Actually iâm not done. Mondo and Takaâs âopposite attractâ friendship goes deeper than âthug and nerdâ; Mondo was constantly playing to an audience, crafting his entire identity around a one-dimensional visage of âleaderâ, that was in itself steeped in his grief-ridden memories of his brother. Mondo was never going to get fulfilment or make any connection doing this, and just spent his life spiralling into grief which forced him further into hiding which forced him further into grief.
Alternatively, Taka is nothing except 100% genuine in everything he says and does. He does a rigid belief in being the âtraditional Japanese manâ and upholding specific ideals. But those are his ideals. He fully understands that no one likes him. He isnât playing to a crowd or get anyone to like him, he just does what he thinks is right with a fervent intensity.
Both Mondo and Taka live their lives according to unbending rules and codes they were raised with. Mondoâs entire character is based around bosozoku, a counter-culture that focuses on embracing tradition and following conduct. Bosozoku have always followed a strict set of rules.
Despite the outward skin of someone who rebels against society and doesnât do what heâs told, Mondo is a man who is scared of substantial change. He doesnât want to go against his gangs pre-written rules of what is expected of him. He doesnât want to question his memory of his brother, or his death too deeply. He doesnât want to change any of the strict gendered rules he knows; boys are strong and meant to protect girls, who are incapable of fighting for themselves. There are hints of his personality not quite fitting right in his design; his soft, calm voice, occasional shy and self-conscious moments and colour palette including soft lilac and gold create the general sense of âroyaltyâ that suggests him being a leader donât reflect his supposed âloose cannon, macho rebelâ mask.
Taka, however, fully embraces his traditionally Japanese style of living and views (boys and girls spending the night together is âunwholesomeâ, he practises calligraphy and kendo as his only hobbies outside of studying, I read a post about how his attitude towards nudity actually reflects older generations of Japanese men, not youth culture. I canât speak on how accurate that is though).
Despite this, Takaâs characters motivation is based entirely around him demanding change. He wants to change literally everything he can about his peers; from their informal appearance, to their opinions on studying and school, to their morals itself. He wants to change societyâs opinion on him and his family name, he wants to go into politics and change the way the very country is run. His character design perfectly matches who he is; the colour palette is literally black-and-white, the harsh red and royal gold play perfectly into his intense âholier-than-thouâ personality, he is 1-to-1 with a military soldier including the impractical boots and buzzcut, and he is the only one in the Dangan cast with double rings in his eye, creating a âbullseyeâ effect. It is simple and to the point, just like him.
If their friendship had been allowed to run its course I think they wouldnât have just been âMondo learns anger management and Taka doesnât study quite as hardâ. But also Mondo takes charge of his own life and learns who he is as a person, and Taka stops running full-speed into the future and stops to appreciate whatâs around him, instead of trying to âfixâ everything.
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