My current hyperfixation. Please talk to me about the story. Legit and crack ideas welcome. There will be spoilers and nsfw idea here. I tag everything. Use your own discretion.
Very minor spoilers for s02e02c24 under the cut in the form of two screencaps that don't spoil plot.
So I have always wanted to run away and join the circus. And while I've only tried flying trapeze once-- I know that this is NOT correct. If you're catching you need to wrap your legs around the ropes so you don't get pulled off the bar when you catch the other person. To be fair, like literally everyone gets this wrong. But it really bothered me while reading today.
Here's a still from the one time I actually tried flying trapeze. Like my legs look like the catcher legs from the screenshot. And that's okay. Because I'm going to let go. But the catcher. He's locked in. Dionysia needs to do better.
!! Spoilers for Season 2 Episode 1 of Tokyo Debunker !!
I made a post a little while ago where I touched on the CSC's song hinting at the time loop theory and I saw someone (I have no clue where) mention that the Bray Men's song "Thief" hints even more at the time loop theory so I took the liberty of transcribing the lyrics and running them through google translate
schwarze wellen steigen hoch schatten tanzen / Black waves rise high, shadows dance
flimmernde lichter zucken durch die nacht / Flickering lights twitch through the night
ein kreisen, ein flüstern, ein leeres verlangen / A circling, a whispering, an empty longing
die zeit verschwimmt in endloser macht / Time blurs in endless power
ein herzschlag pocht / A heartbeat pounds
ein dumpfer schrei / A muffled scream
kaleidoskop aus farben bricht entzwei / A kaleidoscope of colors breaks apart
wir gleiten / We glide
wir fallen / We fall
kein boden zu sehen / No ground to be seen
ein flüstern das sagt / A whisper that says
lass dich gehen / "Let yourself go"
verloren im traum die welt verschwommen / Lost in the dream, the world blurred
jeder schritt im kreis wohin gekommen / Every step in a circle, where have we come from?
die sterne singen seltsame lieder / The stars sing strange songs
alles dreht sich schneller immer wieder / Everything spins faster and faster
ein letzter hauch ein atemzug vergeht / A last breath, a final sigh
die grenzen verwischen kein weg der steht / The boundaries blur, no path remains
die dunkelheit umarmt mich wie ein freund / The darkness embraces me like a friend
ein letzter tanz im chaos das nie vergeht / A last dance in the chaos that never ends
*Again, this is google translate, so the translation might not be super accurate, so if you know german and there's anything you see that's wrong, let me know! I also seperated the lines by how it sounded in the song, so I apologize in advance if the line breaks feel off
These are very intersting lyrics, not just because several of these lines can seemingly foreshadow there being a time loop at play, but also some other lines possibly allude to the apocalypse we saw at the end of Season 1 as well.
Let's break it down line by line:
Black waves rise high, shadows dance / Flickering lights twitch through the night
Could be referring to the demons/various anomalies we saw wreaking havoc at Darkwick, the lights could be the fire that was engulfing the entire island.
A circling, a whispering, an empty longing / Time blurs in endless power
Here we have our first of two mentions of circles and our sole mention of time. Circle + Time = Time Loop, yeah? Second line could be referring to the time loop not being natural (I mean, obviously, time loops aren't natural, but) and it's instead the result of someone's tampering, be it the result of a stigma or something else we haven't seen yet.
A heartbeat pounds / A muffled scream
I'm not really sure if these lines are referring to anything specific? Could be the Kyklos transformation? Or possibly MC chasing after the ghoul on the balcony in the opening scene and witnessing them jump? This is strengthened by later lines.
A kaleidoscope of colors breaks apart
This line could be referencing the clash and how even months after the event, inter-house relations are extremely strained, the colors referring to the fact that each house is represented by different colors
We glide / We fall / No ground to be seen / A whisper that says / "Let yourself go"
These lines are the reason I suggested the heartbeat/scream lines could be referencing the chosen ghoul's jump. I believe, and this is purely speculative, that the reason the ghouls jump is that they are jumping into the pits of Hell after it was opened by the Rinfone to close it from the other side and stop the apocalypse. This would explain why someone like Zenji, who is a ghost and should not be hurt from things like fire and heights, is jumping off a balcony into the fire below. Because that fire is Hell and he's going to seal it.
I don't think it's a stretch; we know demons exist and that if the Rinfone is opened, "Hell will be visited upon the earth," as said by Cornelius in Episode 20 Chapter 8. The way he says it almost makes it seem more metaphorical in a sense, but taken literally, a gate to Hell will open like in the urban legend the Rinfone originates from (because it is a real urban legend in Japan, just like Kisaragi Station from the Prologue though that legend is originally in Shizuoka rather than Tokyo.) Cornelius also mentions that the Rinfone has opened before, but he doesn't say how the Rinfone was closed, so it is possible that it needs to be sealed from the inside or that we will eventually be led to believe that.
Lost in the dream, the world blurred / Every step in a circle, where have we come from?
We have our second and final mention of circles. If we really are in a time loop, then it seems as though no matter what it always ends with the Rinfone being opened and the world ending. And anyone who remembers previous loops might get them confused with the events of the current timeline, or even see them as dreams. MC's nightmare at the beginning of Episode 23 may have actually been a memory of a previous loop.
The stars sing strange songs
This stars here might mean fate, or destiny, and them singing strange songs might mean that MC's and the ghouls' fates are unusual, which if we're stuck in a time loop and need to save the world, that would certainly constitute as an unusual destiny in my book
A last breath, a final sigh
Possibly the last breath of someone dying (bad ending) vs the final sigh of someone in relief (good ending.)
The boundaries blur, no path remains
I take this to mean that if the gates of Hell have opened and demons have caused so much destruction that there's no difference between Earth and Hell, there won't be anything anyone can do at that point
The darkness embraces me like a friend / A last dance in the chaos that never ends
Sort of a somber end to the song. The first line could be taken to mean that someone has died so many times throughout the time loops that death is now all too familiar and the second could mean that the chaos at the end of the world is also too familiar, that this song and dance (no pun intended) of fighting off the apocalypse has happened too many times to count
Some more thoughts:
What do the Bray Men know about the events of the story as a whole, if anything? Did they write this song because they know or is it just meta? And if they did, did Shion tell them? His cell was close to theirs, he could have told them about the time loop, given he knows about it, and the concert as well.
If anyone has anything to add, any other perspectives I didn't think about, let me know, I'd love to hear your guys' opinions and interpretations of the song!!!!!!
Like just imagine Sho and Subaru's first kiss. Like completely smitten, Suba leans in forgetting about his stigma when he is hit with a lot of memories that would cause shame in most people and he breaks off the kiss almost immediately. He goes to leave but Sho instinctively grabs his hand to stop him. He asks if he did something wrong. Subaru starts to mumble something about how this was his fault, but Sho is having NONE of this nonsense. He squares up with Subaru, hands on his shoulders, gentle but insistent eye contact and asks what's wrong. Eventually Suba stutters his way into explaining his stigma and Sho asks what he saw. And clearly it's something definitely illegal and morally dubious by the way Suba tries to avoid answering that question. But Sho says that whatever it was is a part of his history (and maybe present), but that he has nothing to hide. Suba tried to apologize and says this was a mistake and BLAH BLAH BLAH. But our baby Sho just moves in with a point to prove while Suba has lapsed in eye contact on some ramble about privacy and-- Subaru is just filled with imagine of himself and feelings of love and trust and while initially so tense with surprise, the feelings he sees are so gentle and warm that he MELTS into that second kiss.
As a Pisces who never resonated with the memes (and also have had people tell me that I don't seem like a Pisces which is a BANANAS because I'm Pisces sun and moon), let's talk about my take on Subaru and Rui.
Possible spoilers up to the current story to date s02e01.
Subaru: I have had vibes about this guy basically the whole time. The whole always locked in his room good guy act. Doesn't feel right to me.
He's doing something shady in his room. Darkwick knows because they deny him his internship.
Now shady doesn't mean evil. I feel like it can also be a self-flagellating kinda deal. Like he has done ABigBad™ and he is punishing himself for it. And despite knowing that, he keeps doing the bad. Maybe minor bad, but he's so fucked up he can't tell the difference.
Like the first big bad is definitely whatever happened that caused him to take a break from Kabuki. I headcanon he hurt someone real bad. Whenever it was physical or emotional trauma, he caused it and it was life changing. I know I personally always tell people I have the patience of a saint, but when it runs out-- you need to start running because I'm gonna make you feel it not just now, but for eternity.
Then there was his shady behavior with Lyca. Like I'm pretty sure that Lyca legit killed Neros, but in an out-of-control wolf form. And Lyca really didn't know this and made a wish to be able to find Neros and in return gained the stigma to follow any scent. So the only reason he hasn't found Neros is because there is no one to find. And Suba knows this. And he feels it. And if Suba wants to believe he deserves a second chance, so he gives one to Lyca. If Lyca makes good with his second chance, then maybe that means that Suba is also worthy of a second chance. Also I feel like Suba usually doesn't straight up lie. He will lie through omission or a twisting of context to the truth and through not correcting people when they make an incorrect assumption. Like Lyca (inhumanform) never killed anyone. Also with his stigma. He can read memories from tsukomogami which is true. He just also can read everything else too. Which means Suba KNOWS shit.
You also see him lose his temper. It takes a lot. But when you press him, especially on something that is dear to him. He can only take so much.
Also just a side note to how well he plays the game Darkwick sets him up in.
Overall Suba has done a bad, feels he needs to be punished, but also wants to be forgiven but literally doesn't know how to ask for it and probably wouldn't accept forgiveness if it was given to him. He has to forgive himself first.
Rui: Classic sad boy Pisces? Now this is all through web search and my horrible process of learning Japanese through DuoLingo which I know is a crappy crappy app. I know akarui means cheerful which is the demeanor he tries to project. But the way he signs his name I believe can be read to mean to accumulate. Like he's piling up his feelings and holding them hostage. He does all these things wrong and he'll never forget, but also can't let people know.
That's some sad boy shit
And I think another meaning of Rui can be tears (which Ed apparently has a fondness for).
SAD. BOY. SHIT.
And I can totally see Rui cutting that flower off and keeping it in his room as a reminder of all the things he fucked up.
The big one being the murder that started the clash. He just carries that. But Ed implicated himself to save Rui. WHY? To keep access to those tears? I'm sure they're tasty. Or because he knows something? OR BECAUSE SHE'S NOT DEAD? (I have a cracked out theory about this. Short version is that MC is Kyklos and Rui definitely severely injures her before she goes to the "hidden world". But like what if she traveled to Darkwick and dying or dead, Rui stumbles upon her and becomes the culprit. Please talk to me about my crack theory. I love it so much. But I realize it's highly unlikely the truth).
And just like Suba, he needs to punish himself for all the accidental deaths (ugh, now I have that in Rilo Kiley song stuck in my head)
But he is a little more public about his punishment. He's a flirt. He constantly actively reminds himself of what he can never have. You might even say he is punishing others at the same time. Flaunting something they can never have. And I bet a part of him is a little happy because misery loves company.
I would venture to say that Rui was cursed and then made his wish. It makes sense. And he can't bring people back from the dead, but he can make them feel less shitty which is something I'm sure he wishes for himself (even though he probably believes he SHOULD feel shitty).
This was just a big long meandering ramble (with no proofreading, sorry) to say that both boys are sad. They also feel like everyone else deserves to be happy and will do what they can to ensure that. But everyone is not them. They will continue to be sad because they deserve it.
My headcanons/wild theories/straight crack ideas about why each ghoul made their wish.
Here be spoilers. I am current with the story (s02e01) so spoilers through that. Individual spoilers not marked
Frostheim
Jin - sick and tired of doing everything Daddy said. Made a wish and now people have to listen to HIM
Tohma - tired of being underestimated. He has always been cunning but he lacked a certain (literal) earth-shattering power to get things done
Lukas - his family is cursed and shunned among certain circles. He wanted to power to protect his own, even if that means literally fighting back.
Kaito - kinda wimpy and always wondering when he really came from. Now he can really see who people are
Vagastrom
Alan - wanted to know the truth and exact justice on those who betrayed him
Sho - just wants to escape the horror that is upper middle class life. Now he can fizzle out the endless drone of meaningless small talk
Leo - wants to know EVERYTHING. And now he can hear even the things most don't want you to hear
Jabberwock
Haru - never quite has enough time or money, but with a little extra speed taking a little extra will be easier
Ren - ???? Just wants to escape?
Towa - ???? absolutely 5000% wants to be the hero that any (human) woman would fall in love with?
Sinostra
Taiga - ???? Tired of the grind? Wants to know if it's worth it?
Romeo - he's made so many sacrifices to help his family and doesn't get the recognition they deserve. Now they'll never be unable to miss when he throws away something else he loves
Ritsu - STUBBORN AF. He's brilliantly book smart but everyone always pushes him and his ideas aside. No one's budging him now
Hotorubi
Haku - ??? I read the voice for the person who reads your stigma is the same voice actor for Haku. Is that true? Seems lazy, isn't actually that lazy? Maybe he just wanted to know if all the work he did with his family/the temple was worth it. Can see what drives you/your motivation/stigma
Subaru - definitely insecure. Definitely has a temper. Definitely accidentally hurt/killed someone. Now instead of feeling suspicious all the time, he can know everything about you with just a touch
Zenji - ??? Weird brother stuff
Obscuary
Ed - ????
Rui - which came first, the chicken or the egg. Gonna guess he got cursed first and then made a wish? Doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore. It would be super interesting to see what kinda ramp up his power would get if he could hold hands with MC
Lyca - where is Neros? I bet he really did kill him, but doesn't remember what happens in wolf form. Suba totally knows this. He knows he can find Neros if he could just remember his scent and pick it up again
Mortkranken
Yuri - he's bright, but not cutting edge ideas smart. He gets there without relying on others, but he's always one (or more) steps behind. He just needs to work faster so people can see the potential of his brilliance
Jiro - ??? Weird brother stuff. Maybe wished that Taro would have to feel every hurt he made to Jiro. I am not convinced Zenji is all good. Not saying he's evil, but maybe just a little too self-absorbed to notice what it feels like for Jiro
They say that they don't know why most people die from demon pacts but I have a theory.
Basically all the ghouls are mentally unwell. Their mental illness is something the demons have no natural immunity to. It overwhelms the demon and it dies. Ghouls become ghouls because they have been dealing with their shit forever, but demons just can't cope.
Okay people with video editing skills. Please help me. I need a Tokyo Debunker music video to this song. Preferably a Ren-based video, but I will also graciously accept one about Professor Squirmy (Moby).
S2,E1: The MCs, The Priest, The Student, & The Actor
1. The MCs
Even ignoring Season 1's ending, this episode had a rather uncanny vibe. The whimsical, low-stakes plot was certainly part of it, but the MC's passiveness was also a big contributor.
A typical S1 episode introduced an episodic conflict within the first few chapters and noted the MC's plan of action to address it. In this episode, the MC does actively check on the band's progress and assist, but she's not actively investigating her curse or the Bray Men; Jiro and Yuri lead those efforts.
The number of meta references also factored into the eerie vibe. Following S1's end, players are thrown back to October where a different timeline is unfolding. The writers were not subtle that shenanigans are happening:
CSC performing "Stuck On Repeat," the name referencing a loop
The Bray Men's "Thief," which references a circle and time blurring
Kaito and Ren referencing gameplay
Elias' pointed silences and convenient appearances
Throughout the episode, Kaito mentions his dream of becoming a lead singer and expresses hope for his year. Not only does he become the band's vocalist — he also fulfills other dreams like spending one-on-one time with the MC, having her cheer for him, and winning the contest.
It's bluntly sweet following S1's end. It rather feels like the whole boy-band journey serves fulfilling Kaito's wishes...
And of course, our knowledge from S1 indicates Elias knows more than he's letting on... So who is the main character? Or really, who is the master of ceremonies overseeing this all?
2. The Priest
This may have been obvious to everyone, but it finally feels safe to confirm that Haku was the "sketchy priest" referenced in S1:E2.
He is a ghoul, his eyes are quite unique, and he did transfer houses twice, but overall he's been described as knowledgeable and reliable... So "sketchy?"
Yuri is, of course, savage to everyone, but I do wonder if there's a reason he chose this insult, particularly in S2...
3. The Student
This Hotarubi student or his look-alike sure likes popping up in interesting places...
The student Jiro encountered in Obscuary is the same one who alerted Subaru and Haku to the cursed stickers stuck around Hotarubi. In S1, he's also the one who delivered the Yumeyashiki investigation order to Haku after nearly running into Rui and failing to find Subaru. Ritsu later met him outside Ultio after tracing Tohma's steps.
His sprite isn't used as frequently as the male brunette Hotarubi one... Personally, due to his suspicious appearances, I choose to believe all sightings are the same person or related to someone impersonating him.
Who is he? Why was he outside Ultio in S1 and wandering around Obscuary in S2?
4. The Actor
In S1, the game's dialogue emphasized a number of odd decisions Subaru made.
In S1E15, three chapters are spent mentioning Subaru's disappearance. S1E18 likely answers this -- Subaru likely wasn't feeling well since he was practicing using his stigma.
However, that same episode spotlights another odd moment. When the MC suggests they discuss the festival inside the Jabberwock dorm rather than outside, Subaru declines on the grounds of propriety (he also declines the option to head to the main building, but that one is more plausible due to distance). Perhaps he doesn't want to let on how much he likes anomalies, or perhaps he's avoiding someone. The latter seems unlikely -- he speaks to Haru normally later in that episode. Is he afraid of touching something? Or is he really being polite..?
Circling back to the first S1 mention, E15, Subaru asks Haku to write his/ Zenji's slogan entry, claiming his handwriting is poor. It's easy to infer that Subaru, as a famous celebrity the park manager almost recognized, wanted to take further steps to hide his identity, i.e. hiding his handwriting. But could this mean something else?
And of course, there's this famous moment at the end of that episode:
Beneath the Tree of Severance, after a bumpy mission where his past was mentioned, was Subaru merely contemplating cutting ties to his connections and experiences, or something more?
Jumping back to S2E1, Subaru opts not to wear his Hotarubi T-Shirt. He claims he forgot, which could be true, but why is there a pause when he agrees to wear it the next day? If he doesn't want to wear it, is it simply a style preference, or for some reason, does he not want to be associated with the dorm he captains..?
So many of Subaru's decisions superficially make sense, but when combined, they paint a suspicious picture.
5. Bonus: The Park Ranger
The S2E1 Star Contest takes place on the second day of Samhain, the same day the various dorms are running their events. Despite this, Towa claims Haru doesn't need his help that day. Maybe having a free-spirited murder suspect as a tour guide posed a poor choice to Haru?
Even more interestingly, Ren also appears to be free during Samhain prep and on the second day, working in the diner and attending the song contest (despite hating noise and people...). Did he blow off Haru like he did in the S1 Star Festival?
And of course, aside from wondering what Haru is doing, what does he know in this timeline? Did he get a heads up that the Dionysia ghouls would be released?
Samhain occurs between S1E9 and E10. Episode 10 sees Rui, Romeo, and Haru discussing the bar's closure for Samhain, Rui's upcoming mission, and then Haru's lack of action regarding the Dionysia students.
Canonically in S1, the Dionysia ghouls were captured in September and imprisoned. But something has happened in S2 prior to Samhain that sees them go free...
Haru has a lot of trust in Elias to handle something so complex. Why? Does he really know how Elias aims to settle things? Would he be fine with timeline-hopping as a solution?
LITERALLY THE ONLY TIMES WE SEE HER EYES ARE THESE FEW SCENES!!! I have the feeling the devs can make her eyes an important plot point rather than it solely being for the self-insert aspect, which honestly, I find TKDB kinda strayed away from. I'm also suspecting there's also reason why the only times they've showed her eyes were in the beginning/end, and other life changing scenes.
BUT YEASSSSS IVE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE THE START in 2024, but we NEEDDDD TO SEE HER EYES MORE DJFNJDNFSKFNS!! I lowkey went ballistic in ep22 where they finally put more emphasis/justice on her character; I loved every second of it! They're such a pretty pink shade (my adored color!), and pink is LITERALLY her color!! They've recently also done her clothes so much more justice (omfg that gala dress sketch!!), and I was so emotional bc we've really come a long way from MC mistreatment, both in story, and out story.
Not fact checking that these are the only images with her eyes, but this goes with my theory that MC is actually the victim of the ONE-EYED sleeping beauty murder. Also assuming that Rui is the actual murderer, he's the one who kills her WHEN HE SLASHES THE KYKLOS because MC is also the Kyklos and doing some funky time magic to get things to happen the way she needs them to.
I have another theory that might conflict with this one, that the champion is actually MC. And that if she leaves Darkwick (aka goes to the "hidden world") then the world basically explodes.
Season 2 spoilers sorta. Screen cap from s02 under the cut
So Towa is definitely one of my favorite characters. But we don't know a lot about him.
We know (do we?) that he's a ghoul
He can see Zenji
He has weird weather powers (stigma or just powers?)
What is his stigma word?
What did he wish for?
Why do animals listen and/or fear him?
What's the obsession with flowers?
Okay he calls MC a dandelion even though her tattoo is a spider lily
But dandelions are known for being particularly hardy and hard to kill and I dunno Kyklos despite not having any dandelions that I noticed seems that way too
Can see the weird tree
Obsessed with love
Really attached to Haru
Weird relationship with Ed
Doesn't talk before 6PM (and ends when?)
Obsessed with being strong and a hero
Definitely don't get him angry
Someone please give me answers about this HUMAN FROM THE FOREST! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?
I looked up some random folklore creatures and things that remind me of Towa are:
Heyoka - the whole being backwards and the thunder
Thunderbirds - similar to above
Towin - I mean there's the name, but also the idea of judging people on their way to the afterlife kinda is like Towa hoping that by loving his friends their fruit on the tree will flourish and move on?
Astomi - not really but I just thought it was cool that they have no mouths and survive off of smelling flowers
Satyr - goats (also connection to Dionysus aka Haru)
Season 1 spoilers under the cut. Minor season 2 spoilers maybe?
So I've probably rambled about this at some point with a bunch of other garbage, but I'm going to do a more focused ramble about this here.
First off all this assumes a time loop with possible multi-dimension/pocket dimension aspects.
So let's assume that Rui is the murderer.
From what I remember about the case. A general student died. Rui found them and didn't not not confess. We don't know how this victim died but since Rui is not the only suspect according to WickHive let's assume that there could've been physical damage to the body and not just like Rui induced insta-death.
Let's also assume that Rui doesn't necessarily know if he actually committed the murder but like everyone else he does strongly suspect himself...
Now let's talk about my other crack theory that MC 500% is actually the Kyklos that cursed her. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey. Like how could MC feel so connected with Kyklos. Like maybe it's the curse. But maybe it's because Kyklos just knows so much about MC. My thought process here is a little fuzzy, but if you squint this totally works.
But MC/Kyklos has some big end goal (that I'm not sure what it could be yet) that can only be achieved by pulling a full groundhog's day (well year) until she gets it right.
But just like we snap back to Samhain in season 2 and learn things that shouldn't triggered memories or flashbacks when those specific names came up in season 1, things can be a little different as we go through different iterations of the timeline.
AND WHAT IF THE "HIDDEN WORLD" isn't just what our crew observes at Lockburn. What if when Kyklos, with her fatal(?) wound slips into a different time right before the clash where back in time Rui stumbles upon her body which somehow (timey wimey) has reverted to human form in the back in time land.
ALSO WHY IN THE WORLD IS IT CALLED THE ONE-EYED SLEEPING BEAUTY MURDER if we're not just literally talking about the Kyklos's impregnation eye.
Of course it can't look like that during the murder time. But it's a real weird name for the murder.
I'm going to assume that Darkwick is a big enough school (I mean it's churning out enough grads to run entire sectors of worldwide underground agencies) that you don't just know everyone. And I would imagine Rui being the kind of guy to not look too hard at the face of a dying/dead girl. Like he sees a dying MC and without thinking reaches out to help and either accidentally maybe makes contact or maybe Kyklos/MC touches him on purpose.
And I'm not sure who the main character of this groundhog's day is. Like is it MC or Rui who needs to run the perfect day to get out of this.
Plus also exposing Darkwick and the Institute for whatever it is they're guilty of.
