#Randou in the Burning Mansion & the Encounter With Arahabaki

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 37/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (16/?)

Exactly as I have alluded to at the beginning of this discussion on Rimbaud’s memories, there is a very particular skipped moment in this personal narration of events by the associate executive that is absolutely crucial in achieving the ideal amount of support and foreshadowing of two of the novel’s most important plot points at once — first, that Arthur is a Transcendental whose hyperspace ability is irrevocable by at least any gifted below such status, and second, that he had actually made no effort to hide this fact from anyone from the very beginning.

As is evident in the excerpt above, it is made indubitably clear through this recital that Randou’s esteemed gift and its most fundamental workings — apart from its ability to absorb and use a dead person’s body, presumably — are a secret to absolutely no one within the Mafia at all, which, considering both his utter lack of interest in putting forth effort towards preventing that and the fact that he has been within the Mafia for at least several years now if not a full decade, really makes perfect sense.

With as long as he has been working in the organization and as much as he himself seems to believe his ability is his most valuable, useful quality in the eyes of others — if not outright his only redeeming one, low self-esteemed and humble as he tends to be in all other areas of his life — there is simply no possible way that they were not extremely aware of its strengths and weaknesses by that point, especially considering that his ability was the main reason Mori even recognized and promoted him as he did upon taking over.

Yet, with the direction the anime had chosen to take the story, this truth would have been extremely inconvenient to Studio Bones and thrown a wrench into many of its plans, and therefore, it was forcefully removed.

Now, I don’t really want to go into too much detail about the hows, the whys, and other particulars of this situation just yet, since I already know that I will inevitably end up discussing all of that in its proper, most relevant section anyway, but in the meantime, I will at least say that, seeing as that the animation’s twisted narrative absolutely depends upon successfully convincing its audience of the lies that, apart from just being a disingenuous person as a whole who faked his entire nature in order to seem above suspicion, Arthur also had something to fear from Dazai’s ability, I do think it should still be fairly obvious why leaving something in this scene that clearly suggests the opposite of both of these things would be a kind of self-sabotage that they would never in a million years risk happening, even without an in-depth explanation.

Incidentally, it’s about time we move forward so we can finally talk about those lies and all of the most dooming moments that sprung from them, wouldn’t you say? I’ve already told all there is to tell about this scene both positively and negatively, I feel, and I don’t want to linger here any longer when the biggest disaster is still waiting just around the corner, ready to be broken down and called out for what it really is.

Ah, but before we do that, there is still just one more minor thing I want to talk about — and this time, it’s not over something that Bones gave to us in a butchered or shortened form, but rather, an entire section they skipped completely that I was really looking forward to seeing in animated form.

[Next]

[Previous]

[Beginning]

[view the masterlist]

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 36/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (15/?)

Furthermore, on a semi-related side note, what I also find rather disappointing about this moment is that, despite the associate executive’s account of this event being written in such a way that, in the book, rightfully implies both fear and fascination in Arahabaki’s existence while also showing through his great attention to detail in describing what he saw around him that this meeting was burned into his memory — something that later becomes very crucial in realizing that his most severe trauma had nothing to do with said being at all — the anime retains none of this at all beyond the aspect of terror, stripping all use for it beyond Dazai’s deduction out of the picture and even further removing any sense of personality from Rimbaud beyond his meekness and perceived cowardice.

Indeed, Arthur is timid by nature, but he is most assuredly not a coward, and this being the sole thing they show of him up until the moment of his confrontation by Dazai at the end of episode is not just misleading in general; it also only helps to further the sense that everything we see of him prior to that accusation is merely a front, by creating a severe dissonance between his nature as we knew him then and as we see him after the fact — a narrative that, despite later being so strongly implied by the Japanese version of the anime and even explicitly pushed and stated by its English dub, is wholly and entirely false.

Still, even if the changes and omissions here did end up making an already bad situation slightly worse by inadvertently feeding into its inaccurate storyline, they really aren’t all that bad in and of themselves, as I don’t think they were done maliciously with any of that in mind — they’re just unfortunate. Thus, I find them forgivable, and even if I don’t exactly approve of what was done with Arahabaki’s design, I do understand the logic that was likely placed behind that move in particular; besides, at least as far as that goes, if one of the official pieces of artwork for the second edition of the novel is any indication, I’d hardly say our dear original author, Asagiri, has any major qualms with it, either, so it would be all too unfair of me to hold it against them.

That being said, just because everything I’ve mentioned in this section so far has been minor details that were either understandably lost in its transition to animated form or were at least easily reconcilable by some other means, that does not mean that they are completely innocent even in this, and though I may have been happily generous in all other matters here up until now, there is still one thing that remains which will absolutely not be receiving the same treatment — for not only is it a very valuable piece of information that is much greater in importance than all of the rest, but it is also one which was indeed willfully removed with defamatory purpose at its innermost heart, without any room for doubt. [Next]

[Previous]

[Beginning]

[view the masterlist]

[linklethehistorian]

“Randou & the Sins of Season 3′s Fifteen Adaption”: A Grand Directory & Master List (Part 1)

Looking for a specific portion of my article, or just want to have every part readily available in one place? I’ve got you covered! In here, you can access every part of my article that exists!

Seeing as that much of my article has yet to be posted at this time, this post will have to be edited with sections and subsections and their links as I go along, but rest assured that it shall be done! 

If you are considering sharing my article with anyone you know or wish to reblog it in general, please prioritize reblogging this page most of all, as it offers the most complete access of all of the posts I will be making.  Thank you for your interest, and I hope you enjoy!

Linkle's Mini-Handbook of Relevant Bungou Stray Dogs and General Fandom Terms You Might Want to Know:

Part 1/3

Part 2/3

Part 3/3

Disclaimer and Notes:

Part 1/6 (Post 1/? Total)

Part 2/6 (Post 2/? Total)

Part 3/6 (Post 3/? Total)

Part 4/6 (Post 4/? Total)

Part 5/6 (Post 5/? Total)

Part 6/6 (Post 6/? Total)

Episode 26 — Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old:

The Opening Scene, Chuuya’s Motives, and the First Introduction of Arahabaki

(Part 1/3) (Post 7/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 8/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 9/? Total)

Dazai’s Difference in Personality and Mori’s Dealings with the Two Teenagers (Part 1/3) (Post 10/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 11/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 12/? Total)

Episode 27 — The God of Fire:

The First Battle Scene and Dazai’s Following Interaction with Chuuya

(Part 1/2) (Post 13/? Total) (Part 2/2) (Post 14/? Total)

The Confrontation with Sheep at the Arcade (Part 1/2) (Post 15/? Total) (Part 2/2) (Post 16/? Total)

Interlude

(Episode  27 — The God of Fire: A Post-Section Addendum)

(New Working Link to DarkestJay’s English Translation of Fifteen & Commentary on the Discrepancies Therein (PLEASE READ)) 

Episode 28 — Only a Diamond Can Polish a Diamond:

Shirase, the Sheep’s Betrayal of Chuuya, and Dazai’s Deal

(Part 1/3) (Post 17/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 18/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 19/? Total)

Chuuya’s Question to Mori

(Part 1/1) (Post 20/? Total)

Chuuya’s Outfit Post-Entry into the Mafia and Dazai’s State of Health

(Part 1/1) (Post 21/? Total)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud 

Chuuya’s Restraints & The First Glimpse of Randou’s Ability

(Part 1/6) (Post 22/? Total) (Part 2/6) (Post 23/? Total) (Part 3/6) (Post 24/? Total) (Part 4/6) (Post 25/? Total) (Part 5/6) (Post 26/? Total) (Part 6/6) (Post 27/? Total)

Rumors of the Origin of Suribachi City and Arahabaki

(Part 1/3) (Post 28/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 29/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 30/? Total)

Randou in the Burning Mansion & the Encounter With Arahabaki (Part 1/7) (Post 31/? Total) (Part 2/7) (Post 32/? Total) (Part 3/7) (Post 33/? Total) (Part 4/7) (Post 34/? Total) (Part 5/7) (Post 35/? Total) (Part 6/7) (Post 36/? Total) (Part 7/7) (Post 37/? Total)

Something Missing: Arahabaki’s Mysterious Memories (Part 1/1) (Post 38/? Total)

Dazai and Randou’s Party for Chuuya

(Part 1/?) (Post 39/? Total) (Part 2/?) (Post 40/? Total) (Part 3/?) (Post 41/? Total)

On Dazai's Skin-Deep Kindness & Playfulness, and His True Views

(Part 4/?) (Post 42/? Total) (Part 5/?) (Post 43/? Total)

On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration, and His Impossible Purity of Heart

(Part 6/?) (Post 44/? Total) (Part 7/?) (Post 45/? Total) (Part 8/?) (Post 46/? Total) (Part 9/?) (Post 47/? Total) (Part 10/?) (Post 48/? Total) (Part 11/?) (Post 49/? Total) (Part 12/?) (Post 50/? Total) [See Masterlist Part 2 (Post 51 and beyond)]

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 31/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (10/?)

Randou in the Burning Mansion & the Encounter With Arahabaki

Surprisingly, the vast majority of the second episode, up until the last six minutes or so, is really not so bad in regards to its portrayal of Randou — though granted, the only scene featuring him prior to that point in time is the one in which Chuuya and Dazai visit him in his mansion after it was set on fire and partially raided during an assassination attempt carried out by GSS.

Now, that’s not to say it was perfect by any means; claiming that would simply be dishonest, because there were a few smaller things that were lost in translation here, too, that I obviously would rather had been left in. Still, as I’ve said before, realistically speaking, no attempt at fitting anything this long and detailed into a mere three installments of much-less-than-30-minute episodes is ever going to be 100% perfect, so holding it to the expectation that it would would be completely irrational and absurd. Besides, as far as this one case is concerned, I do feel that Bones did at least try to use the time they allotted for this scene in the absolute best ways that they could — mostly, and for what it’s worth, on the whole, I do think that they succeeded quite effectively.

Furthermore, I simply can’t help once more reveling in and greatly applauding the absolute heaven that was Yuuya Uchida’s excellent voice acting — something that, in spite of how Bones chose to later waste it in every other scene for Arthur following this through their mischaracterization, I think deserves a great deal more appreciation and respect than it will ever get; the pure amount of heart and effort he poured into Randou’s character as it was presented to him was, on some level, even beyond the very high standard I’ve come to expect of the seiyuus in BSD in general, even if that impression they gave him of who his character was wasn’t entirely true. I was absolutely thrilled with the attention to detail he seemed to give his role — down to making it possible to hear the associate executive shuddering from the cold, both as he walks away after being dismissed from the office by Mori in the first episode, and, even more noticeably, in the very segment we are discussing now.

Experiencing these performances truly does bring an indescribable joy to my heart each time I rewatch the episodes, no matter how many times I have seen them now, and I truly wish that he had actually been given the chance by Bones to really bring Rimbaud to life exactly as he was meant to have been all the way through to the end — not only before our eyes but also our ears, as only he could possibly have done.

The next time you watch this part of the episode, please be sure to take a moment just to fully appreciate and soak all of this in, because this genuinely is the calm before the storm — the last few moments in which you will get to see and hear Randou acting anywhere close to the person that he truly was, before all of that is thrown away by Bones and treated as if it never existed in the first place. Even if they may be fleeting, these moments are precious — the only glimpses we have into all that could have been but now will never get to be.

As good as it may be overall and as much respect as it may deserve for its proper portrayal of Arthur, though, I can’t very well just spend all of my time here praising it; as I said only moments ago, it does have its flaws, and no matter how much I may love it in spite of them, those are still things that I need to talk about, what with it not only being cut incredibly short and thus losing a great many smaller details, but also possessing two rather unusual minor retcons — one of which is just yet another example of Bones’ apparent inability to pay any attention to the majority of the plot points and written descriptions in the original Fifteen.

[Next]

[Previous]

[Beginning]

[view the masterlist]