that she's been wishing for death for years. Clearly, the twins' neighbor was miserable, and these details seem to imply that she used her fake blindness and deafness as a way of isolating herself from the cruel world around her, including the daughter that she wished she didn't have.

The twins seemed to have picked up this idea, as one of their exercises is having one of them pretend to be blind and the other deaf. The blind one would talk slowly about what he hears so the deaf one can read his lips, and the deaf one would talk about what he sees to the blind one. They practice this while an air raid takes place, and eventually they get used to it. By doing this, the twins were able to rely on each other survive in and interact with their harsh environment while shielding themselves from its effects (e.g. the gruesome sights and sounds of war).

But what does this have to do with Migi & Dali? Well, first off, Lucas and Claus' exercise is somewhat reminiscent of Migi and Dali's codependent relationship which developed after they lost Metry. By relying on each other, the twins didn't have to bear the full brunt of her death, and they were never truly alone because they had each other, e.g. Dali protecting Migi, Migi looking up to Dali. Furthermore, although Migi and Dali aren't blind nor deaf, nor do they pretend to be, perhaps we can still say something else. After all, what seemed to have caused the issues they faced in their relationship (and also in Metry and Reiko's) was a lack of communication between them. Interestingly, blindness and deafness fit quite nicely into the equation, and perhaps these attributes could be attributed to our twins.

Blindness could be associated with ignorance or a lack of insight and enlightenment. A character that is blind could struggle with understanding the world around them emotionally but might possess heightened insight into other aspects such as emotions and instincts. Similarly, Migi is portrayed in the story as a bit of a fool (e.g. can't figure out Dali's rather obvious disguise), though his instincts and actions based on his emotions have certainly saved Dali more than once. For these reasons, we could basically call Migi the "blind twin".

On the other hand, deafness could be associated with isolation, communication barriers, and difficulty in expressing themselves, and a struggle to be heard and understood. Similarly, Dali is portrayed in the story as keenly smart and observant, though for the most of part of the story, he shut himself off from others (including Migi) and concealed his suffering, and ultimately he wanted to be loved, despite how seemingly obvious it was that those around him (e.g. Migi, Sonoyamas, Akiyama) loved him. For these reasons, we could basically call Dali the "deaf twin".

And of course, similar things can be said about Metry and Reiko.

Thus, the blindness and deafness presented in "The Notebook" provides a concrete duality between the twins that illustrates their relationship and the struggles they faced in the story.

[mtdthoughts]

Art Attempt #19

Here's a completed version of the doodle I did earlier.

Why did I draw this? That will be discussed in a post that I'll write.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #fanart

[mtdthoughts]

The Twins' Motivations Pt. 2 (Migi & Dali Analysis)

This is a continuation of the previous part, found here.

Of course, spoilers below.

Now, let's move on to Dali. If I asked myself right after I first finished the manga, "Why was Dali so desperate for revenge?", I would've answered, "Because he wants to be loyal to his mother, duh."

Well, yes, that's a little bit true, but it doesn't nearly capture the whole picture. While Dali did love his mother, his feelings towards her are certainly not that simple, and unlike Migi, he does not seem to have that strong of an attachment towards her. After all, when the twins learned that their mother died trying to take back Eiji, Migi considers going along with his late mother's wishes while Dali blatantly ignores it.

Yet, it was Dali who was undoubtedly more devoted to their revenge, so what explains this seeming contradiction?

Considering the entire story, it's very clear that Dali struggled with resentment, whether it was towards Eiji or himself. Because of Metry's death, the twins had to struggle through much hardship without a mother, such as living in the wilderness on their own or enduring ostracization from other children. That's one reason why Dali hated Eiji, because Eiji had everything while he had nothing (i.e. "Santa never came").

Thus, it is possible that Dali could have harbored some level of resentment towards his mother. In Chapter 14, he convinced Migi that their mother never abandoned them, although it is possible that he was uncertain of this himself. In Chapter 24, he and Migi concluded that Metry was Akira's lover, which I'm sure does not paint a good picture of their mother after knowing that. So Dali may have partially blamed her for what happened to them, and I'm sure this is all but confirmed after the twins heard about her from Reiko and Eiji in Chapters 39 and 40.

In the end, Dali's primary purpose in avenging his mother may not have been really about her or obedience towards her. I would argue that his actions were primarily for Migi's sake, both to protect him and to earn his love.

Throughout the story, it's quite obvious that Dali was always protective of Migi and has taken his mother's place in all but name in caring for both Migi and himself. As a result, he felt he needed to hide his stress, pain, and loneliness from Migi otherwise Migi would suffer too, which could be symbolized through the bedwetting chapter. This is essentially the inverse of Migi's purpose: while Migi was trying to make Migi happy, Dali was trying to prevent Migi from suffering.

Because of Migi's attachment to Metry, it's possible that Dali launched the mission of avenging her in order to bring peace to Migi, who couldn't forget about her. Not only that, but he needed to protect Migi's feelings towards her, almost as if he was trying to clean up the damage that Metry's death left behind. This could explain his actions in Chapter 14 and in Chapter 26 when he decided to investigate Eiji alone; he likely feared that if Migi found out some horrible truth about their mother, his heart would be crushed, and so Dali would do anything to put a stop to that. Therefore it's very possible that Dali believed that all of this was for Migi's sake, which could explain the "Wait for me, Migi" thought that he consistently had throughout his solo investigation.

However, at the same time, he couldn't just let Migi forget about the mission, not simply out of loyalty to their mother, but deep down Dali feared that Migi would begin to abandon him, just as their mother abandoned them. If he couldn't fulfill his promise and serve as the perfect example for Migi to follow, what good would he be? That's what I feel like what he was thinking.

All of these expectations that Dali placed on himself only resulted in him isolating himself from others, including his brother, and it's no wonder he was shocked when Migi gave up on revenge in Chapter 30. Dali believed he was putting himself through a bitter quest for Migi's sake, only for Migi to reject him, and so he decided to take out his anger on Eiji by trying to kill him.

But once the Halloween incident happened, Dali finally realized that none of it mattered, and that everything he was doing so far only hurt Migi. He couldn't forgive himself and so was willing to accept his own death for Migi's sake, but once Migi proved to him that he still loved him, Dali realized that going back to the Sonoyama house would be worth it after all, both for Migi's happiness and his own as well.

However, after everything went down, Dali likely felt massive guilt for what happened to Eiji, and so he went back to his old habit of hiding it from Migi. He stayed in the shadows, believing that's what he deserved, but in the end came out because he saw that Migi was suffering because of his decision. The facial scar could symbolize this idea that Dali could no longer hide the wounds in his heart.

With all this in mind, the picture is now quite clear. Dali's actions were about Migi all along, just as Migi's were for Dali. The two had opposite ways of how they wanted to express their love: while Migi viewed himself as supporting Dali, Dali viewed himself as shielding Migi. Because of the miscommunication between them, they questioned each other's love and separated, but once they realized that their love was real all along, they were determined to keep each other happy above all else.

Truly, what a beautiful (and symmetric) relationship that the twins had. 🥲

#migi and dali #migi to dali #analysis

[mtdthoughts]

WIP

[mtdthoughts]

A possible explanation for what seems like an endless cycle:

analyze Migi & Dali -> draw fanart

analyze Migi & Dali -> write fanfic

write fanfic -> analyze Migi & Dali

write fanfic -> draw fanart

draw fanart -> write fanfic

Based on this blog's history, all of the above cause/effect events seem to occur with nonzero probability.

Note to Self: Do not get this invested in another fandom. You won't be able to resist the temptation to do this type of thing again.