Something I always thought about, and mentioned on a DGM forum a while back. I decided to go ahead and post it here. Covering some irony, and a potential direction that Hoshino could go, or be going in with Allen + Cross / Mana.
Intro Rundown
We’re all familiar with Cross & Mana, but lets give a quick intro.
Mana = Allen loves him, and considers him a father. He has very fond thoughts of Mana, who was very affectionate with him. He declares Mana is the closest thing to family he’s known.
Cross = Allen has called him a demon, and wasn’t too interested in finding him earlier in the manga -as we see outside of Anita’s brothel. Cross was very tough on / with Allen.
In chapter 166 -167 , Cross reveals some less than good info. In short, Allen is a host for a Noah trying to take over his body. And Mana is the brother is said Noah.
Now, Allen is in shock and wonders if Mana really loved him, or if it was just the 14th that he loved.
Cross hugged him while saying aloud that he wished Allen didn’t have the fate he does. Then, he reveals that Allen will kill someone he loves when he becomes the 14th.
Allen is furious at Cross, hits him in the head, then declares his love for Mana, while calling Cross an idiot. This would be the last thing he’d say to Cross for a while.
The Irony -Cross vs. Mana
Mana was openly affectionate, and acted like a dream father figure.
But he was also somewhat crazy, and it’s possible his affection for Allen was not genuinely for him -so much as Nea.
Cross was the gruff mentor, whom sometimes seemed like a jerk.
But he had genuine love for Allen -even regretting him being the host. Hoshino stating Cross sees Allen as his own child.
So, Allen loved, and saw the father figure in the one that may not have loved him. And Cross has fatherly love for Allen, who may not see him in that role. So, possibly some one-sided parental love happening for both of these guys.
Cross is the one Allen calls a demon on more than one occasion.
Mana however, is the one who has recently been revealed as the villain of this manga -The Millennium Earl.
So his father figure was more of a demon than his mentor ever was -adding to the irony that his mentor is also a priest.
Not to mention Cross had to be more personable with Allen than Mana ever did. Because, it’s Cross who had to care for Allen when he mentally shut down.
So unlike Mana, Cross has gotten to
change Allen’s soiled underwear and bed-sheets,
cook for him
feed him,
dress him,
bathe him -most likely
Then there’s also the fact he had to punish Allen for getting drunk, and ban him from drinking again.
Cross was rough with Allen. But seemed a mix of Tsundere + Tough Love. Hoshi mentions Cross liking Dark Allen, and that’s why he picks on him. Dark Allen is probably real Allen -unlike Mana-Imitation Allen.
Then we also have Cross hugging Allen -just as Mana has done.
Allen has also fallen asleep on Cross before.
Growing Bond / Potential Development
Now we see some differences later in the manga -after chapter 170 with Allen’s feelings toward Cross. We see the sorrow and rage over his master’s supposed demise.
In chapter 222, he mentions being happy he got to see Cross again.
It seems he has had no bad words toward his master since chapter 169. It seems Allen didn’t come to appreciate or understand his master until after he was gone -the message probably helping him understand better.
And that may be why it angered him when he listened -because as he said, it wasn’t like the Cross he thought he knew.
May be guilt coming into play -given how little credit he gave Cross, in addition to the last thing he said not being very good.
Also, Allen does not seem to take kindly to anyone else badmouthing his master now -during the confrontation with Apo, for example. Apocryphos tells Allen that Cross didn’t care anything about him, and was just using him.
Given Allen’s expression after that, he clearly seemed pissed at Apocryphos’ words
Allen rejects him -declaring that he is Cross’ apprentice, and that the thought of joining with him makes him sick. Apocryphos attempting to turn Allen from his master didn’t work.
Allen has not found out the truth about Mana yet. And Cross is still alive. Could be possible Hoshino may be keeping Cross around for Allen -partially, as I am sure he’s got more stuff to do himself.
But, things don’t look good for Allen’s future bond with Mana -the good times being a thing of the past. So after Allen discovers Mana’s true identity, he won’t be happy. And still having Cross may be the 1 saving grace -again, the man who definitely loves him w/o question.
I get a Spider Man vibe. Peter is angry and his uncle Ben, and tells him to stop pretending to be his father. But during the film’s climax, he declares than Ben was, in fact, his father.
Could be something like the above with Allen. When he discovers the truth of Mana, he’ll be heartbroken. But this time, he’ll realize that he still has Cross, whom he may come closer to see as a father figure -if he doesn’t already.
During their convo at HQ, Allen was so upset about Mana, he seemed to pay no mind to Cross being there -even during the hug.
After Cross’ disappearance, Allen is very affected. When he sees into Apocryphos’ mind, he gets a sight of what happened.
Similar to the Mana incident, he goes into shock, and Road’s presence goes unnoticed, and offers no real comfort -despite her effort. Similar to Cross when Allen was upset about Mana in HQ.
Master + Student, No More
There also seemed to be some signs Hoshino may have been changing the dynamic. Because in middle chapters, there was references to their Master / Student bond -in which both proudly state it, at least once.
After the ark incident, Cross proudly comments that the master and student triumph -though Allen was ignoring him lol.
Then there’s Allen declaring to Apocryphos that he is Cross’ apprentice.
In recent chapters -222, it goes back to Cross again. He declares that he is Allen’s master, no matter what.
However, once Allen rejects Cross’ proposal in 222, everything changed. This is covered in the chapter 222 Review I did, which can be found at the top of my blog archive.
So anyhow, 222 may have been the ending to the Master / Student dynamic where Allen does not need a master any longer, and Cross has fulfilled his duty in that regard.
Both have taken turns in proudly acknowledging their position as master / student. But now things may be developing more, and the deeper bond -father / son may be coming.
Cross, by Hoshino’s admission, sees Allen as his son. However, he has not come out and said that, -though he’s said just about everything close to it lol
And Allen has proudly declared Cross his master, then admitted to being happy to see him again -but he still may be seeing Mana in the father role.
So something could be coming where it is finally acknowledged by both that they have a father / son affection for one another.
Neither has admitted to it, but it’s canon on Cross’ end, by Hoshino admitting it. And Allen sees Mana as his father for now, but it’s possible Cross may get that position / acknowledgment later.
Conclusion
Anyhow, just a thought I always had. And I think it would be an interesting development. It has happened in fiction before. Spider Man, as mentioned above is just 1 example.
So, Mana was the Father and Cross was the Bastard Master. But I wonder if Hoshino plans to change that, in which Allen may acknowledge Cross as being his real father later -with Cross actually admitting to seeing Allen as his son.
Wishful thinking as a Cross fan, but still nice to imagine -that way Allen won’t be in too much despair when he learns the truth about Mana.
You can buy all seasons of the show on amazon. It’s pretty cheap. That’s what I did. Then you can enjoy it whenever. And yeah, the show rocks. It gave me some scares as a kid, but still a great show from my childhood.
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