#incoherent takenaka rambles

[mopcycle100]

thinks abt how takenaka joins telepathy club the first time in hopes of finding another telepath like him. by the time we meet him, takenaka has had his powers for years, and unlike mob, he's had a negative perception of his powers from the start. Years of dealing with his powers alone, and lashing out at people using said powers to make himself feel better would likely lead to tunnel vision on his end. I see it as similar to pre-mob teru, who believes he's at the top of the world alone and special, but in takenaka's case, rather than seeing himself as special, he thinks only he suffers alone from the drawbacks of telepathy. No one else can relate to him, he's been beaten down so much he can't see it happening. The manga really drives this home, where he explicitly tells Mob that they have nothing in common: the psychic skillsets Mob and the Shiratori brothers possess could not be comparable to his own. He couldn't fathom them understanding his awful experiences (Mob would disagree).

The way I see it in the grand scheme of things... Takenaka doesn't believe other people can empathize with his situation. The invasive property built into telepathy turns ppl away from him too (again, he explicitly confirms this in the manga). He likely feels so alone and alienated (bah dum tss) that when given the chance to possibly meet other telepaths, he takes it. (I understand feelings of intense loneliness considering I lived alone for a year and I'd latched onto the one guy who'd invite me out to places) But when that backfires on his face because it didn't meet his perceived expectations (aka he desperately wanted to meet someone in the same position as him), takenaka retreats within himself more, leading to his more visceral rudeness towards the telepathy club in ch98 when he comes back.

But ironically enough, the telepathy club was the place takenaka belonged to at the end. Not for his initial reasons of joining (hoping to find other telepaths), but because they provide him company, something that he likely deprived himself of due to his powers. Sure, the telepathy club members are taken aback by his powers when he uses it on them, but they brush it off and show their honest desire to make tomes wish come true. Takenaka said it himself that people don't want anything to do with him once they found out abt his telepathy, yet the club is able to brush it off after their initial surprise, only asking him for his help and not judging him further for his powers (even Tome doesn't judge him for his telepathy, and the two share friendly banter in ch99). And it warms my heart seeing him in the epilogue, where he's still in the club, telling mob they'll summon aliens again, and in his tiny cameos, he looks much more happier in comparison to ch 98.

tl;dr takenaka was always meant to be in the telepathy club in a way he hadn't thought of

[mopcycle100]

anyway re: i think anime!takenaka reads differently from manga!takenaka

Anime!Takenaka leans more into his anxieties and worries, which I'm not completely against cuz like ya know it's a part of him. But he lacks the mean and rude energy his manga counterpart has, due to lines being cut out or shortened. Takenaka is much more ruder in the manga; it's as though he's projecting his anger abt being lied to abt the club's purpose and maybe even jealousy bc the club members dont deal with actual telepathy. The anime keeps his comment about how the club is seen as weird by the student body, but it removes his line abt living a normal school life. Takenaka probably wishes he could live a normal school life but he can't due to being privy to everyone's thoughts. I think it's further evidence that he's not just an anxious kid, but he also has projection / temper issues. Hell, he has to promise the club that he won't be rude (which he follows), with the manga having panels of him staring, almost as though he wants to be bitchy but obv can't bc of his promise.

[mopcycle100]

re: telepathy club is takenaka's place of belonging

Ok so. Idk who posted it, but someone on here talked abt how telepathy club invokes imagery from the tale of momotarou (the trio of animals that accompany momotarou are the other guys in telepathy club, and ofc takenaka is the titular chara) but I don't think I've seen anyone talk abt takenaka's (and by extension, telepathy club) allusion to princess kaguya.

I think its bc momo = peach (like momotarou) is a much easier connection to make even in English + takenaka's hair style, with his middle part, is similar to many depictions of momotarou, but the references to princess kaguya requires looking into what the characters used to spell "Takenaka" mean. To keep it short, "Takenaka" can literally mean smth along the lines of "dweller amongst the bamboo", which makes the princess kaguya reference clearer (as she is first found inside bamboo by the bamboo cutter). Princess Kaguya's story involves beings from space (specifically from the moon), and kaguya herself happens to be one too, hence making her an outsider. Similarly, Takenaka sees himself as an outsider due to his telepathy, and he remains as the odd one out due to his departure from the club.

In the original story, the emperor who had fallen in love with kaguya and is distraught over her departure, asks his men to bring a letter up the mountain closest to the heavens, as a way to send a message to her. Takenaka only comes back to the club due to being recruited to use his telepathy to summon aliens, and the club members specify that they need to go up a mountain to do this. With Mob's power amplification, Takenaka is able to send a message into outer space from the summit of a mountain.

Its interesting that this one character has allusions to not one, but two Japanese folktales, specifically the main focus of these tales. These stories could never go anywhere without these characters existing driving the plot forward. It's like saying that without Takenaka, the telepathy club was bound for stagnation, which eventually happens at the start of their arc, when Tome disbands the club, as she realizes that there's no time or ability to make her wish to summon aliens come true. Takenaka's presence is needed; you can say he's the missing link for the club to be whole in many ways (not just to meet the minimum member amt of clubs but also to achieve their dreams). The club needed takenaka just as much as he needed them (refer to my other post on that topic).

And while I'm talking abt folktales in relation to Telepathy Club, this leaves Tome as the odd one out, for not having a discernible reference to either stories at first glance. Though, remember that this is the first thing Mob says to Tome.

In both stories, the protagonist is found by an older, typically childless, person, who'd be at the age to be a grandparent (momotarou is found by an older childless woman, while princess kaguya is found by an old bamboo cutter). Tome is the founder of the Telepathy Club, and had she not made the club to follow her dreams to communicate with aliens, Takenaka would have never joined then leave the club, inadvertently setting off the rest of the events of mp100. She unknowingly does find the telepath she's looking for to succeed in her dream, but she doesnt find out until far later in the story.

[mopcycle100]

ive been struggling to articulate this idea I've had sitting in my head ever since the fanbook confirmed takenaka joined the tennis club for tsubomi instead of a different reason but basically:

mob having a crush on tsubomi, idealizing her, placing her on a pedestal, yet hardly knowing the her of today, instead only relying on his memories. due to this, he tries to become what he thinks is her ideal boy, inadvertently setting off his own growth (like what I mean by this is by the time he works up the courage to confess to her, he's become more confident in himself rather than trying to replicate what he believes tsubomi would like)

vs

takenaka who only has a crush on tsubomi bc he thinks she's cute, but gets the opportunity to look past the made-up image of the "school idol" Tsubomi by befriending her in tennis club. But due to his own fears involving his telepathy alongside Tsubomi's attitude, the two don't get any closer than "two ppl who find themselves in the same place at the same time and feel comfortable in that fact."

[mopcycle100]

takenaka leaving the Telepathy club the first time was inevitable. like ignoring the fact that his departure is responsible for setting off the events of mp100 in the first place, tome's attitude would've driven him away, irregardless of if he had his negative perception of his telepathy, bc she wouldn't have believed him anyway. Even if he tried to prove to her he was a telepath (which again i doubt he wouldve tried knowing him), I think Tome would call him weird lol

I'm just thinking abt this bc Tome doesn't believe Inukawa when he says Mob was famous in elementary school for having his powers. She thinks it's "weird" (ha the irony isn't lost on me) to believe that or describe someone like that, and at that current moment, only cares abt finding one more club member to keep the club room. So she's honestly flabbergasted when Mob demonstrates his powers to her, and that's when she finally jumps at the opportunity to use him to find a telepath. Plus, Mob's powers are much more visual and tangible? Making proving himself much more easier, unlike Takenaka's telepathy.

Though it makes Takenaka finally proving his telepathy to Tome all the more triumphant? Nicer? Idk the word to describe it, maybe heartwarming. Here you have two kids who struggled to properly communicate with the other, who took an easy way out (for takenaka leaving the club, for Tome it was deluding herself for most of the year until she realized that wasn't sustainable) instead, now finally getting their message across to the other. It's nice... really nice brings tears to my eyes

[mopcycle100]

i firmly believe takenaka is actually good at tennis

[mopcycle100]

I wanted to thank you for your takenaka meta posts bc while I already really enjoyed him as a character lately I've been kind of going nuts because I created a mob psycho oc purely for funsies and was like "hm how do I get her to interact with the spirits n such gang" and that somehow led to "wait...she's like an adult takenaka" and then I went on a whole journey making this character into the reigen to takenaka's mob and I've created like five bajillion ideas around takenaka's relationship with his powers and other people akldflsjfds sorry for rambling but your meta really inspired me so!! Thanks!

OH I'm so glad to hear that you're vibing with my meta posts 🥹sometimes i feel like i'm incoherent when i write them so I'm glad they're understandable. And that's an awesome idea of takenaka having an adult figure in his life who could help him out (he seems rather lonely and what little we know of his home life in canon doesn't seem like he gets a lot of support though i headcanon his mom dotes on him a lot)

And yes!! I also have a lot of ideas surrounding takenaka and how he could interact with the rest of the mp100 cast. i feel like there's a lot you can do with him (and well in general, a lot you can do with all the side charas in mp100, they're all very interesting charas). And no worries on rambling I'm always rambling on here anyway and I'm always happy to hear what others have to say about my son 🫂