yoiiyoii

[yoiiyoii]

Now that KNY tracks are on streaming (at least the handpicked ones from the OST CDs) I NEEDDDDDD Go Shiina (& Kajiura) to be more appreciated and popular in the fandom

[yoiiyoii]

giyuu's idealism and moral compass because my brain will explode (part 2/2) if you stumbled upon this before reading the first part, here.

part two: are giyuu's actions influenced by morality, logic, feelings or intuition? (note: this is my interpretation and is going to be messy)

one of the things I find so interesting about giyuu is how the author placed him out of all the characters in the beginning and end of demon slayer and how we get to see his thoughts while making a choice so that we can learn about him as a character. based off of my experience at least, people see him as either the good guy who does no wrong or the embodiment of hypocrisy. no in between. and I believe this misses the point. let me (peacefully) go through the (two) main dilemmas he's put in

1) you're running to a mission because your ancient crow messed up the orders (again) and find a demon trying to eat someone. when you try decapitating the demon, the human it's trying to eat deflects your attack. like the empath you are, you ask "what the fuck?" and the human ie a teenager replies "that's my sister!!!" and starts rambling on about how she would never kill anyone (she tried eating him). you start projecting a little bit too much and both of you argue for a while and BOOM! HE THROWS AN AXE- SHIT- THE DEMON LEAPS AT HIM! SHE'S ABOUT TO EAT HIM-

it- no no no... she protected him under the impression that he was in danger despite being injured and not a single demon has ever done that before! she really might be different!! do you:

a) spare the demon

pros → she could be different, her brother has great potential and determination (he could become the next water pillar!), she hasn't killed anyone, you protect someone and follow your own principles.

cons → you're going against the rules meaning that there will be consequences, she can kill her brother later, you're going against rules, no one ever dared do this before, urokodaki probably won't help you out

b) kill the demon

pros → you don't break rules, the boy is certainly safe from her, you do your job, this decision is safer

cons → she's an innocent person, her brother lost everyone else (you failed to save them) and he'll probably be depressed, she really could have been different from other demons and it'd be a wasted chance.

in the end, giyuu spares her. his decision ignores what would be deemed as "common sense" just for the possibility of it being ethical and relies on logic as well as a bit of instinct. wouldn't it be terrible of him to kill an innocent girl who ended up unfortunate circumstances that he failed to prevent? anyone would've ended her before even reaching this point but currently he's in a position of a pillar, someone who should support people. sure, he's going against the law but does he care? giyuu abides to his principles strictly but how far will he go to for their sake? choosing not decapitate a demon is to go against everything the corps stands for and lose the respect of basically everyone. the corps exists exclusively for getting rid of demons. on a surface level, his disobedience would be deemed as immoral. but then again, the fundamental reason demons are assassinated is because they kill humans and nezuko has proven that she won't eat humans no matter the circumstances. he saw it with his own eyes. this shows that breaking rules doesn't automatically equate to immorality and they shouldn't be blindly followed. giyuu not letting rules restrict him and choosing to be open minded so that he can do what he deems as the right thing brings me so much life especially considering how the belief that killing without hesitation equates to being powerful is so enforced. giyuu doesn't mindlessly kill. he assesses his situation. he rethinks his choices. days after encountering the kamados, he's still thinking about his decision and mentally reciting tanjiro's words.

do u know the most fever dream-ish thing about this? he's put in another moral dilemma in the end with the same pair of siblings.. except that their dynamic is completely switched. sigh...

2) after the battle has ended, you find the boy whom you might as well refer to as family dead, start crying, and continuously saying sorry in your head and wait? is that a heart beat? blinking? OH SHIT-

TANJIRO TRANSFORMED INTO A DEMON. what do you do :3

a) attack and decapitate him

pros → everyone's efforts to eradicate demons won't all go to waste.

cons → you're probably going to die due to blood loss and exhaustion and the boy whom you protected for so long will die.

b) don't decapitate him

pros → you won't have to go through the mental torment of fighting.

cons → everyone is going to die and demons will continue to exist.

the choice might seem obvious but if you were the only conscious person, on the brink of death, and had to make a decision with such limited possibilities, acting quickly would be difficult. giyuu chooses the former. the deceased slayers and pillars did not die for this. I have seen some ppl call this blatant hypocrisy. "he's trying to kill tanjiro despite loving him" that's the point! does he want tanjiro dead? of course not. and yet, he still has to suck it up and fight him anyways because if he lets their bond affect his next decision, their work will go to waste and the remaining survivors will die. I cannot stress the development in this. before, he used to rethink his decision repeatedly to make sure that he's doing the right thing but now? he doesn't doubt himself and instantly does the right thing. I call this character development. he doesn't give up on the possibility that tanjiro could be kept alive but until that happens, he's making sure that no one dies. overall, his decision in more rational and selfless. he attempts to kill him quickly and-

WAIT- HE'S IMMUNE TO THE SUN? this situation has become hopeless and your chances of winning have been reduced to practically nothing. two more survivors attempt to help you out and BOOM

HE BITES HIS SISTER- WAIT HE'S NOT EATING HER? (this feels like horrible gameplay) so not only is he immortal and immune to the sun, he also has a bda. giyuu has no choice but to cling to the hope that tanjiro might have some humanity left in him and could be turned back into a human just like his sister. is his decision rational? no! nothing logical can be done in this situation anymore and the chances of an outcome that isn't failure is practically non-existent. but maybe he could save everyone. maybe he could turn tanjiro back human. maybe he could protect people and not fail again. he's still doing what he sees as the right thing knowing damn well that he's being irrational. (I genuinely believe that this fight with tanjiro is supposed to parallel his encounter with nezuko in the beginning because he's the person who fights him the most. the same pair of siblings where one of them is a demon while the other is desperately calming them down. no objectively correct choices. yet, he chooses to risk everything for the sake of possibly doing the morally good action and relies on intuition) more fighting happens, kanao arrives, uses medication on him, and with the power of friendship and will to live (and medication), he thankfully turns back to normal.

I love the way the narrative shows us that giyuu did the right thing in the end one way or another. sparing nezuko led to the final battle and eventually muzan's defeat and fighting tanjiro despite their close bond served as a distraction and helped in turning him back human. another cute detail I believe emphasizes this is that in kanji, the gi (義) in giyuu means justice and the yū (勇) translates to courage.

and here's the very last part of my delusional shitpost

giyuu is amazing, wonderful, *insert positive adjective* as a pillar. he understands the position he's in well. but as a coworker and employee? we see giyuu as the good guy because the story is told from tanjiro's pov and most of his actions can be defended because they were done for the greater good but do you know what can be difficult to excuse? his asocial behavior towards everyone (especially the pillars)

imagine you're shinobu here. you're (not so) peacefully doing your job and your coworker who is supposed to be on your side just decides to go against you and let a demon live without explanation. this panel shows how important context is. and do you know who would do literally anything but explain themselves? (tbf, he does try but is cut off. this applies more to his other shenanigans) if we had as much knowledge on this situation as shinobu, giyuu would be the one in the wrong. he somehow gets easier but also harder to defend later on in the meeting. even though giyuu was being a bit of an asshole to tanjiro after the fight with rui, he at least helped him and nezuko get away. when the morning arrives and tanjiro is literally injured, tied up, and surrounded by people who want him dead, giyuu was doing jack shit

he could be doing literally ANYTHING but stare into nothingness like that. buddy fight for your cause. and before anyone says that it's because of his inferiority complex, this is him by the way:

he prevents shinobu from doing her job, he distracts sanemi so that tanjiro can hit him strongly enough, and he grabs iguro's arm while simultaneously cutting the ropes off of tanjiro's wrists. giyuu does have an inferiority complex but he will take measures to get others out of his way if they attempt to harm the kamados ie result in him failing to protect them. if giyuu was actually scared of the pillars, he would not be doing any of this, let alone spare a demon. so giyuu was capable of defending tanjiro from the beginning. he simply chose not to do and only interfered when/after sanemi stabbed nezuko. (😭)

giyuu in general seems to stir up copious amounts of drama with the other pillars and when you reflect on all the shenanigans that happened between them until now, the realization that this is mainly giyuu's fault lowkey dawns upon you. the light novel confirms it

the manga confirms it

and whenever he does choose to speak, it's to insult people.

as we learn later on, giyuu's words were misinterpreted and his social isolation was a result of his imposter syndrome. but how far can this go? the hashira don't have the context that we do and giyuu just plays into their belief of him. if someone states "i'm not like you" anyone would perceive it as condescending especially considering how his facial expression is described to "make others think that he was looking down on them" in the LN. giyuu not wanting to talk to the pillars is one thing but not cooperating with them is a more significant problem. (especially when he refused to participate in the pillar training despite being aware of how much of a dire situation the corps was in. this is arguably the definition of hypocrisy) the LN states that all the pillars put effort into cooperating with each other no matter how hard it was for some of them and that giyuu was the only person who didn't bother doing so. this begs the question, can giyuu's behavior really be excused or defended? nope. don't defend him. he doesn't always have to be the good guy in every conflict. there is literally no logic behind his actions here. some of yall defend him too much especially considering how he canonically isn't the nicest. that's the dude who shamelessly knocked out a 13 year old. sure, his guilt plays a heavy role in his actions but this should only be used as an explanation not an excuse. "giyuu's behavior was heavily influenced by trauma and doesn't inherently mean that he's a bad person" and "giyuu is the person in the wrong and the pillars' hatred towards him is perfectly understandable" are two factual statements that can, in fact, coexist. *cue clapping*

conclusion paragraph? just stop reading!! (giyuu is inherently a good person who strives to do the right thing and values morality and logic regardless of any negative consequences as shown in the manga multiple times. however, he sometimes makes wrong decisions that are influenced by feelings more than anything because at the end of the day, he's meant to be a flawed character and that's fine)

"why is this five days late?" a weird mixture of internet problems, having to urgently travel, and mommy issues. sorry everyone 😔

[yoiiyoii]

My headcanon is that Kagaya knew what Giyuu did that day, that he spared Nezuko and sent them to Urokodaki. I really think he knew, he knows everything, his crows make sure of it.

And i know he didn't say anything and let them be, because he trusted Giyuu more than enough to not question it, even if it went against every rule of the Corps. He trusted his Hashira and he trusted Giyuu Tomioka. And never, at any point, did he consider punishing him/ actually killing the two siblings as long as Giyuu and Urokodaki vouched for them.

The Master did not care for the rules, but for the slayers. And most importantly, for the Hashira that made the decision before him.

[yoiiyoii]

[yoiiyoii]

within 3 days i went from the least excited i have been, to wholly and utterly consumed by excitement more than i have ever been since i started kny

[yoiiyoii]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode (in 2025!)

--Tamayo sure made that decision quick to go join the Corp. I love that it is so clear how much she and Shinobu do not want to work together. I wish, wish, wish I could have seen Tamayo meeting Ubuyashiki, as well as first meeting Shinobu. --The animation in the glass pane as Tamayo looks up at the moon?? love it.

--Giyuu really do just be sitting there in an empty room. Buddy, that ain't meditating, that be ruminating.

--I am so grateful for all my years of Japanese study so that I can soak in all the meaning of Aoi using such stiff keigo (polite speech) with Tanjiro (and for that matter, any active Corp swordsman). She truly sees herself as far beneath them, and in her dealings with Tanjiro, it is like she purposefully keeps things strictly professional. It is so revealing how diplomatically she addresses that, at least if she were the one who someone were trying to cheer up, she would prefer to be left alone. That is why she has kept this professional distance all along, isn't it? Somebody telling her "it's okay you weren't as brave as all those swordsmen who wound up fighting to the death anyway" would only make her feel worse, after all. I wonder about her decision to keep wearing the Corp uniform despite the adequacy she feels in it?

--Giyuu would tell her she deserves to wear it, wouldn't he? Luck or not, she likely did more to ensure her own survival on Mt. Fujikasane than he did. (Now I crave an AU in Shinobu dealt with Aoi's post-Final Selection fear not by allowing her to freeload (as Aoi might interpret it) at the Butterfly Mansion and avoid missions, but instead by creating a situation in which Giyuu is pressured to take Aoi in and train her--Water Breath users, after all!).

--Despite that Tanjiro killed the Hand Demon, whom Sabito could not, Tanjiro does not think of that at all. He instead thinks of how Sabito "saved" him back on Mt. Sagiri, and how in the course of the Final Selection, Tanjiro could not manage to save anyone like Sabito could, for Tanjiro could barely save himself. Their outcomes happened to be different, but Tanjiro sees the gulf between their potential and inherent ability so plainly.

--Tanjiro has made the switch from "Tomioka-san" to "Giyuu-san." Get FRIENDED, loser.

--The way the scene is framed so that you can't see Giyuu's face when he declares that the Water Hashira position is vacant

--GIYUU IS SO ANNOYED WITH TANJIRO, HAHAHAHAH. He's not only annoying for barging in when Giyuu is busy ruminating, but for trying to insist on some easy simple solution to a situation he doesn't understand (even though the way better solution to all of this would have just been for Tanjiro to use that battle sense and nose to become the Water Hashira, duh). But also, he is sitting so close. As Tanjiro keeps bugging him, like at dinner, he is still sitting SO FREAKING CLOSE and poor Giyuu just wants to eat. He just wants to bathe. He can barely sleep knowing that Tanjiro is curled up on his front door step, maybe Giyuu look like the bad guy for leaving this poor injured kid out there like that. How the hell is he supposed to explain that the kid is choosing to do that, when Giyuu can't explain anything else in the first place?

--And then he knows he must. So he does. Plain and simple. And Tanjiro gets it. And it hurts.

--And then he accidentally adds to Giyuu's pain. OH SNAP. Soba time.

--In the previous arc, we saw the drama of Muichiro instantaneously regaining memories of precious things people have said and entrusted to him, and how this brought him not only back from the brink of death, but pushed him over the edge to attain a mark. What happened here on the bridge was essentially the same thing for Giyuu--but in a more peaceful way. Though he did not have his mind as clouded as Muichiro, trying to find his way back to those memories would have drowned him in sadness, but now, all at once, all these years later, he can embrace the words Sabito said to him, and embrace the promise he made to Sabito that he would carry on Tsutako's will in the world. He has attained that power again, and in a way, reattaining that memory right after he said "Sabito might have, but I won't" is his first step on his path to being able to achieve a mark.

--and then "Let's have a soba-eating contest."

--wut???

--Was this kid always this weird???? I mean, okay, I guess if he insists, I will eat soba with him and let him be satisfied in making me join the training this way, though I really did just already make up my mind to do that because I am, in fact, the Water Hashira

--As he ate soba, I wonder if Giyuu found himself wondering if Tanjiro ever did weird stuff like this around Urokodaki, thereby second-handedly embarrassing Giyuu for having spoken so highly of him

--Stepping back a bit, I love the underlying creepiness of Tanjiro cheerfully looking down the alley and declaring, "nope, no demons here!" Kiddo, there is a reason for that.

--Also little Giyuu with light in his eyes, I will always miss him

--Jumping ahead, the eye-twitch is so becoming on Shinobu. She should sport that more often.

--My gosssssshhhhhhh I wiiiiiiiiiish we could have SEEN Kanao at all these Hashira trainings. The opening implies that she was with the boys and ran laps around them at Uzui's training. But where are the girls?????? They exist!!! We know they exist! If Kanao hasn't gotten out of this, they ain't either!! But like, seriously, what was Sanemi gonna do when she showed up? Hit her??? Hell to the nah'.

--Still, for as much of a battle queen as Kanao soon becomes after this, she is still strengthening that heart-to-voice connection, and it is hard to do that after so many years of leaving the connection broken. (And unfortunately for Shinobu, it is only because of Kanao's progress that there is any way for them to defeat Douma.) Still, going back to the previous episode, I love that Shinobu judges Kanao's battle prowess so strongly that she will entrust Nezuko to her in the event of, say, Kibutsuji Muzan himself showing up at the Butterfly Mansion (not that this would have been likely to end in Kanao's favor, but Shinobu knew she could at least leave Kanao in charge in case of other high-level demons--maybe even a swarm of them--showing up)

--So yeah, she will totally entrust the defeat of Upper Moon Two to her, even Shinobu, a Hashira, knows she cannot do it herself

--HOW EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING

--This ending theme, man

--That distinctly Muichiro-like silhouette is mean. But the second one looks more like the Heian-period doctor. And the pair of silhoettes after that still have us pretty firmly back in time by several centuries.

--Fly, crow, fly! Fly for the sunlight!

--Love these subdued stills of all these important moments in Corp history that have led them to this time, and how the one of Tanjiro has motion, with his tears flowing and then him standing to face this horrific reality--and that focus on the "metsu" on his sword to tie together all of these scattered scenes of all these people throughout the last thousand years who have been so whole-heartedly dedicated to defeating Muzan once and for all

--All these symbolic spots of red being dramatically destroyed as Muzan passes by, this the most chuunibyou ending song ever and it is great

--Daaaaaang, this means Muzan has been doing his dramatic walk since episode two

[yoiiyoii]

My Random Thoughts about Kny and Collectivism

(This is a really messy personal post so I don’t know if this even counts as a proper analysis) but I’m just fascinated by the way Kny portrays collectivism, specifically how it is shown in the Demon Slaying Corps, because it is something that is very personal to me.

I grew up in a very collectivist culture. Even if my family isn’t that strict, it managed to worm its way into every aspect of my life. In a collectivist environment, you're supposed to conform, so you can only imagine that it was a struggle for me, a neuro divergent girl, to navigate myself in such an environment. A lot of people like me felt the same way. It doesn’t help that I would search the internet and the popular notion is that collectivism=bad, individualism=good, so I grew up HATING the idea of collectivism (maybe I even romanticized the latter a bit) I saw collectivism as something that is inherently toxic because of the way it hurt me and many others.

When I first read Kny, I immediately noticed that collectivism is a recurring theme. From families, to relationships, to bonds, and carrying ones will. For the most part, the story seems to portray this in a positive way. At first I was put off by this, but I noticed that despite that, the majority of the characters are unique, and I wanna talk about the characters specifically.

Even if collectivism is a big thing. There are many characters who don’t fit the mold of a traditional Demon Slayer, from the slayers themselves who have their own customized breathing style, to the girls within the butterfly estate, or the swordsmiths during SSV. They are all seen as valuable within the corps. Characters like Tengen and Mitsuri also stood out to me. Tengen and his siblings were raised to be killing machines for their family. Mitsuri had to hide her true self just to fit in to society. Their back stories show the dark side of a collectivist environment was dehumanizing to them. At the same time, there's the collectivism within the Corps, that allows Mitsuri and Tengen to embrace themselves. They get to be accepted for their uniqueness and willingness to live for themselves. The story shows that everyone is unique and has their own way of contributing to a greater cause, and that it’s not possible without their help. Even if you don't help to the extent of sacrificing yourself, that's fine, as was the case with Tengen who decided to live the rest of his life with his wives. The story doesn't shamed him for his decision, and he's still welcomed in the corps.

I like this because it shows that the Demon Slaying Corps is a collective of unique individuals. Not everyone has to be the same or fit a certain mold. It shows that collectivism doesn’t always mean total disregard of the individual, because those same individuals are the ones that make up the collective.

When I first read Kny, I was like “ugh why is everyone so selfless? Am I not allowed to value myself?” but the more I read it, the more I interpret it as “Let’s try to be kind and helpful to each other because everyone matters, even you” and that’s why I think that Kny might be Gotouge’s barely disguised longing for a kinder world.

I still wouldn’t say that I'm a fan of collectivism because it is something that continues to hurt me. But in a way, Kny has helped me reconcile with that part of my culture, even if just a little. No culture is perfect and so is collectivism, but that also means that it doesn’t have to be inherently bad either, and Kny shows that. Maybe it isn���t super realistic, but it works in a way. The idea that collectivism can be something that uplifts individuals is very comforting to someone like me, who struggles with it for a long time.

Maybe that’s why I draw a lot of group pictures when it comes to Kny. I like the way Kny portrays collectivism, and it shows.

[yoiiyoii]

🌲🌲 Demon Slayer and Trees 🌲🌲

FULL disclaimer, it was a friend of mine who talked about this a while ago, I am merely stealing from him because I think it deserves more attention

Demon Slayer loves describing people as trees explicitly or implicitly. Tanjurou, for instance, was like a tree, because he was gentle and sturdy.

For Akaza, the Selfless-State Tanjirou was like a tree.

The state of anatta or anatma, where there is no "self", a Buddhist principle. That's the state Tanjirou attained and the state Tanjurou was always in (would I be wrong in saying Tanjurou was perhaps a reincarnation of Yoriichi?? Topic for another day).

Here's where it gets interesting.

Genya using Kokushibou's BDA which results in him rooting Kokushibou to the ground.

Despite being firmly held and rooted, Kokushibou describes it as "crumbling". I think trees in KNY symbolize more than just gentle and sturdy, but rather the fact that trees have roots and brances.

A past, and a future. A source of your humanity, and giving birth to new buds.

You know who else was like a tree?

Yoriichi, not even in death, could be "crumbled". That's what Kokushibou is reminded of. He stayed upright, unlike Koku who started crumbling merely by being held down. Kokushibou has no roots, no family, no humanity. He gave all that up in pursuit of longevity.

However, that meant he'd not just be alone, but also never have any legacy like KNY so emphasizes. A legacy like Yoriichi who could create the Sun Breathing and its branches.

Unlike Yoriichi, Koku never even believed others would surpass him. He thought the Sengoku era would forever be the greatest.

Yoriichi however, did. He WANTED people to surpass him. While no singular person did manage to surpass him, it was the collectivism of all the humans, slayers, hashiras, who could take muzan down.

All his branches of breathing styles and people he saved including Tamayo and Sumiyoshi's family and the new buds that grew through that, was what led to Muzan's end. Yoriichi was therefore the tree that was sturdy and never fell even after death.

It seems fitting that Koku was taken down because of Genya's tree holding him down.

After all, Koku's sword does resemble the Hinokami dance sword. A sword with branches like a tree.

It also seems fitting that Tanjirou's Sun Breathing was so effective against Muzan. The Kamados are charcoal burners, so they're especially close to trees. Of course Tanjirou's the only Sun breather and Nezuko's the only demon that can withstand the sun.

I'm not sure if I've missed anything, so please so let me know if I have!!

[yoiiyoii]

[note: kanzaburo is giyuu's crow]

"do not write a rant about giyuu and his damn crow this is stup-" and here we go again (note: I might genuinely sound delusional)

kanzaburo ending up with giyuu out of everyone in the demon slayer corps is not the coincidence people think it is. the reason giyuu is so miserable is because of his perceived weakness and inability to protect others. kanzaburo reports inaccurate directions due to his old age which results in giyuu arriving late to missions along with you know- FAILING TO SAVE PEOPLE. they gave the only crow in the entire corps who messes up directions to the dude whose trauma revolves around never managing to protect others oh my god. what makes this so interesting though is that giyuu still has it in him to care for his crow. giyuu is someone who takes demon slaying very seriously and logically, he'd dislike his crow because he sucks in like every aspect when it comes to his job because gosh imagine the amount of stress giyuu probably feels. imagine you're fighting a demon and your fuckass crow appears out of nowhere and starts limping around in the battlefield completely oblivious to what's happening. I'm betting my life that he's the real reason giyuu died before he reached 25. but he doesn't. sure, he stresses him out and makes him fail his principles and purpose in life, but he still cares about him. you can see that in the manga. I'm surprised that kanzaburo isn't dead honestly. according to google, the average lifespan for crows is around eight years which approximately is the amount of time giyuu has been in the corps. assuming that the crow has been with him since the beginning of his career, he's this 🤏 close to dropping dead on the floor. maybe he was raised in captivity and as a result has a longer lifespan than a normal crow. point is, he's old as shit. his crow sucking at his job can also sort of mirror giyuu's definitely not delusional beliefs because how do all the other demon slayers have crows who can function perfectly and he doesn't. giyuu believes that he isn't a demon slayer (common sense atp) so kanzaburo also being inadequate at his job can mirror his belief of not being worthy of being a demon slayer. does this make sense? no? im reaching? I give up on logic. kanzaburo indirectly saving him from an encounter from muzan (by fucking up the directions) also reinforces his whole "I'm always protected by others" belief which has been plaguing him for god knows how long. but honestly, its impressive how giyuu still manages to work with his crow. despite the lack of reliable details provided by kanzaburo, giyuu rarely arrives late on missions. he learns how to deal with his crow's shenanigans and figures out the actual location of his missions after realizing the one with him is inaccurate which proves that giyuu is a pretty adaptable person.

interestingly, kanzaburo considers tanjiro's presence similar enough to giyuu's to the point that he confuses them and you can tell that giyuu is really gentle on him based of the way he treats him and how he's so timid. their bond is adorable asf. I love how kanzaburo is so shy yet unbothered compared to other crows especially tanjiro's (his name is too long for my brain to remember). tanjiro's crow literally refers to him as his disciple while giyuu's refers to him by his first name showing how close they are. no because tanjiro's crow's dramatically serious demeanor would work with giyuu perfectly while kanzaburo's more laid back and meek vibe would be compatible with tanjiro's but the original dynamics still manage to work perfectly.

[yoiiyoii]

very low energy rough sketch for kubera! they have officially plagued me. reading for the first time, falling petals and your justice and mine changed the trajectory of my life i think (im in n20 at the time of posting, starting king of snakes soon). cause i felt the same as leez for all of it, trying to believe so hard

and also because i am south asian myself, so "asha" meaning "hope" was just so forefront in my brain that i kept and kept hoping it was all okay in the end and that asha had a reason (CONSIDERING THE WHOLE STORY IS ABOUT THE POWER OF NAMES, YOU KNOW. YES I FEEL BETRAYED ON A PERSONAL LEVEL). well, she did have a reason, but, yeah... still cheering for her

[yoiiyoii]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode:

--Heeey, it's the Trash Talk episode

--And then yeah, they didn't spend this whole episode talking smack, they did burst out into a fight, with multiple stages, with seven fighters… all… simultaneously interacting… reacting to the actions of those around them… with quick and smooth angle changes and character expressions and actions and developments and free-moving character design details… all while making us taste Tanjiro's intense fear…

--…

--wow

--yeah

--I have no right to try to put into words

--this hell of a job Ufotable has done

--my gosh.

--………………….

--Pheeeeew.

--I think I'm just taking this one in.

--Oh hi there Kyojuro

[yoiiyoii]

the memories of tsugikuni twins' are false and their narratives are distorted. they both tell the readers about their past from their perspectives through which we learn about their family and lives and most importantly we learn about them as people not only through the details and events of their childhood but through the way they talk about it. in michikatsu's case he downplays his love and tenderness towards his brother calling the flute he gave him junk (the symbol of their brotherhood)

while yoriichi paints it with love and focuses only on the positives without blaming or digging up others' flaws in tandem with his personality that credits everyone but himself with grace

all of this to say that neither of them is a reliable narrator. they are written so well that like any real person they are biased and both experience shared experiences individually and differently

[yoiiyoii]

hey uhh is anyone into kubera. especially asha rahiro she's eating up my brain

[yoiiyoii]

giyuu and depression (tw: suicide and depression)

a) depressed mood: this one is a no brainer. from the beginning till almost the end of the series, giyuu is trapped in a constant state of misery due to losing sabito. the official reports solidify this and prove that it's not only the audience that notices how sad he is.

obanai is irritated by giyuu's sorrowful state and tengen also shares that feeling. tengen's description however, flawlessly hits the nail on the head. "he always looks like he's at a funeral" is such a dreadfully eerie reference to how giyuu never moved on from sabito's death.

chapter 131 also proves this as giyuu states that his depression would sometimes get so bad, he couldn't function or get out of bed. I will be showing this panel later at some point.

b) diminished interest in all activities: in giyuu's case, he didn't lose all happiness instantly, but it appeared as his depression worsened.

in chapter five of the second light novel, when shinobu asks giyuu to join them and have fun, he initially refuses. when he is eventually forced into playing with them, at no point does he feel happy or even entertained in the slightest. hell, when mitsuri tickles him, the first thing he does is freeze in horror.

all pillars seem to find pleasure in slaying demons. some of them smile and even giggle while fighting. others don't shut up about how fun it is. giyuu is the complete opposite as he states that he finds no pleasure in fighting demons, if anything he hates it. he canonically is the only pillar who never smiled mid fight/battle

he gets irritated when tanjiro stops water breathing because he wanted tanjiro to replace him so that he can retire. this proves that giyuu lost all interest in everything, even demon slaying, something that he has dedicated his entire life to.

c) changes in apetite (this one might be weird): giyuu loves eating. this should be common sense because half of his panels are of him eating simmered salmon but his relationship with that damn dish specifically seems to stem from a desperate desire to feel joy because his attachment to it is ...concerning. I am being fully serious when I say that he eats literally nothing else. in the manga, he always eats salmon. in the gaiden, he eats salmon. in the LN chapter I referenced earlier, the reason he was late to the meeting was because he was eating salmon and at the end of the chapter, he plans of inviting sanemi out for eating salmon. FB1 states that his favorite thing ever is salmon. I mean sure, he eats soba noodles that one time but that's because tanjiro chose the dish. and somehow, he never gets bored of salmon. wanting to eat your favorite dish is pretty understandable but in his case, it's implied that he eats salmon for the sake of wanting to feel happy not simply because it's his favorite

he has three different dishes around him along with tea and he consumes none of them. judging off of the positions of the dishes, it seems like he tried eating but gave up in the end. so he probably doesn't eat when he's too depressed. I also noticed that compared to other male characters who share similar body types and heights as him, giyuu is sort of underweight? listen listen. I do NOT condone the fandom portraying giyuu as a twink but like... 69 kg is a bit too little for a 176 cm, 21 year old man who slices demons' head off for a job.

conclusion: giyuu isn't a big fan of food and he eats salmon because he wants to feel some sort of happiness. do NOT twist my words or think that I condone people portraying him as a twink.

d,e,f) insomnia, fatigue, and issues with focusing: I discussed all these topics in an ancient post of mine. it's linked.

(additional note: in the panel above, all the food is shown spilled on the floor in close proximity to him and yet, he still doesn't bother enough to clean it up. this proves that he gets so depressed, he literally can't maintain basic hygiene.)

g) feelings of guilt and worthlessness: do I need to explain this? regret is the biggest theme to his character. he always blames himself for any misfortune that happens to him or his loved ones due to his low self esteem. after losing his sister, giyuu carries extreme survivor's guilt due to her death which worsens after losing sabito as well. this leads him to believing that he's responsible for their deaths and he constantly tries freeing himself of his regret. along with that, he (clearly) suffers from inferiority complex and believes that he does not deserve to be a pillar, let alone a demon slayer. this seems to be something that is engraved in giyuu's core because when he sees tanjiro "dead", the first thing he does is blame himself.

h) suicidal ideation: giyuu is suicidal and anyone who denies that has the media literacy of a chair. he canonically has been ideating death since he was a child and sabito had to explain to him why wishing to die is not normal. and while his guilt plays a role in it, saying that it's the only reason he desires death is sort of dumb because at the end, he still wishes death upon himself. giyuu saw life as a privilege that he does not deserve due to believing that he robbed his sister and best friend of theirs and as a result, loses all will to live and ideates suicide. he clearly has no regard for his life and is incredibly sacrificial as we see him put his life on the line for tanjiro and nezuko, 2 kids he barely had any connection with. additionally, him wanting to abandon his position is a signal that giyuu has given up on living. giyuu's will to live depended on demon slaying and after sabito's death, he focused on training to give himself a reason to live so that his depression wouldn't consume him.

but as his depression worsened and his dedication (ie the only thing keeping him alive) betrayed him, he waits until someone (tanjiro) masters water breathing so that he can abandon his position and effectively rid himself of any reason to continue living

another depression criteria: symptoms have to significantly impact social, personal, and work life. giyuu isolates himself from everyone around him due to criteria G (regret) and ends up being an outcast which affects his social life. he loses all interest in his job and his depression clearly impacts his health and well being so he meets the criteria successfully.

after note: giyuu meets most of, if not all the criteria for depression. some of the things here might not make sense but even if you exclude them and only include things directly stated, he would still meet the criteria for the disorder. I wanted to post this for half an eternity but I wasn't sure about how people would feel about this and now I don't care

[yoiiyoii]

Hey. Hey, psst, Shueisha. Remember that time back when Mugen Ressha was coming out so you published a couple chapters of Gaiden in Shounen Jump leading up to that? Yeah, that was pretty cool. You know what was even cooler was the one-shot you got Gotouge to write. Yeah, that one. It was also very nifty that you included that, and some new Taisho Secrets straight from the gator in a booklet for the movie's release.

You know. Just saying. I remember. Just saying it was pretty cool of you to do that.

[yoiiyoii]

mini analysis inspired by @h0pebloomedfromtheabyss 's giyuu posts

giyuu's eye contact but specifically with tanjirou

we start off with the first time giyuu puts his heart out to tanjirou and nezuko--the sepukku moment. it's only tanjirou looking at giyuu, giyuu looking straight down

then we move on to ep26, tanjirou getting a chance to thank giyuu, and while giyuu maintains eye contact for when tanjirou's speaking, he looks away while he's speaking himself. it's particularly sweet to me because it's the first time giyuu truly spoke to tanjirou outside of a battle context.

and finally the taisho secret of HTA ep2 where giyuu faces tanjirou, smiles, and asks him if he wants to eat (his fav food!!) together. by hashira training arc he's full fledged opening his heart to tanjirou and i love that.

[yoiiyoii]

humorous detail about sabigiyuu that definitely did not leave me roaming around my room in shock for 10 minutes 😇

see that hexagonal things on his sword? in the first fan book, it was stated that both his hilt guard and patterned side of his haori take inspiration from tortoises (which are well known for their long life spans) and hence, symbolize longevity. this foreshadows giyuu being one of the two pillars who survived the final battle and how this dude never seems to die no matter how obnoxious the odds are.

sabito also shares the same patterned clothing and hilt guard as giyuu but unfortunately for him it's meant to be perversely ironic because guess what? he dies at fucking 13

WITH GIYUU IT'S MEANT TO SYMBOLIZE LIVING WITH SABITO ITS MEANT TO SYMBOLIZE DEATH. I HATE MY LIFE