So I’ve been waiting to see if there’s more but it looks like that was the end of the Prison Break Arc. And I’ve been mulling some thoughts regarding part 2.
Spoilers below:
After the aquarium date, I’ve felt that the narrative has been coming up…short. Like it’s missing a punchline.
To explain this in a way, the lifeblood of a story is drama. There would be conflicts, the character would have to overcome certain obstacles to achieve their goals/mini-goals. Ideally capping things off with a dramatic flair.
Examples ? The very first chapters of both part 1 & 2 demonstrate this.
Denji is an orphan boy indebted to the mob. He’s dying. Said mob turns on him and he’s given a second chance at life to pursue his goals, not before gleefully and brutally murdering his debtors.
Asa is a girl who doesn’t get along with her classmates but still yearns for acceptance. Just as things seem like it would turn around, she accidentally kills the class mascot. Further shunted by her classmates, one of them kills her out of jealousy. But she comes back to life through a deal with the devil, with bloody vengeance, a spinal cord sword and hand grenade.
Just look at these panels. They’re stylish, gory. A dramatic “!” punch. The drama, however small it was, is resolved.
Looking back at the recent arcs, it feels to me like they lack that same punch.
Denji and Asa “broke up”. Yoshida came along, teasing a love triangle, only to be a bait and switch (NOT an arc, but the feeling is the same)
Falling Devil arc had a chainsaw motorbike, but then Nayuta bailed everyone out which led to an exposition dump.
Denji’s segment came after that. A long series of almost nothing happening, building up to a messy showdown that lasted one chapter before he’s taken out of commission.
The prison arc which started out promising only to end unceremoniously as Quanxi surrendered.
There’s a lack of gratification as the story simply moves on with plot threads that don’t get elaborated. In addition, abrasive humor that sometimes disrupt drama or otherwise somber moments.
Could there still be a good story ? Possibly. A strong ending can be powerful and sometimes change how you view the story. However, stories are still 90% journey. What you’re telling your audience should be interesting enough for them to stick till that point. Not to mention good endings are a tall task and part 1 set a pretty damn high bar.
i think it‘s safe to say that pt2 is just, not good. the story fails to deliver carthasis but instead try to subvert expectations from cliffhangars, something fujimoto is obviously taking advantage of with the weekly format. it‘s not *necessarily* the format that is wrong but it‘s very much misused
pretend that fuji did base reze off the porn actress roze bc that would be funny and in character. what other similarities do they share ?
are reze’s tragic backgrounds and her relationships with denji all reduced to nothing ? is hazel roze just a porn thing ? was the portrayal of sex and nudity in reze’s arc sleezy ?
Responses to this possibly being true seem to be split between confusion, dismay, and fans going "this is perfectly in character for him, and that's why we love him"
pretend that fuji did base reze off the porn actress roze bc that would be funny and in character. what other similarities do they share ?
are reze’s tragic backgrounds and her relationships with denji all reduced to nothing ? is hazel roze just a porn thing ? was the portrayal of sex and nudity in reze’s arc sleezy ?
Fujimoto has perfected creating the most authentically selfish characters. I feel in many stories characters' selfishness are justified through the narrative. That they have suffered through something so significant they deserve to be selfish. I'm not saying I disagree with that sentiment, selfishness is necessary for self preservation at times. But what Fujimoto does is very different.
His characters are selfish consistently. They want to be the best, make the best movies, be good, and be known for being good. Their selfishness is not justified and it feels awkward and cringy. They often do awful things and think about it hundreds of times until finally their thoughts overlap in such a way they have convinced themselves they did the right thing. Sometimes, they never had to convince themselves.
Denji wants a normal life, but he wants fame! He wants tons of girlfriends, but he wants to be loved unconditionally! Asa wants to save Denji, but she's really thinking about how good she'll look saving him! She sits in front of a TV giggling about how awesome she looks killing a giant devil and being renowned for it. Fujino scared that Kyomoto will become a better artist than them, actively attempts to trap Kyomoto with them and keep Kyomoto from going to art school.
There is no justice in their actions. They have no right to feel the things they do, do the things they do, yet they feel these selfish wants with all their might. They are children sure, but the adults have the same selfishness twisted in more wicked ways, backed up by legalities and, what they presume to be, rational thought. Justifying selfishness is what an adult does. Being selfish is what a child does. And being selfish should not be demonized, nor should it be justified.
Selfishness is part of the heart. It is part of us, and no matter what we do, we will act with selfish precision.
You know, the fact that Aging Devil wants its head to be eaten last, so then presumably it could see children being sacrificed. Something kinda clicked.
Some people really just fucking hate children. And will literally do everything in their power to make sure they stay down, even when they themselves are accosted, while also taking advantage of the youths.
It‘s funny that I‘m 25 now so technically still gen Z, but I‘ve seen this whole discourse regarding certain themes being depicted in media played out at least twice now, even down to specific words.
Meaning also, there‘s no need to employ new talking points.
Let‘s talk a bit about Anthropomorphism. It‘s a tendency to attribute human characteristics to non-humans: animals, inanimate objects. That‘s why we see ‘:)’ like a smiley face. But it’s not. It’s a semi colon and close parenthesis. We do these things because it can be fun. Specifically we created stories to indulge and craft experiences we wouldn’t otherwise find ourselves in.
People have also gone to war and killed real people over imaginary ones.
There‘s a popular quote in tech that goes:
The things we make reflect who we are and what we do and thus are subjected to bias. However as humans we possess a certain intelligence that allow us to take in new information, we then change ourselves or the way we approach a problem. I can’t train a toaster to purify water but I can teach a person who can come up with various solutions to do so, even making a machine for such purpose.
This is because we have “autonomy”.
This is an important word for me and one I attach to Chainsaw Man, especially in light of recent events.
Both Denji and Asa lack certain autonomy. Being forced or told to do things they otherwise wouldn’t by their own volition. There are interesting things to say about it, even if Fujimoto missed or otherwise glossed over.
Yet the kind of language that emerges from such discourses are, at best extremely immature and at worst, lacking in said bodily autonomy.
Books, games, most texts don’t have the kind of authority to force you to engage with it. Certainly not a comic. The characters within them ? Not real. What happens to them does not directly nor tangibly impact real life.
I have said before that art, stories are a form of communication. When I don’t like what I’m hearing, I leave.
I have expressed my discontent with Part 2 before and we should not shy away from critiquing media. But frankly, people who are so immature, so eagerly giving away their autonomy to shift blame are unserious and irresponsible.
