Present.. no wait- PAST—??
Okay, okay, so hear me out:
Here in this scene, we're so familiar with, from the Season 2 intro:
I noticed something strange. And so, also want to take this opportunity to discuss the symbolic nature of this scene. With focus on Soukoku.
FIRST: In this first shot of Chuuya and Dazai, (the picture above) when they are walking toward one another, they both wear their present-day outfits, their present looks, their present day height-difference, this is clearly their present day-self.
They don't seem to be looking at each other, but it's a bit hard to tell what happens as they cross, considering the moment before they would have crossed or touched in any way, the scene switches to Akutagawa and Atsushi.
As shown in the pictures here, they never got any closer than this. Check it out yourself if you're in doubt, I promise you. The frame right after this SKK picture/frame (the one right above) is just white and then SSKK appears (picture above), seemingly having taken their places after crossing, now walking away from each other.
Notice that it is Akutagawa and his shadow who are replacing Dazai's shadow and place, not Atsushi. But Atsushi is the one who's walking in the same direction as Dazai.
Had the scene continued with SKK, and had SKK crossed each other, it is Atsushi who's where Dazai would have been, while Akutagawa is where Chuuya would have been.
Fabulous show of how their roles are today.
Akutagawa and Chuuya remain in the mafia, they are the ones, actually on the "same road", in that regard.
But Akutagawa looks up and wants more from Dazai, wants to be on the same road as him and so, his shadow is placed after Dazai's. But only Dazai's shadow, not the real him. Akutagawa can't reach him. And even though they are standing in the exact same spot in those two frames, they are walking in opposite directions.
Though, keep in mind, this intro is from S2.
Characters have developed since then.
Soukoku never actually walked away from each other in THIS shot, but they don't ever look at each other either.
They would clearly be able to see each other in this position, and yet still, they don't look at each other, making it feel like they very deliberately, on purpose, choose not to or perhaps avoided looking at one another.
As mentioned, this is the opening from season 2, which is the season in which the Double Black episode came, Soukoku's first team-up in years. With this in mind, this angle of looking at it fits better.
Perhaps it was hinting at some possible awkward or tense air between them after so long.
This is a spectacular detail to have in an intro, in the intro, if you ask me.
(But I mean, I would also simply say that in whatever scene something Soukoku-related is included ehe))
BUT! We're not done! We haven't even touched the subject of this strange thing I mentioned.
After the shot of Shin Soukoku, they switch back to Soukoku, there's that short flash, and then we see Dazai.
In his PAST Port Mafia Outfit. It's not like I haven't noticed this fact before, I just first took it into consideration now, ESPECIALLY because... Take a look at Chuuya.
I see nothing weird in Dazai flashing back to his Port Mafia outfit in this one scene in an opening, that's not the strange thing I noticed. A cool show of his past in the mafia with Chuuya and then on, and I thought:
How Cool! They are walking towards each other in their present outfits, and then walking away from each other in their past outfits.
That's some really awesome details!! Like, even though they weren't looking at each other -while in their present outfits- they still walked towards each other, and the moment you would think something would happen, they swift to their "past selves" Where they didn't have quite the same relationship yet you could say.
However.... There's just that, that...
Chuuya ISN'T in his PAST outfit from that time??
He's obviously still in his present outfit? While you clearly see from the back of Dazai in the very same frame that he's still in his Port mafia Outfit-??
And no, this is not a past Chuuya, this must be Chuuya from the present..! Not only clothes, but his hair also looks like it does in the present, and his hair changes a lot in design compared to Dazai's.
I know he HAS had that specific outfit for some time, but in the start his hair looked like this in it:
Has to be AT LEAST some years after the AGE 15 time, likely simply just in the present.
An error, nahhh, how likely is that - and then again, maybe, I don't know much about how they make it work exactly.
But if not, here comes the interesting, why?
Showcasing some distance between them?
Is it Chuuya thinking of the past? Thinking of past Dazai?
Dazai thinking about Chuuya in the future? Sees him as better than him in some way?
He's also in this present outfit from behind when we see Dazai from his front in past clothes-
Perhaps there's some meaning to them not being able to see each other while this weird error in time occurs?
All of this could be possible in my ears. Some more likely than others.
But who knowssss........!
I honestly like the idea of this symbolyzing some distance between them.
They walk toward one another, about to meet again.
But they both avoid openly contact. Or perhaps simply don't know what to do.
It flashes to Shin Soukoku to show how they reflect Soukoku.
It flashes to a sort of half past, half present Soukoku again. Perhaps still showing the connection between sskk and ssk, but also as to show Dazai's and Chuuya's "current state" at that moment.
Dazai in his past clothes, he "hasn't moved on". He's stuck somewhere? Feeling the same way? The same things?
Chuuya on the other hand has "moved on". He's changed? Thought he could forget about Dazai?
But the thing is.. They both look like they are trying to get away, to forget about the other one.
Or perhaps they are both thinking about the other but in different ways.
With the way they walk away from one another with those neutral, somewhat sad and serious expressions.
Yet one is in the past and the other in the future.
Interpret that however you want!
