#oba yozo

[xielianslver]

Dazai's bandages and its reference to the No Longer Human cover + an idea

Okay so I posted this on my analysis blog but I'll be deleting that and will just be posting my analyses here.

Okay so it is very possible I could be reaching but I find it interesting so here we are!

This is the first time I am posting one of my analysis but I thought something small and simple would be good to start off with.

[SPOILERS for Dazai's past, minor(?) BEAST spoilers ig]

(fun fact I have the collectors version of NLH and not the normal one, also please tell me if I get anything wrong)

The original No Longer Human cover (now considered the collectors version) has only one eye showing. As we see in PM!Dazai's design, you can only see one of his eyes.

This shows Dazai's development going from the NLH cover only having one eye (PM!Dazai) and the "updated" version having just the silhouette of a man (Current Dazai).

In BEAST Dazai never changed because he never experienced Oda die. That's why Dazai still has bandages covering his eye, he never changed his cover.

OG!Dazai is still the same story inside he just changed his cover (going from the dark to the light).

[Speaking of which, the bg of the covers went from dark (Black) to light (Pink)]

I have one more idea.

"Eyes are windows to the soul"

PM!Dazai only having one eye shows that although anyone with even a decent bit of mental illness knowledge could pick up that he's unwell. But no-one will ever understand because they cannot see his entire soul.

Well that's all I could think about tonight sorry it was so short and probably incomprehensible but I tried my best (no I didn't).

I've always found Atsushi, Dazai, Fyodor and Agatha to be very interesting characters so you'll probably see a bit on them soon.

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bsd analysis #character analysis #bsd dazai #osamu dazai #dazai osamu #bsd osamu dazai #no longer human #japanese literature #oba yozo #🌑 | < . -- Bungo Stray Dogs #🎫 | < . -- Analysis

[datpo3t]

idgaf if theyre a shitty person second I see a classical man with dark hair with issues I turn into a damn dog

#Oba yozo #hamlet #raskolnikov #victor frankenstein #holden caulfield #patrick batemen #vronsky

[the-demon-prodigy]

The True Genius of Bungo Stray Dogs (As Seen in the Portrayal of Osamu Dazai)

oh boy heres another formal-sounding one!! i wrote this to follow an essay formula and under the assumption that it would be shown to someone who is less well-versed in bsd (i kinda just explained what it was and what bungo meant in the introductory paragraphs) so just skim those parts if u already know those things :ppp

in this one i mostly cover some of the biggest similarities between yozo of nlh and dazai of bsd! i dont rlly cover bsd dazai versus irl dazai so keep that in mind. its not super in-depth and ive only read nlh once so far, so anybody who's got thoughts feel free to add!

without further ado, lets get into it :> (the whole thing will be under the cut)

TW: Su1c1de, add1ction (specifically alcoho1ism), s3xual abus3, emotional abus3

Bungo Stray Dogs is a manga, anime, and light novel series that takes place in a semi-fictional version of Yokohama, Japan. 

The Japanese word “bungo” translates to “literary”; and almost every significant character is named after a classic author and has a supernatural ability named after one of their works. However, the influence of literature upon each of the characters runs deeper than just their name and ability.

Today, we will be covering the true ingenuity of Bungo Stray Dogs through its unique method of drawing parallels between real-life and fiction, and fiction and other fiction, using the character and author Osamu Dazai as an example. (All uses of the name Dazai will refer to his fictional version unless specified otherwise.)

Dazai is one of the most beloved characters of the series, and his popularity as a fictional character brought the book that his character and ability are in reference to, No Longer Human, to many more sales despite it being over 60 years since the book’s original publication.

Dazai’s character is commonly praised for his remarkable representation of those who experience mental illness, and this theme is a very prominent one in the book that his character is based upon.

No Longer Human is a semi-autobiographical work created by the real-life Osamu Dazai, following the life of a man named Oba Yozo in the formula of three notebooks. Among its themes are isolation, alienation, suicidality, addiction, and much more.

Yozo experiences immense alienation from society, carrying a far deeper melancholy than any others seem to. In order to combat the evident unpalatability of his true nature, he takes on the facade of a bumbling fool before others in order to avoid their wrath and perhaps also sate his desire to be loved (Pg. 26 of NLH [No Longer Human]). 

(One of, if not the, biggest similarity between Bungo Stray Dogs’ Dazai and Yozo, is the alienation that came as a result of their unique nature and philosophy, which surrounded them in a profound despair simply through the act of living.)

Sexually abused as a young child (Pg. 35 of NLH), Yozo believes human beings to harbor an intrinsic cruelty, and wishes to avoid bearing witness to their intimidating true nature at all costs. Yozo feels immense fear of human beings due to his inability to understand them (Pg. 28 of NLH), unable to understand what they think about when they walk the streets, what they wish for, and why they engage in simple acts such as eating. (Pgs. 23 & 26 of NLH) 

Dazai as a Bungo Stray Dogs character diverges from Yozo in many ways, but they have a similarity in the existence of a public facade created in order to hide from pain and hurt, and a deep alienation from society that leads them to dehumanize themselves.

Both Dazai and Yozo believe themselves incapable of integrating their true selves into society so profoundly that they give up on it entirely, Dazai through a lack of taking proper action to take himself out of a toxic environment to live as a normal human being, and Yozo in his complete withdrawal of who he truly is from society to the point that it’s nearly impossible for an outsider to graze his true self. 

Bungo Stray Dogs’ Dazai is so hyper-intelligent that he sees the world in a far more nihilistic way than the common person (Pg. 159 of BSD:ODDE [Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era]). This isolates him completely from society because he believes nothing in life to hold any actual value due to the inevitability of death (Pg. 13 of BSD:DC15 [Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen]). Throughout No Longer Human, it’s possible to infer that Yozo is also an exceptionally intelligent person due to the uniqueness of his philosophy and worldview, drawing yet another parallel between them.

Additionally, Dazai has thought this way since he was 14, which led him to a suicide attempt, and has possibly contemplated such action even before then (Pg. 8 of BSD:DC15). Although not fully confirmed, it’s likely that he was shunned by those around him for seeing things in a way that they could not come close to understanding, similar to how Yozo could not understand that which was commonly seen as an intrinsic human trait. Neither Dazai or Yozo view themselves as properly human, although they seek love in such a way that suggests that they wish that they were.

For example, Dazai is a romantic young man who views falling in love as an intrinsic part of the human experience, and yet believes himself to be unlovable, further separating himself from his own definition of humanity. And Yozo, only a child when he begins displaying his facade of air-headedness, wished to be liked by humans so as to not be harmed.

Dazai and Yozo also both have a likely/possible fear of being idolized, respected figures. Yozo views being respected by others as being the peak of successful deceit of others which eventually brought great consequence upon the respected (Pg. 33 of NLH), and Dazai intentionally lazes around and doesn’t do his best during his adult life in the Armed Detective Agency, which, although not confirmed, may hint towards the existence of a fear of being respected the way that he was in his previous profession as a mafioso, in which many expectations were placed upon him that left him drained. 

Yozo and the Dazai of Bungo Stray Dogs share an idolization of that which they have forbidden themselves from becoming. For Yozo, this was human, and for Dazai, this was also human. However, their definitions are different. You may ask, “but didn’t Yozo fear human beings? Why would he want to be one?” and the answer to that question is, yes, Yozo fears human beings. However, it’s more complicated than that. Yozo also sought out love and affection from human beings, who seemed able to give it to each other, and he wished to understand human beings so that he could be with them and not fear them (Pg. 26 of NLH). You see, Yozo wished to have someone by his side to understand him, seeing as his fear left him when he felt understood and a sense of camaraderie (Pg. 80 of NLH), but at the same time feared a connection such as this and mostly thought it impossible, just as he feared human beings but also wished to integrate himself with them so that he could be loved and spared from suffering. 

Yozo is a mess of self-contradictory ideals, as is Dazai, who wished to be human in the sense that he wished to understand what other human beings saw in being alive: what inherent value they saw in it that caused them to be so opposed to death that they would fight (Pg. 132 of BSD:ODDE). Dazai believed that if he were to understand what made humans happy and what made them want to live, he could become one, and henceforth become happy and cease to seek death. Dazai also wished to be lovable, as did Yozo. Dazai saw being capable of being loved and loving others as being an inherent part of the human experience (Pg. 103 of BSD:DC15), but felt himself incapable of such behaviour and treatment. Dazai also sought to be a good person, which he believed humans to lean towards inherently, but thought himself to be incapable of until he was pushed towards it by a person who understood him fully (Pg. 161 of BSD:ODDE).

There also exists a parallel between Yozo and Dazai in the form of the organizations that they were entangled with. Yozo was involved with a communist group by an acquaintance of his (Pg. 65 of NLH), where he was eventually trusted by the organization with jobs that caused him increasing hassle and tiredness, similar to how Dazai was saddled with the responsibilities and title of the youngest executive of the mafia when he was only a teenager (Pg. 3 of BSD:ODDE), although Yozo was already college-age when he was involved with the communists. 

One of the most obvious, although surface-level similarities between Dazai and Yozo is that of their suicidal ideation. They both have contemplated suicide and attempted it multiple times (Pgs. 1, 4, & 49 of BSD:ODDE and Pgs. 86, 87, & 154 of NLH), out of a deep despair found in the reality that they find themselves unable to escape. Although Dazai doesn’t truly wish for death, and it’s possible that neither does Yozo, they both engage commonly in this behaviour. 

Another minor similarity between them is their alcoholism. Yozo spends such a large majority of the book talking about drinking away his sorrows that it would prove quite the task to try to cite them all here (although he displays alcoholic behaviours from Pg. 63 and onward of NLH), and Dazai often experiences hangovers, goes to pubs and bars (even when he’s only 18) (Pg. 1 of BSD:ODDE), and his room as a 22-year old is seen to be riddled with bottles of alcohol.

Although primarily due to their public facades, many people who come and go in the lives of Dazai and Yozo seem to love them and believe that they are good people who, under different circumstances, could become very happy (Pg. 160 of BSD:ODDE and Pg. 177 of NLH).

 It seems to only be Dazai and Yozo who demonize themselves so heavily that their sense of self becomes mangled beyond their own recognition; all others around them seem to feel that they have potential for good within them. Dazai and Yozo share in self-hatred, in certain ways. 

Overall, Dazai and Yozo have many similarities in how they think, the life they lived, and the coping mechanisms they use, and these many similarities exist too in the other characters of Bungo Stray Dogs, their real-life counterparts, and the fictional characters they are based upon. 

It is this deep-running, subtle aspect of Bungo Stray Dogs which makes it an immensely respectable work of art and causes me to admire the cleverness and literacy of its writer, Kafka Asagiri. The story is more than enjoyable without understanding each reference that makes an appearance, but it adds a special and unique touch to an already-wonderful series. And that is exactly why I consider all of these literary tie-ins to be the true genius of Bungo Stray Dogs, which hides beneath the surface yet makes the experience feel much more special.

#tw sex abuse #tw sex assault #tw suicide #tw addiction #☆analysis☆ #☆thoughts☆ #bsd dazai #bsd analysis #bungou stray dogs #bsd #no longer human #oba yozo #osamu dazai #☆scheduled☆

[bambicoded]

he's my sweet boy (he's the worst creature imaginable, who has committed atrocities beyond comprehension)

#dazai #dazai osamu #osamu dazai #bungo stray dogs #bsd #bsd dazai #bsd dazai osamu #oba yozo #no longer human

[trashland-llamas]

'...I just kept thinking that when human beings get that way, they're no good for anything.' 'The Yozo we knew was so easy-going and amusing, and if only he hadn't drunk—no, even though he did drink—he was a good boy, an angel.'

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd dazai #bungo stray dogs dazai #osamu dazai #no longer human #oba yozo #edits #my edits #nameless - stevie howie #stevie howie

[nouveauxamoris]

literally pulled an all nighter for this. get yozo’d idiot

RBS APPRECIATED!!!!

#no longer human #no longer human fanart #osamu dazai #yozo oba #oba yozo #r there like no tags for nlh fanart. srry guys #nlh #gouache

[lockedup-mayribbon]

It is 2:34(am) where I live now and while I have absolutely no regrets I will be lying face down on my pillow contemplating the duplicity of human nature for the next 472628 hours

#no longer human #oba yozo #dazai osamu #literature #japanese literature #lit blog #literature memes #bookblr

[suru1990]

yall should be called oba yozo the way bsd made us no longer straight

#do you guys see my vision #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bungo gay dogs #no longer human #yozo oba #oba yozo

[cerealandchoccymilk]

(reads the first page of the first notebook in no longer human/a shameful life) its so autistic in here its scary

#wait a sec im gonna reblog with the quote #just saying. to be completely honest i think many authors of the time would have lived much longer #if autism diagnosis and support systems existed back then #(the ones that didnt die of tb at least. actually probably them too bc stress and drug use etc) #no longer human #not tagging the other one bc i dont have access to it rn lol #that translation isnt as well known anyways. i do want to check it out tho #dazai osamu #(THE AUTHORRRRRR) #oba yozo #im much much farther in btw. at the gogh introduction in notebook 2 rn #just writing a review to put on my site #and going back through #- neo

[blue-thief]

cw: mentions of sa and csa

people who claim that no longer human is misogynistic kinda just. completely missed the entire point of women's role in the novel. like, it's far from a groundbreaking piece of feminist literature or anything, but to claim that yozo and his relationship with women is inherently disgusting is just... not 100% correct.

yozo felt as though tsuneko was the only other person in the world who felt as sad as him. yozo abandoned shizuko and shigeko because he felt like his presence in their lives was disrupting their happiness because shigeko said she wished her real dad would come back. though most of the criticism probably comes from yozo's marriage to yoshiko* because of how he referred to her as having some purity and innocence due to her virginity.

like yeah, that actually does sound genuinely gross and makes it seem as though he's infantilizing her, and if i ever saw something along those lines in literally any other context, i would be deeply concerned. but the thing is, there is a point to yozo's fascination with her innocence, as well as his "disinterest" in her after it was taken away.

yozo is fascinated with yoshiko's innocence and overly trusting nature because he is the exact opposite. he lost his innocence and his ability to trust in people, at least partially, due to the fact that he was a victim of CSA.

so, when yoshiko was SA'd, he did nothing to stop it. many people criticize him for this point exactly, but the passages following show how much emotional distress the event causes him. the last paragraph of the book is,

this year, i am twenty-seven. my hair has become much greyer. most people would take me for over forty.

and on the same page as yozo witnessing the crime against yoshiko,

my hair turned prematurely grey from that night.

the rest of the book is all about the guilt and despair yozo feels for not being able to defend yoshiko from that situation. but why did he do nothing? because after being confronted with a situation that made him feel powerless as a child made him feel powerless as an adult.

idk where i'm going with this honestly. this was just supposed to be a rant so that's why it feels so incoherent and the first paragraph isn't structured at all, but somewhere along the way, this started to take on elements of an actual well-thought analysis.

though i suppose i can say that the way no longer human was written can be summed up by the paragraph about yozo's perception of prostitution. "i could never think of prostitutes as human beings or even women" sounds HORRIBLE in literally any other context, but in the context of no longer human, it actually makes sense.

i could never think of prostitutes as human beings or even as women. they seemed more like imbeciles or lunatics. but in their arms i felt absolute security. i could sleep soundly. it was pathetic how utterly devoid of greed they really were. and perhaps they felt for me something like an affinity for their kind, these prostitutes always showed me a natural friendliness stripped of high-pressure salesmanship, for someone who might never come again. some nights i these imbecile, lunatic prostitutes with the halo of mary.

(also partially off-topic, but yozo's relationship with prostitutes early on in the book was his own way of reclaiming his sexuality)

i suppose that the point is that context matters, especially in the case of no longer human. people's criticisms of this novel just seem to simply out of poor reading comprehension (this is why i was mad that no longer human is now a "booktok" book. people on booktok just seem to have very poor reading comprehension skills overall, and i'll probably rant about that on its own some other time).

*an actual valid criticism of yozo and yoshiko's relationship would be the fact that yoshiko was only seventeen and yozo was in his twenties. then again, i don't know what the age of consent laws in japan were like at the time

#yeah this is a really unorganized rant i'm just mad about how many times i've seen this stupid criticism #no longer human #osamu dazai #dazai osamu #oba yozo #classical literature #classic literature #classic lit #classical lit #japanese literature #bookblr #booktok #tw sa mention #tw csa mention #ask to tag

[fvedyetor]

you arent supposed to relate to yozo in no longer human help why is he saying things that make sense huh

#this is probably an issue #no longer human #dazai osamu #oba yozo

[lanternzz]

hi i think oba yozo is very bitter choco decoration

there is a very distinct similarity between the two in my head

#there is a very distinct similarity between the two in my head #do you get it #like. come on #citrine rambles #no longer human #oba yozo #bitter choco decoration

[cherubsaliaa]

idk if yozo deserves a hug or a slap in the face. probably both PLUS some fucking therapy

#oba yozo #yozo oba #no longer human #no longer human book #osamu dazai #nlh #yozo #dazai #osamu #japanese literature #japanese lit #classics #classic literature

[the-demon-prodigy]

hey gang ever think about how yozo was never angry. only ever scared. not angry at humans, but scared of them. not angry at society, but scared of it. he feared so much that at some point he feared being loved and being human and he feared himself too and it broke him. yozo never had the capability for unrelenting cruelty that he thought humans had at their cores, yozo never was angry. he was only scared of being hurt and never being understood and yet he never burst into anger or shouting because he never had that in him. he was fearful, not hateful. he couldnt hate humans or the people around him, he could only fear them. he feared loneliness and yet he feared people but he also feared himself, his own mind.

#no longer human #oba yozo #japanese literature #dazai osamu #☆thoughts☆ #? ig- #sorry if this is a misunderstanding of his character feel free to grill me/lh #☆scheduled☆

[tomatoliciousheya]

#生田斗真 #toma #toma ikuta #ikuta toma #japanese actor #oba yozo #ningen shikaku #no longer human #aestehtic #vintage #snow #kimono #fav photo

[differentcatwasteland]

#no longer human #dazai osamu #junji ito #oba yozo