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mania-sama · 2 months

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A Look into Mental Health: Jujutsu Kaisen Analysis

"Being a child is not a sin." (Nanami Kento, Jujutsu Kaisen)

With the release of Chapter 251, I've seen many horrible takes from dudebros saying that Megumi has "sold" the team. This makes me unreasonably angry because of course it does, so obviously my next plan of action is to take all of my hour-long rants about the mental health of JJK characters and put it here, where said dudebros will never see my (correct) analysis in their entire life. Oh well.

One thing Gege is really, really good at is creating believable, undeniably human, and complex characters. Every character has a different set of motivations, beliefs, ideals, and especially mental states. The constant theme of Jujutsu Kiasen has been "Strength vs Weakness". While the clearest interpretation can be seen through the physical attributes of the characters (Gojo being the strongest sorcerer of his time due to his abilities, and Miwa being one of the weakest, again, due to her abilities), it is also directly applied to the mental strength of characters. No two characters are able to withstand the same trauma and come out the exact same, just as no two real people can process the same trauma. Not only is it a result of nature, as people are genetically different and therefore process information differently, but a product of nurture - in other words, character motivation and environment.

This is where we come to the current state of the manga, Chapter 251. The fated Yuuji vs Megumi debate. I keep seeing people wildly misunderstanding these two, and why it's so important that Megumi isn't standing up to fight, why he isn't able to handle his trauma, when Yuuji can.

Gege writes phenomenal characters. And I want to express just how well done they are, making Jujutsu Kaisen actually kind of deserve its popularity, because some people only care about power scaling. I'm going to touch on Megumi last, because understanding all of the other characters' makes his visible struggle that much more impactful.

1. Geto Suguru

I want to start this mental health analysis with Geto. He is the best representation of depression I've ever seen in Shonen. It doesn't take a hundred chapters to showcase a character's downfall. It doesn't take a hundred significant events to cause a character to break down. Gege shows the best, realistic mental breakdown using only a handful of chapters, and still makes it slow and painful.

Depression can start because of a big event, but it doesn't take more for it to worsen. Untreated, depression runs a vicious course that eats a person through slowly but effectively. It isn't one screaming session, hands clutched over the head and cursing God and the world. It's everything piled onto each other. It's coming to the end of that pile and realizing that nothing will ever change.

This is Geto Suguru's story. He has a big event: the fight with Toji and the failure to save Riko. But his mental health journey was fated to decline, even without the fight and failure. The root issue of his depression came from his ability: Cursed Spirit Manipulation. As long as he kept devouring the embodiment of every vile, human emotion, the more he would lose himself to that vileness. He wasn't changing anything; he couldn't help but continue to swim in negativity because that's all he could do.

Gege wasn't making a commentary on Geto's ability. He was talking about people, as they are, and how staying in a bad situation will not always make you stronger. It can, and most likely will, make you worse. A direct comparison to the sixteen-year-old Geto would be a sixteen-year-old at school, surrounded by people who bully and pick on them with harsh words. The kid will eventually consume all of that bullying, all of that negativity, into their being, because there is simply nowhere else to go. School is mandatory; they can't just leave. They eventually feel isolated, with all that vileness piled on. Even if they have friends, those people could never understand what it's like to put up with humiliation and cruelty day after day.

It's not rational to push away a support system, but who said human beings are always rational? People make mistakes. They don't make the right decisions. Geto didn't. He saw someone offer him a chance at change, a possible light at the top of his pile and twisted it to match his overwhelming negativity. He left and swore to destroy the world that made him the way he is, just as that bullied child may turn away from school and society in whatever form that may take.

I want to touch on the physical aspects of Geto's depression, too. I noted this in a previous analysis I did on him (his character is just that amazing, what can I say?), but Gege knew that the mind can't be affected alone. Geto was drawn with deep eyebags, a nod to an inability to sleep or needing to sleep all the time. Depression makes you tired all the time. Everything becomes difficult. He sits with his back hunched, resting his weight on his knees, like sitting upright is too hard. When someone speaks to him, he blinks and takes a second too long to look over or respond, like speaking takes too much energy. To me, it even looked like he was becoming thinner. It's extremely difficult to maintain a schedule of exercise and mealtimes when your mind is fighting an active war against itself.

Again, a beautiful representation of depression. Geto means a lot to me in this aspect.

2. Gojo Satoru

In comparison to Geto, Gojo's horrible mental health is a lot subtler. Depression isn't the correct term, but you don't have to be depressed to be sad. Sadness is his stagnant state; he has moments of bliss, goals to work towards, a reason to keep going, to continue living, to continue chasing the sun over the horizon, but he does return to the same place he is always at when the lights turn off and he's painfully reminded of this one fact: he is isolated.

All of Gojo's problems start and end with isolation. From the moment he was born, everyone knew he was different. He knew he was different. Through glimpses of his childhood and honestly reading between the lines, it's obvious he never played with kids his age. People don't just develop a superiority complex with their only drive to be better than literally everyone else for no other reason than to get better. It comes from somewhere, and in Gojo's case, it's from his young childhood. It seriously messed him up; even now, he can't shake the lesson that "Strength is the only way to success and happiness".

This is what made Geto so important. Geto was somebody who could share the burden of being the strongest. Geto was someone his age who understood him in a way Shoko could not, though they both were able to see Gojo beyond his capabilities as a Jujutsu sorcerer. Gojo then had somebody to base his moral principles on. Because he couldn't connect with anybody else, he had no basis other than strength. Geto taught him why it was important for the strong to protect the weak.

Then everything went wrong. Gojo became isolated again in his strength and lost the only person who could plausibly stand with him. "Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?" Gojo was young, then, and fresh-faced into his newfound godhood. He didn't kill Geto in that moment because he wanted to deny the claim that he is nothing without his strength, that he isn't as shallow as he was raised to be.

But he knew better. He grew older, he killed his best friend, and he realized that he was nothing without his strength. He never got over Geto. In order to cope with the guilt of being unable to save him when he left, he adopted a whole kid, thinking that if he wasn't strong enough to save Geto, maybe he could save Megumi. But there it is all over again - he never broke from the cycle of strength defining his worth. Saving Megumi would define his strength, right? It would prove Geto wrong, right? He raised Megumi under the same logic (that the only way to save his sister is to be strong), only ridding the boy of the crushing isolation.

In this way, Gojo isn't mentally weak. He didn't abandon society and everyone who loved him, instead choosing to hone the trauma of his isolated childhood into a weapon and teach the next generation to be better than himself. He isn't depressed, but he isn't happy. You can't be happy if you're alone all of the time. He hoped Megumi could be someone to stand by him, but in the end, he failed to save Megumi. His strength couldn't save him, just as it couldn't save Geto.

He isn't mentally strong. He isn't weak, either. He is horribly, painfully average. He's not weak enough to be saved, but not strong enough to save others. His childhood plagues him, but not to the point where it prevents him from living. He killed Geto but was unable to bury the body. Gojo is everything he never wanted to be.

As it turns out, strength can't buy you happiness. Gojo may have understood that, but he couldn't abandon it, even to the bitter end. Just as a human struggles to shed their conditioning. Not everyone can break the cycle, but we are always trying our best to work with what we've been dealt.

3. Okkotsu Yuuta

I'm putting Yuuta in between Gojo & Geto and Itadori & Megumi because he is, in a way, a bridge between the two. Geto and Gojo have lived their lives; their stories are complete and ended in tragedy. Itadori and Megumi's are not. They are still actively struggling and fighting their physical and mental battles; their stories have yet to be completed.

Yuuta's story isn't technically completed (ignoring everything that happened in the recent chapter with him for the sake of MY mental health), he is still a success story. He is the average protagonist who started from the bottom and ended up at the top. Only he, as Gege has done time and time again, has a slightly stronger focus on mental health than most other Shonen. He is success where Gojo & Geto failed, and the success that Itadori & Megumi are narratively striving for.

At the beginning, Yuuta was depressed and suicidal. He was bullied at school and involuntarily hurting others. Instead of becoming resentful of the world, he pushed all of the vileness inward. His guilt caused him to try to take his life, presumably multiple times, but Rika stopped him before he could succeed. His life was effectively out of his hands; he felt powerless with all of the bodies stacking around him, and he couldn't atone for "his" actions.

His mental health, as it was, was in shambles. Gojo then offered him a way forward. Yuuta's mental health did not improve overnight. It was when he made friends at Jujutsu High, and developed a support system, that he was able to relieve his anxiety and realize that life is not so bad after all. That all of this pain and suffering and loss - it will pass.

The most important thing to acknowledge when it comes to Yuuta is the sheer fact that he was not alone, nor did he allow himself to be alone. Unlike Gojo, who still had Shoko and Nanami after Geto left but refused to connect with them, Yuuta allowed himself to get close to those around him. They didn't know the suffering he'd undergone for so many years. They didn't know what it was like to be him, but that was okay. He knew that they had empathy, that even though they could never experience his life, they could still be there for him now when he falls.

When given the opportunity to surrender, Yuuta stands in the face of one Geto Suguru and swears to protect his friends and fight with Rika. He's so far removed from the boy who tried to kill himself at the beginning of the manga, and that's because he let himself be changed. He did not succumb. He had friends, he knew. People that would miss him if he left, and people whom he would regret leaving.

This stays consistent with his character. He doesn't let himself become isolated in his strength or his experiences. He's much stronger than everyone else in the room, he's a special grade and he knows that, but he still treats everyone like they are equals. Like they are his friends, like they are people who could share this burden of existence with him. This is something that Gojo couldn't accomplish, which lends to the fact that Gojo had a very off-hand teaching method when it came to mentoring Yuuta. Instead of influencing him under this idea of strength conquers all, he let Yuuta develop far away from the ideals of the Japanese Jujutsu Society.

And, in the end, the fact of him being physically strong - a special-grade sorcerer from the get-go - never helped him in his mental health. In fact, it made him miserable until he learned to get a handle on Rika. His winning or losing that fight with Geto wasn't the point of his character, it was reckoning with the fact that he is okay now. That he can embrace the ugly part of him with dignity instead of guilt.

4. Itadori Yuuji

Itadori's entire character is that he has an unbreakable spirit. As the only one who can bear the soul of Sukuna, he started off like Yuuta, only on the opposite end of the mental health spectrum. When we first see him, he's happy, spending his afternoons with the Occult Club and watching movies.

... What happened?

Like Geto, everything piled on very slowly. So slow that I'm not even sure he felt the true effects of everything he experienced up until the fall of Shibuya. It starts with the death of grandfather, whose parting words "Just save as many people as you can" haunt him even now during the final fight with Sukuna. He was never given time to properly grieve his grandfather, just as he never had time to grieve the brother curses, Junpei, Nanami, Nobara, Gojo, Higurama. At the end of it all, when the fighting is over, I have to wonder what will become of the boy that realizes he's lost most of the people he loved.

The one time he did try to process it, when he realized that he couldn't control Sukuna, was when he broke down in Shibuya. Sukuna leveled an entire city. For the boy who never wanted to kill another human being for fear of devaluing life, the weight of his weakness killing thousands was crushing. Then Nanami died. Nobara died (still hanging onto that unknown status but I digress). Both are right in front of him, and powerless to prevent Mahito from disintegrating their bodies. So, obviously, Itadori broke down. The boy with the unshakeable spirit, the only person who could contain the King of Curses, has his psyche completely shattered.

He laid on the ground, and he wouldn't have gotten back up if there wasn't somebody to help him, to be there with him. Todo pulled him back together, stitched back up the broken into somebody who has allies and people to fight for. Itadori has the success that Yuuta had, only Itadori did not come out of it with better mental health.

After the breakdown, his unshakeable spirit was nothing more than the will to keep fighting. He cares little for himself, and he tries to distance himself from people to prevent them from dying from his cursed hands. He is jumping, quickly, down the same rabbit hole that Geto fell down. One big event, and they realize just how tall the pile already is, and that it will never stop growing. Unlike Geto, however, he continues to get overbearing support from those around him. Against his will. He can't push them away, for they refuse to leave his side. Yuuta, Choso, Megumi, even Higurama. They won't let him fall. This makes him better off than someone alone, in a sense. He can withstand his trauma when others may not.

Even so, even so, there is only so much support, the lack of self-isolation, can do when the traumas keep actively repeating. When he says that he will gladly die to defeat Sukuna, it is not said with the same tone that another Shonen protagonist would say it. Take Naruto for example. If he were to go into a battle to protect, say, Sasuke, he would scream, "I'll die to protect him." We understand that his willpower is stronger than his self-preservation, but we don't get the idea that he actively wants to die. He'll die if he has to. Now, Itadori says the same thing, but about saving Megumi. He says, "I'll gladly die." There is something different. His willpower is leaps and bounds stronger than his self-preservation, but that's not only it. There is an undercurrent of severe suicidal ideation prevalent in Itadori's tone. It's not that he will die to win, it's that a part of him wants for this to be his final fight. For it all to be over. To save Megumi, then atone for the sin of being too weak to save Shibuya, or being unable to stop the Culling Games, or letting Megumi get hurt when all he wanted was to keep him safe.

I'd call it more along the lines of passive suicidal ideation. He doesn't plan to kill himself, but what would it mean for him to go into dangerous situations without protection? What would it mean for him to succumb to his wounds after he wakes Megumi's soul and kills Sukuna? To not even try to seek medical attention? He's guilty. He believes everything that happened in Shibuya and after is his fault. When faced with the executioner's sword, he was ready to die for his sins, if not for the goal of ending the Games. There is a fine line between willing to die for those you love versus wanting to die for those you love.

Right now, Itadori is fighting to save one person, like his grandfather said. He is not fighting to survive. And that's what people fail to understand about Itadori when they compare him to the other members of the cast. These power-scaling dudebros don't understand that their favorite OP main character has fallen apart at the seams, that his unshakeable spirit to save people doesn't include himself.

5. Fushiguro Megumi

Here we finally come to the question: Why can Itadori take it when Megumi can't? There is a very similar quote that you probably think of whenever you hear this question asked. It's from The Outsiders: "Dally is tougher than I am. Why can I take it when Dally can't?" The answer to this question that Ponyboy gives is the same we can attribute to Megumi. "And then I knew. Johnny was the only thing Dally loved. And now Johnny was gone."

The entire reason Megumi became a Jujutsu sorcerer was to protect his sister. When he was five years old and probably too young to understand most of the words Gojo said, he accepted the offer of training to become a sorcerer in exchange for Tsumiki's happiness. Every day, he fought to protect her. He only had one goal in entering the Culling Games: to prevent Tsumiki from having to participate.

It's easy to attribute Megumi's constant attempts at summoning Mahoraga to a lack of will to live - suicidal ideation, the same that Itadori now experiences. On one hand, I do understand that he has a fundamental lack of care for his own life, but on the other, I don't think that he intends to throw it all away every single time. He just didn't know any better. Ignorance can lead to death as easily as intentionally seeking it out. That's why he changes his habit after Gojo gives him a lesson in risking death versus dying to win; Megumi still has someone to live for, after all.

Megumi's mental health was already rocky from the start. Not that it was in shambles like Yuuta, but he wasn't fully stable. Like a lot of teenagers, he's moody, somewhat reclusive, and only really likes one or two people maximum. Teenagers aren't known for their sunshine mental health anyway.

Megumi was given time to grieve Itadori after he first died. This trauma of losing him in front of his eyes stuck with him, but he was allowed a grace period of two months to grieve with Nobara. He experienced Shibuya, too, but he still had that one important person to protect. His mental health was alright at this point, all things considered. As long as his sister was alive, he would be fine.

Sukuna knew this. So Sukuna killed Tsumiki using only the Ten Shadows Teqchnique. The one person Megumi spent his whole life dedicated to, was killed by his own cursed technique, his own failure to suppress Sukuna.

In the void of his soul, Megumi was alone. Truly, utterly alone. The only person nearby was Sukuna, the murderer of his sister, the murderer of thousands upon thousands of people. He drowned in the ceremonial bath of crushed curses to hold his soul down in the depths of despair, literally drenched in all of the vileness the world has to offer. Sukuna killed Gojo using Mahoraga's adaption ability, and before that, Megumi was forced to take several of Gojo's mind-altering domain expansions.

Already, he had given up. He gave up when his sister died, but the rest ground a pointed spur into his neck. When Itadori shakes his soul, Megumi is repeating, "That's enough." He was at the end of his rope a long time ago. What more is there to keep living for? He doesn't want to live with the blood of his sister, the blood of the man who practically raised him, and the blood of countless others drenching his hands.

Sukuna killed all of these people, not Megumi. But then, Sukuna killed of those people in Shibuya, not Itadori. Why can Itadori take it? Why can he keep fighting when Megumi lays broken on the ground? Itadori wasn't alone. And Megumi has never been known for his unshakeable spirit. That is the one thing that Itadori can hold over everybody else, the one trait that everyone admires. He was born to shoulder the burden of the world. Megumi wasn't. Megumi wants to die. He is not passively suicidal, for he has no goals left to complete, a plan to die within the body no longer inhabited alone. He is suicidal. He would drive a stake through his heart if it meant relieving his pain. He doesn't want to do it anymore. He's had enough.

And Itadori was in this position once, too? Perhaps not as directly, but he was there. Here is the moment that the protagonist gives the motivating speech to will someone to keep fighting, that life is worth living. I realized today that this is not something Itadori has done yet. He hasn't had a grand speech that's not been about his own willpower. He's never encouraged someone else to keep living in the way that you would expect from the main character. This is his moment, I suppose. He needs to be the person for Megumi that Todo was for him. He has to show Megumi that he isn't alone.

He needs to save Megumi when, all those years ago, Gojo couldn't save Geto.

I don't think some of this fanbase understands how horrible Gege has to be at writing if he just. Let Megumi get up to fight in Chapter 251. All this time, he has shown how Megumi has been defeated. He showed him crumbled on the ground, unmoving. It shouldn't be a surprise that all of the measures Sukuna took to ensnare Megumi's soul worked. Megumi is suicidal after the people he loves have all died because of his technique. God forbid a sixteen-year-old is unable to cope with his trauma alone.

Honorable Mentions:

There are a lot more characters in this story that represent/show mental illness that I didn't go into depth on but are worth mentioning. It was easier to only talk about the major characters since we spend so much time with them and I can fully flesh out everything that should/can be said about them. Anyway, here are a few more that are notably well-written in their mental struggles:

Yoshino Junpei. His story arc follows very similarly to Geto, except he is the bullied student I was making a reference to. Depressed, alone with a mother whose habits he can't stand, he turned to someone he thought could provide him a better life. Interestingly, he is a good representation of the type of children that tend to be groomed. That's surely what happened to him. Mahito used him, then discarded him for his own gains.

Ieiri Shoko. Her main struggle can be seen through her smoking habits. She's been through a lot, lost so many people, and has to keep healing sorcerers only for them to die. Eventually, she was able to come to terms with this. She kicked her smoking habit at the same time she kicked the vicious mental cycle of caring too much about the patient on her table. It's no wonder she picked up a cigarette, for the first time in a while, when Geto led the phantom parade.

Zenin Maki. She works as a very good contrast to Megumi. They both lost their sisters, the people they loved the most, but she turned all of her grief to killing the Zenin clan and gaining Heavenly Restriction. But this, this is because she could do so. There is simply nothing Megumi can do as a soul trapped in his own body. Her grief made her stronger, while for most, it made them weaker.

Inumaki Toge. He isn't seen a lot, but his story is ultimately quite compelling. A boy who hurt many when he was young. He turned his guilt into kindness, a will to protect. He tends a garden to raise plants healthily, for God's sake. He's one of the examples that shows Yuuta that your past actions don't define you, but instead, what you choose to do going forward.

I am not proofreading any of this before I post it. Sorry if it is borderline unreadable with spelling / grammatical errors.

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jubileemon · 24 days

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Why Ichigo And Rukia Ended Up With The Right People

In Bleach, Ichigo ends up with Orihime, Rukia is with Renji. Since it's part of the shonen genre, it doesn't center around romance and would be unlikely to focus on romantic relationships, as there were other interesting and exciting things happening.

The Problem With Ichigo X Rukia

Even though he becomes a Shinigami, he isn't technically a soul. He was not born in Soul Society and never died to go there. If he wanted to be with Rukia, he would either have to wait and die from old age or die right away and part with everyone else way too soon. Rukia is a soul who ages extremely slowly and will probably never die. Their families are in different worlds, so their priorities are incompatible.

This might be the single biggest factor in Orihime's favor against Rukia: she won't outlive Ichigo by hundreds of years. After all, Ichigo is a substitute Soul Reaper, but not a full-fledged one. It was only ever touched on vaguely because the shinigami are all spirits/souls, and things like time and age aren't something that hold much meaning to them anymore. Roughly in the beginnings of the series, Rukia mentions that she's 10 times older than Ichigo (who was 15 at the time).

Ichigo also looks like Kaien Shiba, Rukia’s mentor and the man that she admired. Due to this, even Byakuya himself understood why Rukia would feel a connection for Ichigo. Rukia realized the parallels between Kaien’s last fight with Ichigo’s battle against Grand Fisher, the Hollow that had killed Masaki Kurosaki. As such, she views them as similar and so would be unlikely to have romantic feelings for someone resembling her late mentor. In fact, she keeps comparing Kaien and Ichigo throughout the Soul Society arc.

Rukia and Renji

Rukia and Renji grew up together as orphaned Soul children in Soul Society. They shared the same experiences, jointly discovering the gift of Reiatsu that earned them a place in the Shin’o Academy. Their mutual goal was to become Shinigami, gain higher ranks, and grow stronger. When Rukia tells Renji the Kuchiki clan wants to adopt her, he acts happy but is deeply upset because he predicts they will grow apart. Still, he tries to hide his sadness because Rukia finally has a family. Unfortunately, Renji falsely believes that he's not important to her anymore.

While this saddened Rukia, he only reacted in the way he believed was best for her, and that ended up making him feel guilty about her potential execution. Chapter 98 was devoted to how Renji considered Rukia an unattainable “star” that he, a “tramp,” could never reach. If he just wanted friendship, why did he feel he had to stay out of Rukia’s way? If she just wanted friendship, why did she expect him to protest? The answer is simple: Her adoption didn’t get in the way of friendship, but in the way of the “something more” that they wanted.

Renji's feelings towards her have always been apparent, as far back as when they were kids. As they originally met around several years ago in the Soul Society, they've been around each other for quite a while. One evening, the two of them were unsuccessfully attempting to catch fish when Renji finally managed to snare one. When he turned around, he saw the rest of his friends staring at Rukia longingly. As anyone with a crush themselves would do, Renji admonished his friends for looking at her with love-struck eyes.

Renji's feelings for Rukia are crystal clear, even when he doesn't acknowledge them. On the other hand, Rukia finds it difficult to express her emotions, especially after joining the Kuchiki clan and her stranied relationship with her brother Byakuya. However, there are several instances that prove her love for Renji beyond the shadow of a doubt. In fact, Rukia obviously cares for Renji even after he attacks Ichigo in the Agent of the Shinigami arc. Although Ichigo and Rukia also love each other, their friendship is considerably less intense than her lifelong attachment for Renji.

Ichigo and Orihime

Orihime’s crush on Ichigo was evident from the first few chapters. She even had trouble being articulate in front of him, although part of her character development was how she gained confidence in herself. As for him, he was ready to sacrifice his life for her from the very beginning, when he put himself between her and her brother Sora (who became a Hollow). He almost always singles her out, speaks up for her and he even defends her.

When the Espadas allow Orihime to say goodbye to one person before she is taken to Hueco Mundo, she picks Ichigo even though he's still unconscious from an earlier fight. She explains how she could have picked one of the others, but Ichigo was the person she needed to see one last time. Orihime says how there were so many things she wished she had gotten to do and how she would like to live five times to try multiple different things, but that she'd always fall in love with the same person... Ichigo.

Ichigo literally came back from death for Orihime during his fight with Ulquiorra, all because she pleaded him not to die. Orihime also places her body between Ichigo and Acidwire to protect Ichigo. Ichigo puts himself between Grimmjow’s Ceros and Orihime without hesitation. Orihime more than willingly goes to fight Yhwach alongside Ichigo, serving as the latter's defense. Even Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Nnoitora all mocked him for wanting to protect her and underlined how she was the motivation for him to fight more fiercely.

In the early chapters, Orihime knew that Kon wasn't the real Ichigo when he was running wild inside Ichigo's body and being his perverted self. He jumped into Ichigo's classroom, made a move on Orihime, and then kissed Tatsuki before being forced to flee. Orihime knew right away that wasn't the real Ichigo, forgiving him of actions that would have got him in hot water with any other girl. It's a testament to how much Orihime cared about him. That said, Ichigo would have never acted that way in the first place.

Ichigo & Rukia Contributed To Each Other’s Relationships

It's kinda interesting to note that both Rukia and Ichigo have worked to boost each other's relationships. Remember, Rukia was the one who dragged Ichigo to apologize to an injured Orihime. Rukia was the initial reason why Ichigo and Orihime came closer together and were more expressive of their desire to protect each other. At the same time, Ichigo was the catalyst for Rukia and Renji to become close again after decades of avoiding each other. Ichigo was not meant to interfere in their relationship as a third party, but to help them realize the complete range of their feelings for each other.

💀🍓

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rowanwithaz · 8 months

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Out of no nowhere.

(Or literally written out before double digit chapters)

but we know antis are Illiterate.

Ah,yes,Shiggy accusing Deku of loving his "present" which that said present is Bakugo. Telling Bakugo he was Deku's most special person,brings up the fact that Deku was HELLA pissed off when he hurt Bakugo,and not to mention,this man is doing this because of how strongly Deku's reactions are.(And him putting extra emphasis on, "love" will not go unnoticed.)

Monoma ALSO using Bakugo as a way to rile Deku up. (And it works better than he had anticipated.)

Dude called Deku out on claiming Bakugo as his own,and Deku doesn't even fucking deny it. He actually buckles down. So,obviously we have things dating back too season three of the anime about how Deku cares very deeply about Bakugo. (We weren't even in the Double Digits when Hori was spelling it out) and I've seen people say, "This is coming out of nowhere." Honey, we got proof from chapter 81 that Deku responds like this to Bakugo being hurt. Which I've talked about this before in more detail.

But then people accuse him of queer baiting. (Like you actually fucking care about a very common issue for LGBTQ+ representation) and comparing him to Disney's milking of half assed gay characters who barley have any meaningful moments so they can cut it out in other countries. And,last time I checked,GreeNade has TOO MANY meaningful moments,I honestly couldn't count them on two hands.

Here in,y'know,reality,Horikoshi,is just explicitly saying what has been shown a million times,because people like YOU don't get it. And when you realize there isn't any way to use the, "It's shonen," or, " brotherly love" excuse,you start using toxic queer stereotypes. That all queer people sexualize everything,even death.

you fall back to, "They're just minors." Because if you're gay you're obviously only sexual and kinky. But, will openly talk about Deku "Knocking up Ochaco," like that ISN'T sexualizing minors,but two boys being in love is like fifty shades of grey?

Also find shit like this funny,because they are openly admitting to seeing the romantic potential. Like this gem.

why would these photos trigger such a reaction unless, y'know,you're scared that these two might actually be gay and you hate being reminded of that fact? And if that's truly the case,you need to drop the manga,because from the way it's been going...your worst fears are about to become cannon.

Also,if wanna know where You can see some of the toxic hate GreeNade shippers get to spread awareness,you can check that out here,(or just go to a random bkdk\dkbk post and see the comments ,there's a ninety percent chance you'll see toxic antis)that's where I've found a lot of the hate for them that no one else in the fandom wants anyone to know about.

#bkdk #dkbk #mha #bnha #dekucchan #bakudeku #katsudeku #greenade #dekubaku #Bkdk/dkbk antis being stupid

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codenamesazanka · 25 days

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If both Tenko and Tomura are supposed to be fake personas than it really doesn't matter anymore, does it? Now you can't go back to being Tenko, either, because that's also fake and attached to pain. And the reveal that AfO was even responsible for his childhood friends is brutal. Next thing we'll find out is that he didn't just come up with the name Tomura, but also Tenko.

(so I agree that atp the best way to fix this would be to say fuck it and reclaim everything, the League most of all, because they're his friends and the only people who have never rejected him, and that's something AfO can never understand.)

That's the thing, isn't it? If 'Shigaraki Tomura' and his gloominess and hatred and villainous shonen protag vibe was just a façade created by AFO, then we needed to ditch that and go back to an untainted Before - Shimura Tenko. His true self. Except now, it seems 'Shimura Tenko', his existence as a younger brother and the life he lived in his father's house and his heroic dreams, is also a bit of a constructed façade, so... do we ditch that too?

Like, in chapter 379, we have Shigaraki taking back control, saying that he knows AFO manipulated him, but whatever, fuck off, he's running the show now. Shigaraki falls back on his origin, using "Shimura Tenko suffering in his father house" as his anchor point. This is why AFO had to upend that too, to tell Shigaraki even that origin was manipulated in some way. Completely leaving him unmoored.

One can say, no! That origin is still real. Shimura Tenko was loved by his parents! He had a sister. He had a dog. He had considered Mikkun and Tomo-chan to be friends and he was excited to have a Hero for a grandma. AFO might have nudged him towards certain directions, AFO's handprints might be all over his childhood, but he can't be responsible all of Tenko's feelings and thoughts and dreams. He can't control how Tenko understands and processes his experiences. That's impossible.

But if that's true for Tenko, then it has to be true for Tomura as well? Here, AFO obviously had much more influence over Tomura's life because he was now raising the kid, but he still can't dictate totally everything Tomura felt or thought. (I think this is actually clearest in Shigaraki's hatred - AFO cultivated it, but it grew beyond his expectations, it became too strong and powerful for AFO to handle. Even overwhelmed and suppressed him.) Tomura grew into himself. He might have been building off of AFO's resources and teachings, but it was still him learning to find his conviction and creating a team and chasing after a dream.

So like, I don't think Tenko is fake. I don't think Tomura is fake, either. I don't think AFO apparently having influenced his childhood heroic dreams and encouraging a strong will means those things are utterly false and should be thrown out, same as how Shigaraki's very real frustrations over hero society and injustice shouldn't been dismissed just because AFO gave him opportunity to see the worse failures of it. Real is what Shigaraki makes of it.

Thanks for the ask!

#i had a response last night but got eaten by Tumblr #nalslastworkingbraincell

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seeingteacupsindragons · 1 year

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Feeling Some Kind of Way after yesterday's chapter, and here's why:

I've said before (I don't know if on Tumblr or Twitter or just DMs or where, but I have said it for a while now), that I was actually glad that YuuMori never even joked about how gay Sherliam are, even though they've had tons of opportunities to, because then they'd have to react to it and dismiss it most likely. And I didn't want them to no homo it with a damn joke.

And then yesterday they made the joke.

And they didn't no homo it.

Sherlock made a sort of frustrated expression in a wobbly speech bubble that looked more like embarrassment than anything and was much less vehement than most of his complaints about Billy constantly teasing him about his affection for Liam. Liam did nothing at all.

And then Billy just changed the subject like, "we ain't got time for that, let's get back to work!"

And they both went with it without another word.

As someone on Japanese twitter pointed out, the only time they'd seen in anime/manga that kind of calm lack of reaction to a third party commenting that two men were married was...Yuri!!! On ICE.

And we all know how that went.

I'm not going to say it's necessarily canon or anything. But this series has way crossed the normal line shonen usually rides with "the two male leads are very homoerotic." This isn't, "Male author makes male protagonist only connect with other men because they don't know how to connect with women." This is obviously very intentional at this point. This feels more like, "How many romance tropes can we cram in here?"

And Japan doesn't write romances the way America and Europe usually does. They write romances where people get married even if they never or barely kissed on page. They don't have the same explicit declarations of romantic love necessarily. That's not really part of their culture.

They have, say, two character swear to each other that they want to live alongside each other and take care of each other. That's the kind of proposals in Japanese culture. And. Well. Look at that.

And I just really needed time to fully process that this happened, because yesterday was much more explicit than I ever, ever expected this series to get about this.

And I still honestly am so floored I don't really know what to do.

#Yuukoku no Moriarty #Moriarty the Patriot #Sherliam #Sherliam Hell

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maximumqueer · 2 months

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I adore Monkey D. Luffy as a protagonist so much, it's not even funny. He is such a wonderfully written character that fully shattered all of my expectations of him when I first started the series 6ish months back (shoutout to the live action series for actually being good and getting me to take that jump).

Like, the main thing holding me back from the series wasn't even the episode/chapter count, I powered through shit like Supernatural and Doctor Who as a kid, long series don't intimidate me all that much. What did stop me from watching it was my assumption that Luffy was going to be a 'typical' Shonen protag, whose main character trait would be being really strong and not much else. I was expecting him to be a flat audience stand in that the young teen boy demographic it was originally aimed for could project their power fantasies onto. I was expecting a stereotypical hero's journey paired with an everyman protagonist.

Which is why when when that trope was completely subverted in the first chapter of the magna/when we learn about his first backstory in general, I was pleasantly surprised. Shanks doesn't take Luffy under his wing, isn't the person who brings Luffy into the world of pirates, Luffy is the one who sets off alone after Shanks refuses to take him, leaving Luffy to his devices to pursue his dreams.

An issue I have with the hero's journey is that it feels formulaic to the point of robbing the MC of agency (obviously not all stories that follow the hero's journey do this, it's just a semi-common pattern I've noticed) . The mentor figure brings the protag into the strange new world, often times without the protag knowing anything about the new world they are entering, and in many cases, did not actively choose to enter. Which is why having a protagonist like Luffy, who is very active in his own story, who decides for himself to be a pirate, and who has strong and consistent characterization to explain his decisions and actions is so nice to see.

A small, silly little moment that really exemplifies this for me is real early on when it's just Luffy and Zoro in the little dingy, and Luffy attempts to catch that bird and instead gets carried off by it to Orange Town. Like, it was obviously a plot device to get the Luffy and Zoro from point A to point B, but instead of having the bird swoop down and snatch up Luffy, making him passive in that moment, Oda has Luffy be the one to engage with the bird first. It's such a small detail, but really stands out to me as an early example of Luffy's decisions directly leading plot advancement.

Anyways, love Luffy. He is my favorite chaotic little gremlin who will now forever be bouncing around in my head like a game of Pong.

#one piece #monkey d luffy #one piece meta

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rosemarydisaster · 20 days

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I feel like the misogyny in fandom is only partially the fandom's fault. Let me explain: if the piece of media you're a fan of has a 50/50 female to male ratio, and treats its female characters with the same love, nuance and respect they treat their male characters with... Obviously you have a bigger chance of having your favorite character be a woman instead of a men.

If there's only one or two women, if they're written like shit, if they're not allowed the same complexity (because they're just set dressing or because "feminism dictates female characters can't have flaws" lest they call you out) well obviously you're gonna gravitate to the more nuanced male characters. If you don't care enough to write compelling female characters why should the audience feel compelled?

Don't get me wrong, even great female characters get sidelined in favor of "tall dudes with (dubiously) homoerotic tension". But in fandoms with majority female characters/really compelling female leads, the vibes are completely different. Even if there are still assholes. A great example is the fandom of Game of Thrones vs the fandom of A Song of Ice and Fire. When all your female characters either feel the same brand of girlboss/badass or are framed as annoying/evil while most of your male characters (even the evil ones) are painted as cool and badass as opposed to having a full cast of nuanced characters of both genders... yeah misogyny is gonna happen.

So yeah, we do need to work on our internalized misogyny and we do need to point out when we or the fandom treat female characters unfairly. But we also need more stories that love their female characters as much as their male counterparts. No one has the guts to hate on the female characters of The Locked Tomb Series. Mostly because why would you read a book with a mostly queer female cast about necromancy and the awfulness of love if you hated complex female characters??

We should try to give more attention to those stories. Once you start asking "isn't it weird there's no interesting women here?" When you watch/read/listen to a story you find yourself not caring much for a lot of shows. Hell it's why I can't watch most shonen anymore and why I gave up on supernatural at some point. As a "consumer" (hate that word) I also have the option to stop caring about a show that clearly doesn't care about me (or any woman for that matter).

Does this mean you can't read Sasunaru fanfic anymore? No, but when you start a new show you might want to keep that question in mind. And you also may want to consider specifically searching out for works about women or that care about their female cast as much as their male counterparts.

The fandoms don't yearn for the misogyny as much as we think. I've seen some fandom really work the terribly written female characters into extremely compelling stories. Or write new female characters in fandoms with barely any (shout out to "Local Skate Dads Adopt Three Sons and a Hooligan" for adding like three new female characters to a show with one and a half).

Our internalized misogyny is left alone to fester in a desert, deprived of good female characters. Of course people develop an almost paraphilic obsession with M/M ships when they've been trained from birth on shows that don't care for their female cast (if they have any). We center men because society centers men. And we have to do the individual job of decentering men/centering women while also aknowledging that the people that make our shows aren't doing the job.

Also if you're reading this and wondering "what even is good female representation? What kind of show should I watch?" Read the locked tomb series. Trust me, it is a religious experience (not just for women, it has so much gender in it).

Has this all been a ploy to get you to read about TLT? Yes. I also recommend The Magnus Protocol for podcasts, and Derry Girls for tv shows. They're all so good.

#misogny #fandom #fandom politics #meta #fandom misogyny #feminism #female characters #book rec #book recommendations #the locked tomb #asoiaf #justice for sansa stark

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itsclydebitches · 10 months

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As usual I'm not saying anything new, but a comment @lazodiac left on another post of mine about Ruby's memorial helped me realize why I find that image frustrating. Putting aside everything in Volume 7 and 8, those debates about how RWBY is defining heroism and whether Ruby has lived up to those standards, even if I agreed with her every choice 100% I'd still have trouble swallowing that characterization.

Because of Ozpin.

I've talked a lot about how giving him the godly quest and personal motivations (curse + formerly married to Salem + dead kids + Maiden origins) severely undermines Ruby's position as the protagonist, but a side consequence of this is that every victory Ruby secures begs the question, "Why hasn't this happened before?" We're supposed to believe that a teenager almost no one knows said, "Please come together" after dropping the scariest shit imaginable—information that has canonically, consistently left characters broken with pessimism—and people just did that. The ships arrived, Vacuo is letting the refuges stay, people are mostly getting along despite Winter claiming otherwise, etc. It's already hard to swallow, but given that RWBY is fundamentally a show about that hope and shonen-esque inspiration, I could kinda buy it... If it weren't for the fact that Ruby apparently succeeded in thirty seconds where Ozpin failed over thousands of years.

The problem with Ozpin as a character is that he not only has the quest that should have gone to our protagonist, but he's had a staggeringly long time to make headway on it. We know thanks to WoR and Jinn that he was out there creating the Maidens, defending villages, waged a war, rejected being King, founded the huntsmen schools, created a secret group dedicated to fighting this war... and he was still met with unimaginable setbacks. People refuse to trust one another, his allies betray him, and Salem continually inches towards victory. That right there is a damn compelling setup. After so long and so much effort, how in the world will they finally make a difference by the end of the series? Is it simply a matter of minuscule progress over many more generations, or—as we expect from the show named RWBY—does Ruby Rose hold the key that will make all the difference?

But she doesn't! Ruby is in no way unique, except for in the ways that the story has come to ignore. It would make sense if Salem was introduced as an evolved grimm, or irrevocably grimm-esque due to her fall into the pool, and the world rallies behind Ruby because of her super duper rare silver eyes (best to get rid of the other characters who have them). They never had a weapon against Salem before, but now they do! Huzzah! All praise the chosen warrior who will deliver us from this evil! But obviously that didn't happen. There's no reason for the people to believe in her, especially when we compare Ruby's efforts to Ozpin's. Does the world know who she is? No, she's a virtual stranger. Do they know Ozpin? Yes, he's a renowned huntsmen and headmaster. Does Ruby tell people to trust each other in a way that's inspiring and reassuring? No, she leads with information that, again, consistently makes people give up for a long stretch of time and turn on one another. Does Ozpin? Yes, as a teacher he's specifically working to instill this message in each new generation of huntsmen. Is Ruby an inspiring martyr? Sort of, but she died falling off a magical bridge while everyone was too busy running for their lives to pay attention. Was Ozpin? Yes, he died in a crucial battle that the whole world learns about and responds to in a variety of different ways.

There's simply no persuasive reasoning here. Ruby inspires the world because she "has" to as the protagonist, not because that's in any way consistent with canon. This isn't a case of, "Oh, RWDE is upset that a woman is the hero." No, I'm upset that Ruby was cheated. She's supposed to be the star of the show! Give the girl a story that makes a lick of sense and allows the audience to feel like she's earned this moment of messiah-like devotion please. Ruby as a character deserves better than to make all those mistakes and then come out the other side successful only because her writers are retconning things like crazy behind the scene.

"Remember her message" is absurd when Ozpin has been preaching that exact message for multiple lifetimes. It's literally his goal and his primary motivation, something he's been working at for so long that you've GOT to do more to explain how Ruby managed to succeed in a matter of days.

Like, on a funnier note can you image wtf could be going through his head right now? "Oh, so I spend centuries doing everything within my power to bring humanity together, shouldering the backlash as people realize the secrets I keep, and then this kid keeps the exact same secret, looses two Relics, destroys an entire Kingdom that I helped BUILD... and the people start listening when she says to trust one another? Okay. Sure. I'm COMPLETELY cool about this. Hey, Oscar? How do you feel about screaming at the top of our lungs for the next three hours straight?"

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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swan2swan · 3 months

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Huh, your Black Clover post reminded me of a train of thought I had about Shonen Female Leads? What makes for a good one period and what makes for one that is good in spite of the story around them?

Furthermore what does it mean for them to be "useless" as opposed to just not being the main asskicker of the lead cast? Apologies if this turns into something way too complicated.

Not at all!

So, there are several categories of "Useless" that female characters can fall into. One is the "Actually Useless", where you can cut them out and things don't really change. Examples being Tenten, Ururu, Loly and Menoly, probably some girls in One Piece...yes, Ururu helps with Ichigo's training and stalls Ilfort, but she's mostly just there to provide a sense of scale for the enemies. This is honestly usually what they're for. And it's fine, mostly...there's plenty of useless dudes, too. Jinta isn't exactly more useful than Ururu, save for his cute subplots with Karin. They're really just There, and that's...not usually the issue with the Female Characters we're talking about. You need to be a bigger hitter.

The more prominent ones are the Winless Ones. They might be important to the plot, but they ain't gonna carry a fight. This becomes MUCH more dangerous to their integrity. Hinata and Sakura kinda fall into this category: they're USEFUL, ridiculously so, and they have Big Moments, but they'll get scorned by a fandom because they're really only there to be the Side Character Woman. Often they'll get a Dedicated Chick Fight (this also happens to villains). Orihime is often viewed similarly: obviously, being a medic is CRUCIAL to Story Progression, having your Dedicated Healer is essential to keep the story going (see also: Bulma in the Namek Arc), but they're rarely going to have their Big Moments like that.

It's also a very, very sliding scale...but what I generally want for a Successful Female Character in an anime is for her to have the same bloody, tooth-grinding, hard-fought, well-planned victories that we read and watch shonen to see. I want them screaming with fury, mustering up all their energy, pulling out combos, unleashing hidden techniques, and finally persevering. It's fine if they fall short against a big opponent once or twice! Happens to everyone in Shonen! But by the fifth time your Female Lead finds herself fighting an opponent and almost dying before The Hero or the Antihero or the Mentor or The Squad pulls up to save her...sometimes it can get tiring.

And while shows like MHA did put out a good crop of girls to fight, most of the focus of plotlines and battles tends to fall on Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki, Dabi, Endeavor, and THEN onto Ochako, Momo, and Toga (the Ochako-Toga fights are all pretty good, but again, Chick Fights). JJK did okay with Maki, Nobara, and Mei Mei, but even they kinda pale compared to Gojo, Itadori, Nanami, and such (though she is certainly lively and memorable!!!).

Black Clover, though? Noelle's right in there with Yuno and Asta. In the recent epsiodes, she kept those shields up, kept saving people, and was fighting the whole darn time alongside Asta the Protagonist. Her powers grow, she fades a little as they do a whole arc focused on Vanessa's growth...Mimosa stays involved...and while the anime's current point hasn't really given Noelle any W's that I can remember, her biggest loss is to an enemy that SCREAMS "I am going to get my power level up, come back, and crush you". And I can't wait for that.

Also, she lost her WHOLE DARN POWERSET in the movie and still fought through, joined the battle, powered up, and...iirc...netted a W.

She's still playing third fiddle to Asta and Yuno, but she's more prominent than almost any other female SC I can think of. Short of Erina and Megumi in Food Wars.

#shonen #feminism #ALSO BLACK CLOVER HAS MERELEONA #and charlotte and sol #and that mad scientist woman #I think Fire Force did pretty great too #not sure when that anime comes back #BUT LOOK AT SOUL EATER AND WHAT THAT ONE DID

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runabout-river · 5 months

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"Sorry to the gays but only a straight man could create Gojo and Toji"

"Nah JJK men could only come from the subconscious of a straight guy who wants to look cool and kick ass like his squad of himbos"

The above what I found in twitter, what do you think?

Sounds dumb and like projection. There was a reason why people thought that Gege Akutami was a woman before a man with a mechamaru mask did an interview.

Gojo and Toji are typical shonen characters. You just need to be a fan of shonen titles (like Yuyu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter and Bleach) to create characters like them. You also need skill to make a character like Gojo work.

When you look at the femininity present all over JJK though, then you might wonder if that man under the mechamaru mask wasn't just a stand-in for a female mangaka.

Geto for example, is written with ample feminine traits including being depicted in the image of a goddess once. The deuteragonist has a girl's name. Kenjaku might turn out to be originally a female villain on top of being the protagonist's mother and the importance and the themes of the "womb" is ever-present in the narrative.

Someone once said that Chainsaw Man is the manga for horny men and that Jujutsu Kaisen is the manga for horny women. Would need people who read CSM to comment on that.

Even if Gege really is a straight man, that guy is obviously in touch with his feminine side and isn't afraid to write it down. People who say things like the above are hyperfocusing on a few aspects of the manga that they like while turning a blind eye to the rest.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #toji fushiguro #ask #meta

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doodlegirl1998 · 6 months

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Also...I may be the only one here but I do think Midnight was meant to be way worse. Look she is a walking talking fetish but sense this is a shonen " hot mady shows boobs" is the norm.

Except...they arent set in a new planet. This is the real world...why Midnight parade herself like that? Why she even works as a hero?

Yes. There Hc she is ace but I dont buy it. She keeps saying inappropriate shit to teens and its not as if she is well loved, her friends dont call much for her.

1) yes. We can blame hori

2) but no one else ever calls for her. Could be she is not well like as Aizawa?

Actually...Aizawa while should be dispised...Midnight is not miss popularity either.

Hi @mikeellee 👋,

Hori clearly wrote Midnight as a walking talking bondage fetish. She's fanservice for the "Hot teacher / bondage mummy" fetish havers out there.

Hori didn't give Midnight much thought beyond that. Then he just killed her off for shock value in the war arc to take her out of the narrative (that death was awfully written btw).

Mina and Momo she is meant to have had a close bond with but...this wasn't written beforehand and why include it right when Midnight is about to die rather than building it up?

Sure, the argument could be made that Mina is outgoing like Midnight so they could get on 'in theory' (because that is never shown) but Momo?

The Midnight and Momo bond makes no sense for Momo especially as Momo is regularly sexually harassed so I don't see her liking the teacher who makes inappropriate comments at things she and her class do.

Realistically, (I'm not saying this to be a hater) she wouldn't be popular as a teacher. Actually, quite a large majority of the class would be uncomfortable with her considering her act of saying that she's getting turned on by the things they do.

Then there's her friends. Mic, she seems to get on with and he is visibly upset by her death. Aizawa seems done by her act and presence 99% of the time they talk so him shutting Mic up instead of talking through that the loss of Midnight meant to both of them undermines the deep loss of another friend that they've both gone through.

To add on to this, Aizawa is shown to be more deeply impacted by Shirakumo's death (who has been dead for longer than he's been alive to him at this point) than Midnight's (that happened fairly recently in canon time.) That only serves to undermine their bond (and Hori doesn't bother to explore her and Mic's that much at all.)

There's also the question: Why is she a hero?

Three interpretations that could be taken here.

the innocent interpretation - she was told her quirk was great for heroics, put through the misogynistic hero machine and used her sex appeal as a massive and unique act "the R Rated hero" to get ahead. Everything is an act, she's really completely different as a person (most of the time Ace/Asexual too), basically the interpretation you see in nearly every fanfic.

The slightly darker interpretation - A exploration of point 1) above Midnight's own skewed experiences and possible past SA through childhood / going through heroics have thoroughly skewed her idea of what is acceptable around others hence why she has no problem acting the way she does.

'Dark Midnight interpretation' - *sigh* I'm going to get hate for this. And this obviously isn't the angle Hori is going but... An angle that could be seen is Midnight being a hero to be a predator and get away with it. Heroes are obviously idolised like celebrities in this universe so this would be the perfect profession to be abusive and get away with it (just like Endeav did.) And despite Endeav being a pillar of red flags he gets away with abusing his family for decades. Similarly, Midnight appears as a pillar of red flags in her act yet it's all waved off as "just a persona" (yes in canon it is but what if it wasn't? Imagine Midnight as a guy teacher for a second... There would be so so much outrage from the fandom at 'his' R rated behaviour especially if it were directed at the female students.)

TLDR: Midnight could have been a great and interesting character to explore the flaws of hero society in whatever angle Hori could have taken with her character. Yet Hori wasted this opportunity to trot her out as a "sexy teacher/bondage mummy" fetish whenever she was onscreen until he got bored and killed her off.

#mha critical #bnha critical #anti aizawa shota #aizawa critical #Midnight critical #Nemuri Kayama Critical

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whentheresmoonlight · 8 months

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One day I'll write a post-war bkdk where Katsuki has to confront the idea that he's grown in ways that Izuku has not.

Canonically, Katsuki has sensed that Izuku is a "real" hero of goodness and rightness that All Might noticed, and that has made him the right person to hold One For All. This will inevitably create a bias in Katsuki's mind, especially as he comes, post DvK2, to respect Izuku more and more and, as we interpret it, like him more as a person, equal, and hero. That bias is that Izuku is naturally, inherently, good and right.

Which, you know, he is. It's shonen. He's the protagonist. But post-war, when the conflicts are not merely between good and evil, it'll become a lot more complex for both boys (and everyone).

I think of it manifesting as a Katsuki who does a lot of work on himself emotionally and an Izuku who does not. Because since DvK2, Katsuki has had to reevaluate his beliefs and his opinion of himself and of Izuku. He has to confront the failure of the licensing exam. And we see how abundant his growth is in his newfound ability to work with others, his selfless atonement towards Izuku, and his ability to put himself on the backburner strategically as he sees the bigger picture.

Meanwhile, Izuku's life at UA largely exists as his inherent beliefs being confirmed repeatedly, through his rapid improvement of OFA, how he breaks through with Shouto, his plan to get Katsuki back, etc. Even his moments of irregular growth--going alone in the vigilante phase, his quandary over whether to beat villains or save them--always returns to his core belief set of, essentially, doing good by everyone. His choice to return to UA and to save villains aligns with his original beliefs rather than being growth changes. He doesn't do the same amount of internal investigation that Katsuki does, and I think that post-canon, it'll leave Izuku worse-equipped emotionally than Katsuki.

So when I imagine them in a relationship, it's with a bkdk who expect that they'll be able to communicate well because Katsuki thinks the best of Izuku and because they manage to overcome so much between chapter 1 and wherever the heck this story ends, including working collaboratively in battle.

Obviously, I think they'd be very wrong.

Katsuki may know what he's feeling but not know how to say it. Izuku may not know what he's feeling and not know how to say it. And if Katsuki thinks that he's communicating effectively--whether he is or not, he'll be baffled by Izuku any time that Izuku fails to 1. understand what he's saying 2. communicate back effectively and 3. go along with Katsuki's ideas (depending). I think, honestly, Katsuki would respond similarly to how he did as a kid when Izuku wasn't talented at dribbling or reading or skipping stones, which wasn't with contempt, but with confusion and maybe a little betrayal because his expectations weren't being met. This isn't because Katsuki has regressed that much or because he hasn't grown, but because those reactions came from thinking the best of Izuku (as well as thinking his experiences were universal, which is a wip), and post-DvK2, he still does. And because he's just gotten used to Izuku surpassing him, and the idea of Izuku falling behind in any way would shake the new beliefs that he's built around the idea that Izuku is good and right.

So yeah, idk who else subscribes to that characterization, but it's some of the bkdk that interests me the most and that I'd most like to write given a fic complex enough to pull it off in!

#my current fic has mostly failed to do this hahaha #it's so easy to ideate great characterization and so hard to fit it in fics #i do have big ideas for how to fit it in an upcoming fic but little confidence in pulling it off well #bkdk #headcanon

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lonelywretchjervistetch · 9 months

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My DC Cinematic Universe: Superman (Epilogue)

Epilogue: My Adventures with Superman

...Well, holy shit. Just when I was getting worried that nobody would get Superman, along comes one of the best comic-book related products we've seen in years, which delivers me so much of the stuff I wanted in a cinematic version of Superman...and is almost perfect. Yeah, it's definitely not perfect, but goddamn if this isn't one of my ideal versions of Superman.

Y'know, I've considered doing sort of a sum-up of the different major adaptations of the Superman mythos by bringing together all the points made in my essays, but I felt it was too much. For this, however, I think that makes sense. And yes, I'm doing this after only 4 episodes have aired, and yes, I realize that what just happened in the most recent episode is fucking insane and something I desperately want in a Superman story...but I'll at least cover my personal approach, since this show's kinda hot right now. And rarely do I have the chance to jump on a burgeoning fandom, so FUCK IT!

If you'd like to see my previous and insane essays on my preferred version of the Man of Steel, here's the link! Always. Be. Plugging. But if you'd rather hear my opinion of My Adventures with Superman, then check out the section after the jump. But just know that I like it, with a couple of caveats that you've probably already heard about this show.

Clark Kent: Abnormal Superman

Um...did somebody read my essays before I even thought about them, because this is pretty goddamn close to my ideal Clark Kent. He's a big ol' dork with a heart of god who wants to do the right thing, but is also nowhere near perfect in his everyday life and methods. He's a teensy bit clumsy, but still very well-put together. He wants to help when and how he can, and is willing to go along with shenanigans to do so. He has an actual personality, and most importantly, he feels human.

Yeah, this is a dude from Kansas who also happens to be an alien. And good goddamn, is scaling down his powers and knowledge of his past a great idea. Smallville, of course, did this, but that version of Clark was often too serious and rough around the edges. And maybe most importantly, Tom Welling's Clark never seemed like an outcast. I mean, the dude was handsome as all fuck, and built like a linebacker. And yet, I'm supposed to buy that the guy is a loser and outcast? Yeah, no, not buying it. But this Clark? Yeah, the guy's a massive dork. Handsome and built like a fucking freight train, yeah, but still a dork. And maybe most importantly...I don't buy this dude as Superman.

Yeah. Really. I mean, dude is OBVIOUSLY Superman, because he's built like a tank and super nice, but I get not fully seeing this guy as Superman. Somehow, FUCKING SOMEHOW, they pull this off better than literally any other version I've seen since the Christopher Reeves version. And yeah, that's insanely high praise, because Reeves has some of the best dichotomous acting I've ever seen. But this Superman and this Clark both seem like the same person and separate people at the same time somehow. It's an impressive feat that I can barely explain.

And yet...they're still definitely the same person. Any sane person would be able to figure it out eventually, with enough personal interaction. It's one of the reasons why the glasses joke exists, because it really shouldn't make much sense. But in this series, the glasses actually change the shape of his pace, and slight changes in his posture and voice (by the pretty great Jack Quaid) actually do work as a subtle mask for the character. But will that last forever? Well...more on that later.

I also said this before, but I love the fact that we're learning about Clark and his powers as he's learning about himself. This series is obviously anime-inspired, and it really leans into the shonen angle thematically and visually. When the first art for this show came out, I was intrigued but cautious. Now, though, I'm into it. We'll see how the more anime-esque electrical powers work out, but it actually seems like a reference to the sporadically used bioelectric field manipulation ability that Superman has in the comics. Yeah, he has a field of bioelectricity around his body that provides him (and his costume) with invulnerability, and also occasionally gives him plot-convenience powers. Don't ask questions, OK? It's a comic book thing.

Speaking of that, though, the creators are definitely playing fast and loose with the Superman mythos, and I'm interested to see exactly how that plays out as the series continues. I'm a little cautious for reasons to be addressed later, but I'm still quite interested. So, now that we've covered Superman, whom I think is fantastic in his characterization...let's get to the character who I think is excellently represented in this series.

Lois Lane: Intrepid (Intern) Reporter

Jesus Christ, this is a great Lois. There are a lot of ways you can do a good Lois, and there are a number of great Loises, but MAWS' Lois ranks extremely high on that list. Dogged to the point of recklessness, determined to get the truth at all costs, and desperate to be a great reporter, she has the stuff that makes any great Lois. But what really puts her over the edge for me is her characterization. Alice Lee does a fantastic job as Lois' voice, and gives her a mix of naivete, determination, and...oddly, hope. I dunno, there's something about Lee's portrayal that really works for me.

And a lot of people have pointed out two things. One, she's basically Lux from The Owl House. Yeah. And? Fucking and? Luz is a fantastic character in her own right, and very Lois Lane-esque. Personally, I think that's a great and worthy comparison for any version of Luz. Secondly, she's a tomboy. And I think most people on Tumblr are fine with that, but I also see some criticism for that choice. And for those who don't like that...fuck off a little bit. Not a lot, but a little bit. There's nothing wrong with a slightly more tomboyish Lois, and I actually adore a Lois who isn't a damsel in distress all the time. She literally fights some of the bad guys in this series, and we're only four episodes in! Seriously, I love that. And she is occasionally in distress, but she gets into that shit herself, which is exactly what Lois Lane is supposed to do. Look, I love this Lois. Oh, and another thing!

Is Lois Korean? Holy shit, that's fantastic! I said in my second essay that Lois is one of those characters who isn't racially bound in any way. There, I suggested that she could be played by a Latina, which has been hinted at before in some comics. But honestly, this is a great choice! And I only say Korean because, in the most recent episode, she appears to be wearing the top half of a hanbok, which is a traditionally Korean dress. And yeah, I'm fully here for it. Don't know if she's mixed or not (we'll probably see Sam Lane at a later date), but this is great all on its own.

And then, there's the other thing: Lois' position as Superman's Inevitable Love Interest. The ILE is, of course, a tradition in all things superhero comic, and Lois is arguably the first and most famous of all ILEs. Like Thanos before her, she is truly inevitable, and that seems to be at the center of this series. Oh, and at this point...sort of SPOILERS AHEAD??? I mean, come on, this was obviously gonna happen.

By the end of episode 4, these two are clearly romantically interested in each other. Hell, by the end of episode 1, these two are interested in each other. And can I just say that's they're hands fucking down the most adorable Clark and Lois I've ever fucking seen? I mean it, they're the best version of this couple in live-action media, and I can actually see them becoming the comic book versions of that couple.

As a quick compare and contrast of the most notable versions:

Reeves and Kidder were great, but the movies never actually committed in having them be a couple. They actively made sure it wouldn't happen a couple of times, to much irritation, and their relationship never truly blossomed, which was based on the comics at the time.

Fuck Dean Cain...but Cain and Hatcher were pretty good as a couple, pre-and-post-marriage. Which, again, was a part of comics at the time, so it makes sense. Even then, I wouldn't call them particularly cute, just more of a relatively normal couple.

Don't get me wrong, I love Daly and Durance's animated versions of the two...but they never actually became a couple until the very end of Superman: The Animated Series. And we only saw them as Lois and Superman, not Lois and Clark. So, sadly, they don't rank.

Welling and Durance were...off-and-on. Funnily enough, their appearance as this version of the couple in the Arrowverse crossovers was probably better than any other appearance they had, and their appearances in the 10th season were genuinely quite nice. High up there as the best version, and one of my favorites.

Hoechlin and Tulloch are, in my opinion, the best married version of the characters. They honestly nail it, and their chemistry is pretty much perfect. Their versions of the characters still rank pretty high as some of the best, and they're even better as a couple.

Routh and Bosworth...moving on...

Cavill and Adams...well...I mean...they have some chemistry, and...they've definitely had sex. Um. Yeah. That's it. Whoooooo.

O'Connell and Romjin are a little-remembered animated version of the two, and not the only animated version of the two, either. But honestly, they're really good in The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen, and were my favorite animated version of them as a couple...prior to MAWS.

And OK, sure, we've barely seen these two as a couple at this point, but I really like them. They're adorable, they're adorkable, they're supportive of each other, and their chemistry is basically immediate. They're just really cute and fun to watch, and I can't wait to see them progress. Especially because...

OK, I can't stress this enough, but skip the next GIF if you don't want spoilers, and scroll down until you get to Jimmy Olsen. Please. This is a biggie. OK? Got it? Read at your own peril.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT ARE YOU SERIOUS THEY ACTUALLY DID IT

If you've read my Superman essays, you know that I want movie Lois Lane to have found out Clark is Superman on her own, and before the movie starts. And holy shit, they actually did it in MAWS! FUCK YES! Lois is smart and sharp, so she should pick up on the fact that Clark is Superman! I love that they did this, even if her way of finding out was somewhat by accident. She still put the clues together on her own, so I'm satisfied with this ending! And I'm pretty sure they're not going to reverse this! If they do, I'd be pissed off, but I don't think they will. Just...HELL YEAH, BABEEEEEEEEEE

OK...I think the spoiler-free have scrolled past this by know, so...let's move on with the essay, shall we?

Supporting Cast: Jimmy and the Rest

OK, let's talk Jimmy Olsen (played by Ishmael Sahid). Honestly, I love the fact that he's a conspiracy nut with his own YouTube channel, and that he's literal bunkmates with Clark in this series. This is also pretty close to my perfect version of Jimmy Olsen, not gonna lie. His streaming name is even Flamebird, a deepcut comics reference that shows the creators not only know their stuff, but also actively care about Superman comics and history. That's one of the things that one me over in the first episode, for the record. But more on that later.

Jimmy is the third wheel, but one who's usually welcome. We'll see the fallout of the Lois-Clark romance soon, I'm sure, but Jimmy's role has been pretty much perfect. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a black Jimmy Olsen, while welcomed by me...is a little weird when you look at the legion of ginger characters in media that have been replaced by black characters in adaptations. While, again, I don't think Jimmy is racially bound to being ginger, it is a fairly iconic part of his identity. And...yeah, a lot of ginger characters have been translated into black people in recent years, and that's...really weird, not gonna lie. Makes me think even more about my Legion of Super-Heroes essay, honestly. Still, solid-ass Jimmy, and I can't wait for more.

I actually adore Perry White (voiced by Darrell Brown) in this series, and his grumpy boss persona is...well, quintessential Perry White. I'd actually say this is a perfect version of the character, although that's not as difficult to nail as some other versions. Looking forward to seeing more of Perry's life as he supports our bumbling interns.

I was tickled pink to see Cat Grant (Melanie Minichino), Steve Lombard (Vincent Tong), and a genderbent Ronnie Troupe (Kenna Ramsey) in this show, because it once again signals to me that the show creators really care about Superman mythos. And honestly, these guys were transplanted essentially unchanged from the comics, as far as we can see so far. This may change in the future, but I'm very excited to see the rivalry between our three and these reports build and develop during the series. Great job with these guys.

The Kents only make an appearance in one episode thus far, but I think they're pretty good! We see them in the past and in the present, and they're a couple of farmers who love their son. They're also some of the youngest versions of the characters we've seen in adaptations, save for Smallville, and it works well! They also make it apparent that these are Clark's parents, even in the short time we see them. Again, good job so far, and I want to see more!

So, with all of that, I adore this series, and it's perfect! Right? Right?

The Villains: Literal and Figurative Cons

If you've heard anything about this series from Superman fans, then you've probably heard that the villains are...not amazing so far. And that's mostly because the villains are where this series takes the most liberties, while also downsizing most of them pretty severely. I'll go through them briefly here, but just know that the changes made so far are...not my favorite. And if you've read my essays, you know my opinion on villains in superhero media: you gotta nail them.

So, let's start with Livewire, AKA Leslie Willis (voiced by Zehra Fazal). I really love this character (and actually positioned her as a major villain in the second Superman movie of my cinematic universe), so I'm quite invested in Livewire. And this version is a tech-powered villain who kicks off the conflict for the first part of the series. She's a completely different version of the character...and she works? Kinda? Look, as the first villain to face Superman, she's fine, but she's barely Livewire. The end of the second episode hints that she may become more like the original down the line, but she's missing that sass of the original. And yeah, she works without that, but it doesn't feel like Livewire to me. That's nitpicking, though, because we have a much worse set of adaptations to cover.

Intergang is so much of a non-entity in this show, they have no GIFS on Tumblr. Understand, this community has made GIFs of every other character except these guys. In total, they are Silver Banshee AKA Siobhan MacDougal (played by Catherine Taber), Mist AKA Kyle Nimbus (played by Lucas Grabeel), and Rough House AKA Albert (played by Vincent Tong). And they've been changed from:

A cursed Scottish-Irish woman, empowered by magic and a major threat to the Man of Steel, having nearly killed him multiple times...and is currently dating Jimmy Olsen, which I kinda love?

A scientist who invented a process to turn himself into gaseous form, and used his powers to fight the hero Starman; this rivalry was passed on to the next generation, on the side of both hero and villain.

And the clone of a gangster endowed with super-strength, serving beneath Boss Moxie of Intergang, and the forces of the dark world of Apokolips above him.

...into a group of loser who got technology they couldn't handle. Yeah, it's a major downgrade, and two of those guys weren't even that notable in the first place. Siobhan gets completely fucking shafted here, and I think it's a genuine failure of this series. Harsh, I know, but seeing Silver Banshee get fucked over that hard really sucked for me.

Oh, and yeah, Intergang was a major villainous group for the Superman film in my cinematic universe, so removing their Apokoliptian ties...bums me the fuck out, too. Also, it looks like Flash villain Heat Wave is an upcoming member, which is...weird as fuck, honestly. We'll see how this pans out, but I'm not terribly enthusiastic about it.

And then there's Anthony Ivo (played by Jake Green), who's been repurposed into a tech bro entrepeneur in the vein of Elon Musk, in charge of AmazoTech, which is obviously a reference to the comic book version. And this was an...interesting set of choices, honestly. Some spoilers here, but Ivo's version of AMAZO is an armor that drains the power of Superman and redirects it against him. And yes, that makes Ivo also this universe's version of...Parasite. ANOTHER villain that I put in the second movie of my cinematic universe, and one of my absolute favorite Superman villains.

I don't hate the reinvention, but that's only because of what happens to Ivo at the end of the episode. I won't spoil it here, but he definitely turns into a more proper version of the character, so we'll see what happens there. As for his assistant, Alex (played by...somebody), well, he's interesting, isn't he? At first, I thought he was Alex Allston, one of the Parasite twins from the 2000s. But a number of people seem to think he might be another familiar red-headed Superman villain named Alexander, if you know what I mean. Let's just say, there's a possibility that he'll steal forty cakes at some point. And that's terrible.

And finally, there's...wait, is that Deathstroke AKA Slade WIlson (played by Chris Parnell)? Why is he young...and hot? Why is Slade young and hot? And two-eyed? I mean, yeah, sure, that's not the worst thing in the world, but...goddamn, that's some whiplash. Interestingly, he appears to be affiliated with Task Force X, which is name dropped in episode 2. Plus, Amanda Waller is clearly in the background, so a much wider plan is in play. And yeah, while it's weird to see young hot Deathstroke, I'll give it a chance.

Other villains have been hinted at, and allegedly radically reinvented, such as Mr. Mxyzptlk and Brainiac, but we've yet to see what will become of them. Still, this is a divisive start. As long as we get some actual supernatural threats, and not just people in armor, I'll be happy. Time will tell.

Story: Just Getting Started

At this point, it's pretty much impossible to judge the story of this series, since we've only just started. But, with the technology obtained by Livewire from a mysterious source, and then leaked into the criminal underworld, we at least have enough threats to supply tension throughout this first portion of the series. The relationship of our trio is progressing nicely, with Jimmy realizing his third-wheel status, and with the Lois and Clark relationship moving along interestingly and unexpectedly.

There's also a number of hanging plots that look promising, including Clark discovering his powers and origins; Task Force X and Deathstroke, as well as their interest in Superman; the missing Parasite technology after Ivo's fall; the rivalry between the interns and their reporter rivals; and even Lois' relationship with her father (who...might be the guy standing next to Waller in Task Force X? No clue, that's just a guess). So, we have some stuff to look forward to! And maybe, just maybe, the villains will also steadily improve. I think Silver Banshee's a lost cause at this point, but I have hope for Livewire and Parasite, at least. But again, time will tell.

I also can't wait to see what the creators have up their sleeves. They're obviously ans of Superman and his mythos. I didn't even mention what won me over on this show in the first place! Other than Clark and Lois themselves, of course. In the first episode, Lois introduces Jimmy and Clark to her information gatherers: the Newskid Legion. And for those of you who don't know, that's a reference to the Golden Age of Comics, and a group of street-wise kids that would become supporting characters of Superman's during the '90s (through the trendy magic of cloning)! The kids have an adaptation in this series, and that attention to lore alone made me an instant fan of this show. Sounds like nothing, I know, but it meant a hell of a lot to a Superfan like me. Now GIVE ME MY EVERYMAN BIBBO BIBBOWSKI!

Conclusion: A Hopeful Tomorrow

I'm...scared about Gunn's Superman film. I won't write a whole essay about it, but it sounds ambitious to the point of being bloated. A lot of recent casting news makes me feel like this is more of a set-up to the wider DCU, as less of a Superman film in and of itself. Plus, with rumors that Luthor is being cast, and no sign of a villain announcement yet...I dunno. It has me worried. So thank God for My Adventures with Superman.

This series is a blessing so far. Sure, it could blow for the rest of the season, but call me hopeful. I think this show is fantastic so far, and I'm really thinking it'll stick the landing with the first season. Alongside that, honestly, is the fact that it's trying something new for any Superman adaptation, and there's a bravery in that. I don't know if it'll go down as my preferred Superman adaptation (Superman: The Animated Series is a hard one to beat for me), but it's got a good start. And a brave series that inspires hope in the face of fear and impossible odds? Man, that's what Superman is all about.

And now that that's said and done (for now, anyway)...

I believe I have another essay series to finally finish.

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Part I: Why I Love Superman

Part II: On Lois Lane

Part III: The Kents

Part IV: The 'Rents

Part V: The...Frendts?

Part VI: Lex Luthor

Part VII: The Real Villains

Part VIII: Superman's Rogues Gallery

Part IX: The Story - Act One

Part X: The Story (Acts Two and Three)

Part XI: The Story - Climax

Part XII: Epilogue (Part One)

Part XIII: Epilogue (Part Two)

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