i don't think it's even about proper deaths, but how contrived it is. By making it contrived, it signals hard it's fake. Remember when Fitzgerald fell off Moby Dick? You could legit write him out of the plot and it would have the same impact as Pushkin being caught/imprisoned.
That characters don't die is a strength of the manga when it plays to these strengths. Because this way, they get to have character development. What does it mean for Fitzgerald to lose everything AND LIVE? Have a less bourgie life, after being so filthy rich? Having to face his wife knowing he Dun Goof'd Bad? That the local government isn't pursuing him for… everything? If this wasn't more-or-less a rehash of an old SKK plan, this means they get to sit down. And talk. About the drowning bit, and the sappy speeches. Way too many gunshots. Suegiku shippers could go brr (harder). also it kind of reinforces Q's existence - if they're like that, why are they being kept alive? With everyone else not dying it flies under the radar.
And yeah the entire thing resolved too cleanly which undercuts the whole 'didn't plan this, just left it to my allies'. Doing so would mean they inevitably fuck up, even if the grand scheme turns out k. If we were into prowrestling i'm sure we would be able to phrase/explain better how it's the pace or whatever.
Also: multiple retcons re wounds during Meursault. i would 100% taken an inexplicable contrivance sheer-dumb-luck surviving a falling elevator if that meant Rehab. Instead we get: magically appearing hand wound - which anime sold so hard (and well) it looked like a split timeline, magically disappearing [long list of injuries] - like even if the leg is fine, what about the major blood loss AND the gunshot wounds AND everything else, assuming they're actually poisoned? all fixed in 20mins, despite the prison being built like a Humanoid Containment Site? even with Ango feeding Chuuya map of the place and all the codes, and security keycard(s), dafuq? Too many things are stacking to be like "as long as you have more than 1hp, you are ready to go!" this isn't "whelp we messed up on moon phase that has no real bearing on reader perception, correction next chapter".
pondering on fitz makes me think - a lot is unstated relying on the readers not being idiots but when it DOES get explained it turns out it's a tossup if it's shittier than rabid theories. i am dead certain BSD is a scheme to get people to read/write, and boyyyy salt and spite are Motivators, but there are limits.
Oh wow…so the BSD anime ending wasn’t an anime-only original after all, because it looks like the manga just followed suit.
What a shame. The manga ending is just as terrible as the anime’s and we’re right back in the same place we were a couple months ago. I really can’t hide my negativity about this because this storytelling decision makes everything feel like a letdown anticlimax.
The cope has run out. Really I’m just super upset that Fyodor is still going to die in the most contrived and embarrassing way possible while Sigma lays dead on the floor and Dazai makes his obligatory “actually there was no danger or emotional stakes all along and I pulled this plan out of my ass” speech. Yet again, Dazai acts as a convenient narrative crutch for whenever Asagiri needs to get out of a corner and culminates an anticipated confrontation in the most typical way imaginable.
BSD really is full of so many twists and surprises! Every time I think the plot is going to culminate in something meaningful, I am let down by a barrage of contrived nonsense! Asagiri is truly a genius of storytelling! Who cares about emotions and relationships between characters when you can just say SIKE! And reveal that it was an elaborate ruse all along, ruining the tension and making the buildup to that moment effectively meaningless!
Hey, at least the manga has better art though. The story might’ve sucked, but at least all of the characters looked good while sucking.