#I think it's the first chapter in the entirety of bsd that ever had me go “oh” and “wow” out loud

[kyouka-supremacy]

:O

[caffeinatedseri]

Murakami and Ranpo

Some minor spoilers ahead for the third BSD LN, The Untold Story of the Founding of the Detective Agency." If you aren't concerned with spoilers, I did my best with summarizing the plot for anyone who hasn't read the novel.

In the third BSD LN, Fukuzawa and Ranpo are tasked with finding the culprit of an ominous death threat at a theatrical play. The threat is written as follows:

“An angel shall bring death, in the truest sense of the word, to the performer. —V.”

This threat fits perfectly with the play, which is a mystery play where each character gets killed by an "angel" who murders. However, the characters don't know if they're being killed by an angel or a regular person, because there's nothing supernatural about their causes of death (getting stabbed by a knife, poison, strangulation, etc.).

Each character was a former angel who had been banished from the celestial world, because they admired humans so much that God turned them into humans. Therefore, the characters in the play believed that an angel was sent after them to punish them for their sins.

This sets up two mysteries for us to follow:

1. The mystery of the real death threat, sent by "V" — who is the culprit behind it, who will they kill, and why?

2. The mystery within the play — is it an angel or real person killing each character, and why?

Paradoxes (and Things That Don't Make Sense)

The play is called, "The Living World is a Dream, the Nocturnal Dream is Reality," which is a quote from the real Edogawa Ranpo's work, but I couldn't find the exact source. The title proposes a paradox: reality is a dream, and dreams are reality.

Several other paradoxes present themselves in the story, but they appear most prominently in Ranpo's big speech where he solves the mystery of the play, and the murder simultaneously:

“The murder and the play’s story are connected on a deep level. This play reversed the tide of the narrative. A group of fallen angels tried to return to the heavens, but the angel of judgment tried to stop them. Meanwhile, the angel’s judgment was but a show, and the supposed victim, a human, faked it. The angel’s and humans’ roles were reversed, switching the judge and the judged. That’s the kind of play this was. "

"...the narrative is in reverse. Our structures have been swapped along with the victim and killer as well. In other words—he isn’t the killer, but a victim."

This reveal subverts the original expectation that the plot would follow two separate mysteries. Instead, the lines are blurred between reality and fiction, killer and killed, and dreams and reality because now the two mysteries are intertwined.

I think this part of the story is deliberately written to be confusing (or at least not very clearly explained) as to fit in with the themes found in Murakami's writing.

Who is Murakami?

Haruki Murakami is a famous Japanese author, and you may have read some of his famous works, "Norwegian Wood" and "Kafka on the Shore."

Since this is Bungou (Literary) Stray Dogs, Murakami makes an appearance in this light novel as the main actor of the play.

Before I go on to explain Murakami's role in the novel, I'll give a brief background on his real counterpart and explain how the theatrical play in the novel reflects the real Murakami's work.

Murakami writes in the genre of "magical realism", where the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred as magical elements are seamlessly incorporated into the story. I'll be using "Kafka on the Shore" as the main example for this point, since it's a great example of Murakami's expertise in magical realism.

In "Kafka on the Shore," there are 2 interrelated plot lines, alternating with each chapter, similar to the 2 supposed mysteries outlined at the beginning of the novel.

Like its moniker, "Kafka on the Shore" resembles a "Kafkaesque" style of writing due to its surreal elements that are bizarre and illogical in the rules of reality.

In an interview about this novel, Murakami said:

"Kafka on the Shore contains several riddles, but there aren't any solutions provided. Instead, several of these riddles combine, and through their interaction the possibility of a solution takes shape. And the form this solution takes will be different for each reader. To put it another way, the riddles function as part of the solution. It's hard to explain, but that's the kind of novel I set out to write."

The Outcome of the Play

In theme with Murakami's bizarre, magical-realism writings, several illogical events take place within the span of the LN:

1. Before the play even starts, Murakami (the character) and the rest of the cast completely disregard the death threat. Even though the logical and safe solution would be to reschedule the play, it is a very literal representation of "the play must go on" mindset.

2. Murakami gets stabbed mid-sentence, on stage by a white blade that magically disappears.

3. Murakami bleeds real blood and has no pulse, which would signify his death, but he doesn't actually die.

Despite all this, Ranpo is extremely good at observing various elements of a situation and putting them together to form a solution, much like how the interactions of "Kafka on the Shore"'s riddles form their own solution.

Ranpo appears on stage and makes an Oscar-worthy performance out of his announcement that reveals Murakami to be the culprit behind his own death. It doesn't make much logical sense that Murakami would fake his own death for a performance, but rather it's an action motivated by pure passion.

“I…,” muttered Murakami in almost a whisper. He raised his voice and continued, “I am an actor! I become someone I am not and live a life that doesn’t exist! My job is to expose what it means to be human! It doesn’t matter if I play the lead part or a minor part. It doesn’t matter if I am a villain or hero. I become them with every part of my body! There is no other job for me! This is the only way I can live!”

And here, Murakami reveals the final paradox of the play:

"But there is one thing that cannot be avoided while acting on the stage of life, and that is death! Death is not the opposite of life; it is life’s symbol and banner. However, it also provides a great paradox! Nobody alive has ever experienced it! That’s why to me, the greatest job of all would be performing the death of a person. Not death as a device or a mere convention, but real death that I could convey to the audience. That was the pinnacle of theatrical performance to me. And this is the outcome of my toil."

Murakami eventually gets arrested for the fake death threat and deceiving the police, among other things. The most notable moment after this comes in Ranpo's dialogue to Murakami:

“I thought you were amazing,” Ranpo suddenly said from behind as Murakami was being taken away. “I didn’t quite understand all of it myself, but I don’t think it’s something that just anyone could do. By the way, take a look at the audience. Look at their faces.”

1. Ranpo sees Murakami's act as something admirable, most likely because Ranpo appreciates a good mystery and had fun solving it.

2. Ranpo tells Murakami to look at the audience, to which he turns around and sees the faces of a broken audience who came to watch a play and instead witnessed a real not-so-real murder.

“You said your job was entertainment, right? But could you really call it that…when you look at their expressions?” For the first time, Murakami’s eyes showed a sign of weakness. “…I see.” A small voice, unlike what one would expect from a stage actor with a powerful voice, fell from the stage. “I was…only performing for myself.”

Murakami realizes that he traumatized his entire audience on his quest to reach the "pinnacle of theatrical performance." In his small world that consisted of just the stage, he failed to see the outside world and forgot to consider how his actions would impact others. It's also important to mention that it was Ranpo specifically who pointed it out to him.

The focus on the audience mirrors Fukuzawa's thoughts when Ranpo was giving his big speech before Murakami appeared on the stage:

Fukuzawa was at his wits’ end. From the playgoers’ point of view, the fact that people knew there was going to be a murder beforehand completely changed their view of the situation. Was it really okay to tell them that? But Ranpo showed no concern for the audience’s worries.

Ranpo, throughout the entire novel, is portrayed as this extraordinarily ordinary kid who means well but simply doesn't understand what others are thinking. He was taught that he wasn't special, but this only isolated him into his own tiny world, because the outside world was filled with things he didn't understand.

This leads to him upsetting a bunch of people by blatantly calling out things about them that shouldn't be called out, like the theater's owner Ms. Egawa, and even Fukuzawa at one point.

However, this moment when he calls out Murakami is pivotal because it shows how he's grown from this event. He's learned to be considerate of others. He's seen how he can upset other people with the things he says, and he's learned from that enough to show another person who's trapped in their own individual world.

Although Ranpo is depicted to be somewhat self-centered throughout this novel and even after it, Fukuzawa taught him that he isn't alone in this world. Because Fukuzawa showed compassion to Ranpo, a special fifteen-year-old kid who didn't know better in a world of monsters, Ranpo learned how to exist in a world where he was different from everyone else, and that was okay.

Thank you for reading! If you haven't read this LN yet, I would still highly recommend it because I didn't cover the entirety of the mystery, and it's a wonderful read to understand more about Ranpo and Fukuzawa's backstory.

[the-laughing-phoenix]

Get to know the author

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

Funnily enough, Pride and Prejudice is involved.  Specifically, the line “for what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?” I was about 16 and an anxious mess fighting with my family about my course load (I lost - they made me swap from advanced calc to regular calc) and wanted to remind myself that I’d always find that laughter again.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).

If we’re talking AO3? Avoiding Politics the Obi-Wan Kenobi Way, which is a collaboration with @timesandteacups​. If we’re talking fics that I wrote alone, it’s  Love Courage Strength.

On FFN, Venatori reigns supreme.

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

It’s the same stylized firebird as my tumblr icon, which also happens to be my FFN icon. Why mess with a good thing?

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

Yes, but it varies story by story. I have more regulars on FFN, but that’s entirely down to Venatori again.

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

There are a few.  i just happen to like apples (i am not afraid of snakes) is a delight, and I use the entirety of @deadcatwithaflamethrower​‘s works as an incentive to get shit done. Also amusewithaview introduced me to possibly my favorite variant on the soulmates trope, so.

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I’m not currently subscribed to any stories, but I have 36 bookmarked on AO3 and 54 on FFN.  I keep meaning to bookmark stories and then forgetting.  Maybe once I get my applications in and the house is sold and I find ten minutes to breathe?

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

Currently I’ve got two soulmates fics in the works.  I am a sucker for the trope.  Otherwise my strong point is “let’s shove this pebble into the stream and see how it diverts” (which, uh, has taken the form of character death?)

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

AO3 stats Subscribed to me: 33 Subscribed to my works: 575 Bookmarks: 587

FFN stats: Author alert lists: 48 Favorite author: 39

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

Nothing springs to mind.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Updating better.  I’ve been so busy with things going on in brickspace that it’s severely impacted my ability to write.  If I can get more efficient with my writing time, I can update again.

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I... don’t often write ships, honestly, and when I do they’re usually happening in the background. Sunrose Transplanted would be the exception, but since I was deliberately addressing the events after an elopement...

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

29 works

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t know. I have a lot of partials that are probably never going to be posted, or will only be posted in the event of my death as a sort of “here are the things she was working on” memorial.  Currently I have 5 I’m sort of working on here and there?

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

Write them down.  If it’s not been written down, it’ll get lost.  This is occasionally a problem, because I frequently have FANTASTIC ideas while in the shower, so I’ll be scrambling for a notebook with damp fingers while my hair’s still wrapped in my towel.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Yes, though only my collaborations with @timesandteacups​ have been posted so far.  I’ve got one with @rustingroses​ in the works right now.

16. How did you discover AO3?

Credit for introducing me to AO3 goes to @rustingroses​

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Not remotely, but I’m cool with that.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Nope.  Is that a thing?

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Tamora Pierce, Diane Duane, Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones... I’m certain I’m forgetting some.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

If you’re not having fun, then why do it?  Find a way to make it fun and don’t let anybody bully you into writing in a way you hate.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

A bit of both.  I go into fics knowing what the major highlights are and then figure out how to get from point A to B or R to S as I go.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

I’ve responded in three different ways. Most bad comments, I’ve just ignored. On occasion I’ve asked for clarification, mostly when someone has an issue with how I’ve tagged. And once, I snarled at them - this was a reader who came in telling me they were “here to help [me] improve my writing” and made a bunch of... kind of condescending suggestions. My grandmother had just passed away, I was very jet-lagged, and when I checked I noticed that they had 0 works to their name.  So I told them where to get off.  I don’t plan to do that again, and I definitely wouldn’t have under better circumstances.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Probably smut, because I almost never write it.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Priority goes to my Yuletide submission.  Otherwise I’m vaguely working on the next chapters of Avoiding Politics and Venatori, two soulmate AUs for BSD, and a BSD fic that I’m going to collaborate on @rustingroses​ with.  We have very different writing methods, so we’ll see how that one goes.  All of them except my Yuletide are on the furthest back burner, because I’m applying to graduate schools and helping my parents get the house ready to move.

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Oh god yes.  I have a massive plot bunny hutch and actually find I work best when I can swap between things.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Ahahahaha no.  I don’t have time right now.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Absolutely.

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

I have to pick? Um. Probably Venatori

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

Probably Worship

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Hopefully someone who has finished Venatori and has developed better writing habits.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Individual scenes.  I have scenes show up in my head as clearly as if I was watching them on a TV screen, and all I need to do is get them down on paper/in a word processor

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Getting from Point R to Point S.  I know what needs to happen, what I don’t know is how I’m getting there.

33. Why do you write?

Because I have an idea, and I think it’s cool and want to share.  

Consider yourself tagged if you wish to be tagged!