Culling Game arc re-read.
Chapter 160: Colony: Alam al-Mithal + Yes please handle Kashimo + Gege reminding us Sukuna is up to no good (and we weren't listening) + cranky Megumi + failed expectations meet existentialism
Inspired by @blog-of-hubris' idea, I'm doing a re-read of the Culling Game arc. I think I'm both looking for clues, foreshadowing, a deeper understanding, but mostly I'm curious about how my expectations held up against what actually took place.
Warning for spoilers up to chapter 200+ under the cut.
Alam al-Mithal
So I, of course, start with the obvious: majinai, the cursed realm that exists between dream and reality.
I guess that when the term was first introduced, I didn't think of Alam al-Mithal, which is the "realm" of images and imagination that exists outside of space-time as we know it.
I hadn't thought of it before, but it's interesting that Gege is introducing the audience to the Culling Game colonies by means of majinai.
(Source)
Given everything we see inside the colonies is one hell of an Existential Fest, I'm wondering about the relationship between majinai, the purpose of the barriers in the colonies, and the whole cursed energy and forcing Tengen to evolve plot line... something like that.
Maybe I should've started my re-read with Tengen's exposition dump on the culling game but I wasn't feeling it.
Anyone want to speculate about this or provide more context?
Anyways... Alam al-Mithal is an Islamic concept that I find fascinating and beyond comprehension at the moment. But exploring this little rabbit hole made me realize that we are basically witnessing Gege writing about universal truths.
While majinai is a Japanese concept, the fact that something similar exists in Islamic philosophy is the stuff of braingasms and exactly the whole point of Jung's theory of the Collective Unconscious.
All of this to say: I'm still wondering if Gege is going to do more with majinai. Like, does it have a bigger role to play or did he just name drop because he thought it was a cool concept to use? I'm hoping for the latter 💀.
By the way... these spreads?
Beautiful work. Just beautiful.
Yes please! Handle Kashimo!
Still my favorite battle in the CG.
Gege reminding us Sukuna is up to no good (and we weren't listening)
🤡.
In retrospect... who was being self-centered after all?
Cranky Megumi
Anyways, I've always loved how mean Megumi can be and how that's one of his love languages. I also like to think he was never going to come out and straight out say it, but I get the sense Megumi needed and wanted Yuji at his side inside the colony.
Thing is... as the deadline for Tsumiki's participation in the Culling Game approaches, you can see Megumi growing increasingly anxious.
Which is a lot to say for a character like him who wears a poker face at all times.
Failed expectations meet existentialism
Here we go!
Given the Shibuya incident, I remember totally expecting a blood bath out of the Culling Game. Most ESPECIALLY given the ominous aura created by the characters.
Little did we know we were in for an existential treat, and I have to say I like what became of the CG arc better than my expectations for it.
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art dump
Yippie here’s some art and some character sheets that I kid you not took THREE YEARS TO DEVELOP THEIR CHARACTERS. dear lord
(ignore the paint palette it was to cover up a very bad sketch)
anyways here’s some lore too; Elise and Amber are married and Ashton is their adopted son and they're a evil villainous very happy family 😇😇
anyways yeah I know the stuff in my sketchbook ain’t as good as the stuff I do digitally but I still think it’s cool to share :)
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I think Chapter 160's color spread is the only spread also containing the chapter title: "Spiders Cafe at 8 O'Clock"
First time Robin is in a spread! Though she isn't a straw hat and her real name hadn't been revealed yet. Also the first villain spread, and the second time a warlord has been in a spread (the first warlord appearance was Mihawk in chapter 52's spread, which also features characters in panels).
I'm not sure why orange is for the boys and green for the girls (maybe because of Ms. Goldenweek's calming green color trap), but I love that Luffy is wearing both colors and substitutes Bon Clay's female partner. It's also a great little detail that Luffy isn't boxed into a panel, showing that he's not one of the baddies.
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