#bee.analysis

[villain-byteniwoha]

Oh sskk with their opposing black and white aesthetic (both in fashion and in ability), their parallel backstory, their shared loyalty to Dazai (who is canonically preparing them to become partners, mind you), their clashing ideals; the way Atsushi unearths the humane side of Akutagawa and how Akutagawa, in turn, nurtures Atsushi's rage.

The fact that they make each other hold on to their self-worth... So, so much of the text can be read as romantic, it's insane to me.

Akutagawa's ability is literally using his clothes as a weapon, and for him to be able to give Rashoumon at all while leaving himself bare to violence? Just so Atsushi, who's always had to beg for the pain to stop, who's just gained control over his damn ability to regenerate, can be armored—be stronger.

Tell me that's not a metaphor for vulnerability, I dare you. The inherent intimacy of giving someone your cloak to shelter them while you take the brunt of the harsh environment. The contentment of having the person you love, safe. (This is an ode to Chapter 88 btw in case you didn't notice.)

Like—there is something so raw about being someone's enemy. It is showing the worst parts of yourself (the anger, the self-worth issues) and knowing your other half will come back to you, regardless. It's feral and wild and uncontrollable; Akutagawa will bear his scars like they are the most tender love marks, and while Atsushi may heal, he will always know the pain of Akutagawa's claws.

Their abilities aside, they just click with each other, but they live with circumstances where that connection is (portrayed as) unwanted. BEAST is proof enough that they can bond over the horrors of their past, where others would not be able to comprehend them.

There's also, you know... Something something, Atsushi telling Akutagawa that he's more than what Dazai says. Akutagawa telling Atsushi he's stronger than his past. Something along those lines.

Something something I love you because I know no other way than this, where I does not exist nor you and all the other love sonnets in the world.

[villain-byteniwoha]

Can we talk about the creative (queer) writing choice in building up Chuuya's most powerful yet self-destructive ability to only have the failsafe centered around Dazai?

Or the even more glaring characterization of Chuuya's unstable relationship with his humanity and how Dazai's ability is literally named, "No Longer Human,"—which, I digress, perfectly follows his real-life namesake, sure. But for the interpretation to reflect such importance on their parallels all traces back to Asagiri's heavy emphasis in partnership; one of Bungo Stray Dogs' key elements in world and character building.

Of course, two characters can be friends without forcing a rose-colored perspective. That's a reasonable take as any.

Arguably, two characters can very much be coded romantically through incredibly pointed text that tiptoes around the word, "friendship."

Because from the very beginning, what kind of relationship did Dazai and Chuuya have?

First, they were enemies—with Chuuya very much against Port Mafia and, by extension, Dazai, even though he wasn't an official member yet. Then rivals set out to achieve a common goal; the only winning hand being, who would get there first (and mind you, this all happens within the same arc/timeline). Fast forward to a year, they are begrudging partners. Professional, sure, but still teenagers who would argue at every other sentence. Yet, they will also have each other's backs.

Their name as a duo has already been written in Yokohama's underground history books; they are terrifying on their own but together, they are legendary.

Now, I don't know about you, but a brain-and-brawn duo trope? An annoyance-to-partners trope? A violent meetcute ending in a friendship trope? Better yet, an enemies or rivals to lovers trope? Sound really romantic to me (and that's not even everything because there's much more to explore, with soukoku in relation to other partnerships in the series.)

The writing choices made for Dazai and Chuuya just sound really romantic to me, actually.

[villain-byteniwoha]

I lost the tweet earlier but someone said "I miss when bungo stray dogs was about its characters and not this death scare marathon" or something of the like, and I agree 100%. I stopped reading right around the famous Akutagawa "Just go" chapter with tears in my eyes and rocks in my chest. Now, the latest chapter doesn't even faze me anymore—because these stakes are too ridiculous for even the cast.

I miss when it was about these organizations of ability users with rivalry and a shared love for their city; hence why, when the big bad threats came to try to take over, they teamed up to take them down. I think that's why, ever since I picked it back up again, I've been more interested in the light novels.

Can't deny that I am very partial to skk and their obvious obvious queer romantic subtext but more than that, I miss when bungo stray dogs was about the characters, the "stray dogs," learning about themselves and each other.

I do think it peaked with Fyodor, who is the perfect Dazai antithesis. Fyodor could have scaled in a more organic way. Instead, readers have been stuck for what has literally been years without a glimpse of the main cast, all because the list suddenly exploded and we're getting all this exposition thrown in our face.

The S4 adaptation disappointed me greatly, the key points about war did... make sense narratively, but also felt too much like an Eren Yeager callout to be emotionally or even intellectually stimulating. My current biggest fear is that the manga will follow the blueprint that Bones set down, even if I haven't seen that happen yet.

I do think Asagiri got too lost in the sauce and, in return, lost the charm that made BSD special. Which isn't to say, boo-hoo bad author give me back my good-feels and let the characters stay stagnant in that bubble, no. But do I think he could've scaled the stakes in a more gradual/less in-your-face way? Yes. And do I think the manga would have suffered less if they did so? Also yes.

tldr: detective story with powers and mafia got too convoluted that it feels like it jumped into an entirely different genre. went from 0 to 100 too fast that the whiplash sometimes isn't worth it anymore. go read the light novels tho i love them sm

[villain-byteniwoha]

On the train of soukoku parallels, here is my favorite one:

Chuuya and Dazai go through the same pipeline of being "King/Prodigy," being betrayed, having their friend(s) die, and fully swearing to the path they originally opposed.

Where Chuuya originally despised the Port Mafia; Dazai never considered walking the path of light. Their titles of, "King of the Sheep," and "Demon Prodigy," held the most narrative weight for them individually, before being known as, "Double Black." Their betrayal lied in someone they once considered a friend; Shirase and Ango. The death of the friend(s) became one of their catalysts to fully turning down their path.

It's not the most straightforward comparison but the major points are there, they are in place and that's all that matters to me at this point lmao

[villain-byteniwoha]

Bee's other side blog. They/them lesbian. AO3/Main: @vendettasfanfictioning. AR55. TL65. Down for discussions on discourse and theories !!!

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