i think that Higuchi’s ability will be called “Takekurabe” (Growing Up/Child’s Play) after her most famous work, and i believe it might have something to do with reincarnation. here’s why…
in this official art she is featured with red spider lilies, which are symbolic of death, but are also thought of as a bridge between heaven & earth…a reminder of the “cyclical nature of life & death”
Takekurabe also explores themes such as how life is fleeting. & also abt being forced into a role that you didn’t want, or wouldn’t have chosen for yourself
(plus potential foreshadowing: in this official art, Higuchi is surrounded by pinwheels— which symbolize childhood, but also the cycle of life, & the buddhist teaching of reincarnation)
back to reincarnation…
after being told that Akutagawa may never wake up, she reached out to him & a glow appeared around her hand— like she was activating an ability— before pulling away bc she remembered that he didn’t want her (or anyone’s) help
but this means that she’s able to give help in this sort of situation
additionally, the fact that she almost always appears in official arts w Akutagawa indicates that she will probably use her ability on him at some point, which makes sense considering his terminal condition
(note the pulse in the background, his bright eyes, & her white suit)
because we have yet to see her use her ability, i’m assuming that she can only use it once, so she’d be giving up her life for Akutagawa’s (a life for a life— his reincarnation)
this would imitate irl Higuchi’s unfortunately short life— with her having died at only 25 years old. it also makes sense to give her such a powerful ability since irl Higuchi is such an important figure in japanese history— japan’s first professional woman writer of modern literature
now for a less likely, but fun theory…
i wonder if Higuchi’s sister has anything to do with her ability (in bsd she’s unnamed, but her irl sister’s name was Kuniko so that’s what we’ll call her)
according to Higuchi’s bungo episode, despite her literary genius, irl Higuchi was practically useless without her sister
Kuniko was the one who made what Higuchi did possible & kept things functional behind the scenes
so i think it’d be super interesting (& a cool irl reference) if Kuniko was involved in some way with Higuchi’s ability (i also just want to see more of her bc this sister duo is so cute :’))
bonus: when i watched this anime adaptation of Takekurabe, this was the ending scene & i wonder if it was harukawa’s inspiration for this official art 🥹
white lilies represent purity, & since they were off by the side of the road, they might have represented the character’s fleeting purity. white lilies are also used at funerals to represent a soul’s return to purity & its journey to the afterlife… which circles back to the reincarnation theme 👀
Mori Ougai’s belief as the boss is [...] “The boss stands on top of the organization, and at the same time, be the slave of all.” For the sake of the organization, the boss must always take the “logical optimal solution.” That is the duty of the boss. [...] “Therefore, no matter how much your heart aches, you have to ignore your personal feelings.”
Kafka Asagiri, for the BSD exhibition
On Mori and regret.
This man acts based on his perceived "optimal solution". It means relying on cold logic, detached from (his own and others') emotions. In that way, he fits right in as one of the smart characters of BSD, contrasting for example Dazai's way of working with/around people's feelings, and Fyodor's way of manipulating and twisting those feelings into monsters.
Mori remains cold, logical, distant, efficient. It meant disregarding Yosano's and the soldiers' deteriorating mental health during the war because the concept of an army that cannot be wiped out was too good. It meant following Natsume's plan and taking the old boss' place himself to fix Yokohama's underground and protect the city and its people. It also meant disposing of Mimic by sacrificing Oda in order to get the special ability business permit, despite (and perhaps because of) Dazai's attachment to the man.
The thing is, humans are not logical creatures, and will inevitably encounter conflicting emotions.
(does this look like the face of a man without regrets to you?)
Mori in Dark Era tried to pass on to Dazai his practice of putting aside his own feelings for the sake of choosing the most efficient solution that will benefit the group. It backfired spectacularly, so much so even, that Mori regrets it to this day.
For the BSD exhibition, Asagiri wrote some individual character commentaries, all very interesting insights into their characters and the writing intentions. For Mori, here's what he wrote:
“He who fell out of the optimal solution”
Mori Ougai’s belief as the boss is described in the novel “Dark Era” and “Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen”. That is “The boss stands on top of the organization, and at the same time, be the slave of all.” For the sake of the organization, the boss must always take the “logical optimal solution.” That is the duty of the boss.
There is an unspoken additional point to it. “Therefore, no matter how much your heart aches, you have to ignore your personal feelings.” We can catch a glimpse of that in this scene. [the ADA-PM alliance meeting]
Mori’s expressions after “Burnt it.” and “Like what you did to your predecessor”, gave us a glimpse of his true feelings that were made sacrifices for the sake of the “logical optimal solution”.
(By the way, it goes without saying that Dazai is inducing Mori’s thoughts by words that will make him regret the past. It is to make him decide to form an “alliance”.)
source and translation: Popopretty
(notice the inclusion of Hirotsu in this scene. Remember that later, Hirotsu suggests that Dazai knows why Mori did what he did to overthrow the old boss, which, in my opinion, is both a proof of Dazai's support in Mori's goal, and a reminder to uphold it.)
One of my favourite parts of the Dark Era light novel is a small scene during the epilogue that was not adapted into the anime. This is two weeks after Dazai defected:
To quote Asagiri again, "Therefore, no matter how much your heart aches, you have to ignore your personal feelings." Mori is conflicted about the outcome of the Mimic incident. He holds in his hands the Silver Oracle he himself gave to Oda, and reflects on its purpose: to "help the man mentioned above without hesitation in the face of any and all trials". Didn't he fail to do just that with Oda? Didn't he set him up and sent him to his doom? Didn't he abandon him to his trial?
But he rationalizes the events by saying he got the permit they so badly needed. No matter if he sacrificed one of his men. No matter if he drove Dazai away. He accomplished his priceless goal. It was a total success.
And yet, he poorly folds a paper airplane with the very Silver Oracle he gave Oda, throws it, watches it crash immediately, and mourns the loss of his right-hand man, without ever moving on.
But we have a direct example of Mori expressing regret.
The perception that Mori in BEAST is a completely different character than Mori is in canon, when that perception doesn't extend to any other character from that universe, rubs me the wrong way. The characters in BEAST are very similar to their canon selves, with some core traits getting a new twist. They are all one or two major life changes away from becoming these versions of themselves. As far as we know, Mori's only life-altering event was being forcefully removed from the Port Mafia by Dazai, and secretly put in charge of Atsushi's old orphanage.
Mori unambiguously made that orphanage a better place, as stated by Atsushi himself. BEAST!Mori is a lot softer, vulnerable and honest. That Mori offers to be a father to Atsushi while he heals. He also expresses regret in not being able to help Dazai when he was in his care.
I think it's very interesting, especially when knowing that Asagiri wrote both BEAST and Fifteen at the same time for the Dead Apple movie, because in Fifteen we have this:
The beginning of the first chapter of Fifteen is a gold mine. It is narrated from Mori's point of view, the man of logic and calculations, and yet it is full of doubt. He is alone and struggling to fix everything with so many people against him. But, throughout this scene about grasping at the Port Mafia's power, there is also this secondary thought being woven in, of Mori having started to actually care for Dazai.
The teenager is scary to him, smart enough to be a threat should he decide to be done with all this and turn against him, and yet, he immediately (and with a hint of sadness) finds that Dazai reminds him of himself. This lonely, lonely man found a kindred spirit, bright enough to grasp any situation in seconds and prone to using an uncomfortable obsession to divert and keep you guessing his true intentions. Mori entered Mentor Mode™ then. He taught Dazai his ways, he shared his struggles and thought process, he fought tooth and nail to keep him alive.
So when he asked Dazai why he wanted to die, it was with the concern of someone who has started to care. It was with the mind of someone who is trying to prevent the worst by fixing the problem at its source.
(translation: Reneray)
But it's also that self-projection/ability to relate that made him drive Dazai away, when he pushed too hard and forced Dazai to adhere to his optimal solution philosophy. Because Dazai cannot separate himself from his attachments, could not ignore his emotions like Mori does, and chose Oda over Mori's logic. From Dazai's point of view, that was betrayal. Mori and him were accomplices!
Dazai planted the idea that Mori was afraid of him taking over as boss, and Mori seems to agree with that thought (would it be because he feared for his life, or for Dazai's ability to replace him?) Yet, for a man afraid of his closest subordinate backstabbing him, he seems to be hanging on quite hard to the possibility of Dazai coming back, leaving his seat open to this day, inviting him back twice in the same arc, and...
(yeah I used this picture at the start too. "I hAvE nO rEgReTs" he says)
Mori may try to convince himself he feels no regrets and no guilt over his own actions by weighting gains and losses objectively, but he still hurts and has a very hard time moving on. He's human despite his best efforts, prone to mistakes and doubts. He's lonely and wishes to impart his knowledge onto others. His cold logic has both helped him in fixing the city, and alienated him from some of the people he most cared about.
In a similar vein, should the ADA employee transfer be of topic again, and should Mori clash with Yosano again, I wish we get to see some similar conflicting emotions in Mori between the usefulness of Yosano's ability, and Yosano herself as a person. The war was 14 years ago, that's a long time, and I want to believe that counts for something.
After everything gets fixed imagine Atsushi having to catch everyone up.
And between Fyodor’s monologues and Atsushi’s surely massive lore drops it’s gonna be a mess.
And you can’t convince me that boy won’t mourn how everyone’s else vanished. But then casual mention that time he got cut in half.
Without elaborating on it.
Like I just picture it like that one omake where Kyouka asks him about his haircut and everyone else is just standing there heartbroken as Atsushi explains what happened.
Susato holds herself in such low regard. This is one thing, but it becomes even more gut wrenching once you begin to interpret why she does. Given the raging misogyny and prejudice for women that permeated society in the 19th century, it’s not hard to imagine that she harbors internalized misogyny. We see her put herself down, especially in the first game, she quite literally hates herself.
She wanted to leave London, and she was caught about to throw her British Law book into the sea, the little self confidence she had as a judicial assistant was all but lost.
She felt that she did not deserve to practice law, not only because she recognized that she tampered with a crime scene, but also, how can a girl ever be worthy of the title ‘judicial assistant’? Where is a girls place in the field of law?
Do girls HAVE a place in the field of law?
From the very first case it has been made clear that women are barred from entering a courtroom in Japan. Even in British courts she is belittled and belittles herself. Even though her creating the peephole actually SAVED Gina’s case, she cannot recognize her own feat, she saved Gina, yet her internalized misogyny clouds her mind.
Moving on to dgs2, the first case has her breaking societal norms and pretending to be a man to defend her dearest friend Haori. Women were forbidden from entering a courtroom in 19th century Japan, despite how the laws of the land apply to EVERYONE.
This case also shows us more insight into her mind. If you press one of Hosonaga’s statements, she says this. I have seen the fandom brush this line off as a joke in favour of how Hosonaga replies. To me, it’s a perfect example of her internalized misogyny.
While in the position of Ryutaro, she regresses back into misogynistic rhetoric. There’s something about the horrific treatment of women in her time perpetrated by men that Susato feels she must comply with in order for the court to see her as a man. How else would they believe that it’s Naruhodo Ryutaro standing there at the defenses’ bench? Even if saying so hurts, what would become of her if they found out that Naruhodo Ryutaro did not exist? How would they react if it was found out that there was a girl in court?
It’s not her fault for worrying, even if the judge knew.
Dgs2 also reveals that her father, Yujin Mikotoba, travelled to Britain for six years. The first six years of Susato’s life. Her mother died and she was given to her grandmother while her father abandoned her.
We do not see Susato get angry at her father for doing so.
She always sings his praises and calls him “my brilliant father.” But how can that be? I’ve talked about how I think Susato deserves to lash out at her father, but does she feel like she deserves that luxury?
She clearly loves her father, but she may have felt deep resentment for him at times. How dare he come back into her life so suddenly? Did she feel bitter? Did she feel angry? But how could she be angry? Girls don’t get angry at their fathers, they treat them with utmost respect, No matter how they are treated by them. Even thinking about her father like that feels sinful. The Father was revered with great expectancy and honor, disrespecting him by showing anger would be absolutely unthinkable, right? Susato would feel terribly guilty for feeling even the slightest negative feelings about Yujin. Who is she to get angry at him, after all? How could she be such a terrible daughter?
Susato Mikotoba isn’t a person who flaunts her achievements for all to see. After a trial she congratulates Ryuunosuke.
“You did it! we got an acquittal thanks to YOU!”
What about all she’s done during trials to point her friend in the right direction? What of her own efforts? She does so much, yet she never gives herself credit where it’s due. Internalized misogyny is a powerful thing, it makes her think she’s useless, even if she were to be the one who turns the trial on its head.
There’d be countless opportunities for her, opportunities for her to thrive and learn to love herself, if only society gave her a chance.
can't lie Dazai would've lost me after "you're at the airport" like pause can i get some lined paper so i can take some notes at least. "intersecting orthogonally" "sound attenuates rapidly in proportion to the cube of distance instead of the square" i just witnessed several ppl die and i'm 0.3 seconds from crashing out why are u using big words and throwing equations at me
the last line being "feel strongly / that's what you do when you want to experience the past" is so important to me genuinelyyyyyyy like. god. god. the dead authors manga for people who are bad at living. the lack of a solid time setting when it comes to bsd in a very deliberate way. the things that asagiri is always always saying about death as a transient state through bsd. fiction and emotion and death and the aftershocks that these dead authors and their literature leave across history.
One thing that always bothers me is when people reduce Chuuya down to "anger issues." Because he's so much more than just an angry little redhead. Yeah, Dazai's ticks him off, but aside from that, whenever he's shown as being angry, it's never because of a stupid reason that had his temper going off. Like in the movie, he was mad because six of his friends were killed due to a government decision. He was angry in season three when he learned he had two days to either kill the leader of the Agency, a group that he knew they had a ceasefire with, or else the boss would die. I'm pretty sure Harukawa even said that Chuuya's actually composed most of the time, it's only when he's with Dazai that he reverts into a five year old with anger issues, as does Dazai. And as a matter of fact, he spent most of his life bottling down anger, taking responsibility for others, never really letting himself experience these emotions for others sake. In Stormbringer, Verlaine wants him to be mad, to use that anger to prove he's just a beast, and for him to go hurt the world that did bad to him. Something which Chuuya doesn't want to do.
I'm not saying that his patience is unlimited or that he doesn't get angry often, but whenever I see him get reduced to Bakugo syndrome, it always gets me annoyed, because it feels like people don't truly understand his character.
Last year nothing happened
The year before nothing happened
And the year before that nothing happened.
…Of course all kinds of things actually did take place, but when I try to recall them now, I experience that same feeling that nothing happened.
kaledo-art
annaxmalina
yousharknotpass
izzy806
blakekathryn
dededos
janainaart
areudirty
