#they just end and are unsatisfying

[thatswhatsushesaid]

i think most of my wwx opinions are unpopular outside of my little patch in this fandom, but i genuinely do believe that post-canon wwx and jc are just better off being out of each other’s lives as much as possible, crossing paths only out of necessity for jin ling.

sometimes when the wounds cut deeply enough, even if none of those wounds were inflicted intentionally or maliciously, it doesn’t matter how much you loved your family member, how much you sacrificed for them, or how much they sacrificed for you. your presence in each other’s lives just aggravates those injuries and prevents them from healing, and maybe the kindest thing you can do for each other is to just leave each other alone.

[sophfandoms53]

Anyway shout out to Dewey who constantly looked like he was having the worst time of his fucking life in the pitches

Just an 11 year old pissed off at the world it seems😭

[total-trash-tenno]

so Neci was/is infected with techrot and the Indifference offered her "life". whatever that means I don't know. but even though she says "me" and "I" in reference to Neci and not the Indifference, not sure if I'm convinced that isn't the entity playing games with us

why her though? why not Viktor? he seems like the type to make shady deals if that meant he could get more power

and with her own "severed" hand? hmm just like the Lotus'. still don’t know what happened to her though

but if Neci really did turn evil I think I'd be really disappointed :/ would waste the setup with Drifter saying "it's not really her" and Eleanor wondering if there's any part of her left. and her parents are right here, where they came looking for her. seems pointless to add them if their story really just does end there. they might as well just be characters unrelated to Neci in that case

[jammatown919]

I think Kenlynn will become Yasammy's cautionary tale. Specifically, Brooklynn will be Yaz's cautionary tale.

Both are relationships that suffered from a lack of one partner being present. Brooklynn wasn't around much and barely engaged with Kenji even when they were together. Yaz put significant physical distance between her and Sammy and then neglected to stay in frequent contact, and now she's put this emotional distance between them by neglecting Sammy's feelings in a high-stress situation where her support was needed. Physically and emotionally, Brooklynn and Yaz weren't there for their partners. There was no lack of love, but they allowed other things to get in the way and made their relationships a lower priority.

But here's where I think they'll differ. Kenji seems to be more or less over Brooklynn romantically. Not over what she did, but he seemingly has no intentions of getting back together with her even if she returns to the group. And this is largely because when he called her out for not being there, said he couldn't be with her if she wasn't going to be with him, she left and she stayed away. Maybe it would have been too little too late, but maybe if she'd decided to put Kenji first at that point and try to make things right, it could've gotten better between them.

With Yasammy, the situation is fresh and still developing. It's just impossible for either of them to be over each other so quickly. There is a window of opportunity for things to be made right with enough effort. Yaz is in a group with Brooklynn right now, and I think that's part of the key to her realizing what she needs to do to make things right with Sammy. She needs to look at the mistakes Brooklynn made, compare them with her own mistakes, and not continue down the same path, because they know where that ends. If she wants Sammy back, she can't do what Brooklynn did. She can't stay away and prove that she will never prioritize the person she loves over whatever else is going on. She needs to show up. Be there. Come to her with an apology and the support Sammy has needed all this time. Show Sammy that she can listen, that things can get better between them, and they can work again.

Unfortunately, it may be too late for Kenji and Brooklynn. Not my favorite thing ever because I do actually really like them, but that's how it looks to me.

But it's not too late for Yaz and Sammy. They can learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others, and they can come back from this with fresh perspectives and better equipped to make sure their relationship stays functional.

[amemoryofwot]

“But won’t Perrin feel guilty if Fain causes more problems now that he’s escaped?”

Yeah man imagine if Perrin had to grapple with the fact that saving his people harmed others. Elayne started off our whole season saying that having power means accepting that any decision which helps some will hurt others. Perrin also said he’d hunt him down if he did come back, and I’m taking that in a very broad sense of “come back into the picture at all” so this has left a plot open for Perrin in future.

[blueepink07]

Yuno: her struggling relationship with autonomy

(character analysis)

One aspect I have always loved about media characters is their attempt to be perceived as mature, despite their young age. Some succeed, others struggle to hide what they see as their childish side.

Yuno is no different in this context and I'm surprised that people don't talk about it enough.

Beginning with her age 18, it's truly a controversial age, if I may say. It's a confusing age, because you are technically considered an adult, but, at the same time, your mind is not fully developed to actually be one. In the end, you are still a child at heart and mind, despite the fact that you are legally an adult.

We don't know much of her home life and honestly I don't think it would do any good for me to make assumptions, since it's pointless in the long run and it would just lose credibility. However, one thing it's for sure based on Yuno's actions. She desires autonomy.

Yuno: Despite that, you arbitrarily assumed things about me and sympathized with me. Even though all I did was make a rational decision of my own free will.

I'm the one who chose, let you and you and you all in ~🎵

She highlights quite a lot with these phrases… She chose for herself, she is an adult who willingly decided to partake in compensated dating. Being called naive or innocent, two words that usually are used to describe little children, surely infuriated her… and she shows it.

It's funny now that I think about it. Fuuta also has the same problem, but his reactions are more childish, in the end, not doing him any justice. However, Yuno is no different. Of course, she does it in a more subtle manner, but she really does get worked up quite a lot when it comes to her being perceived more as a teenager than an adult. Her whole song it's literally about this idea. Yuno being infuriated that she is infantilized by the audience, making a sad backstory for her so they can dismiss the idea that there wasn't necessarily a big factor that provoked her to partake in compensated dating, but it's only her own free will.

I might add that the compensated dating itself is a way for Yuno to feel that she has more autonomy and she no longer needs to be treated as a child.

"An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth.[1] The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction." ~ wikipedia

Moreover, even the media promotes the fact that sexual content should strictly be watched by adults. And Yuno does end up having sex during some of these dates…

And if this idea isn't convincing enough… I think that Yuno likes to partake in compensated dating, because she knows the clients don't consider her a child. They are interested in her, in a way that makes Yuno feel satisfied with herself (at least, for a short period of time, when she is in their presence) she feels grown up and mature. She also receives money for her services, providing her with enough financial resources for Yuno to consider that she finally managed to complete one of the first steps of adulthood, to be financially stable.

Doing something that is not really socially accepted, again, can be considered as autonomy, because you do not follow the same rules that the society obligs. Yuno knows how compensated dating is perceived, but she still does it, because she thinks this action provides her "warmth".

The "warmth" that Yuno speaks about is a vague term to describe her desires. Based on her interactions, I would like to think that this term refers to genuineness and mutual understanding. Yuno, in the first VD, describes the society as being a place where "everyone eats each other". People need to point fingers at others who made a mistake, who did something that's not socially accepted to make themselves feel better.

Yuno: That’s right. You know those people who just wanna convince themselves, so they intrude in other people’s affairs even though it’s not their place—I despise them. That’s what I was saying. They only do that to make themselves feel better, don’t they? Those people don’t actually end up doing anything.

And you know what is interesting? The fact that Yuno finds more closure being in the company of some murderers. Why? Because they can also be considered some outcasts of the society that she pretty much dislikes.

Es: However, it also explains why you’ve given up. About yourself, human beings, even the whole of society, you’ve realised everything—that’s why your expression is so cold.

Teenagers usually have little power in our society. They can achieve great things, but have to go through more hardships due to the limited freedom. They need an adult to actually help them. That’s just how society is built.

Yuno's distaste for the society can explain why she has grown so fast, or, at least, thinks that she has matured enough. She was tired of the society inflicting on her rules that she, as a simple teenager, had to oblige. So, going into Milgram, starting to hear people crafting a sob backstory for Yuno, treating her like a child, despite the fact she has already done a few steps in order to sustain herself financially and emotionally as a young adult, it's truly insulting.

Es: This is just popular belief, but the law is also something the people have decided. There’s nothing, which can satisfy every single human being, now is there?

Yuno: That’s right.

However, even after all these, that doesn't mean she doesn't actually struggle with this new found autonomy that she craves.

I actually think that this autonomy is the cause of most of her suffering.

As I stated before, compensated dating is something that she decided to partake in, in order to prove her independence. She thinks that what she has chosen for herself is healing, helping her. But, if it's that the case, then why do we have these scenes?

It's difficult to admit that one of your decisions was actually… Quite wrong. Especially, when it's one of your first one's as an official adult, in the very first stage of your life when you finally have enough independence.

“Cognitive dissonance is what we feel when the self-concept — I’m smart, I’m kind, I’m convinced this belief is true — is threatened by evidence that we did something that wasn’t smart, that we did something that hurt another person, that the belief isn’t true,” said Carol Tavris, a co-author of the book “Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me).”

She added that cognitive dissonance threatened our sense of self.

To reduce dissonance, we have to modify the self-concept or accept the evidence,” Ms. Tavris said. “Guess which route people prefer?”

So which one does Yuno prefer? To convince herself that what she is doing makes her happy.

Yuno: Despite that, you arbitrarily assumed things about me and sympathized with me. Even though all I did was make a rational decision of my own free will.

Yuno: I’m not pitiable. My family gets along super well. And I’m not particularly struggling for money. I decided, of my own free will, to do it because I felt that it was necessary for me.

Sometimes, considering how many times she mentions it, for me it feels like Yuno tries to convince herself that what she is doing is good for her.

But you know what is funny to me?

She is good at making herself enjoyable for others as well as giving somewhat good advice:

Mahiru: My birthday…… the day I was born……But was there really any reason for me being born? Lately I’ve started to wonder that. Do you ever think about stuff like that, Yuno-chan?

Yuno: Eh? Not really. I mean, Mahiru-san, you’re really the romantic type, right? Not that I have anything against that. But isn’t it a bit much to think that everything in life has a meaning? If it makes you happy to think like that then go ahead, but if it doesn’t, then isn’t that in itself meaningless?

Mahiru: : ……you might be right. I’ve always just lived my life like this, so I don’t really know.

Yuno: We’ve all just gone through a bunch of things in life that happened to lead us here. It’s nothing more than a coincidence. Definitely not fate or anything. Probably. Even if there isn’t a meaning, you can still be happy that it’s your birthday. That sort of thing’s all you need in life really. So happy birthday, Mahiru-san.

Mahiru: ……no, I’m fine. As long as I don’t move too much I don’t even feel any pain. Sorry for making you worry.

Yuno: Oh, really? That’s good then. Mahiru-san, if there’s anything you want then just ask. It’s not like it’s a huge burden, I can just ask for it along with my own stuff.

Mahiru: Ok…… I’m fine for now. Sorry, for making you worry. Ah, Yuno-chan…… Today’s your birthday, right? Happy birthday.

Yuno: …Haha, thanks. Thank you, but y’know. Is it really ok for you to be saying that to me when you’re in that situation?... you really aren’t suited for Milgram, huh, Mahiru-san.

Amane: What is it… Kashiki Yuno. Don’t sit so close to me. Go away.

Yuno: Sorry for barging in when you’re getting into your worldview thing. But Mahiru-san’s finally managed to get to sleep. Humour me with some small talk while I take a break. By the way, Amane. Have you ever wished you were never born? I’ve thankfully lived a pretty fun life so far, so haven’t really. But you seem to be struggling with something. So I kinda wondered if you thought like that.

Amane: ……I don’t think that. Being born into this world is the first miracle any person experiences, and is something to celebrate. Even if after birth I was put through trial after trial, the value of that will never disappear.

Yuno: Hmm. Ok…happy birthday, then. It’s good that you were brought into the world, I guess.

But Yuno has a big, and I mean a BIG tendency to self-destruct, not intentionally.

Wanting to be independent comes with its own downfalls. At the beginning of the trial, Jackalope states that Yuno has distanced herself from social interactions. So much so, that we have never seen her actually confiding to someone else, in any of the portal timeline translations. She might have her reasons, either minimizing her problems, and using her energy to help the ones she deems to have worse than her, or, this is simply her nature to bottle up her own sadness. This again might also be the cause of her wanting autonomy and proving to herself and others that she is mature enough to manage her emotions.

Not confiding in someone else for a long time can cause depression. Something that Yuno might be struggling with during trial 3 or she is already struggling with it a bit.

Furthermore, it's interesting that Yuno admits disliking behaviors that she deems childish. For example, she doesn't like the way Haruka and Muu behave, because they are ignorant of the problems in prison and have a really childish way of thinking. Amane's hate towards Shidou, might be often wrongly interpreted as a simple child's tantrum. Kotoko's actions, responding with violence to violence, it's again, an aspect often deemed as childish and immature.

Yuno: Really? If you ask me, Kotoko is someone I would never want to make my friend, though. She’s the type who picks a conclusion from the very beginning and won’t actually talk with you.

Yuno: Well, I guess it’s arbitrary who one gets along with. But Mahiru-san in particular is something. I think both her body and mind are at their limits. Also, Mikoto-san was also attacked but apparently it ended up in something of a draw. That guy was strong, huh—how unexpected. Also Haruka and Muu-chan have become kind of bothersome. And additionally, Amane-chan and Shidou-san too, huh.

Lastly, her second MV also shows her desire of autonomy in Milgram, not only through lyrics, but through visuals too.

Beginning with her door, it looks a lot like a medieval castle door.

Her room, the way it is designed, especially the bed and the chair, also resemble a princess' room.

However:

Despite the important role that princesses played in courtly life, they had limited personal freedom. They were often kept under close guard and were rarely allowed to leave the palace or castle where they lived. This was done to protect them from danger and to prevent them from engaging in political activities that might undermine the authority of the king or prince.

Medieval princesses had little to no autonomy most of the time. Their life was dictated from the start, having the only purpose to be betrothed and give birth to children.

That’s why the design choice is intentional. Yuno feels like a princess trapped in her pretty room (the MV is quite claustrophobic, the only outside elements being a few memories), exposed to the world (the many windows imply this), the voices that keep demonizing her.

That’s why the scene where she starts breaking things in her room is so important. It serves as a sign of rebellion, to show that she is not the perfect, helpless princess that people like to portray her as. She is an adult who makes bad or good decisions, who thinks for herself. She is proud of her autonomy and is tired of constantly proving to others that she is not capable of taking care of herself.

[arthur-lesters-glabella]

Folks, I keep thinking and thinking and rethinking about how this last season of Malevolent will go, and I guess my question for the fandom at the end of the day is: what would make a satisfying end/final season to you?

There are so many loose strings and conflicting themes and ideas and characters that I can’t keep track of so I want to know everyone else’s wants from this season and specifically the ending. What do you think needs to be addressed? What motifs and symbols should be tied up in the end? What themes should conclude the story? What characters should have a role and what should their role be? What characters/themes/plot beats should no longer have a role? What would make this ending imperfectly or perfectly satisfying to you? I desperately need to discuss this bcs I just keep going in unproductive circles, so why not start with a possible list of things that would satisfy? I’m talking Parker being addressed, Arthur dying if that’s your thing, how John can gain autonomy, Bella getting to beat the shit out of Arthur, whether Arthur should remain blind (he should let’s be honest), whether Lilly the cow should be brought in or something, Noel’s role in the season, Yellow actually getting addressed again. The water motif being turned on Kayne or Manny. Fire/light being used in the solution. The continuation and conclusion to how corruption/disease is tied to Arthur and connection to the disease running through the dark world. Poems that should pop up again. Idc wht it is or how realistic, pls share!

[brown-bear-64]

Honestly the best way I can describe the 2nd season of Arcane is written by extremely competend writers who bit off way more than they could chew. Especially in that short of a timeframe.

It's possible that it was a higher up decision for future League shows, but the focus on the Black Rose & magic worldbuilding took away focus from the core cast and the narrative of 2 cities/sisters opposed to one another. They desperately needed at least 3 more episodes

The writers are competent, but they made some deliberate choices I don't like and pulled focus from things I believe they should've left in focus. It feels like the entire narrative of the show got changed between seasons, and maybe it was always the intention and I should rewatch the entire show front-to-back without a massive hiatus in-between them for me to get it, but from my current standing... It could've been more, and the things that they did focus on and give time to were really good. It's just that the show lost its priorities and primary narrative along the way

[hesagoodone]

Sorry to bring this up on your dash, but I don't know how to get this specific moment out of my head. Those vicious, vicious kicks and.. and a broken, unresisting, shuddering-bundle-on-the-floor Sherlock. The sheer hatred and rage emanating from John! It baffles me, like what did he even do to you, John? WHAT? Where's all this hellish rage coming from? The Fall? Mary's Death?

Makes no sense to me, not to such an extent, but perhaps I would've understood the hurt, the pain, the frustration of it all - if it was just that. But it's not. It's such blind, hateful, out-to-kill rage that I see in this instant here and it unsettles me deeply. John looks like he wants to crush Sherlock up, people literally had to drag him away. How do you hate someone, anyone with such intensity, let alone a friend who has lived, died, killed for you?

[thewardenisonthecase]

my biggest issue with the whole ghoulified warden is not even attachment to the warden as a character, its that it would make for ONCE AGAIN another dropped storyline because its like ok so you put the warden in the back burner bc they were looking for a cure, and even tho there's a lot of stuff that could have possibily cured the warden/slowed the progression of the taint, you went with no actually they found nothing despite searching for it for god knows how many years...

i think as a concept is really interesting and could go many places, but im glad it stayed that. a concept. if it had made it, im pretty sure it would not have been as good (bombastic side eyes dai hawke and dav inky)

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay, so. Now that I have more of my feelings and thoughts sorted out, I would like to talk about the ending of the Nanbaka manga.

The End: Re-Nanbaka Chapter 423

(From chapter 36 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

Disclaimer: Though this goes without saying, this impromptu essay post will contain spoilers for Nanbaka—the ending, primarily. It's worth reading the major plot twists without being spoiled if you can, so if you're not finished reading the manga, I wouldn't suggest reading this (can't stop you if you decide to anyways though 🤷). Suffice to say, the target audience is people who have finished reading the Nanbaka manga.

ㅤ

So, it's finally here, right? You decided to read the Nanbaka manga some time ago. There's a pretty good possibility you watched the anime at some point and found the manga afterwards, just needing to know what happens after Season 2 (potentially even after growing tired of waiting for season 3).

But, of course, the "why" doesn't matter. You picked up the Nanbaka manga, drank up every chapter you could. Maybe you're like me. You got to around chapter 193 and stopped for a while, unable to find translation past that point. But you got lucky one day looking, wondering if anyone ever picked up that translation again. So again, you drank up chapter after chapter (whether you binged it or waited patiently for fan translators to translate the chapters bit by bit), until you finally arrived...

At the end.

(From chapter 423 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

And I surmise (largely based upon what I've seen perusing the fandom tag) that your thoughts upon reaching this point amount to "HUH?! WHAT?!" It seemed like we were just in the middle of a major arc. We've learned so many things, the nature of the world of "Nanbaka" and the overal conflicts have been revealed. New questions have risen, certain recent mysteries have yet to be answered, new information has come to light, there are characters whose status is unclear.

But despite all of this, it's over. The end.

Jyugo escapes Nanba, and the manga ends, heedless of everything else.

"Does the mangaka even care?" you could be wondering.

"Maybe it's just on hiatus, and we'll get a follow up at some point!" you could be hoping.

"Why did I get invested if it was going to end so poorly? Was it just a badly written story after all?" you may be feeling inside.

I can't tell you what Shō Futamata's feelings or what their future plans are beyond what they've officially put out. I can't give a truly objective answer that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nanbaka is written well, and that the ending is good actually™.

But what I can do is express my own subjective point of view. After all, I'm only human too. Beyond that, I can hope someone reads this.

. . .

Now, my view and opinion is as follows:

As a whole, I loved the Nanbaka manga. I think the ending is good, and that it makes sense.

ㅤ

I can already hear the thoughts forming in the heads of some of you reading this.

"What? Why? Isn't it sudden?? With everything introduced and all the plot threads left hanging, how could it be a good end? How could this make sense?"

Here's my short answer for the "why".

Because none of those things matter.

"But how could none of that matter? What would be the point of building up the narrative, getting us attached to all these characters and invested in the mysteries if it didn't all matter? Wouldn't it be simpler to say that the mangaka was tired of writing? Even so, what was the point of introducing all of these things if they don't matter as you say??"

Let me clarify that statement:

None of those things matter to the ending.

ㅤ

Let's take a step back for a moment.

Despite the chapters upon chapters of angst and the character death we've experienced, Nanbaka is, at its core, a comedy manga (there are times I'd even call it a parody). Its goal with its gags and references, and even its execution of characters and arcs, is often to play genre expectations for laughs and/or to turn them on their head. It's unserious at times, and yet the entire premise (even jokes based on common genre tropes or anime happenings) are played completely straight.

Jyugo, our main character, (just based on design and expectations) seems to have all of the setup at of a more edgy shonen protagonist—the world's specialest boy with the tragic backstory, who is doubtless overpowered.

Both the manga and the anime adaptation dispell this notion pretty quickly. Jyugo can open any lock and escape from any prison, but he's pathetic outside of this. In the anime this means he can move past every obstacle to escaping Nanba along with his friends, but he always gets stuck at the final one because of his poor physical prowess (and inability to throw even a single punch). His backstory isn't tragic so much as...empty. In his head early in the story, he's just some inmate who woke up one day with shackles he can't remove, right? He has this clear glimpse of the man who shackled him (the man with the scar on the back of his neck). Does he have any real passion for revenge at the start? No, not really. He just wants to find this guy so he'll remove the shackles. In his memory, he's both escaped from every prison he's been to so he could find the man with the scar, and so he could just kill time. His memories are hazy, he doesn't know his parents or his home. As far as official records are concerned, he was born in prison and his father abandoned him. He has no hobbies, likes or dislikes.

It's against the character of Jyugo, our main character with few qualities and no real dreams or aspirations, that the rest of Cell 13 (his friends, Nico, Rock, and Uno) stand out. Compared to him, who is just killing time, who is bored and doesn't improve his practical skils, who wears the classic black and white striped prison garb, just about everyone in the story stands out more. They're visually colorful and dynamic. They have obsessions, dreams, aspirations, likes, and dislikes. For many of the supporting cast, their backstories and ambitions are enough that they could be the star of their own story.

And back to the comedy aspect, just like with Jyugo, one of the earlier gags in the story is when the mangaka contrives an excuse to explain cell 13's basic characters and backstories via the warden meeting with Hajime. In the manga, Hajime explains "what is up with them", just before shocking Samon and Warden Momoko with the "stupid" reasons Uno, Rock, and Nico kept escaping prison. In the anime adaptation, Samon plays the role of stand in for the audience expectations, assuming each one of these characters ended up becoming criminals due to their tragic backstories, with these reasons for becoming criminals feeding deeply into their aspirations. He sets up fantasy stories of men who go to prison in the process of caring for their sick/disabled girlfriend, or whom want to get revenge for fallen comrades, just before Hajime tears it down by dropping the truth.

Nico has a past of being experimented on and drugged. He has multiple food ilnesses and unidentified diseases. But no matter his dark past, his reason for escaping prisons was due to his hatred of needles and badly tasting medicine.

Rock was reportedly imprisoned after starting a gang riot. He didn't escape prison for any normal reasons though. Not out of any obligation to groups he could be affiliated with or because he just wants out. He escaped because the prison food sucked.

Uno is a compulsive gambler who was sent to juvie for frequenting underground casinos. Rather than escape prison for normal reasons, such as wanting to be out of prison, or even so he could continue to gamble, he escaped because he had a hot date.

It's easy to forget when you get wrapped up in the angst, the characters backstories, the overarching struggle between two organizations who wish to decide the fate of the world, etc that Nanbaka is a parody. From the very beginning, it plays into our suspension of disbelief for manga/anime shenanigans to its advantage (for example, being meta about how Uno, Rock, and Jyugo have to work together to censor Nico's anime references, or forcing the audience to accept that Shiki's security was shitty for a brief moment just so Taura specifically could infiltrate their headquarters with ease), and it turns our expectations on their heads (ex. Enki's rumor about being abusive to inmates stemming from how he would rough them up a bit to protect them from inhumane experimentation, or Warden Momoko appearing to be a stern dom with sharp edges but turning out to be someone who is gushy and soft and blushy thinking about her crush).

We expect the plot twists of Nanbaka's final arc to be a climax of the story, or something which leads into a final confrontation of ideals. We expect the manga to end with an answer to the fate of Togabito worldwide, a victor to emerge between Shiki and Kaazu's war with each other. We perhaps even expect Jyugo to be at the center of this, for him to decide whether the world should change in favor or against Togabito existing, or even for him to make a third choice separate from Hiiro and Mashiro's skirmish. We expect for a thrilling final conclusion which wraps up most of the obvious hanging plot threads, makes a statement for how the world should be, and gives us some happy or tragic (solid) ending for our main cast and their fates.

So, with all of that in mind:

Why would Nanbaka, as a parody manga, end as we expect it to?

. . .

Okay, now I hear you thinking:

"Tumblr user hadesknockedupintheunderworld...that is such a stupid excuse. You seriously expect us to believe that this ending is masterful and amazing because the fact that we didn't expect it to leave off on so many cliffhangers makes it a parody executed at a genius level?? Even a good parody manga that subverts our expectations should have a proper ending. Again, wouldn't this constitute an excuse for the mangaka's laziniess?"

And to this, I say: Please bear with me.

Nanbaka's genre status is only one piece of the puzzle, the "why" of the execution of the manga's ending.

The rest is related to our little pathetic (yet kind of endearing) jail breaker of a main character.

(From Season 1 Episode 1 of the anime adaptation of Nanbaka)

So, Jyugo. Inmate 15, cell 13, building 13. He's our main character.

His status as the main character may not be so obvious at first, especially given how often cell 13 appears as a group early on in the story, but I would say that it at least becomes clear by the time the end of the New Year's Tournament ark (the first one) comes around. Namely, the reveal of Jyugo's special abilities, the fight between Jyugo and Musashi, and the scene where Jyugo ultimately chooses to stay at building 13 after the tournament.

Despite Nanbaka's large cast of characters and its tendencies to focus on everyone but Jyugo at times, though, Jyugo is the main character. Nanbaka is a comedy/parody manga, yes, but it's also about Jyugo's personal journey, the way he changes as a person over the course of the manga. Hiiro kind of spells this out for us in chapter 422, when he reveals that Nanba was also created for Jyugo—his playground, his ideal world, a place where he could be himself.

. . .

For a moment, let's return to my previous statement:

None of those things matter to the ending.

Much of what's going on in the world of Nanbaka is bigger than one person, of course. In the later parts especially, we start to be able to see more and more outside the prison. We're introduced to Nanba's women prison, Shiki, the Zodiac Police, and even to Rokuto and Mikadzuki. The world outside Nanba prison comes into greater focus at this point, especially as we begin to see more details of the struggle between Shiki and Kaazu. There are multiple story arcs towards the end focusing on multiple different characters where Jyugo and cell 13 aren't present.

As such, I can understand how easy it becomes to get wrapped up in this story as it ramps up. The problems of Kaazu vs Shiki begin to infiltrate into Nanba more and more, and this building of tension is joined by the revelations surrounding Kaazu, Shiki, and Jyugo. I, too, while reading, was waiting at the edge of my seat to get a follow up on the inmates disappearing during the New Year's Tournament (second time), the future of Orochi, Midzuchi, and Murakami, the fates of Trois, Zakuro, etc, the information on Rock, Uno, and Nico's true first meetings with Jyugo, etc.

So I know it sounds strange when I say that none of these things matter to the ending.

But, consider this. Outside of gags, outside of Jyugo, the arks we see involving Shiki, the Zodiak police, Taura, and others, often serve two purposes.

To flesh out the narrative, to make all of the characters in the wider cast feel like people as opposed to tools or just colorful characters playing roles, and to provide background on events relating to Jyugo's past.

To make some sort of point.

Showing us the backstories of members of Shiki, inmates at Nanba, and some for the Nanba guards and Zodiac Police members allows us to see these characters as people, to put away the idea that everyone affiliated with Nanba or Shiki or Kaazu is either a "good person/hero" or "bad person/villain". One of the commonly recurring themes in Nanbaka (supported by the backstories of Togabito and regular inmates alike) is the lack of prisoners' rights. Imprisonment is often used as a method of covering up inhumane experimentation or treatment of characters. Multiple characters were framed for imprisonment with the express purpose of some group getting to get away with their treatment of them (such as Kaazu imprisoning Togabito so they could get away with executing them, or Elf framing Musashi for arson so Mashiro and Isou could experiment and gather data using him). A good deal of character arcs towards the end also have a particular focus on the inmates, members of Shiki, and Togabito deciding their futures or the ideal worlds they'd like to create.

My point with this is to say that, despite the ending, all of these things do matter to the narrative. And they don't suddenly cease to have meant anything because of how the manga ending left narrative threads unresolved.

They had a purpose.

"So why is there no clear conclusion to these?"

I'll explain it like this. Since Jyugo is the main character, no matter what is happening in the world of Nanbaka, everything comes back to him. All of the narrative threads and story arcs that occur without his presence have a purpose and do matter, but the happenings outside of Nanba (within the entire world) in general are just, well, a part of the world. Regardless of what Jyugo does after the manga's ending, the world will continue to turn. Those narrative threads will come to their conclusions. Hiiro and Mashiro will continue to oppose each other.

They are just things that happen to be happening in the world around Jyugo. But the end of the manga focuses on Jyugo, the culmination of his arc.

And when it comes to reaching the conclusion of Jyugo's character arc, things not pertaining to this do not matter. It doesn't matter what Murakami's fate is. It doesn't matter whether Kaazu or Shiki win their war of ideals. It doesn't matter whether Zakuro died or not, only that Jyugo's fight with him and interactions with him and Elf set off the introspection which causes Jyugo to change further as a person.

Chapter 423 was not planned as "the end" so we could get the thrilling conclusion of major happenings in the world of Nanbaka. It was planned as "the end", so we could see "the end" of Jyugo's development.

Allow me to explain this a bit more clearly.

And ultimately, this is why I think the ending of Nanbaka is both good and fitting. The ending is unexpected, yes, but it challenges you to think, to wonder just what makes chapter 423 "The End". It leaves the surface narrative (the literal happenings in the story) unfinished, yet it resolves it's underlying narrative featuring the main character's evolution. Rather than the end of Nanbaka, being about who will change the world and how, or about a perfect happy or tragic ending, it's about Jyugo accepting himself, it's about him growing into his complete and complicated self despite (and sometimes because of) outside interference.

ㅤ

Thinking back to the beginning of the story, we are given our very first truth.

Jyugo cannot/will not escape Nanba.

This is very clearly shown in the opening of the anime adaptation, where we're introduced to a typical day of Cell 13 evading all manner of traps to escape Nanba. The four of them each use their unique skills and knowledge (both inherent to them and due to their experiences escaping from various prisons) to get all the way to the final obstacle inside the prison. Then, after Jyugo opens the final door, locked with all manner of special locking mechanisms, the group is faced with Hajime. Ultimately, of course, when Jyugo is the last to face him, Hajime beats Jyugo up, which shows the audience that Jyugo cannot yet escape (in this case, he physically cannot defeat their final obstacle).

As Hajime says in the opening of the anime's first episode:

"That is because this is Nanba prison. No one has ever escaped successfully from this prison."

The manga also starts out showing "the typical day" of cell 13. However, while the anime does this by showing a group escape attempt, the manga starts out showing the four as they converse in their cell with each other and with Hajime.

(From chapter 1 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

The anime presents a Jyugo who initially wants to escape (he's escaped from every other prison after all) but doesn't have the ability. The additional anime opening scenes flow (more or less) into the scenes presented in the opening of the manga, which presents a Jyugo who doesn't actually want to leave Nanba.

"I just remembered I'll be released soon. Hey, Hajime. I'm gonna escape now, so will ya extend my sentence?"

In addition, both the manga and the anime end up with Cell 13 instead deciding to stay in Nanba for the time being (finding it more comfortable and livable than the real world).

(From chapter 1 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata. This same scene can be found in Season 1 Episode 1 of the anime adaptation)

So, we start out with a Jyugo who does not/cannot leave Nanba. Although he eventually comes to confide in Hitoshi Sugoroku about the man with the scar and his shackles, removing those shackles is more of a far off goal. For now, he can live comfortably in Nanba, not having to worry about the troubles he'd have outside the prison.

Then, we get this moment of introspection from Jyugo in Chapter 36:

(From chapter 36 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

During the end of part 1 here, Jyugo realizes that he's been running away ("the man with the scar" listed as among the things he's been running from while in Nanba), and he realizes he wants to live like his friends (his friends who are "so full of life").

Though we expect Jyugo to begin to physically improve himself (like other main characters in his position who often resolve to do this to protect the things, people, and futures they care about with their own hands), he doesn't make major strides over the course of the manga in improving his physical strength, skill, or becoming proficient in using his blades. Rather, his journey is a more internal one.

(From chapter 36 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

To put it plainly, as of Chapter 36, to "run away" as he always has for Jyugo means both to accept his fate (in this case, to allow himself to simply stay in prison, or to allow himself to live an empty life in the underground cells of Nanba) and to escape Nanba (to run away from a place that now has both people who enrich his life (attachments) and his past encroaching on it).

While Jyugo takes some steps forward and backwards over the course of the manga (often during major events of introspection and dealing with his fears), everything comes to head in the last part of the manga.

Or, rather, it's Chapter 423 (the ending), that brings Jyugo's internal journey full circle.

Jyugo learns about himself—the truth about his origins, his powers, his shackles—and chooses to continue on.

Jyugo accepts himself—his "original personality", his past self, his missing piece—becoming someone who is both the "Jyugo" who is human and contains life, and the "Jyugo" who is the Togabito of emptiness, who can hardly recognize himself as existing.

And, most notably:

Jyugo finally escapes Nanba prison with his own power, and he faces "the man with the scar" head on.

This is the point I intended to make.

Chapter 423 of Nanbaka's ending is set up the way it is to subvert our expectations due to its affinity for parody. Chapter 423's ending does not mark the ending of the story of Nanba prison or the war between Shiki and Kaazu. Rather, it marks "The End" of the Jyugo we knew.

It marks the moment Jyugo finally escapes the inescapable prison, the moment he truly resolves to face the man with the scar, the moment he's completed his internal development the manga has been leading up to.

Or, to put this in the shortest words I possibly can:

The story began setting up Nanba as an inescapable prison. The story ends now that our main character has finally achieved this feat and escaped it.

(From chapter 423 of "Nanbaka" by Shō Futamata)

The other things do not matter to the conclusion of Jyugo's story.

. . .

ㅤ

. . .

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. . .

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end.

[random-dragon-exe]

Okay hot take, but I wouldn't mind if adult Timmy doesn't appear in FOP A New Wish.

Maybe it's just me, but I think it'd be great to have some ambiguity to his fate.

Think of it like the fate of the Baudelaires in ASOUE, at the end of The End, the audience doesn't know their fate. However, it's up to the person's imagination to create their fate. Sometimes, we won't get all the answers, and it's up to the audience to fill in the gaps.

I honestly think it'd be for the better for the show to continue the stories of a couple of OG characters to further the plot, except for Timmy.

Mainly because I'd like the show to continue on its own merit, not just for the nostalgia of showing the OG characters we've seen.

For example, I like the direction that we've seen so far, allowing a few OG characters to return to have an actual impact on the plot, and it feels natural to their story.

A.J founded the Galaxa Institute

Crocker is a janitor at the Institute still with a fairy obsession

Vicky is a birthday princess who terrorizes kids when the adults aren't looking

Again it's a hot take for a reason. I'm aware that I'm in the minority here.

[averaillisa]

trying to motivate myself to draw by sketching zhongli a bunch again

[araindropshallfall]

I don’t know if I can fully articulate my issues with the new mythic quest ending but it’s sorta like if to resolve a cliffhanger they just ripped out the last few pages of a book instead of finishing it

[hawkinasock]

Yanqing is just the subject of a aeon tug of war game he didn’t even sign up for someone save him

Also would love to hear more about your thoughts on Jing Yuan and his whole thought process on the Hunt/Abundance and Abundance!Yanqing in general

Poor kid can't catch a break man... Don't ask for help from me, though. I'll just make it worse lmao.

Prepare for another yapping session, because there is so much I have to say about Jing Yuan when it comes to this theory.

Firstly, while I've said before that Jing Yuan is aware of Yanqing's status, that doesn't mean he knows the full story. As far as he's aware, Yanqing is either a human that the disciples had gotten their hands on at one point or a unique type of Abomination that is almost entirely indiscernible from any other human. He doesn't know the extent of his origins, his relationship with Yaoshi, he isn't even confident in the full potential of Yanqing's power.

That aside, something about him made Jing Yuan unable or unwilling to go through with killing him, and when he made the decision to keep Yanqing alive, took it upon himself to raise him rather than leave him to an orphanage, keeping the secret under wraps. Maybe there was something about that baby that lit a spark in him. Maybe when he looked to what should be a monster and saw an innocent child who didn't understand what was going on, didn't know what he was or why Jing Yuan held that glaive, it would be monstrous of him to snuff out that life. Maybe he only became aware of Yanqing's status after the fact, but by that point was too attached to ever even consider telling anyone.

Whatever the circumstances were, in Jing Yuan's eyes, Yanqing is far more valuable to him than anything else. Even his loyalty to the Alliance, whom he has sworn loyalty since his youth became expendable the moment he held that little infant in his arms for the first time. He would be content taking on the label of a traitor so long as it meant keeping his son alive.

In terms of the aeons, there's no implications that Jing Yuan feels any sort of respect for Yaoshi or the Abundance as a whole, it's definitely the opposite, in fact. The overall consensus is that he remains loyal to the Xianzhou and their designated aeon, it just comes down to his own hypocrisy and apparent double standards. He's slain countless abominations, but not only did he spare the life of one, he brought it into his home and gave it one of the highest ranks on the Luofu.

Huaiyan was wrong. At one point, Jing Yuan's loyalty not only wavered but crumbled. He knows he won't make it out of this unpunished; soon the lie will stretch too thin, and it's only a matter of time until it all comes back to bite him. But so long as Yanqing is okay, so long as he's alive, then Jing Yuan is content with that outcome.

[rangercorpstherapy]

saw the "how would halt die" post and I cant imagine halt dead sorry

how many times has he evaded death? whats one more? he's immortal in my brain

actually its canon flanagan wrote him to be immortal I'm establishing that now

dont you imagine halt outliving everyone though!?!?

No not at all, I really think he should die he is old (like Duncan)