back at it again with WHA rambling this time about Olruggio and the events of chapters 36 - 38
ive talked about this before but I want to break it down with what we actually see happen in these chapters; I think Olruggio had just about made up his mind and was preparing to take the girls out of Qifrey's care, but Beldaruit and Coco changed his mind
in ch 36 we get the conversation between Qifrey and Olruggio right after the former wakes up for the first time since Romonon. and right away Qifrey is assuming the worst, that Olruggio has already taken the girls and handed them over;
which immediately tells us that Qifrey knows he's on thin fucking ice here with Olruggio, which makes sense after the events of Romonon. Qifrey knows Olruggio wouldn't turn those girls over for being victims of an attack by the Brimmed Caps, but he also knows that Olruggio had to be the one to remind him of his duties as a teacher, because he wouldve flown off the handle and left his students behind to chase after the Brimmed Caps if Olruggio hadn't physically stopped him
I also love Olruggio's body language here- he's very tense. we can tell that he's on edge, which means we already know this conversation is going nowhere good. he also, crucially, doesnt reassure Qifrey here in saying he wouldn't hand the girls over to the magic security council, because at this point, that isnt off the table
that clenched fist panel is a fav. I love that Shirahama keeps us from seeing Olruggio's face here, and instead tells us his state of mind through body language and shading choices. the fist clenched at his side, and the way he's cast in shadow, looming over Qifrey. and contrasting that with Qifrey, all in light, and even then we cant fully see his face. he's also the most vulnerable we've seen him be up until this point, practically swimming in his robe, looking very small and injured
its all set up to make Olruggio look very intimidating. I wouldn't call it threatening, but this is Olruggio approaching Qifrey like he's a threat- he isnt Qifrey's friend in this moment, he's the Watchful Eye of their atelier, and his priority is those girls above all else, so injured or not, Qifrey now has to answer to him as he questions him on his true intentions with those girls- specifically, in this case, Coco
we get to see their faces now, and the expression work here is chef's kiss. Olruggio is pissed, but he's keeping himself very collected here, because he has to. in this moment he's feeling angry and betrayed, because this is his best friend who he's supposed to be able to trust, and a teacher he's supposed to be able to trust the girls' safety to. Qifrey was supposed to have dropped his chase for the Brimmed Caps when they started taking on apprentices, this was all supposed to be in the past, but now its started back up again- and he's using a child as a lead
now lets look at Qifrey's face. its giving NOTHING away. Qifrey is completely unreadable in that panel, completely neutral. he's on the back foot here and he knows it, he's on thin fucking ice and he needs to be very, very careful about anything he says or does in response to Olruggio here
and of course, his own words come to bite him in the ass-
this is where I think we see that Olruggio is also upset with himself about this situation. because he knew right from the get go with Coco, that Qifrey was manipulating him- "if her memories should be erased, then so should mine"- and he should've seen something like this coming. throwing Qifrey's own words back in his face here is both an accusation towards Qifrey and an admission of his own negligence
now, do I believe Olruggio failed in his duties as Watchful Eye? no, absolutely not, if he'd done things by the book he wouldve had to turn an innocent girl over to the Knights Moralis for a memory wipe. but I think Olruggio believes he's failed in his duties here, so as angry as he is with Qifrey for nearly failing in his duties as a teacher, he's also angry with himself because he believes he's failed as a Watchful Eye
back to the analysis here- Olruggio's questions always centre on the girls, with Coco being at the heart of this interrogation. and I think that really speaks to how much Olruggio is doubting Qifrey here, because he's asking targeted questions about Qifrey's ability to prioritize the girls and keep them safe. Olruggio doesnt trust him right now- thats why he asks if he's really trying to protect Coco, if he's really worried for the girls' sake, or if Coco is just a means to an end for him, and if he's just concerned that he'll lose what he's already straight up called "his only lead"
we also see Olruggio out of the shadows now, laid completely bare in white as we get to where the questioning is leading to-
these panels are what really say to me that Olruggio had pretty much made up his mind and was preparing to remove the girls from Qifrey's care. he's already convinced that Qifrey's motives for taking Coco on were selfish, and that he's just going to use her to lead him to the Brimmed Caps. this isnt him figuring this out on the fly- he's still very calm, this is the calm resolve of someone who's had time to come to his conclusion and make up his mind about what he's going to do
again, Qifrey's full expression is hidden from us, but look at the body language here and the way he's leaning back a bit. he's nervous. I think at this point he realizes Olruggio has figured something out, because this would be a massive leap to make from just what happened at Romonon
this is where we get the reveal with Qifrey's glasses, that the left lens has also been enchanted because his remaining sight is failing. and thats what really pushes Olruggio over the edge, because not only has Qifrey been keeping something this massive from him for who knows how long, its also more motive for him to resume his hunt, which Olruggio immediately calls out and questions him on-
and here we see the anger coming out in Olruggio again, as we get to the heart of the confrontation: Qifrey is keeping secrets from him, acting behind his back, and its interfering with his duties as a teacher and endangering the girls
I love these two panels, returning to the visual we had earlier of Olruggio looming over Qifrey. I love that we can fully see the barely restrained anger in Olruggio. I love that we see Qifrey's composure give way here, because this conversation is about to veer into very dangerous territory for both of them. with context from later on in the manga, I honestly think this conversation was getting very close to a mind wipe
before we get any further though, Beldaruit crashes the conversation and we find out Coco's gone off to the Tower of Tomes, which prompts both Qifrey and Olruggio to shelve this conversation for another time because they need to hurry and find her before she gets hurt
which brings me to the first thing that eases Olruggio's ire: Beldaruit's observation of Qifrey when they go after Coco
Beldaruit here is mirroring Olruggio's own doubts of Qifrey at first, specifically the worry that he'll go too far to chase down the Brimmed Caps. but then he points out just what Qifrey is risking by going after Coco, and we have that lovely panel of Olruggio reacting to that
I love the look on his face there. the blatant surprise at what Beldaruit is saying. Olruggio knows the shaky relationship between Qifrey and Beldaruit, but here Beldaruit is, immediately seeing something in Qifrey that Olruggio himself wasn't seeing; that he's willing to risk his dominant arm, and his ability to draw at all, for Coco's sake
this directly contradicts the idea that Coco is just a means to an end for Qifrey in his hunt for the Brimmed Caps and regaining what he's lost. if that were the case, Qifrey wouldn't risk so much to save her. Beldaruit rightly points out here that Qifrey is acting as a teacher-
which goes against what Olruggio had assumed he understood of the situation, and makes him doubt his conviction that Qifrey doesnt have Coco's or the girls' best interests at heart
Olruggio doesnt know what to make of Qifrey here, and he's absolutely right in feeling conflicted. on the one hand, Qifrey is his best friend and he has demonstrated that he's a great teacher. on the other, he's also a wild card, and he's endangered the girls right in front of Olruggio, and he's also been keeping massive secrets from him. Beldaruit reminds him here that Qifrey does care about those girls, he does care about Coco, and he will protect them- but Olruggio also knows that there are things Qifrey's keeping him in the dark about, and that his motives are still unknown to him
this is enough for Olruggio to doubt his conviction, but it isnt enough for him to completely let go of his misgivings. but to help him along, we do get this great interaction between him and Coco after they've all returned safely from the Tower;
Olruggio directly asks her if she wants to be Qifrey's student. if you ask me, this right here is why I think Olruggio is extremely good at his job as Watchful Eye. he doesnt tell Coco any of his misgivings. he doesnt ask her if she has any misgivings. he doesnt cast doubt on Qifrey to her, doesnt lead her in any direction, and doesnt pressure her. he just asks her, very neutrally, if this is what she wants- he even gives her an out, by saying she has right to choose her teacher, and he still does this without casting any doubt on Qifrey for her
this is Olruggio still on the fence. Beldaruit's observations of Qifrey at the Tower have swayed some of his ire, but he still isnt fully convinced. thats why he asks Coco this here, in the Great Hall, where it would be easiest to ferry her away to the proper authorities if he needs to
but of course, we know Coco's answer;
and thats enough to satisfy Olruggio- at least for the immediate moment, because as we know, this conversation is far from over
but I do want to highlight these panels-
Olruggio picking up Qifrey's dropped hat and giving it back to him is a wonderful piece of visual symbolism. we know how important a witch's hat is to them, its a huge part of their identity, its what identifies them first and foremost as a witch. for a teacher, the hat is also what connects them visually to their students, because the students wear hats modelled off of their own
Qifrey's hat being on the floor in the first place is a charged image that represents the low point he's at here. Olruggio picking it up, and giving it back to him, is one of my favourite bits of visual symbolism we've gotten so far in the manga. because Olruggio is giving him back his most important witch's symbol, and his most important teacher's symbol. this is Olruggio giving Qifrey another chance to explain himself, and opening up the conversation between them again. this is a show of trust, and Olruggio giving Qifrey the opportunity to earn his trust back
two things here are very important to me. the first is that Olruggio isnt letting Qifrey off the hook, and he still has his doubts about him. the conversation between them isnt over, but right now isnt the time nor place to continue, so Olruggio is willing to delay it until the time is right
the second is that Qifrey isnt the one to ease Olruggio's mind about what's happening, but that its Beldaruit and Coco's interactions with him regarding Qifrey that make him take a step back from his anger and think. Qifrey cant be the one to ease Olruggio's mind in this situation, from an ethical standpoint Olruggio cant allow that to happen, and besides that, he also doesnt trust Qifrey in that moment
this parallels back nicely to when Olruggio first met Coco. when Qifrey gives Olruggio the ultimatum and Olruggio storms off, its very obvious that that conversation between them isnt actually over- Olruggio is just excusing himself from this moment, and wouldve likely gone back to the conversation when they could have it privately. its when Coco comes into his room, and he sees her passion for magic and talks with her, that he makes his decision to not turn her in to the Knights. again, crucially, Qifrey is not the one who convinces Olruggio to change his mind, because he cant be the one to do it in this situation. it comes down to Coco
back to their confrontation in ch 36, Qifrey also knows that Olruggio can't just take his word for anything here, so he doesnt actually try to defend himself at any point in their conversation, keeping himself completely neutral and guarded right up until Olruggio starts getting way too close to what we will come to understand is mind wipe territory
speaking of which- Qifrey's face in that last panel, when Olruggio is handing him his hat. that's the face of someone who knows what he's going to have to do when they resume their conversation, and it's already breaking his heart. that is the sad, guilty look of someone who knows he's going to have no choice but to mind wipe his best friend- again
Olruggio's confrontation with Qifrey is why ill never buy into the idea that Olruggio chooses not to take on apprentices of his own because he thinks he would prioritize Qifrey. if that were the case, Olruggio wouldve gone about this very differently, or he wouldn't have confronted Qifrey at all
what we see here is Olruggio confronting Qifrey and interrogating him in a moment where he's very physically vulnerable. theres absolutely no consideration here for the condition that Qifrey is in, Olruggio isnt gentle with him, and treats him exactly as one should treat a perceived threat to the safety of the children in their care. the visuals in that entire confrontation are so striking- Qifrey looks young, and small, and frail, especially with Olruggio looming over him and being presented so intimidatingly, but there's also never a moment where we think that Olruggio is going too far or being too harsh. I would also argue Olruggio's choice to have that confrontation when and where he did- with Qifrey injured and vulnerable, in the Great Hall where it would be easiest to get the girls to safety if need be- was deliberate. he put himself in control of the situation, and made it so that Qifrey wouldn't be able to get in his way
Olruggio also needs outside opinions before he begins to be swayed from his doubt. it takes both Beldaruit's observation that Coco's safety is something Qifrey prioritizes over his own physical wellbeing, and Coco's assertion that she wants Qifrey as her teacher, for Olruggio to be swayed enough to be willing to open up the conversation with Qifrey again. Qifrey on his own wouldn't have been able to convince Olruggio of his good intentions and ability to be a responsible, trusted teacher. it ultimately had to come down to the subject of Olruggio's concern, Coco, vouching for him for Olruggio to back off in that moment
Qifrey is Olruggio's best friend, and has been for a long time. thats why Olruggio even confronts him in the first place- even though he doesnt trust him right now and he has serious doubts about him, he's still willing to hear his side of things because at the end of the day he wants to believe that Qifrey's intentions with Coco and the other girls are good. but Qifrey is not his priority, those girls are his priority, and thats why when Olruggio confronts Qifrey, he does it in a time and place where Qifrey is vulnerable, cant get in his way, and where safety is closest for those girls should he need to act
all of that is why im convinced that Olruggio went into the confrontation having pretty much made up his mind, and was preparing to take the girls from Qifrey's care
theartofmadeline
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