#operation: protect natsuki & mafuyu

[hyeahgaku]

The Seba brothers are precious; trying to protect and save each other in their own ways.. it shows their bond is actually real strong since they're willing to go lengths to keep the other safe.

Natsuki's willingness to fulfil his father's dream by offering himself to go to Al-Kamar. A place of possibly unimaginable horrors that Slur's team know too well. Assumingly Natsuki also knows whatever the individuals sent there were subjected to, then all that he was doing was so that he could spare his beloved younger brother from unspeakable pain or torture. As well as further trauma to a still-developing kid. Something that their deadbeat of a father fail to realise.. So young, so quiet & stoic, yet still so thoughtful, caring & sweet. I bet young Natsuki understands that Mafuyu is still young & hasn't had his own ambitions yet so I'm certain he's making way for his lil bro to enjoy his childhood more & be relieved from the burden that their dumb dad was abt to shoulder on the poor youngling. Honestly, Natsuki's actions in chap 145 is enough to reflect how much of a doting, protective & selfless big brother he is. Young Mafuyu may not have realised it when he was upset with his aniki, but Natsuki's actions are proof of it. I bet that bladed shoe was designed specially for him cuz Natsuki knows how much of a clean freak his lil bro is.

Meanwhile, Mafuyu deeply cares about Natsuki too in his own way. And he's also very supportive of his aniki's inventions, like he's the only one in the family to do so. On top of that, young Mafuyu even have faith in his aniki, he believes that Natsuki is capable of achieving his dream in future cuz he knows that Natsuki is talented & will be successful in his goal. And Mafuyu has a really big heart thou he was more reckless in his plan to save his brother. Young Mafuyu's main aim is to free Natsuki from their deadbeat father's unhealthy obsession so that his aniki can pursue his biggest dream. And Mafuyu's goal to free & help his aniki is so strong that he is willing to do whatever & by any means necessary. Even if that involves putting his own life on the line, so long as he can make sure that Natsuki achieves his ambition of becoming a professional weapons maker, then Mafuyu really thinks that all these efforts are worth it. What reckless selflessness!

How young Mafuyu is able to realise the important of supporting someone's dreams, or in his case right now is to see through that Natsuki can continue to pursue & achieve his dreams, that is beyond amazing & I tip my hat to him. A little kid versus a full-grown adult. Likewise with Natsuki -as an older brother, you should protect your younger sibling & that's what he does. Such brotherly love. PROTECT! These kids deserve only the best & also doting parents who would give the world to them, respect & support their goals to the ends of Earth.

Seriously, zero respect for Mr Seba for oppressing his kids to be who HE want them to be just for the sake of getting back at those mfs who insulted his family. Saving his own face matters more than ensuring his own children's safety, protecting their well-being and encouraging them to pursue their own paths & dreams. Natsuki & Mafuyu don't deserve the toxic environment they grew up in, nor whatever he has put them through. Their mental & emotional healths... 😭 Dammit Mr Seba how could you even look at your two boys in their eyes after all that and still see yourself as their parent..? I hope there's at least an ounce of guilt now, thou i doubt. So I hope karma hits you back, aye. Hit you hard, yeah. Congrates, you have proven yourself worthy to be placed among the Worst Manga/Anime Fathers list.

[hyeahgaku]

I'm real glad the Seba brothers have finally cleared things up btwn them. Now leave them alone, Suzuki-sensei 🙏

[hyeahgaku]

I sympathise with Slur's gang's backstory but that don't mean I condone their acts. And they're far from being "good" people but they have a tiny bit of good in them too.

Slur's cause has always been targeted at anythin related to the JAA. Early on in the series we were shown that Slur & Gaku k1lled either JAA members, those workin for the JAA or those w deep ties to the JAA -and yep this, unfortunately, includes the JCC. But then Slur had two innocent kids (Mafuyu & Nao) abducted & forcefully recruited them to serve in his cause & even implanted b0mbs in their bodies without their knowledge. He planned to use them as sacrificial pawns & that's fckin insane so fck you for that, Slur. Prior to this, we actually never saw Slur & Gaku k1ll innocent bystanders, at least i dont recall. Until Kumanomi's battle happened. But that's also because she was exploitin her opponents' weaknesses by involvin innocents into their fight. That was dirty play & so fck you for that, Kumanomi. Movin on, when Haruma was sent to find Erio, he did not attack the waiter whom he asked for mineral water & by the end of the chap we saw the hostesses are all alive too. He did destroy the helicopter which they arrived in at the museum but i'm certain that Carolina flew it so there was nobody left inside when Haruma blew it up. So on Haruma's part, Ig zero civilians casualties count.

And then there's also the issue w Kanaguri; who was w the JAA/Order at the same time workin w Slur..? He claimed he's on neither's side & he obviously only cares abt making his movie so he pretty much falls into the grey area, kinda, but he did k1ll a number of people, Satoda-sensei being one of them.

So all in all, the only time we know innocent civilians lives are really at stake is during the current museum exhibition -cuz Slur intends to blow up the place. (If there are any other instances Slur or his gang have k1lled innocent civilians in the midst of their fightin, it must be that I've forgotten, so sorry abt that.)

Now, the Al-Kamar backstory.

Didn't the statement Kumanomi made abt how they never asked for their powers, lives, etc., when they were taken into Al-Kamar, strike yall as important? Slur & his Al-Kamar family were innocent children to begin with -literal ORPHANS- who I belive were born ordinary & has no innate superpowers. Most likely, they were lied to & forced into goin to that wretched facility which was disguised as an orphanage, only to later be abused & experimented on, indoctrined to become elite Order super-soldiers. Natsuki's dad wanted to send Mafuyu there -a perfect example of a kid with no superpowers- proving that any ordinary child could be admitted to that facility. The JAA operated Al-Kamar, cleverly using "orphanage" as its facade -for what? So they could transfer innocent orphans from other orphanages & bring them in to Al-Kamar. Since they got no parents, no kins nor relatives to check on their well-being, right? And even if these kids die, they give zero fcks about it. As Natsuki's mom said, they didnt even report the deaths. The lives of these orphans mean nothin to the JAA so it seemed.

The only thing we're still unsure of is *WHO* was behind this Al-Kamar project. Asaki was still a mere JAA Exec when it was shown that Gaku was still in Al-Kamar but based on Slur's dialogue in chap 153 it sounded like it was Asaki who created Al-Kamar. Does this mean no one else, especially Soichi (ex-JAA Chairman) & Yotsumura-san, knew of its existence? Cuz I find it unthinkable if they let Asaki go on w it.

Now as stated I DO NOT condone Slur & his crew's acts but I also wanna look at things from their pov. Growin up in such a horrific & harsh place, instead of a nice & cosy one which could be called "home"; where you only have kids your age to depend on to protect each other from insane adults tryin to do shit to ya every day of the week or every week... must be pure madness in there. And I sympathise. Because Slur & his little family here, as well as those other kids in Al-Kamar, were literal innocent & helpless children. Given their upbringing back then, does it not make sense that their moral compass will be askew? Plus the mentality Kumanomi has -only friends & enemies exist in her world view- I like to think that it may be attributed to regular brainwashing/conditioning in Al-Kamar or somethin. After all, these orphans were trained from young to k1ll. It aint a stretch to say that the Al-Kamar staff have brainwashed them into thinkin that whoever they have in the orphanage are their "friends" & anyone else who try to hurt them are to be considered "enemies". But over time myb this brainwashin wore off & these kids eventually learned that the real "friends" are the other kids just like themselves, and the staff that performed experiments on them are just not it.

Which still left me wonderin if the arson was done by Slur himself, or was it someone else ordered by Asaki? I like to belive Asaki ordered it in order to remove traces & evidence of the heinous activities performed on those orphans. But how could Slur get there on time to save Gaku and the rest? So it's most likely Slur's doing, right? I rly need answers, Suzuki-sensei.

Just so yall know this post is not to force or influence anyone into thinkin that Slur & his little family are not "bad people" cuz they ARE -judge it by the scope of their crimes & ruthlessness. Its also not to make anyone sympathise w them & be in full support of their cause. I merely wanted to share that they do have 1% good in them too since they look out for one another as this is what's left of their family & what they're set out to do rn is to make Asaki pay for robbin their lives & otherwise good futures. And myb also, indirectly, to pay for what he did to the ex-JAA Chairman & Yotsumura-san. It's just that Slur's chosen method is way too extreme.

As a reader, I want the truth & just like me, Slur & his little family, Akira, Nagumo, Sakamoto & even Shishiba deserve to know or reveal the truth. Which, I belive, lies with Asaki.

I'd also like to add that I can understand if people dislike villain-sad-backstory trope but imo it's common theme in most fictional stories. And if that trope isn't to your liking, that doesn't mean that it's lame or bad writing on the authors' part.