#not me being a stupid fucking stan for mahito's villany

[amayikes]

From the perspective of someone who really loves Mahito as a villain, I think I prefer the manga's layout. Because it is so much more EVIL.

Mahito looking Nanami in the eyes as he kills him is first of all such a psychopathic disregard for his opponent, like he has seen the life drain from the eyes of so many humans before, but he's watching gleefully as desperation consumes the face of a reocurring encounter, one he knows, one he has faced before.

And second of all such a power move. Such a "yep, I'm right in front of you. Try to land a hit. See how that works out for ya". He knows he can destroy Nanami in the blink of an eye, so why not give him the bitter taste of being so close and yet so far.

Meanwhile, the Anime feels so much more sympathetic from Mahito's part. He caresses Nanami's back like he's saying "there there. You can stop fighting now. I'm gonna kill you anyway. Just rest." Which, while I am a hoe for this soft touch, is so much less of a villanous thing. Almost like a mercy kill. It feels so weak.

Through my intense sobbing yesterday I didn’t actually notice they’d switched up the positioning for this scene and I’m intrigued by the significance of this. Because either way it’s horrible and painful to watch, but they both convey some unique intentions. With the manga, with Mahito facing Nanami, there’s a sense of false, mocking intimacy — a reminder that Mahito would’ve killed Nanami if Itadori (and Sukuna) hadn’t broken through his domain, a reminder that Mahito is superior and he doesn’t need to sneak around to beat Nanami. It’s also a callback to their connection, since Nanami is a big part of why Mahito has evolved into what he is now, and this is their third and final meeting.

The anime goes a different route, though, with Mahito catching Nanami off guard from the back. Still a sense of false intimacy given how close they are and the hand on his bare back, but not quite so mocking when the implication is Mahito deliberately waited until Nanami had exhausted the last of his strength and was therefore especially vulnerable. Mahito, at his core, isn’t courageous or righteous like the other disaster curses. He’s a lot more human than them, right? And this is him proving how cowardly he really is.

I hate this scene with every inch of my heart but narratively it’s interesting to have Mahito be Nanami’s downfall, especially when he came so close to death both other times he fought him. And the changes are at least fun to analyze.