tinyevilgremlin

[tinyevilgremlin]

So I've been thinking about this for a while, but there's several moments throughout the Windbreaker series where Sakura looks like he wants to cry but no tears come out and he's clearly holding back from doing it.

The fact that he also does this in private indicates that he doesn't do this out of embarrassment, but from habit.

It's likely that his caretakers berated him or even beat him whenever he cried and now he's been Pavlov'd into holding back his tears even in safe spaces. And if I had to live with this revelation so do you.

[tinyevilgremlin]

overthinking should at least burn calories

[tinyevilgremlin]

bro sakura went to furin with the sole purpose of proving to no one but himself that he was worth something, anything, with nothing but his fists.. and instead all that idiot proved was that he has the biggest and kindest heart that the stupid school has ever seen ojh im gonna lose it ivlove that boy so much

[tinyevilgremlin]

I have a vision in my head of Suo and Nirei wearing Sakura Protection Squad t-shirts (they're both very proud) and then Suo and Sakura wearing Nirei Protection Squad t-shirts (Suo is still proud, Sakura is bright red but going along with it cuz well it's not wrong) and then Nirei goes "wait we're missing something" and Nirei and Sakura get Suo Protection Squad t-shirts while Suo smilingly bluescreens

[tinyevilgremlin]

weak hero class 2 characters as texts posts (2)

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[tinyevilgremlin]

Studying was all he ever did. He probably just wanted to somehow feel close to his mom.

[tinyevilgremlin]

so has anyone thought of this before or

[tinyevilgremlin]

Suho: Thanks for agreeing to see me

Sieun: I didn't. You just walked in and started talking

Suho: I don't have time for a history lesson

[tinyevilgremlin]

made some whc memes. enjoy 😁

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happy yaoi day to them

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at least they are supportive

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Just read chapter 60 I'm literally going to be sick

[tinyevilgremlin]

ᴡʙᴋ 187: ꜱᴀᴋᴜʀᴀ ʜᴀʀᴜᴋᴀ ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

[tinyevilgremlin]

anan No.2450 - Windbreaker Interview

very much paraphrased and summarized interview with the Furin Trio's VAs and Nii-Sensei for this exclusive magazine interview!

Translation by me. Not 100% accurate.

Please do not share to twitter, Facebook, instagram, TikTok etc. only for Tumblr.

Uchida Yuuma (Sakura Haruka)

Sakura is a pure but naïve character. Since he’s been rejected by others since he was a child and has been alone his whole life, he doesn’t have much experience being with others. I think he was already hurt and broken before his inner self fully developed, so I think he’s a pure character as he still has a lot of room to grow. I think he’s naïve because he didn’t have a choice but to use fighting as a means to prove himself.

For Sakura, being given the position of Class Captain is a new experience for him, and in season two as he fights the enemy and watches his teammates fall one by one, he feels responsible for not being the Captain he thinks he should be and scared that he’s not the Captain that others wanted him to be.

However, everyone still accepts him, and he is able to notice things around him that he didn’t notice before, and they are able to move forward together. Sakura shows a somewhat turtle like progress with three steps forward, and two steps back, but that part is rather human of him.

Note:

1 - "Pure" - Hiragi says this in Chapter 161 as well, how Sakura is a very Pure character, he's so straightfoward, and that makes him worry. Nirei and Suo overhear, and they know very well how true that is.

In Japan, being a "pure" character specifically refers to the character trait is someone who is innocent, "untainted", wholesome, sincere and often naive/doesn't have a lot of experience in the word. This can also mean that they are pure of heart, in that they have morals, discipline and is a overall good person.

Shoya Chiba ( Akihiko Nirei)

Nirei came to Furin because he admires their strength and coolness, and vowed to be Sakura’s guide to the top that he’s aiming for. He’s not strong, but he’s honest and smart, and is the classes mood maker.

He loves collecting and analyzing data from the people he thinks are cool, and he’s a passionate person who isn’t satisfied with being just a support. He’s a powerful character who is usually thought of as a weak fighter, but he takes the next step forward, striving be someone who can be recognized by others as their equal.

Shimazaki Nobunaga (Hayato Suo)

Suo appears to be a cool character, but he’s actually an hot-headed person. When he’s angry or sad, he has a real sense of “youth”. I think it’s good that he is moved by emotions. I thought it was funny to see Suo, who seems so distant in season two, become uncontrollably angry, where he was stopped by a calm Sakura (or he was calmed down by Sakura?)

Sue is a character that could easily be written off as the perfect hero, who is cool and laid-back, but he’s not, and that and that’s what makes him fun to voice.

Nii-Sensei

Q: What are you cognizant of when drawing a "cool guy?"

A: the gap. Just like when a weak kid looks cool when he tries to stop the enemy,I want readers to be aware of such a gap.

Q. Among the characters, which one has the biggest gap?

A. I think Sakura, the main character, has the biggest gap, and Hiragi as well. He's a strong character, but he gets nervous, and he's always being pushed by Umemiya.

Q. What do you most want to express with WINBRE:

A. "Being with others." Sakura's used to being alone, so he forgot what it was like to be with others, but he did find people he wants to be with, and thinks "I want to be here".

It would have been difficult to express if I was aiming for such an message from the beginning, but as the story progressed, I feel like I could finally see it.

I originally drew it with a vague (basic) feeling, and it was cool to see the story develop and the message within it.

let me just drown in tears.. Yuuma san... what do you mean by " I think he was already hurt and broken before his inner self fully developed"???

[tinyevilgremlin]

WBK detail - Sakura's Self-Esteem

As a rather introverted and quiet character, Sakura tends to keep to himself. He doesn't create problems, but he is a go-getter that is proactive in jumping in to try to fix them and help others out. He also still has really low self-esteem, and doesn't see how much he's contributed to Furin and the town's safety and well-being.

He's contributed so much during the Noroshi war, he's helped out with protecting the down, he helped bring down Endo, yet he minimizes his own accomplishments to a severe degree, even saying that Umemiya is amazing for beating Takishii, is super thankful for Shishitoren/Roppo Ichiza/Gravel's support when all of them were struggling - he even goes into a small slump with his worries on how he can even match up to the amazing Umemiya.

During the summer arc, we have multiple characters thanking him for his efforts and achievements, but I don't think Sakura internalizes and completely accepts those thanks. He may hear and see others thanking him, but as he doesn't feel "worthy" of those thanks, he doesn't completely accept it. He instead thinks about how his FRIENDS are the amazing ones - he gives them most credit as he minimizes his own.

As it's been pointed out by Kotoha and his friends, Sakura is TERRIBLE at accepting thanks and compliments. He blushes and begrudgingly accepts the thanks, but it seems he thinks its natural to just help out? He doesn't expect thanks from others at all.

When Togame helps out at the bridge, he tells Sakura this is thanks for before - but Sakura says there was nothing to pay him back for. (Sakura doesn't realize how much of a positive influence he had on helping Togame re-build Shishitoren)

When Sakura was overcome with Endo's manipulation, he gave all the credit of him regaining his drive and focus because Suo, Nirei and the others were there to help him snap out of it.

He is thankful that Kanji and Shizuri were there with their teams to protect the town - him forgetting that HE was also there running around protecting the bridge, the streets, AND at the school.

When Kiryu thanks him for helping out with the issue with his sister, Sakura has no idea what he actually did to help.

When Togame praises him on how amazing he was during the war, Sakura again diminishes his own achievements by pointing out how much TOGAME helped out to save them all.

Despite all of his friends being supportive and calling him amazing, even Umemiya himself saying that' he's amazing - Sakura doesn't quite believe it. He can only see how lacking and far away he is from the top. He doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know where to start.

After all, he sees Umemiya as a strong, confident leader who is well-loved by others. Even to him - Umemiya is so bright and warm.... completely the opposite of him. What can he do to reach the top like that? Sakura's goal of being the top was formed from his desire to prove his own worth/existence to himself and others, so what can he do now when the goal is so far away? (Or so he thinks)

After Togame's advice that Sakura is is own person, and not compare himself to others, I'm really excited to see what Nii-Sensei has in store for us.

[tinyevilgremlin]

WBK 187 detail - "Thanks"

One of the criticisms I see is that some readers are treating the Summer arc as "filler" as there is not much action, but a lot of slice of life revolving around Sakura.

Once such criticism is how seemingly, EVERYONE is thankful to Sakura's presence, of how they're glad he moved to Makochi.

Let's not forget that despite all these thanks, Sakura doesn't seem to actually ACCEPT their thanks. He will blush, and stutter, and try to move on from the topic, because he himself doesn't truly believe that he's amazing.

Nirei and Suo (and by extension others like Ume and Kotoha) realize, recognize, and understand Sakura's loneliness and low-self esteem.

They know that if they aren't clear and upfront, Sakura won't get the hint of how thankful they are, and how much they appreciate him. He'll just shrug it off.

As a person who was always alone, who never belonged anywhere and had to FIGHT to find a meaning for his own existence, it's hard for him to completely accept thanks and being accepted by others.

So what does his friends and community do? They shower him with positive affirmations. He'll try to deflect their thanks, but if they keep at it, with reminders that they appreciate him, they're thankful for him, they're glad he's around - at some point he'll internalize such positivity for himself and really start believing it.

After all, he spent years being hated, ignored, and discriminated against, so it's going to take a while for him to accept the thanks, the appreciation, and attention Makochi is giving him :))

I do look foward to the day where Sakura finally accepts everyone's thanks with a smile, and finally accepts everyone's warm feelings with confidence ;w; <3

[tinyevilgremlin]

it’s genuinely wild how often weak hero gets reduced to "bromance,” like the story is just about a particularly intense friendship and not something far more complicated, far more intimate. this isn't just shippers projecting. this isn't just wishful thinking. you don’t need the director and cast members repeatedly claiming that suho and sieun are each other's first love to interpret that on your own. the narrative already tells you—quietly, devastatingly, and with absolute clarity.

the queer subtext isn’t subtle. it’s not hidden in glances or throwaway lines. it’s built into the structure of their relationship, in every decision they make. suho knew beomseok had tampered with his bike. that wasn’t just bullying; it was a premeditated act of violence. he knew what kind of danger he was walking into when he went to the ring, and he went anyway. alone. outnumbered. no illusions. he knew he could die. but he went. because they hurt sieun. because sieun got hurt for him.

that’s their language. not confession, but action. not sentiment, but sacrifice. die for each other. kill for each other.

and sieun, who had always been defined by his discipline, his detachment, his spotless academic record? he lets himself spiral. he got expelled. stopped eating. stopped sleeping. stopped going to cram school. when he found out suho was in critical condition, he froze in the middle of the street and didn’t move, even with a car speeding toward him. as if life without suho wasn’t a life worth returning to.

he came back from a coma asking for suho, looking for him. suho was already in one because of him. they revolve around each other like twin stars caught in gravity’s pull—self-destructive, unstoppable, and impossibly close. love doesn’t always look like romance, but that doesn’t make it less real. or less queer.

so no, it’s not just a bromance. and if that’s all you see—if you can watch all of that and not feel the weight of what’s being said without words? then i'm sorry, but you’ve missed the entire point.