#not even getting into akechis weird relationship with HAVING this sort of power

[composeregg]

Thinking about any scenario where giving Akechi info leads to crime being solved without a change of heart. Like. In the anime he gets Futaba's uncle legally instead of futaba and joker going on a family bonding metaverse trip (complicated thoughts abt that are for not this post)

Or fics where he handles Kamoshida or something.

This is!!! Actually another example of the larger problem!!!!

If society is so fucked up (and it is) that those who are powerless cannot hope to escape their own abuse, then... this becomes a display of random luck, happenstance, knowing the right person, while others suffer without any prince charming to swoop in and save them.

This becomes "this guys likes you enough to take on this case" and is a further indictment against the system that allows this. It's further proof that when you don't have that, you DO turn to things like a change of heart if you have the means!

Even if Akechi were able to solve all the cases via just detective work (he most certainly isn’t, those cases are of people protected by the very institution he works for), then that highlights the fact that there are others who don't have this privilege.

This is its own type of show of power. Its own type of corruption, that nothing will be done unless you happen to be on good terms with someone who can wield that power

[recklessracoon]

Saiki K characters that are foils for Kusuo and how

Nendou: While Saiki's distrustful and constantly overthinks stuff, Nendou is very emotionally open and straightforward in his approach to things.

Kaidou: He's a normal person pretending to be special in contrast to Saiki who is a special person pretending to be normal. He wants attention while Saiki fears it.

Teruhashi: Also has something supernatural about her that has defined her life and given her some weird baggage though she thinks of it as a blessing rather than a curse and embraces it. She also has the same unyielding pride as him.

Hairo: Consummate overachiever in contrast to Saiki's consummate underachiever.

Toritsuka: Also has psychic powers but uses them for selfish reasons (not that Saiki doesn't but he's largely disinterested in using them to get things he wants). There's also the post that Transmasccofee made about how Saiki's powers have more obvious selfish applications while Toritsuka's have more obvious selfless ones. Also Toritsuka is very horny unlike Saiki who reads as some degree of sex-repulsed.

Kuboyasu: He's also hiding something about himself and trying to become someone who can live a normal life. He also wears glasses that he doesn't medically need to assist in this purpose. Aren is also very dangerous even though he's less dangerous than Saiki.

Kusuke: He's genuinely very misanthropic unlike Kusuo who just pretends to be. He's also much more expressive than Kusuo but it's mostly a way of manipulating people.

Saiko: Also views himself as above ordinary people and has lived all his life able get more or less anything he wants with like next to no effort. However, his position of power is entirely dependent on the society he lives in and his position in it whereas for Saiki his desire to continue participating in society like a normal person is the main thing constraining how he can use his powers.

Aiura: Hasn't been worn down by the world as much as Saiki has been so she still rushes to help others without hesitation. She has a much healthier relationship with her powers than he does, and they complement each other's weak spots pretty well. Also see the same horniness point as in Toritsuka's entry though she's much less annoying about it.

Notable exceptions

Yumehara: She isn't really used as a foil for Saiki at all. It's more interesting to compare her with Kaidou given that she's kind of chuuni in a very feminine way.

Akechi: If he serves as a foil to anyone it's Kusuke. He's sort of like a less evil version of him who has interest in other people and plays games with Kusuo for reasonable stakes where he actually cares if Kusuo has a good time.

[megaderping]

Late night SALT activated...

Disclaimer: This post is mainly about really aggressive/hostile fans. Disliking stuff is totally valid and curating one’s online experience is important, but... I’m very strongly convinced that the majority of people who vehemently hate Goro Akechi or Shuake to a really hostile degree either haven’t played Royal, haven’t moved on from base game, haven’t maxed his confidant, or really lack reading comprehension. ‘cause disliking a ship or a character? Super valid! Everyone has their preferences and comfort zones. I would never shame someone who genuinely just... doesn’t vibe with it, finds it uncomfortable, and wishes to avoid content or posts w/ the character or pairing. I also completely understand the frustration of wanting Goro content that isn’t ship-focused, since sometimes fandoms can make a pairing consume a character in fanworks (though I’d argue you can have the pair and still give him agency outside of it, at the end of the day, there will always be people who just don’t want it). But when I see factually incorrect arguments like, “Joker and Akechi hate each other,” I just go... “Did we play the same game?” The game where Joker’s greatest wish was to see Akechi again. The game where Morgana outright states that Akechi doesn’t really hate Joker and Akechi himself laments that they didn’t meet years earlier, and if they had, how they could’ve been friends. A game where it’s made very clear that despite the stupidity of going with the revenge plan with Shido and the lives taken along the way, there was still a disgusting power imbalance with Shido, a grown man in politics, effectively molding a broken teenager into being a hitman... And even the betrayal toward the PT- I feel like Akechi’s offer to have Joker join him was genuine as a sort of last ditch effort to get him out of that situation. The SIU director notes how the plan is way too callous even for Akechi, and after it happens, Akechi tries to downplay the dangers of the PT to Shido, suggesting a part of him, even if only a small one, does feel some remorse.

There’s this messy complexity to Akechi and his relationship with Joker and the PT... and people try to strip it of all of its complexities to make it a bland, black and white matter, and it sucks. It feels like those kinds of people want to turn Akechi into a hatesink when Shido is literally right there. And Kamoshida, and Okumura, and many other awful adults in P5. It’s weird how little flak they get by comparison? And I’m biased- Akechi was a character I developed an attachment to as I reached third sem and his character just came together for me. But it’s so freaking annoying to try and search up art of the character or ship on sites like twitter only to find the worst takes possible. Folks gotta separate their personal feelings from the feelings of the characters. The actual canon interactions and relationships are infinitely more compelling than “Joker/the Phantom Thieves all hate Akechi.” I much prefer what the game presents us- with characters like Haru and Futaba not forgiving him, but still sympathizing with his situation and (perhaps reluctantly) being willing to work with him when it’s absolutely necessary. The friction is just so compelling, because even if he’s a tragic person, his actions still robbed them of loved ones. ...but also, President Okumura requested many shutdowns himself and was an awful person, which also adds to the messy complexity for poor Haru.

Anyway, this is just a late night ramble because I went to find fanart and found annoying tweets. Argh.

[akechicrimes]

You have the best takes and I was wondering what an actual Akechi redemption would look like? Sending him to prison is a weird take I've seen considering the themes of power, corruption, and manipulation of youth, and quite frankly it's just boring and lazy from a plot/character standpoint. I imagine the first step would be talking to Futaba and Haru (and others who were affected by his actions) but I'm not sure what would happen after that.

ok firstly THANKS i do my best yellin into the tunglr void

second “Sending him to prison is a weird take I’ve seen considering the themes of power, corruption, and manipulation of youth, and quite frankly it’s just boring and lazy from a plot/character standpoint” is the SEXIEST sentence ive ever read re: goro and thank you for putting these words in this particular order i want it framed, truly it makes zero sense whatsoever

third thanks for this super duper cool question because weirdly enough i havent…………….. really thought about it before??? ive seen more than a few really interesting goro redemption arc fics but if i were gonna do one myself………………….. hmmmmmm

ok ok ok ok ok ok i will. do my best. big psuedo revisionist fanfic under cut

a redemption arc needs to address the wrongs and hurts that he’s done, as well as just generally other noxious junk. to rattle them off so we know what we’re working with, he

killed wakaba (unknown circumstances), which hurt futaba

killed okumura, which hurt haru

assisted shido in his rise to power

assisted an unknown number of other douchebags like shido in their rise to power

killed an unknown number of other douchebags

created psychotic breakdowns, involving casualties and potentially some deaths

was generally a shit on live television

lied to sae.

betrayed joker.

and from there he needs to address these in such a way that his character grows and is better for it.

simultaneously i think it’s important to weigh the opposite issues, which are the ways that akechi is either right or has a valid point, the ways that akechi has presumably been mistreated/abused by people around him, and just generally following through on seeing akechi become happier and healthier for having gone through a redemption arc. in no particular order, he:

apparently desperately craves approval/recognition from others, but not in a productive way (sorry the TV audience does not actually love you lmao!!!!!!!)

has some kind of complicated relationship with shido to say the fuckign LEAST, and i think addressing that angle of shido’s abuse is important

really suffers from his inability to be honest with just about anyone; how deeply he’s hidden his true self has not only exacerbated his loneliness, but it’s done so in a way that i think should be really understandable to any one of the thieves, who also need to hide their true selves and feelings when in public

is 100000% correct about how much shido should eat shit and die

does have a valid point about how dangerous the phantom thieves are, and, in irony of all ironies, probably is a good critic and moral barometer to make sure joker doesn’t go over any lines

is canonically the character who is most unafraid to go against joker’s orders

is smart all absolute FUCK while maintaining an attitude of FUCK COPS

so with all that in mind:

i’d say, the engine room confrontation happens as SOON as they enter shido’s palace. not necessarily specifically in the engine room, but that confrontation happens off the bat. the phantom thieves take two steps into shido’s palace and find that they can’t go anywhere–everything’s locked, or off limits, and the whole place is under more surveillance than any palace they’ve ever seen. sojiro was right when he said that shido’s paranoid as fuck.

they try to leave the palace for the day to regroup, and akechi’s there like a guard dog ready to defend shido’s psyche. why wouldn’t he be? he must have planned that perhaps the thieves would retaliate like this, whether or not joker was alive.

that whole very embarrassing breakdown happens. haru and futaba already canonically seem in favor of akechi rejoining the team, so although haru does say she won’t forgive akechi, i do think that doesn’t need to be at odds with them being in favor of him working with the team.

so, say, akechi’s on the verge of being convinced to work with the team, and he’s not necessarily all in on this whole “being alive” thing, and he’s not super convinced that he deserves redemption, but the phantom thieves really really really insisted, because the phantom thieves can and do change hearts, even when they’re not in palaces, and they’ve just changed akechi’s. 

cognitive akechi doesn’t show up because i’m using him later.

first thing: akechi, haru, and futaba need to have a talk, which is actually pretty easy and not even irrelevant. go through shido’s palace, get the letters of rec, everyone recognizes akechi. like haru in okumura’s palace, akechi’s practically their ticket into half the ship.

getting the letters of rec naturally brings up okumura and wakaba, imo, because it hammers home that these sorts of scumbags are the kinds of people that akechi was killing. and also that this is the kind of scumbag that okumura was, in life. have haru go through the five stages of grief all over again, like she did back in okumura’s palace, realizing that her father kills his own employees for the first time. have her struggle all over again to reconcile the father she loves with the father who died with the father who murdered and exploited and drove his employees to the brink of death. have akechi face that even the people he killed were people, too.

depending on your interpretation of wakaba, she was either just as corrupt OR she was genuinely a nice woman, but that can be addressed in a bunch of ways–akechi didnt know what he was doing at the time, or he totally did but didnt feel like he had any other choice–either way, some sort of contextualization of wakaba’s role in shido’s conspiracy needs to be unearthed. 

say futaba wants to know what her mother was like. say she asks akechi because akechi knew her, maybe knew wakaba better than futaba ever did, because futaba was young and also because futaba never spent a few days literally crawling through her mother’s psyche like akechi did. make akechi tell futaba about the woman he killed with his own mouth. maybe he tells her only the good parts. maybe futaba MAKES him tell her the bad parts. maybe futaba thanks him for it, and akechi figures out that an apology could never be enough.

the point, basically, is to use shido’s palace to have haru, futaba, and akechi come to terms with each other. forgiveness isnt necessarily the point–understanding is more important. haru and futaba come to understand how and why akechi did what he did, while akechi has to sit through several weeks of looking his victims in the eyeballs.

for extra bonus points of making akechi look his victims in the eyeballs, personally i think that futaba would be the most supportive of all the phantom thieves of akechi turning over a new leaf. she canonically tells him that “it doesn’t matter where you start over” and relates his struggles to her struggle to turn her own life around, and honestly i think sympathy would fuck akechi up the most.

meanwhile, in the real world, capitalize on akechi’s position: if he’s deep in shido’s conspiracy, it really only makes sense that akechi could locate the people they need rec letters from in the real world, and use that to find their cognitive equivalent in shido’s palace. show me akechi’s relationship with shido, founded on akechi trying to appease shido and trying to avoid shido’s wrath simultaneously. 

maybe shido’s closing in on the phantom thieves in the real world. he suspects that things haven’t gone according to plan. make use of the fact that shido trusts (to an extent) akechi’s word, and have akechi cover for the phantom thieves in the real world. 

maybe show me shido actively manipulating akechi with praise. show me the greys of that relationship, like how we saw madarame treat yusuke well, or saw sae at her best and worst with makoto. show me how difficult it is for akechi to continue to help the phantom thieves even while actively engaging with his own abuser.

make akechi a traitor to shido. being a traitor was his role, wasn’t it? to betray the thieves? just have him betray shido back. he’s good at being a traitor, isn’t he? akechi probably volunteers himself for the role. let him capitalize on his ability to lie and outsmart those around him. let him make it up to joker in the only way that akechi feels he can: even more lying.

get all the rec letters. akechi himself hands shido the calling card. confront shido–cognitive akechi is there and just as much of a bitch as always. show me how much disdain shido has for akechi, how little he thinks of akechi, how nasty he is–and how blindly adoring cognitive akechi is in return. it’s gross as all hell, but it’s a final nail in the coffin to haru and futaba’s grieving process, even forms some sort of solidarity. 

there’s half a second where akechi is in the position to kill shido. shido’s shadow is down, akechi’s got a gun, he could pull the trigger before anyone could stop him. futaba tells him not to. 

haru tells him that he can kill shido if he wants to.

everyone’s like HARU??? HELLO???? but haru says, as far as i’m concerned, this man is just as much my father’s murderer as akechi-kun is. if you want to, i won’t stop you. but i know that it’s harder to survive than it is to die, too.

akechi does not kill shido. they steal shido’s treasure and return to the real world.

at this point in the canon plot, yaldabaoth starts to happen really fast, but bear with me for five seconds–bring sae back on the scene. shido confesses, and akechi’s reputation goes up in smoke. people call him a fraud, people won’t stop talking about shido being his dad, akechi’s name gets dragged through the mud worse than back when the PT were at their most popular.

sae takes up prosecuting shido’s case, and akechi can’t avoid her forever when he’s supposedly a key witness. sae says, i’m going to give you one chance to explain yourself. you lied to him, you tricked me, you pretended to be my partner all that time and then ran rings around me. talk.

so akechi explains himself, even though half that stuff isnt permissible in court. he doesn’t butter her up and he doesn’t use his cutesy prince mask, and for the first time sae sees him as he really is. and sae says, those are some pretty serious offenses, akechi, what are you going to do now? 

akechi’s just gone through that whole bonding session with haru and futaba, during which akechi had to realize, ah, shit, i fucked over the lives of these two very nice girls and even inflicted the same trauma that i myself went through onto other people. so akechi tells sae, well obviously i don’t fucking know, i dont have a career, i might be expelled, and i’ve killed a shitload of people and there’s no way that i can make up for that. but if i could, i would want to do something to right the wrongs that i did–i’d want to address the murders i committed, and maybe do something to fix it.

sae says, you’re smart as all hell, what you’ve done is irrevocable, you know your way around the police and its corruption, you’re willing to do better and you know how hard doing better is going to be. i’m the same way. i might not have killed anyone, but i’ve ruined the lives of so many people in the name of my career and a distorted sense of justice. if you want to do better, i could use a person like you. what do you say that when this case is over, we become partners for real, this time?

akechi says, but sae-san, what about your reputation, what about your career, wouldn’t it be bad to have a fraud like me by your side?

sae says, i didnt have you as a partner the first time around because you were stupid. use your head, make it work, and maybe i’ll buy you sushi off the conveyor belt someday.

case number one is prosecuting the shit out of shido. sae said they’d be partners after akechi is no longer a key witness, but at this point, being a key witness is basically like being her assistant. sae’s there every step of the way while akechi gets shoved through the public wringer. i say, make him lose all his public fame and reputation and more, everything that he thought he wanted, and he come out with sae’s respect, akira’s support, and the phantom thieves on his side.

the trial starts to stall because of yaldabaoth’s influence, which then brings us to that whole reveal about yaldabaoth using akechi as well for yaldo’s own ends. yaldabaoth offers the p5 vanilla bad end, in which the phantom thieves continue on and become incredibly famous and eliminate most crime because they just change the hearts of anyone who does anything halfway wrong.

i say, let the thieves deliberate on that one. all of them, not just joker. it’s not actually a very bad deal, necessarily; it’s just vaguely skeevy and authoritarian. let’s say, akechi is the biggest opposer, and points out that if akira goes down that route, akira will be doing exactly the same thing akechi did for so long–using his power for his own self-satisfaction, power unchecked and out of control. let akechi use the fact that he’s akira’s “rival” and outspoken critic to good use. akira tells yaldo where he can stick it.

fight yaldabaoth, win. sae takes akira into custody. akechi makes good on his deal with sae, and both of them work together to use akechi’s testimony, akira’s testimony, and shido’s testimony to nail shido and clear akira’s name. 

from there, flash forward to the epilogue in the same way that it happens in canon, except akechi is now sae’s lackey and she’s overseeing his efforts to undo whatever damage he did to all the nameless people he’s hurt over the years. she’s going to become a defense attorney, and akechi’s probably going to become her assistant and later paralegal. both of them are committed to reforming the justice system for the better and addressing their past wrongs.

im actually big fucking mad at how little i had to change about persona 5 canon to make this redemption arc work. @ persona 5 royal meet me in the pit.

[lokiarsene]

goro akechi having two (2) distinct rebel attires and two (2) “true” persona that awakened to an amalgamation third is accidentally symbolic of several defining traits of borderline personality disorder, namely:

a disturbed and disjointed sense of identity

distorted self-image

self-destructive behaviors

unstable and chaotic interpersonal relationships

the disturbed sense of identity and distorted self-image are shown in the dramatic contrast between the black mask garb and the robin hood garb. the robin hood attire is the hero he wanted to be as a child:

When I was a kid, I bought a toy gun just like this. Back then, I thought I wanted to be a hero. But now I think there’s many different ways to be a hero (lit., there are various stances [to take] even if I say “hero.”) For example, having a sense of justice that isn’t accepted or even understood by other people. But how I act and think are the sort of things required of me because I am a hero. (Source)

the “sense of justice that isn’t understood by others” is the kind of hero that his black mask self represents. it is the justice of someone seeking righteous revenge, the justice of someone who has suffered, who was wronged, and who is coming back for vengeance. but robin hood’s sense of justice is closer to akechi’s childhood ideal: the justice of someone who avenges the wronged, the mistreated; the justice of someone who speaks truth to power, takes away from that power, and gives it back to their victims.

do you see the difference? black mask!justice is revenge, an act that only benefits one person (the one getting vengeance). robin hood!justice is an act of revenge that benefits many people. both of these things are acts of justice, it’s just that one is more widely approved by others (hint hint, robin hood), and the other is seen as dangerous, illegal and even “immoral.” people will point at black mask!justice and say, “two wrongs don’t make a right,” but that glosses over the anger and the pain of the person who wants to avenge being wronged in the first place. not to mention that robin hood!justice can only happen if there is more than one person who will benefit from the revenge.

but what if you’re alone? what if you don’t have anyone to fight for, or with? what if you are isolated, shunned, unloved? to the point, what if you are goro akechi, a wild card persona wielder--the only type of persona wielder who is defined by bonds with others.

i think this gets accidentally glossed over by people, even akechi fans. wild card persona users need to have others around to bond with in order to understand themselves, get stronger as people, and then get stronger as persona wielders. akechi doesn’t have anyone. he has no one to fight for but himself--

--until ren comes along. ren, his equal, his rival; ren, the boy who will never back down from a challenge, who is glad to spend time with akechi no matter what the reason; ren, the boy who takes akechi at his word, no matter what akechi says, thus making akechi even more paranoid about what he lets slip out because of the double life he’s living; ren, the boy he confides in about his painful past, a past he hasn’t told anyone, a past he is certain will get him shunned even by those who pretend to love him; ren, the boy that akechi asks flat out to join him, side with him, casting aside his friends; ren, the only boy he invites to his “favorite place”; ren, the boy he gives his glove to as proof of a rematch, proof of meeting again, proof to always come back for one more round, one more duel, one more meeting.

and finally, akechi has someone else to fight for. finally, akechi has a way of making his childhood ideal of a hero--robin hood--come true.

and this is where the borderline traits of “chaotic interpersonal relationships” and “self-destructive behaviors” come in. because this person akechi can fight for? this one person who understands akechi, accepts him, wants him, cares about him? this boy who would damn all his friends to the lie of a dream world if it means he and akechi can spend more time together? that’s the same boy akechi is told to target. the same boy akechi is told to kill. the same boy akechi has to keep an eye on, not just as part of shido’s plot, but because akechi, y’know, is a detective. and fights crime.

the only person in akechi’s life who has made that life less lonely, who has made that life exciting and interesting--the one person who has made his life feel more like the life he wanted it to be--is the same person akechi cannot have or be with. the only way akechi can express any interest in staying with ren is by layering it in playfully aggressive banter, except for the times it slips out unawares and he always backpedals with an apology. seriously, read any of the conversations i’ve translated from his confidant and count how many times akechi will cut himself off and go, “oops, was that weird?” “oh, did i say too much?”

so when akechi awakens to hereward--at leblanc, by the by, which is further proof that leblanc is like home to him, since all the PT awaken to their third tier Persona either in their homes, or the place they feel at home--this is the unification of his fractured selves. it’s combining black mask!justice--revenge for yourself--with the robin hood!justice--fighting for someone, fighting to protect the weak or the innocent, fighting to steal power back from the tyrants in charge. the real hereward not only rebelled against his tyrannical father, but joined a rebel faction to fight against the normandy invasion of england. he fought for himself and for others.

and ren showed him he could do that. ren accepting him, loving him, choosing him again and again; ren keeping their promise to always fight for the truth, to refuse to give in to the demands of those in power, no matter how that power might tempt you. ren saw these two halves of akechi--the one that wanted revenge, the one what was desperate to fight for justice--and basically said, “you don’t have to choose one over the other. you can be both.”

all of ren’s decisions in the third semester are a lot like what the PT do when they infiltrate a palace. they are targeting a cognitive distortion, weakening it to allow it to “heal”/reform, and then sit back as the person’s brain does the rest of the work. only instead of weakening akechi--who is already in an incredibly precarious mental state--ren has steadily been getting to know bits and pieces of akechi’s distortions over a period of several months. he’s responding to them, embracing them, reaching out to them, and also opening himself up to akechi in turn. the culmination of that--the “final confrontation” that can allow akechi to fully heal and achieve a balance--is when ren tells akechi he will not back down from their deal, when ren tells akechi he knows they’re partners.

and you know what that is? that’s ren targeting the last known distortion in akechi’s heart: how desperately he wanted people to need him. how desperately he wanted people to want him. ren saying that he’ll fight maruki, no matter what maruki told him, is a relief to akechi--because it means that ren values their promise more than anything else.

for extra angsty goodness, if ren tries to protest that he’s afraid of what will happen to akechi, and akechi counters that his life is just a “little thing” and doesn’t matter, ren can flat out say “it’s not a little thing/it does matter.”

to which akechi responds: “That’s exactly what it is! Do you think I’d be happy with you feeling sorry for me? I don’t need your pity, and I don’t need that kind of hesitation!”

... which means he’s saying “do you think i want you to say yes to this world only because you’re afraid of what will happen to me?”

akechi wants ren to choose reality--to choose the truth, to choose to fight for what they believe in--no matter what the cost of that reality might be. akechi wants ren to value their promise in an uncertain world more than a safe lie in a false world.

by giving ren his glove as a promise for a rematch right before akechi betrays the PT and “kills” ren, akechi is basically saying he promises to both give ren a chance to find him and to find ren again, no matter what. when ren chooses to fight maruki, destroy the dream world, and return to their reality--a reality where akechi’s fate is still uncertain--he’s saying that he values their promise more than anything else, because that promise is stronger than his fear. that promise is their ray of hope. that promise is their light--our light. by holding onto that glove, and the promise, ren and akechi are absolutely destined and certain to meet again, because they kept their promise.

[seasaltmemories]

haru, ann, makoto, yusuke, and ryuji?

All are under the Cut:

Haru

How I feel about this character:

I like her! While I do agree that the fact she is recruited right when things kick into gear is kinda frustrating, I think she has a lot of great little moments that are overlooked, she is charming and cute

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

I am up for anything, but nothing stuck out in the game itself

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Her friendship with Morgana and the entire Beauty Thief stuff is great

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I’m actually glad that her recruitment was nonstandard, it shook up the usual ‘oh person who is not supposed to be there wander in the Metaverse and turns out there is a persona user” while it doesn’t last for long, there are questions of if she could be Black Mask, and in general it makes it feel like the world doesn’t just revolve around what Joker sees on screen, the fact she is closer to other ppl than Joker (at least at first) is interesting

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

A conversation with Akechi about the whole father murder thing would be great, I know she is a pretty private person, and if it happened it would likely be without Joker, but the fact she still tries to be polite to him while being upfront about not forgiving him is an interesting dynamic

my OTP:

None

my cross over ship:

Um how about she and Rinea from FE Echoes hook up?

a headcanon fact:

She definitely becomes an old rich cat lady living her best life, partner or no

Ann

How I feel about this character:

I love her! I think her presence after her arc is understated but a great part of the team, I just think she is a fun character I like to watch

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Shiho, I might also be down for a quick, low stakes hook-up with Yusuke

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Her and Joker’s confidant is really nice

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I like her confidant, like yeah the model stuff isn’t the deepest but it only gets brought up a few times and we still have the rest of it being her kinda having to deal with the guilt of not being there for a friend even though things were kinda out of her control

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I guess I wish her relationship with her body and sexuality was made a little more clear, the writing around that is an example of the game both wanting to appeal to fantasies and real life issues, from what i gathered she was fine with being sexy when she was the one who chose to do it, so it would have been nice if more of the fan-service stuff had her kinda initiating stuff

my OTP:

Her and Shiho

my cross over ship:

I could see her and Hilda von Goneril being fun

a headcanon fact:

I don’t think she continues staying a model for long, and over time kinda takes an unofficial mother figure role of looking out for newbies to make sure they aren’t being exploiting and using her influence to get creeps from getting more jobs

Makoto

How I feel about this character:

A fave, I think the game does a great job of balancing out her unlikable moments with being able to understand where she is coming from, and that tension in general made me like her all the more once I started coming around to her

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Joker

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Her and Sae were a great pair of sisters

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Again I also really liked her confidant, like Ann I think the Eiko stuff was very minor in the long run, and considering her strong sense of justice it made sense for hers to take place through an active investigation of sorts rather than her having a pity party for herself and spilling her past

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

My bias might be showing again but I am curious about her relationship with Akechi, I doubt they were close but it feels realistic that she would know he was basically Sae’s intern, and while I doubt they interacted much one on one outside that one scene where he calls her nothing but a goody two shoes, I wouldn’t mind exploring it more

my OTP:

Joker

my cross over ship:

Hmm her and Utena Tenjou would be a great mix of “high intellect low wisdom” and beating up gross dudes

a headcanon fact:

I think she never loses her rebellious streak and ends up in like advocacy work against government corruption

Yusuke

How I feel about this character:

He’s nice, I do like his interesting relationship with Madarame, and think it has some of the most nuance in the game

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Nothing really serious besides like I said that low-stakes hook-up with Ann

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

As I mentioned while not a good relationship, I still think his connection with Madarame is his most interesting

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Maybe my own sheltered weirdo art kid is showing, but he really isn’t as out-there as ppl claim, I was expecting a hammy off the walls character from what fandom showed, but if anything his is really quiet, withdrawn and again most of his eccentricities is just him having been really sheltered his whole life and having to adjust to living on his own, like in the grand scheme of things, buying lobsters just to draw them is something I could see ppl in my life doing and maybe joking about for two or three days before being completely forgotten

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I think he is the phantom thief that fades into the background the most, and I wish he had a bit more relevancy for the rest of the game, which is harder to do bc he isn’t the most social or touchy-feely outside of art, I wish I got a great sense of camaraderie at least from his reasons for sticking around besides “friends” feels very weak

my OTP:

Not really any

my cross over ship:

I could see something between him and Namine being sweet

a headcanon fact:

I don’t know the exact flavor, but I think he is misdiagnosed  neurodivergant and likely never really figures it out except maybe by the time he is middle age and has a stable life bc he and others around him write off the symptoms as the result of his weird upbringing and artsy nature

Ryuji

How I feel about this character:

He’s a character I don’t I could stand if he was real, but the game writing and framing does make me like him and his friendship with Joker comes off as very genuine

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

I am up for anything, but nothing stuck out in the game itself

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Again him and Joker

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Lol I feel like I pissed off a lot of ppl by saying I couldn’t stand him if he was real, but really he is like the eptimone of teenage rage, like he has good reasons to be angry but he doesn’t really know how to cope with it in the right ways, like no offense but walking up to somebody and just asking “hey are you being abused” isn’t all that helpful to a victim and other little things that in a less power-fantasy narrative could go really wrong, I don’t think presenting those flaws is bad, and I don’t think he is a bad character, but as someone who has also had to carefully manage my anger, it hits me in a very “remembers bad memory and cringes way”

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Look I know teenagers can be horny and I am not against ever showing that, but i guess as a grown woman I could have done without all the “lets score some babes” talk

my OTP:

None

my cross over ship:

Doug from Rune Factory 4 could probably vibe with him but i think they’d both cool each other down

a headcanon fact:

Probably also when he is older, things are stable, and he finds a therapist he doesn’t feel patronized by, he does end up finding the experience meaningful

[twilightknight17]

Goodbyes! Endings! Fish! Yelling!

This ending wraps up better than the original, but still leaves some things.

There is so much in this game that one loop is absolutely not enough to see and do it all.

Where last we left our intrepid idiot, he was buying flowers for his White Day dinner date.

Surely I will be allowed to leave the mall and sell my stuff and visit the Velvet Room. After all, what if I spent every last yen on items to use against the final boss? I would have no money for flowers!

But no. I am imprisoned in the mall and Morgana somehow pays for the flowers. Hanasaki has no comment on this except to wish me luck on my date. Wow.

Sojiro, who the heck do you know that your name got us a table at a fully booked formal restaurant??

Okay so this isn’t the Skytree restaurant, but SOJIRO??

....yep. That’s me. Even when someone else’s wishes mean destroying my heart. Probably hypocritical to say that while I’m on a date, though.

So it feels like there’s more people you can talk to on the last walkaround. Not just your confidants, but random people in the street, and other named characters. Mika’s at Seaside Park, Takakura, from Haru’s social link, is in Kichijoji, Dietman Matsushita is in the Scramble, the little girl from Takemi’s social link is in Yongen with her dad...

.......you’re so poetic, Yusuke. That’s lovely.

Finally, an ad perfectly tailored to me.

Maruki’s friend is in Kichijoji, and wants to know if we’ve heard from him. We have not. We are not friends. But apparently he’s still alive, which... hm.

I’m tired of his crazy stuff, sir. I just want to see my friends and go on a roadtrip in peace, thank you.

I’d never noticed before that Morgana’s eyes glow if you use third eye.

.......

So if you go to the jazz bar, you can basically have the conversation with the manager from Proof of Justice.

He’s surprised when Akira says he doesn’t know, because he never saw Goro with anyone else. He’s also worried, because he hasn’t seen Goro in a while, and wants Akira to tell him to stop by. Akira is briefly melancholy, thinking to himself, “But Akechi is already...” But then he finds Goro’s glove, still safely in his pocket, and reminds himself that their fight isn’t over yet. The jazz manager says he’s looking forward to seeing you both come in together again.

It is, Morgana! I really want this sofa. This is my sofa. It was made for me; just look at it!

ARSENE. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I’M SORRY FOR FORGETTING YOU IN LOCKDOWN. IT WOULD TAKE TEN HOURS TO REVERT TO A PRIOR SAVE AND COME BACK. LAVENZA GAVE ME A KEY AS A GIFT BUT WON’T LET ME IN. IT’S NOT MY FAULT.

....is this why Ryoji’s Arcana is Fortune? XD

So you can talk to a random idol singer from a Mementos mission in Akihabara and

what the fuck is this. what bonus does this give me?

Sumire is not present for the final walkaround, which is...weird. No relationship trinket? That’s disappointing. Especially considering I got a gift from some random idol.

And now it’s time for the ending. The kids are worried about being watched/pursued by the suspicious black car, which honestly, I’ve had enough suspicious black cars in relation to Persona to know that whoever this is, is not good news, police or not. ;)

But instead of sabotaging their car, don’t worry, a taxi is here to take Akira to the train station while his friends distract the men in black!

......did you dye your hair??

Anyway Akira has no sense of self-preservation because here he goes getting in a car alone with this guy.

We are not friends. I am not fistbumping you.

He does drop Akira off safely. Akira’s friends swing by for one last speedy goodbye and then are off again on a merry chase, and Akira goes home alone except for Morgana, which I have...several feelings about. The game goes out of its way to demonstrate that Goro is still alive even if Akira misses seeing him, because the whole world is based on what each person sees and feels, and Akira fucking feels in his heart that Goro is still alive and will come back to him one day.

Time to open up the other save and burn two weeks to see the Palace failure condition!

...I still sort of want to do this over and rescue Arsene. It’s not like I have much else to do these days. I just want my unholy powerhouse Arsene for NG+...

Heck.

Anyway, I’ve also learned that having two weeks to burn with no other responsibilities is great for grinding stuff for the awards. I spent like a week straight at the fishing pond and have become a Fishing God. Did you know that there’s an even bigger fish than the Guardian? Fishing pond guy was like, “In this weather, you might see...him.”

Look at this ridiculous fucking fish. XDDDD

I also went to the batting cages and I still suck at batting, but I made it eventually. The home run award is terrifying.

Okay, still a few days left, lets go play billiards, since I never went and did that during the game. I guess I’ll pick up this billiards book this guy recommends, too. I dunno why I need to be better at billiards, though, it just gives everybody social link poi--

....what the fuck is this??? This only unlocks after you read the book? You can guarantee a knockdown if you have max technical rank?? You need at least four days, 2 books, and a really expensive pool cue for this??? Akechi’s only response to you pulling off some ridiculous curved shot is, “That was pretty good”???? I made it through the whole game thinking billiards was just some way to increase everyone’s social link at once????? Aaaaaaaah??????

Morgana gets very upset the closer you get to the deadline. “We HAVE to go to the Palace tomorrow!” Okay, but have you considered...going to the temple for meditation?

...oops. He’s already mad. X’D Meditation?

Now, now, honey, don’t worry, we can technically still go tomorrow afternoon and just send the calling card when we get back. It’s fine. Today I’m gonna hang out with Shinya. Everything is under control.

....Akira, NO.

Anyway, for all of Goro’s grumpiness, he doesn’t turn down an invitation to the jazz club. Hey, it’s only fair, darling, you took me out for drinks the night before the interrogation room.

It’s only right that I return the favor the night before I betray you in return.

You showed me this place, dingus. XD

...I am. Sorry, Goro.

Akira goes to sleep the evening of 2/2 wondering if he made the right decision. That’s the problem, ‘Kira, you didn’t make a decision at all.

“I wanted you to accept my reality of your own free will.”

DON’T LIKE THAT.

Lavenza trying to reach him and just...fading away is painful.

I will say without hesitation that this is the worst ending. To copy-paste what I said elsewhere:

Akira's sleeping in the attic. Presumably for months, given the cobwebs. Where are his friends? Fallen back into their own dreams? Did they just give in without him, forget about him, never wonder where he went, because they have what they wanted? And Goro didn't even have a dream, so he's presumably left alone in a world that he can't stand but can't do anything about because it's permanent now. Maruki can't even give him Akira, because Akira's asleep, and Goro probably feels betrayed anyway. Akira's going to sleep forever, forgotten by everyone who was supposed to care about him. Even if he regrets choosing the dream world in that ending, at least he's there.

I think what's throwing me off is Maruki's absolute insistence on not changing Akira and Goro's cognition without their consent. Putting Akira to sleep feels like a loophole, but if he really believes that Goro is just a creation of his power, maybe Akira's consent is the only one that actually matters to him.

He's only ever really concerned with asking Akira. He even says on 2/2 that he knows Goro's not going to be fazed by the idea of his life being in danger. But if Akira agrees to stay in the fake reality, Goro's happy along with the rest of them, even though there's no way he agreed with Akira's decision. Maybe Maruki's willing to alter Goro to match Akira's wishes because he thinks he's not the real one. As long as Akira wants the real Goro, he doesn't have to worry about being overwritten. But if Akira's sleeping...

Maruki’s so kind, isn’t he?

The true ending feels so much more like it would lead into Scramble than vanilla. Still being chased by the police? Yeah. Everyone splitting up and therefore being out of touch for months? Yep. Seeing Joker in the window? Meta-space is still there and ready to warp into a Jail at the slightest nudge. I don’t understand Atlus’s writing decisions.

That whole thing with Goro does mean they owe us an actual sequel. The game literally says their fight isn’t over.

Beating the game means everyone is in the Thieves Den now, so we get some lovely interactions like Sojiro contemplating the Mona copter, and Makoto warning Ann not to tell Goro that she thinks Loki looks like a zebra.

Also that idol CD is some kind of ridiculous bubblegum idol pop song on my music player now. For one coin. Oh my god.

So... I guess the last thing I want to mention is Maruki. Because he’s a great character. I want to punch him more than I got to. But, and I’ve talked about this with a friend, I cannot wrap my head around how powerful he is. Takuto Maruki is a human being with a persona, just like the Thieves, and there is no explanation for how he got that strong. Yes, his persona is an elder god that evolves into some kind of creation deity, but it’s still just his persona. It’s not like Nyarlathotep acting as someone’s persona while still being a separate, ridiculously powerful entity. There’s no indication here that Azathoth or Adam are independent from their user. So I’m expected to believe that this man awoke to his persona and was able to use a power on-par with the God of Control...just from himself? No deity or monster backing him up? Really? I know he made a career studying cognitive psience, but this is...a little much. Having Nyar around would have cleared that up just from his general presence. XD

Anyway, I loved it. I loved absolutely all of it even if Okumura’s boss fight was a bitch. I think I’ve unfortunately made the decision to go back for Arsene, so I’m definitely going to play NG+ after I take a break to play something else first.

There’s three bonus bosses and the Reaper left to fight, after all. ;)

[snowpeawritings]

*Sliiides into Askbox* Ahhh I'm so glad it's open! I really like that request of half of the Phantom Thieves finding out Reader is an Anti-Shadow weapon! Would you mind if you can do Goro, Ann, Makoto, and Haru too?

previous ask

Reader is gender neutral

CW (CONTENT WARNING): Descriptive violence

| Goro Akechi |

- Personal headcanon of mine but Akechi had an immense interest in the Kirijo group. He was around a young age when his father had visited Tatsumi Port Island and he stumbled upon a person with Apathy Syndrome. Ever since, he had a slight morbid fascination with people who are diagnosed with the syndrome and he’s been researching them, even going to the extremes that he accidentally stumbled upon the production of Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons.

- He’s had some suspicions about you. He never saw you eat even during a pancake date, which made him worry. He’s never seen anyone make pancakes so radically symmetric that they’re all perfect circles. Akechi had a hunch but… Apparently all it took was a few dollops of syrup to accidentally clog your finger joints and thus removing your hand for repairs.

- The relationship was slightly unhealthy at the start. Akechi didn’t take the relationship to heart as you hold valuable information from the Kirijo Group and what could’ve possibly happened in 2009. Once he’s had enough he would just up and leave you since you were only a mechanical robot. But when you started to show actual care towards him, the walls around his heart slowly started to crumble.

- Despite your metal and plastic parts, he’s never felt so much love and adoration from you. He’s never felt such warm feelings blooming in his chest that he almost caves in from the strange emotions. You were patient with him throughout his ordeal and he’s never felt so thankful for it.

- The mass finds you two as the perfect couple; with him as the Detective Prince while you are as perfect as a robot, the girls just loses their confidence in getting Akechi’s attention. While Akechi doesn’t care on what the media says, he finds a bit of pride in the thought of people thinking that you two are perfect.

- Akechi finds it adorable when you question human things, like why do people laugh at cats or why does Akechi have an absurd fascination on pancakes. While he ignores the latter, he tries to explain in the most logical way possible that it in itself was comical. He was glad this discussion was private since he could predict Akira’s guffaws when he tries to explain it.

| Ann Takamaki |

- She doesn’t like sci-fi so she doesn’t like robots in general. She does find the thought interesting but she’s such an empath. If she has an Alexa or a Roomba she would probably say thank you for their work.

- When she sees your completely perfect face, she squealed so loud that you worried that she broke her throat. She vehemently asks what toner do you use or what lip moisturizer to make your lips naturally shine. To her surprise, she felt no stickiness or powder on your face but something akin to the synthetic brushes she uses.

- At first she’d just start asking questions. A lot of questions, like why do you look like a human person, why do you have finger guns, and what the heck is with your Fire Emblem Awakening feet. When she began questioning you, it was slowly pressuring you that it became uncomfortable for you to answer her again. She catches on quickly, so she ceases all questions and just accept you for you.

- Metal or not, she loves you and you love her and that’s all that matters. Ann now has a new-found respect for the technology today since it gave Ann you. And she’s never been so grateful for you to be born until she found out about you.

- People began to note how aesthetically pleasing both you and Ann look. It’s nothing surprising really, with Ann being a model and you being so perfect-looking it’s a no-brainer that people have wanted to stop you two for pictures or something. Ann is used to it but she gets irritated nonetheless. Meanwhile you were already revving up your fists to rocket punch the next creep who was hitting on Ann. She finds it incredibly hot, just pointing that out.

- You’re her new make-up model to test out new products. Your face doesn’t break out and the product can easily be washed away from your face, it’s a win-win for her. She keeps an entire album of her creations stored in her phone, a lot of them with you posing funnily while you were poker-faced. It gets a good laugh from her when she scrolls through all of them so it’s a win-win-win.

| Makoto Niijima |

- Another person who isn’t a fan of sci-fi or knows anything about it in general. She’s seen some things akin to the genre when she was watching Futaba play through Detroit Become Human but that’s honestly all that she’s got.

- She found it weird that you seemed to get tangled up in fights from the students because “They were getting all uppity on us because they saw us smoking!” I mean granted she was happy that you were exploiting the wrongs of the students but what she didn’t get was how nonchalant you seemed to be when you did. And surprisingly no wounds on you but an awful lot of bruises and 2 victims of broken arms from you.

- When she found out about you, she tried to be as normal as possible but she ultimately ended up just like she was talking to Futaba when she was still a hermit; awkward, grasping at topics, and overall poor conversation starter when it comes to topics that she doesn’t know. It honestly takes for you to do something stupid for her to start rambling.

- And just like her relationship with Futaba as of now, she’s as close as ever. She doesn’t see a difference between you and her since both of you hold the same justice and you technically made her blush when you took down a group of bullies. While she had to reprimand you that violence was never the answer, she can’t deny you looked hot kicking butt.

- When people first met you or Makoto, they notice how robotic you two seem to be. You, however, take it as an insult and thus you try to rocket punch the person who says that. Makoto became the voice of reason in the relationship so that you wouldn’t get in trouble but there’s not much a 3rd year could do next to a mechanical being powered by an unnamed energy source.

- All human ethics were taught by her. She’s honestly the best one when it comes to teaching how humans interact but it doesn’t help that she was slightly awkward from the start. Makoto thought she was being a good teacher but it backfired when you mimicked her way of speech as well as her avid interest of Buchimaru-kun as a conversation starter.

| Haru Okumura |

- She adores robots! She’d be the type to own an i-Dog or play with the robots her father used to own when he was young. She’s sort of the daughter who grew up with her father’s toys back when President Okumura wasn’t a prick so when the opportunity presents itself, she’d be the first to buy a robot toy.

- Besides Akira, you were the one who helps her in the garden on the school roof. She met you during a major heat wave and she was absent to take care of the plants so she’s ever-so thankful for taking care of them. She just doesn’t understand how you were able to withstand the heat all the while wearing the uniform blazer and it doesn’t even look like you were sweating.

- Remember the Pikachu surprise face? That’s her face when she finds out about you, maybe with a hand covering her mouth. You were a robot? That explains so much but she doesn’t object to it. She’s curious about how you operate and if there were more like you. Haru knew sadness when it reaches the eyes and yours were no different. She moved on to the next question, which was if you also knew how to brew coffee.

- With you as her lover, Sugimura is dead, no questions asked. He just doesn’t fall out of her life, you throw him off the bridge in a secluded park where no one is going to find his body and you make sure that his face is deformed so no one can identify him. All of this without Haru knowing and you make sure it stays that way. As much as unethical as this may be, you know that parasites will never go out unless you destroy them. This might also pertain to where Haru questions her board members when they looked so shaken up when you enter the room but she doesn’t connect the dots.

- Haru has an abundance of sweaters that it’s hilarious. She’d be the type to walk around wearing thick sweaters during the winters while you sample out her closet. She adores it when you wear her sweaters so much that she buys more just so she could see you strut (or strut as much as you could with your joints) them off.

[no-psi-nan]

Reading your thoughts on this makes me wonder if the whole cat tank plot was, in a weird way, Kusuke's attempt to end the one-sided feud?

After all, if I remember correctly, Kusuke refers to the cat tank as being his ultimate creation. He really went all out on it! And he even went through the trouble of brainwashing Toritsuka.

I think he wanted to try his absolute best, no holds barred, final attempt to win against Kusuo. I don't think think he has any more tricks up his sleeve after this.

Why?

Because he was planning to give Kusuo the power deleter. Like he says, Kusuo without his powers isn't any sort of a match for him, so this was his last chance at anything like a satisfactory win over Kusuo.

In the end, he failed again, losing to Kusuo for the umpteenth time. But he really was very close to winning, so that might have been enough to slate his weird thirst lol.

And when Kusuo acknowledges it by taking out the other limiter voluntarily, I think that solidifies the decision in Kusuke's mind to give Saiki a chance to use the power deleter, even if that means never ever again facing a meaningful challenge in his life.

Then Kusuo shows additional compassion, using the "playmate" line from Akechi. He knows how important it is to be challenged in a meaningful and fun way (because there's a dearth of that in his own life), and that Kusuke will essentially be left aimless once Kusuo loses his powers.

And my thought/hope is that this permanently turned around their relationship. After this, Kusuke is helpful with the volcano, and he moves back in with his parents then (iirc), presumably to keep an eye on the newly powerless Kusuo. After all, Kusuke is basically Kusuo's doctor also, considering that he's the one who made the limiters in the first place and is the only one who really knows the extent of Kusuo's powers beside Kusuo himself.

So maybe he does properly take up the older brother role after this, helping rehabilitate Kusuo when his powers come back, even if he still occasionally makes a nuisance of himself in getting Kusuo to play games with him. And I don't think Kusuo would even mind that too much: he mostly seems opposed to the heightened negative consequences of losing and the weird extremes (that psychometry challenge... yikes).

And maybe, just maybe, Kusuke will get their dad to straighten his act once he's living at the house full-time again. One can only dream lol

wrote down my thoughts about the sk bros relationship over the course of the series ^_^’

okay so. i have a younger sibling. hes 15 and a brat but hes been following and copying me my whole life. i thought it was annoying growing up but i realized that oh. its because hes a baby.

kuusuke just never has that realization growing up. thats like. older sibling 101. it doesn’t matter if they’re better than you at a lot of things. they aren’t as emotionally mature as you and will look up to you if you’re in their life a lot.

kusuo only hates kuusuke in the beginning because he believes that he hates him. this is somewhat of a kusuo thing and a general way a younger sibling would act in a situation like this.

^ “hahaha! just joking!” my ass. this is a whole lie oh my god.

since kusuo’s the narrator, we never see kuusuke’s default way of acting. hes literally seething this whole arc goddamn. the flash backs are in his point of view as well. he’s definitely carried that hatred since he left when he was 14.

kuusuke’s a bit of a static character the whole series. he doesn’t really have any plot other than the kitty tank thing. but one thing i think is interesting is the end of that arc. i cant tell if it was growth on the part of kusuo or on the both of them. (since they had more contact than they had before the series)

you could take that pensive expression in a lot of ways (cynically or wholesomely) . and honestly, you cant really take kusuo’s somewhat forgiving air as indicator as character growth for kuusuke since kusuo himself has undoubtedly grown.

like. he DID just fire a ton of lasers at his brother. but also

this happend. was this supposed to be endearing??🧍‍♂️

anyways in the reawakened powers arc they’re on much better terms so it definitely seems that way?? but what. what? like i get their relationship isn’t supposed to be normal but damn im lost. but also i think thats just the point.

they’re both young and have time to either continue being brothers despite their fucked up history or to cut it off entirely. and i think kusuo WANTS to be his brother if he’d let him but kuusuke would have to get over himself for that to happen. theres just so much going on here. why would you fire lasers at your brother -_- wheres kurumi.

[crystalnet]

Mystery Corner #3 The Shinji Ikari Detective Diary

As All-Hallow's Eve approaches rapidly, mystery and murder enthusiasts everywhere are getting extra revved up for this most sacred of seasons. If you happen to be of an Otaku persuasion, then your options for consumable media around this time include one of the many more gothic-tinged bodies of lore out there like D-Gray Man or Full Metal  Alchemist. Maybe Witch Hunter Robin. Or one of the more grizzly cases in Case Closed would suffice. Hey some people even claim Nightmare Before Christmas as anime, and who am I to argue.  But if your favorite series happens to be something like NGE-- a series that is certainly dark-as-fuck at times but couldn't quite be described as gothic or even all that spooky-- Have no fear, because that's why this double-volume mini-series exists-- for the sweet spot of a certain Venn diagram that tracks those who are NGE-heads versus those who crave all things Mystery, and if you are the overlap, then click right on through!

My interest in these NGE spin-off manga started back when I recently got re-obsessed with the anime and was consuming everything I could. The series after all only amounts to 26 measly episodes, a movie-length remix/recap, a minor masterpiece of a feature length, and three re-telling/remaster/re-animations films (which are controversial among deep fan circles). That might actually sound like a lot, but what I'm saying is that it might be easier to be obsessive about a Shonen, so that you don't have to worry about ever even being able to see all the episodes due to the sheer amount (Case Closed is my example of a series that feels Infinite due to its sheer size). It's kind of like some other big animes like Cowboy Bebop-- if you've seen all 26 episodes and watched the big movie, then what next?

Well the answer is the manga. For one thing, the series was adapted into manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and it's excellent and offers a more in-depth look at certain characters and plot-lines which the anime's length didn't allow time for.  It spans 14 volumes and didn't wrap until 2010 and I highly recommend it, but if you aren't in the mood to retread the same story-line once again (especially if you just watched the Rebuilds..) then you still have options. Enter the spin-off manga. It's a weird breed of manga that only seemingly exists only for this franchise. I am probably wrong, but at least as far as selections of manga at American retailers go, I've never to my knowledge seen another series spawn multiple spin-off manga series. 

First of all, the biggest one is the Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga. This is the lowest-brow of all of them and is outright soft-core porn. I could see picking up one issue maybe, but it's literally just a light-hearted romp through what I would describe as a slice-of-life version of the NGE universe. The focus here, instead of on angels and psychological meltdowns, is the camaraderie, and sexual energy between Shinji and his various classmates. Read this only if you're really into this thing and have an anthropological interest. 

Next is the Campus Apocalypse series. This one was serialized into four volumes and an Omnibus, all put out by Dark Horse (most of these are, I assume they sense there is a market, and that's why these are even released here). Written by a certain Mingming, this one is much more serious in tone than SIRP, and focuses on transforming the lore from one centering around mechs and aliens to one that centers around demon-slaying teenagers and powerful visitors from another world. It has a gothic feeling, and so it'd fit in well around this time of year in addition to the one I'll be focusing on. 

(Legend of Piko Piko is just the latest odd-ball spin-off put out by Dark Horse...)

Besides these, there is the Comic Tribute edition put out by Dark Horse, a collection of NGE satire and the similar light-hearted volume written by a Tony Takezaki. The latest series being released is the Legend of Piko Piko Middle School (two volumes)-- a version of the lore in which the young pilots must hone their skills using video games. And then there is the Detective Diary series. So why so much of this stuff exactly? Well like I said, if you find yourself going down an NGE rabbit hole, then this kind of stuff can be irresistible despite better judgement, and clearly Dark Horse is aware of that. I'm personally grateful for these editions though, despite the fact that a lof of this stuff amounts to fan-fiction that happens to be fully illustrated with often-times lovely artwork. While I recommend the mainline manga series the most, I can also say that both Campus Apocalypse and the Detective Diary are solid, if insubstantial. Detective Diary's tone is somewhere between the seriousness of Campus Apocalypse and light-hearted tone of the comedic and overtly sexual manga series previously mentioned, which puts it squarely in breezy but not-devoid-of-narrative territory. Basically, this version of the universe involves Shinji coming to work for a detective agency run by Kaji, who he starts living with in order to pay off a debt. Instead of mechs, the eva are revealed to be spirit/djinn-type figures who can be summoned by the characters a la Shaman King. 

In the two volumes that make up the series, Shinji interacts most heavily with Kaworu, and the specific kind of yaoi-type energy between them is played up very heavily, so that this almost functions as the coded, gay version of the Raising Project manga. It never goes that far though, and the students are mostly busy solving low-stakes mysteries, none of which get nearly as involved or complex as something in say Case Closed. 

It's still a relatively fun--if light and low-calorie-- read though. I wish that this was on-going, and that they really honed in on what an NGE detective series could be, because if it had mysteries that were as satisfying as Case Closed, that'd be something I'd be willing to come back to again and again. As it is, this is low-ambition enough to go through once and that's about it. I was left wanting it to have been even just slightly more serious, and wouldn't have minded if it was a little closer to Campus Apocalypse, but I can't complain. 

This is one of the more satisfying re-imaginings of the NGE lore, and while I'd rank it third-place overall (behind the mainline manga and Campus Apocalypse), I can't deny that I got a kick out of seeing Shinji, Kaworu, Rei and Asuka and the rest of the gang (Toji and Kensuke are here too) in a more light-hearted setting, and it's fun to see what all the evas look like when rendered as humanoid spirit-beings. If you're just a mystery-fan and not so much a hardcore NGE-head, then I'd stay away from this, but if you like NGE too much and also sort of like detective/mystery-type narratives, then this is a fun distraction. 

Anyway, next week we'll be talking about my favorite historical fiction/mystery series but for now, I hope everyone has a great week on this most spooky of weeks, and as for our spotlight detective this week, it's going to none other than Inspector Zenigata of Lupin the Third fame!  Zenigata-kun has always made an excellent cat to Lupin's mouse (or is he the mouse?) and his skill as a detective is just adequate enough to keep him hot on Lupin's tail, but never hot enough to actually catch the guy. In fact, some of the more interesting pathos in the series revolves around the feeling that if Zenigata could actually catch Lupin, that it might not actually be as satisfying as the chase itself. Indeed, the man's entire raison d'être seems to be chasing after Lupin and in a way, his sheer verve for catching Lupin seems to be the thing that has kept him going all these years, just as Lupin's desire to escape his grasp similarly becomes a way-of-life for Lupin.

I'm just fascinated by these cat-and-mouse relationships in which two figures are thrust into an unending rivalry by which their lives are both threatened and also preserved-- like a nemesis and their prey locked in an endless waltz, desiring only the destruction of their opponent while also loving the enemy for the very unending purpose which they provide one another. Batman and Joker, Sherlock and Arsene. Cicero and his dear Catiline. And of course, Lupin and Zenigata. We see it time and again, and Inspector Zenigata sure makes one great side to the coin that is the Lupin/Zenigata dynamic.

Last week's spotlight on Goro Akechi had us talking about the great Kogoro Akechi of Japanese mystery fame, and Zenigata is similarly named after a character from another big name in Japanese mystery novels-- Kodo Nomura. His wildly popular stories starring a certain Zenigata Heiji are set in the Edo period of Japan, with Zenigata being a crime-solving policeman who throws coins-- or zeni-- at the criminals he investigates in order to subdue them.  

That will tie in with next week's look at the under-rated historical-mystery genre, but for now let's give a tip of the hat to Inspector Zenigata, and wish that his designs may always be adequately foiled! Happy Halloween Detectives~