I loved this episode and the Hanako blushing scene so much
other stuff i made for the soukoku roommate au
maybe the reason why i love tbhk so much isn't bc of the potential for theory discussion, the horror themes, the doomed lovers, the doomed by the narrative character, the queercoding of mitsukou, metaphor of cannibalism as love, identity issues (mitsuba), the yokai/spirits stories and their contrast with humans, the mystery, the romance, the art or any of the other things i like...
the reason i just became obsessed with this series is all of the above, yes. but more importantly is the siblings going through the horrors™ (and i think that's the reason why fmab is still my favourite animanga of all time. for me there is nothing more angsty than siblings)
We don't know much about the twins, but I think that's enough because their personal story parallels all the characters in this manga. And we already know it. In this analysis, I will analyze the relationships of Kou with Mitsuba, the fourth secret, Hakubo with Sumire, and Aoi with Akane, because their arcs interpret one big arc of the twins.
1. Kou and Mitsuba. That boy was still that boy.
The main problem for Kou is the "real" Mitsuba. His entire arc is reduced to trying to bring back "that" boy, while Mitsuba's problem is wanting to live as a living person. Kou feels responsible for Mitsuba and wants to help him with his own hands, not someone else's.
He believes that he can make everyone happy, alone. It's really important to him, he's really dedicated to saving Mitsuba. So much so that he won't listen to anyone, even Mitsuba himself - he's so stubborn.
Just like Amane.
The problem is that Kou separates the two Mitsubas, he's completely confused about "who's the real one" and spends his time trying to figure it out instead of cherishing the time he spends with Mitsuba more often.
"You wanted to be my friend, right?" "You wanted to bring back the me you lost, please stay by my side..."
Mitsuba wants that understanding from Kou. "Admit it already, it's impossible, I can't become a _normal_ person, because no one can do that."
Mitsuba knows he's not the same anymore, but he still wants understanding. No one can turn back time, so why not just accept it? Kou is adamant.
And the famous "do you want me to die so we can understand each other better" page.
And then Mitsuba calls Kou an idiot because you can't say things like that. You have to value your life.
So how does this relate to Yugi?
Amane has trouble deciding whether the "new" Tsukasa who came back is the real one, while Tsukasa just wanted some simple human warmth.
Amane thinks he's responsible, thinks he can fix everything on his own, he never listens to anyone, and is very stubborn. It's believed that he tried to fix the big clock to turn back time and bring back the "real" Tsukasa. That's why he doesn't value the time he spends with his brother, because it's not the same. He's fixated on the idea of two Tsukases and a real brother.
"You wanted to bring back the me you lost back then (that birthday), please stay by my side..."
Tsukasa just wanted to spend time with his brother. Deep down, he was waiting for the joy of meeting and understanding from Amane. No one can return Amane to a real living brother, it's all too complicated and even the machinations over time did not solve the problem. And perhaps Amane could have thought that if they both died, it would somehow bring them closer together. Tsukasa is very angry with Amane's actions, because he gave his life in exchange for his brother's health, and he destroyed it so easily, without appreciating it.
2. The Fourth mystery and Mei Shijima.
I won't say much here, and maybe not very deep things, but nevertheless.
"Killing Shijima Mei is all I want." Yes, we have an obvious parallel with killing her twin with a knife, but the reasons for the fourth secret... "I wanted to protect the real you."
Shijima believes that this will bring Mei good. And despite the fact that she tried to kill Mei from the dream world, she still asks her not to leave, even though she is not "real" in the full sense, because it is too painful.
Also, the Fourth hates this fake world. It is too perfect in it, in a way that does not exist in reality.
How does this relate to Yugi?
Amane in the pp arc is parallel to Shijima, Nene just catches their similarity.
Radical problem solving, believing that they alone know what's best, doing horrible things "for your own good." Amane probably killed Tsukasa for similar reasons, believing that somehow it would be better this way. Amane also accepts the current Tsukasa as a fake, but even so, he doesn't want all the yorishiro to be destroyed, he doesn't want his brother to disappear, because losing him again is too painful.
Hanako hates the world of the perfect picture, everything is too easy and wonderful in it, as it was not in his real life, where he had to endure a lot.
3. Hakubo and Sumire. Mystery and yorishiro.
Sumire first appeared before us as proof that yorishiro can be in human form and her story is very parallel to Tsukasa. She had to spend many years locked away in the boundary of the mystery, in the form of the same place where she met her death.
She has not met Hakubo since that day. She hoped that he would come to her, but this did not happen, although Sumire strongly maintained some hope for her own importance to him - "after all, yorishiro becomes what the school mystery cherishes most."
She is tired of her existence, she has no particular purpose and she does not mind disappearing if it will help someone, if she will be useful at least in this way.
Nene asks Sumire what is so good about Hakubo? After all, he is unbearable, and Sumire probably fell in love with him because there was simply no one else. No one was as close to her. It is funny to hear this from Nene, but more on that later.
Sumire was also sacrificed to the hole demon in exchange for a wish, and later became a yorishiro, which is mechanically very reminiscent of Tsukasa. She also has a control complex due to the fact that she could not influence anything in her life.
She would also really like to be mourned and remembered - that is, at least some sympathy in her direction.
Hakubo, on the other hand, had problems expressing his will, and this is the main point of his personal history.
He suffers from the fact that he could have acted differently towards Sumire, these thoughts have haunted him since that day. He understands that he did not value the time spent with her during her life, he was cold in everyday life and he did not save her from death. The guilt for her death lies heavily on him.
"If I lived another life, I would have done things differently." He only grinds this thought in his head, and Sumire sits alone in the boundary, without the support of a loved one nearby.
How does this relate to Yugi?
I will continue this thought in the next post, since the image limit has ended 🙌🏻
Parts 2 and 3
Colored the new tbhk art!
the way i love how tsukasa is the moon and amane the sun, it goes from their names, to:
night = time of spirits → tsu grants wishes for spirits/yokai
day = time of the living → amane grants wishes for living humans
but you can also consider how amane has always loved the moon, at least until his death and how he loves his brother AND ALSO the distance he put with both of them (giving up on his dream and "not going anywhere", giving tsuchigomori the moon rock AND with tsukasa killing him and then abandoning (?) him)
and THERE'S TOO how the moon can't shine without the sun, so it can be a metaphor how important amane is for tsukasa and how he is the reason for so many of his actions
and
and and
his hesitation breaks me, but it's completely logical when you consider that he hasn't been outside of the school since around 50 years ago.
and after all that time, the only time he gets to see the city he shared with his brother, it isn't even real...
crying
something about how the night changes or something
I really like revisiting the earlier chapters after reading the newer ones because it helps give new perspective on the earlier interactions of these two.
The way how Hanako speaks to Yashiro, even from the beginning of their partnership, is so cute and sweet in a way I don't know how to explain. Sure, he's definitely still a jerk at times, but the general manner in which he interacts with her makes me smile like an idiot.
I like how he's not even angry or too upset with her, he's simply like, "Stop the cap. Just fess up and I'll help."
please just take a moment with me to appreciate how "s'envoyer en l'air" has so much comedic potential as an expression considering Chuuya's ability and how much mileage two teenagers who love antagonizing each other could get out of it
reviews something something the only place where i'm not a hater @/myotsune on twt
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