2n2n

[2n2n]

*laughing* ah another tiny beloved wife

[2n2n]

*Nene-chan voice* auuhhhhrr what if my boyfriend's twin brother wanted me carnally... that would be soooooooooooooooooooooo nasty and weird and bad and *drooling*

[2n2n]

ohhh now that youve said that you feel like tsukasa having a crush on nene is canon, can you show panels/moments that you feel solidify it? i really like that aspect but to me it always felt a bit more like a fascination on tsukasas side,,, 'what girl is amane so enamoured with?' id love to be convinced... also, do you think nene in some way also likes tsukasa? or is does she see him purely as amanes (creepy, adorable) younger brother? either way,,, tsunene my beloved,,, tragically overlooked by almost everyone </3

I can't say Tsukasa is completely self-aware of his crush on Nene-chan, but I think he enjoys & looks forward to interactions with her in a unique way...

he clearly sees her as Amane's Property, this obviously tempers him & I don't think he sees himself 'having a chance' with her or ever being liked back ..... but I think over their years & timelines of intersection, he on-and-off feels something flickering in his chest for her. But I think it's rather obscured to Tsukasa himself, who has only had the priority of Amane, for his entire life.

It's irrelevant what he might like, or want. It couldn't mean less, in the grand fate of the world, that he feels something for Nene-chan. His purpose is to die for Amane's happiness. Not seek his own. He isn't important in that way. He's not meant to have this ending.

I think hints are peppered in their entire dynamic-- the very trusting of Amane's life story & fate to Nene-chan speaks to a very charitable view of her, in my opinion. She's key to everything. Tsukasa surely sees this as a special, sacred, wonderful thing... Amane's heart, Amane's happiness, Amane's future. He's willing to open dozens of doors to give it all to Nene-chan. That in and of itself is an act of love, to me .... I guess in some way, I don't think it could be less? He must see her as lovable. It must be clear this is the person who can deliver Amane a happy future, finally. Something he could never give Amane.

I can name a few small moments that give me pause... when Tsukasa forsakes his own body by impulsively rushing to catch Nene-chan, he's shocked/confused at his own impulse to do that. As he plummets, holding her....

it's small, but sweet.

for the Clockkeepers arc, Tsukasa is seemingly convinced his journey is almost 'over'.

They can peel the Clockkeeper's yorishiro, Mitsuba is being dealt with by Natsuhiko, & he anticipates Nene-chan handling him.

Maybe there's no better time to give her one single kiss, before he'll be vanished for good to bring about Amane's ideal future.

we're so close. He can have one little moment, at the very end.

.... I really think Aida-sensei is a master of quiet, deliberate paneling. Moments that give you pause. this soft, brief panel of Tsukasa parting from kissing Nene-chan, suggests something strongly, to me. This isn't entirely a silly gesture.

In their first meeting on the roof, Tsukasa pulls Nene-chan close, & his expression confuses her, but is obfuscated to us. I think this is a reveal we're waiting for Nene-chan to reflect back on, at the right moment.... but for now, it still doesn't make sense to her.

small still....

I can't think of another reason why kid Tsukasa was DOGGED!!!! even ANGRY!!!!! about forcing Kou to tell him if he'd kissed Nene-chan, & then subsequently pleased when Kou confirms he hasn't.

................ but to be honest, the 'biggest hint' is just, the entire way scenes & panels with them are framed, drawn, handled, written, emphasized, important to the story. How to say this. Images are drawn a certain way for a reason, to make you think about the possibility of something, to suggest it. Nothing is accidental.

I think AidaIro-sensei dance around Nene-chan & Tsukasa in a delicate way, & drop interactions between them very preciously, peppered at core beats of the story, nothing superfluous, always making you feel mystified & drawn into a strange miasma. That's uhmmmm, cinematography or whatever ........ you know ? There's a certain 'feeling'.

to me, I think "it's obvious from the structure of the overarching narrative, that this is a story where both twins fall in love with the same girl"................ also, AidaIro-sensei have literally written a story about exactly that before ......................................... and it shares plenty of similarities in structure to JSHK.

would you believe one even only kisses her before he's planning to kill himself....

So uhm... to me, it goes without saying. It's why there is a set of twins, and a girl, and not, some unrelated bishie or villain mans. It's why images like this exist.

I feel like ...................... just genre savvy????????????????????????? ANYONE ELSE READ MANGA?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? DOUJINSHI??????????? I feel like I'm going crazy. of course both twins will entangle with her.

it's like recognizing a song is folk or jazz. Like YEP, many such images, many such manga! I wonder if anyone else has ever paroozed a lot of girly romance manga or twin-centric media .... like. Yeah .......... the-- there's 2, for .......... the girl . yeah!! Obviously ... and, she'll have teasy scenes with the two of them. Yeah!!! AS YOU KNOW. It's like recognizing the tempo of a song, saying ahh yes, this is Jungle!

I feel so certain about it I feel confused I have to try to defend it, or others don't see it plainly.

Me I see Nene-chan suddenly getting to embrace a baby Tsukasa and I go OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! its THAT kind of manga... I see. & then I play Narisokonai Snow White & I'm like fuck lol oh but seriously for real though... yeah. Obviously. You have your mainline twin & your tragic loves-her-too-but-fated-to-die twin.... I love AidaIro-sensei but they're not inventing the wheel... there are tropes in here. Recognizable patterns....

meanwhile as for Nene-chan. I think she's a slut & obviously cannot control from having horny fantasies about two guys lusting after her, that is canon. She daydreams of harems. Though it's pretty unserious & she's not very earnest about how she feels about that (I think it just makes her feel hot & desirable.......). This is pretty fuckin charitable to Tsukasa if you ask me.

I think if we looked into Tsukasa's mind & Nene-chan was like a hot seductive babe we'd all be like WHOAAAA!!!!!!!

she low key flushes & awaits the thought of Tsukasa, having isolated her, suddenly pursuing her.... nooo~ don't ~~~ ahhh~~ oh no~~~ but I'm, taken~~ already, I....! Love your brother.....! No you, can't/////////////....

I would describe her as "disappointed that is not what is happening" here, lol

I think Nene-chan is just in the early stages of intrigue & interest in Tsukasa's nature, closer to where she was at with early manga Amane... still capable of complete denial. Curious, about the depth, while also flippantly writing off the possibility of anything 'happening' between them. I think there are moments.... Tsukasa has the same melancholy that draws her to Amane, & she's just a tiny bit seduced.

I think there's a moment he's comforting, beautiful...

but, we're only just starting to explore this.

Personally what I'm waiting for, is a prolonged situation of Nene-chan & Tsukasa alone, perhaps in a circumstance similar to what drew Nene-chan & Amane closer.... ? maybe that's what's happening now, in the current arc. I can't say. But I could see it being the next logical step.

If Amane wasn't there, if she only had Tsukasa for comfort ... I wonder what could happen. I think many feelings could develop, but be confusing with the context of her already loving Amane. It could feel misdirected, or as a result of sheer lonesomeness, them being twins ..... that kind of assumption could have her refusing to acknowledge any of it. But she was reluctant & resistant to love Amane, in the first place. So she can be reluctant & resistant towards Tsukasa, too. It's the Nene-chan way.

[2n2n]

If you have any, could you share some headcanons about the yugi twins?

If you don't have any headcanons for them then i would like to hear your craziest theory about them

I guess it depends on what is a 'headcanon' to you! A lot of my blog is probably 'headcanons' (about Amane's nature, his motivations, etc) though I do personally see most of it as canon-supported or suggested.

There are things I believe are intentional by AidaIro-sensei like "Tsukasa is feminine/Amane is masculine" or "Tsukasa is innocent & clueless about sex" or "Nene & Tsukasa are similar, Amane acknowledges this to some extent" which a lot of people would see as 'headcanon', though I see it as plain text or artistically obvious. "Tsukasa has a crush on Nene-chan" is also something I think is canon, but isn't agreed upon by all readers.

But you've read a lot of my posts based on the +likes so, I'll assume you mean something like "not indicated or suggested by canon, entirely your own delusion" and I-- I-I'll be honest, probably,, that's mostly the sexuality headcanons... that might also qualify as 'craziest'. So...

Biggest HC is Tsukasa naturally having a difficult time maintaining an erection... the scatterbrained-ness, the unfamiliarity with sexuality entirely, the inability to parse his own desires or motivations towards it, even as it's happening... I like this manifesting in him, even when accosted by Nene-chan or Amane in some beautiful future, unable to come, often half-hard, unfocused, overwhelmed, taken on a ride by the more er, cumrotted Nene-chan (all that right-hand strength...) and Amane (all that binging porno on Kou's phone...).... but I don't think he needs to 'finish' to have fun, nor has any kind of self-consciousness about being half-hard.... more likely to get fixated on sucking or licking, someone else, anyway.

But I think Amane would really like this about his otouto ... lol. Makes him feel superior, stronger, older, cooler, puts him in a position of "awe, poor thing, don't worry... it's OK...." pet pet Tsukasa. "awe you're not so good at it are you?" "dummy, that's not how you do it... haha" oh the older-brother-disease... sick sick sick...

Conversely Amane, sssscary hard cock, frightening focus and deliberate. Even if it's consensual, it kinda has an aura of a rape. Because of the way he is. You feel like you should be saving the person beneath him, whoever it is. Get away from her!!!!! Or like his ego really shouldn't get this fuel... yabai!!!! Noooo you've let the bad guy win.....!!!! RUN TSUKASA!! NENE-CHAN!!!

I've liked to think of Tsukasa developing slightly differently from Amane (epigenetics! post-puberty, even identical twins can develop uniquely! I've read that they can even have differently-sized wangs...), in particular, I like Tsukasa developing gynecomastia... not uncommon in young boys at all. Nothing dramatic, just small bumps; but as the twins are so used to being perfectly identical, it would feel extreme & surreal to Amane, like he's imagining something... or like his unseen feelings are leeching into, corrupting Tsukasa physically, somehow.... Amane's own washboard chest, nothing at all... I like to think Tsukasa prefers an untucked, slouchy top as a result, while Amane likes things buttoned-up tightly.... Tsukasa has more sensations potentially bothering him. A top like the gakuran jacket is enough to flatten him out entirely... but it is uncomfortable, for long duration.

For an AU where they fully aren't biologically related, like the Ryokan AU AidaIro-sensei made for the cafe event, I like to just go full bore & make Tsukasa intersexed. Something about his suite being nicknamed "room-sabi" in reference to tortishell ('sabi') coat cats, and tortishell being exclusively female or intersexed as a biological rule, made my mind go on such a journey... he's not really a cat, but I like the thought of Amane playfully calling him a 'sabi', due to his traits. Maybe for a cat, that's brazen, rude, explicit.... too openly jeering about his sex.

Hmmm. Well that's a lot of nonsense. Embarrassing....

as for theories pertinent to the manga... I have plenty of off-the-wall ones. The most significant are on the blog here and there, but boil down to...

-I feel the period of time Amane was covered in wounds, was consensual. I feel he allowed it to happen, either as a display of acceptance of Tsukasa (if it was Tsukasa harming him), or as a sacrifice he happily made in Tsukasa's honor (if his parents were harming him). Either way, something he was 'happy' to endure, something he was proud of, something he didn't fight to stop. I think his wounds were a point of pride... no desire or intention to be seen as a victim, or saved. Among his wounds are rope burns. He was being tied up. It was that extreme, but yet, he was obviously being regularly untied & released, re-tied, again & again. So perhaps it was ritualistic in some way. I like to think he was offering his wrists to be bound. Maybe he felt protective, or noble, to go through it. Maybe it felt good.

(I'd like the 'jibaku' play on words in the title to be a clue...)

-??? I've thought of Amane as having been Tsukasa's Kannagi ??? at some point in life ??? if Tsukasa merged the God of the Well into himself, & Amane offered himself to Tsukasa, in some sacrificial or devotional way, would that make him Tsukasa's Kannagi...? Could this have been an aspect which bound their souls, before their death? What happens if a Kannagi kills their God? And what could that mean for Amane & Nene-chan's potential interactions? I could see a lot of potential here, but it's soupy.... Tsukasa made Nene-chan his 'assistant' (kannagi...) & then wanted her to destroy him, in the Clockkeepers recent arc. So perhaps it's a repetition.

-??????????? I feel as if Nene-chan's very life must be owed to Tsukasa ?????????? Her name evoking '8' & the anime OP singing about an '8th wonder'... if the '7 wonders' are all broken-up aspects of the Well God's power, perhaps Tsukasa-- as the God-- pulled out a fragment of himself in order to bless Nene-chan's life into existence. Perhaps this is why her life is short, temporary, only just long enough to meet Amane & participate in this plan. I otherwise, have no idea why destroying all yorishiro would kill her. I feel on a smaller tinier level, her red eyes evoke the red house itself.... I can't see the Red House god as a completely 3rd, unrelated entity. I guess I kind of think of it as being Nene-chan in some way...

Hope that suffices...

I don't think I have much new to say....!

[2n2n]

Do you think amane might be possesive towards tsukasa as well?

Yes! I think this is plain text, simple fact. Amane is a very possessive person. He loves Nene-chan and Tsukasa. He wants to save & protect them, he wants them to look up to & admire him. He wants ownership of their fates.

There are many, in my opinion, intentional parallels between Nene-chan and Tsukasa. Amane's sacred belongings. His Kannagi & his Yorishiro. Making these individuals into his possessions isn't a fact to shrug away...!

I've talked about this many times however, so I'll link you a few posts already extant on the blog.

Amane is the possessive twin.

could emotions of possessiveness, or taking control of Tsukasa's fate, have been a driving force of the murder?

another ask about Amane's possessiveness, concerning Nene-chan. How Amane treats the people most important to him inevitably bare many similarities, and we should consider the narrative being woven.

and a minor addition about moon symbolism.

and a funny little note.

my final note is that, I don't feel this manga sees possessiveness as a negative, bad, toxic, or evil trait. It's romantic. Amane does not need to learn how to be a less obsessive lover, he only needs to learn how to communicate with the people he loves. Both Nene-chan and Tsukasa would be incredibly happy to learn the extent of Amane's desperation towards them. I think that's sweet and the appeal of the love story .......

[2n2n]

torn butterfly wings. it's too direct. even if you ignore the boner

[2n2n]

why was this image made

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!! every day i wish this image didn't exist. but we have to accept the reality we are in. I can never use it in posts seriously, it feels like too low hanging fruit. We can't acknowledge any of this image in civilized conversation. Looks like a BOYS LOVE MANGA COVER

[2n2n]

I think whether or not one wants the Yugi to literally kiss or have sex, *waves hand* is a matter of taste, preference, whatever. Take it or leave it. Perhaps a purely platonic tale about childhood attachment, the undying protective love of an older brother. Knows no bounds. Noble and sweet.

My personal preference is that, there's something narratively unsatisfying about the Yugi twins journey being.....

sweet funny playful twins-> some bizarre unknowable painful middle period-> murder-suicide, soulbinding, eternal imprisonment, tied fates-> back to normal sweet funny playful twins. Hooray shrimp birthday! Catching bugs! Woo.

Sure I think the Yugi, would be happier if they could act as they did at age 4, cuddling and napping and holding hands once more.............. but if that was our only goal, to return to a previous status-quo, I would kinda be like................................................................. OK but what was the emotion that somehow turned into murder-suicide? something would feel left unsaid. Anybody gonna ... ?? gonna explain .....................................

If Amane only loved his little brother the normal conventional way, why would he refuse to ever say it out loud? Is he that besot by toxic masculinity that he can't allow himself a mundane platonic affection? Why would he dance around their history & obfuscate everything... like he's afraid of something being discovered. Why can't his girlfriend know he liked his brother normal style? Why even be shy about Tsukasa getting cuddly in Picture Perfect? Oh yeah, we endured a bad situation together and then I saved him the only way I could... pretty sad but like, acceptable, you know.

if you would just like to eat donuts and watch frankenstein forever contentedly, why would it look like this 😂

[2n2n]

Why do you think the twins are incestuous? 👀

its a complicated question to answer, isn't it?

I don't think the Yugi ever consummated anything physically, in their living life. I don't think anything sexual ever occurred. I'll remind that Tsukasa is very childish & innocent-minded, to the point of completely missing sexual innuendo from others... there is noooo, absolutely nooooo evidence he was sexually abusive, or honestly, could even understand the concept fully. In many ways, that's half the problem........................

I think if the Yugi did partake of any intimacy, there wouldn't be so much left unsaid, misunderstood, and aching between them. There is far too much LONGING here for there to have ever been CLIMAX in ANY sense. It's a long, slow, festering mess, which ended in a murder, not in fucking.

Amane's key flaw is that he doesn't talk about his feelings; he doesn't explain what he's doing or why he's doing it. This is his perpetual conflict with Nene-chan, who is always left wondering, in situations like Picture Perfect and the Severance, "why did Hanako do this to me?""What does Hanako truly want?". He's obtuse, he's afraid, he's avoidant. He would like to disappear from situations without ever having to explain himself properly... after he's exerted some kind of control, or perhaps grand gesture of his devotion. He does this to both Tsukasa and Nene-chan....

What Amane feels for his brother, Tsukasa, is left unsaid. Amane's love takes the form in strange, abstract, poetic, obtuse gestures of possessiveness and capture. He loves to save, to keep, but he hates to explain just why he is motivated to do that.

Tsukasa is convinced his brother hates him.

So I think it's safe to assume, nothing heartfelt was ever directly offered to Tsukasa... not in touch, not in words. There was always this ambiguity with Amane. Within that ambiguity, Tsukasa's surprisingly pessimistic nature, assumed obvious hatred. Of course, Amane is more likely to snap or get mad defensively, than he is to say "I love you".

for as little resistance, for as much support, for all her dogged pursuit of his truth, even chasing him into a corner and slapping him, Nene-chan still hasn't heard a lot of things from Hanako. She has a kind of confidence, and the conventions of their genders, to help her reach the conclusion that Hanako likes her. Between them, it can be somewhat 'obvious'! AFTER SO MANY DERANGED DEBACLES!!!!!

But Tsukasa is only Amane's annoying little brother. So how and why would Tsukasa ever make the leap of logic that Amane loves him?

Tsukasa doesn't ever make that leap. There isn't obvious enough evidence.

Amane however, wishes his saving, protecting, keeping of Tsukasa, was the evidence and extent of his love. He threw away his 'future' for Tsukasa. Amane does not want Tsukasa to believe he hates him. He wants Tsukasa to just get the message that he loves him very much. But all of his efforts tink off the surface of the obtuse Tsukasa.

All of this reached the plain-text head in the Clockkeepers chapters. Amane actually went so far as to hastily conclude "if you can't understand my gesture, you're NOT REALLY MY LITTLE BROTHER!! HE WOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS DOING!!!!!!!!!!! FAKE!!!!! YOU'RE NOT REALLY HIM!!!!!" <- crazy guy at the end of his rope, who apparently believes his 'real' little brother could never misunderstand the bizarre, epic love-proclamation of shinjuu->yorishiro......................

Personally, I think Tsukasa waited years to try to understand what it is that Amane wanted of him, and yet, it never quite became clear. Because Amane never said it!!!!!!!!!!

No matter how you choose to perceive it, the Yugi have a long, complicated, deep, extreme level of attachment to one another. Enough for Tsukasa to become Amane's yorishiro. Enough for the two to have seemingly, never had other friends or lives outside of each other, during their time alive. Enough to not dream of a life without the other there. Tsukasa would never dream of a future without Amane, and Amane obviously could not simply live placidly in a future without his little brother.

I think it's an attachment outside of acceptable societal perceptions and boundaries. I think it is, "weird" and "freaky", if anyone could see the extent of it. It would look "worrisome" "scary" "bad". If it could be seen, probably one would want to stage some kind of intervention.

*staring out the window* what does 'incestuous' mean to you, to me, to anybody? "Emotional incest" is claimed in psychology for fffffar less extreme situations.

I think Amane is unbearably in love with his little brother, with such a reverence and intensity, it's terrifying to himself, too terrifying to speak. A tremendous weight he doesn't know what to do with ... because, what does he want to do? I don't think even he knows. At least with Nene-chan, she's a hot girl... so... there are some cultural norms to clue him in on what could be satisfying, outlets to take like sexually harassing her. But having these bizarre, unreasonable, possessive fits about his brother-- unable to deal with Tsukasa just helping his peers out with a school play without jealous snarking-- what are they for, what do they terminate in, what does he WANT to happen? How would he LIKE Tsukasa to respond?

I don't think Amane knows at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buried deep.

And honestly, I don't think Tsukasa has it in his pessimistic mind to dream or fantasize or wish for 'something more' or 'something else' with Amane. His only dream is to DIE for Amane over and over and over. To offer something to Amane through sacrifice. I don't think Tsukasa can or would ever ask more from Amane!! He's happy to observe Amane's whims, be they killing him or capturing him!

I think if Amane wanted to do anything to Tsukasa-- anything-- he could, Tsukasa would be eager to receive any action from Amane. Amane could literally kill him! It goes without saying that if Amane wanted to kiss or fuck him, Tsukasa would be excited and curious to receive that!!!

AND AT THIS POINT, WE SHOULD ALL WISH TSUKASA COULD BE SURPRISED BY SOMETHING SO DELIGHTFUL AND WHIMSICAL AS A KISS....! And we should all wish that Amane could work out his feelings in some gesture more productive than screaming and stabbing and imprisoning!!!!!

The Yugi are still figuring out a lot of things...!! I don't believe either is 'happy' with the way things are, but neither of them are smart or self-perceptive enough to explore alternative answers. They are stuck in this sick loop! They can't escape the other's flaws preventing consummation!!!!

It's up to Nene-chan to help them understand what they want or how they feel, as a generous 3rd party observer...

Does Nene-chan think the Yugi are incestuous? At the moment, not at all, in my opinion. She holds respect for the tragedy, appropriate for the tone of all she's seen. She can see that somehow, in some way, they mean a lot to one another... Amane looks at Tsukasa a certain way, but... maybe it's just painful to reflect on everything that happened (which she doesn't know much about). Because they are family, she distantly can register there's 'importance' here.

I almost think it's a little too crude or a misdirection to focus on "incestuous", and personally I would rather think of the question as, "are Amane and Tsukasa in love with one another?". The answer to that question I think is yes, of course. Madly so... unendingly so. Being brothers however, I think obscures things, prevents something like 'confessions' or 'epiphany'. How do you 'realize' you are in love with someone you've been with your entire life? How does one determine that love is 'different' or 'special'? When did it change? And what does that love want for itself? You can't 'date' or 'get married' or 'have a future' together. The expectation is that you grow apart. Obviously the Yugi can never manage that.

I think Amane's painful yearning to be understood, is beyond the bounds of the sort of emotion one would typically feel for a family member. His love is so monumental, it killed Tsukasa, it bound their souls, it altered time itself. I don't think I could call such a love non-romantic or 'platonic'. It's explosive, destructive, it demands gesture and expression somehow. This emotion is trapped in the body of a boy who can't even tell the girl he likes that she is pretty, and is more likely to kill her best friend in ritual sacrifice to save her life instead. What the Yugi are is helpless!!!!! Their love resulted in one terrible crime of passion, but it should really result in a different one....

[2n2n]

i always love and appreciate your analysis of jshk, but ive grown to appreciate it even more as ive spent some time on the tbhk subreddit and read some of peoples questions, discussion and analysis on the yugis. theyre over there trying to understand the basics of checkers while youre here teaching us all an absolute masterclass in chess

unfortunately what little glimpses I have had to the average western fan's predictions or conceptualization of the story, is, unfathomably grim or shallow. Almost tinged with mistrust and fear... weirdly 'worried' about what they 'might' see.... seemingly never using established arcs to guess at story themes or even just tropes/archetypes AidaIro-sensei might like. I feel like Iro-sensei is very willfully repetitive & concise but it's Lost on the dogs.

It'll rot my brain out if I look at it so I avoid it like the plague lol... I don't need anyone whos favorite character is Yamabuki Lemon coming up with a """"theory"""""

[2n2n]

I guess I can make a separate post about, why I feel kitty as Tsukasa could be impactful & meaningful...

somehow, this festival/Clockkeepers arc in general has been very focused on making the reader curious about Tsukasa & Nene-chan. We begin with Tsukasa guiding Nene-chan towards taking control of the clock..

(much like how he encouraged Nene-chan to upend Shijima-san's world...)

and ahh we ensue so many funny, silly shenanigans between them. we see them play, Tsukasa highly entertained even as he's hurt, then we see Nene-chan spirited enough to fucking punch & bite him, throw him for a loop... him successfully charm & connect with her, rescue her, then her free him in kind, and she's teased with these glimpses of melancholy beneath his surface (much like she was teased with glimpses of Hanako's darkness early in the manga). it was an incredible speedrun of bonding.

it's difficult to imagine this thread of information being dropped or disregarded, as Iro-sensei is typically very deliberate with plot beats! I feel we were informed of "Nene-chan & Tsukasa's dynamic" perhaps to make us more open-minded and keen as we watch this kitty.... be teasing, but able to be thrown for a loop by Nene-chan. And of course, bait her with the mysterious tragedy of his life. The Yugi aren't so dissimilar, and I think this point has been made time and time again, as Nene-chan is unexpectedly freed or saved by Tsukasa, as much as she may be tricked or lied to by Hanako.

I think we've thoroughly seen Amane transformed into the villain of many arcs, with Picture Perfect (wherein Tsukasa guides Nene-chan to intimacy with Shijima-san to enable her escape) and Severance (wherein Tsukasa pities Nene-chan for being refused the romanticism of choosing to die to be with Hanako) doing so

it would be interesting then, to fully & completely display Tsukasa's capacity for heroism or kindness, as much as we've utterly displayed Amane's capacity for pure murderous cruelty in the dramatic circumstance of the Red House's curse.

We should think of it as perhaps a consequence of plot, that one twin is our ally while the other is seemingly our enemy... and not a consequence of the goodness or badness of any Yugi's heart.

does either twin ever really have the autonomy, or the position in life, to make some noble moral choice? Kaii have compromised existences by nature. Fate always comes for one of the Yugi, as one of them was always intended to die. They do the best they can with what they have access to, but may subjugate others as much as they may be subjugated by others. Becoming prisoner to a system, or becoming an arbiter of some aspect of the system.

I don't think either Yugi ever has meaningful agency over their position in life, whether they will have opportunity for 'good' or 'bad', or their ability to see their actions from the mundane perspective. And kaii positions on life's value are naturally inhuman. Yugi-sensei speaks only of some beautiful assimilation into God's oblivion. For someone who perhaps had no choice in the fate of those he loved, maybe that's the best way to understand it.

We've seen plenty of Amane trying to make the best of a bad situation... at the cost of other's lives or autonomy. (And I think we do see the same with Tsukasa, but in a way I think readers can deny or refuse to acknowledge... )

If Tsukasa were put into a more Amane-like situation, tasked to a life of servitude to atone for a crime, what would he behave like? What would his concept of morality be? I don't think Tsukasa is any more 'naturally' inclined towards evil madness than Amane is.

Maybe he could become a plain & simple victim of a system which saw the best use for him as an empty-headed slave. And maybe in that position, he could do his flimsy best to steer children away from being caught in the Clockkeeper's gears, as much as Amane stops meddlesome kaii as Number 7.

I would just see that at the moment, anyway, as more interesting than a repetitive situation wherein Amane is, again, a kind of prisoner-servant, as he already is in our main timeline. Stories generally have repetition for a ... reason. To teach you something or pronounce it. I think Iro-sensei is a great storyteller, honestly...! I really do!!! Reveals are trickled out with a lot of precursor! To me, the precursor would suggest we don't understand enough about Tsukasa yet ...

the 'rotten root' we are committed to cutting out to make the world 'better'. Does Tsukasa always make the world 'worse'? It couldn't be more blunt at this point, right? We aren't meant to agree with the Clockkeeper's grim assessment of 'correct' timelines. We love what we love even if it's 'wrong' or 'strange' or 'dangerous' or 'not meant to be'. That's the entirety of HanaNene....! How do we determine what timeline is 'better'?

If HanaNene relies on Tsukasa's sacrifices being part of the timeline, how can we see him as bad for our story? So, shouldn't the story gradually work to make us see him as not bad? We don't want to see him blown up. It won't help us. We need him. But why? What is he trying to do, what does he want, what is he like?

Perhaps some readers can be tricked into loving him if he's a cute kitty cat (:

[2n2n]

not only tsukasa deserves to win a lil but nene-chan! she wins her dreams of a harem X3

she's such a good and hardworking girl, so thoughtful and patient, she deserves to be spitroasted by a pair of twins until she can't tell them apart 🤧 so cruel to ask her to be happy in a normal bog standard monogamous relationship... after what she's been through...? when it's so convenient her boyfriend has a twin

[2n2n]

if you imagine Tsukasa having a crush on Nene-chan, doesn't his life become rather miserable and painful to dwell on? If you can visualize his concept of 'reality', where his brother (who he adores) hates him, and this cute girl, she adores his brother too (just like he does) and so naturally won't want anything to do with him either. There's simply not a version of reality where anything he could want is really within his grasp, to a point he doesn't even dream of it being any different. He just accepts it. The people he likes, like eachother more than they could or would ever like him. He's happy for them. He could make their wish to be together come true.

but it should take this kind of situation to drive pity out of even the most monogamous reader, once all is on the table it must come to mind, "can't he win just a little bit?". and as Nene-chan is more or less our reader-surrogate often, she should inevitably come into that thought herself. And maybe she would let him win a little bit.

[2n2n]

[2n2n]

ch 123

being seduced by wild visions of cats and hot girls

yeaaaaahhh bury your face in his soft tummy.................... mmm snuggle and hold and grab and mmmmmmmmm yeah

heeheee haha....

this is just the kind of impression Nene-chan makes on the yugi, isn't it....

mmm the way kitty poses, auuurghhh. it's so much... thank you aida-sensei for your talent brilliance radiance...

what is up with the Yugi and alcohol... I'm concerned about it... were you the sort of kids to break into your parent's cabinets...?

concerningly, Amane has mentioned it in the past. I think the Yugi are bad boys...

classic uh.. AidaIro food moment... where we list and show you a bunch of food and make you take stock of how much Nene-chan is eating..... don't worry about it.... it's not some fetish or anything...

just to torment us (: not yet.... good little boys and girls (:

I am intrigued that it is the mice who draw us further in....? What do they gain from assisting Nene-chan? Does she have a charm with them like the Mokke.... hmmm....

laughs.... I really love the blatant torture devices... really funny to see a girl observing them neutrally

willing to play along with her, until getting her to the reality of the situation, to explain it out fairly and evenly...

help a girl along, but be sure she gets the picture of consequences...

ahhhh I like the mannerisms and vibe.... little clockwork kitty. Submitting to having no power, simply and easily... I guess I see it as Tsukasa-like. Humble...

ughhh I looove this BOUNCE LEAP into her arms...

even though she was the one manhandling him for a moment there, he's become so comfortable!! But I suppose he's always felt at liberty to climb on her and nip her and such.... the Yugi have that kind of interesting entitlement to Nene-chan~~ she's a silly and funny girl. Let's intrude on her as we so please...

I like it when we say it like that....................

she is a good girl.

this strange time-changing room again...

isn't this a very cute bunch...? I like that she's keeping this blankie for so long....

the stillness and seeming unresponsiveness of the Clockkeepers intrigues me.... something must be wrong...

consarn.... leading dialogue... dagnabbit .... what is this item to YOU , kitty?? is it still definitely a yorishiro ??? is this key extant in this world as well ? the mysteries themselves don't properly exist here (Tsukasa-kun wasn't using the formal yorishiro system, but a cruder one...)

I've wanted Nene-chan to take control from the Clockkeepers from the onset of this whole thang so......... I'm hopeful and eager for more.

and I'm curious what is to become of kitty, were she to take on that ownership. Would he become hers? Bound to her? I would like that very much so of course ... (: .... I would like a universe where Nene-chan and Tsukasa are bound, but maybe with the power inverted when compared to Hanako & Nene-chan... with him as her servant, instead of her as his.... I don't know.... I'm just daydreaming.... it's far-fetched, isn't it? But it's good to have dreams... it keeps the reading interesting... I can't have dignity and have fun at the same time.

[2n2n]

ch 123

here we GOOOOOOOOO. whoaaaa 'cat' what does that chapter title mean? How strange.

*gets distracted immediately* ahuao *crawls under the desk*

I'm thankful for the immediate problems lol. We can't let it be too easy.... leaves me suspended in curiosity for what could be going on with those fools... clockkeepa..

heehao

hahaha heehee *clap clap clap clap*!! heehee!! AOOO haha uueee ee ee ouuuuu they are like little small sachels with elastic threading around their skirts, they grab things and then tighten themselves up into little sacks of goodies... HEEHOO!!!!! I aaouuu I love them they are koooooot

*was SHOOKT*

little white sockies......

little teefers....

🫵WHAT IS THAT 🫵🫵🫵🫵

a BLESSING FOR ME PERSONALLY, for me Avvy, to ENJOY, some sort of CLOCKWORK KITTEN some sort of YUGI IN A CAT FORM. feralized yugi.... here, ALONE, with NENE-CHAN

IN MY WILDEST DREAMS I COULDN'T IMAGINE THIS--!!!

nibble nibble...

how do I not post every panel

misssschievoussss scamperous wonderfully delightfully drawn...

Aida-sensei is a talent beyond all renown...

I'm fascinated by a Yugi self-referring as "poor, pitiful"... you're going to not understand or agree, but it makes me inclined towards this being Tsukasa. It's just difficult to imagine Amane identifying himself that way...

I like that these this dapper little outfit evokes the gakuran's flowery ends, the same thick rim & ornate cut edges. Meanwhile, the white paws evoke the hands just peeking out from the black pajama body, down to the backfeet still being black like the shoes.

however, both Yugi wore the gakuran in life. But we're definitely having a 'hanako-like' aesthetic, atmosphere, intentionally.

but then, doesn't the Yugi-sensei in the Red House have a Tsukasa-like atmosphere? it would be interesting if the two's stations were so reversed. It would make one reflect on the similarity of the Yugi, and their situations, behaviors, as circumstantial.

There is so much overlap, and so much of their lives is a consequence of the hands they were dealt.

uhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm it's a really nice panel isn't it. *collapses in on myself like a folding table*

Nene-chan's pure heart is transfixing. Don't you want to help her?

I guess I'll be honest, it reminds me of the kinds of pauses Tsukasa takes on Nene-chan.

ughhh obsessed with every little panel

this flirtyyyyyyyyyy dainty kitty kitty .... aaouuurhghh.. I think it has the seductive energy of Tsukasa 💢 that's my present stance... I could be wrong...!

isn't it too girlish 💢

somehow.... I think of Tsukasa are moreso this externalizing his thoughts and ponderings openly, honestly admitting things easily. Amane keeps everything locked up inside of himself, or reveals it as riddles or something...

reminds me of this boy.

😭 kowaiiii

ermmmm what a cute pair//// sooo cute to hold kitty like this eeeuuuuu

uuhgghfff. I feel this is a Tsukasa-like expression... don't you?

I really love this soft moment with Nene-chan... whichever this is, so sweet.

well, there's my bets hedged, perhaps humiliatingly if I wind up wrong... let's be honest though, it's more fun that way!!! To just dream!!

To get into it a little more,

narratively speaking, I think it makes the most sense to be Tsukasa.

if 'Hanako' in this timeline has become a Red House haunting, well-serving cursed entity, a Tsukasa-like position,

then the 'Tsukasa' should be similarly opposite to our expectations, and perhaps be bound to the school in a Hanako-like position.

I think the Yugi are more similar than different, and, this arc may be attempting to put a pin in that, and challenge who we ally with, and why. If any Yugi can be flung into unfortunate circumstance, why should we give up on any of them? Is it right for any one to be banished to the shredded existence, given no sympathy? Can't Nene-chan bond with either of them? If Tsukasa was put into a position to protect or save Nene-chan, would he do so, like his brother?

We have already spent plenty of time this arc sympathizing with Yugi-sensei. I don't personally believe Tsukasa would be flattened into nothing but a ghoul, at least ... I believe his place in this world would be as developed & considered as Amane's. I do not feel we would breeze past it. Especially when we have recently been allowing Nene-chan & Tsukasa to have so many loaded, leading interactions, surrounding the clockkeepers... I have to believe those are all building up to something, bestowing Nene-chan with more contemplation on Tsukasa. Since Nene-chan is typically our audience surrogate, we should mirror her curiosity.

I could see the clockkeepers choosing to conscript Tsukasa & wipe his memory, rather than completely eradicating him from all of existence. He's just a useful asset at that point, & this is plenty humiliating a position to put someone in, isn't it? If he has no power here, there's no issue...

if he has no memory, the simultaneous existence of Amane's "Tsukasa-kun" poses no issue. Just a random creepy weird ghost story.

If the cat was Amane, I guess I would question what that would add to the narrative, if we just spent so much time accepting the complexity of his fate. He seems to have so much going on as it is, and a continuity of existence that makes sense to me. I'm also not sure what shenanigans-that-resemble-normal-canon-but-slightly-different-with-Hanako kitty would really offer, other than just being parallel to our world. But isn't the point how this world is twisted, should make you think twice about everything around you? Betrays your expectation? Perhaps your hero is a villain and who you thought of as your villain could be your hero.

To respect Nene-chan's grieving over Hanako, I'd like this strange company to be Tsukasa! But I would love for him to remind her of Hanako... to remind us.

It would be easy to fall in love in this kind of circumstance, wouldn't it? Well, I mean, if you weren't already in love, anyway ......

[2n2n]

ch 122

our poor heroine.... our sweet Nene-chan.... shed of the dead weight of the rest of that cast--!

you all entertained me, getting bonked & splatted into dirty water, but it's time for beautiful things, now!!!

makes me feel sick to my stomach and kind of dizzy... nnnnnnrrrruh.. rrrrhhouuhhh. I love Aida-sensei's ornate art... I like the blips of dripping fluid from vials surrounding Yugi-sensei, reminding us of the water of the well simultaneously. This gold & cold blue, the eyes of the beest striking red into the composition here, while the leaves of the camellia strike the blue-green coolness there... but more than anything, it makes me really miss my boy, in his handsome, heroic cape... with his stained glass windows...

beautiful beautiful

our poor girl... she's not hard-hearted & diligent... fearful thing. She doesn't do well all alone... she needs help, guidance, saving...

folded up & sobbing... hair a mess... so cute!!! really cute pose, arms wrapping around her ankles, hair tucking around her arms. And uhmm I love every panel of Amane looking like a scary monster hehehehe. Maybe we can judge Tsukasa a little less, huh?

I will hand it to Tsuchigomori, it's a kind offer... as a teen who would stay at school as long as possible to avoid my situations at home, what a blessing this would have been to me. I was lucky for a single teacher who would allow me to stay until around 7 or so. I would have stayed all night if I could have, haaah. Tsuchigomori has no life, so it's the least he can do...

I like our girl's blank, glassy-eyed stare.... ahh when I'm in a similar paranoid state, I feel about this empty-eyed.... it feels like pupils lose their ability to point. fixed in the center....

dead as all hell ♥ I like this brief moment, of trying to wrestle personhood from Amane... refuse, reject. Defensively.

it hurts too painfully to connect it, right? You want it to be nothing but an enemy, a monster tormenting you, playing a trick...

... and the dose of reality immediately after. You can't reject Yugi-sensei. He isn't foreign to you... he isn't an Other, unfamiliar entity. I always like when Nene-chan helps point readers away from black/white absolutes or easy refusals of certain aspects...

but I'd also like to say, I really love this trait in Amane, and I want to talk about that a little...

sometimes... I see Amane characterized by others as... I don't know... committed & passionate about his astronomy interest, diligent... some sort of genius lol....

but I think it's incredibly important that Amane could never become an astronaut, or anything too lofty. Because I don't think Amane really has 'that deep' of an interest in these things. It isn't all-consuming, it isn't really his dream, his life, his reason to go on. There's at times, a little too much romanticism placed on Amane & his hobbies... I honestly-- personally-- can't even call it a "special interest". I think this guy is honestly a little more normal than that (as Iro-sensei would say, 'normal Amane is useless as normal').

After all, when Tsuchigomori asks the student Amane what his favorite class is, he says "P.E.". Not science! Amane liked to run! He liked to goof off! He liked to mess around! He's not really focused at all! Frankly I think he can even get bored in science class, HAHA.

I like that even as an adult, as a teaaacher, he doesn't take anything as seriously or have the focus to be all-in on aaaanything. He's capricious and lacking wherewithal or maturity to be wholly responsible... he's not a man who can build a prestigious career, haha. Can't be bothered to!! Ughhh boring. I like that! I like that he's kind of shabby and scatterbrained. He likes a bunch of things a little, only enough to cobble together a modest life... not enough to be anything impressive, haha.

I think of Amane's real 'passion' always being his beloved(s)... everything else, is kind of a distraction or flippant curiosity, easy to pick up and put down, get distracted from. It's fun to learn, to memorize some facts. But God is it not stimulating enough to keep him going... gotta entertain himself with nonsense... that's how Amane is.

a lot of that astronomy nonsense only becomes poetically symbolic for the very people he is in love with. The moon & Antares are more than what they literally are ... what they literally are is shallower. I don't imagine true veneration of celestial bodies in Amane's heart.

I love this sentiment, as a result...

that is your boy..

I wonder how we should reflect on Tsukasa, and what it feels like to be Amane in our usual timeline? What does it mean to become merged with a kaii, or a kami? What of the original self remains? How do we grieve or accept or help what is left behind? Write that down in your copybooks...

heehoo peanut