It's honestly funny when I look into the Kuuchuu Buranko fandom because everyone sticks heavily to the anime, and they start to analyze Irabu like scientists with little rats.
If the books were easier to get ahold of, people would realize that the anime just made it more than what it is. The books are simple. There was no weird creepy moments with irabu, and there is no balance between him and his other selves because his other selves are not real.
The anime is great, and I love it, but the anime also didn't want the main doctor to be a fat guy-- so they gave him a kid version and a skinny version. Both what fans like to see.
In the books: only the big Irabu exists. There is no small or skinny irabu. It's just.. Irabu.
And it breaks my heart that the anime gets his real self so on point when comparing to the books, but put him into the sidelines in favor of the two non canon versions of himself.
In the books, he's the average Japanese man: black hair, glasses, but overweight. He's known to have dandruff, and he picks his nose. He dresses sloppily and likes to show off his money while doing so.
The book is simple, but it's so fun and efficient in what it's trying to convey. Irabu eggs on the patients until they realize that they're.. stupid. Stupid for thinking certain things.
I don't know- I love the anime, but I've slowly grown to not care about the other versions of himself since they never existed in any other media. They also are just a way to allow fatphobic fans to like Irabu and not look at the real Irabu.
I feel stupid making this rant, but I felt this way when I saw a bunch of fanart just now. It just hit a little more after I've finished the first and now starting on the second book.
