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7ban-sama · 1 year

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delineating adoration and possessiveness

It is finally time for me to cover something I have been meaning to cover in a post. [i waltz up to a podium and clear my throat] [ahem]

Tsukasa is NOT possessive. Tsukasa is NOT a yandere.

So there's my mission statement. Let's get to it!

To preface this all: I'm not here to say that Tsukasa's love is "sane" or "normal", etc. This isn't about disproving Tsukasa as an obsessive, eccentric individual; this will always be true about him, and, I love those traits! I'm simply here to advocate that Tsukasa is an example of adoration without a sense of possessive entitlement, specifically.

I'd also like to go ahead and assert that I do not think possessiveness is a wholly negative trait that makes a character unlikeable. It is in fact, one of my favorite aspects of Amane's personality. Also, I am Amane. I do not need Tsukasa's love to be selfless because that's the only good kind of love... I just like that it's how he is! Basically, the point of this post isn't to propose that anything is wrong, or bad, or needs to change. I like the way the characters contrast one another! You can almost think of this post as a taxonomical endeavor.

So... to start, I suppose we should define what a yandere is...! We'll just paste from wikipedia to make this straightforward, le etymology: "Borrowed from Japanese ヤンデレ (yandere), a portmanteau of 病んでる (yanderu), contraction of 病んでいる (yande iru), progressive tense of 病む (yamu, “to be sick”), and デレデレ (dere-dere, “in a lovey-dovey, infatuated, or lovestruck manner”, adverb)."

But of course, words are more than just their literal definition/origins. A yandere is an archetype, and it comes with a gamut of behaviors, seen in media, fanwork and original art. What defines a yandere is obsessive AND possessive behavior. They are so in love with their object of affection, that they cannot handle anything getting between them, which is why things lead to extremes of violence. What makes the love 'sick' is that, even their beloved's disapproval and fear cannot dissuade them from their actions. Some yanderes literally cannot be rejected; nothing you say or do can override their will — they love you, so they're going to do it anyways. In other cases.... rejection breaks them, so much that they lash out on their love, basically the "if I can't have you, no one can" mentality.

It's easy to get a sampling of the common themes and visuals of yandere by just looking at pixiv, or even google search results, really. Obsessive, totally love-struck expressions, wielding a knife, 'protecting' their love from others, by way of violence or even extremes of kidnapping, etc. I think one of the most emblematic yanderes is Yuno from Mirai Nikki, and with good reason. She hits allll the beats. And she is best girl.

There are plentiful other examples across various series, and you'll start to find that they share similar visual cues and behaviors. Enough that I find myself going, hmm... now, this does feel... familiar...

hmmm... what could it mean?

... but, we can't base everything just on known tropes and iconic visuals. So we need to look at Tsukasa's actions, alongside other characters within JSHK, for context.

We'll start with Tsukasa's introduction.

This is probably one of the most commonly cited lines, that convinces people that Tsukasa is jealous of Nene, and resentful of Amane. Combined with the overall depiction of Tsukasa in this chapter being mysterious, ominous, and Amane becoming so distraught from this interaction. A lot of people see Tsukasa's behavior as being purposefully emotionally manipulative, essentially rubbing salt in the wound of Amane's guilt.

Sure, that's a way to look at this all, and I understand that might be everyone's first impressions of this scene. But, well... Given what we come to learn about Tsukasa later, in the very same volume, are we so certain that he is jealous of Nene...?

It's pretty inarguable at this point that yorishiro Tsukasa does not regret or dislike the shinjuu. He loves that Amane did it, so very much, down to the very expression he was wearing during it. And Tsukasa is not at all secretive of this fact; he states it with painful openness.

The more you read the manga, the more you really have to accept that Tsukasa is not at all put off by the idea of Amane killing him, to the point where even at the tender age of four, he is fascinated and intrigued by Amane's capacity for harming him.

Seems like it is fundamentally an aspect of Tsukasa's nature. Killing him was in no ways perceived as wrong, or horrible, or awful. Tsukasa is not vindictive or jealous. How Amane treats Nene does not make Tsukasa feel disrespected, forgotten, or discarded.

But how could he? When I break down his "you'll protect her but killed me" comment further... Now that we know what we do about yorishiro from chapter 95, is there at all a reason for Tsukasa to be envious of Amane being willing to protect Nene? Tsukasa's very existence is defined by the fact that he was something precious and protected.

Being treasured and protected by Amane is not exclusive to Nene at all. You can see where it might be difficult to stir up jealousy over her, in that case! But beyond that, I think he is just being cheeky, lol... as much as he looks at the knife and gets all natsukashii about it. So nostalgic, that knife... Takes me back-!! Says Tsukasa, lol. It's not uncommon for little side comics and illustrations to have Tsukasa defining himself, eagerly, as "the person Amane killed!" We recently even had that Halloween event where Tsukasa dressed himself as a wara ningyo to match Amane's Ushi no Koku Mairi shtick. Tsukasa loves their binary, where Amane is the weapon-wielder, and Tsukasa is the one being staked through the chest with it. Nails, knives... have at thee!

At the very least, metatextually, it's something AidaIro themselves feel is fine to rib and tease about.

But what about the tea party?

Well... I know that, at first glance, it seems as though the function of the tea party abduction is to "get rid" of Nene, so this scene is also widely assumed to be an expression of resentment or jealousy on Tsukasa's end. He says all of this, after all:

It should be noted, however, that none of this is dictated with any animosity; the assertion of this "rivalry" is very glib. It's almost just true in a technical sense, as him and Amane DO have opposing belief systems. Also, Tsukasa doesn't say that he intends to harm or kill Nene, here. He does not speak to Nene harshly at all; his speech is quite casual, even in the original JP of this scene. The sentiment is simply, "welp, anyways, you gotta get going now!" And, considering the fact that Nene actually obtains a physical item from the past Amane (which alters the past, presumably) it seems it really was time for her to go.

Early Tsukasa scenes are framed with the intention of preserving the mystery of who Tsukasa is and what his goals are. It's a twist, to later find out the Yugi's extensive shared history, and how they were precious towards one another. By volume 5, you're not sure what you can conclude yet. We, the readers, are (purposefully! immersively!) in the same camp as Nene: we sit there asking, why did Hanako kill his younger twin brother? What happened between them? But I believe the story is also structured to make you doubt the immediately drawn conclusions, and regularly reassess the information.

Here are some things to consider, after the tea party:

The immediate arc following these events is the Clock Keepers one, which reveals Nene is slated to die within a year. More recently, we now know that Nene's shortened lifespan is explicitly tied to the destruction of the School Wonders' yorishiro. It is the Broadcast Club's goal to have the yorishiro destroyed, and they outright intend Nene to be the one to do it. Tsukasa could not have been attempting to kill Nene, because she is a vital asset to their mission.

In Hell of Mirrors, Tsukasa is relieved to see that Nene is alive and well. He catches himself before he compulsively harms her, and then decides to set her aside somewhere, so as to not let Nene get in the way and further complicate things.

And now, to just be blunt. Tsukasa is an incredibly strong kaii, and Nene is a mortal human being. If he wanted to kill her, it would be effortless and easy to accomplish. Seriously he could, crush her like a grape between his fingers. Nene didn't survive the trip to Nowhere due to incompetence or bumbling! Nene entering the past briefly, and then being quickly rescued, was the intended outcome.

Frankly, the sheer ease of which Nene is isolated and abducted by the Broadcast Club, only furthers my certainty that there cannot be such animosity between her and Tsukasa. We can accept that Tsukasa needs Nene alive to destroy yorishiro, but that doesn't mean Nene has to be happy. IF Tsukasa wanted to be petty and jealous and invasive, he just could be, right? What's stopping him from cornering Nene, or even just tormenting her throughout the day? Even Mitsuba can be petulant and act out by stealing Kou's lunch for attention. But Nene receives no such treatment. Tsukasa is ostensibly far more powerful and crafty than Mitsuba as well, and yet, Nene is allowed to play silly little games of charades with Hanako in peace.

By contrast, how do Tsukasa's feelings stack up against other characters?

There is a gradient of possessiveness and jealousy shown within the manga, ranging from passionate extremes to more tempered, but still very real expressions of it.

Akane and Hanako are on the most extreme end of this spectrum, as... well, yanderes. Let's be blunt. That IS what they are. By this point in time, we've seen that they're both quite capable of disregarding everyone else's feelings for the sake of their own endeavors on behalf of their love. They fit the classic description of a yandere, too.

Perpetually monitoring objection of affection, intervening when others attempt to get close to them, feeling as though they are providing protection... being drawn to violent extremes, due to this... But, there's also (charmingly) less fantastical levels of jealousy expressed by them. Hanako is often clinging to Nene and worming his way between her and Kou, like a fussy cat.

It's so uncontrollable, this kind of thing... To the point where Akane can knowingly use the threat of kissing Nene to force Hanako out of hiding; a gesture from One crazy possessive fuck to another. It's Akane going yeah, I know that'd drive you insane, I know how your love works (because it's like mine).

But even someone less extreme, like Aoi, is capable of a sense of entitlement to Akane's love, and she cannot help but be jealous when he is courted by anyone else.

She maintains a preened image of not being effected by these sorts of things, but is clearly NOT okay when anything happens, in reality. This is a girl who is going to stay home due to feeling miserable at the thought of her friend pursuing Akane. But, Aoi is only human! It's pretty natural for a fifteen-year-old girl to cry over a long-time crush of hers becoming potentially unavailable! There's many degrees of jealousy, here.

With all that in mind... Are we to believe that Tsukasa is SO jealous of Nene that he would make digs at Amane for abandoning him in favor of her... AND drop Nene into an abyss to harm her... but, is simultaneously SO gracious, that he leaves her and Amane to bond and grow close? Those are all quite disparate behaviors, for someone intensely jealous and bitter. For a yandere, who cannot have their love denied... does it make sense to sit around while their object of affection has a twee little cheek kiss on the rooftop with someone? We KNOW for a fact, Akane and Hanako could not bear to do the same.

Speaking of kisses... and going back to the tea party: what is Tsukasa's reaction to when his brother has a new prospective relationship with a girl? ... is it as extreme as fending her off with a bat? Prying the two physically apart? Reduced to tears?

... nope! It's curiosity, and childlike intrigue! Tsukasa very eagerly would like to hear more, in fact! Oh oh, please tell me all about it!!! ... I even think he is so shocked about the concept of Sakura specifically dating Amane, because what, when, why!? Whoa...!!! How did Sakura do that without him realizing! ... by contrast, with Nene, it's almost as though he expects her to be dating Amane. Maybe this is what Tsukasa logically concludes, based on what he has seen between them?

Familial relationships may be separate from romantic ones typically, but it is not exactly a trait of yandere-ism to share, regardless of whatever their relation to the person they love even is. I think even as a strictly familial bond, if Tsukasa were a jealous type of person, he would be threatened by anyone accessing closeness to the previously friendless Amane. All that would matter is that a new person seeks to 'threaten' the closeness established between them. It would behoove Tsukasa to ignore a potential partner.

After all, it's not as if Amane and Nene never encroach on memories shared by the twins, since they attend a Tanabata festival together! You would think a highly jealous person couldn't bear to allow someone to make new, beautiful memories at a festival, just like the two of you used to!! And, yet! He simply does! Tsukasa let's Amane do many things! He does not intervene, where he surely could intervene. Easily! With a bucket of water! He permits Amane and Nene plenty of time without him, decidedly not being a total nightmare haunting them. From the vignettes we see, Tsukasa typically seems to be spending his free time playing games and distracting himself. Not so different from his brother, in that respect.

I think our lovely protagonist summarizes it best, here:

By Picture Perfect, even Nene is starting to glean that there's more to this circumstance than meets the eye.

I think that covers yorishiro Tsukasa's actions quite thoroughly... so.

Let's go further, into Tsukasa's past.

What about Tsukasa prior to becoming a yorishiro? Prior to the shinjuu, many years back, in his childhood. Before merging with the wish-granting entity, even. The boy that Nene and Kou meet. Is this Tsukasa jealous and clingy of Amane, and unable to share him in any way? Does Tsukasa feel competitive when Nene responds that she likes Amane, too?

Well... no! His reaction is far from that! He is excited to hear that Nene feels the same as him. It's those feelings that lead Tsukasa to explaining the details of his wish more. It's not as if Tsukasa was being an undiscerning child, either, as he wasn't willing to explain to Kou alone the details of his wish, despite being asked about it directly. The assertion that Nene likes Amane makes Tsukasa believe that Nene could then understand why he made the wish he did.

Nene liking Amane fosters trust and closeness between them. There is no sense of competition.

(As an aside, I find the word Tsukasa uses to mean "the same" in JP, sooo cute... おそろい (お揃い) ; going together, "matching" ! Ouhh yes you are... you two do match... QvQ)

It all tracks though, doesn't it? After all, Tsukasa already is assuming that Amane is living life happily without him, so why would Nene's feelings change anything? Amane already meant to have a future filled with many other people that are not Tsukasa. He does not ask anything of Amane.

In this scene, Kou asks what anyone would, really, given the circumstances. How is this okay...? What is the "point" of healing someone you love, if you never get to spend time with them, and experience their life together?

No one can be prepared for how Tsukasa's whole psyche is one sooo devoid of expectation or neediness...

Not even asking to be liked! Not asking to be treasured or remembered. Tsukasa accepts that his life is expendable, his remembrance is negligible. If Amane never thinks about him again and is busy being an amazing space explorer, happy and healthy with new loved ones, then that is fine by Tsukasa.

There is no "personal gain" here. There is no imposing a selfish will, or harming others to get what is desired. There is no demanding for attention. There is no refusal of rejection. There is no oppressive, inescapable conclusion.

Tsukasa has never trapped Amane and given him no other options other than himself. Instead, Tsukasa has sooner used himself as a means to relinquish Amane to the custody of others.

This is... as far from being a yandere as one can get, if you ask me.

I think Tsukasa really is composed of a graciousness that no one else in the cast is capable of. It's incredible, really, how he isn't even just, shaking and in tears at the thought of being unwanted, by the one person he loves more than anything. Tsukasa is simply... a very unique individual. I love you sweetie!!!!!

Also, I know that the following scene in the Red House, where Tsukasa rejoices about Amane killing him, is also cited as a major "yandere moment", but well, after everything I wrote... You can see how I believe that is a misnomer!! It takes more than just being "crazy"(in a broad, fictional sense) to be a yandere! Lots of characters are crazy and unstable, but that doesn't mean they lash out possessively over their love! A yandere must have their singular, coveted target that they never, ever relinquish! Ever!!! *huffing, puffing*

Besides, if anything, that scene is showing us the extent of Tsukasa's acceptance of whatever Amane would grant him. You are witnessing the euphoria of someone who thought that he was wholly hated and unwanted. To then be told that Amane would rather die together than grow up without him... It's an unfathomable, thrilling revelation. (And aren't we just like Tsukasa, dying to find out how, and why? Lol..)

We shouldn't forget, at the end of the day, who is the precious belonging here. Tsukasa has potentially been trapped in Amane's boundary, like Sumire was within Hakubo's, for who knows how many years... Er, and now that the recent chapter has also made it even MORE overt that Tsukasa is represented by the moon, let's not forget a certain someone and his lunar rock...

What a word to use! Aha. What could it meeeean? Hmm.... lol!

So yeah! That's... all that I wanted to cover, really! :3c I hope this offers some perspective... and, as a yandere, my perspective holds some weight here.

Playfully, I will append: I understand that what people are struggling with is also the fact that Tsukasa's emotional resonance isn't dissimilar to something like this:

... but to that, I simply must ask you all to have an open mind to the complexity of our dear sweet Tsukasa. He IS an obsessive person who feels things to fanastical extremes... But this all culminates in an extreme in the opposite direction — just plain, pure selflessness.

Additionally, Tsukasa seems captivated by others' selfishness, and exists to be a conduit of it, as someone granting your heart's desire. This places him in an unflattering position at times, being the one willing to execute things even if no one could approve of the results. But I think this is testament moreso to hearts being messy, and what one desires often being quite twisted and difficult to reconcile with — which is why it's easier to bury it deep down. Tsukasa doesn't care whether or not people hate him though, so... he risks the least by taking action on your behalf. He will do it! He will do what you are too afraid to do!

You should all be thanking him.

#☀️#💭#barely getting this one in before new chap day. yosh!

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