#fang.csmmeta

[prettyboykatsuki]

cw for violence, major chainsaw man spoilers

ive said this before at some point but to me i will always see kishibe as the closest thing symbolizing hope and renconcile that chainsaw man will ever have and it's because of this particular warning to quanxi, his former partner who he was in love with for many years and still feels a relatively obvious sympathy for.

he targets the only thing that still matters to quanxi, one of her girls, and sits down to have a conversation with her all while flipping through a notebook. his words while speaking are also sincere.

"i lost my fangs a long time ago"

kishibe's one of the only characters who hasn't taken up a severe apathy in regards to his life. where as aki fought with revenge, himenos world view became extremely pessimistic, quanxi become hedonistic and intentionally blind to the world around her. kishibe is one of the few characters left in the series who is genuinely somewhat reconciled with the reality of this work, all while maintaining a sense of composure and humanity through the thickets. he is neither denying reality or entirely content with it but this equilibrium is what cements his survival.

this is a quality he sees in denji, who arguably does the same thing in the face of the tragedy that befalls him. they're both characters with an an almost unyielding sense of perseverance.

whether or not kishibes intention for recruiting quanxi are entirely rooted in sympathy is up for debate as quanxi is incredibly powerful. but when kishibe makes a promise of safety towards quanxi, i do believe he knows full well there is a high likelihood she will not join his side.

that of course begs the question, why inform her that makima is listening if not for some sense of camraderie?

quanxi goes on to reflect about her world view using a metaphor about a news reporter she watched.

but engaging this panel briefly - they both make eye contact with each other. there's a pause to her actions, a hesitance about the right choice with neither one showing much of an expectation towards the other.

this is an old friendship, of people who have started at the same place and diverged heavily. regardless of whether or not kishibe wanted quanxi on his team based on her sheer strength, his care for a former companion or both - informing quanxi about these circumstances has always felt indicative to his state of mind as a devil hunter. he has always taken care to face reality head on.

"kishibe, be a good dog and keep your collar on. some advice from your former buddy." is a line full of subtext, ultimately showing that quanxi has no intentions of returning from the place she's found herself in and has no intentions of learning about makima. she's resigned herself to doing her job and protecting her girls.

ultimately, kishibe and quanxi do not reconcile to team up. a lot goes on as the arc continues, not limited to fighting the darkness devil and santa claus (lmao). the ultimate occurrence however is one thing and one thing only.

in the end, everyone is saved by makima (foreshadowing makimas relationship to power but that is unrelated here). when everyone makes it out of the darkness, and quanxi is reunited with her girls - she only has one request of makima.

for those of you who don't know much earlier in the arc - we see one of quanxis girlfriends speaking in chinese when using her power. she says that exact line when fighting "a corpse is talking"

this means that kishibes intial warning "makima is listening" was correct the entire time. this is something only quanxi could recognize at the very ened. for a brief moment we see it register on quanxis face before we get a panel shot of kishibe with his eyes covered. him blindfolding is both to protect from makima, but also ultimately heeding quanxis advice - later confirmed by what kishibe comments at the very end of his arc.

yoshida asks kishibe about taking off his blindfold, but his only response is

"i don't want to see a thing,"

a testament to not only their relationship regarding each others as friends, but kishibes genuine care for one of his only remaining lifelong friends. in this way, perhaps quanxi was right. ignorance is bliss and kishibe doesn't intend to know any more than he has to about the death of his friend.

'makima is listening' is one of the hardest manga panels of all time i will die if i think about it too long

[prettyboykatsuki]

would love to know why you kin denji so much, if you don’t mind sharing! is he your highest kin? I’m really enjoying him as a protag and I know you said he’s one of your top kins at the very least and as someone who thinks she might kin kobeni (i need to read more of the manga first hehe), I’d love to hear your thoughts on your similarities to denji :)

he is my highest kin!! and the only character i feel like. resonated with enough to consider a kin. i know a lot of dudebros also are like “he’s just like me.” but for me its denjis life philosophy and perspective on the concept of what is meaningful to life that is deeply impacted by his poverty and debt that resonates with me as a person.

without getting too much in detail i grew up pretty poor for a lot of my childhood. that + the living conditions i was raised in are very similar.

denjis deep and intense willingness to accept poor working conditions, mistreatment, and sense of naviety just represent so much of my life experiences like. its hard for me to read the manga sometimes. his desire to protect such simple pleasures like warm meals and basic kindess that is really baseline respect. his lack of self preservation and sense of sacrifice.

but none of this makes denji particularly cold or bitter. for me what resonates most in denjis character is the almost profound apathy he has towards his own lifes worth while valuing others so highly. even devils. even those who betray hm. anyone who reaches to me is a friend. anyone who is a friend is worth protecting, even if i know deep down they dont care for me.

the love that moves denji most is deeply platonic and i think that says so much about his character. for better or for worse, the crux or many romantic relationships are a sense of validation and desirability. what denji sought from makima was motherhood but he couldn’t conceptualize something he never experienced.

what denji wanted ultimately was comfort. was a sense of family that looked after him and cared for him.

the reason power, denji, and aki are such a powerful trio is because they fulfill each others needs. aki and denji fulfill powers need for acceptance. denji and power fulfill akis need to be dependened on.

and power and aki fill denjis need for being comforted. both differently, but deeply.

to that extent, its denjis independence that resonates with me. its so obvious that what he really is terrified of is being alone even though he’s not explicit about it.

poverty, hunger, violence are all tolerances but true loneliness is unbearable. that part of him just really hits.