#anti dark era dazai

[wiwiurikawa]

I'm reading dark era and at first I didn't mind dazai (only his op mind Games) but now I'm fucking pissed. Not only he abussed akutagawa(I know it was dificult situation but from oda words it seans like it wasn't the first time mistreating him) but also ruined his and oda friendship with ango(he was hurt I know but it wasn't personal atack on him. But he traets betreyal of mafia like he done it to piss of dazai. Which isn't true)

[pepper-steam-milkshake]

Every Instance of Dazai's Ability Being Used, and the Few Times it Doesn't Work

Because I really wanted to look into the logistics of Dazai's ability, I decided that I wanted to look through every source of media (barring BEAST) I could for when his ability has been used. This includes:

Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen (Light Novel)

STORMBRINGER (Light Novel)

DEAD APPLE (Light Novel, pre-manga)

Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era (Light Novel)

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam (Light Novel)

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga

DEAD APPLE (Light Novel)

55 Minutes (Light Novel)

This list does not include:

The Day I Picked Up Dazai

The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency (no instances)

BEAST (Did not use)

Any instances in the anime

Any instances with general descriptions ('a guy who used his ability to nullify', 'he used his ability', etc. Was looking for instances with explicit explanation/visuals of what he does)

Spoilers ahead for all the above, and the manga through Chapter 101. Read at your own discretion.

The First Time we See it Used (Chronologically) - Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen

The first instance that Dazai's ability is ever used is on Nakahara Chuuya in Phase.01, as written below.

(Dazai) placed a hand on Chuuya's neck. "Sorry, but gravity is no longer yours to control." Dazai's skill also activated when he touched his target. He had the power to halt and nullify all skills. It was the ultimate anti-skill, no exceptions.

Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen, Phase.01, Page 23

This is a classic example of Dazai's ability working traditionally, where he has direct skin-to-skin contact with Chuuya. Since Chuuya's ability is internal, as long Dazai touches him, he cannot use it.

Then, near the end of the novel, he uses his ability to nullify Arthur Rimbaud's ability against Nakahara Chuuya.

In (Dazai's) left hand was a piece of fabric: a garland he'd used as decoration for Chuuya's fake party. The long garland dragged along the ground, cleverly hidden in the shadows of floating debris. One end of the cloth was stuffed inside Chuuya's clothes. "I told Chuuya to pick up this garland when you destroyed the nearby building," Dazai said with a child-like grin. "Then I tied it to myself using my skill," Chuuya added with the scythe still piercing his arm. "I wrapped it around my entire body and made sure it was hidden underneath my clothes." "After that, I simply touched the other end." Dazai held up the cloth. "Want to guess what happened then?" "The skill affecting the cloth you touched... was nullified."

Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen, Phase.04, Page 115

For that instance, instead of physical contact with the ability user, Dazai extended his ability across an object to Chuuya. This made the object nullified against Rimbaud's ability, forming a shield of sorts to block his skill from attacking further.

The First Time it's Used On a Singularity - STORMBRINGER

NOTE: I own a copy of STORMBRINGER, but at the time of making this post, I was loaning it out to a friend. With that said, I used a translation that I have read previously. If you wish to locate it, go to bsd-bibliophile's Tumblr and search from there. I don't want to directly link it for obvious reasons.

Dazai's ability is seen twice in STORMBRINGER. The first instance is near the beginning of it, as written in the translation below.

(Dazai) casually grabbed Chuuya's arm and lifted it up. At that moment, the abnormal gravitational field that surrounded them immediately disappeared, along with the insufferable pain Chuuya had felt.

STORMBRINGER, [CODE ; 01]

Like before, we have yet another example of Dazai using direct skin-to-skin contact to nullify. However, in this instance, it is used to nullify a partial singularity, as Corruption has not been fully unleashed here. (At least, that is how I am interpreting it.)

Then, near the end of STORMBRINGER:

Chuuya limply drifted in the air for several seconds before the black wings on his back slowly lowered him. Dazai caught his body. The minute he touched his body, Dazai's ability nullification activated. The self-contradictory singularity energy that sustained him retracted in on itself as the singularity's power outlet decreased. He eventually returned to normal and his gate closed. The red marks plaguing Chuuya's body pulled away. The field of gravity disappeared and the stillness of night was restored.

STORMBRINGER, [CODE ; 04]

Yet again, nullification through direct skin contact. This instance doesn't provide an exact idea of where they touched, but it's reasonable to assume he touched Chuuya on his back or something.

This is the first time Dazai's ability has been used related to a singularity.

Singularity Time - DEAD APPLE Prologue

Dazai continues to use his ability to nullify Chuuya's singularity as seen in the prologue of DEAD APPLE. Though this is not shown in the light novel or in the movie, it can be seen in the manga, as shown here:

DEAD APPLE Manga, Volume 3, Chapter 10

Dazai touches Chuuya's face to nullify corruption.

Other Instances Before Dazai Joins the ADA - The Heartless Cur and BSD Manga Chapter 12

The Heartless Cur is a short story provided in the sixth volume of the Bungou Stray Dogs Manga, which tells of how Akutagawa and Dazai first met. Akutagawa attempts to use his ability on Dazai as written below:

Akutagawa turned his own sleeve into a wide blade, and thrust it into the boy's neck without a shred of hesitation. "Not bad," Dazai said, quietly. Akutagawa was stunned. He was sure the boy should have died. However, Akutagawa's blade had vanished like mist right where it would have touched the boy's neck.

The Heartless Cur, Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #6

Then, a flashback is shown from when Dazai was mentoring Akutagawa. During that, Akutagawa attempts to use his ability against him.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #3, Chapter 12

As seen here, Dazai directly touches Rashoumon with his hand, nullifying the ability upon contact.

Dazai Gets Tested and Tests Others - Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam

Dazai gets to use his ability a whopping four times in this Light Novel, which can also be seen in the remarkably inaccurate two-episode Azure Apostle arc in the anime.

It's used twice on Kunikida in a short period of time, as shown below:

The bullet tears through the air until it hits (Dazai) right between the eyes.

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 127

I take the pistol I shot earlier and toss it at Dazai. He catches it, and almost instantly, it transforms back into a piece of notebook paper in his hands.

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 129

Since the bullets were also created using my skill, they were nullified and vaporized by Dazai's own skill on contact.

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 130

Again, direct contact with Dazai's skin gets rid of the bullets, vaporizing them, while turning Kunikida's pistol back to its original state. This is interesting to me in how Dazai's ability impacts them differently. Because the bullets were created with the pistol, the bullets vanished. However, when Dazai touched the pistol, it reverted back to notebook paper with whatever Kunikida wrote on it.

This is also the second instance where Dazai touches an object and uses his ability on it.

Then, his ability is used twice on the numbers terrorist.

"Why...?! Why won't any numbers appear?! I can't accelerate, either! Why, why, why is this happening?!" "You should've done your homework. Skills don't work on me."

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 150

What I find interesting about this is that he isn't touching an object or the ability user here. I'm assuming that since it would require to impact Dazai's skin, that is where the nullification occurred. If the ability didn't show up on his skin, would it still have been nullified? We shall never know.

However, him nullifying the ability against himself does not nullify it against anyone else. This is further encouraged by the below:

Dazai's right fist connects with the young man's face, spinning him a full 180 degrees.

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 150

(Kunikida's POV) Then I look at my body to find that the numbers have vanished. Dazai must have defeated that skill user.

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Page 151

It appears that if Dazai wants to end an ability user's ability on everyone at that moment, he has to touch that ability user physically. So, to be clear, Dazai's skin can nullify the effect of an ability on himself. Dazai touching skin-to-skin with an active ability user nullifies the effect of their ability on everyone.

Examples We See in the Present - Bungou Stray Dogs Manga

Dazai uses his ability quite a few times at the beginning of the series, but it begins to be many more chapters between once we finish with the Guild Arc. It goes from less than twenty to twenty, then, fifty. The last time (as of posting this) that Dazai has used his ability was in Chapter 101. Make of that what you will.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #1, Chapter 1

Direct skin-to-skin contact. Atsushi returns to his original human form.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #1, Chapter 4

ATSUSHI - Direct skin-to-skin contact. Atsushi returns to his original human form.

AKUTAGAWA - Skin-to-ability-infused-object contact. Rashoumon vanishes.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #3, Chapter 9

Skin-to-ability-infused-object contact. Rashoumon vanishes after cutting through Dazai's bandages to his neck.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #7, Chapter 25

Skin-to-ability-infused-object contact. Q's doll disintegrates, and the ability deactivates against Atsushi.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #7, Chapter 29

Skin-to-ability-infused-object contact. Q's doll disintegrates, and everyone affected by the ability is released from it.

Note: Touching those affected by the ability would not nullify its impact on them. He would actively have to touch the catalyst of the ability (the doll) or Q themself.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #8, Chapter 30

Skin-to-skin contact. Because Steinbeck's vines are in the middle of being created and used by him, Dazai touching him on the neck nullifies them and causes them to disintegrate.

I explain this because there is an instance in the future where Dazai touches Steinbeck's vines and they don't disintegrate, which I will attempt to explain.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #8, Chapter 31

Skin-to-skin contact. Dazai nullifies Chuuya's Corruption.

We Will Now Take a Break From Our Scheduled Programming - DEAD APPLE

Dazai uses his ability three times during DEAD APPLE.

The moment his fingers touched the crystals, their hard gem-like surfaces cracked, and they melted away. Drip. Trails of light suddenly transformed into a liquid-like blood, swirling around and mixing together in the air. The two lights melted into one and spun until they formed a single sphere.

DEAD APPLE, Interlude-3, Page 126

In this, he is touching Shibusawa's ability-infused objects. At least, that is how I'm interpreting it. It doesn't change the fact that the users behind them are dead, but it means they are no longer being contained.

Then, in a classic instance that I'm sure everyone will recognize:

The viscous liquid slid down Dazai's throat until eventually, long, slender fingers touched Chuuya's ghastly, corrupted face. When they made contact, it instantly nullified his skill.

DEAD APPLE, 5-4, Page 154

Skin-to-skin.

The next instance, however, is considerably interesting to me.

"Get off me," he demanded, but Dazai kept him still. "Don't move." "The hell?" Chuuya grimaced as Dazai held his head down. While glancing around, Dazai admitted, "Looks like the fog hasn't completely cleared yet, and I'd rather not have to protect you from your skill right now."

DEAD APPLE, 5-4, Page 155

By maintaining skin-to-skin contact with Chuuya, Dazai prevents Shibusawa's ability (the fog) from affecting Chuuya. Since Chuuya's ability is nullified, there is none to steal in that moment.

And Back to the Manga! - Bungou Stray Dogs Manga

This instance is not a very explicit one, but it is heavily implied that he is using his ability in this moment.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #12, Chapter 51

As per usual, skin-to-skin with Atsushi, and skin-to-ability-infused-object with Akutagawa (well, potential, as it's not active at that moment).

The next instance is in Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #22, Chapter 101. There's no specific panel or image of how exactly it works, because it's not tangible.

To be clear, Dazai nullifies the cat burglar's time control ability's effect on him. The reason for this is assuming that if it affects a certain amount of space (as stated, a few kilometers within her radius), it is technically tangible, and therefore can be viewed as touching everyone within that space. If it touches Dazai's skin, it won't impact him.

I had to think about this a lot more than I thought I would. Initially, I thought, 'it has no corporeal form or anything, it's not as if he's touching her... there's no rational explanation for why he can nullify it.' This thought was further encouraged by the fact that Fukuchi turned back time repeatedly, and Dazai couldn't have been not impacted by that.

Then, I realized that Asagiri specifically stated that there is a limited space in which her ability can take effect. By giving it a spatial limit, it is implied that it has to make some sort of barely visible contact to freeze everyone in time, as it doesn't do that for everyone else.

Asagiri, you clever son of a bitch. For fuck's sake.

These are all the instances where Dazai's ability has been successfully used. However, there are times where it fails to work. I want to explore those moments and explain why. Some are more self-explanatory than others.

He's Only Human - Dazai's Entrance Exam, BSD Manga, and 55 Minutes

There are six different points where Dazai's ability doesn't activate. I think it's important to look at them, because it shows exceptions to his ability.

The first instance is in Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam. You're going to laugh at me for putting this example in, but I feel it is necessary.

"Heh-heh. What surprised me the most was the fact that Ranpo's 'skill' isn't actually a skill at all." ...Huh? "Don't be ridiculous. As if someone without a skill could really do something like that." "That's what makes it so amazing! Listen to this. When Ranpo was thinking, I sneaked up behind him and pinched some of his hair."

Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, Chapter 3, Pages 110-111

It goes without saying, but Dazai's ability can't impact an ability that doesn't exist. Ranpo's Super Deduction is imaginary, and thus, Dazai can't nullify it.

Next is a few instances in the manga.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #2, Chapter 7

Because Kyouka purposefully does not touch Dazai's skin, she could activate her ability, Demon Snow. Now, could it be said that theoretically, Dazai could've blocked this by extending his ability to his coat? Maybe. Considering previous examples, it's fair to say that if Dazai didn't want to get abducted here? He probably could've avoided it easily. Just some food for thought.

There's no visual of it in the manga, but I brought this up earlier. In Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #8, Chapter 31, Dazai and Chuuya go to rescue Q. They are entrapped by Steinbeck's roots, and Dazai has to cut them out of it. Please keep in mind that when I say this, this is based off theory alone and no direct proof, panel, animation-wise or otherwise. I believe that when Dazai is cutting Q out of the roots, odds are, he probably brushes against them with his knife-holding hand a little. Since these roots were all created together, wouldn't it be reasonable to think that they would disintegrate under Dazai's touch? Which brings up another point: why wouldn't Dazai just touch the roots if that was the case? That would be far easier than cutting them all away, unless he's intentionally trying to annoy Chuuya (which is incredibly possible but time-consuming). This makes me think that Dazai's ability can stop ability-created objects if they are still actively being made or used by the ability user, but if they are no longer attached to the user (activity-wise) and were not created from an object (like Doppo Poet or Dogra Magra for example), they remain existing.

Anyways. Sorry about the rant. Back to actual examples.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #8, Chapter 31

As Dazai will clearly state himself after recovering from this, Lovecraft's tentacles are not an ability. If it's not related to an ability, he can do nothing against it.

Then, we have 55 Minutes, which introduces this fascinating tidbit:

(Wells) "Skills that nullify other skills will not activate if the user is dead. In other words, Dazai--or rather, his body--won't be nullifying any skills since his heart has stopped."

55 Minutes, Page 186

First, when Dazai's heart came to a stop, the blood supply to the brain would cease, and Dazai would die. When this happened, his skill would cease to exist, and other skills would start working on him again. Therefore, his wounds needed to be swiftly treated, and he'd need immediate resuscitation afterward--even the kind of resuscitation they perform at any ordinary hospital through electric stimulation. And if that worked, Dazai would going from being "dead" to being "on the brink of death." After that, Yosano could use her skill to completely heal his wounds. In other words, it should be possible to heal Dazai as long as he was on the brink of death.

55 Minutes, Page 186-187

Yeah, so if he's dead-ish? Abilities will work on him. Albeit, it's a very, very short time-frame, but it does in fact exist.

Bungou Stray Dogs Manga #21, Chapter 95

In this panel, Nikolai uses his ability, The Overcoat, on Dazai. This shows that yet again, as long as the ability does not touch him directly skin-to-skin, it will work as intended.

SUMMARY

Dazai's ability can be used against anyone or anything that he can touch. Examples being:

Ability users he is touching skin-to-skin with

Objects he is actively touching and willing his ability into

Abilities that are infused into external objects (ex: Rashoumon in Akutagawa's jacket, a gun created from a sheet of paper in Kunikida's notebook)

Abilities that would have direct contact with his skin (ex: the numbers skill from Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam)

Dazai's ability cannot affect:

Skill users he is not touching skin-to-skin (ex: Kyouka grabbing his jacket when abducting him so she can continue using Demon Snow)

Objects that are no longer actively a part of an ability (ex: Steinbeck's vines on Q) [ASSUMPTION]

Not abilities (Ranpo, Lovecraft)

Abilities he is not touching with his skin (ex: Nikolai's ability)

Abilities when his heart isn't beating/he's dead

So. Do with this information what you will.

Also, for shits and giggles, here's a running tally of how many times his ability has been used on an individual, and who it has failed to impact.

SUCCESSFUL NULLIFICATION

Nakahara Chuuya: six

Akutagawa Ryuunosuke: five (one time implied)

Nakajima Atsushi: three (one time implied)

Kunikida Doppo: two

Numbers Guy from DOEE: two

Q: two

Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: two

John Steinbeck: one

Arthur Rimbaud: one

Cat Burglar: at least once

FAILED NULLIFICATION

Edogawa Ranpo

Izumi Kyouka

John Steinbeck [ASSUMPTION]

Lovecraft

Yosano Akiko

Nikolai Gogol

[bluemooniegif]

Sorry if you have already talked about this but do you think Dazai’s bandages are to cover sh scars or something like that or something else like a traumatic injury. I have always assumed it was sh but my friend pointed out that he has said repeatedly he doesn’t like pain. Idk but thoughts would be appreciated :)

I have definitely talked about this before, but I forgot where or when, so let's go for round two!

CW for Dazai-typical suicide & self harm mentions

The fact that Dazai's bandages are such an obvious part of his character design, yet are rarely discussed, is absolutely intentional. As far as I remember, they're never even mentioned in the anime (except for moments such as when Chuuya calls him a walking waste of bandages), so it makes a lot of sense for everyone to be curious about what lies underneath.

Most people's minds go directly to self-harm scars, because duh, Osamu Dazai is the poster boy for mental illness. But then we think, wait... he doesn't like pain? He bitches and moans about it so much, in fact, that it casts a lot of doubt over the idea, and we end up back at square one.

Could it be because of No Longer Human? So he doesn't accidentally touch someone and activate his ability? This is honestly one of my favourite headcanons ever, and very plausible, considering that we don't actually know all that much about how NLH works... like why is it that Dazai can't control when it activates, for example? Everyone else can activate and subdue theirs, so it's got to have something to do with the fact that NLH is an anti-ability.

ANYWAY. Despite all this, there is actually an explanation of what he's hiding under there! It exists within the first few pages of Dark Era, but wasn't included in the anime adaptation. It's such an offhanded, throwaway thing, I don't blame people for missing it (side note: I wanna take the opportunity to remind you that Dark Era is mostly written from Oda's perspective!)

So yes, this is solid proof that there are scars he's hiding under there, but the question then becomes how he got them. We get a few examples on the following page:

Now, this is so ridiculous it's funny, and teetering on the edge of impracticality. If you've read No Longer Human, you'll immediately recognise this as clowning- Dazai is purposefully acting this way to detract from the seriousness of the situation. While yes, he's talking about serious injuries, and even admits to trying to kill himself, he does it in such a way that you just want to laugh.

So can we take these claims seriously? Is Dazai telling the full truth? There's no way for us to know, at this stage. But here are our options:

He is telling the truth, nothing more or less

He's partially telling the truth: owning up to the injuries, but not exactly how he got them

He's lying about the injuries and how he got them

Honestly, I think we can write off the third option, because the way Oda talks about his scars in the beginning makes me think he's perhaps seen some of them before. This makes sense when we consider The Day I Picked Up Dazai, in particular.

There's also something to be said about the nature of Dazai's job; I think it'd be remis of me not to mention it when Oda does. How much is he actually expected to put himself in harm's way? How much unnecessary danger does he put himself in- how much of this is actually self-harm? We may never know, but it's interesting to think about!

[starlostlix]

SPOILERS for the Dark Era LN because i'm slightly rambling about stuff they missed.

Finished the Dark Era light novel a few days back and why did the anime choose to omit the fact that Mori was the one who orchestrated the whole Mimic Mafia and Special Division conflict, and was the one who tipped Mimic off with the location of Oda's orphan children?... Because that's kind of important since it's the REASON WHY THE ENTIRE PLOT OCCURS.

There's so much more depth here with the reason for Dazai leaving the Mafia. Mori's decision to sacrifice Oda and the orphans in the pursuit of a Skilled Business Permit and him trying to find a reason to live in amongst death and chaos of the Port Mafia turning into trying to save people as a reason to live. The whole conversation Dazai and Mori have adds so much to their characterisation and it makes us able to understand the key differences between the two - and why Dazai could never in this universe be Mori's successor. It shows Mori to be very cruel and calculated in the pursuit of benefiting the Mafia where he trades human lives for those benefits, something which in this case Dazai doesn't agree with because Oda is his friend and matters more to him. Dazai's friendship with Oda (and Ango) is an example of genuine human empathy and connection that transcends the roles they are boxed into, which in part makes him in this universe unable to continue with the practices the Mafia utilises. This is especially interesting in comparison to Beast - where B!Oda is not in the PM and therefore B!Dazai never makes this friendship and also never gets told to be on the side that saves people, and without this realisation he is moulded into the next PM boss (or something like that).

We also lose so much of Dazai's emotionality in the anime, which portrays him in a very monotonous emotional state in comparison. I mean think about Oda's description of Dazai's face when the Mimic soldier has the gun to his head - his expression being that of an upset child or something on those lines. Those little details are really important for him and for the reader understanding Dazai (at least to me.)

Also some of the scenes change the literal setting - like before Oda's orphans blow up there's a literal CAR CHASE in the book with Oda literally jumping onto vehicles. Insane stuff I only wish I could have seen animated.

The conversations Oda had with Gide too, which actually helps understand WHY Mimic do what they do to some extent. They're actually really interesting (also yet another example of BSD's anti war messaging which I may eventually have to do an analysis on because it's really intriguing) and I found it really cool that we actually got some backstory for them.

And the Ango details. Just the stuff about how he ended up in the Mafia (which was eventually revealed to be orchestrated by the Special Division) shows how truly capable he is and yet we kind of don't get to see that at all?

Sometimes I think the anime adaptation is like just fine or something but then I read these LNs and see how much they just didn't include that is genuinely so important to either the plot or the characterisation of people in these stories. So then I'm just annoyed.

[sorcerersandskillusers]

Reblog with your favourite sinister Dazai moments.

Here's a really underrated one from The Dark Era light novel.

“It’s best to get rid of subordinates who are causing problems because of drugs,” Dazai suddenly says, providing no context.

“Drugs?” The colour drains from Hirotsu’s face. “No, no one touches that stuff. The subordinates as well… my subordinates are exemplary as well…”

“The gun holstered at your waist,” Dazai points to Hirotsu.

Hirotsu quickly moves to cover the gun out of reflex.

“Hirotsu-san doesn’t have the habit of carrying a gun, huh. Moreover, you’re a very cautious person when it comes to weapons, you wouldn’t randomly stick it on your belt. Which means that this is neither yours nor goods. Considering the condition that it’s been kept in, this should be your subordinate’s. Am I right?”

Hirotsu doesn’t reply. Dazai continues, “Hirotsu-san, as a commander of a hundred, you have at least 20 or so subordinates under you. Was this gun borrowed from your subordinate. Unlikely. At this early hour, there aren’t cases that require the use of guns. This gun was confiscated. The evidence would be the white powder and blood stains left on the handle. But there are no traces of these on Hirotsu-san’s clothes. But there are heavy eyebags under your eyes. From this, we can infer that your subordinates were involved in some drug disputes. Last night, you caught them and confiscated their weapons because you didn’t know what they’d done.”

“That is—“ Hirotsu’s voice goes hoarse as he tries to explain, but Dazai interrupts him.

“Hirotsu-san, your subordinates violated the mafia’s regulations. The drug industry may reap great benefits, but it’ll only attract trouble. The Special Ability Department, narcotics bureau, and the military police’s anti-organization surveillance committee will be lying in wait for us to make a blunder, using this excuse to report us to the government. It’s not enough to just confiscate their weapons.”

“But…”

“Hirotsu-san. Although I don’t quite understand your reasons, executives are put up there for a reason. Once you become an executive, even if you don’t like it, you’ll have subordinates beneath you. Using these useless idiots to succeed isn’t my thing. I dispose any good-for-nothings. You should take care of them.”

“…Extremely sorry,” Hirotsu chokes out the words.

In the world of the mafia, “take care of” is synonymous with a death sentence. If one does not obey the orders of executives and higher ups, they will find themselves to be viewed as traitors and meet a similar fate.

Hirotsu does not respond after he admits his mistake. Dazai’s gaze is icy cold. Time passes in frigid silence.

“…I’m scaring you! I’m just joking!” Dazai suddenly bursts out merrily.

Hirotsu looks at him in confusion.

“It’s precisely because Hirotsu-san wouldn’t easily get rid of his subordinates that so many people follow him. I’m leaving this to you. I’ll keep it from the leader,” he laughs as he walks over, patting Hirotsu’s shoulder.

Hirotsu nods his head, stunned. Unconsciously, he brings his hand to touch his throat which has gone stiff.

As the youngest executive in mafia history, Dazai is a living legend. The truth cannot slip past Dazai’s eyes. This applies to both outside and within the mafia.

Another important point: No one can tell what Dazai fancies or detests, what he will approve of or denounce. Not even Hirotsu, a veteran of the mafia for over ten years.

Right now, it would not come as a surprise if Dazai chose to “take care” of Hirotsu.

TLDR: Dazai points out that Hirotsu is covering for one of his subordinates, and indirectly threatens to kill Hirotsu if he doesn't kill the subordinate he's protecting first. Dazai says he's just joking, but everyone there knows he could and would do it if he felt like it.

[harley-joking]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from BSD? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hi! I don't mind, you can ask away :D!

Top fav. Bsd! and why I loved them.

... that's a hard one...

Dazai. I think he is such an interesting character. Former villian turned hero. Has been a master (dad) to two students already, only being 22 years. Sort of Anti hero. Loved his feral self in PM days. Soukoku. Idk I like Dazai.

Chuuya. He so pretty. He so powerfull. He so kind. He so cute. Also soukoku. Plus you know always he does something, its so cool. The man saves the day, and Dazai as jobdescription.

Yosano-sensei. I still have not recovered from the 'virtue' thing. Yosano is sooo, amazing. She deserves the world.

Akutagawa. I still can't believe how Dazai could be such a menace to such a cinnamon roll. Akutagawa also deserves the world. He makes me proud. He is always Atsushi's gay answer.

Special mention to: Fyodor-kun. Mori-sensei. 4 hunting dogs (just no Fukuuchi).💙

Moments!

The first time Atsushi worked with Akutagawa/ Guild Arc. Well, their relationship growth, all in all.

Anything soukoku. Fav soukoku moment: dead apple.

Yosano's past.

Mori/fukuzawa divorce. And that joint punch in cannibal arc.

The dark era.

[lnkedmyheart]

I've noticed that the whole sudden increase in the anti chuuya sentiment started recently with the release of the official translation of 15 and then later with all the additional scenes from DHC, DA manga, 15 getting a manga, and stormbringer reinforcing a lot of Dazai's weird obsession with Chuuya.

Like it was particularly bad but limited during the 15 ln confession scene where people were incredibly angry and almost vile about people bringing up that line calling it a mistranslation or deluded shipper goggles. But then it showed up in the official translation and I guess that was it.

Cause I dont think I have ever seen this much vitriol aimed at Chuuya before sb. Its like the moment Chuuya started getting screentime in supplementary material he became a major threat to other ships cause people could no longer fully rely on the whole 'skk despise each other and shippers are delusional' shtick. Why else would everyone treat dark era and beast as a canon source on Dazai's feelings and insistently gaslight the fandom into viewing stormbringer, 15, dead apple, dragon head incident etc as not canon? Skk shippers celebrating that the 15 hand hold, sb impossible choice scene and da snow white scene were made canon through addition in the manga was just sad when nobody ever questions any of the events from the non skk focused light novels. Like thats literally their backstory. Its not even a ship thing, it just proves that Dazai cared about Chuuya in his own messy way.

But somehow its not even just that, people claim to have gotten sick of seeing Chuuya when Chuuya has practically been absent for years and currently hasn't spoken a word since his reappearance but there has been a shocking spike in anti Chuuya sentiment for some reason.

Like I like the guy, I think he's cool and all and I am primarily a Dazai stan and so am never lacking in content but there is literally nothing wrong with chuuya stans or skk shippers who wanna see more of his interactions. It gets frustrating that people can't let fans of a character even hope to see their fave in the future without making ableist comments about their mental capacity or feel the need to actively water down any and all of Chuuya's value in Dazai's life and vice versa. I get that you have headcanons but those do not make them canon events. You cant just sit there like a clown denying canon material and author's comments about chuuya in relation to dazai just cause you hate the ship while pretending to make up theories about your own ship. Get over it, leave chuuya fans alone. They have literally done nothing to deserve this level of vile treatment.

[yarrayora]

tags by @homura-did-fucking-nothing-wrong

#for fucking real #first of all for an anti authoritarianism and anti war story its really frustrating how every one keeps saying that keeping the status quo #is the ultimate goal and The Good Thing To Do and worst of all is said by vicitms of the same status quo #dazai says my time during soukoku was bad and i dont want it to happen again and still all of his plans revolve around making a new skk #bc what else can we do again the greater evil

#like listen i enjoy the nuance of 'yes port mafia is bad but its a manageable bad that we have to tolerate bc otherwise itd be chaos' #but are u really going to continue the story without ever making anyone QUESTION that WHY should there be a skk and WHY should I be in it #but no this is all part of dazais dastardly plan #he saw it all even since he tried to kill himself in the river #he knew the man tiger would save him and that he would be a good fit for akutagawa #what a load of bullshit

#i need people (and by people i mean atsushi) to fucking confront him about this #like yeah this relationship between akutagawa and atsushi is kind of the trigger for their character development (KIND OF) #and its a much needed development for akutagawa and we are seeing his growth

#but then we have the most stagnant character ever whos a deus ex machina who just happens to know everything all the time #he can do no wrong so his abuse was actually right #he can do no wrong so atsushi can never confront him for fucking using him as a pawn #he can do no wrong so what if he did all the shitty stuff mori did to him in dark era but since hes on the good side then hes doing good #hes doing good guys dont worry!!! manipulation is good as long as it is done for the sake of [enter the newest excuse]

#im like #kind of getting tired of this story line ngl

i knooow ive been a Hater(TM) lately but it's so frustrating that dazai keeps winning and that the only time he has been allowed to be "wrong", to face the consequences of still following the same tried and true method of mind games he developed within the mafia was when odasaku died, years before canon timeline started

but now here he is again, playing mind games by using his coworkers-slash-friends that he trusts as pawns on his chessboard against fyodor. and it's not like i don't understand why he still does that! not everyone in the detective group is a good liar. in fact, it's pretty obvious that ranpo is the only one who can intellectually compete with dazai. this is the safest choice to make. but that's not what matters, really

what matters is that the fact that the method he learned from his dark era always work out in the end, he feels no need to change himself, believing that it doesn't matter that he can't become a good person, as long as he keeps the good people around him safe

dazai cannot lose the same way mori's fight with fukuzawa will always end up in a draw. the status quo must be maintained. yokohama must not go beyond the trifecta agreement built to keep the balance between factions. mori will stay as a necessary evil

and so here are mori's hands on dazai's shoulders, and dazai's hands on atsushi's shoulder, and the echoing, self-righteous sentiment of "this is for your own good" trailing behind the protagonist, proving the headmaster's mindset correct

[chouetteffraie]

About BSD S3

Alternative title: Kenna talks about stuff literally nobody asked her to <3

So now that s3 is over and I’ve had a few days to breathe, I think I wanna say a thing or two about the season overall. Now, I’m not a meta writer, I’m not a person who can go in over analyzing everything perfectly- quite simply, I don’t have the brainpower to do that for too long. So rather than this being an analysis of everything and an objective evaluation of the quality of the season, this is largely an emotional response where I just talk about my experience with it. I’m not a critic- I don’t think I have that in my blood. I watch to enjoy, then reflect on what I did and didn’t enjoy, taking snippets and twisting them into something that might become deep and meaningful occasionally if it suits my writing. There’s nothing wrong with being a critical analyzer! We need you all in the fandom for all these fabulous metas and such <3 I just don’t think I’m the right gal for the job.

“So, Kenna, what is it you have to say?” Well, in the simplest of terms,

I really liked season 3.

“...wow. Groundbreaking.”

Now, let me explain myself. There are problems with season 3, as there are with most seasons, but I feel, overall, there were enough things that I liked about season 3 to keep the season in my favor.

I think my biggest criticism would have to be with pacing. The pacing  in this season was so off for me and can be described as sporadic at best. From backstories to character introductions to character re-introductions, there was so much that went by in a blur and so much that seemed to go on forever. My biggest complaint probably has to do with (yup, you guessed it) the adaptation of Fifteen.

Let me explain.

First of all, I think the complaints that Bones used Soukoku as ship bait have a sturdy foundation, and I’m not here to dispute that. As a Dazatsu main myself, I’m not gonna complain about loving scenes with your favorite ship in them- I would absolutely die if next season (hopefully there is a next season!) we got a three-episode plot revolving around Dazai and Atsushi. However, I just don’t think it fit in nicely with the rest of the series.

After all, it’s kind of unfortunate that we got 3 episodes of Soukoku’s backstory, and yet our protagonist only got 1/3 of an episode.

Maybe Fifteen would’ve stood better as an OVA, or maybe if it could’ve been shaved down to two episodes. Maybe if BSD had been given three more episodes for genuine content, things would’ve been better. I don’t know how possible any of these things would’ve been, but they’re ideas. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Fifteen overall. But I remember thinking that it seemed so out of place when I knew the chaotic arc that was coming. 

I’m not an avid manga reader, but I know enough to be able to say that the BSD manga has a lot of content, a lot of nuance, and a lot of personality. The manga is the source material and what got people so invested in the story. If there wasn’t an interest in the manga, would there even have been an anime adaptation? What I’m saying here is that staying true to the manga is a good rule of thumb, and while of course you won’t be able to translate everything into animation, it’s probably best to try and be as similar as possible with a story like BSD.

Manga readers ate up the story of BSD without being interrupted by Fifteen, because as far as I’m aware, Fifteen is fairly new? (Didn’t it come out around Dead Apple time? I’m not entirely sure, but it might’ve been.) And, unlike The Dark Era, the events of Fifteen didn’t have nearly as much of an impact on Dazai (that would later impact our protagonist- after all, how could he mentor Atsu if he never quit the mafia?). Fifteen was more Chuuya-centric in terms of future impact, which brings me to my next point.

Chuuya is a side character. I love him, honestly, and think he’s a great character, but he isn’t our main focus. This seems to be a problem that Bones has a lot: “forgetting” who their protagonist is. 

I can defend The Dark Era because of how it explains Dazai’s connection with the mafia and why he switched sides. Dazai is easier to get away with focusing on because he is a primary character, although not the protagonist, and probably has some of the most influence on our true protagonist out of all the characters we know. Chuuya....doesn’t. At least, not yet. His backstory, while interesting and fun to see, is inconsequential to where our protagonist is at right now in the story. In fact, I’m not even sure if Atsushi and Chuuya have interacted in the anime aside from that standoff in the hospital hallway- and even then, that was an illusion. While Fifteen gave us a glimpse to Dazai’s life in the mafia, it didn’t give us anything we didn’t already know other than how he met Chuuya, and how he met Chuuya didn’t impact his relationship much with him or explain why he hates him so much- they just kind of always did. (what would you call that? Anti-chemistry?) That means it also didn’t really impact the major decisions Dazai had to make to get to where he was when he found Atsushi- which is when he began to matter, because that’s when he started influencing the world of the protagonist who is supposed to drive our experience through the narrative.

Please note, this isn’t a hate on Soukoku, and if you like Fifteen, or thought it fit, or just liked it because it gave you such good SKK content, I’m happy for you! This is just a personal grudge I have with the series.

This is why Fifteen would’ve stood better as an OVA- it doesn’t have anything to do with the protagonist. A core purpose of the protagonist in any story is to make the narrative relevant. The events of a story are connected because they pertain to the protagonist. Let’s take the Hunger Games as an example. The events of the actual game don’t relate at all to the death of the Everdeen father, or the fact that Primrose Everdeen was selected, or the fact that a certain Everdeen was given a pin of a mockingjay. These are all important because they relate to our protagonist, Katniss. Her father dying made her have to step up inthe household and feel responsible for her mother and sister’s safety, which helped prompt her to volunteer as tribute. Her pin later became the symbol of a revolution, but only because it was hers. If our protagonist had been Peeta, Katniss’ backstory with her father and mother and sister wouldn’t matter to us because it wouldn’t be our protagonist’s concern.

So, why, then, did we get 3 episodes of Chuuya’s backstory and 10 minutes (not even) of Atsushi’s? Hell, we got more of Kyouka’s backstory than Atsushi’s, or at least a better buildup to it. We even got more content of Randou, a character they completely screwed up (and also didn’t really affect Atsushi). I know events are tied together and connected, but when trying to fit an arc like Cannibalism into 12 30-minute episodes, you’ve gotta decide what’s important and what’s not.

Bones, I feel, didn’t choose what was most important.

“Alright, Kenna, all you’ve done is complain. I thought you said you liked season 3?”

That’s the thing, though- I did.

I like the time they spent with Lucy and Kyouka’s hostile interactions. I liked the background they gave to certain characters (Gin, Kyouka, Atsu [even though we got so little], Katai [-ish]) plus we got more Fyodor content. Fitzgerald’s episode was really good, too! I’m a newly-fledged, softcore Fitzgerald stan. I think the last three episodes were pretty well put together, and I ADORED the final scene (no, not just for the Dazatsu content- although thank you for the food, Bones uwu).

Now, these are all little things, yeah, but I feel together they make up enough for Fifteen on my end. See, I’ve always thought BSD had pacing issues from season 1. It’s no news to me that they had trouble squeezing all the content in the episodes they were given, to be honest. If I separate Fifteen from the rest of the season, to me, it’s cardinal sin is pacing, and only pacing. The issues of Fifteen are plentiful, but it doesn’t seem fair to me (and for me, it’s more than ok if you disagree) to pile that all on to the rest of the episodes. Yeah, it was disappointing that we didn’t get as much Fyodor time, or Atsu backstory time, or whatever else we wanted. But to me, that’s okay. We still got the point of what’s going on- the city is in trouble, the worst is yet to come, and Atsushi and Akutagawa have a deal now.

Bungo Stray Dogs has always appealed to me because of its characters more than its story, I connected with the people, not the narrative. I still thoroughly enjoy the story, but I’m more interested in how the characters interact in general and how they operate as a team or in stressful situations. For that purpose, Bones provided. At least they did in my book, even if we didn’t get enough of who we wanted to see.

I have hope for next season, if there is one. I have hope that Bones will right their wrongs. I have hopes that they’ll fix their pacing a little bit. The manga has so much content to portray, though, that a certain pacing issue can be forgiven (like the ones I saw in s1 and s2.) And, because I love the characters, I’m willing to hold out for another potential season and see if they can fix it.

If you’re upset, you have every reason to be. But, though I have my complaints, I can’t say I’m too terribly disappointed. Maybe a little, but I still look forward to future content. I hope we get it soon, if at all.

(And, believe it or not, this is the shortened version of all my thoughts. Haha!)

[maria-chwan]

Dazai Osamu: “It may be harder to succeed at suicide, but to fail at attempted suicide should be easier!” - time to analyze

In “Bungou stray dogs: The Dark Era”- stage show the familiar suicide-fanatic Dazai Osamu presents next few sentences. (I’m analyzing the english subs from Youtube, not the original japanese sentences.)

“Success is harder than failure for many things in this world, right? And that’s why I shouldn’t place suicide as my goal, but rather attempted suicide! It may be harder to succeed at suicide, but to fail at attempted suicide should be easier! Am I right?” 

If you are interested, feel free to check the “short version” of the scene  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ynp2G6iuYM

The meaning behind Dazai’s explanation for why he prefers “attempted suicide” over just “suicide” unfolds for me like this. 

“It may be harder to succeed at suicide, but to fail at attempted suicide should be easier!” could mean the same as “If I want suicide because my existence in itself is the problem and thus me ending my existence would solve the problem, the failure would mean that I have nothing, but if I want suicide as one of the options to my life’s problems, the failure would mean that I still have a chance to try to solve the problem with other options.”

“Attempted suicide” still goes against Dazai’s existence, of course. However, if Dazai is able to see its concept as “as ONE of the possible solutions to problem”, it gives him a chance let go of that one option. The theory can be supported by thinking that when the word “attempt” is part of the deal, the whole thing sonds like “one thing he tried to do” and emphasizes the act of “doing something to get something”. 

“It may be harder to succeed at suicide” could mean that Dazai feels haunted by the thought of his suicide being possibly less valuable/worthless if he uses it as a solution to his problems, not as a solution to the problem called “existence”. After all, if we think that “success” is hard to gain, a total anti-life suicide would be to most valuable success, since it causes a great amount of mental discomfort for one to despise their own existence. 

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Other authors that can join BSD

Come on, with the amount of side characters in BSD, I think we can throw more in. You already know what I said about Raichou Hiratsuka (with accessibility, she can easily be added as Yosano’s former colleague or something). 

Here are some other authors, and while I won’t go as extensive as I did for Hiratsuka, I might include some reasons why. All of this is from Wikipedia because I’m a scrub.

Takiji Kobayashi - He writes proletarian literature meaning he wants to support the working class. He wrote a short novel called “Kanikosen” (Crab Cannery Ship) which tells a story about workers who revolt against the company and managers. The author died due to violent torture at age 29 by the Tokko Police.

Takuboku Ishikawa - He was a poet who was known for his tanka and modern-style poetry. He supports socialistic values and naturalism and was acquaintances with Yosano. His major works were two volumes of tanka poems “A Handful of Sand” and “Sad Toys” plus his diaries. 

Naoya Shiga - He was a novelist and short story writer. Okay, I know he married his cousin, but we can leave that part out. His works were praised by Akutagawa but other contemporaries including Dazai were critical of him. We already have some connections.

Takeo Arishima - BSD has a habit of making male authors female (Kyouka and Kouyou). Takeo is another good option since one of his most notable works is called “Aru Onna” (A Certain Woman) which is about a strong-willed woman struggling in a male-dominated society. Yes, he and his lover Akiko Hatano both worked in literature and committed suicide together. He was critical of Christianity and supported socialism and humanism.

Yone Noguchi - Also known as Yonejirou Noguchi, he was a writer of poetry, fiction, essays, and criticism. He was fluent in both English and Japanese. he did live in western society for years and had various romantic encounters. Personally, I think this is an opportunity to use him as a character that’s a spy between the Guild and the Port Mafia or Armed Detectives Agency. 

Ayako Sono��(and Shusaku Endo) - Both are Japanese Roman Catholics, but I find Sono far more interesting of the two (because there was more information on her). She was a hardcore conservative and can face off against Yosano since she believed that women had no right to work after giving birth or getting pregnant. She was racist and believed that South African people should live in a segregated zone. She had a best-seller that depicted domestic violence, but a lot of her works depicted normal life. She’d make a good antagonist.

Sawako Ariyoshi - She is far more modern than the rest, but she wrote about the racism within America (especially since she lived before and after WWII). She described relationships between mothers and daughters. I think she would offer a unique perspective, but I highly doubt them adding her since Japan seems to shy away from that dark side of their history (but what country doesn’t?)

Toyoko Yamasaki - I think she might be a little bit too modern to be considered though.

Kono Abe - This has a similar issue to the previous entry, but he has a connection to the universe already. He admired Dostoyevsky, Kafka, and Poe. He’s known for his surrealism and absurd fiction. That means it leaves a lot open for ability.

Ryotaro Shiba - He was known for his historical and detective fiction.

Juza Unno - He is credited for being one of the founding fathers of Japanese science fiction. A lot of his works were influenced by the defeat of WWII which he took as a hard blow. His scientific work was influenced by Tesla.

Chiyo Uno - Another woman ahead of her time, she was a writer and a kimono designer. She was a short story writer, serial writer, and magazine editor who was heavily influenced by American and European culture (like many in the 1920s). She wanted to be more than a wife and mother and became part of the “Bohemian world of Tokyo”. 

Masuji Ibuse - His history is interesting since he was a propaganda writer, but he was also a respected writer at the time. He was heavily impacted by the war and wrote a novel called Black Rain which was based on the historical records of the devastations caused by the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Again, they will probably shy away from WWII, but I thought Black Rain sounded like a cool name, and I don’t really like the idea of shying away from that part of history.

Jun Ishikawa - In real life, he had interests in many people of the BSD universe including the dark era trio (Oda, Dazai, and Ango), Mori, and Mishima who isn’t canon yet but is suspected to be joining eventually.

Fumiko Enchi - She was one of the most notable writers of the Showa period. 

Ayako Miura - She wrote a novel called Freezing Point which sounds like a cool ability. She respected Dazai and Natsume.

Miyamoto Yuriko - She had a different view of socialism and feminism. She was an anti-imperialist, wrote about working-class women, was imprisoned for her beliefs, and was even turned away by fellow feminists because her work was “too masculine”. 

Yasunari Kawabata - He was a naturalist who was the first Japanese author to win the Nobel Peace Prize in literature.

Murasaki Shikibu - She was a very early but a very prominent writer. She wrote the famous “The Tale of Genji”. She was instrumental in developing Japanese into a written language and is regarded as a classical writer.

W. W. Jacobs - One of these things is not like the other! I blame @awkward-akutagawa and their Twitter AU for making me want to make a character that can resurrect people and @awkward-oguri for providing the fuel for this (they have an OC with a similar ability). Known for his humorous writing, he was an English writer (which makes me question whether he’s elligible for the Guild. Maybe he just upped and left?) He wrote a story called “The Monkey’s Paw” which is basically another cautionary tale of “BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BECAUSE KARMA’S A BITCH”. That would be the basis for the ability. The rest is up to @awkward-atsushi and the other wonderful OC makers.

[animegirl3476]

Honestly, I think that everything you predict is going to happen, will probably happen. Also, the line “Fyodor isn’t dead, it’s Bungou Stray Dogs” makes me smile because it’s just so true, but I still think that Asagiri’s death fake-out bullshit is terrible storytelling. Fyodor and Sigma most likely aren’t going to die permanently, but for me, that’s exactly the problem.

Sigma has had two death fake-outs already (maybe even three all things considered) and Fyodor “dying” the way he did at the end of this arc is both contrived and messy. It makes the story devoid of narrative tension and ruins the emotional impact of literally anything that happens because you know the author is to cowardly to just kill off a character. Because you’re right, the last time someone (of significance) actually died was all the way back in dark era which tells us a great deal about Asagiri’s skills as a writer of an action series.

Even though Fyodor is probably alive (which is a problem), his “death” was an anti climax that makes him look like a complete fool. I describe it as an anti climax because it comes at a point when we still no nothing about his ability, his past, and why he wants to eradicate abilities in the first place. So, none of that information can play a role in his downfall or cause new developments in the plot and that makes his “death” and the conclusion of this arc feel hollow.

As for Soukoku, I dislike how Dazai’s super elaborate plans (that he pulls out of thin air) are always used as a narrative crutch. Dazai revealing that it was a ruse all along makes for insincere storytelling and it’s the same bullshit we’ve been seeing for years now. Nothing new, nothing exciting, just the same pseudo-plot twists that are another major flaw in Asagiri’s writing

Oh wow…so the BSD anime ending wasn’t an anime-only original after all, because it looks like the manga just followed suit.

What a shame. The manga ending is just as terrible as the anime’s and we’re right back in the same place we were a couple months ago. I really can’t hide my negativity about this because this storytelling decision makes everything feel like a letdown anticlimax.

The cope has run out. Really I’m just super upset that Fyodor is still going to die in the most contrived and embarrassing way possible while Sigma lays dead on the floor and Dazai makes his obligatory “actually there was no danger or emotional stakes all along and I pulled this plan out of my ass” speech. Yet again, Dazai acts as a convenient narrative crutch for whenever Asagiri needs to get out of a corner and culminates an anticipated confrontation in the most typical way imaginable.

BSD really is full of so many twists and surprises! Every time I think the plot is going to culminate in something meaningful, I am let down by a barrage of contrived nonsense! Asagiri is truly a genius of storytelling! Who cares about emotions and relationships between characters when you can just say SIKE! And reveal that it was an elaborate ruse all along, ruining the tension and making the buildup to that moment effectively meaningless!

Hey, at least the manga has better art though. The story might’ve sucked, but at least all of the characters looked good while sucking.

[applepi00]

The Book

I’ve heard two or three different versions of theories regarding the book:

1) Atsushi is the book personified (variants include: Atsushi was written into the world via the book at some point)

2) the book is just a book hidden somewhere

3) Dazai is the book and that’s why no abilities work in him

At least to me, the third one makes more sense. I can get behind the first two, I mean we saw a physical page from the book in the manga so it could be a literal book. I’m not as big a fan of Atsushi being the book but being created by the book I like better (it’s good angst material though, but atsu is kinda clueless and I feel like one of the geniuses would have figured him out). Dazai though, he’s a genius himself so I doubt it would be difficult for him to manipulate around so nobody would dis over him, plus the anti ability, plus his behaviour (especially in the dark era) being notably less human like than many other characters (though usually I’d say that’s mori’s doing). Honestly I’m excited to find out the truth about this. Hopefully with the end of the rats arc but hey I’m down to see the British (Agatha Christie I’m looking at you)

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Gridman 5 | Double Decker! 7 | Golden Kamuy 17 | Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

Gridman 5

Hmm…there’s something questonable about those camera angles on Akane…

I was listening to the audio dramas that are meant to be listened to after every episode (for quick reference, here’s the one for episode 5) and one references the fact Utsumi’s bag strap says “Turbo” on it. I didn’t realise Namiko and Hass (who point this out in the audio dramas) were right on that front until I saw it for myself this episode.

I’ve seen Rikka’s swimsuit on the dakimakuras that people have been promoting, after the wave of fanart on Rikka’s thighs happened. I also saw Akane’s swimsuit then. One of the voice dramas implied something about Hass taking her mask off for this episode so I got excited for it a bit…but she’s still wearing it. *sigh* It’s like Zombieland Saga and Kotaro taking off his glasses…it’s not gonna happen, is it?

“Avian” sunscreen, LOL. It has nothing to do with birds.

Hmm…come to think of it, what are Gridman’s themes? Themes of youth, like Evangelion, I suppose. Themes about heroics, like its tokusatsu predecessors. Then with this episode, add “themes about seeing people you put on a pedestal are being human too” to that list…I guess.

I still feel like people should be overreacting about Yuta’s memory loss…

Oh, there’s fog behind Rikka as she decides what to do – go with them (Yuta/Utsumi) or go with Hass/Namiko.

Ooh, they actually bought out Junk. Does that mean we’ll see fights in more places than just around the Tsutsujidai neighbourhood now? Does that mean Borr, Vit, Calibur and Max actually get paid by someone to fight with Gridman? So many questions, so little time!

I didn’t realise until now, but the clothes Anti is wearing are Chinese or maybe gakuran-inspired, at least for the top/neckline section.

That’s what they call the Macross Missile Massacre. I can see why people go nuts for it – it looks cool, no matter what era you animate it in.

It’s taken 2 episodes for the copy ability of Anti’s to become relevant…

Double Decker! 7

“Delick” (sic). LOL.

I like how they did a callback to the laundry joke…fom the episode involving the Bamboo Man.

Shield Coat? Is that what they’re called?

I wonder why they brushed off the idea of Valery being a man so quickly?

“You’re not trying to get revenge, are you?” – Well, in an episode called “Revenge is Mine!”, you wouldn’t think any differently…

So that confirms Kirill is 20, huh? Kind of shocking…you’d think most police constables are older than that.

I noticed in the manga Doug uses the term kakusa which Crunchyroll translated as “class”. Kakusa means disparity, so “class differences” is probably a better translation.

“Revenge is old-fashioned.” – I wonder how many people out there don’t know that right now? Surely there’s at least one.

I’m pretty sure Apple Bieber (LOL) used to be in a dark circle in one of the previous iterations of the ED but now there’s an orange background. Also, now Derick has a green background with red glasses.

Golden Kamuy 17

Gulden?...Oh, okay then.

Shiraishi is surprisingly the voice of reason here…huh.

...is that (Koito’s skin tone) just to prove Koito comes from a different part of Japan? Or is that just a nasty character design?

How did Asirpa manage to climb up Shiraishi so fast??? (LOL, never thought I’d see the day where I said something like that)

How did Sugimoto know the copied skin Shiraishi gave to Ushiyama was a fake? Weren’t the only ones who could tell skins apart Edogai and Tsurumi? Or was it because Sugimoto had the real copy of Henmi’s skin? (…Probably that, actually.)

What’s a-oh. Daisetsuzan means “big snow mountain”, which is definitely a good name for it.

I thought Asirpa was yelling in disgust for a scond when she went “yuk!” but she was referring to the deer, methinks.

This deer shooting is reminding me of the Honda-san parody of Golden Kamuy, which is pretty funny when you see they’re shooting Kamibukuros and Rabbit-heads in that.

“Bad men don’t have human hearts.” – But Sugimoto is a bad man to certain people, such as Tsurumi. How bad is an evil guy…? Hmm, themes. Never thought I’d be able to parse any from Golden Kamuy.

Liver’s good for the blood. I’ve been urged to eat chicken liver before as a result…urk.

I think now Sugimoto’s been shot, the scene with the pulsing blue light in the ED makes more sense…hmm.

Update: I thought the Shiraishi taking his clothes off from hypothermia was just part of the crazy world Golden Kamuy is set in, because things like stripping are funny for a seinen audience, but nope, it’s real.

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

After a lot of waiting, the movie is free to watch! Yippee!

The Dragon’s Head Rush? I’ve read around about Dead Apple because I thought I was never gonna get to watch it, but…wasn’t that in the source material somewhere? Hence Oda being here? I think Chuuya was also involved in it somehow, but my memory fails me as to exactly what.

Huh? Is this the same graveyard Kunikida was in for episode 7?

I’m still not used to the humour of this show, it just works against the spirit of the rest of the work…

Atsushi sleeps in the linen closet…I’ve watched through seasons 1 and 2 twice so I do vaguely remember something like that. I wonder if that’s meant to be true according to the manga, though…?

Uh…should or does Kyouka even know how to drive???

I’m laughing, you can’t call Atsushi “weretiger” when he’s not even able to assume tiger form!

“dragon’s breath” – Oh, it’s a pun on “Tatsuhiko”. Tatsu = dragon. The rest of the name means something like “brightness”, so it’s not that relevant here.

I almost thought Atsushi did a mic drop…(well, whatever you can call the equivalent of a mic drop with a gun)…there.

Hmm…I was thinking about what this reminded me of, and I realised – it reminds me of that Pokémon movie where they fight against their clones…

Say, where is Chuuya in all of this mess…?

Face-stealing aliens return…hmm. I thought I’d left them behind with the increased monetary resources a movie requires, but nope.

I feel like even though this was a good romp for a BSD movie, it kind of reminded me this show is sometimes budget Kekkai Sensen (although Kekkai Sensen has its faults too). They didn’t really explain Agatha or Fyodor (for anime-only watchers) or Dazai’s motivations (although nobody ever explains his motivations, admit it)...plus all that stuff about apples and fairy tales doesn’t quite seem to work against all the stuff about abilities and was purely for “poetic reasons”. How did Ango know the report was meant to be called Dead Apple, anyway?