Yozakura family my beloveds @sage-reads-things - Tumblr Blog

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Hi, I'm Sage!~ I like talking extensively about things and when something captures my attention I literally cannot shut up about it.

I'm going to be kicking off this liveblog sideblog with Mission: Yozakura Family! I started reading it almost a year ago, but fell off about halfway through and never picked it up again. Now I'm rereading it from the beginning, and my goal is to catch up to its release schedule and hopefully stick with the series until it ends. Since I've already read several volumes' worth of the manga, I will be discussing spoilers in my posts, so it's probably best to have read the series beforehand.

Feel free to talk to me about the series!! I love interaction and can't get enough of people bringing their thoughts on the characters and story.

#sage rambles

You think that Mutsumi is going to feed most of that huge lunchbox to Taiyo?

Oh I KNOW she's going to feed that whole thing to him. One of my favorite running gags in the series is Mutsumi's ludicrously huge food spreads, most of which is given directly to Taiyo. This panel from Ch27 shows exactly what's in that big bundle:

She packs Taiyo multiple bento boxes for lunch during school, and the few times they've been shown eating lunch, it's always with a stack of bento boxes like this, which implies that Mutsumi brings in huge amounts of food every single day.

It's not the only time she's done it, either. Just look at this bento mountain from Ch34! I think Mutsumi's rule of thumb is to triple the portions of a regular bento lunch and then quadruple that amount. That's easily ten bento boxes, and Taiyo's wolfing it all down like a starving man.

Mutsumi also makes a ridiculous amount of food while Taiyo is infiltrating Kuroyuri's party, implying that stress-baking is one of her coping mechanisms. I'm sure that got devoured by her siblings.

So yes, I think Mutsumi made that mountain of food to give straight to Taiyo. But also. Listen. I've been around teenage boys a lot and you are underestimating how much they eat. They are eating machines. The entire contents of a fully-stocked fridge will probably only keep them fed for a day and a half. And teenage athletes practically double that amount since they're burning so much energy. No matter how much food Mutsumi makes, Taiyo is probably inhaling it and asking for seconds.

#also just occured to me that mutsumi lives in a house of hypermobile teens and young adults #since she seems to be in charge of meal prep for the entire household she's probably hardwired to make as much food as possible #just to feed all the hungry mouths #so making absurd amounts of food is probably just a force of habit for her at this point lmao #mission yozakura family #mutsumi yozakura #taiyo asano #ch38 #sage rambles

Sosuke Michibata: captured!

Very glad that Mutsumi made Sosuke delete all of the photos, not just hers. Sosuke gives up easily, which is super funny to me—it only took multiple rounds of punishment to make him call it quits lmao.

#i completely forgot to comment on mutsumi's hugeass lunch box #it's quite literally half her height ToT #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #mutsumi yozakura #taiyo asano #sage rambles

AHAHAHHAHAHA Mutsumi changed her tune lightning quick! Delighted to know that Mutsumi can order Taiyo to shoot someone and Taiyo will do it without hesitation akajsdhsjadhadkja.

I do love that Sosuke found the one person in the entire school who knew him by sight, and he ruined it by being a creepy weirdo. Full reminder that he wouldn't even be in this situation if he'd just deleted the photos like Taiyo asked him to, so this is 100% on him from every angle. Forget catching a break, he's actively running away from the breaks at this point TwT

#taiyo: man this guy's so pathetic i can't help feeling sorry for him :( maybe i should give him a helping hand #mutsumi: taiyo i want this twink obliterated #taiyo: as you command <3 *nukes sosuke into the sun*#mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #taiyo asano #mutsumi yozakura #taisumi my beloved #sage rambles

Sosuke: Is this it? Have I finally found true love? Is this the sign I've been waiting for??

Narration:

#the cadence of the narration box is sending me #like yeah no. he's just a moron #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #mutsumi yozakura #sage rambles

It's so sweet to me that Mutsumi recognizes Sosuke. Because of COURSE the one person who would notice Sosuke despite his complete forgettability is Mutsumi, who always makes an effort to remember faces, give compliments, and generally interact with others. A girl who places such great importance on little interactions would naturally remember someone like Sosuke, who only ever has little interactions with people.

Also Sosuke's face from Mutsumi's pov is so precious. He looks so cute and shy!!! Like a little kid giving his mom a flower. Tbh I wonder if Mutsumi's maternal instincts kicked in when she saw him and that's why she remembers him so well. Too bad he revealed himself to be a little creep and ruined it all <3

#i think this also highlights that sosuke's invisibility problem is only partly due to bad luck #i think a bigger factor is that he simply doesn't interact with people much outside of minute interactions #sosuke's problem is that he wants to be interacted with but doesn't put himself out there. he obsesses over people in the shadows instead #so they never have a reason to talk to him and thus treat him like a random stranger #i wonder what would happen if he chose to be kind and friendly with everyone the way taiyo and mutsumi are #would it change anything?#hm am i perhaps putting too much thought into a bit character #well he's the commentator's favorite so he gets all the juicy meta. as a treat #mission yozakura family #ch38 #mutsumi yozakura #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

It's really funny to me that Taiyo is almost paternal with Sosuke. He gently explained why he wants Sosuke to delete the illegal photos instead of beating him up, he excitedly praised Sosuke's cool ability, and now he's picking him up by the arm and checking if he's alright. Like this guy is SUCH a loser that Taiyo's big brother instincts kicked into overdrive.

#i think sosuke might be taiyo's blorbo #his poor little meow meow even #ok you can throw rocks at me now #mission yozakura family #ch38 #taiyo asano #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

My idiot loser son <3

#clever in concept dumb in practice #even taiyo is affronted by how lame that was lmao #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #taiyo asano #sage rambles

Caught by his own pettiness! Sosuke just can't stop shooting himself in the foot aksdhajdhada.

The fact that Taiyo is genuinely impressed with Sosuke's Heat Haze ability really makes their relationship click for me. Even while he's dealing with Sosuke's ridiculousness, Taiyo can't help earnestly complimenting his skillset. He thinks it's cool! And I love that Sosuke is so maaaaaad akhsdjkhdkjada like he's literally seething over this. Taiyo unironically admiring him is probably a worse kick in the teeth than getting electrocuted.

(Also love that Shinzo's advice to Taiyo is "shoot first, ask questions later" lmao. Very fitting advice from the resident firearms guy!)

#i think this panelset perfectly showcases sosuke's fatal flaw: he can't simply let things be #he always has to grab for one last reward or rub salt in the wound #the reason he got caught is because he stopped to gloat!! he blew his cover bc he just HAD to get the last laugh before escaping #likewise he could have taken taiyo's offer to delete the photos of mutsumi and walked away from the encounter unscathed #but instead he threw a hissy fit and made even more trouble for himself #even a few panels later we'll see that sosuke set a trap for taiyo - only to fall for it himself bc he forgot it was there #sosuke believes he's constantly getting the short end of the stick #but the universe isn't unfairly punishing him like he's a tom & jerry character #these are all the direct result of his petty actions #which is why he's such a fun character bc he completely deserves it!! everything that happens to him is entirely his fault!!#he keeps getting easy outs but he never just walks away. he can't help himself #watching him trip over his own shoelaces and curse other people for it is so entertaining #hope you get some self-awareness my guy <3 #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #taiyo asano #sage rambles

This is so cool! Sosuke finally shows off his true power move: Heat Haze. I like the detail that he pulls up his mask just before going invisible, as if he's metaphorically putting on a mask to disguise himself.

The name of his ability, "Heat Haze," brings to mind the hazy veil of intense heat that arises from a bonfire. He pulls it off by suppressing everything that could make him detectable: body heat, heartrate, and even breathing. Combine that with his complete lack of presence, and suddenly there's nothing for you to track. Even a trained spy like Taiyo can't detect Sosuke despite Sosuke standing right in front of him, because there's nothing for his five senses to latch onto.

This is a VERY impressive skill, because Sosuke is able to fool other spies while using it. Note that Taiyo was staring directly at Sosuke when he "disappeared"—it works so well that even Taiyo, trained by Yozakuras and already fully aware of Sosuke's uncanny unnoticeability, loses sight of Sosuke the second he activates Heat Haze. The fact that Taiyo believes Sosuke moved "faster than Stepping On Flowers" is super telling: Taiyo can still track someone using Stepping On Flowers by using his senses, so the fact that he couldn't track Sosuke means Sosuke is basically undetectable. That's incredibly powerful!! It's almost on par with a Blooming.

This is what I mean when I say that Sosuke could be an incredible spy if he really tried. Keep in mind that he's already earned a spy license, and he's still just a teenager! Tons of spies spend years training just to pass the exam, and Sosuke has already aced it. With an ability like this, he could easily dominate stealth missions in the spy world. He just has to find the drive to accomplish it.

#i am so serious when i say sosuke could be a really powerful ally for any of the characters #he ran away from the spy world bc he wanted to make himself a powerhouse among wimpy civilians #but even in the spy world he could be an elite!! he just has to apply himself and put in the effort #it remains to be seen whether he'll make something of himself or permanently fade into the background #wait i forgot to talk about the heat haze panel #do you think sosuke actually did that #do you think he actually went to a public plaza. stripped down. and posed like a Renaissance sculpture #just because he could #and he's still wearing his mask!! why wouldn't you also remove that if you were already stripping ajksdhjadhd #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

Ahhhhh so here we see the underlying issue behind Sosuke's behavior. He feels like he's just a bit character, doomed to be stuck in the shadows while the "main characters" like Taiyo get all the glory. He looks at Taiyo getting all this attention, reaping all sorts of perks and bonuses despite being a total newbie to the spy world, and it makes him frustrated because it feels like the universe is just rubbing the meaninglessness of his life in his face.

Honestly, it does come off as a little unfair from an outside perspective: Taiyo marries into the prestigious Yozakura family, gets handed a ton of high-class missions and special requests just for being a Yozakura, and then gets help from the entire family while he struggles through basic spy procedures. Compare that to Sosuke, an ordinary spy who is completely alone and has to fight by the skin of his teeth just to keep his bronze license. It's easy to believe that Taiyo got a huge lucky break that he doesn't even appreciate. Thus Taiyo's words ("We're both spies, aren't we?") unintentionally comes across as patronizing, even though he meant them to be encouraging. To Sosuke, it sounds like Taiyo is a naive idiot who doesn't realize how lucky he is.

Additionally, it's pretty obvious that Sosuke is incredibly lonely—his long history of being sidelined and ignored means he is desperate for attention, which largely manifests as an obsession with getting a romantic partner. Having to read about Taiyo's exploits in the news, see him surrounded by a loving family, and then come to school every day and watch him canoodle with his beautiful wife must make Sosuke insanely jealous. Of course he feels like a background character! Of course he sees Taiyo as a privileged protagonist, getting all these cool things handed to him while Sosuke is pushed into the background! Taiyo somehow went from being an ordinary person to a spy celebrity practically overnight. In Sosuke's eyes, Taiyo got everything Sosuke has ever wanted and didn't even do anything to earn it. No wonder he looks so bitter in the last panel. To him, Taiyo's words of encouragement just rub salt in a wound that's been festering for a long time.

#i'm really interested in this dynamic from a metatextual perspective as well #sosuke feels like a supporting character compared to taiyo. and in the context of the story he IS a supporting character #he sees taiyo as the main character and that's exactly what taiyo is in the story #so sosuke's frustration is especially understandable bc he literally IS what he's afraid he's destined to be #sosuke is never going to be the main character. he's always going to be a bit character stuck in a supporting role #which adds extra tension to the dynamic bc we know that he's already saddled with the role he's afraid he's doomed to have #what sosuke needs to do is take advice from the self-help books and become the main character of his own life #he's never going to get anywhere until he realizes that he can take control of his life and actually works towards getting what he wants #mission yozakura family #ch38 #brainrot fodder #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

SOSUKE YOU ASS <3 Taiyo is letting him off easy by saying "get rid of those (creepy and illegally obtained) photos of my wife and we'll forget this ever happened" and Sosuke still throws a tantrum. And he even has the nerve to act like Taiyo is taking away some fundamental right even though he's the one overstepping boundaries. Horrible little guy <333

It's interesting that Taiyo says "I'm not planning to do anything to you. Not that I have any right to." I'd think that taking secret photos of their female classmates is something Taiyo has every right to stop. But maybe he just means that he's not going to beat Sosuke up, since it's not exactly his jurisdiction to discipline other students. His obligation is to protect Mutsumi—if Sosuke deletes the Mutsumi photos like Taiyo asks, well, it's not like he has the authority to force him to delete those other pictures. Idk it's just a very interesting choice of phrasing. I wonder what the thought process was when they translated it.

#now that i think about it i wonder if this is supposed to show how humble taiyo's thinking is #he's not pulling rank or forcing sosuke's hand bc he doesn't think of himself as a higher authority figure #he's like “well we're peers and i don't have any authority over you so i can't force you to do something against your will”#he's only asking him to delete mutsumi's photos since it's literally his job to protect her from creepy randos like sosuke #like what would he have done if sosuke didn't delete the photos? beat him up anyway? steal his phone?#the situation kinda resolves itself so we never find out how taiyo might have reacted if sosuke *forced* him to get more involved #would he have deleted those other photos as well?#how far would he have gone?#am i thinking about this too much. probably. grrrrrr #it's just a neat hypothetical character study #mission yozakura family #ch38 #taiyo asano #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

So I think Taiyo's reaction is supposed to convey pity for Sosuke because he's such a lousy spy, but I read it slightly differently: Taiyo thinks he's "completely hopeless" because Sosuke is actually a pretty decent spy, yet all he does is use his abilities to act like a gross perv. I like to think Taiyo already knows what Sosuke is capable of, and to see him waste his abilities on being an annoying pest makes Taiyo feel sorry for him. Sosuke could become a really talented spy if he put his mind to it, but he's not willing to put in the work and spends his time grabbing at low-hanging fruit instead. Of course Taiyo "Work Hard, Train Harder" Asano would see that mindset as something to pity.

#sosuke and taiyo are a fun duo bc they're so obviously foils #sosuke is everything taiyo isn't: he's selfish and lazy and blames everyone else for his own failings #he's completely antithetical to who taiyo is as a person and that's why sosuke hates taiyo so much #bc sosuke feels jealous of taiyo having everything he wants #completely ignoring that sosuke could also have those things if he put in any work whatsoever #he could be like taiyo if he tried!#but he's not going to try and because of that he's going to continue being unhappy!#meanwhile taiyo is just like. you poor man. doomed to be an idiot #i don't think he thinks about sosuke nearly as much as sosuke thinks about him akashdjahdjkahdksa #mission yozakura family #ch38 #taiyo asano #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

Kyoichiro has got Sosuke's NUMBER akshjdhjkasdkahdk. In retrospect, there's no way Sosuke enrolled in the school without Kyoichiro knowing exactly who he was. I have a hunch that Sosuke was already enrolled at Sakuragi High when Kyoichiro became vice president, mostly because I doubt Kyoichiro would allow a spy like him to be anywhere near Mutsumi. As it is, Kyoichiro clearly thinks of him as more of a harmless pest than anything. I'm sure he enjoyed sending Taiyo to do his dirty work and deal with this chronic little annoyance on his behalf.

#hey have i talked about the fact that the school is named sakuragi high #sakuragi means “cherry blossom tree”#yes like the sakura tree #i think when gondaira needs a name for something he just goes “ehhhhh something something sakura” and calls it a day ashakdhka #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #kyoichiro yozakura #sage rambles

BUSTED AGFHJKLSKFSJSA. Love that Taiyo is playing it cool even though he has the most valid reason in the world to deck this guy in the face. Sosuke couldn't have picked a worse thing to be doing when the husband of the girl he's fantasizing about walks in on him.

And he still has the audacity to try and play dumb. My beautiful idiot boy <3

#taiyo doesn't get mad at people often so when he's genuinely irritated it's fun to watch #be very careful when the guard dog gets mad enough to bite!#mission yozakura family #ch38 #taiyo asano #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

It's kind of cute that Sosuke obviously has no idea what "being in a relationship" entails—his best guess about what married couples do is that they hold hands, and he acts out a cutesy skit about married life that's nowhere near the reality lmao. Hammers it home that he's just a lonely kid who's more interested in the idea of romance than the actual thing.

#i have to say - sosuke acts more like a teenage boy than any of the other teenager characters #he's insecure and self-centered and awkward and everything he does is a little ridiculous #which is just like every teen boy i've ever met #the idiot hs boy representation we truly needed /j #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #sage rambles

So this is how Sosuke gained his crush on Mutsumi! I'm sure he knew that Mutsumi was his classmate before this moment—honestly, he may have joined specifically because he knew Mutsumi Yozakura, a super cute celebrity, also attended the school. But even if Mutsumi wasn't spy royalty, it's been established that Mutsumi is one of the most popular girls in school, so Sosuke would be going gaga for her anyway. I can't blame him for being excited—for a guy who gets habitually ignored and rejected, a pretty girl looking him in the eye and thanking him for his help must feel extra special.

#poor mutsumi literally tripping into obsessive parasocial relationships just by being nice #she can never catch a break ToT #mission yozakura family #ch38 #sosuke michibata #mutsumi yozakura #sage rambles

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Yozakura family my beloveds