#even here we don't get to see yokomizo's face :' )

[dazais-guardian-angel]

WE ARE BLESSED TODAY

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO SEE YOUR ANSWER TO MY ASK; thank you so much for answering though, omg I wasn't expecting to receive an entire analysis in response, it made me so happy 😭💚 Since I need more people to talk about Mushitarou with, now I wanna ask, do you have any headcanons for him and/or Yokomizo? 🥺👉👈 I want to write fic for them, but it's really hard considering that we know so little about both of them :' ) I'm also curious, do you have any thoughts as to why Yokomizo's face is shadowed? I think it would make sense if we couldn't see his face before the truth is revealed, as a representation of how Mushi is trying to distance himself from reality and him/forget about him/lie to himself about not caring about him (which is why I theorized the anime might reveal his face when said truth is revealed, but they didn't do that, rip), but during the final scene and even later in Mushi's hallucinations, his face is still obscured, so... I don't know. I just think it would have been powerful to see his face more clearly as Mushi heals more and is more accepting of his grief and how much he misses Yokomizo... but maybe it'll happen if when we get more of his arc later. Or maybe I'm just totally missing something and being delusional lol

Again, thank you so much for the detailed response before; Mushi needs so much more love 🥺💚

Why are you apologizing??? It's ok! I appreciate you reading it all in the first place! I'm really happy to talk about his character at any time. (Nice icon, btw!)

First off, if you do end up writing anything about him and/or Yokomizo, I would love to see it! That is, if you're ok with sharing it. :)

Headcanons, huh? Hm... you see, normally I try to pull at least a few things from the original authors' stories but... sad to say I know nothing about their irl inspirations asides from them being mystery writers, I believe, and that they did know each other.

I guess, here's a few thoughts from off the top of my head? They're not all headcanons exactly, but this is kind of the way I see them.

Yokomizo is the kind of person who is completely unfazed by anything that's not happening in his novels. I bet that when Mushitaro showed up with a completely different face he just went... "huh" and went back to writing and asking him for opinions.

Mushitaro argues on principle. Not because he actually disagrees or anything but just because he's a bit of a disagreeable person by nature. People like Poe or Ranpo will want him to do something with them and he needs to act like he doesn't want to, before finally relenting (he's still grumbling about it though). (<-he is secretly pleased people want to spend time with him)

Mushitaro canonically likes the occult, and if you can get him talking about this topic he can go on for a very long time, and he actually looks excited and eager about it - at least until he regains his self-awareness. Then he's back to pretending he's not that excited by it.

Yokomizo and Mushitaro met when they were preteens. Neither one had other friends and Mushitaro decided to announce his arrival by attempting to explain the mystery book Yokomizo was reading to... resident mystery expert, Yokomizo. (I believe Mushitaro was especially pompous what he was younger, and unfortunately also often wrong.) Yokomizo spent a very long time correcting him on mysteries and was so ecstatic that someone listened through the whole thing that he kept ambushing Mushitaro at school for his thoughts on various mysteries he was reading. Mushitaro absolutely thought he was being bullied for weeks before he realized that the other boy was attempting to befriend him.

Mushitaro is actually the sentimental type, unlike Yokomizo, who really isn't all that much. From the outside, it appears to be the opposite, since Yokomizo is prone to fantastic and excitable discussions of his new ideas while Mushitaro is seemingly dismissive and more realistic. However, Yokomizo is more than capable of scrapping beloved projects he's been working on for months if they aren't up to his standards (I think he's a bit of a perfectionist), while Mushitaro has a difficult time throwing away anything with sentimental value.

I am curious about Mushitaro's past a little; not in that I think it was anything really tragic or dramatic, but mostly in the way his father apparently told him to be kind to strangers, the way he can't seem to be all that assertive despite his posturing, the way his core coping mechanism appears to be just flat out denying he has sentimental feelings (even before Yokomizo's death). Idk. Something there.

I think further development of Mushitaro's dynamic with Ango could be really interesting. Assuming a future where he does get to start with the Special Division and Ango is not fired, I'd like to see them working together somehow. I think they could really play off each other well and that they'd have a lot of growth potential in that sense. Honestly, I'd take anymore interactions between them as I can get.

That's about it, honestly. Do you have any headcanons for them?

As for Yokomizo's face being shadowed, I feel like it has everything to do with this only being the Yokomizo in Mushitaro's mind. Even before his death, the Yokomizo we see is filtered through Mushitaro's memories of these events, and I suppose it's an artistic way to express how he's blocked some stuff out, like you said, but probably also to indicate that Yokomizo is not coming back.

There's a similar thing done in the manga and 55 Minutes with Oda whenever Dazai reminisces about him; I don't believe his face is ever shown, though it's not shadowed like Yokomizo's. So, that's what I suspect.

I hope these made some degree of sense... they're not super backed by canon, but I guess that's why they're headcanons huh? Haha.

He absolutely needs more love. I'm hoping people discuss him more after the anime.

Anyone who wants to, feel free to drop any headcanons you have about these two here!

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression - Niconama Vol:7 - Watching Average Psyco 3

K: Hey, here we are with The Freedom of Expression on our Niconico channel. I'm Dir en grey's Kaoru.

J: Good evening, I'm Joe Yokomizo, great to be  here.

T: I'm Tasai from Tokyo Sports, happy to be here.

*clapping*

J: Well, its our April broadcast...but Kaoru, there is something worrying me.

K: Hm?

J: Its about the start of the new pro-baseball season...

*K puts palm up to indicate 'stop'*

J: What? Stop?!

K: Haha, no, its ok really.

J: Is it ok? Well, you know, the team that is as precious as life to you, the Hanshin Tigers...

K: Yes

J: How are they doing?...

K: ....They are playing baseball, right? haha

J: Haha. Well, yes because they are a pro baseball team...but how are they scoring? Oh, one comment said, 'Don't talk about it!' Really?

T: Someone said, 'Hanshin just started'

K: They've had about 15 or 16 games already. Or is it 18? They've only won 3.

J: What do you think? Is that normal for them?

K: Well, well, well, I mean, if you think about winning the season, these odds are good to start with.

J: Oh, I see, I see. Their opponents are winning a lot, so they have to lose for now to make the race more exciting?

K: Yeh, yeh, yeh. Its better to have a dramatic win in the end, right?

J: Of course.

T: Cool! But will they be ok? haha

J: How long will they go on like this? They will start winning soon, right?

K: Well, little by little. Maybe by the time we finish the interleague games, people will start to think its getting interesting.

J: Ah, so everyone can rest assured?

K: Yes.

J: Your 'Stop!' earlier was impressive though.

K: Haha

J: You looked so serious! I havn't seen that face in a while...'Stop!!' haha.

K: Ahh, no, I'll get carried away.

T: Right.

J: But yeh, I'm not sure of the details, but there's a young player wowing the baseball world at the moment isn't there?

T: Ah, yeh. Sasaki Roki, with Lotte.

J: Yes, Sasaki Roki. He played a perfect game, and the game after that..

T: Yeh, he had 8 perfect innings.

J: I mean fans of other teams might know more about this, but as baseball fans, what do you think about this?

K: Oh, its amazing.

T: Yeh.

K: Should we watch a Lotte game on this show? A perfect game.

J, K: Haha.

J: We could broadcast a Lotte game.

K: Uh, Yamamoto, and...what was it? Takaki?

T: Sasaki...Sasaki Roki.

K: We could watch them throw..its on a Sunday, right?

T: Yeah, Sunday Roki.

J: Well, cause this really pulls in the views, right?

K: But apparently, Chiba TV aren't broadcasting it on Sunday.

J: Really?!

T: Haha.

K: Terrible, right?

J: It'll be undercover!

K: Haha. Well, I think they just don't have space in their schedule.

J: Ahh. Ok, we can broadcast it!

K: No, we can't. haha.

J: Ok, well, we could watch a game, and talk about it at will.

T: Yeah.

J: A drink would be nice with it. It might be more fun than watching a Hanshin game.

K: No, lets watch a Hanshin game.

J: Ok, lets watch a Hanshin game. Haha, of course. Well, we could talk all day about baseball, but before we get onto the theme for today, lets hear a bit about the recent situation with Dir en grey. Thank you for all your comments. We will be asking Kaoru some of your questions throughout the show. However, on the 15th of June the new album Phalaris will be released. You've already announced the date and title. So, today is the 18th of April...Leader, you may not like me talking about these numbers, but there is now less than two months to the release date. Tell us about the current state of things.

K: Is this about Hanshin?

J, T: Haha

J: Wasn't the recording going worse that Hanshin's losing streak?

K: Hm? What are you talking about?

J: What could it be? Look, comments saying, 'I reserved it!', 'Im excited!'

K: You want me to talk about it?

J: Of course we do! We only do this live broadcast once a month.

K: Ok, I'm gonna say the real truth.

T, J: Haha

J: It will get quite heavy...

K: Well, I don't know about that, but...

J: Ok, yes, tell us how it is.

K: Well, all the band members have finished recording.

J, T: Ohhh. *clapping*

K: There's just a little bit more to sort out, but in general, the recording is done.

J: That means you are not under pressure making the songs anymore, right?

K: Right.

J: Oh, good!

T: Im a bit shocked, I was worried about whether you would be ok.

K: Haha. Well, I think we'll probably get it out on time.

J: Ohh!

T: Did you hear that everyone? It'll probably be out on time!

K: I can't say for sure though. You never know whats gonna happen, do you?

J: You don't, but at least you can say you have finished recording.

K: Yes

J: Just some more detailed work left to be done.

K: Yes, thats right.

T: *reading comments* 'You worked so hard!', 'I'm looking forward to it too much!'

J: Well, its due for release on the 15th of June, so please reserve it if you havn't yet. Ok, now, for today's topic...Speaking of Dir en grey, last month saw the release of the DVD Average Psycho 3! *applause* How has the reaction been? I know lots of fans have been posting thier thoughts on social media, etc.

K: I don't know.

J: Well, of course, you have been busy recording.

K: Yeh, I havn't seen any of the responses.

J: Not yet, right? Well, as for the plan today, people who have already bought AP3, and also  those who havn't bought it yet can enjoy this. The plan is titled, 'Kaoru's special commentary behind the scenes of Averge Psyco 3'! *applause* I'm sorry for reading that off the script so plainly.

T: Haha. *reading comments* 'I bought it!', 'I cried!', 'I watched it, I watched it!'.

J: Well, there are various music videos contained in AP3, but we are going to choose a few of them to watch together, and Kaoru will tell us about them. These will be live comments from Leader, as we watch.

T: This is a great idea.

J: Yes, well, we have the DVD here in front of us. Oh, actually, we have quite a few questions already, can I just ask one now? Where was it?...Ah, here. Here's one..for example this one is from Itsumi san...'The tile Average Psyco 3' is a great title. Please remind us again about this name'. 

T: Oh, Im interested in this.

K: Ahh, I didn't think anyone would ask about the title.

J: But you do get questions like this, don't you?

K: No, but this DVD is number 3 already.

J: Oh right, yeh. haha.

K: ...Average...um, I think everyone is aware of this, but our videos tend to get censored. So the two DVDs before Psyco contained censored versions of our videos. Those both had the title 'Average..something-or-other' (*Average Fury, Average Blasphemy*)

J: I see, haha.

K: So only Average Psyco contains the un-censored versions.

J: They're not altered, right?

K: This is what we released this time. So you have the 'Average something-or-other' and 'Average Psyco' as kind of opposite poles.

J: So you have two types, the unedited versions, and then the ones that have been censored a bit for wider use. And Average Psyco is the unchanged type.

K: Well, they are deemed unacceptable as works of art. Its not a case of whether or not they can be publicly aired. They are seen as unacceptable.

J: There's really no-one else out there like Dir en grey, is there? Are there any other bands out there who's works get damned in this way?

K: There are, surely?

J: Are they? Well anyway, today is all about Dir en grey's new DVD Average Psyco 3.

K: So yes, as a result this DVD is actually produced independently, in house.

J: Right. If you tried to put it out with another company, they would refuse?

K: Yes. But actually, it seems to be selling really well. Due to not having enough spare copies, I only just got my own copy of this today.

J: Oh! You got your copy today?!

K: Yes, haha.

J: Really? There's so few left? You should make more copies so the members can get it too. Well, that means a lot of people bought it, right?

K: Yeh.

T: 'Its sold out on Amazon'

J: Is it? Well, anyone who got a copy is lucky, but moving on...I'm sure there are many memories and stories surrounding the videos contained in the DVD, so while we watch them, Kaoru will tell us what he remembers. If you have any questions or comments for Kaoru about the DVD, please send them in. We are also taking comments about the show in general, so if you have any requests for anything you'd like us to do in the future, or anything at all about the show, please get in touch too. You can also tweet using the hashtag TFOE. Ok! Leader, we're gonna watch one video now. We are not gonna say the title before we play it, but we know which one it is. If you have any thoughts or memories about this one off the top of your head, Kaoru, tell us that first, and the viewers can try to guess which one it is.

K: Memories...hm, well at the time, we used a drone, which probably wasn't very common back then.

J: Oh, I see. You used a drone?

T: I wonder if anyone can guess it from this?

J: Well, drones are quite common for filming these days, but they weren't so common when this video was made....Anything else?

K: Hm?

J: Just that?

K: You want more hints? haha

J: You only have one?!

K: Well, no, Im gonna talk while watching, aren't I?

J: Ah, yes. Haha. I wonder if people know what it is already. Ok, lets watch the video now, but!!..As fans, I think you know this, Kaoru talked earlier about how there is always the possibility that the videos don't get released due to their content...so if by chance there are any people here who have never watched a Dir en grey music video before, the following videos contain severly provocative scenes, so if you are uncomfortable with this, please turn away from the screen and enjoy the sound only, or otherwise prepare yourself in someway. There is a warning there in the comments. Ok, I think everyone can imagine how this is gonna go, so lets watch the first video!

*Utafumi MV plays*

K: ???...I can't really remember why we decided to do it in this way.

J: You can't remember? Haha. Thats quite important.

K: Well, I just end up forgetting....but I feel like we wanted to highlight the performance scene, as if there was something going on while we were on top of there.

J: Ah, so you basically wanted a good performance scene.

K: Yes.  

T: Oh, this is cool.

J: Yeh, it is.

K: The premise was to be caught by the drone.

J: At least it shows where the drone was flying.

K: Yeh.

T: *reading comments* 'I went to a live during this era'.

J: Yeh, hearing this live...

T: Its one of those songs that makes the crowd go wild.

K: So those people moving under the stage are Banyu inroku dancers...like the ones in Zan, and stuff.

T: Are you quite familiar with them then?

K: Not overly familiar, it had been a while since I saw them.

J: Ah, there is a comment about Banyu Inryoku.

K: By the way, that thing Kyo is wearing..he wore that for a live once. It looked really hard to sing in it, haha.

J: Haha, well yeah. Thank you for that very simple thought, haha.

*MV clip ends*

J: Ok, so here we are, back to the studio.

T: Utafumi is so cool!

J: Yes, that was Utafumi. So, Kaoru, do you have any thoughts to share with us after re-watching that video?

T: Firstly, what was your inspiration for this?

K: The song?

T: Well, the music video.

J: Yeh, like for the performance part.

K: Well, yeh, like I said, I've forgotten.

T: Oh yeh, I forgot you said that, haha.

J: You are gonna end up saying that a lot, but look at the comments, 'This video has so much power, its great!'. You use the same director don't you?

K: Yeah.

J: When do the ideas for the MVs actually come up then?

K: Well, it depends on the state of completion of the song. With this one it was quite late. Well, I mean, it wasn't early at least. We started getting ideas for the MV together around the time the song was just about finished. Of course, you have to prepare the set in advance, and all sorts of other things...

T: You must have needed someone who knew how to operate the drone too.

J: Was it the director's idea to use a drone, despite drones not being common back then?

K: I think so.

J: Ah, I see. Well, you might not remember, but do you have any memories of being on set, like with Banyu Inryoku there, and everything?

K: I don't remember.

T: Haha, he doesn't remember.

J: Yeh, Leader doesn't remember much. Well, I suppose we don't remember things that happened several years ago, do we?

T: We are getting a lot of questions sent in about Utafumi...

J: Yes, here's one fron Lili san, uhh, "Tasai, Joe, Tasai, good evening", uh, I mean, "Kaoru, Joe, Tasai, good evening"...

T: Haha.

J: Its my bad eyesight...uh, "I got my copy of AP3 the day before the official release. The menu screen is so great, I don't even want to press play". We have a lot of comments about this.

K: Well, yeh. The menu screen is cool.

J... "I love all the members' costumes in 'Ochita koto no aru sora', but I think its a shame that there weren't more scenes of the members"...Was that it? Or was this about Utafumi? But anyway, this person wants to see a version with only members' performance scenes. Like Kaoru only version..or something.

K: Can I see that question?  Is this a mistake?...*reading* Hm..yeh, its about Ochita.

J: When I was reading it, I was like, 'Is this a trap?!

K: Ok, well, I'll keep that in mind, haha.

J: We might see this in the future.

K: Well, they probably don't remember much about Utafumi.

J: Yes, maybe its not that easy to recall about Utafumi. Ok, so we've just watched one song, but after this we will move into the paid contents. We will watch more videos from AP3 and listen to Kaoru's comments in the second half, so I'll just explain to the viewers now about how they can watch. Anyone can watch the first half of this show for free, but the second half is for channel members only. So you have to be a member if you want to watch to the end. If you join, you will be able to watch this broadcast for a whole year in the archives. And there will also be a special video posted in a few days for channel members only. Please click the blue link at the top of the screen to join. There it is. Leader is pointing to it with his finger. If you havn't already joined, please click this link to register. If you click the link, a page asking you to choose your payment method will appear. Choose your preferred method, credit card, papal etc, and then click 'continue'. Then you will be able to input your payment details. Its really easy. Everyone, please register. So in the next half we will rewatch the AP3 MVs with Kaoru. Please join us for it.

T: He'll be trying his best to remember.

K: Hm?

J: What? If you don't remember, we can't! Im already flurried after getting handed the wrong email by the staff.

K: Haha

J: Im anxious. Well, anyway, lets take a quick break here. A changeover screen will come up, and soon after that, the second part will start. So please wait right there if you are a member. Kaoru, a last word from you please.

K: Ok, a quick break now, and then the members only part will start. Lets watch more vids. *waves*