#And kazui’s whole “victim predator lets keep it simple”

[mulling-over-milgram]

One of my absolute favourite things about John and Kotoko’s foil relationship is the theme of being seen as a monster both by themselves and others.

Kotoko and john have both been labeled as monsters/dangerous and also both seem to see themselves as such. The majority of the prisoners don’t like/are scared of them.

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John is seen and on some level sees himself as the monster who got mikoto stuck in milgram and Kotoko sees herself as the monster who hurts and fails the people she is trying to protect/the proctor who became the monters she was fighting!

John“It's no wonder. To him, he's being blamed for a crime he has no memory of. It's not unreasonable from his (Boku) point of view, he is being blamed for a crime he has no memory of.

Es: "If that's true, are you the one who actually committed the murder?"

John: “Yes. It was me.”

But what makes this parallel really interesting to me is not only that they both play into their monster personas and think they have to become the monster. John acts aggressively towards the other prisoners and towards Es in Mikoto’s interrogation in service of protecting Mikoto. He thinks he needs to make himself a scapegoat he needs to make himself the monster that’ll disappear.

Es: “What is–? Mikoto?”

John: (heavy breathing/growling)

Es: (cough) “You… attacked me…? No way… That can’t be…”

John: (more heavy breaths) “Fuck… Fuck…! Stop pissing me off!”

John: “Shut your mouth!”

John: “You keep blabbering on and on… I’m gonna fucking kill you, you piece of shit!”

John: “Going on, and on, and on… all high and mighty… like you aren’t just a kid! Serves you fucking right!”

John: “Huh? I can’t hear you. You’re no more than an unimportant brat.”

John: “Huh?! (laughter) You prefer it when it hurts more, huh? (Es gasps) That’s fine. I’ll beat you up all you want.” —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

John: “If it's to protect him (Boku), then I'll do anything.”

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John: “That's right, in the end I (ore) have to vanish. I'll take on everything and vanish. I will.”

And kotoko see’s herself as a necessary evil of sorts. She seems to hate how evil can get away unpunished and how it can bend the laws meant to keep the weak safe to hurt them but she works outside the law and uses similar tactics in service of the weak. (Bribery? , violence , working out side the law ect)

Kotoko “I know it well. It's so hard to hold the responsibility of a guard all alone. I've also felt this way. You are such a kind person.You can't stand the prison changing with the power of your choices. So you need someone to be with. Leave all of the dirty work to me.”

this loops back to have she describes herself as the fangs if the weak. She is a tool , she’ll do the dirty work the weak can’t handle , she’ll become the monster.

They are both self sacrificial , have low self worth and see themselves as existing for the party they wish to protect and as such see becoming the monster as a necessity of their protector role.

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john: “…Because I (ore) was born to protect him (boku).”

Es: “For that purpose. You were born?”

but even though they still want to be acknowledged as saviours/protectors.