msromanis

[msromanis]

He is beauty, he is grace

Fighting alongside him would be so distracting

[msromanis]

To see a world in a grain of sand

And heaven in a wild flower

To hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour

7/12/1989

[msromanis]

Whoever at WIT worked on drawing Levi’s side profile has my respect cause LOOK AT HIM!!

Also why didn’t Mappa hire them??

[msromanis]

Thinking back I come to appreciate Attack on Titan even more. Current running manga series or the ones that came out a few years ago don't give off that sense of grandiosity. That's a personal opinion. Don't get me wrong, they're all very good and cool, but it's almost all they are. None of them are such profound stories like Attack on Titan. Sure they explore some meaningfull themes and touch on philosophical or psychological concepts, but I guess when reading them I don't get that feeling of illumination like I had when reading Attack on Titan. It was like staring at the masterpiece painting in a gallery. Or observing nature in its glory. Just something illuminating that makes you think about your place in the world. When Attack on Titan ended, I think at that time I didn’t fully realize what a grand experience it was to read this work of art. Thank you Isayama!

[msromanis]

Four Horsemen Devils in Chainsaw Man

Has anyone ever wondered why the Four Horsemen Devils in Chainsaw Man are female? I've read some articles and posts saying that it's because Fujimoto likes "strong female characters", but that is such a shallow explanation. Actually it's much deeper in meaning.

To start let's look at who/or what the Four Horsemen Devils are. In chapter 84 it is revealed that there are four extremely powerfull devils in the world: Death, Hunger, War and Control.

They take the form of females and call themselves "sisters". Death being the eldest and most powerfull, Famine the second-eldest and War and Control being the youngest. So far in the manga we've seen three of them: Makima/Nayuta (Control), Yoru (War) and Fami (Famine). So the question is: why female?

Death, hunger and war are essentially chaotic in nature - something that ordinary humans have no control over. Death and hunger are natural occurences. War as in conflict is also a natural trait among species. So the three devils Death, Famine, War connect to the chaotic nature of the world. Control is no exeption. If we take the definition of Control, it means to order, limit or rule something or someone. It means putting order on chaos. But if someone controls us, it then means we have no power to determine our lives. Simply put: we descend into chaos. It's a paradox.

But why is chaos represented as feminine then? Chaos is the birthplace of things, so it is often shown as feminine, because feminine is the birthplace of things. It is archetypally associated with birth and creation in the world. With all things that arise out of nature - the most chaotic force. Nature is unpredictable, untamebale in a way. But it is also life. It allows things to be born, to exist in a world.

What's interesting here is the hierarchy of the Four Horsemen Devils in Chainsaw Man. Why is Death the oldest? Why are War and Control the youngest? They appear in the manga in the order of seniority. First the youngest Makima as the Control Devil was introduced in the plot. Then the War Devil in the form of Yoru/Asa Mitaka. Later Famine and we have yet to see Death, the oldest of the four. Well in my understanding of things Control is the youngest because as a concept it is the youngest one. Let's start with Death. The first thing that happens to all living things is birth which automatically means death. It's a natural opposite. The yin and yang. Later to exist we need to feed ourselves. So hunger as a fear comes second. Now that we're fed in order to survive we often must fight for it. War or conflict as a fear is next. Once we win in this battle of survival we so desperetaly want to control it. Control all the aspects of our life. The fear of losing that control or being under control by someone/something is last.

The Four Horsemen Devils in Chainsaw Man represent the cycle of existance and our constant fear of it.

[msromanis]

Levi & Gojo

[msromanis]

am i the only person turned on by this

[msromanis]

Levi Ackerman’s slender hands appreciation post

[msromanis]

Chainsaw Man is to Jujutsu Kaisen what Tokyo Ghoul was to Attack on Titan.

[msromanis]

men over boys

Wife guy blunt rotation

[msromanis]

JJK ending pretty much

[msromanis]

Levi & Gojo

[msromanis]

I really hate to think that the room Megumi woke up in, is Gojo's bedroom.

Cause the students rooms look totally different and this is a pretty fancy bedroom, so I assume it must've belonged to "someone" really important in Tokyo High. Or just be a spare idk.

Somehow the shoji pattern on the right looks similar to the one here, behind Megumi.

This is just sad.

[msromanis]

The irony of Gojo’s character. Granted arguably the most powerful cursed technique that made him closest to God, yet he couldn’t protect that which mattered to him.

He couldn’t stop Geto from descending into darkness.

He couldn’t keep his students out of harms way.

He couldn’t protect his students youth and innocence.

He couldn’t save all the people in Shibuya.

He couldn’t ensure his own freedom.

Gojo is granted everything… yet can’t do anything. Not on his own at least.

[msromanis]

I figure Kenjaku and Tengen’s backstory was pretty similar to Gojo and Geto’s. We know from manga that Kenjaku is well aquainted with Tengen. We see this in chapter 208 when Kenjaku is approached by Tengen.

After his fight with Yuki, Kenjaku goes to the Tomb of the Star. When he sees Tengen, he calls them a friend.

Both Kenjaku and Tengen are barrier users. Perhaps their role was to ensure the safety of humanity and protect jujutsu sorcerers. But at one point, some thousand or more years ago, they fell apart. Tengen was advocating buddhism ideals that are the core of jujutsu society now, while Kenjaku disagreed with the concept of exorcising curses and protecting humans from them, forcing the evolution of humankind by merging with Tengen. Their philosophies clashed and they became enemies, much like Gojo and Geto did.

Too bad this wasn’t elaborated more in the manga by Gege. It would’ve deepen the meaning of the story and add a nice parallel to it.

[msromanis]

jjk 271 has convinced me that no famous piece of media can ever have a tolerable fanbase.

To start off, Gojo’s death was actually very beautifully done and not once have i believed that he should’ve come back. One thing that Gojo strived for after Geto’s defection was to create a Jujutsu society that wouldn’t corner their sorcerers as mere weapons and take away their youth. He was a firm believer of the fact that honing strong students would reshape and shake the very foundation of jujutsu society.

We know of Gojo’s inherent weaponisation. But it is not only Gojo who undergoes this objectification and weaponisation, it is actually every sorcerer in the jujutsu society. We don’t see Nanami, Yuki, Gojo or even Yaga get a funeral. It is because of two prominent reasons. One being the fact that the jujutsu society was built upon such shallow beliefs that the death of these sorcerers was simply brushed aside as a common occurrence. They are not offered a “funeral” or a memorial simply because these sorcerers are mere weapons to the jujutsu society and the death of a weapon simply concludes its existence and its period of serving. It is to be discarded, not mourned over, for it is simply a weapon. But another, surprisingly kinder reason, is offered to us by the narrative. As Todo Aoi says, “Grieving over the departed can tarnish their memories. Instead we must carry their will forward.” Through this we are allowed to finally understand the reason for the innumerable Gojo flashbacks during these last few chapters.

Gojo is a character who suffered from loneliness and isolation in his own unique way. It was never something that held him back yet he expresses his want to not be forgotten in the last conversation he had with Yuji. He also expresses his firm belief in his students rather than himself because he is aware that even if HE loses his students won’t. This completely changes the meaning of the infamous “Nah I’d win” panel because he wasn’t talking about his solo victory, but rather his victory as a teacher who raised sorcerers to be stronger than him and of the victory his students would achieve for him.

For a character like Gojo who wants not to be forgotten, Sukuna offers him the much needed solace of remembrance. “I’ll never forget you.” Sukuna ensures that Satoru and the very narrative make note of his choice to remember the sorcerer for the rest of his life. The two strongest sorcerers who exist as complete anti parallels to each other in both ideals and beliefs find a common ground in their shared loneliness that comes with being the strongest.

Satoru’s death was a very deserving and beautiful end for his character. He died while being acknowledged and remembered. He passed on to go south, back to his old self where his happiest memories lay, no other ending would be greater for Satoru Gojo than this.

Secondly, the interpretation of Sukuna and Uraume’s relationship. There was no context given as to who they used to be or where their uncanny companionship stemmed from, throughout the story we only see them as entities of the present, not getting a look into their dynamic during the heian era. The only few panels we get during Yorozu’s part just reestablish Uraume as a dutiful and faithful servant to their lord. So to see Sukuna display such tenderness towards them in the last chapter kind of dismantles our idea of their relationship. Mahito says Sukuna sought revenge for the execution of “that wench.” Then further, Sukuna explains how he had two paths, one with a black haired woman and one with Uraume, he chooses the one with Uraume to begin their lives anew.

In the conclusion of their story, Gege’s choice to keep Sukuna and Uraume’s joint past unexplained was a clever choice to not tarnish the sanctity of their relationship. It allows the reader to interpret their dynamics in whatever way they wish to. Because what is more important than the nature of their relationship, is Sukuna’s openness to understanding and partaking in the act of “love.” You may see it as parental, familial or romantic, it is not the nature that holds significance, it is the act itself.

Personally I like to picture Sukuna as a guardian or authoritative figure who took in Uraume with a guardian like intent to raise them and in this new life, will be able to nurture them with love. But again, the ending is quiet open for everyone’s own interpretation. Its just that i feel for Sukuna, a character who refused to believe in the very concept of love, a guardian-like role would be truly grounding as it wouldn’t impose conditionality on them, like a romantic relationship does. However, as i said, the nature matters less than the act itself.

To argue over the nature of their relationship is simply stupid. People are allowed to have their own interpretations of unspecified relationships, and creating unnecessary arguments over the validity of your own interpretation of their relationship takes away from the very essence of Sukuna and Uraume’s ending.

[msromanis]

The Fallen Angel