#Shirushi

[putschki1969]

Snippet of Wakana「標/Shirushi」from「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」

M3. 標(Shirushi) Lyrics/Composition: Yoshiko Hanzaki Arrangement: Satoshi Takebe The full version of this live performance will be included as bonus feature on Type A of Wakana’s 3rd album “Sono Saki e”. 

Thoughts: It’s really interesting how different my reactions to these new songs are compared to when I first heard them live back in December. While I wasn’t particularly impressed with “明日を夢見て歌う/Asu wo Yume Mite Utau”, it rapidly grew on me once we got the live footage. Now I can’t even wait to hear the full version. It’s almost the opposite for 標/Shirushi. I remember being incredibly touched during the Christmas concert (almost to the point of tears) but this snippet doesn’t affect me quite as much. I feel like I might need to be in the right mood or frame of mind for it, it’s really the emotional backstory combined with the lyrics which carry this song for me.

「Butterfly Dream」Assigned as May’s「ABC PICK UP! MUSIC」

The first track of Wakana’s 3rd original album “Sono Saki e” has been picked up as one of the main theme songs for the May run of 「ABC PICK UP! MUSIC」. As such it will air for the entirety of May during a variety of TV programs on the channel ABC TV.

2023/04/25 Instagram post by Wakana

I climbed Mt. Takao the other day😆I climbed it for the first time 😳✨First of all, I have almost no mountain climbing experience, so I had to think a lot about how to actually do this and then I had to somehow repurpose my training wear and simple sneakers into suitable climbing attire😂I decided to take Route 1 all on foot👟At first, I was going to use the cable car halfway up, but when I got to the start of the route, I was very to just walk so that’s what I decided to do. I was able to see a lot of different mountain scenery and felt the joy of being in nature✨In the second picture, the mountain in the middle is Mt.Fuji🗻!! Can you see it? Then I came across a rock that looked like a heart♡😍 After this experience, I started to think that I should get some proper outdoor equipment with excellent waterproof and cold protection functions for the future. Strangely enough, I DID have a really good pair of compression tights [Note: from CW-X I guess], they were a great choice. You know, my legs didn't get tired at all...✨It was amazing to be supported like this up to my waist 😳✨ Now I'm really interested in the different functionalities of outdoor goods and mountain climbing wear 🤣I might let this get too far and become addicted so I better be careful😇 Source

[senorboombastic]

a/s/l: TEKE::TEKE

Remember the days of the old schoolyard? Remember when Myspace was a thing? Remember those time-wasting, laborious quizzes that everyone used to love so much? Birthday Cake For Breakfast is bringing them back!  Every couple of weeks, an unsuspecting band will be subject to the same old questions about dead bodies, Hitler, crying and crushes.   This Week: Off the back of releasing their latest…

[deathberi]

[russenoire]

A flicking and thrashing about on his scalp, now. His hair. Broadcasting his inner disquiet to anyone within eyeshot. He catches a warped glimpse of himself in one of the shop’s gigantic windows. Out of the void swallowing the top half of his face, two hot white orbs glare back at him. He blinks, watching their glow flicker in reply, and lets out a quiet sigh. Any display of unease, or embarrassment, or other strong emotions from him around his body simply doing what it does? He can’t. If he ever lets them show, others pick them up and wear them too, like ill-fitting trousers. He has never understood this, either. But he doesn’t have to in order to respect it. At the counter, he places his usual: tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu pork and nori on the side, a whole tea egg, daikon sprouts and kamaboko, two croquettes and a glass of milk. Since he can keep his ire out of his voice? He does. No one here is at fault for it; he’s not even sure Shinkai is. He orders and pays for his lunch as if he were just another salaryman on break, as if this hair and these eyes were a perfectly normal thing to see on a Tuesday around two o’clock, and it seems to soften the alarm in the cashier’s eyes and the eyes of the kitchen staff.

read more here.

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

shirushi save me save me shirushi

[sorairoknife]

I haven't ever deleted an mp3 file from my phone so sometimes shuffle puts me in the throes of a sword art online song I ripped off of youtube in 2016

[lumilasi]

So mostly, I post my traditional doodles on insta (sometimes, I'm not highly active there lol) but wanted to share these silly doodles from this week too. Yoruga is the kind of character to absolutely wear weird costumes just because

I keep drawing his wings with random patterns cuz I'm too lazy to check how they actually look lol

[justplaggin]

Your thoughts on the new episode ??

[crowscadence]

しるし (bsd s4 outro) coming on during the long ass late night drive home from a multi-day band event just hits different

[boasource]

230805 BoA's setlist + fancam playlist for 'Starry Summer Night,' a Japanese VIP Dinner Show at the InterContinental Seoul COEX

1. Valenti 2. コノヨノシルシ (Kono You no Shirushi) 3. Only One 4. My Name 5. No. 1

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: JOVM Mainstays TEKE: TEKE Shares Playful Ripper "Hoppe"

New Video: JOVM Mainstays TEKE: TEKE Shares Playful Ripper "Hoppe" @killrockstars @girlieaction @teketekeband @delkin03

Montréal-based collective and JOVM mainstays TEKE: TEKE – Yuki Isami (flute, shinobue and keys), Hidetaka Yoneyama (guitar), Sergio Nakauchi Pelletier (guitar), Mishka Stein (bass), Etienne Lebel (trombone), Ian Lettree (drums, percussion) and Maya Kuroki (vocals, keys and percussion) — initially began as loving homage and tribute band of legendary Japanese guitarist Takeshi “Terry” Terauchi,…

[tailfintweel]

.

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

YOUR BIRTHDAY - Lyrics + Translation

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

Kanji:

【Ot・Na・To・Sy・Rj】 銀河の☆(ほし)を♪(おんぷ)にしたら

【Ma・Re・Ce・Ra・Ai・Ca】 君の名を声に

【All】 うたのプリンスとして…

【Ot】 どの日の空を見上げてたって

【Na】 二人に繋がってる

【Sy】 なんてことない歌詞(ことば)だけど

【Rj】 ホントに胸に染みるねBeloved

【To】 二人で刻む時の音色は

【Ra】 苦さも交ざるくらい

【Ce】 Loveになってきてるんです

【Ma】 回り道しながら

【Ca】 最初のキスから　どれくらい

【Re】 経ったのだろう？　でも今日は

【Ai】 そんな初めてを思い出し

【Ot・Na・Sy】 優しく

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 重ねて

【Ot・Na・Sy】 甘さに

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 溺れて

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 照れ合うくらい

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 昔を…また

【All】 Happy Birthday生まれてくれて

そして見つけてくれてLove for you

変わらない愛で包んで

君との夢を詩(うた)にしたい

【Ot・Na・Sy】 この繋いだ手の

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 柔らかな

【Ot・Na・Sy】 温もりを

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 守るため

【Ot・Na・Sy】 これからの明日(あす)の笑顔

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 ずっと

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 二人で創ってゆこう

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 ありきたりの告白(セリフ)になってしまうけど

【All】 「大好きだよ…未来も一緒にいさせて」

【Ot】 過ごした時間　その分知れた

【Na】 ぎゅっとしたくなる表情(かお)

【Sy】 想い全部かけがえない

【Rj】 花となって開くのさSweet heart

【To】 見つめてくれる　信じてくれる

【Ra】 本気に支えられて

【Ce】 この歌を届けるんです

【Ma】 絆深めるように

【Ca】 必然の出会い　理由など

【Re】 見当たらない　絡められた

【Ai】 糸(うんめい)はもう　簡単に

【Ot・Na・Sy】 ほどけない

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 この先

【Ot・Na・Sy】 離れない

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 離さない

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 何があっても

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 離れられない

【All】 Happy Birthday抱きしめさせて

この奇跡を感じたいWith you

紡いだ歴史と共に

大切に記し続けたい

【Ot・Na・Sy】 1分1秒

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 昨日より

【Ot・Na・Sy】 光さす

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 明日(あした)へと

【Ot・Na・Sy】 ありのままに我儘に

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 もっと

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 余さず分け合って行こう

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 とびっきりのエールを贈り合いながら

【All】 始まりにはいつでも　君がいてくれる

【Ot・Na】 Happy Birthday生まれてくれて

【To・Sy・Rj】 そして傍(ここ)にいてくれてThank you

【Ma・Ce・Ra】 変わらない愛はいつでも

【Re・Ai・Ca】 君との夢を歌ってるよ

【All】 Happy Birthday生まれてくれて

そして見つけてくれてLove for you

変わらない愛で包んで

君との夢を詩(うた)にしたい

【Ot・Na・Sy】 この繋いだ手の

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 柔らかな

【Ot・Na・Sy】 温もりを

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 守るため

【Ot・Na・Sy】 これからの明日(あす)の笑顔

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 ずっと

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 二人で創ってゆこう

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 ありきたりの告白(セリフ)になってしまうけど

【All】 「大好きだよ…未来も一緒にいさせて」

Rōmaji:

【Ot・Na・To・Sy・Rj】 Ginga no hoshi o onpu ni shitara

【Ma・Re・Ce・Ra・Ai・Ca】 Kimi no na o koe ni

【All】 Uta no purinsu to shite…

【Ot】 Dono hi no sora o miagete tatte

【Na】 Futari ni tsunagatteru

【Sy】 Nante koto nai kotoba dakedo

【Rj】 Honto ni mune ni shimiru ne Beloved

【To】 Futari de kizamu toki no neiro wa

【Ra】 Niga-sa mo mazaru kurai

【Ce】 Love ni natte kiteru ndesu

【Ma】 Mawarimichi shinagara

【Ca】 Saisho no kisu kara dore kurai

【Re】 Tatta no darou? Demo kyō wa

【Ai】 Son'na hajimete o omoidashi

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Yasashiku

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Kasanete

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Ama-sa ni

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Oborete

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Tereau kurai

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Mukashi o… mata

【All】 Happy Birthday umarete kurete

Soshite mitsukete kurete Love for you

Kawaranai ai de tsutsunde

Kimi to no yume o uta ni shitai

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Kono tsunaida te no

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Yawaraka na

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Nukumori o

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Mamoru tame

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Korekara no asu no egao

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Zutto

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Futari de tsukutte yukou

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Arikitari no serifu ni natte shimau kedo

【All】 “Daisuki da yo… mirai mo issho ni isasete”

【Ot】 Sugoshita jikan sono bun shireta

【Na】 Gyutto shitaku naru kao

【Sy】 Omoi zenbu kakegae nai

【Rj】 Hana to natte hiraku no sa Sweet heart

【To】 Mitsumete kureru shinjite kureru

【Ra】 Honki ni sasae rarete

【Ce】 Kono uta o todokeru ndesu

【Ma】 Kizuna fukameru yō ni

【Ca】 Hitsuzen no deai riyū nado

【Re】 Miataranai karame rareta

【Ai】 Unmei wa mō kantan ni

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Hodokenai

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Konosaki

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Hanarenai

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Hanasanai

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Nani ga atte mo

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Hanare rarenai

【All】 Happy Birthday dakishime sasete

Kono kiseki o kanjitai With you

Tsumuida rekishi to tomoni

Taisetsu ni shirushi tsudzuketai

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Ippun ichibyō

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Kinō yori

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Hikari sasu

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Ashita e to

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Arinomama ni wagamama ni

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Motto

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Amasazu wakeatte ikou

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Tobikkiri no ēru o okuriai nagara

【All】 Hajimari ni wa itsu demo kimi ga ite kureru

【Ot・Na】 Happy Birthday umarete kurete

【To・Sy・Rj】 Soshite koko ni ite kurete Thank you

【Ma・Ce・Ra】 Kawaranai ai wa itsu demo

【Re・Ai・Ca】 Kimi to no yume o utatteru yo

【All】 Happy Birthday umarete kurete

Soshite mitsukete kurete Love for you

Kawaranai ai de tsutsunde

Kimi to no yume o uta ni shitai

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Kono tsunaida te no

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Yawaraka na

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Nukumori o

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Mamoru tame

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Korekara no asu no egao

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Zutto

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Futari de tsukutte yukou

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Arikitari no serifu ni natte shimau kedo

【All】 “Daisuki da yo… mirai mo issho ni isasete”

Translation:

【Ot・Na・To・Sy・Rj】 We will turn the stars in the galaxy into musical notes

【Ma・Re・Ce・Ra・Ai・Ca】 And sing your name

【All】 As the princes of song…

【Ot】 Looking up at the sky on any given day,

【Na】 Connects the two of us

【Sy】 These lyrics (words) are ordinary but

【Rj】 They touch the heart, Beloved

【To】 The sound of our time together passing

【Ra】 Is filled with bitterness

【Ce】 Even if it takes a long detour

【Ma】 It will definitely turn into Love

【Ca】 I wonder how long it’s been

【Re】 Since our first kiss? But today,

【Ai】 I remember that first time

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Gently

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Repeatedly

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Immersed in

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Sweetness

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 We become shy

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 About our memories… again

【All】 Happy Birthday, thank you for being born

And for finding me, Love for you

I want to turn my dreams with you into a song,

Wrapped in unwavering love

【Ot・Na・Sy】 To protect

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 The soft

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Warmth of

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Our joined hands,

【Ot・Na・Sy】 From now on, let’s always

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Create tomorrow's smiles

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Together

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 I know it may sound like a cliché confession (line), but

【All】 “I love you... Allow me to continue being with you in the future”

【Ot】 Spending time with you, I’ve gotten to know clearly

【Na】 That expression that makes me want to hug you tightly

【Sy】 All of these thoughts are irreplaceable

【Rj】 And will bloom like flowers, Sweet heart

【To】 You look at me and believe in me,

【Ra】 Giving me all the support I need

【Ce】 To deepen our bond,

【Ma】 I'm delivering this song to you

【Ca】 No reason can be found

【Re】 For our inevitable encounter

【Ai】 The entwined thread of fate cannot

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Be easily undone anymore

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 From now on,

【Ot・Na・Sy】 I won’t leave you

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 I won’t let go of you

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 I can’t leave you

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 No matter what

【All】 Happy Birthday, let me hold you close

I want to feel this miracle With you

I want to continue writing down carefully

The history we’ve weaved together

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Let's share

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Every minute and every second

【Ot・Na・Sy】 With each other

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Selfishly and without reservations

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Towards a tomorrow which

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Shines brighter

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Than yesterday

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 While giving each other the best cheers of encouragement

【All】 From the very beginning, I have always had you by my side

【Ot・Na】 Happy Birthday, thank you for being born

【To・Sy・Rj】 And for being by my side (here), Thank you

【Ma・Ce・Ra】 My unwavering love will always

【Re・Ai・Ca】 Sing of my dreams with you

【All】 Happy Birthday, thank you for being born

And for finding me, Love for you

I want to turn my dreams with you into a song,

Wrapped in unwavering love

【Ot��Na・Sy】 To protect

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 The soft

【Ot・Na・Sy】 Warmth of

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Our joined hands,

【Ot・Na・Sy】 From now on, let’s always

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 Create tomorrow's smiles

【To・Ce・Rj・Ra】 Together

【Ma・Re・Ai・Ca】 I know it may sound like a cliché confession (line), but

【All】 “I love you... Allow me to continue being with you in the future”

[simpsandships]

Did y'all guys notice that if you listen to the BSD endings of Season 1, 2 and 3, these all are a lot like letters from one character to another.

For example,

Season 1 Bsd ending - Namae wo Yobu yo - if you were to listen to the lyrics (or read them), it totally looks like a letter or a dialogue or maybe a 'thank you' note from Atsushi to Dazai.

Similarly,

Season 2 Bsd ending - Kaze ga Fuku Machi - This most definitely feels like something Dazai would say to Odasaku. Coz it was bcoz of Odasaku, Dazai had made it into the light. The lyrics fit!!!! Like seriously!!

And, Season 3 Bsd ending - Lily - It's definitely Akutagawa speaking to Dazai!!! There's even a line that translates in English as "I want to be praised, I want to be acknowledged"

Like honestly, this one series turned me completely crazy!! I've never obsessed over one story for to long but this is the only exception!!! Not to mention, how the season 5 ending, Kiseki, carries the words from all the previous endings (S1 - S4)

The last stanza -

Boku no machi ni saita - Ending 2, Kaze ga Fuku Machi

Hana o kaze ga yurashita - Ending 3, (this I'm not sure, but maybe from Lily)

Namae o yonde kureta - Ending 1, Namae wo yobu yo

Sore ga boku no shirushi da - Ending 4, Shirushi

Like idk what I'm even supposed to say but this is an absolute masterpiece!!!

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

"you found and you rescued me"

[flaresanimedump]

Why Fukuzawa is the Hottest BSD Character

*Cracks knuckles* ok here’s “what’s likeable about Fukuzawa/Why would Ranpo like Fukuzawa” because I saw that again recently

1) HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?!?!?

Twunks are agelessly hot. Don’t pretend you didn’t think movie stars 10+ years older than you were attractive as a teen. And everyone currently thirsting over BTS - he was the same age as they are when Ranpo met him.

2) You like strong, warm hugs where it feels like you’re swallowed up in the other person’s arms? You like the safe feeling it gives you?

What if those strong warm arms belonged to a bodyguard??

3) Ok now what if those strong arms belonged to a bodyguard who was also once a bad guy.

You know those hands can kill because they have before. But they’re gentle with you, careful. He’s on his way to being reformed but you’re seeing the good that was always there to start with, if only the world hadn’t pushed him into violence. This is Bungo Stray Dogs so just go ahead and briefly imagine this as a dog rescued from dogfighting that’s the absolute sweetest thing you’ve ever met. Now transfer that feeling to Fukuzawa, a man who was used by the government in a war Ranpo was too young to be part of, a rogue who’s learned the error of his ways and seeks to repent, a reformed bad boy with a heart of gold, you might say??? Incredible I’ll take 12.

4) Before we get into the long character analysis stuff I am going to try to impart to you the allure of an older man who isn’t a creep.

4.1) They’re wise and confident. They can offer help nobody your age can.

4.2) They stay calmer under pressure. An island of serenity.

4.3) When they get mad they usually get shit done. Way less drama. Fukuzawa may be a slight exception because of his former boyfriends but he has done his best to kill them both himself so I stand by the statement.

4.4) They’re still very human. Fukuzawa specifically gets passionate and loses himself in emotion when he’s worried or afraid, but it takes a lot to crack his exterior chill. It’s extremely hot when you get a reaction you had to work for.

5) Fukuzawa is about the most dependable husband-type we have in BSD.

He built up a whole agency to support his and Ranpo’s life together (a lifestyle they both wanted to continue, as mentioned in 4th anime opening Shirushi) despite initially being bad at 90% of the skills required.

(Rough Shirushi lyrics in question below)

Fukuzawa's described as "afraid of strangers" and thinks to himself how everything about leading a company is something he could never do in Origins,

and then we see him 12 years later and he's worked really hard to be able to do it. We get all these hints about how connected he is now

and we see how good he is at leading the ADA but there are times when it's clear it's something he adopted and not what he was born for, like when Mori started asking about strategy books and he'd only read the most common one, or how he plays Go but was reading a book about the rules in one of the official arts set in present day.

Of course, Tsun Tzu isn't exactly light reading, but I don't think Asagiri would make the character based on the most notable proponent of education in Japan be less well read than his opponent if it wasn't core to Fukuzawa's character in BSD. He's worked so hard to be what the ADA needs and wasn't/isn't a genius at it but still does well, and he basically switched careers on a whim at 33 to support Ranpo. Imagine if somebody did all that for you. If Ranpo wasn’t in love with him before I think that would be the killing blow.

6) Even if Fukuzawa’s not a genius, he’s able to understand and accept others more than any of the "normal" people in Yokohama.

He thought Ranpo was amazing when everyone else thought he was annoying (Fukuzawa also thought he was annoying of course, but the amazing part won out in the end). He experienced the full brunt of Ranpo’s observation and felt bad that he got upset over it when literally every other person who’d encountered Ranpo over the course of 2 years had been angry, shouted, and in the case of the Police Academy dorm head and presumably Ranpo's classmates, beat him for it.

We can guess from the agency members Fukuzawa employs that he’s a freak magnet and it’s probably because of this trait of his. I’d say he has ‘clear vision’ in that he’s able to see if someone is good or bad beyond societal norms even though he is aware of them himself.

Basically, Ranpo doesn’t like “common sense,” and while Fukuzawa is familiar enough with it to function normally in society, he’s one of very few like that who aren’t governed by it.

7) Fukuzawa is a genuinely good, kind person.

He listened to Ranpo more than anybody but his parents would, took him in when nobody else would. He refused to become a soldier, to go and kill other soldiers with no power over the outcome of the war, in order to assassinate the officials actually responsible for continuing the war.

I’d argue that Fukuchi was trying to follow in his footsteps with his grand war-stopping plan – that he felt Fukuzawa’s decision to kill the fewest possible people to end the war was correct. And Fukuzawa made personal sacrifices to do that, letting his best friend go to the front alone, not knowing if he’d live or die. Losing friends and losing the respect of those who did come back when he quit.

But even though there’s a good chance that what Fukuzawa did saved a lot of lives, and even though the people we're aware he killed were unquestionably evil, he still felt that his feelings at the time put him in the wrong. He was still horrified at what he was capable of and quit once all the officials who could restart the war were dead.

There aren’t many characters in BSD with that kind of moral fiber. Dazai’s not trying to repent in the ADA, he’s just there to do good because a friend said he should. Ranpo’s not a bad guy but he’s not exactly caring or in possession of a strong moral compass.

Atsushi’s obsession with doing good is so tightly wound into his own self-worth it’s almost involuntary, which takes away some of his agency in his actions. We know Tanizaki is willing to commit murder without fear, Kunikida was fine with letting Atsushi be kidnapped, and everyone in the Port Mafia is morally gray at best. Even the Special Operations Division is governed by a “needs of the many over the needs of the few” mentality.

Arguably the only other characters who even come close to this level of humanity are Oda and Chuuya, but Oda's not in this essay and even Chuuya doesn’t care as much about collateral damage. The only characters in the cannibalism arc who drew a line to stop their groups from killing each other and anybody who got too close were Fukuzawa and Mori, and Mori’s morality would require another essay. So I’d argue that in a series where many are great, Fukuzawa is a very rare good man.

As illustrated by his scene with Fukuchi and Teruko. Fukuchi is a great man willing to work himself to the bone and die for others, but he’s also willing to “curse” Fukuzawa, as Ranpo said in the finale, with the long-term burden of his plan, and to kill innocent people to make it all happen. Teruko is a great girl willing to carry out Fukuchi’s orders out of either devotion to him or to justice, but she’s willing to kill and frame a man she knows isn't a villain to do it. The ends justify the means.

(To be clear I think this makes her a great character, but not one whose allegiance is to simple good-ness.)

Fukuzawa isn’t willing to kill someone who isn’t evil. He WAS willing to kill his evil mad friend to save his other friends. We saw that when he first struck Fukuchi down, so it wasn’t the closeness of their relationship that stayed his hand after he understood Fukuchi’s plan. It was that he felt the ends did not justify the means.

Virtually every other character in this series would have done it, thus: Fukuzawa is a good man in a series full of great people.

And that is what I ultimately think made Ranpo attach himself to Fukuzawa and listen to him without question despite Fukuzawa being an idiot in comparison. Let's face it, Fukuzawa's a bit of a himbo. But Ranpo realized he could trust Fukuzawa to know right from wrong at the same time he realized he couldn't trust himself to know: when Fukuzawa shouted at him after his rescue in Origins.

Ranpo was in the process of doing exactly what all the other characters do: whatever it took to catch the bad guys/stop the bad thing from happening. He allowed himself to be kidnapped and accepted the risk that he might be shot in order to find the hideout of the men responsible for, so far, a murder and a kidnapping conspiracy with Very Bad implications for the peace in Japan (kidnapping Natsume is not something they would do JUST for a ransom).

Objectively, without considering the human element, this appears to be the correct choice. Ranpo being in temporary danger isn't a big deal when the grand scheme has such major red flags for national security. Many many more people were probably in danger, and we now know the group was somehow tied to Fyodor so yeah, he was on a Very Troubling Thread. But even without knowing Fyodor's connection it seems sort of brilliant and ideal.

The ends justify the means.

But Fukuzawa didn't see it that way. He didn't care about catching the bad guys, he didn't care about efficiency or Ranpo's plans or anything of the sort. He was the only guy in the city whose main focus was on the human element - on Ranpo. Fukuzawa presented a fundamentally different way of thinking that Ranpo and the majority of the cast just aren't capable of, and it's natural to him. And I think Ranpo understood that in a split second when Fukuzawa said he shouldn't put his life in danger and decided that even if Fukuzawa was essentially blind compared to him, Fukuzawa's decisions would always be better than his.

SO that's what I think Ranpo would like about Fukuzawa and what makes Fukuzawa attractive!! Also he's really sexy :D