#daiji analysis

[scoups4lyfe]

George Karizaki and the Tragic Clown Paradox

(aka) The George Karizaki Dilemma — My George Character Analysis

WARNING: This essay goes into dark topics such as child abuse, trauma, and many other touchy and sensitive topics. Read at your own risk, basically. Also contains spoilers up to episode 48 of Revice. 

Warning, again—sensitive topics ahead. 

big thanks to @alpona for inspiring me to actually write and post this.

My Interpretation of the Inner Demon Reveal 

Vulnerability is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as: “​​the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.” George Karizaki is a character that uses humor to disguise vulnerability. On the surface he comes off as more of an unbothered-genius, or mad scientist archetype. He works on what he likes, moral or not, all with an infuriating cocky-smile on his face. But humor isn’t the only thing George uses to hide his vulnerabilities, the very mask of ‘mad scientist,’ or a ‘villain’ caricature/persona is one of the other substantial ways George disguises his own traumas, fears, and pains. At the heart of it all, George cannot be analyzed without being placed in the “Tragic Clown Paradox.” Or— the ‘sad clown paradox’ as wikipedia calls it. 

Wikipedia defines said paradox as: “The contradictory association between comedy and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.” 

More specifically, the link between humor and trauma. The paradox here, of course, being the fact that clowns—who are associated with laughter, fun, etc.—are actually the saddest or perhaps loneliest individuals in the room.  

This analysis seeks to examine George Karizaki as a character: how he’s being presented, his type of humor, and most importantly—how it all relates to his trauma. 

First on the list of analysis then, is the clown archetype and why I think George fits particularly well into it, and what that might mean for the character. In the article “The Great Comedians: Personality & Other Factors,” Samuel S. Janus states:

 “The world of theatre has always found meaningfully symbolic the alternate faces of comedy and tragedy. Historically, court jesters were tragicomic figures— the embodiment of the bittersweet of life. Among the oppressed, the role of social critic has been the comedian's forte. Freud indicated that humor is a release for anxiety, to quote Abe burrows: ‘The comedian must practice his comedy in order to avoid destroying himself.’ Jack Carter, another leading humanist, says: ‘the funny part, the laughter, is given to the audience, but the comedian is left with the bitter dregs.’ Comedy has been described by a leading theologian as: ‘The ability to laugh at one’s own tragedy.’”  

This is a particularly powerful section looking at the role of the tragicomic—the jester, the clown; and just how entwined with tragedy said comic is. Now, examining George’s portrayal in the show, fifty-one seconds into the first episode of Revice we are introduced to George first via his voice-over explanation about the Giff stamp. Then he brings up the idea of fighting demons with demons and with a snap of his fingers he brings up Daiji’s profile. Here we see George as a confident scientist. He obviously has a plan and knows what he’s doing. All, as stated previously, with a cocky-smile on his face. 

At Daiji’s coronation he cuts off Hiromi and pushes him humorously out of the way, saying he’s ‘taking too long.’ (This is notably also the first episode where we hear mention of his father and/or his father’s scientific legacy.) During the entire attack at the coronation, George is shown to be one of the only people not panicking. He’s rational and level-headed, even warning Hiromi not to try using the vistamp because it would be too strong for him. But then refusing to intervene or do anything more, letting Hiromi go through (and fail) at transforming. Simply stating: “See?” when things go wrong. This—from the standpoint of the audience, is also quite humorous. 

George takes on this theatrical jester archetype throughout the entirety of the series, sarcastically commenting on the sidelines as things take place within the central plotline. Like with Hiromi’s failed henshin. In “Fools are Everywhere” Beatrice Otto takes notice that ‘It is the nature of jesters to speak their minds when the mood takes them, regardless of the consequences.” In fiction, and real life, jesters employ a variety of skills. Such as storytelling. In fact, the modern term derives from gestour, or jestour, Anglo-Norman (French) meaning ‘storyteller’ or ‘minstrel.’ (Wikipedia) Jesters have a privilege of mocking/stating the truth to those in power (King) and being able to get away with it. George Karizaki is shown (like in episode 1) to mock, narrate, or comment on a situational folly or irony—again, such as Hiromi’s failed transformation. 

There are, of course, other notable instances of George’s jester antics—such as in episode 2, when Hiromi is informed he’s been demoted. Stating: “Your disgraceful failures to protect our Vistamp research labs AND inauguration ceremony have led you here.” So truthful and mean that you, as the audience, can’t help but feel bad and be amused. But instead of ending it there, George puts on that mocking smile of his and says in English, “Don’t mind, Hiromi.” 

George, like most jesters, are passive commentators rather than active forces within the narrative. They spectate. In fact, the most active thing George does is create vistamps to be used, which is barely, if ever, shown on screen. Yet somehow George still manages to manipulate and dictate main storyline events. Often working as the catalyst for something to happen in the episode. Such as when he gives Daiji a henshin device, or when he sticks a tracker on something stolen from their base in episode 14/15. 

Moving on to his sense of humor, George’s humor is a mix between self-enhancing humor that: “Involves a generally humorous outlook on life, a tendency to be frequently amused by the incongruities of life, and to maintain a humorous perspective even in the face of adversity,” (Like George at the coronation in episode 1), and Aggressive Humor which “relates to the use of sarcasm, teasing, ridicule, derision, ‘put down’ or disparagement humor.” Both are used to enhance the self, and the second is used to enhance the self at the expense of others, specifically. 

In Scott Kaufman’s and Aaron Kozbelt’s study, “The Tears of a Clown: Understanding Comedy Writers” they look at these types of humors and found self-enhancing humor to be positively correlated with social support and optimism, suggesting an optimistic outlook on life is closely linked to using humor for coping, perspective taking, and emotional regulation. On the other hand, they found aggressive humor to be positively correlated with self-report measures of hostility and aggression. We have seen George employ both kinds of humor throughout the show. Especially aggressive humor. This shows that George, as a person, is someone who uses comedy to cope and emotionally regulate himself, aka: He builds himself up by taking others down. I stated at the beginning that George uses humor to hide vulnerability, and to give himself a sense of control. As George—though it might not be obvious at first glance—is someone who hates loss of control, as it puts him in a vulnerable position and reminds him of his past trauma, which I’ll get to in a minute. 

Above is a video of George putting on his Villain persona in response to Hiromi lashing out at him

Janus states that, “there appears to be an awareness on the part of the audience of the relationship between humor and anxiety. Consequently it would be reasonable to assume some awareness of the fact that comedians are very anxious and often depressed people. (...) Humor, then, can be seen to be especially applicable in situations in which the individual feels himself to be powerless.” 

Power, powerlessness, control, and lack of, are all important elements of George Karizaki’s character and the clown mask he uses to cope with his past and his present. In Janus' study on the relationship between humor and anxiety,  he found that the early lives of all the subjects were marked by suffering, isolation, and feelings of deprivation; and I quote:

“Humor offered a relief from their sufferings and a defense against inescapable panic and anxiety. The presence of these same needs and ears almost universally accounts for the success of these particular individuals as humorists. The fact that humor is a language of protest to mitigate their anxiety and permits them to function. (...) It is felt that comedians are able to convert their rage from physical to verbal assault and that for many their comic routines are a form of acting out. (...) They (comedians) are keenly sensitive people who have an uncanny perception of the needs and fears of their audience.” 

Losing his father at such a young age and with no information about a mother, other than the mention of her not being around/gone, I think it is safe to assume George grew up an orphan without parental role models in his life. But not having parents is not George’s only trauma. 

(And here’s where my take becomes hot ….lol) 

George was forcibly given his father’s inner-demon as a child. This is obviously a metaphor for the passing down of generational trauma. It is also a form of child abuse. If we examine the facts, which are: (1) the father inserted his demon into George’s body without his consent, (2) this hereby violates George’s sense of self/his bodily autonomy, (3) as stated above, it’s child abuse. You don’t use a kid as an experiment and violate his control over his own body and not have that qualify as child abuse. George had to have been about 4-5 years of age at the time. That’s messed up. Though he might not recognize it subconsciously, this is another reason George hates lacking control. 

He’s already had things taken from him (i.e his parents) and things done to him (inner demon) all outside of his control. Then he had to grow up in that environment of deprivation and abandonment, where all he had left was his father’s inner demon and a legacy to live up to. This is also why Geeorge has the tendency to mask as a villain when confronted/put into an uncomfortable situation. It’s self-protection. “People lash out so that they can reject before they get rejected or abandoned. It is a way for the person to feel more in control, which makes them feel safer.” (‘Why do people lash out’ by Dr. Monocle Borschel) Some people with trauma lash out because they go into fight or flight mode when they feel threatened. 

To George—being vulnerable is putting himself out to be exploited. So he masks behind aggressive humor and villainy instead. 

Now, onto George Karizaki’s dilemma. 

One of the ways the George inner-demon reveal can be read (aka the way I read it) is as a metaphor for CSA. (Child Sexual Abuse.) How the scene is shown, the translation, and the fact that George’s bodily autonomy is being violated by his father, is why I came to this conclusion. This would also further explain George’s unusual sexual-coded interest in older men/father figures/authority figures. Victims can seek out the same type of abusers in order to have “control” over their own situation this time around, ergo “winning.” Though it never quite does work out that way. Either way, basically, if George is flirting/making the advances, then he has the control. 

All throughout the show George is usually the one to initiate physical contact with others, not the other way around. And when it is the other way around? George has never once reacted positively, instead forcibly removing the hand/touch from his body. 

Of course, this might’ve just been the actor being silly/doing something he finds amusing, for when he does things like flirting with the Igarashi father in episode 8 at the hot springs. But it still shouldn’t be ruled out imo. 

One of my first questions at George's inner-demon reveal was: “How does this differentiate from the intergenerational trauma passed down to Ikki from his own father?” Ikki’s situation (mostly with Vail) is often seen as a physically and emotionally abusive relationship. Ikki literally uses himself as a shield to protect his other siblings from his father’s inner demon. Vice, Ikki’s own inner-demon, is modeled after Vail, his father’s demon. Vail caused Vice to be created. I could wax poetic on this forever. But in examination and comparison to George’s situation, I found that the difference was in the actions the fathers took. Genta failed to protect his family from his inner-demon and hurt them, both physically and emotionally. But, George? George’s sense of bodily autonomy is being violated. His father, in fear of losing his son, decides to do something to his body that can never be undone; and he does it in his sleep. All without George knowing or realizing what’s going on. 

The entire situation reads to me as CSA. 

That’s the difference in the traumas being passed down; because unfortunately, it is a common fact for victims of CSA to become perpetrators of it when they’re older. Once again it’s about revisiting the trauma but from the winner’s side. Which is a disgusting thought process/reasoning, but that is the underlying motive. Now, was his father abused that way? As the audience, we can’t be sure. We know from separate Revice releases that the father, Masumi, worked as a scientist in a position lacking power—but that’s all we really know about his side of the story. The only thing that hints at it being like that is the knowledge of this being an intergenerational trauma being passed down from father to son. Literally, the same inner demon. Plus, the fact that it is being passed down from body to body. 

This is George’s essential dilemma—how he should view his father who was a good dad in most aspects up until the inner-demon insertion, and abandonment.

This is why George states that it would be easier to forgive his father if he were really dead.

The entire scenario does nothing but fill George with turmoil. How can he reconcile these two facts?  The good and loving memories versus the abandonment and bodily autonomy violation. The bad things should make his father irredeemable, unforgivable, evil. But he was still George’s father. One who gave him a majority of good memories when he was around. The situation here isn’t black or white but a complex gray area. 

Even Chic, George’s inner demon, shows aspects of this: George and his father’s love for science (good)—but twisted into something ugly, and, humor—George’s way of coping. A perfect mix of the trauma and how it both drives George/causes him to react a certain way (masking, etc.). That’s what Chic represents. A trauma inherited from his father.   

So, George Karizaki is a “tragic clown paradox” because of this gray situation he finds himself trapped within. It’s a lose-lose. The jester’s met his match. Humor finally wasn’t enough to mask his pain. So George did the next best thing: he became the villain. (Juuga) 

A few things to note now that we’re coming to the end of my essay: (1) this situation reminds me of two other things—Perks of Being a Wallflower (Charlie), and Eliot’s situation in Mr. Robot. In BOTH cases (spoiler) the MC has been a victim of CSA by someone close and very dear to their heart. In Perks it’s by Charlie’s favorite person—his aunt, and in Mr. Robot it’s by Eliot’s father. Both Charlie and Eliot repressed these memories and went on remembering their abusers as people they really loved and who really loved them. Yet, once they remember what happened to them��sh*t hits the fans. Here’s a clip from Perks of the scene where Charlie remembers/finds out what happened: 

WARNING: The videos below might be triggering, watch at your own caution.

Here’s a clip for when Eliot finds out: 

In both, finding out had (obviously) detrimental effects on them. But even before that, their trauma is shown subconsciously. For Eliot, his personality split in order to protect himself. For Charlie, his depression and suicidal ideation. The same can be said for when George finds out. George literally slowly loses his mind, with the catalyst of his father dying adding to previous stress, and instead tries to destroy his father’s legacy by attacking his friends. All so that he can feel more in-control. All so he can feel he has power over his father. So yeah, Charlie and Eliot’s stories reminded me a lot of George’s, which only strengthened my previous assumption of his inner-demon metaphor being about CSA trauma. 

Other things to note: (2) George uses touch to manipulate others, often initiating contact when trying to get someone to do something. Such as an arm over shoulder. For George, this can show that to him, touch equals power and control. Especially over others. (3) I think this is one of the reasons why George works out a lot. He worked out enough so that if someone touches him, he can physically remove the touch himself. No more letting others have control over his body without his consent. 

[mxbbadperson]

kamen rider revice: the barid rex vistamp and what it might mean it for ikki

Aaaah! I ADORE this power up!!! Everything about it so good! The design, the story, how it's activated AND its powers. I’ve been thinking of @scoups4lyfe​‘s Kamen Rider Revice & Intentional Writing (Part 1) and it’s inspired-I’m citing parts of it!-to make this. 

It’s design got me wondering if there’s symbolism in it. And if there isn’t, I have wrote it down so I have made it so! I’ll be using the majority of the parts of the power up for this. (Except for the power. But I’ll explain that later!)

What’s the shape of the Vistamp?

An egg and it opens up to reveal a baby rex inside it! And how is it opened?

By pressing the Rex Vistamp against it! And hmm... what does that look like? It looks like brooding an action done by animals to keep an egg warm so it the baby inside it grows and hatches!

How was the Vistamp completed? 

THROUGH TRUST. Through trusting Vice! How is the Vistamp activated? 

But what it could it all possibly mean? Well! Since there’s two parts to it, the Rex Vistamp and the Barid Rex Vistamp, there’s two ways to see this!

The Rex Vistamp is Ikki, right? Not only because he uses it to transform but also because of his relationship with his siblings. “[…] that Ikki is quite literally Daiji and Sakura’s parental figure” and see how the Rex Vistamp is placed? And how brooding works? Ikki is the Parent Rex!

The point of this power-up and of episode 13 is trust. So that’s what he needs! For his siblings. For there to be a crack in the egg, he has to learn to trust his siblings and with further encouragement, that'll be the push they need to break out of their shell and be stronger!

An aside (mostly for the scoups4lyfe’s analysis): Please pay attention to what Sakura and her expression. Despite being chased by mama-san earlier, she smiles and nods at Ikki in reassurance!

A second aside: When Sakura is upset about Kagerou coming back, Ikki comforts her and it feels like parental comfort!

But considering that  “[…] Ikki’s so deep into his repression/the belief that he is inherently morally wrong [...]” (from Kamen Rider Revice & Intentional Writing (Part 1)), the thing that appears when he transforms and what Vice does to it...

Ikki is also the rex in the egg! He needs trust to crack the egg-real trust! not blind belief that he'll handle things!-trust in his abilities, trust in who he is and considering what's needed to complete the power up, trust in himself. But Ikki can't do it alone! He needs encouragement so that'll be the push he needs to break out of his shell and maybe, just maybe, become emotionally stronger!

And to go back to trust, there’s what the Barid Rex Vistamp says!  There’s fucking layers of this damn thing!

The power-up's "crunch crunch" is the onomatopoeia for the sound when walking on ice and… for eating! Which Ikki believed Vice would do!

This means other things too! Consider  “[…] Ikki’s so deep into his repression/the belief that he is inherently morally wrong [...]”. Vice is Ikki’s demon, yes, but it took me this too long to realize what that means. Vice is all of Ikki’s unwanted thoughts and emotions and Ikki repressed them so far down that when Vice gained sentience, he has his own body.

So... When Vice said he changed but Ikki doesn’t believe him, doesn’t that mean that in some small way, Ikki doesn’t believe he himself cannot change? And since Ikki trusts Vice now, doesn’t that mean that in some small way Ikki is starting to believe and trusts himself? If he can believe and trust the being that’s made from the parts he staunchly refused then maybe, just maybe, Ikki can believe and trust himself too!

Where’s the ice power? Well... 

(To use the ice powers in this. I have to bend it so far that it becomes metaphorical and pull out the opposite of it. Ikki shouldn't be iced out. As parent rex, he'll happily provide warmth (and affection) but he still needs to learn trust his siblings. As the rex in the egg, he needs both trust and warmth to flourish.

If the parent and egg thing's used further by taking real life brooding into account. Ikki as the parent rex has the stubbornness to stay with his siblings to provide them with warmth. Often to his and their detriment. Ikki as the rex in the egg needs someone stubborn enough to stay with him to provide him with warmth!)

[flaim-ita]

let's go reiwa Era 📸 - relationships with main Decade crew (character of choice - Aruto Hiden maybe 1 HC after Ark 1?)

You said Character of my choice - 4 Main Riders for 4 members of the Decade crew. Set in my Canon so Natsumi is AR Gaim and a Man of Beginnings Level Overlord.

There’s a familiar shatter around Decade’s actions during the fight that inevitably occurs when two Riders meet. A rogue idiot with black market ZAIA tech, luckily, but still. Aruto notes with the machine like analysis in Zero-One the way Decade’s hand shakes slightly, nefore the fight.

“Thank you for the help,” he says after. Still used to being on his own. Decade pauses.

“Those are rare words,” he says.

“Why?” Aruto asks.

“I am one of the most dangerous men alive,” Decade says calmly. “I used to fight it. Now I…”

He trails off, hesitant as if not sure of his next words.

“Then you’re in good company,” Aruto replies. “I may or may not have nearly caused a race war.”

“How the—”

“Public figures have public feelings.”

“Ah.” Decade considers him. “Who saved your soul?”

Aruto thinks Decade is looking into his, right now. Still, it’s impossible to deny his presence.

“My partner,” he says. “Izu. I held onto her memory. I fixed things. And I have her back, now.”

Decade hmms.

“Good,” he says. “Congrats on the reunion being so soon.”

Aruto doesn’t know what to do with that.

——•——

She’s browsing the book shelves and Touma wouldn’t blink were it not for the fact that the Wonder World now tied to his soul screamed about her. Which is curious. Usually it’s a whisper, because everyone has a story to tell.

This is screaming.

She turns. Their eyes meet. One of hers flashes red, for a moment, her hair blonde. She’s a goddess, he understands. A fusion of two impossibly dangerous powers. She knows he holds the key now, too.

“Kamen Rider?” She asks. He blinks.

“You too?” He asks, and she nods. Like Kento, several powers bathe her. Several stories. “Why are you here?”

“We recently… got custody of a struggling young boy,” she says. “I’m looking for books. Stories that’ll help. It always comes back to stories. And choosing fate.”

She’s fought destiny and won, he suddenly knows. Just like himself.

“I have a set of children’s books I’ve made,” he says. “There’s one about a duck who was supposed to be a villain…”

He knows she understands, too.

——•——

Onodera Yuusuke smiles like a man used to being used and utterly uncaring about it. Ikki doesn’t know how to feel about that. Makes him want to help, but the only foe right now is George fanboying over the poor man.

“You’re the rare Kuuga of another World,” George says. Yuusuke laughs.

“Maybe here on World of Heroes,” he says.

“No, you’re—”

Yuusuke’s eyes widen, and Ikki steps in.

“Welcome here at the bathhouse,” he says, interrupting whatever George was set to reveal. Yuusuke smiles.

“Thank you,” he says. “You’re a nice… person.” Oh right, Natsumi is his wife. Natsumi from the group chat Vice dumped him in. “Deserving of the legacy.”

“Thank you,” Ikki replies. “I’m always happy to help.”

Yuusuke’s smile softens.

“Reminds me of my husband,” he says. “Even if now, at 33 years old, he still won’t admit it.”

“Ikki’s the best though,” Vice says. “Obviously.”

“He sounds interesting,” Ikki says.

Yuusuke nods.

“You use our power, it just so happens,” he says. “Lion is my brother’s Kuuga, but Megalodon is Tsukasa.”

“Hey! Our first win!” Vice exclaims.

“Oh, really?” Yuusuke asks. “That’s nice. I was Tsukasa’s.”

——•——

Vice swipes at the Rolling Vistamp in the blue Rider’s hand.

“Hey!” They say, “you can’t take that! Even the viewers will be on my side, if you take that!”

Karizaki is taking PHOTOS, of course, because he sucks, and Sakura and Daiji aren’t here because this was an AMBUSH.

The blue Rider hmms.

“I did take it, though,” he says. “And if I remember correctly, you alone can’t transform without it.”

Vice growls, pulling out Rex and their Driver.

“I can try,” they say. But the transformation makes it half way before blowing them off their feet.

“Vice, calm down,” Ikki says.

“Absolutely not!” Vice says. “I won’t let him have Ikki!”

“Oh,” the Rider says. “This has a person in it?”

“No!” Vice says, “well, yes. Kind of? I can’t possibly get Ikki back without it.”

The blue Ride looks between the stamp, and Vice, and he sighs.

“Fine,” he says. “I understand a treasure like that.” He tosses it back to Vice. “Got anything good to trade?”

Vice pauses. Do they?

“And why should I even give you one?” They ask.

“Because I came here for a treasure,” the blue Rider responds.

“Vice,” Ikki says. “Give him Kangaroo.”

Vice laughs. Ikki can be wonderfully crafty sometimes.

“Long as you don’t go making demons, here,” they say. “This is a special stamp.”

“Fine, fine,” the blue Rider says. Catching it when tossed. “Tell Natsumelon I said hi, by the way.”

And then he leaves. Oh. Oh that’s the thief, Daiki, isn’t he? Vice has had some fun conversations with the guy on HeroGetter. He’s so much more annoying in person.

“From you?” Ikki teases. Oh. They said that out loud.

“I’m the best,” Vice replies calmly. “Well, besides you. So of course I’m not annoying!”

Would like a different voice actor, though.

[toku-explained]

The Fire and Ice Rex Pair

Trigger: Darrgon escapes his restraints, and Carmeara informs him she destroyed Hudram. Sickened she would kill a fellow Dark Giant he goes to leave, but she uses her increased darkness to turn him into her puppet. GUTS-Select take a photo together, and Akito is happy. Darrgon appears to rampage, and Akito and analysis can see he's powered up. GUTS Falcon flies into and Yuna tries to reach Darrgon unsuccessfully, so Kengo goes to Trigger, soon switching to Power-type. Akito calls out for Darrgon to remember learning strength came from the desire to protect, to no avail, Yuna is sent flying, but Darrgon catches her dedpure his possession, breaking free, but Carmeara seems amused. Darrgon tells Yuna he has been drawn to humanity's strength in bonds, and they ask him to join them, he wants to settle his rivalry with Trigger first. As the two Giants prepare to fight, Akito asks Tatsumi to let the fight go on, which is accepted but putting everyone on alert. Kengo goes straight to Glitter, but soon Carmeara enhances the curse, sending Darrgon wild he even targets Yuna directly, and GUTS Falcon launches, but Yuzare's power barely protects her. Darrgon struggles with himself, and tells them they have to stop him, before losing himself for good. Carmeara attacks Trigger, stopping him fighting Darrgon further. Yuna runs, chased by Darrgon, and is cornered. Akito fishes out the Ribut Key and requests Nursedessei use Battle Mode, and requests use of the gun himself, and uses the Ribut key to prepare the Maxima Galaxium. The point blank attack defeats Darrgon, whose last wordsare gratitude. Trigger is on the ropes from Carmeara, and defeated, Yuna picking him up as Carmeara consumes Darrgon's darkness. Shegoes human size, beating Kengo, grabs Yuna, and vanishes. She places Yuna on the alter, manipulating her body to open the gate to the Eternity Core. Ignis seeing this, swears not to let earth wind up like Lusharia. Czrmeara begins to absorb the Eternity Core, her body mutating and earthquakes start, the gate returns to tower form, and Megalothor emerges, Carmeara's new form.

Galaxy Rescue Force: Sora finishes a report to Queen Izaba about using music to empower Warriors of Light. Izaak points out a letter in a file Sora has, which she opens to find is from Daada mentioning the many nearby tourist destinations and offering to take her on a day off. Sora is unsure what to do, Izana recognising, even if Sora doesn't, that she loves another, obviously Ribut, though Sora denies it. Ribut pops by, accidentally scaring Sora, sees the invite, and tells her to have fun. Sora, confused, says she will and leaves. Izana asks if Ribut is okay with that, him seeming genuinely oblivious. He reports Dark energy traces in the base the recent days, they worry something has snuck aboard. Privately, he seems concerned about Sora going on a date.

Revice: Looking at the Giff statue, Kadota contemplates to George if it would have been better to destroy it. Director Akaishi Hideo wants them to focus on eliminating Olteca, Julio and Aguilera. Julio tells Aguilera the thing he hates the most are traitors. Olteca asks a cultist to gather fellow members. Sakura is contemplating the Ushijima house, she never stepped into the basement, when a man comes in asking to find Julio, AKA Tamaki Gou. Daiji notices Kadota's still in poor shape as Ikki arrives, asking George for a way to separate the remaining 3 Giftex, George has a new ViStamp that might do it. George puts Ikki and Vice into a simulation, the first test is against Revi Rex Genome. The man explains to Sakura he had been friends with Tamaki in high school, and his smile quote comes from himself originally. Ikki and Vice defeat Revi, and Vice freezes as George explains the new stamp should put them both on Remix level in terms of power, and they'll suffer if not in sync. Another Revi appears, and once defeated Ikki starts burning. YouTube admits he betrayed Tamaki, pressured by the bullies into destroying a gift, and he never apologised. Sakura promises to try and help. Ikki and Daiji hear from Sakura. Julio has Aguilera recall their first meeting, driven to Giff by Yousuke's action, and he is now driven by hate for him and Olteca. Olteca has gathered cultists, and shows he has the Giff Stamp. Next day Ikki and Vice continue training, and as George has them break they are witness by an alert to Olteca stamping a cultist with the Giff Stamp, transforming her directly into a Deadman. Live and Demons are soon on scene, and seeing Demons struggle, Olteca attacks, but is attacked in turn by Julio. Yousuke and Sakura arrive, and she leaps into the fray, trying to get him to listen to Yousuke unsuccessfully. Cultists grab Live and Demons, making it easier for the Deadman, Olteca defeats Julio and Jeanne stops Yousuke running to him. Ikki arrives last minute, and Olteca reveals that the Giffterian consumed the human it was born from. Ikki uses Barid Rex, then combines the new Volcano ViStamp and goes further, Revi Volcano Rex and Vice Barid Rex. Their combined power and contrasting temperature allows them to beat the Giftarian, but the human is home. In a rare, Revi charges at Olteca.

Zenkaiger: Everyone discusses kotatsus, Yatsude mentioning how they can bewitch people, when Kotatsu World appears, trapping everyone under a kotatsu. Zyuran gets free because he can't handle the heat, and goes in search of wearable ones for the others. Before he can tind any everyone affected starts turning into cats, and his attempts to energise everyone fall flat, despite his efforts being appreciated, until Secchan finds Kotatsu World. ZenkaiZyuran fights, but then Barashitara appears, in order to get to Zyuran they use the Patranger gear to combine their kotatsus, Secchan commandeers the CrocoDaiOh to get them to the scene. Everyone arrives, still hound to the kotatsu, just in time, and changes. With the battle still difficult with everyone trapped, Kaito uses the new Donbrothers Gear, summoning DonMomotaro on his bike, who helps Zyuran fight Kotatsu World. Vroon manages to move enough to annoy Barashitara, Zenkaiser uses the Zenryoku Zenkai Cannon and Fighting Power to summon Battle Kenya, Kibaranger and GekiBlue, holding Barashitara off until Kotatsu World is destroyed. Dai Kotatsu World appears. DonMomotaro offers the use of his Enya Rideon, which combines with Zyuran into Don ZenkaiOh, eventually winning with a Don Zenkai Crash. All of the attacks make use of the Donbrothers Gear. DonMomotaro has a laugh afterwards before taking off. Everyone is being considerate to Zyuran later. Stacey is in jail bemoaning his condition, when Gege approaches, and seemingly takes control of his body.

[kanasmusings]

[Kanji/Romaji/English Lyrics] StarMyu SHUFFLE REVUE - “MISSION x CAUTION”

More from Shuffle Revue, yay~! This is the song that Kuga and Eigo sang XD I mean, outside of The Elegance pair, I’m down for this one wwwww I know they probably just paired these two off because Tatsumi was with Hoshitani and Nayuki sang with Ugawa  and they were the only two leftヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

But!! Looking at it though, these two really seem to have a similar standing in their teams in terms of their relationships with their respective leaders so, having them sing a duet TWICE wasn’t really that far-fetched  ∑d(°∀°d)

Also, SHUFFLE REVUE subs are available here!

※ Please don’t re-post the kanji, romaji, and English translations without permission. Instead of reposting, please just like/reblog instead ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

「MISSION x CAUTION」

KANJI:

  斬新な色使いのセンス

花と会話してるよなアレンジメント

前々から知ってました

天才、それ以上！

そう、類稀なるフローリスト

うちに来ませんか？

  すまないが、他を当たってくれ

俺がそっちの店舗に参加はできない

花を裏切らないように

大事な仲間を裏切るわけにはいかない

話しは終わりだ

  なんとか受けてください

一体何を企んでる？

何もありません

Can’t believing! believing!

It’s alright! Don’t worry!

  友情一途に波乱万丈！

この命に代えても構わない

それでも一歩も引けない

仲間がいるから守りたい思い

MISSION

CAUTION

どうすればいい？

  成し遂げることが私の使命

仲間とのこの絆、壊せない

更に上を目指しましおう

仁義に反した名誉はいらねー

  友情一途波乱万丈！

私なり分析した決意です

これ以上聞いても無駄だ

明日へと繋がる答えは・・・どっちだ？

MISSION

CAUTION

譲れない！

                                  »»————-　★　————-««

ROMAJI:

  zanshin na irodukai no sensu

hana to kaiwa shiteru yo na arenjimento

maemae kara shittemashita

tensai, sore ijou!

sou, taguimare na furorisuto

uchi ni kimasen ka?

  sumanai ga, hoka wo atatte kure

ore ga socchi no tenpo ni sanka wa dekinai

hana wo uragarinai you ni

daiji na nakama wo uragiru wake ni wa ikanai

hanashi wa owari da

  nantoka ukete kudasai

ittai nani wo takuranderu?

nani mo arimasen

Can’t believing! Believing!

It’s alright! Don’t worry!

  yuujou ichizu ni haran banjou!

kono inochi ni kaete mo kamawanai

soredemo ippo mo hikenai

nakama ga iru kara

mamoritai omoi

MISSION

CAUTION

dousureba ii?

  nashitogeru koto ga watashi no shimei

nakama to no kono kizuna kowasenai

sara ni ue wo mezashimashou

jingi ni hanshita meiyou wa iranee

  yuujou ichizu ni haran banjou!

watashi nari bunseki shita ketsui desu

kore ijou kiite mo muda da

ashita he to tsunagaru kotae wa… docchi da?

MISSION

CAUTION

yuzurenai!

                                  »»————-　★　————-««

ENGLISH:

  A fresh kind of sense like a new color.

Your arrangements that happen as if you converse with the flowers.

I’ve known this for a long time now.

A genius! No, more than that.

Yes, an unparalleled florist.

Won’t you come to us?

  Sorry but, go ask someone else.

There’s no way I can join your inn.

Just like how I can’t betray the flowers,

there’s no way that I can betray my precious friends.

End of conversation.

 Won’t you please accept?

What are you scheming?

There is no scheme.

Can’t believing! Believing!

It’s alright! Don’t worry!

  Friendships are always full of ups and downs!

I don’t mind even if they change this life of mine!

Still, I won’t move one step.

I have my friends so,

I want to protect them.

MISSION

CAUTION

What do you want me to do?

  To fulfill this is the mission I must accomplish.

I will never break this bond with my friends!

Why don’t we try aiming higher, yes?

I don’t need fame that contradicts my morals.

  Friendships are always full of ups and downs!

This is the analysis and conclusion I have come up with.

It’s useless no matter how many times you ask.

What is the answer that connects to our tomorrow…?

MISSION

CAUTION

I won’t yield.

                                  »»————-　★　————-««

If you enjoyed this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work! It’ll be a really big help. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

[sastheforestspirit]

Middle child stereotype is literally a thing not a stereotype and it's not a bad thing for explore in a story and this is something I deeply relate to.

Anyway I think it's normal for Kagero to hate Ikki and Daiji is more than ready to accept it. I hate my brother's sometimes I hate my mother with passion. I would never wish them death but my demons inside me makes me say sometimes: 'one day you will read in the news that daughter killed her mother' or 'im up for the plans if I won't go to a jail by the end of the week because of murder'. Do I mean it? Yes, a little. Would I ever hurt her? Obviously not.

I don't think akumas/demons are trying to broke their hosts I think they deeply care about them, they are our ID

No one is really analysis Vice, who is Ikkis ID but the most interesting thing he said was when Sakura was held hostage and they were struggling to help her. 'Cant we go home, you have two siblings!' I think demons are agressive, full of themselfs but I also thing their are chickens they are mentally weak. They lack Ikkis and Daijis patience and courage. They lack self-sacrifice part of human for helping others.

What I wanna say is this is probably more deep than just 'Daiji is not hating his brother = Kagero bad"

In my opinion, Daiji does hate Ikki, but only a little because of envy. Since our theme this time around is family, brotherly love will triumph over that (and right now I want to punch Kagerou in the nuts)

Well, Kamen Rider is a heated drama between men... it’s just that the heated drama is between brothers this time? I guess??

Although, in all honesty, I would rather not have one of our main characters basically become the middle child stereotype, complete with the hatred for big bro and everything.

I don’t think Daiji resents his brother, but I do think Kagerou wants him to think he does. I feel like Daiji has that same devotion to his family as Ikki does, and if Daiji thinks he hates one of his family members to the point of wanting to be rid of them, it will break him. And Kagerou wants to break Daiji.

[temporalstart-blog]

Week 1

After looking the Gap minder, I decided to do study about best employment circumstance for female to have work-life valance. In this case, I define "work" is a female's career including position and professional field and "life" is marriage/childbirth and family support. 

It strikes me that some friends complain that the office situation makes them feel difficult to get married or have a child, however, others don't care then they have a great career including position and are married and with children. 

In my case, I have exciting job and am married with no child. And I'm wondering what to be taken into consideration to decide next step. (build more career for a while? or negotiate with my boss to get suitable employment circumstance and how? or having child ASAP because I'm already over 30 years old?)

I am most interested in exploring the association between female work style(as first topic) and life style(as second topic) because once I will find it, I can not only make decision to take my next action but also propose the solution to my company regarding how it has to create the circumstances, based on the insight. 

I add to my codebook variables reflecting female work-life valance (e.g. employee rate/position/duration until the promotion to manager/executive, marriage-rate, birth-rate etc ). 

I did the literature review as follows.

1.Emiko, Takeishi(2014)"An Analysis of Workplace Factors in Women's Ambition for Promotion" 

2.Kato, Takao,Daiji Kawaguchi and Hideo Owan(2013) “Dynamics of the Gender Gap in the Workplace: An Econometric Case Study of a Large Japanese Firm,” RIETI Discussion paper, 13-E-038.

These agues that the career duration actually gives impact to the promotion of female in Japan.

I assume that means the lack of experiences of females in case that they take maternity leave then the hypothesis comes up to me.

"If the supervisors gives the opportunities to females more than males before/after the maternity leaves, promotion rate of the females goes up? "

[scoups4lyfe]

Episode 26: My analysis of Daiji/Kagerou

aka: 'note to self'

Daiji killing Kagerou in episode 26 is the equivalent to Ikki and Vice's growth in episode 13.

I just think its funny that while Ikki learns to trust Vice (himself) because Vice would never hurt him,

Daiji's is literally about fking fiGHTING Kagerou to the DEATH.

I mean it makes sense.

A big part of Vice is Ikki's desire to be loved as he truly is and needed.

While Daiji created Kagerou as a coping mechanism cause he hated himself so much he was like one decimal point away from harming himself.

And I guess we got to see that fking FRONT and center today boys.

Ikki and Vice Episode 18:

:D....Ikki's slowly learning to love and trust himself;;;

and Daiji -- by effectively killing off his 'self-hate' coping mechanism; is learning that he can be both ruthless AND kind.

.....Fked that he has to literally fight himself to the death to grow as a person.

Yeah so that's the parallels and mirrorism between Kagerou/Daiji's arc and Ikki and Vice's arc that I was seeing as I watched their fight LOL.

Literallllly word for words but directly fking OPPoSITE-

I mean I should've known better

¯\(°_o)/¯

I even said in episode fking 9 (when Kagerou told Daiji to watch his fking mouth, and Daiji apologized meekly) that Daiji and Ikki worked as each other's FOILs.

Ikki would rather die and take Vice down with him then let Vice run around unrestrained. Versus Daiji apologizing when Kagerou yells at him

Ikki ultimately deciding to trust Vice -- Daiji refusing to trust Kagerou

Ikki apologizing -- Daiji thanking ---it's

it's fked up and poetic and really REALLY fking GOOD storytelling.

[scoups4lyfe]

We are talking about the same Ikki who tormented himself to try and find a way to avoid the death of those who were literally his worst enemies. That Daiji would think that his practical saint of a brother would "sacrifice" Akemi for whatever plan they have is absurd and certainly speaks volumes on how not in his right mind he is.

It’s Daiji’s victim-mentality.

I wrote a whole essay about this on google docs LOL! I’ll see what I can transfer over here,,,

BUT basically—

Daiji is currently surviving on the idea of "doing the right thing" of "being righteous" because, essentially, Daiji's coping mechanism is masks.

(This is why Kagerou's name meant "mirage," dude existed to obscure Daiji's darker, more self-ish parts of himself, from Daiji. )

Daiji has a lot of self-hate based around this idea of "Good / evil." The binary of being 'Righteous' and helpful, versus selfishness and mal intent.

Being selfish doesn't necessarily equate to being evil, but Daiji doesn't see it this way.

And this all stems from how he was raised, i. e, the fact that Ikki was his caretaker/basically his parent.

Now, how does Ikki relate to this entire mess, you might ask?

Well.

Since Ikki raised Daiji, that means Daiji grew up attached to/ developing around the way Ikki acted. And what is Ikki if not self-sacrificial and righteous?

(Quoting a book about enneagrams now, lmao. Once again, daiji's an Enneagram type 3 -- for reference)

"As young children, Threes were connected to the nurturing-figure, the person who in their early development mirrored them, cared for them, and provided affection and a sense of the Three's personal value. Young Threes are highly adaptable and responsive to the emotional states of others, and so learn to adjust themselves to the reactions and subconscious expectations of their nurturing- figure. This person is usually the Three's mother or a mother-substitute, but not always. In some cases, the mother may have been largely absent, physically or emotionally, and it fell upon the father or a sibling to nurture the baby. In any case, it is important to understand that the nurturing-figure is the person who cared for the child and who provided mirroring.

In their formative years, Threes learn to tune in to the desires and hopes of their nurturing-figure. The expectations of the nurturing-figure need not be expressed explicitly. With the remarkable intuitive gifts of children, young Threes know what will please their nurturers and which behaviors produce approving looks and smiles."

So, as a child Ikki raised Daiji. Which means Ikki provided the mirroring for Daiji. And, Ikki is someone who is super hard (on himself AND others) about the idea of being righteous/good.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that Ikki was TERRIFIED of "being bad" because more than anything else he wanted to be loved. But he got the idea in his head that in order to be loved, he had to do something in return. For him, this meant the services he could provide to others. (I.e raising Daiji and Sakura, helping out the bath house, etc.) Deep down, Ikki holds this belief that he must be inherently "bad" and that's why he has to make it up by going the extra mile to be good. After seeing his dad attack his family as a 4-year-old, Ikki came to be of the belief that HE was the one who had to protect the family.

And that without him helping, or sacrificing himself, his family would fall apart/die/leave him/ any litany of other terrible things a kid can imagine.

I imagine it went smthn like: "Ikki! Shouldn't' you share that toy with your brother? You're the older sibling now. You have to be responsible."

Pre-Dad's attempted murder of the family, Ikki would've just "psHT" that away, cause he's a kid. But because his dad attacked his family, and oNLY Ikki could save/protect them, this trauma greatly changed/impacted him.

Now instead of being like "psHT" when it comes to sharing, Ikki willingly gives it up, because if he doesn't something bad might happen and his family might get hurt. And if his family gets hurt then it's HIS fault. Because he wasn't "good" and didn't listen or do as he was told.

Obviously a child's logic, no doubt. But it impacted Ikki and his development/personality and it obviously STILL impacts him to this day. It's a core part of his being. He will ALWAYS have this mindset or thought process inside of him.

Now, what do you think would happen if a child so terrified of being wrong or 'bad' ended up raising /parenting his little brother?

Since Ikki's a child, he obv wouldn't be able to emotionally handle all of that responsibility. Which would stress him out and make him incredibly anxious. (All. the. time.)

But to the people he's raising -- Daiji and Sakura, since they're also kids, they don't realize this. So they model themselves in ways that Ikki would find approving.

For Sakura this meant being capable and helping out. Daiji,,, well Ikki helicopter-parented him (no doubt about it), which meant Daiji grew up having everything done FOR him, leading himself to believe he's not worthy or good enough to do things for himself. "No one lets me do anything, because I CAN'T do anything on my own. I'm a failure."

Plus he still loves and greatly admires his brother. So Daiji grows up seeing "Ikki" as his ideal. His role model. The person Daiji wants to be like, the most.

But BECAUSE it's Ikki, Daiji is grows up believing what he can sacrifice for others, what he can achieve or do to help, are what makes someone 'good'. What makes them an admirable person. A lovable person. Ergo, 'being selfish' = being wrong/evil.

"As adults, Threes continue to play out this pattern learned in early childhood. They seek out people whom they admire and esteem to give them validation and admiration. Threes are not interested in indiscriminately getting everyone to like them: rather, they focus on specific individuals who they themselves view as valuable, successful people. Although this motivates Threes to do those things which will make them seem worthwhile to others, this also leaves them highly vulnerable to fears of rejection. They will work tirelessly to avoid ever being rejected, ever being seen as a "loser." The admiring gaze which they sought from their nurturing-figures made them feel that they were loved and valued, and in one form or another, they are always seeking that look in the eyes of others. Admiration makes them feel alive and worthwhile—at least for a while. Without it, they feel empty and hostile because their underlying feelings of not being valued for who they are begin to surface."

Daiji doesn't feel valuable/loved if its not from others. He WANTS his family to admire him. And more importantly, he WANTS to help. But he especially wants to help his older brother.

He wants Ikki to rely on him and trust him (instead of babying him) -- so he needs to be seen as capable.

Hence, he enrolls with Fenix.

And then everything went downhill and this "image" Daiji was building for himself was failing spectacularly. Now, whenever someone got hurt (because he wasn't able to him, being he failed) Daiji blames himself. Yada yada yada, this lead to his first breakdown.

Threes (like Daiji) are people who "can't survive" without their masks. So when their masks start to get threatened, it turns to dangerous territory.

This is why Daiji tried to kill Ikki. Because Ikki was ruining his perceived mask of "helpful Fenix hero" and he hated himself for it. Hated that his brother was forced into a position that risked his life because DAIJI failed to transform when he needed to. He can't survive with the self-hate, so Kagerou projected it onto Ikki.

"this is iKKI'S fault. HE'S the one that's caused all these problems. Not you. People didn't get hurt because of you. They got hurt because of Ikki." etc etc

"To give up their performance and risk exposing the vulnerable self within feels like an enormous risk to Threes. They feel that their authentic self has been rejected in the past and are secretly terrified of having it happen again. They also  become convinced that their real self is relatively undesirable and that only their performance is worthwhile. Having put so much effort into it, to give it up seems unthinkable."

"Failure is one of the most humiliating prospects for Threes. If they continue to overextend themselves and cannot make good on their claims, they will attempt to maintain the impression that they are still "winners" by deceiving others. Their fear of failure, and thus of humiliation, makes unhealthy Threes more than willing to be dishonest to get what they need to maintain at least the illusion of superiority. Threes are determined to survive, and since they are completely identified with their image, that means ensuring that their image survives. Their pragmatism has degenerated into an unprincipled expediency in which Threes will do almost anything to convince others that they are still exceptional people. But because they actually are having severe psychological difficulties it is almost impossible for them to do this without distorting the truth of their situation."

Riiighhhht.

All the quotes here are from [Taken from the Book: “Personality Types. Using the Enneagram for Self Discovery”] 

So, Daiji isn't exactly thinking clearly rn. He's in a really unhealthy psychological state stemming from his perceived mask of self failing miserably.

This is why I think it's important that Kagerou comes back/why it's inevitable.

My homie Nacho, said this about the Kagerou/Daiji situation:

“I mean the demons themselves are actually important to create a whole person. Nobody in this world can function by just showing/enacting on the good inside them, they need to reconcile with the bad. Otherwise they're just a shell of a person.”

“And for Daiji, I feel his demon protected him by being more assertive. Like Daiji accepting always being second place, always being pushed aside and feeling ignored—all of that was killing him inside. And being a slave and a doormat isn't all of who Daiji is. Denying/killing the side of him that is more selfish is harmful in the end.”

lol. Anyways---

I gotta stop writing essays in these asks.

[scoups4lyfe]

Ikki sweety your hearts in the right place and obviously you can't do nothing but given that part of Daiji's issues are hella insecurities related to I don't think this 'Fight Daiji' plan is gonna work out tbh. In all seriousness though I can see what Ikki's trying to do and under normal circumstances it might be a good idea to get to what Daiji's really feeling but I think right now Daiji just needs someone to listen to him. I think the best thing for Ikki to do is bs and stroke Daiji's ego just a little to get a conversation going and work from there. I think it's unfortunately a difficult situation in-universe as they obviously don't have the meta insight we do.

Oh sh*t

I was so caught up in the euphoria of beating the shxt out of Daiji I forgot the fact that would only make things worse—

[scoups4lyfe]

Kamen Rider Revice & Intentional Writing (Part 4)

Warnings: Obv gonna go into spoilers. So read at your own risk <33. Also mentions of suicidal ideation. So trigger warning. (Spoilers up to ep 12)

part 1 . part 2 . part 3.1 ; part 3.2 ; part 3.3 

          Daiji’s psyche, why Oltecca wants to kiss him, where Ikki fits in this mess, at least oNE reason why George is such a FREAK and why the henshin Jingles and their Kamen Rider Titles are GENIUS, actually. >:)). 

“Well, I think Daiji just wants to know that he's as worthy as his nii-chan.”

                                                                                          —  Nacho 

               I said some of this in the “Igarashi’s ways to Affection” post, so this will be that but in more depth, and with picture compilation of evidence LOL. But before I do that, first I have to explain how the Deadmans 3 relate to the siblings. See, one thing I noticed during Kagerou’s fratricide stint, was the fact that the only one wanting to give him a chance (even when he’d shown *no* interest in reviving Gifu-sama or finding sacrifices) was Oltecca. Oltecca even got angry on Kagerou’s behalf, enough to question Aguilera. So, why the interest? And why is Aguilera, like Oltecca, obsessed with her own Igarashi Sibling —  Sakura? Well….the reasons are actually really simple and all stated in episode one, as the very first thing we *see* of the Deadmans 3, and the very first thing they *say*. 

          Oltecca, essentially targets people who feel like nobodies. Julio targets the people that are faking their happiness. And Aguilera I guess targets people who feel like society has done them an injustice….or something. (Cursed that Ikki gets stuck with Julio LOL.) The screenshot from the inn episode shows Oltecca in red and smirking, and then like one second after, it's a shot of Daiji smiling as well. This shows the mirroring going on between the two of them. It’s also telling to the audience. Whenever it's an Oltecca episode or stampee….that means we’re dealing with someone who feels like they’re a nobody or somebody or feels worthless. This is shown directly in episode two, as well. 

                 Here, Oltecca targets Ibata, who doesn’t feel like he’s being listened to by his golf friend or whatever. Ibata and Daiji show direct parallelism in this episode. When he screams “Araki!!! Listen to what I have to say dammit!!” Literally the next clip directly after is Daiji showing up to the bath house. We even first see him through the distorted street mirror. This is directly showing Daiji’s already budding feelings of worthlessness and that Fenix wanting Ikki for the role of Kamen rider is something that’s started distorting Daiji’s image of himself, and causing him to spiral. The fact that Daiji says, “I need to talk to you, actually.” (You being Ikki.) RIGHT AFTER Ibata yells “Listen to what I have to say dammit!!” Is just….wow poetic cinema. It’s poetic because Daiji wishes he could do what Ibata is doing. He wants to vent his complaints and disappointment and anger at Ikki taking his dream so easily from him. But this is Daiji. He tied all of his worth to that fenix position, and now that the oh-so-perfect Ikki has so easily grabbed it? Well….doesn’t that just mean Daiji was always worthless afterall? He couldn’t even transform when he had the chance. He couldn’t do anything. He can never do anything. So instead of communicating his grievances to Ikki, Daiji pretends everything is alright with good ol’ Igarashi repression :)).  

             Episode three really continues to put the nail in the coffin here about Daiji’s self-image and his worth. In episode two when Ikki tells Daiji that he should be the one taking the Fenix position, Daiji responds with: “I’m not good enough.” At the hospital (probably looking for some comfort or reassurance) Daiji asks how he’s supposed to get Ikki to sign the contract. And then he says: “Isn’t the world more important?” Because of Ikki’s obsession with putting the bath house and the family over everything and everyone else. This response tells the audience that Daiji views his worldly ambitions as more important than the family/bath house. Near the end of episode three, Daiji asks if he can use the new belt to transform, George laughs at him (lol), and Daiji….Daiji really says: “I’m tired of being a weakling. I want to be like my brother.” Oof.

NACHO:

        And talking about Daiji in general, I really don't know much about his individual goals and motivations, but (I mean Idk if this is any different to what I've been saying for a while), but for his relationship with Ikki, it's clear that he thinks his brother is just a better person and more worthy of love than him. Ikki is responsible, ethical, and capable (he doesn't get a choice not to be). Things which Daiji is not.

              After the shenanigans of episode three, Daiji is at an all-time low. Ikki is better than him. Sakura was able to save herself. And what did he do? Nothing. He was knocked unconscious. (I’ll get more into episode three when I do my episode 4 analysis because episode 4 should win awards for everything it was setting up and foreshadowing.) So Daiji’s low self-worth is obviously making him lash out more. Which is shown right at the beginning when Daiji is frustratingly trying to get Ikki to sign the Fenix contract. But Ikki couldn’t really care less about Fenix. And this just makes the entire situation that much worse for Daiji. Daiji ‘wasn’t good enough’ for the position, but Ikki waltzes around like the job offer is a wet newspaper he found on the ground. Literally like throwing gasoline on a fire. If Daiji’s self worth was low before…..Ikki’s nonchalant write-off of the job Daiji had desperately wanted is….like being stabbed from the front. A literal reminder that Daiji is just that unworthy. So, of course he snaps about not wanting to be Ikki’s errand boy and for Ikki to figure things out for himself then.

             Now, let me do another little pause here about another really intentional thing the writer(s) did. Let’s examine the titles of the Kamen Riders, and their jingles/henshins. I saw a post on tumblr somewhere (don’t remember where, but if you were the one that wrote it feel free to message me and I can link what you said, or at least tag you in the post for saying it :pp) about Daiji’s henshin actually being Like That for a reason. Like when Daiji transforms it goes "VERSUS! UP!" Because Daiji is literally at war with himself (Kagerou). This is also why his transformation jingle is the cursed "eenie-meenie-minie-moe". Cause it's literally like flipping a coin on what you're gonna get. I can't remember Ikki's transformation stuff or his jingle (cause Eenie-meenie-minie-moe literally fills the entirety of my mind). Ah okay, it's "BUDDY UP!" Because Ikki has to work together with Vice if he wants to succeed :P.  Oh man I truly am Perceiving rn.

(From my texts to NachoSupreme:) 

           Their Kamen Rider Titles!!!!!! Oh this is VERY interesting. Ikki's is RE-VICE, re being a prefix meaning "again, back" and Vice...lol being vice. So It's literally Vice is back. Vice - - again. Which can be inferred to mean that Ikki literally has to deal with his vices again and again instead of just repressing them -- especially if he wants to succeed. Dang. Daiji's is Kamen Rider EVIL/LIVE, hahahahahaha. I'll come back to analyze this cause rn I don't know what it all means. (Nvm, my friend did it for me.)

(Nacho) 

         I feel like this (Daiji’s title being LIVE/EVIL) — has to do with "living" with an inner "evil" or something. Like with Ikki, he's destined to revisit his vices over and over and over again, because he never addresses them, only represses. Daiji was never allowed to live his own life before, but was never taught how to do/be a responsible (ethically responsible) adult, so now that he is living his own life, the only parts that seem obvious are the evil parts of himself. Which is why his demon (Kagerou) is named "mirage" yoooooooo. Bc it's a distorted vision of himself. Only the bad parts 👀. 

—  NachoBounchingBoardSupreme

            I do think we should also be noticing here that the “MADNESS! HOPELESS! DARKNESS!” Part of Daiji’s transformation, could all be key triggers that bring Kagerou out. Basically, whenever Daiji feels hopeless, usually from his own feelings of worthlessness, this of course brings madness that he can’t repress anymore, and then BOOM! Darkness. LoL. Likewise, “Precious! Trust us! Justice!” are things that trigger the ‘good’ Daiji. So when he feels precious to others, and trusted, he becomes able and can then bring justice instead of darkness. That's how he’s able to settle “right from wrong.” 

           SIDENOTE: Hiromi’s title being “Kamen Rider Demons” already has me assuming that Hiromi….well that he has multiple inner demons lol. The “DECIDE UP!” And “DEAL!” parts of the henshin tell us that Hiromi has to make some kind of decision, and whatever decision he makes is one he’ll have to deal with. Of course, the “DEEP! DROP! DANGER!” Feels *so* foreboding. Like Hiromi is on a very small ledge and is *this* close to spiraling. And once he does…..well you heard the jingle. The spiral around him during his henshin might be something that symbolizes this, through the white windy-thingies around Hiromi when he transforms. They could kinda be seen as something like a tornado? Idk. Again, don’t have enough on Hiromi to really be throwing a ton of theories out there. Though it *IS* worthy to note that when he uses another bottle to transform it says “ADD UP!” And in episode 12 it seems like Hiromi added perhaps one too many…..hence the passing out. Idk. gUEss wE’ll SEe.

Back to Daiji <33. 

NACHO: 

          Problem is that Daiji doesn't really want to hurt other people, his subconscious is just doing it because his own self-esteem is so low. Not that it's an excuse, but once his whole freakout was "over" I can only see Daiji's self-esteem as rock bottom still. Nothing's changed, only proving to himself that, as he thought, he is incapable, irresponsible, and a bad person. But oh well, that's how his whole life has been and he can accept his role as subservient to his brother (until the next trigger happens and he spirals again).

Another sidenote: The people Daiji’s targets to use stamps on are….interesting to say the least. (I mean if the Deadmans 3 all have stampee types, why wouldn’t Kagerou?) The first person he gives a stamp to….uses it to punish a CEO that makes his workers work….even during the holidays…..so they can’t be with their families. And then the second (er….third and fourth?) people he chooses to stamp are literal swindlers who choose to swindle money by pretending to be family members of their victim’s. And Kagerou was *very* ruthless with these dudes. All of this just tells me that even when Daiji is Kagerou, family is something still deeply rooted into his being. Enough so that he punishes (through proxy) people that harm other people’s families. 

NACHO: 

Daiji can kind of subsist on minimal praise and affection and keep on trudging along, believing that he's the least interesting and least capable person in his family. But his psyche can accept it as long as he gets some attention and acknowledgement. When he perceives that he's not getting any anymore, he'll start to crack and lash out, becoming jealous and accusatory.

ME: Do you think that Daiji specifically wants attention from Ikki? (Not that he doesn’t want it from the rest of his family)

NACHO:

Naw, I think he would be fine with attention from anybody tbh, but Ikki is like, God I guess, can do no wrong. So his approval is worth more than others.

Me: Yeah in ep 11—now that Ikki apologized and they ‘’made up”—it’s kinda amusing watching the way they fight together. Cause it’s business as usual for Ikki but Daiji is super tuned in to what Ikki’s doing, and doing his best to stay exactly at Ikki’s side/help him finish the monsters. For example when they saw it was Sakura’s instructor that was stamped and turned into a monster, Daiji waited for Ikki’s decision (literally watched him and waited for what Ikki was gonna do) and once Ikki decided to fight, Daiji immediately followed.

And there’s also a part where Daiji is fighting some mooks while Ikki takes on the big monster and when Daiji sees Ikki is about ready to do the finisher my homie literally guns down the mooks as fast as possible and like books it down there barrel roll and everything. The entire time I was like 👀.

NACHO:

Yeah, makes sense to me. Rn Daiji is trying to reject the side of himself that lashes out since Ikki acknowledged him. He doesn't trust himself to be capable of telling right from wrong though so he's relying on Ikki to be the moral compass and give him clear signals on what the right thing to do is.

*******This is VERY credible, as Daiji (when Ikki wasn’t around in episode 12) stops again and waits/watches to see what Hiromi is going to do, only transforming after Hiromi himself does. ******

Me: My theory that Ikki disappeared from that photo w/ Sakura and Daiji is again because of Daiji and not Sakura 🤪😂😂😂 just gets more credible? Sakura shows like no resentment towards Ikki, just annoyance/irritation at being coddled. Especially with Ikki getting injured at the end of ep 11 protecting Sakura. (Idk Daiji was also triggered lol! But I can’t see Sakura based on what I’ve already seen of her, going coo coo bonkers trying to hurt Ikki). Daiji’s only shown those kinds of behaviors (even before the personality split, LOL!).

NACHO:

Yeah agreed. I mean the thing with Sakura is when she's spiralling, she also gets aggressive but in a waaaay more confrontational way than Daiji. Daiji's is more insidious. Like even he doesn't realize he's angry until 2 minutes after he has a fight.

Me:

That and I (again already stated) feel like Sakura is supposed to be a red herring because that’s like the first person everyone thought it would be this time around cause Daiji and Ikki had just “made up” lol so it CoUldN't bE DaIji. And the last time they fought and “made up” was the first time Ikki disappeared from the photo. And he was beating the sh*t out of him directly in the next episode lolllll.

Sakura’s always been more, hmmm, helpful for Ikki? (Already stated again lol) So I feel like perhaps for her even though she’s still in Ikki’s shadow and relates more to Daiji, I don’t think she looks at Ikki and is about to absolutely lose it. Daiji from episode 2 (after Ikki took the role of kamen rider in episode 1) was already acting coo coo bonkers. But it was subtle for the most part. The tension did continue to build and it was like ???? Why is he so adamant on Ikki signing a contract with Fenix? 

Like real different ep 2 “can u pls sign a contract with fenix?” To episode three’s “fIne iF yOu WoNt sIgn a ConTraCT tHen I wOnT heLp yoU. I WON'T BE yOuR LiTtlE sIdeKICk anYmoRE. FInD THE MOnSTers YOuRSElf”.

And then episode four’s actual physical altercation: “ARE U HAPPY NOW?!! IS THE BATHHOUSE STILL MORE IMPORTANT!?!?” Woof.

NACHO:

Who knows? I mean atm Ikki took a hit for her, so she wouldn't be mad about that. She'll freak out if she feels that Ikki is Doing the Wrong Thing™️ but she has more self-confidence than Daiji and won't explode upon contact.

See, the point is that both Daiji and Sakura don't want to hurt Ikki. It's not bc of a desire to get back at him or whatever. No such thing. Daiji's is just a coping mechanism since he has loads of self-hatred, as I said he doesn't even know he's mad until after the fact. Sakura will get angry if she believes injustice is being done, but it's not out of a hatred for Ikki. In reality neither of them resent Ikki. Sakura resents her environment, and Daiji resents himself. Ikki could potentially become collateral damage in either of their freakouts, but it just depends on the circumstances.

Closing thoughts: 

Well it's obvious to me that George is being a fcker again and psychologically manipulating behind the scenes. 

Nacho:   HMMMMM. I think I get George even more now. (Me: ????) Obviously don't know what his hang ups are, but I get what his motivation in life is. He likes figuring out people and, maybe not playing God, but definitely lording over his power of perception over others. He doesn't like Vice since Vice is an honest characterization of human emotion, rather than a set of coping mechanisms and self-sabotage that George can take advantage of. I mean on one hand already been knew George liked to be a master of chaos, but on the other didn't get it to this level LOL! Honestly it's why I felt like I kinned with George. Not bc we have the same psyche or anything, but bc he's perceiving like you and I are y'know? (Me: Holy sh*t!) 

           Like how George manipulated Hiromi into being a rider, and how he took advantage of Daiji’s mental break, I feel very *strongly* that right now he’s putting ideas into Daiji’s head. Idk just him randomly telling Daiji, “oh, no! Man we are *all* so lucky he didn’t remix before I calibrated the thing…..” and just beforehand, giving something for Daiji to deliver …. Probably already knowing that Daiji isn’t a fan of being second fiddle/delivery boy to Ikki. And then Daiji saying, “Nii-chan, stop. Plus, you make it sound like you did that.” Just tells me Daiji is really toeing that edge rn. George knows it. *I* know it, and now all of you know it. Smh. Can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen in episode 13, huh. 

Anyways, part 5 will be coming soon. I’ll be discussing/analyzing episode 3, but *primarily* episode 4, and why it's such a brilliant piece of poetic cinema, how it parallels directly Daiji and Ikki’s arc, and how it may even foreshadow Ikki’s own future arc…..:))))).

PREV

[scoups4lyfe]

YO????

Well. Even if she iS a traitor or something, I like her.

Cause she's right y'know. Daiji may have fused with Kagerou (somewhat) but he still has this binary view of black and white, good and bad, right and wrong.

Things are never that simple.

I mean, I don't think that'll be EASY for him, considering this binary POV of life was one of the reasons he started to hate himself to begin with.

If he's not doing 'good' then he's bad. + The negative emotions, thoughts, and feelings? Dude probably thought he was evil incarnate.

Probably cried in his bed at night when he was like 11 yrs old, because he couldn't understand why he can't be like everyone else. Why he had to be different -- both useless AND evil.

BUT! It is a fact homeboy needs to get into his head.

Sidenote: But, with "Things are never that simple" I honestly think that's why George's full past hasn't been totally revealed yet, even tho he's so central to the plot.

Because he's a character of complexity. Someone walking the line between good and evil, right and wrong.

Like is George truly evil and wrong if he was raised by a megalomaniac cultist psychopath that has him under strict orders?

Idk maybe the reason George is such a fking fREAK whenever he's not at Fenix ('This water's dELICIous') might be because he was locked up by the director since he was a child? So he couldn't make friends or socialize like a normal person.

I'm gonna laugh and then spontaneously combust on the spot if they make George's strange Water-taste saying equivalent to Tamaki's "Smileee".

Like, could you imagine?? Just flashbacks to a completely fvcked childhood and then BAM. Revice showing the reason why George says that sh*t LOL!!!

/end of Sidenote, whOOPS /

DAIJI LOL

HAHAHAAHAHAA

HE DEFLATED SO QUICKLY

OOOooOooOOhhhhh

He was making that face cause it was

b i t t er

LOL HHAHAHAHA I-

[scoups4lyfe]

Hi Scoups, just was curious of your thoughts on a theory I have. It seems to me that Daiji feels a bit out of focus and I don't get why he is so loyal to Fenix. Then it occurred to me that Hiromi was added in to the story. Since they are both Fenix soldier, what if some of Hiromi's story was originally Daiji's? I am thinking of the commander in particular. Hiromi was the worst until his peptalk and then his determination came through to achieve success in Fenix. That sounds like Daiji as well...

Heyo~. I've read both part (1) and (2) of this ask.

And hmmmmmm. Y'know I gotta say I've seen this theory or at least something very similar going around tumblr and I gotta say. I think that does a major disservice to the writers LOL!

Not to say that its impossible because -- heck yeah that's something that could have easily happened.

But since Im too deep into the Revice insanity I kinda get these authors on a spiritual level lol. And with all my nonsense research, analysis, and essays I can say without a doubt in my mind that even though Hiromi was a last-minute ad-in I don't think his story was originally something for Daiji.

(Or if it was -- I don't think them taking it and giving it to Hiromi weakens Daiji's own narrative arc and plot importance)

I know I mentioned this at some point but Daiji's loyalty to Fenix stems almost entirely from his own view of himself and his self-worth.

Hmmm. I'd say Daiji is to Fenix what Ikki is to Vice.

(LMAO) So what the heck do I mean when I say this?

Well Daiji (IMO) has 2 major arcs (that I'm editing an essay about as we speak) which impact his arc narratively. The first was getting rid of his debilitating self-hate -- which he did through the battle in episode 26.

But the reason why Daiji's story feels so whack is because he still hasn't allowed himself to *BE* a main character. Which is something that'll only happen when Daiji learns to accept himself. Like he got rid of his self-hate but he has still tried to keep himself within a damaging binary.

"Good versus Evil."

Once he accepts Kagerou -- or at least the darker parts of his character -- he'll finally be able to step into the role of an MC instead of playing the damsel in distress (hahahaha).

Fenix wise --

Daiji joined Fenix because he wanted to make a name for himself, and show his family (re: Ikki) that he can be responsible and reliable too. So badly Daiji wants to be seen as someone with value. Someone whose capable.

So he tied his self-esteem to Fenix. To this concept that Fenix is essentially important to his person and his worth, and that without it his value will fall back to ground zero.

Daiji also has a major guilt complex that stems form his slow self-esteem and self-worth, so when bad things happen he 100% blames himself.

(Which is why Kagerou was created -- cause Daiji couldn't survive this way)

So I think for Daiji -- since he's tied so much of himself, his worth and value, his identity, and his responsibility to Fenix -- then he no doubt probably sees their sins as his own.

"These things happened because I wasn't good enough to stop them. I should've noticed before it got to this point."

Is the thought process.

Since he's now trying to grow as a person, he's not trying to actively blame himself--- but he still wants to prove his value by "purifying" Fenix.

Because he sees Fenix as an extension of himself.

So, similar to how Daiji saw the darker sides of himself as inherently bad and evil -- which led to a lack of trust in himself and his decisions / autonomy; the worse parts of Fenix are something he sees in a similar fashion.

"Fenix is bad, it needs to be cleaned of its filth. Only then does it have value. Only then can it do things and help others."

The problem in -- Daiji's literally projecting his own false beliefs onto Fenix. Since he believes he 'killed' Kagerou, he thinks he needs to do the same thing to Fenix.

That he needs to "purify" it. And then it can be good and have value.

(And then he can be good. he can have value. The horrors committed by Fenix will be atoned. It won't be his fault.)

But as the nurse lady said in episode 30 -- "Justice" is a word you gotta be careful with because life isn't black and white.

[scoups4lyfe]

Hebi Anon

You've already explained in perfectly clear detail that Taro matches your form of neurodiversity. I fully understand and respect that. Neurodiversity takes on numerous different forms.

However, we're seeing this mostly through the eyes of Haruka. In her I see my form of neurodiversity, and through that perspective Taro and Jin's actions with relation to the setting end up painting the most neuroTYPICAL patterns I've had the worst experiences with (again, relating to some deep seated traumas)

I'll explain what I mean in full when you reach Episode 15 (which drove me to actual angry screaming by the way, so expect a lot of negative emotions)

Absolutely understandable.

I have a feeling episode 10 of Donbrothers is going to bring out my "Inner Daiji" so to say.

Will I get triggered going into it? Man idk, yo. Lately Haruka's been wayyyy too relatable bro, and y'know. Well I'm just spouting nonsense cause I haven't watched the episode yet.

Just kno, I completely get you lol.

[scoups4lyfe]

I think Papa-san and Mama-san weren't negligent in the traditional sense. They have been there for their kids and show support (even if they can be embarrassing). Even Ikki wanting to be a "father-figure" seems to be product of trauma by Vail. However, the negligence was that Igarashi parents likely enabled Ikki's behavior, since they didn't know it was product of trauma and it really helped them.

Mhm absolutely agree. :D

Obv. context is everything, but even in past episodes the parents were always like there, y'know?

They do TRY to uplift their kids spirits when they notice that something is wrong. However....Mama-san and Papa-san are obv still dealing with their own past trauma.

For Mama-san, something that has helped her get by is obviously the mindset of ignoring the bad things and trying to be positive. Or bringing laughter and smiles to a tense situation

(probably to diffuse it, or again -- to uplift spirits and what not)

Howeverrrrrrrrrr

This coping mechanism and mindset brought some major negative impacts -- mostly that the kids (Daiji and Ikki at least no idea but probably Sakura too) learned from this reaction that their worries or anxieties were something 'small' and/or 'laughable'

so instead of lifting spirits it taught them to keep their strife and inner-conflicts to themselves, because "it's not that big a deal" anyways.

This emotionally isolated them, and made it harder to seek comfort, because they believe that these issues, pains, etc are just....something unimportant.

AKA the episode 3.....or 4; Daiji/Mama-san hospital scene. Where Daiji obv goes there because of emotional turmoil. He wants comfort. He wants his mom to idk --give him a hug and to relate.

Instead she tells him to "Just do what you can" which just hurts Daiji even moreeee because he, well? He doesn't think he can do anything. So her 'comforting' just made the situation worse lol.

Like Mama-san's biggest failure imo is her failure to adequately assess and meet her kids emotional needs.

(WHich is ALSO why the episode 27 Bath house scene is SO important.)

And--I don't think Ikki necessarily wants to be a father figure, but I get what you're saying -- that the reason why he's so obsessed with Caretaking is because of his Vail-Trauma.

And 🤝🏻

I absolutely agree that Ikki's 'Care-taking' starting point WAS a jump-off point from said trauma

(And the accidental negligence in the enabled behavior because y'know, "aw he wants to be helpful :D")

But if I had to pinpoint exactly HOW it started this mindset, it would be because the vent laid foundation to the belief that Ikki is responsible for his family's overall well-being and safety.

(He had to protect them against Vail)

This means that he thinks something terrible will happen to them, if he's not there to save them.

But this is just (1) Aspect of a parentified child. A chair cannot stand on one leg. Homie that's a unicycle.

(I linked my analysis on Ikki and the trauma of being a parentified child)

What I think happened is that their parents were obv busy with the bath house (and for the mom, obv making sure Papa-san is a-okay). I can already see in my mind's eye, that once Daiji was born his mother probably said to him

"Ikki, you're the big brother. You got to take care of your younger brother." And I say this because when Vice arrives he says point-blank:

"You're the big brother, aren't you? You gotta protect your family"

And there is no heck'n way Vice would've said this unless Ikki had already heard it at some point from someone else.

And the most likely source would be his own family, because he's only four when the incident happens.

And then after this -- Ikki was obv more docile when it came to the 'Big Brother" self-sacrificial mentality, because as I stated before at some point, Vice essentially switched places with Ikki.

(He took Ikki's childhood, and Ikki took on/accepted the 'Responsibility' mindset.)

I do also think its important to remember that Vice = Ikki's inner demon. So Vice acting older during the flashback, and saying the big brother thing would be because these are thoughts/behaviors that Ikki either didn't like or didn't want to accept.

"You're the big brother, aren't you Ikki? You should let Daiji play with that toy. You have to take care of your younger siblings after all."

Ikki (4-yr-old-PRE-incident): NO >:(((( MY TOY *pushes Daiji over*

But Ikki when this traumatic event happened had no choice. Only HE could protect his mom and younger brother, therefore he accepted that reality.

That mindset.

[scoups4lyfe]

Kamen Rider Revice & Intentional Writing (Part 3.2)

Warnings: Obv gonna go into spoilers. So read at your own risk <33. Also mentions of suicidal ideation. So trigger warning. (Spoilers up to episode 12)

part 1. part 2. part 3.1 ; part 3.3; part 4; Igarashi ways to affection post

                  Alright, y’all. What is WITH Vice and his weird obsession with eating…..👀👀👀👀.  Lol find out below the cut. 

                So, now that there are 12 episodes out (13 by tomorrow <33), I had time to compare Vice to the other inner-demons….and one thing that really stood out to me was Vice’s obsession with food. Originally I thought this was something *all* demons did or whatever —eat, or try to eat, humans—but none of the deadmans 3 have shown a need or desire for such things. Kagerou didn’t either (he was solely obsessed with killing Ikki rip), and even the random-stampee-monsters just…..fought humans….not try to eat them. And so then I thought: “What the f*ck, Ikki? What does this even MEAN? Why is Vice so obsessed with eating? More specifically, eating humans?”

Nacho: 

              “I think I need more evidence before I have a working hypothesis. It could be Ikki’s need or childish desire to possess and control as a way to secure love and comfort?” (I send videos) “Okay after watching these few vids, actually seems like my spitball hypothesis is right LOL. Because Vice is only going after the family members and trying to eat them. I am also thinking that in addition to Ikki’s desire to claim and possess the family and secure their love, there is also some repressed aggression as well, hence the action of eating.”

(Sidenote here, but Vice’s introducing himself as someone that love’s ‘tasty looking humans’ after Hiromi’s introduction is…..lol Vice did you say that because Hiromi is a tasty looking human? 👀💀. Ikki’s gay ass rlly put this here right in front of my salad 💀💀.)

               Ikki is (lmao) “affection starved” of which Vice is taking quite literally. What makes this theory more credible is Vice’s weird fixation on “love.” (Which isn’t only Vice—but also subtly shown in Ikki as well.) Vice doesn’t know what “love” is, even going so far as to ask if it’s something you eat. (👀. #Interesting….) The “Is there no love for me” kills me, because child!Ikki is asking that. Ikki, with a kid’s voice, asking: “Is there no love for me?” Just….process that for a second. Every single one of Ikki’s self-sacrificial deeds are something he does to gain affection, yet this line tells us that deep down, some part of Ikki still feels unloved and desperate for affection.

NACHO: 

          “Intellectually he knows they love him. But throughout his childhood, subconsciously it feels like they just, care about him less, or at the very least, his right for signs of comfort and affection has to be earned.”

             Vice not knowing what the word means, then wanting Ikki to praise or compliment him and ‘show him a little love’ —  to the point of being happy and pacified with the lame shoulder-slap Ikki does eventually give him, is essentially the show literally directly telling the audience that Vice (again) doesn’t *know* what love is. He craves it. He wants to be complimented. He wants praise. He wants support. 

Nacho: 

“Yep yep yep. Basically looking for validation in any and all forms without having the vocabulary—verbal or otherwise—to ask for it.” 

              This is especially obvious at the end of episode 2—when Vice asks if Ikki wants to share a friendship hug, and in episode 10 with Vice’s reaction to Hiromi touching him. Vice….(in the Hiromi example), like he freezes at first. (Notice, Ikki also freezes at first when Vice asks if he wants a hug.) And then you can see Vice just….processing Hiromi’s gesture of friendship/physical affection. This is shock. Vice is *shocked* at receiving positive physical contact/affection. 

(Sidenote: But Ikki rejecting Vice’s hug is also quite telling. Because, although Ikki freezes at the offer, he *is* quick to reject it. Showing he doesn’t quite want to receive comfort from himself. It also shows that Ikki is embarrassed at the idea of someone giving him physical affection, perhaps because he craves it, but doesn’t know how to ask for it.)

NACHO: 

           “Hiromi obviously needs help. (Ref: we were talking about Hiromi + Ikki’s psychology, and why Hiromi and Ikki have a *very* different relationship than Hiromi and Daiji do.) Not mental help (well that too), but just help y’know? And Ikki is hardwired to be “helpful” so that’s the catalyst. But Hiromi says the magic words of ‘we’re in this together’ or something to that effect, so Ikki’s instinct now sees Hiromi as a friend, instead of a responsibility alone. Which is why Vice is so amicable to Hiromi, he satiates the need Vice and Ikki can’t voice.”

             Vice and Ikki’s shock about receiving positive physical affection is so telling, and so sad, because it really shows how little Ikki views himself, that not even his inner-demon can conceive the idea of receiving such contact. Which is why Vice wanting to be seen as ‘cool’ is also like being shot in the face….because Vice doesn’t want to be “cool” for the sake of being cool….he wants to be seen as cool because then that would mean others see him as someone capable that they can trust and rely on. Ikki *wants* others to rely on him —  then he can fulfill his ‘role’ and gain the affection and comfort he so desperately craves. 

Vice fighting the monster to get Ikki’s ‘love’ is also another literal way of showing how Ikki believes he can get love….only by doing things and sacrificing himself for others 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀. 

This is another side note because we don’t know enough about Hiromi to really be throwing out an analysis about him, but I literally would not be surprised if both Ikki and Vice wanted to kiss him on the mouth. 

(1) Hiromi is the *ONLY* person Vice interacts positively with. Vice literally insulted George’s work during their first ‘real’ conversation. And he squabbles with Daiji, and has also tried to *eat* Daiji and Ikki’s mother. So the fact that Vice has always interacted positively with Hiromi, even giving him an immediate nickname is just….really fking funny, and really fking telling. 

(2) Hiromi has been the *only* one to offer legitimate help to Ikki, especially when Ikki needed it most —during Daiji’s fratricidal rampage. 

(3) I haven’t forgotten about Vice’s ‘introduction’ to Hiromi’s introduction, as ‘someone who loves tasty-looking humans.’ Lmao to Ikki’s repressed gay homosexual ass.

             As I said, I don’t know enough about Hiromi to be making any claims, but I *do* think it's interesting that the only person to have complimented Hiromi on both performance and looks, is Ikki.  (Technically the looks of his suit, but still.)  👀 👀. (And Hiromi telling Daiji that he used to be bullied real badly, and that during that time he always waited for a hero to come save him…..and y’know as said above. Ikki’s hardwired to be helpful. Lmao.)

ANYWAYS

          My conclusion? Is that Ikki is in need for some major therapy 💀💀. Part 3.3 will analyze Ikki’s special kind of repression, and why it has firmly set Ikki on the path to tragedy.

Prev      

NEXT