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n1kolaiz Ā· 2 years
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The Growing Divergence of Fyodor and Dazai
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Summary: The interactions between Fyodor and Dazai in relation to seeing a growing difference in Dazai and Fyodorā€™s characters. In their view of humanity and how they strategize, and connections to some aspects of the DOA arc, it may inform us about what may be expected in the prision break out arc, and make sense of their respective strategies in Chapter 97.
Warnings: Spoilers for post-canibalism arcs (the manga) and Dead Apple
A/N: Knowing the bsd fandom, Iā€™m quite certain that some of what I have analysed probably has been done by some others before me, but my dearest friend @n1kolaiz convinced me to write his so, here are some of my thoughts :)
Also thanks to @n1kolaiz and @alittlesimp for discussing the manga with me and helping me come to this idea; credit for the translations of manga panels goes to @czkkn-upload and Dazaiscans
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1. The similarities between Dazai and Fyodor
1.1 How other characters view Dazai and Fyodor
1.2 How Dazai and Fyodor view each other in terms of similarities
2. The Differences in how Dazai and Fyodor view humanity
2.1 Dead Apple
2.2 Cannibalism Arc
2.3 Decay of Angels Arc
3. Insights on Manga Chapter 97 and final thoughts
Keep reading
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n1kolaiz Ā· 2 years
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Teruko is NOT a little girl?
I think most of us jokingly said once that we would use Terukoā€™s ability to alter our own age and stay young forever. Some of you might even have theorized that Teruko is exactly doing that haha
ā€¦ yeah, I think so too. Let me tell you why.
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(translations by dazaiscans)
According to the policeā€™s reaction in chapter 60, we can safely assume that Teruko has the appearance of a little girl. She even behaves like a little kid as we have seen in her interactions with the other Hunting Dogs in chapter 71. She gets held by the hand and only stops crying when gets a piggyback. As childish as it seems, the fact that she cries about not being able to torture an imprisoner anymore is quite ā€¦ peculiar. Even stranger, the other Hunting Dogs donā€™t seem to have a problem with a child enjoying torturing criminals. You would think, someone who preaches about justice and protecting the people would talk a child out of this position and urge them to (at least try to) live some carefree and innocent years as every child deserves.
ā€¦ but they donā€™t. In fact, they made her the vice commander. Itā€™s quickly evident why so. She is extremely intimidating. Sheā€™s bloodthirsty and can resort to aggressive measures when angered. On top of that, sheā€™s very proud to be a HD.
However, not only does her personality seem to fit the position of a commander-to-be, but she seems to have the experience for it as well.
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(translations by dazaiscans)
ā€œThe things that fugitives on the run want more than anything. A base and a leader.ā€ i wonder if this is her personal experience? If yes, was she on the pursuerā€™s side or the fugitiveā€™s side?Ā 
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(translations by akai-koutei)
In chapter 75, she also talks about how without order, the world would be ruled by the people ā€œbuilt for violenceā€ and that that would be garbage. Later, she tells Sigma that he will face prodigies just as desperate and frantic as him and in the next panel you see the silhouette of these said prodigies which includes Teruko.
So the question is what made her fight for this ā€œorderā€? What made Teruko being this frantic?Ā 
I think you get what Iā€™m trying to say.Ā For a little girl she seems to know too much about the harsh world. But you never know, itā€™s BSD. Dazai was called a prodigy too at a young age. Hence, let me show you another panel to prove my point.
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The first one is the cover of chapter 74.5. ā€œThe shape may vary but the soul is everlastingā€.
Itā€™s a hint to her ability which allows her to change someoneā€™s age via touch. But maybe itā€™s also an indication about Teruko herself? We know Terukoā€™s shape is that of a young girl. But what is her soul? I think itā€™s mirrored in this cover panel. Doesnā€™t the mirror image look much older? It looks like someone in their late 20s or early 30s?
On the right side, you see the colored spread sheet cover of chapter 69. Do you see what they have in common?
Chairs.Ā 
I canā€™t unsee the chairs around Teruko. The following is my personal interpretation. To me, chairs represent sedentary life and/or age. On the colored panel Teruko is standing on this chair, or even kicking it away? But sheā€™s not sitting on them. I think it might represent how she repulses this sedentary life/age. Taking the form of a young child could be a way of rejecting it.
Another thing I wanted to mention is the times when Teruko uses her abilities and how she uses it. Every time she alters someoneā€™s age, a steam appears. We see her altering her own body at least twice. Both times making herself older.
The first time is in chapter 73 when she stops an aircraft from crushing Tachihara by making her body change to an age where it is physically more robust (as you can see in the panel below). The second time she changes into an old woman to flee the casino visitors. But this doesnā€™t have to be necessarily a hint to her real age.
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(translations by dazaiscans)
Letā€™s talk about what her ability is based on. Sadly, thereā€™s almost nothing to find about Teruko on the English side of the internet. Interestingly, the BSD wiki has something to say about Terukoā€™s ability:
ā€œThe ability is based on the real-life Teruko Ōkuraā€™s work Gasp of the Soul (é­‚ć®å–˜ćŽ, TamashÄ« no Aegi), published in 1947. The story tells the mysterious events in an auction of a certain clanā€™s heirloom, a deceased motherā€™s final letter that states how she had been making artificial bodies to maintain her youthful appearance until her death, and the disappearance of the clanā€™s sole heir.ā€
Making artificial bodies to maintain her youthful appearance? (btw I used Deepl to translate the story. Ik ik big no go but I was interested in this story. Horrible translation. The translation wasnā€™t clear on if she made artificial bodies to prevent her sonā€™s body from decaying or her own body. I guess we just have to trust the BSD wiki for now).Ā 
I can totally see how Asagiri-sensei could incorporate this into Terukoā€™s story.
Anyways, there was indeed one story that was translated by the team of ā€œStory Unlockerā€, called ā€œBewitching Shadowā€. There, the main character meets a pair of father and daughter. What struck me was how the pair was described. About the man the character says, ā€œhis face was still young, but the hair on his head was pure white.ā€ and about the daughter ā€œthe beauty of her eyes astonished me to start with. It felt as if only her eyes were living even though her body was on the brisk of deathā€.
I donā€™t want to spoil the story for you. Itā€™s very short, so you can go read and enjoy it yourself. But it seems like this theme of having an appearance that doesnā€™t match the real you, or your soul, is common for irl Teruko-senseiā€™s stories?
Anyways, everything that I mentioned is quite subjective and not concrete proof. But considering all of that, I wouldnā€™t be surprised if it became true that Teruko is older than she appears.
Thank you so much for reading this far!! I appreciate it a lot. Take care y'all!
Link to the translation of "Bewitching Shadowā€. Please leave a ā€œthank youā€ in order to let the translators know, we appreciate their work.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 2 years
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Why Tachiharaā€™s Hunting Dog reveal did not come out of nowhere
So i reblogged this postĀ by @dwindlingspaceā€‹ with these tags:
#one may make the argument that tachihara praising his own ability is not only representative of his acting skills but alsoĀ #signifies his disconnect between the two parts of his identity wherein he treats both sides of himself as differentĀ #personalities. the reveal coming so suddenly without foreshadowing does not mean the writing was lackluster but rather that hunting dogsĀ #tachihara is such a different character from port mafia tachihara therefore he is given the introduction of a new character instead ofĀ #having the reveal foreshadowed. this panel is an example of tachihara addressing his alter ego as a separate character. in this essay i will
and got
nnakahara reblogged your post #prev tags - Mary please write your essays they are amazing to read #bsd
there is demand, i will supply:
Tachiharaā€™s grand reveal and the absence of foreshadowing: lackluster writing or a narrative portrayal of identity conflict?
(This is a long one because itā€™s full of screenshots and iā€™m going all out in my high school literary analysis skills)
Starting with the panel that i reblogged: Tachiharaā€™s praising his own ability in the fight against the metal man as theyā€™re running away from this mysterious enemy, then soon afterwards we get Tachihara Hunting Dogs Reveal (big manga spoilers lol oops but if you havenā€™t read the manga yet then thatā€™s a you problem) and we find out he was manipulating the metal puppet himself in order to corner Yosano.
What struck me almost immediately was the lack of foreshadowing, which made it practically come out of nowhere. I did a skim through the previous appearances of Tachihara and i swear thereā€™s barely anything that counts as foreshadowing (especially because he doesnā€™t even make that many appearances). So is that just bad writing?
I mean you already got my whole thesis statement in the tags above, but what i basically think is that: Hunting Dogs Tachihara got the introduction of a new character because thatā€™s what he is, thereforeĀ Tachihara fighting a puppet of his own command is a metaphor for his inner identity conflict.Ā 
I will be mainly talking about chapters 67 and 68 ā€œThe Sorrow Of Those Without Wingsā€ part 1 and 2. First, we are introduced to a hooded man standing in the distance, nameless and faceless (granted, a metal puppet, but we donā€™t know that yet):
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Heā€™s given a mysterious aura that makes both the characters and reader wonder about his identity, so that by the time the reveal happens we will go A-HA so thatā€™s who it is, like a classic villain we first glimpse hiding in the shadows. If this man turned out to be a real personality made of flesh and blood, it wouldnā€™t come out of nowhere, so why does Tachiharaā€™s grand reveal seem like such a plot twist?
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Before we get a face and name to this hooded character, we see him battling Tachihara and Yosano with full force like a character in his own right. Now we know Tachihara was just acting, but the next panel is where it gets interesting:Ā 
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He says that the reason he is there with Yosano is because the bossā€™s orders are absolute. We (both the reader and Yosano) are meant to think heā€™s there because of Moriā€™s order to protect the ADA, but in reality he has to follow Fukuchiā€™s (his true boss) order to capture Yosano, for which he needs to be present because his metal manipulation ability has a range limit.Ā 
However, if we flash forward to chapter 73 when Tachihara is contemplating the ADAā€™s innocence, we see him specifically thinking of Mori as his boss and even making a reference to following Moriā€™s orders no matter what:
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This whole inner monologue takes place while he is in the middle of his HD duties, in full HD gear without even the little band-aid on his nose to distinguish between personas. He is alone, he is not acting in front of anyone. If these are his thoughts while he is meant to present a Hunting Dog, it adds a layer to his words in chapter 67 where he is in disguise (or perhaps, his true unbridled self?)
The ambiguity is purposeful - itā€™s the first step in showing the disconnect between Tachiharaā€™s two sides, because the double meaning wouldnā€™t exist if one was a lie and the other was truth. TheĀ two panels above might be the first explicit evidence we get that Tachihara is struggling with his identity, but what if itā€™s already present in the chapters weā€™re focusing on?Ā 
All that the audience seesĀ is that Tachihara is mercilessly fighting this mysterious enemy with all his might. The enemy is then uncovered to be a metal mannequin, followed by the grand reveal, but we do not actuallyĀ seeĀ a single appearance of PM Tachihara physically switching to HD Tachihara in between these two panels:
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In terms of continuity, THIS is the true reveal of that mysterious hooded villain we see in the first image of this post (he even lifts his cap like he would lift the hood of the mannequin). So if we go by the interpretation that HD Tachihara is a separate character and an extension of the previously-introduced metal man, the reveal is less jarring and we can view Tachihara fighting his own puppet as him battling against his alter ego.
In this interpretation, his superhuman acting skills of simultaneously fighting and manipulating a puppet is no longer a convenient plot device, but rather a metaphor of him treating his HD side as a separate persona that he ruthlessly wants to defeat. This also provides perspective to his line about given a place to belong:
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Weā€™re supposed to go through the same realisations as Yosano: first thinking heā€™s talking about the PM, then finding out he meant the HD. But given the ambiguity of the lines about his boss and how brutally he fights his alter ego, maybe this panel is also not meant to be as clear-cut. Whatā€™s interesting is right after this line he is stabbed by Ginā€™s dagger moving of its own accord (but actually he is controlling it himself)
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Why did he did he go so far as to hurt himself when he had no need to further enforce his disguise, when he was just a step away from using the mannequin to capture Yosano, after which he no longer needs to hide his identity?
Now this might be a reach (i did say iā€™m going all out with high school English class level of analysis), but Tachiharaā€™s action can be seen as an expression of his guilt for talking about the HD providing him a place to belong all while the PM has done exactly the same.Ā This is further motivated by him using his fellow mafia partner to stab himself rather than just letting some scrap of metal fly at him (which would work equally well considering the puppet was like right behind them).Ā 
He was talking about the HD while fooling the others to think he meant the PM. In return, he gets his mafia side carrying out a form of self-punishment for letting his colleagues down. Heā€™s not just fighting a symbolic representation of his alter ego (the metal mannequin) but his own physical self here.
If we choose to go with this interpretation, we can see the extent that Tachiharaā€™s PM self makes up his real self. Which brings me to my conclusion: the reason that the lack of foreshadowing works here is because foreshadowing is most efficient when itā€™s used to build up to a characterā€™s true identity reveal, but in this case weā€™ve already seen Tachiharaā€™s true identity from the very beginning - Port Mafia Tachihara - so there is nothing to build up to.
We didnā€™t see glimpses of him being a Hunting Dog in previous chapters, because in future chapters we are meant to see glimpses of him coming to terms with his identity. What we needed was a catalyst to begin Tachiharaā€™s character arc, and for that he needs an antagonist to drive his development. This antagonist, the personification of Tachiharaā€™s identity conflict taking the form of his own Hunting Dogs persona, is therefore given the treatment of a new character introduced for the first time.Ā 
tl:dr tachihara is the best character and his reveal was handled exactly as it should be
screencaps from dazaiscans translation
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Jujutsu Kaisen, written and illustrated by Gege Akutami.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Do you enjoy BSD : Beast? How do you think it handles Atsushi and Akutagawa's personality?
Yes!! It's my favourite of the light novels (well, right after Dark Era can you tell i'm weak for odasaku) and i just think it's so interesting how it takes these two characters, who have very similar backgrounds, and shows how different their lives can end up by changing only a few circumstances. By setting them on different paths in life after a common divergence point, we can see that neither Atsushi nor Akutagawa are particularly predisposed to either "good" or "evil", but rather their present actions are a result of their environment and what they've been taught.
We've got Akutagawa, who after growing up in the harsh and violent environment of the streets, still retains his aggressive tendences even after being taken in by the kind and welcoming ADA instead of the PM. But it's not even so much "aggressive" behaviour, rather an ingrained reflex to lash out with attacks in order to defend, which is the only way he was able to survive on the streets and protect his friends and family.
Despite the circumstances of his childhood, we can see that Akutagawa didn't end up murderous or "violent" as in having the intention to hurt other. He doesn't develop this attitude of blindly cutting down anyone in his way that we see in the og world (well, he does say that in Beast, but it's not to the same extent), because he hasn't been pressured to believe that's his only worth.
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That attitude only becomes his one defining trait after joining the PM in the og timeline. What i like is how Beast allows for the other aspects of Akutagawa's personality to shine through, or more specifically to blossom out thanks to the kindness and compassion around him at the agency.
And these elements are all there already, only hidden away, like how in the original world Akutagawa shows genuine curiosity and desire to understand Atsushi's personality deeper, and his sympathy when Atsushi finds out his headmaster died, or his understanding of Kyouka finding the light and willingly letting her go. It's all there, and in Beast he's allowed to let go of the darkness that prevents him from showing more human emotions.
On the flipside, we've got Atsushi who is (well, seems) so uwu sunshine in the original world that it's almost hard to imagine him in the PM, except it's not when you think about it. He seems shy and awkward, but looking at his reaction to the mere mention of the headmaster or any of his (early) encounters with Akutagawa, he goes absolutely feral. He's obsessive, he's full of pent-up anger against the world and the circumstances pitted against him in his childhood, and he is neurotically fixated on his belief of "saving others to prove he has a right to live".
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These sides of him are pulled into the foreground in Beast and is how he gets along in the PM. We can see in his protectiveness of Kyouka and his constant "i need to save people or else" obsession that he isn't committing his violent mafia duties for the fun of it, but for much the same reason why he does what he has to do in order to survive, whether it's at the orphanage or the mafia. I mean, couldn't the above panel be straight out of the og story where Atsushi in in the ADA as if nothing had changed?
So i'd say one of the most brilliant things about Beast is how it shows that Atsushi and Akutagawa are really just two sides of the same coin. They're so similar and it's only the circumstances in that one divergent point that made them lead different lives in each timeline, and that's also why they can understand each other so well on a funddamental level. They could even be friends, as evidenced by their first meeting at the cafe in Beast!
There's also that part in Beast when they're walking up the stairs in the PM HQ and Atsushi says, "You, a part of the mafia? I can't imagine that", yet we could say the exact same thing about Atsushi himself in the og timeline. I just love how Beast manages to make give such opposite circumstances and behaviour to both characters in both timelines, whilst still keeping their underlying personalities intact.
tl;dr shin soukoku owns my heart in every universe
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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You know what would be f*cked up?
If, after this whole vampire thing, Akutagawa does d-word and it's only then that Dazai acknowledges him. After Aku himself can't here it, dying without hearing those words and thinking that he never got them at all.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Higuchi/Akutagawa Art ā€“ a reference to ā€œTakekurabeā€? (no manga spoilers)
I was asked by one of my lovely followers,Ā @nameless-nowhereā€‹, what I think about this art that you see here below. They were telling me about a tiktok user interpreting this art as aĀ reference to one of irl Higuchi-senseiā€™s work. So for the sake of completeness, I will also reproduce the summary of that interpretation, add my thoughts to it and then my own interpretation. Letā€™s start! :)
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First of all, where does this art come from? (skip this, if youā€™re not interested)
It was quite difficult to find sources in English, so please do correct me if I am wrong. According to Tokyo Otaku Mode News, there was a collaboration between theĀ Ichiyo Memorial Hall and BSD in 2017, exhibiting manga and anime panels where Higuchi is in focus. This art above is a special illustration drawn by Harukawa35-sensei for this event.Ā 
Therefore, it is very likely that it might be a reference to one of the works of irl Higuchi-sensei. Before we get into the two possibilities Iā€™d like to present, thereā€™s another thing I want to talk about first, namely
the symbolism of pinwheels
As you have probably noticed, besides Higuchi and Akutagawa in kimonos, there are also many pinwheels depicted. Again, Iā€™m not very well versed in Japanese culture, so please correct me. I will link all the sources down below.
Pinwheels in general are often a beautiful symbol for childhood and childhood innocence. Just like a light breeze is enough to make the pinwheel spin, it doesnā€™t take much for a child to be excited, to run and to spin around.
However, in Japan, pinwheels are often associated with childrenā€™s death, especially early childrenā€™s death.Ā Ā 
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Ā© Ars Benevola Mater
The picture above shows Jizo figures on a graveyard/temple site. Each figure looks the same, wears a red-knitted cap and has a colorful pinwheel at its side. Jizo is one of the most popularĀ bodhisattvas in Japan. His function has been altered and expanded over time. Nowadays, he also serves as aĀ special guardian of the souls of children, guiding them through the other world. These Jizo figures represent the popular bodhisattva as well as the soul of the deceased children. (If youā€™re interested in this, Iā€™d recommend you to look upĀ Mizuko kuyō which is the ceremony associated with Jizo for people that experienced stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion)
As a side note, in China pinwheels symbolizeĀ ā€œto turn oneā€™s luck aroundā€.Ā 
With this in mind, which story could this art be a reference to? (under the cut)
Keep reading
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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SHUT UP THE #<3333 MSJDKSJD Q THIS IS CYBERBULLYING at least i'm not lying okay appreciate me ( Ė˜ Ā³Ė˜)ā™„
*changes all three of my urls again šŸ„¶šŸ’…*
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Let's talk about Atsushi Nakajima.
We all know that Atsushi is a kind-hearted boy. Itā€™s clear to everyone - readers / watchers and bsd characters alike - that heā€™s selfless and would do anything for others even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.Ā 
But is he aware of his own kindness?
I don't think so.
Letā€™s begin this analysis from the very first moment Atsushi appeared in the anime. He was starving to death, and then we see him say this line :
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Look his facial expression - the determination in his eyes and the certainty in his dialogue. At this moment, he really believed that he was someone who would steal for himself - who would do bad things for his own good. And yes, this was perfectly fine. It is human to be selfish at times, after all.Ā 
Yet, despite telling himself that he will do those bad things, what did he actually do after that?
He saved Dazai, a drowning man, not caring about his empty stomach and low stamina at that time or hoping for any reward for doing that. Okay, one can argue that this was basic human decency, that it was the bare minimum someone could do. But then, literally one episode later, what did he do?
He threw himself on top of a ticking bomb to save a bunch of people he didnā€™t even know. He didnā€™t even need to think - it was his pure instinct to sacrifice himself for other people.
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Look at his expression now. He was clearly surprised, and there was nothing in his dialogue but fear and uncertainty. He was surprised at the thought of himself doing something good.
Atsushi believed himself to be someone who would do bad things to other people to save himself, but itā€™s really the opposite. Heā€™s someone who doesnā€™t care about his own well-being and would do anything for the happiness and safety of others.
Letā€™s move on to episode eight (one of the best episodes in the anime fight me), where Atsushi saves the passengers of the train. Now, look at this scene :
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This is a scene that I canā€™t get out of my head because of Atsushiā€™s inner dialogue. "If I can save these people, does that prove that it's okay for me to live?" he asks himself. In my opinion, this line just proves that Atsushi thinks heā€™s saving these people for his own good - for selfish reasons. He believes that if he saves these innocent people, he can live in the comfort of knowing that he deserves to live. In other words, Atsushi is trapped in the mindset that heā€™s risking his life for selfish reasons.Ā 
But yet again, his actions prove otherwise.
He risked his life to get to Kyouka in order to defuse the bomb, even after knowing that Demon Snow was practically undefeatable. He jumped out of the train without a single hesitation to save Kyouka, even though he might have died. So, he couldnā€™t have been doing these good deeds for selfish reasons, could he? Heā€™s just a genuinely selfless person without any strings attached.Ā 
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Moving on to the last point,Ā I'd like to point out what Atsushi said to Lucy in episode 12 of the first season :
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Here, he claims that he envies and hates people, just like Lucy. That he could understand her negative emotions pretty well. And although I agree that Atsushi experiences negative emotions pretty often, here's a scene in S3 that I noticed had completely contradicted his dialogue :
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Atsushi hates his orphanage director. He was his abuser, the nightmare that constantly haunts him. And yet, Atsushi cried when he died.
If he really did understand hatred to others, he wouldn't have been grieving. He would have been glad that the man he hated was finally gone from his life for good. But instead, he grieved for the man who had made his life a living hell - because at the end of the day, he still considered the director his father. His parental figure.
That's just the kind of person he is. No matter how great the hatred swirling inside him, his love and kindness will always dominate it.
Now do you understand why I think Atsushi isn't aware of his own kindness?
His character is really complex. He's a genuinely kind soul, but he doesnā€™t realize it and gives himself less credit than he deserves.
Atsushi truly deserves more credit.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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The Six Realms
Okay, so I was pretty close to giving up on writing analyses but I'm back LMFAO plus I see we're close to 100 followers and I just want to thank you guys for being so very supportive <3
Alright, I'm not sure if anyone's ever written about this, but if an analysis like this exists, please do let me know because I'm kind of curious as to what other people think about this, too!
Remember that time Fukuchi spoke about bringing "about the five signs of an angel's death"?
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I read a little bit more about it, and as a minor content warning: this analysis will focus on a few religious aspects (Buddhism + Hinduism). So if I get any of the facts wrong, firstly: I do not mean any disrespect to either religion, and secondly: please do correct me if I interpret anything in the wrong way.
Spoilers for BSD chapter 90 onwards + BEAST!AU under the cut!
So I'll start by talking about the Decay of Angels. As we all know, the members include Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Sigma, and Bram Stoker, and their leader, Fukuchi Ochi. After Fyodor's arrest, the Decay of Angels came into light with Nikolai murdering four government officials in a week. These murders symbolise the Buddhist cycle of existence, or otherwise known as samsara: the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
"We are the Decay of Angelsā€”hiding here as terrorists, a 'murder association', five people who will announce the demise of the celestial world."
Nikolai Gogol, chapter 57
Samsara is described to be a concept beyond human understanding. According to Hinduism, samsara is the physical world where every being has its soul trapped into a physical vessel. The Hindus believe that everything has a soul, and due to a soul's attachment to desire, it is forced into a deathless cycle of being born, dying, and reincarnating into a different body. In Buddhism, the ultimate way to break free from this cycle is by obtaining nirvana.
Nirvana is a Sanskrit word for the goal of the Buddhist path: enlightenment or awakening. In Pali, the language of some of the earliest Buddhist texts, the word is nibbana; in both languages it means "extinction" (like a lamp or flame) or "cessation." It refers to the extinction of greed, ill will, and delusion in the mind, the three poisons that perpetuate suffering. Nirvana is what the Buddha achieved on the night of his enlightenment: he became completely free from the three poisons. Everything he taught for the rest of his life was aimed at helping others to arrive at that same freedom.
- TRICYCLE'S definition of nirvana
As Fukuchi mentions in the panel above, there are six different realms of existence. These realms represent every possible state of existence, but one cannot live in a specific realm forever. Depending on whether or not one's past actions were morally good or bad, an individual is born into one of these realms. Basically, the controlling factor of which realm a person is born into is dependent on their respective karma. The realms are separated into two categories: the hellish ones and the heavenly ones.
The Deva Realm: where beings are rewarded for the good deeds they have done. This realm is void of anything unpleasant. It is basically paradiseā€” empty of unfulfilled desires, any form of suffering, and fears of every kind. Religious individuals, however, do not seek to be born into this realm since its attitude is more or less carefree.
The Asura Realm: where demigods are admitted. Asuras are driven by greed and envy, and may come in conflict with human beings since they are quite similar. They are powerful beings, but quarrel with each other quite a bit, making this realm quite undesirable to be reborn into.
The Animal Realm: where beings are given the form of an animal (you probably guessed that lol). Individuals here don't actually have good karma to take pride in, but rather, they are born into this realm to work off their bad karma (by being slaughtered, hunted, or forced to work, etc). Being born into this realm forces one to atone for their past sins by living out their life as an animal.
The Hell Realm: where one is punished for their evil actions. The most merciless of realms, where one pays for their transgressions through pure suffering, methods of which include: dismemberment, starvation, and psychological/physical torture. However, once a person's term is fulfilled in this realm, they are presumably promised to be reborn into a higher state.
The Preta Realm: similar to the hell realm, in which beings pay for their past sins (specifically: greed and stinginess) by having to survive through hunger and thirst. This realm is also known as the 'ghost realm,' because some pretas are psychologically tortured by being forced to live in places their past selves have lived in. They are invisible to human beings living at that time, which pushes them to face the depths of despair and loneliness. Your typical horror movie, really.
The Human Realm: the only realm where one's actions determine their future. The status (social ranking, physical wellbeing, and so on) of a human being in this realm is determined by their past actions, but due to the fact that a person has their own conscience to differentiate good morals from bad, the actions they commit in this realm have the power to determine which realm they are sent to next.
Okay, so now that I've got that out of the way, let's shift our focus to the Book. Very little is known about the Book, but the basic fundamentals of how it works is that whatever is written in the book will come into existence only if its contents follow the rules of karma. In addition to that, only a few sentences can be written into a single page of the Book, and it must follow the current narrative of the story.
If I'm not wrong, the first time the Book was mentioned was by Fitzgerald, who wanted it to resurrect his deceased daughter in hopes of restoring his wife's mental health. The next time the Book is brought up is when Fyodor's intentions to possess it are divulged; his goal was to decimate the global population of ability-users. And now, the current arc has the Book as its central focus, with a single page in Fukuchi's possession.
[ BEAST!AU spoilers ]
The Book acts as the central point of multiverses, with each character's lives differing from universe to universe.
Dazai committing suicide in this alternate universe stands in sharp contrast with how he decided to start up a new life in the main universe.
Oda staying alive to act as a mentor to Akutagawa in the ADA differs from how Oda uses his death to prompt Dazai to "be on the side that saves people."
And of course, the way Atsushi and Akutagawa have their positions switched in the two universes depicts how different their lives would be if they were given the chance to be mentored by different peopleā€” these are just a few examples of how the Book houses an endless amount of possibilities.
[ end of BEAST!AU spoilers ]
Hypothetically speaking, this kind of reminds me of the differing realms I mentioned before, where suffering is promised in some realms, and better things are granted in the rest, depending on one's karma, or the deeds they've done in their past lives. In this scenario, perhaps one's past life can be understood as one's current life in a different universe. That's just a personal opinion though. Take it as you will.
side note: Keep in mind that the person who is more or less impervious to the Book's effect is Dazai, with his nullification ability. I wouldn't want to propose any theories in this aspect (I don't believe I'm fully fact-checked ;_;), but I could use Dazai as a raw example of how your choices affect your future. If Dazai had decided to stay in the Port Mafia after Oda's death, or if he even decided to go through with his suicidal fixations, life would've been different for him in the root universe (obviously, ryley) I mean, you could basically understand that from how he ended up in the BEAST au, but imagine if he really did slip up in his decision-making in any of the universes.
Many analysts have proposed that he went MIA (early in his life) from the main universe for a while to figure out how the BEAST universe worked, whilst having the Book to his advantage. Perhaps his actions were guided? I'm not saying he's all-knowing, but he's sure as hell smart. I'm not sure if Kafka was trying to highlight the concept of karma when it comes to Dazai, but if he is, then I suppose you could say that Dazai is pretty much unaffected by the rules of karma, existing as the centerpiece of all the multiverses. No Longer Human is the namesake of his ability, but the book talks about disqualification from societal norms and generally, the world. I was talking about it with a friend, and they reminded me that Yozo (the main protagonist) was pretty strong in his views against society. Like he didn't speak out of total defeat, he spoke out of defense. If there was anything Dazai actually lost to, it was his guiltā€” "Living itself is a source of sin."
Then again, that's my personal interpretation since everyone has their unique perspective of his writings. In terms of the actual adaptation, you could translate the word 'disqualification' to 'insusceptibilty' when if it came to the Book's effects on Dazai? This side note is becoming really long lmao anyways I'll link a few theories which afflicted me with brainrot down below.
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Another thing before I wrap up, the name 'Decay of Angels' stemmed from Yukio Mishima's book entitled 'The Decay of An Angel.' This is the final novel to the author's tetralogy: 'The Sea of Fertility.' The main protagonist, Honda, meets a person he believes to be a reincarnation of his friend, Kiyoaki, who takes the form of a young teenage boy named Tōru. The last novel of this series enhances Mishima's dominant themes of the series as a whole:
the decay of courtly tradition in Japan
the essence and value of Buddhist philosophy and aesthetics
Mishimaā€™s apocalyptic vision of the modern era
Again, this could be referred to what Fukuchi goes on to say:
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Some people view the concept of samsara optimistically, justifying it by saying that perhaps each individual is given a second (third, fourth, fifth, who knows) chance to refine their actions in order to be birthed into a better realm, with their karma being the independent variable.
On the other hand, other people, specifically the Hindus, view the cycle of existence as some sort of plague. To them, the flow of life and being forced to endure the suffering of mere existence in any form was somewhat frowned down upon. Some Hindus viewed samsara as a trap. Besides, having one's soul being limited to a physical body for the rest of eternity was not very appealing, especially since where they ended up at depended on the karmic value their past actions surmounted.
Even so, particular types of Buddhists don't seek nirvana, but instead, like the Hindus, they make an effort to be good people of society, building up their good deeds to increase the likelihood of being reborn into one of the better realms.
As mentioned before, the Deva Realm was the home of angels, the most carefree, gratified beings to exist. Fukuchi describes these angels as the people who don't get their hands dirty, the people who act as the puppeteers of society: politicians.
In terms of parallels, angels were the most fortunate and powerful, but they didn't have anyone ruling over them. A lack of supervision would lead to the abuse of power, which is what I believe Fukuchi was referring to. Deeming himself the Decay of Angels, he sought to prove himself as the 'sign of death that falls on the nation's greed.'
A few fun facts (okay, not really) about Yukio Mishima: he committed seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) on the day he held a speech to voice out his unpopular political beliefs to the public. Mishima deeply treasured traditions and opposed the modern mindset the nation was advancing forward to adapt eventually. In his last book, The Decay of an Angel, he spoke about the five signs which complete the death of an angel:
Here are the five greater signs: the once-immaculate robes are soiled, the flowers in the flowery crown fade and fall, sweat pours from the armpits, a fetid stench envelops the body, the angel is no longer happy in its proper place.
The Decay of an Angel, p.53
The reviews about this series I've read so far describe Mishima's works to be quite complex; his writings demanded a lot of time to deconstruct and understand. They were highly symbolic, and he was pretty obsessed with death and the 'spiritual barrenness of the modern world.' I think you could attach a few strings from here to the mindsets of the DOA members. Of course, this parallel is completely abstract, but I'll go on rambling anyway:
He should have armed them with the foreknowledge that would keep them from flinging themselves after their destinies, take away their wings, keep them from soaring, make them march in step with the crowd. The world does not approve of flying. Wings are dangerous weapons. They invite self-destruction before they can be used. If he had brought Isao to terms with the fools, then he could have pretended that he knew nothing of wings.
The Decay of an Angel, p.113
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I suppose you could resonate Nikolai with that excerpt. As much as Fukuchi takes the lead in this whole murder association, I'd like to believe that each member of the DOA plays an equally interesting part in whatever movement they're trying to execute. Fyodor feels it is his god-sent purpose to cleanse the world of its sins, his motto being, "Let the hand of God guide you." Sigma doesn't know where he belongs, since his origination comes from a page in the Book, and is fueled by the desperation to find a reason to live. Bram holds one of the most powerful abilities which is counted to be one of the "Top Ten Calamities to Destroy the World."
What I mean to say is that the DOA members are incredibly powerful, and they're not your ordinary antagonists (or I'm just biased). It's not just overthrowing authorities, mass genocide, and world dominationā€” you could say that each individual is trying to utilize their purposes to their fullest expenditures, and the way they're trying to assert their plan into action is a little more passive-aggressive (framing the Agency, having a convo with a suicidal dude in jail, etc). They're the gray area between evil and good. As they framed the good guys for their own crimes, they're trying to conquer the bad guys for exploiting the innocent as they please.
This post would definitely age well if all hell breaks loose in the current arc (as if it didn't) and Kafka doesn't give us a happy ending.
That's all I have to say for now I guess! Thank you for reading, and once again, if anyone else something they wanna share, feel free to do so <3
sources (tryna follow Q's example ^_^) :
the six realms
samsara
the decay of angels
beast!au
the book
the sea of fertility
yukio mishima
theory:Ā dazaiā€™s emotional/mental state in beast!au
qā€™sĀ theory: dazai being the protector of the book
theory: beast!dazai and the book
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Dazaiā€™s morality and what makes him different from otherĀ ā€œmorally grayā€ characters
Everyone knows that Dazai is morally gray - but I only recently realized how heā€™s different from otherĀ ā€œmorally grayā€ characters we often see in fiction.Ā 
Most of the time, those characters we conveniently labelĀ ā€œmorally grayā€ donā€™t even deserve the title - theyā€™re just good people who had done a few bad things, or bad people who had done a few good things. But Dazai is truly in the middle - he has done too many bad things to be good, but too many good things to be bad.
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Heā€™s abusive, manipulative, ruthless, and made life a living hell for Akutagawa. And yet-Ā 
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He was Atsushiā€™s savior - giving him a home when nobody else would accept him. Although this still isnā€™t enough to forgive him for what he did to Akutagawa, it still proves that he isnā€™t fully a bad person.Ā 
Now, hereā€™s when things start to get more interesting. Most morally gray characters tend to switch back and forth between two sides, right? Lots of writers depict them doing kind things more often while on theĀ ā€œgood sideā€, and doing cruel actions more often while on theĀ ā€œbad sideā€.
But that's not the case with Dazai.
Dark Era Dazai was terrifying - he shot innocent people, manipulated his subordinates, abused people, and many more. But he was still good, in his own way. He helped Chuuya cut ties with the Sheep, who were obviously using him for his powerful ability, despite having only met him for a day. He genuinely cared for Odasaku, willing to risk his own life to save his friend.Ā 
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In the ADA, he seemed more compassionate. He gave Atsushi a home and cared for all the members of the ADA. But although itā€™s subtle, he was still evil. Itā€™s more obvious in the manga - since the anime tends to focus on his humor and suicidal tendencies more. Take a look at this manga panel :Ā 
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Although itā€™s implied, itā€™s clear what he did - he slept with the nurse only to obtain information. He manipulated an innocent woman without hesitation, as if itā€™s a daily habit. No other ADA member would have the heart to do this, even if it meant saving the world or whatsoever. And letā€™s not forget this anime moment that made all Aku stansā€™ blood boil :Ā 
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Yes, Dazai didnā€™t directly abuse Aku anymore after being in the ADA. But if he was truly a good person, he wouldnā€™t have taken advantage of Akuā€™s emotions, thinking that he had every right to control him. He would have acknowledged Aku and sincerely apologized for abusing him.Ā 
No matter what your argument is, you canā€™t deny that Dazai doesnā€™t have a trace of his PM tendencies left in him even after transferring into the ADA. Thatā€™s the depth about Dazaiā€™s gray morality - no matter which side heā€™s on, he'd always do an equal amount of good and bad things.Ā 
Alright, last point, I promise. Iā€™ve seen lots of people think that Dazai underwent his "redemption arcā€ in the Dark Era, when Oda died, just because Dark Era and ADA him are opposites. But now that I think of it, his moralities never even changed. He never had a redemption arc. His way of viewing people and the world are still more or less the same. The only reason Dark Era and ADA Dazai are different is because he changed his mannerisms, and obtained more will to live.
ā€œOh, then why did he join the agency?ā€Ā Ā 
Because he wanted to honor his best friendā€™s dying wish. He still doesnā€™t care about ā€œgoodā€ or ā€œbadā€. Even Oda knew this - thatā€™s why he said this line to Dazai:Ā 
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Iā€™d like to believe that a part of Dazai's kind actions are genuine, but you cannot tell me that this man, who didnā€™t give a f*ck about shooting innocent people, is unconditionally kind all the time. We can never guess whatā€™s going on in his head, but Iā€™m sure that he sometimes puts up a facade of being kind, in hopes that one day, itā€™ll become real.Ā 
Now, youā€™ll notice that most morally gray characters undergo a meaningful redemption arc before joining the good guys - which implies that the writers think only post-redemption them belonged in the good side - that pre-redemption them will never be able to becomeĀ ā€œgoodā€.Ā 
But Dazai?
He joined the agency without undergoing a redemption arc and still passed the entrance exam.Ā 
You see what this means?Ā 
From the start, Dazai already had the potential of becoming both "good" and "evil". He would have fit in either organizations perfectly. Mori just happened to find him first. Itā€™s just the matter of timing.Ā 
Dazaiā€™s morality is truly in the middle.Ā 
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Hi everyone!! I'm sorry to ruin your day/evening but this is kinda an important matter to me and I hope you can take the time to read this šŸ™šŸ¼
You guys might know I write BSD analyses and theories sometimes for not that long now. I put a lot of effort, time and dedication in them, especially when it comes to drawing parallels between IRL author's works and BSD characters.
Now, the thing is, parts of my first self written theory (the Higuchi ability theory) has been kinda plagiarized. Now, don't get me wrong. I do know that people come up with the same or similar theories and such. I mean it's also okay if you're inspired by a theory and make your own out of it. You can ofc write about the same ideas and things!! The beauty is that everyone has a slightly different take on it and unique thinking so that you can have two similar theories but also very different ones. You can also just take my post, state that it is mine and then add your thoughts to it, telling your audience which points you agree with and which not etc. There are so many ways to do this.
But this person on Instagram took parts of my work without even changing the phrasing sometimes. They neither asked me for permission first nor did they give me any credits. Last Friday, July the 30th, I DMed them first ofc, asking them to either repost it with the proper credits or putting the credits in the caption but stating the credits again in their story.
The person replied that they did not steal the theory itself but they admit to have seen my tumblr post. They said that they only took my summaries of the three short stories (which I used in my post to underline my ideas).
I wanna be transparent with you guys, so I'm just gonna share our convo here.
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Well, the way they said that only the last 3 slides were similar to my work pissed me a bit off. Because 1) it wasn't only the last 3 slides and 2) it wasn't just the summaries they took from me. Embedded in my summaries are also my ideas and theories. So I was not okay to be simply credited in the caption of a post that has already been 4-5 days old. So we agreed that they would delete the post.
(this is btw how they credited me later which I would have been fine with when they did it from the beginning or reposted with this credit)
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Well, the post was gone and I was happy. They blocked me afterwards which was fine by me šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø Today, August the 3rd, I saw on my private account (thanks to the fyp šŸ™šŸ¼) that THE POST WAS STILL THERE. THEY ONLY MADE THE POST PRIVATE, LIED TO ME ABOUT DELETING IT, BLOCKED ME AND HOPED THAT I WOULDN'T REALIZE? You guys don't know how utterly disappointed and upset I feel. It's just such a disrespectful thing to do. I'm a person that highly values honesty and kindness. I can't really put into words how shocked I feel rn.
(the higuchi post is public again after they told me that it was deleted on Saturday, the most recent post is from Tuesday)
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I saw that they unblocked me again but in view of how our conversation went before, I feel like there is no use to try to DM them again. That's why I'm reaching out to you guys. I don't know how effective reporting is on instagram, but it's worth a try. I would appreciate it a lot if you could help me out and report their post in order that it will be taken down. Thank you for everyone who has read until so far, you are so precious!! If you don't feel comfortable reporting, you don't have to!! I'm already very happy that you have read this far and listened to my concerns! Every reblog is also very much appreciated but totally not a must.
I will now ofc also put some screenshots of their post and mine to show how similar our works are. If you think I am wrongfully accusing them or that I am in the wrong, please let me know!
Plus, tumblr only allows 10 pictures in one post, so I need to put the rest of the screenshots in a reblog. Again, thank you so much for reading.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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I love Chuuya. In fact, I'd confidently say he's in my top 3 favourite characters next to Dazai and Oda. But I'm so tired of how he's depicted in the fandom.
Chuuya is an amazing character. He's an executive of the infamous Port Mafia. He's Dazai's ex-partner. He's got one of the strongest, if not the strongest, abilities in the manga. He's also probably the most skilled fighter in BSD so far and is known as the Port Mafia's best martial artist. His backstory is tragic and interesting and a goldmine to explore.
And yet these traits are either forgotten or reduced by the fandom most of the time. This week alone I've seen Chuuya turned into Dazai's blushing maiden too many times to count. I've seen his nasty and vicious side ignored and seen him labelled as basically the "good" one in his partnership with Dazai. People treat him like he's the saint of the mafia and gloss over his glaring flaws and what makes him complex.
So many ignore how he egged on Dazai to kill Q because he was mad Q's capture had cost the lives of his men, how in the CD drama he didn't condemn Dazai's training of Akutagawa like so many like to pretend he did, many ignore his anger issues which have gotten him in trouble more times than once. Chuuya isn't perfect and he isn't a saint and that's what makes him so incredibly compelling.
He's kind and trusting (even to his own detriment) but he's also vindictive and impulsive. He's a complex character with many shades to his personality and I'm just tired of seeing him reduced to only one shade of that personality.
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Dazaiā€™s Search for Genuineness, Trust and Humanity Part 2
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My personal interpretation and understanding of BSD Dazai using Dazai-senseiā€™s works and some of his background information
Works discussed: No Longer Human, The Setting Sun and Run, Melos! <spoiler warning> Also spoiler warnings for Season 3
These are just my personal thoughts on Dazai, I would love to hear your thoughts as well! Also please note that I have yet to read the manga or the light novels, so I will only discuss the animeĀ 
This is part 2 ofĀ this analysis
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In this series of analysis, I will discuss my belief that Dazai yearns for genuineness and trust from others, whilst being untrusting of the world/society.Ā 
In this analysis I will showcase more evidence on the fact that Dazai wants and looks for these things in the world.Ā 
2. Dazaiā€™s desire for trust and genuineness in the worldĀ 
2.1 Examining such through his works
2.2 Dazai-senseiā€™s background
2.3 Connection to BSD Dazai and Atsushi
Keep reading
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Jouno - the epitome of nurture over nature?
Letā€™s talk about Jouno again. Heā€™s such an intriguing character. Chapter 92.5 gives us an important insight not only into his past but also into the psychology of many BSD characters.
Asagiri sensei has again made it clear that there is no entirely good or evil characters. It might be a bold statement but in my humble opinion, what we witnessed in this chapter is that the environment might even have a greater influence on your behaviour and attitude than your nature.
Furthermore, Jouno's development makes me extremely optimistic in regards to Dazai's. But let me explain all my thoughts down below the cut.
First, chapter 92.5 surely had me surprised. Although I was thinking about the possibility that Jouno would temporarily work with Fukuchi and then turn against him, I would have neverĀ guessed his reason for doing so.Ā 
Jouno was once an executive of a criminal organization. Six years ago, he was brought to the Hunting Dogs by Fukuchi. Though he is working for justice now, he still has a sadistic behaviour and likes to torture people psychologically. He says it himself in chapter 92 that he doesnā€™t care about whether the ADA is innocent or truly evil, he just wants to hear the voice of someone suffering. He wants to hurt people under the name of law, hear their sound when they break (according to @buraihatranslations ).
In chapter 92.5, we get a flashback of Jouno forcing a burglar to kill himself. But instead of stabbing himself, this happens:Ā 
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(translations by @buraihatranslations ā€‹)
The burglar tries to stab Jouno instead. But the sword goes right through Jouno without leaving a single scratch (which is probably thanks to his ability). Jouno is clearly enjoying this scene in front of him and thanks the burglar for theĀ ā€œgood soundā€, which probably refers to the scream of despair, the sound when the burglarĀ ā€œbrokeā€.Ā 
You get what I'm trying to say. Jouno is highly immoral, one might say he is evil (depending on the definition of evilness). So when I said I could imagine Jouno betraying Fukuchi, I meant he would do it out of purely sadistic reasons, out of pleasure from toying with people.Ā 
But no. I was wrong.Ā 
Right before Jouno betrays Fukuchi, we get this scene:
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(translations by @buraihatranslationsā€‹)
It seems that JounoĀ has genuinely felt appreciation coming from the words of this old lady. Her gratitude has surely made him feel a kind of responsibilty towards society.
Would he have betrayed Fukuchi if the latter asked him that six years ago? Probably not.
Jouno is someone who knows how to differentiate between good and bad, but he didn't care about it in the past. He committed crimes and likes to see people suffering. He is inherently bad. Fukuchi has addressed this in chapter 92.5:
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(translations by @buraihatranslations ā€‹)
"Your true nature is on that side."
What Fukuchi probably means is that Jouno's nature is not on justice's side. It's on the bad side.
But after joining the HD, within only six years, Jouno has developed a sense of justice. Even though it's not a very strong one, it's still there.
We have seen on multiple occasions that circumstances plays a major role in where you end up. The Beast novel is the best example. Under different circumstances, Atsushi would be on the "bad" side and Akutagawa on the "good" side. But the characters themselves are neither fully bad nor fully good.
What we haven't seen yet until this chapter, if I remember correctly, is that the environment can influence you to act "against" your nature.
Jouno was kind of "forced" to be around people that fight for justice. And because of that, even though his natural trait of being sadistic persists, he has learnt that protecting innocent people brings much more joy as he has stated in the most recent chapter 93.
It's hard to get rid of your negative character traits, probably even impossible. But to act on them is a decision you can resist (oftentimes). Admittedly, it's extremely difficult but the right environment can cause you to form, shape and reinforce an attitude contrary to what you would expect based on your natural traits.
That's why I'm very hopeful in regards to future developments of the BSD cast, especially Dazai's.
(Spoilers for Untold Origin LN:) Ranpo has found a purpose to live thanks to Fukuzawa, namely to help and protect the simple-minded, ordinary people.
Yosano has found a reason to live on thanks to Ranpo.
Kunikida has his ideals and guide to life.
Atsushi's justification for living is saving people.
Being in this environment, I'm sure the ADA members can influence and affect each other in a positive way. Dazai is very similar to Jouno in regards to background. He also started off on the "bad" side, though he isn't as sadistic as Jouno. He tortured people not out of fun but rather to reach his goals.
Similar to Jouno, he doesn't really care about good and bad. I believe Jouno still doesn't care but he has come to enjoy the good side. And that's what I'm hoping for Dazai too. I wish for him that he will find the "good" side, the side that saves people, more beautiful, more enjoyable and maybe even find his own purpose for living.
Well, that were my thoughts on this topic. Happy to hear your opinions!! I'm sorry I didn't incorporate much of the most recent chapter 93. Idk why I'm always almost done with an analysis when the new chapter drops.
Anyways, thank you for reading!!
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n1kolaiz Ā· 3 years
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Last seen: Vol. 8 ch. 31 (released around 4th September 2015 in Japan) or Second season, episode 9 (released 30th November 2016 in Japan)
It has been 1666 days.
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