LTJ Bukem - Hardcore Vol. 11, 1993

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LTJ Bukem - Hardcore Vol. 11, 1993
The reason why the idea of "Future" is kept brought up in this series- an explanation:
When you draw fan comics, you have to closely examine and study the original work, right? That's what I've been doing all along,
Please, LISTEN. There is a reason why Ruby and Aqua's all about the "future" in the final arc of this series. There is a base on their logic for that and why this manga stresses on it although it doesn't seem convincing that it's actually a good one.
I'm really right about this... Wow, this ridiculous manga...the plot can get really bizarre, doesn't it?
I don’t think I lack the ability to understand things. I read books, I listen to lectures, I summarize what I watch, and I’m interested in literacy and comprehension. I TOOK media literacy classes, I study things related to that field. I might not be perfect, but I try not to misinterpret things. That’s why this work really bothered me—there were things that just kept spotting out but aren't fully explained.
I went back to check a few details (I can't bring myself to reread the last chapter; this work is too painful).
The whole "future" thing they keep bringing up, what they mean by that is—
Kamiki is a god who guides the future. He’s originally the noble deity Sarutahiko-Ōkami, the husband of Ame-no-Uzume. That’s who he is.
What Tsukuyomi was talking about in Chapter 161—what that actually means—is that Kamiki is acting this way because, just like in Mephisto’s lyrics, he’s been wandering around collecting "light" from those who have the potential to surpass Ai. If he really did try to harm Ruby, then it was because he was trying to take her light for himself.
What he’s been trying to do all along is something with "light." And if he gathered enough of it, he could feel Ai’s presence or even bring her back to life. It’s not that he couldn't forgive or hated people who could surpass Ai. On the contrary, he actively sought them out because that aligned with his goal—to retrieve the light of the star in their eyes. That’s why his company is called EYES, meaning "eyes." Ai’s very existence was embedded in those eyes. The white star-eyes are imbued with love, and that’s the power of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto—the goddess of entertainment and love, which is also Ai’s power. That’s what he’s been searching for all his life.
Not harming Ruby seemed to be the last bit of conscience he had left. At some point, he was probably ready to give up, turn himself in, or just die. But then, after seeing Ai’s video—after receiving her emotions—he couldn’t let go anymore. Whether he had to go to hell himself didn’t matter; he had to bring Ai back, or at least make her existence more significant. I think that's what he meant by "doing something for Ai"—if Tsukuyomi was right.
But in the English version, this is made ambiguous again at the end with an "if so." So did he really believe killing Ruby was his mission? That’s actually unclear. In fact, if you look at the circumstances—at least at the point where Aqua held a knife to him—it doesn’t actually seem like he was trying to harm Ruby. He told Aqua to keep watching Ruby go down her idol path, didn’t he? Then I believe it is safe to derive the conclusion that Kamiki wasn't going to harm Ruby right then and there then at the very least!
It does seem like Ruby received Ai’s blessing, power, or divine protection. Kamiki was fully aware of this, and as he was dying, he regretted not being able to do anything about it. If he could take that light for himself, he was sure he could meet Ai again—there was something about it that made that possible for him.
I keep saying this, but my intuition is seriously sharp. Back when Chapter 154 was released, I knew the only responsibility Kamiki would have had with Ai's murder would have been having slipped the address, that he only would have asked to have the flowers delivered to Ai. He would not have seen any of that disaster coming!! And I was right!!! That has got to be the truth!!! PLEASE!!!
I know my characterization of this guy is spot-on. The manga keeps throwing in confusion and steering him toward being a villain, but at the same time, it keeps dropping hints that he's not.
What he really is, is a god who desperately wanted to bring back his dead wife. The role of Izanagi—that role fell on him. But compared to Izanagi and Izanami, Sarutahiko and Ame-no-Uzume are an even more devoted couple. In their mythology, it’s the husband who dies, so the way this plays out is different. Kamiki, as the husband, couldn’t let go of his wife.
Izanagi ultimately locked his wife away in the underworld and left, but Kamiki never gave up. Because he’s a different god. Sarutahiko was a god who deeply loved his wife, to the point that he became a deity who blessed marriages together with her. Ame-no-uzume and Sarutahiko Okami symbolize matrimonial bliss. They are that close and deeply attached!!!
And since he’s a god who leads people to goodness, if he falls—then everything around him twists. The world turns corrupt, insane, and destructive.
In chapter 166 (…Yeah…;; I ended up checking to refresh my memory), Ruby says how Aqua and her mother "illuminated her future for her." What this means is—
Ruby’s father, that guy, is a god who influences the future!!!!! Aqua determined that, since he had fallen, he could twist Ruby’s future, so he killed him. That’s why Ruby says what she does.
The final chapter directly draws from the myth where Ame-no-Uzume lures Amaterasu out of the cave, allowing Amaterasu to shine once more. The people watching Ruby say things like, “Oh… it’s as if she was sent by the gods,” or “She was sent to illuminate the darkness.” That’s Ruby as Amaterasu.
Aqua is Susanoo, Ai is Ame-no-Uzume, and Kamiki is her husband, Sarutahiko. And the moment it’s confirmed that he is Sarutahiko, all the strange supernatural elements in this manga suddenly make sense.
The whole thing about eyes emitting light or stars appearing in them—that element is based on that god. Sarutahiko is described as having shining eyes with something inside them.
If there’s anything related to “light” or “gods” in this manga, the correct approach is to link it to Kamiki. For example, in chapter 147, Ruby making wishes to a god in a Shrine. Sarutahiko is a deity who could grant wishes. Even his name is a clue. That’s why the lyrics of Mephisto and Fatal are centered around him, whereas Ai’s lyrics mention being a “reincarnation of the morning star,” meaning she should be understood concerning “stars.”
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto was mentioned—she’s a deity, right? The goddess of entertainment? She’s connected to Ai, and if you analyze her myth, it just confirms that Ai is her reincarnation. What she does in this comic is heavily linked to her role as that "idol of the gods who's helped Amaterasu shine once more, wed a god of light who ends up drowning."
This means “the reincarnation of the morning star” = “the reincarnation of the goddess of dawn(Ame-no-Uzume)” = “the reincarnation of a star equals a reincarnation of a god”
In other words, stars = gods in this work. And in this manga, stars dwell in people’s eyes(refer to how "Fatal" stars out. Fatai IS Kamiki's song. He's looking for those eyes with stars in them because of his "lack of Ai". That's what that song is talking about). The lyrics mention it, and the original story hints at it as well.
Additionally, a god who loves humans was brought up. Love = Ai, and Ame-no-Uzume is deeply associated with love, meaning she represents both Ame-no-Uzume and Ai at the same time.
Ame-no-Uzume’s husband is Sarutahiko Okami, the god of light and the one who guides the future…
And what that god was doing was wandering, lost, searching for his deceased wife within the eyes of others.
All those mentions of the "future" in the latter part of the story? It’s simply that Kamiki is Ai’s husband deity, and he had the power to alter the future—but because it was flawed, he became dangerous, so Aqua captured him to protect Ruby’s future.
That’s the correct interpretation.
And when you frame it this way, if you consider to what extent Kamiki intentionally caused these events and how much actually unfolded the way he wanted—
Given that he was genuinely tormented by certain events and didn’t seem particularly malicious, at least half of the truth may very well be that he really never wanted things to turn out this way.
From what I see, this person never lied when it came to matters regarding Ai. If there was ever a mix of truth and falsehood in what he said, it would be this: he did give Ai’s address to Ryosuke, but he never actually told him to harm her—he really did just ask him to deliver the flowers instead. At that point, he hadn’t seen Ai’s video, so he was in a resigned state, accepting all the blame and punishment on himself.
This person never had lingering attachments regarding how others perceived him or even his own life. The lie he told at that moment was probably out of consideration for Aqua, his son—to lessen Aqua’s guilt in some way. That’s why I was so drawn to this manga in the first place!!! I was convinced of this!!! And honestly, I’m thankful that chapter 160 came out. I always believed that moment had to be brought back because the circumstances were just too strange!!
He was sending Ai flowers! I always thought either Ryosuke snatched the flowers from him or somehow coaxed the address out of him, because when he was younger, this guy had a naïve side—he never displayed an aggressive personality. The very idea of sending flowers to someone he intended to harm doesn’t make sense. He was a minor at the time, and judging by his actions toward Ai, his personality wasn’t twisted to that extent. I genuinely thought he had only meant to send her flowers.
And the way he speaks afterward—it’s far too accepting and soft as if he fully accepts the situation. If the author wrote his dialogue this way, then I feel he chose to write that his state of mind at that moment wasn’t one of someone who had decided to hurt another person.
They say he's a liar- What he says about his actions themselves aren’t lies, but I think he lies about his motives. That’s why it gets labeled as a lie. A lie is most effective when it contains a mixture of truth and falsehood.
And if we’re talking about his true feelings—when it comes to Ai, the feelings he has are very much real. Honestly, his entire character revolves around Ai. I remember being really shocked at first—because I kept getting the idea that he truly did love her. I couldn’t understand how someone with those emotions could be accused of such a terrible crime.
But once I reached the conclusion that he really is a god, everything started making sense—the way characters kept talking about the future, the wishes being made, the visits to shrines, the constant references to gods, and how people just kept dying around him. Everything fell into place, including why Ai wanted to save him.
Ai and Hikaru are a divine couple…; a deeply bonded one. Their abilities were distorted, and in the process, they ended up hurting each other—but not intentionally. That’s why the authors wrote the story so that Ai would say she wanted to help him. If he were truly the man who orchestrated her murder, and she even urges her children to save him with her, that would be unbearably cruel to Ai. What he did would be something that should never be forgiven and they should not make a victim do that to their perpetrator. Ai wanted not just her, but her kids to help this man.
Can you see why this is? Kamiki wasn’t truly at fault in that incident. The real issue is that his ability of leading people into good worked in the opposite direction—he acted with good intentions, but those very actions led to Ai’s death. And because of that, he lost his mind.
I’ve tried explaining this so many times, but does anyone believe me? It’s so obvious to me, but because no one else saw it, I started doubting myself and anxiously followed the later developments.
But I am right. This manga needed to resolve this part of the story… If not, there’s just no way to explain everything that happened.
If someone asks why this even matters, well—even if it’s just a manga, I still think the truth behind certain events should be revealed. This is too much... Someone suffered. Someone is in pain. You can feel it. But this manga doesn’t properly address that pain… At the very least, it should clearly present what happened so that we, as readers, can judge it for ourselves.
It’s not about saying Kamiki did well—of course not. That guy is insane. He caused a massive problem, and he probably committed an unforgivable sin. When chapter 162 or whatever came out, my immediate reaction was, "Yeah… if he did wrong, then he should die." But shouldn’t we at least be sure about what exactly he did? And why he did it?
Is that not important? If my theory is correct, then it’s possible that all these events moved on their own, without him even needing to act. His ability is practically reality-warping—just by wanting something or saying a few words, people around him naturally bring about the results he desires.
He was originally a god meant to guide people in a benevolent direction, but something corrupted him—his power became flawed, and so things started unfolding in a twisted, almost malicious way. But if we consider how much of it was actually his intention… there’s a real possibility that he didn’t genuinely want any of this to happen.
But does that even matter? He’s going to die anyway, right? Since his sins are too great? Still… the manga should have explained what was going on before just throwing everything at us like this.
I feel like I got everything right.
I really do think he was a kind person. He was truly kind—just someone who became warped over time. But if we ask whether this ending is the right one… I can’t say that it is. Sigh… seriously.
I’m confident in what I saw. When I say I noticed something, it’s not like I misinterpret it—I observe things carefully, and I believe I have a strong ability to read into psychological aspects. Now that the manga is over, I feel like I can speak more freely, and I’m pretty sure I got most of it right. But the fact that so few people seem to think the same way I do… that’s what makes me feel so lonely.
Still cannot get over how screwed Aqua's character arc was. Like look at his little smile here after helping restore Akane's reputation online and seeing her laughing.
He wasn't always "emo". He was a doctor who spent extra time with his patients in his past life despite no obligations to do so. He used to be cheerful and silly and he almost has a chance to be happy until his fucker of a father (and some of his decisions to continue to pursue revenge) ruined it.
He got a second chance of life but in the end he never really get to live.
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