Ok, so after translating the cards for the Sakamakis perfume merch drop, I started researching what each of flowers that the Sakamkis were given meant.
So Ayatos flower is a Lotus, Lotus flowers are often represented as strength, resilience and rebirth since they bloom out from murky waters without stains. Lotus flowers also are known to represent purity.
Ayato is known as being the most human or friendly of the Sakamakis, even his character profile will say this. Despite Ayatos harsh and abusive childhood he remains strongwilled and resilant to become number 1. although he struggles with his own capablities and the feeling that we can't be enough. This part of his character is better explored through his Lost Eden Route and Dark Fate. While all the DL boys have issues Ayato learns to change himself for the better and is one of the few boys that really attempts to change himself and look at his own flaws and apologize for his actions, even trying to break away from habits from his mother. Many of his routes will show this. Ayato has also been deemed as " pure " by characters, specifically Laito, who always states how he's envious of Ayatos Purity to remain true to himself and what he wants despite they're upbringing. This is also proven with his character by Karlheinz in Ayatos Dark Fate Ecstasy Epilouge ( we also won't talk about how Lotus Flowers are aquatic and what Ayatos history with water is š)
KarlHeinz: Aahā¦Such sentimental words. Exactlyā¦Perfectā¦Value life, and mourn for itā¦Lament misfortune, experiencing great sufferingā¦Then rebel! That is what makes one Adam!
Kanato's flower is Witch Hazel, Witch Hazel is a flower that got it's name from from the pratice " Water Witching " where you take a forked branch and used it to find underground water. Witch Hazel is associated with Protection and Healing, with folk tales saying that Witch hazel can cure broken hearts.
First off the whole idea that Witch Hazel is used to find underground water is ironic, and I'm not sure it's entirely intentional. But we know that the triplets were punished by Cordelia by throwing them into the Underground sewers and leaving them there ( Kanto vs Subaru CD goes into more depth on this ) out of the three Kanato seems to be the most affected by these punishments ( although they all are ) Kanato uses his " Teddy" as a type of coping mechanism almost to have some piece of his mother with him as he keeps her ashes in the bear and it's the only way he can sleep and be comforted. This is some form of healing himself and his feelings from the death and abuse of his mother that he can't let go even after her death and it may be come way of protecting himself from any more emotional pain or acknowledgment of it.
Laitos given flower are Tulips. Tulips represent Love, Rebirth and New beginning, however each color of Tulip represent something different.
OH MY GOD This one was the whole reason I wanted to do this in the first place because there is so much to unpack here. First of all we're using this chart to decifer the flowers
So from what I can see Laito is holding 3 yellow tulips, 2 pink, 1 orange, 2 Variegated and 1 purple and 1 green.
The majority color in his bouquet is yellow. Yellow usualy symbolzies joy or happiness but historically yellow tulips symbolize hopeless love and no chance of reconciliation, jealousy or unrequited love. Laito is known to hold grudges against people especially if he's been burned by them and we see that besides was Laito may say himself he is a very jealous person, we can see this through his flashbacks of killing his mothers suitors out of jealousy. He can not understand the concept of love as it's intangible to him if it is something he can not pshycially feel or see because of his trauma from his mother's words. And yellow also symbolizes " there is sunshine in my smile " Laito plays the airhead pervert part to a tea and really drills the facde of a happy smile face for everyone despite his real feelings. Having yellow be the majority color is a good representation of how Lairo trys to portray himself although there are other emotions and other flowers in the bouquet.
His other 2 flower combinations of Orange and Variegated are flowers with very shallow meanings such as " i am fascinated by you" and " you have beautiful eyes ". These flowers are the second most prominent in his bouquet once again feeling into the shallow pervert facade, a happy smile with some empty compliments and pretty colors to make the person feel good. We also have pink Tulips which mean " My perfect lover " or in general affection and love. Pink Tulips are affectionate menaing flowers however combined with this bouquet of empty compliments and the hopeless love the pink also falls into the category of false words of love and adirmation for Laito.
Now Laito only has 1 purple flower " Eternal Love " however it also represents elegance and mystery, the single purple flower of Laitos revealing his sneaky and cunning nature, hiding between the pink and yellow bright colors of false words and shallow compliments. Laito is a very mysterious character for the fact that he strategically only shares what he wants somone to know and perfectly plays his facade for everyone without letting anyone get the upper hand on him or his emotions. There is also 1 green Tulip peeking out from the bottom. Green Tulips represent rebirth and new life, Laito repeatedly chooses to not confront any of his trauma or emotions as he doesn't want to deal with them, so to combat that he simply chooses to create a new life, a new facade to hide and push away any of his trauam. This coping mechanism is repeated in games like Chaos Lineage, Lost Eden. Or in Drama CDs such as his Daylight CD. Where Laito will completely try to erase or forget something to start new, and have a new beginning even if it's not real.
If you look closely you can see a small, not yet bloomed tulip under the purple flower. Which looks like a white Tulip, White Tulips represent purity, sincierty and forgiveness. Laito hates and envies anything he seems " pure " such as Ayato or Yui because he can never be that way because of his mother. The Versus CD of Ayato and Laito goes into this topic of Laito deeming himself not " pure " because he is unable to be honest or sincere with himself and others and that he can't be changed. The white Tulips is hidden and unbloomed but still hiding in the bouquet somewhere. You'll also notice that Laito misses one color from his arrangement. Red, symbolizing undying love and trust.
So, for some reason Shuus is the only one that doesn't name a specific flower, which doesn't help me at all š but honestly he looks like he's holding Cherry Blossoms so we'll roll with that. However one thing to mention is that Shuu and Reiji both contain Jasmine which Jamsine represents love and sensuality, although Shuus seems to combine the sweet fragrance of Jasmine with a musky wood while Reiji adds on to the sweetness with Vanilla which I found to be a interesting connection that Reiji and Shuu and simiar and also contrast ecah other at the same time. ( My Sun and Moon duo! )
Cherry Blossoms are flowers that only bloom for a couple of weeks before falling, so they represent the fleeting nature of life, cherry blossoms also come with the arrival of spring, so they are a symbol of new beginnings and renewel.
Many of Shuus interactions with the MC leave him reflecting the nature of human life and how fleeting it is, and because of the death of Edgar Shuu avoid any relationships because of the fear that it won't last or will be taken away. Shuu resents being a vampire and blames himself for ruining anything good that happens to him. However though he tries to avoid any meaningful connections it's something that he has always craved for and wished for a new beginning away from his life through music or eventually through the people in his life.
( Shuu MB Maservant ending ) Reiji: Shuu, there has always been an unsighty desire lurking inside of you. Loveā¦is nothing something a person like yourself is worthy of.
( Shuu MB Maniac Prolouge) Shuu: "Are you an idiot? ā¦Vampires donāt catch colds.ā¦Donāt group us together with humans.Weāre different, everything about usā¦ā¦Truly, everythingā¦"
Shuu: "Hah? Something bad? Thatās right. The fact that Iām living in this world. That by itself pisses me off. Why not leave this cityā¦and go somewhere far away? I wonāt protect you. My pride as a Vampire of this householdā¦Vanished a long time ago after all."
Reiji has blue Daises which represent loyalty, long term commitments, peace / tranquility , and uniqueness.
The comment of long term commitments and loyalty reminds me of Reijis connections to his father. Reiji is the only Sakamaki brother with any respect for his father, this may come from more of a obsession with gaining his father's acknowledgement and approval since that is what Reiji ultimately always craves for however Reiji has shown that he is extremely committed to his pride as a vampire and a Sakamaki as well as pleasing his father as well as holding incredibly high standards for himself and others. Beyond that Reiji is known for being unusual even by vampire standards as he chooses to not indulge in his own desires and allow himself to not be in control of something, as unique as a blue daisy. Not sure about how much peace and tranquility Reiji is getting in the Sakamaki household however his hobbies definitely are in the efforts of comfort and simplie peace.
Subaru has Lupine which represents strength, the potential for transformation and growth and renewal. Meaning can also vary by what color a Lupin is.
Subaru has many analogys when it comes to flowers often with his association with white roses and the Queen of the Night flower. Subaru has yellow lupine which symbolize warmth and optism and general happiness, they are also used as a way to celebrate a milestone or to be a token of appreciation. I definitely see flower messages to be a way that Subaru conveys his feelings as he ( and pretty much all the Sakamakis ) are bad at communicating their feelings. In fact this is Canon his Subarus HDB endings and his Paraselene CD. Subaru is kind, we know this from his mother telling him to remain a kind boy so he has obviously had this traits with him since he was a child. He also even gets compared to Yui by Shuu by the way they act. Subaru is also known as the " Tsundere " of the group that although Subaru is in fact kind it's hard to tell through his words, so seeing Yellow Lupins be displayed in his bouquet is a good way to express those soft feelings.
( Subaru HDB Dark 10) Reiji: Hooh, this is new. For Subaru to take on this kind of attitudeā¦
Shuu: ā¦Theyāre surprisingly similar.
( Subaru DF Manservant ending )
Karlheinz: Aahā¦What a tragedy.You, who failed to become Adam. That kind heart of yours, is only a sign of your naivity.
( Subaru MB Maniac epilouge)
Butler: With all due respect, Master. But Subaru-sama used to be a very kind soulā¦
Karlheinz: No need to cover up for himā¦I am aware.
This theme of very sentimental feeling in Subarus bouquet is reocurring, Subaru also has red Lupins which mean love, courage, strength or admiration. This is also followed up with the purple lupines he has which also symbolize admiration and respect along with purple being used to symbolize royalty. Obviously Subaru is a strong character as he's normally the one to get into fights however his reliance can also be applied with him still remaining a " kind boy " even through his rough exterior and harsh childhood. As well as even though Subaru is the youngest in the family he actually tends to make more wiser decisions than some of his brother * COUGH * The Triplets * COUGH * And through his bark and yells he always ends up helping out in some way. A gift like flowers with meanings is a perfect way for somone as awkward and easily embarrassed as Subaru to convey his emotions.
And that's all!! This is my first analysis so sorry if it's not the most in depth or accurate š I just wanted to make this because flower meanings are so interesting to me and this was definitely one of my favorite merchandise lines that Rejet has released. Feel free to share your own opinions on the boys flowers and meanings I love hearing people thoughts byee~
Ok so I've just found this and holy shit, this is so cool!! As someone who's not a flower girly, this was so interesting to read.
I do have some more thoughts about a few things op said, so I'd like to add my tuppence below here as an add-on if anyone's interested :3
Firstly, op talks about the yellow tulips for Laito and the biggest thought that came to mind, that wasn't mentioned, is that yellow is typically the universal colour for cowardice as well as joy, jealousy and sin (which op talks about). I wanted to mention this because while Laito isn't physically a coward, he is emotionally. What I mean by this is that Laito has a fear of emotional vulnerability that he's never really able to confront or even accept.
Unlike Laito, all the other brothers at least acknowledge their issues and trauma, even if they don't face or confront it. Laito, on the other hand, like op said, runs away from that confrontation. Laito doesn't face or confront his trauma and he doesn't accept or acknowledge it either - instead, he reverts into a shallow faƧade and runs away. Like op said, by constantly creating a ānew lifeā for himself, he's running away from the old one. Laito disregards and warps his own trauma into a skewed sense of āloveā (like his soliloquies to Cordelia), as though there's nothing to be traumatised about. It's like he's erasing his past because he's unable to face it.
The other brothers express their acknowledgement of their trauma because they place blame on others. Ayato blames Cordelia, Reiji blames Beatrix and Shuu, Shuu blames himself etc. Placing blame, whether it's warranted or not, shows that the other brothers acknowledge their issues. Laito is the only one we see who doesn't place blame directly - there's no one to blame because to him, there's nothing wrong. He lives in denial and I think the tulips could represent that to an extent.
If Laito acknowledges his messed-up childhood, it means he has to confront it, and compared to other characters like Ayato or Subaru, Laito lacks the guts and the courage to face his fears and nightmares head-on. Emotionally speaking, he's a coward, and the yellow tulips could represent that nature in him.
And lastly, as per usual, REIJI. Okay, so I have a few thoughts about the whole commitment/peace and tranquillity section because this goblin lives rent-free in my head.
So first off, I agree with everything op says in the post, and that Reiji has a long-term connection and loyalty to Karl. However, I think this sense of commitment could also extend to the resurrection/reanimation potion that he's spent a large portion of his life trying to perfect. Reiji isn't just committed to gaining his father's affection, he's also stubbornly committed to his own values, more so than anyone else and I think this is where the peace/tranquillity aspect comes in.
Op mentions that daisies can represent peace, but I don't think this applies to a physical sense of peace, like sitting in a quiet room and relaxing. I think the type of peace and tranquillity being referred to here is closure. Reiji spends an unknown amount of time perfecting the reanimation potion in order to resurrect Beatrix, just so that he can kill her again himself.
Much like Karl, Reiji wants to play God and take life and death into his own hands. The potion itself, and Reiji by extension, are forces that literally overpower the laws of nature. When Reiji has Beatrix assassinated, he's barely involved, and Beatrix's last words don't give him any sense of acknowledgement, closure or satisfaction - and this is a pivotal moment that affects him for the rest of his life. He dwells on it and becomes consumed by spite because her death didn't āfixā him.
Contextually, by resurrecting Beatrix, Reiji has the opportunity to confront his trauma. To Reiji, killing Beatrix himself will give him the closure he's spent his life craving. Whether he gives her a peaceful death or not, his heart and soul will finally be able to rest and be at peace. That's what I think those sentiments are referring to, not a physical sense of relaxation, but emotional closure that only Yui can now provide.
I know these are just my thoughts but I thought they were worth sharing (' 3 ')
RAAAAAHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING MY ASK ABOUT REIJI X OC ššššššššš
It was a treat to read through your ideas and extra scenes, how he would act and what he'd say!
Their marriage is definitely loveless in the beginning, they respect each other and their marriage contract and know they have duties to fulfill, but there is no love between them (yet)
Again, thank you so so much for your insight it was truly valuable!!!!
(Here's five booms for Edgar's village RIP š„š„š„š„š„)
(Also I didn't realize I sent the question anonymously whoops)
Ahhhh Iām so glad you liked my thoughts and thanks for the five big booms! I hope your fic goes well and the slow-burn is the most frustrating-inducing part (in a good way) - I'll keep a look out for it!
Here, take this Reiji so you can throw it at the wall <3
Hi there! I recently found your blog while doing some research on Reiji's character for a fanfic I'm working on, it's so good to see that someone else appreciates the tableware otaku <3
I wanted to ask, how do you think Reiji would act in a marriage arranged by his father with a woman who is older than him and on the same level in strength and status?
From what I gathered in your analysis, and correct me if I'm wrong, Reiji shows Yui he is in control because he is not respected in the household by his brothers, and so he asserts himself as the dominant one. I wonder if he would also try that with a woman who is more sure of herself and her place in the house, and is also capable of killing him if he goes too far.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, I feel like you're an expert on Reiji's character now lol <3
What's up, Anon, how's it going? I havenāt posted here in like 10,000 years but here we go. Iām going to run on the assumption that this is more for an OC fic rather than an x reader fic just based on the description. So letās go, whoo!
First of all, I'd say you're right about Reiji wanting to prove his dominance since he has no respect or control over the other brothers. Obviously that isn't the main reason for his actions, but it's certainly a big contributing factor in why he's extremely controlling and demands Yui's time and respect.
Now, onto the good stuff!
I think right off the bat, if your character (Y/C) was hand-picked by Karl himself then Reiji would naturally have at least some respect towards them just purely based on his yearning for his fatherās approval. BUT, that doesn't mean Reiiās going to like them - obviously thereās a big difference between liking someone and respecting them and I think Reiji would treat that line like a skipping rope.
Even if your character shares the same strength and status, I have no doubt that Reiji would try to find some kind of power imbalance to take advantage of.Ā
Iām going to assume arranged marriages are a common thing, at least for Vampire nobles, so having someone picked out for him by Karlheinz would probably pique his interest. But does that mean heās going to quit his bullshit? Probably not, and heād most likely try the same control tactics as we see him exhibit with Yui. I think the big contributing factors in this would be Y/Cās age and personality type.
Given that Y/C is older than Reiji, I think that would automatically put a power imbalance between the two - with Y/C taking the upper hand, since theyāre the senior party. Naturally, I think this might trigger a sense of inferiority within Reiji and induce a sense of anxiety that he may be perceived as āchildishā or be somewhat infantalised or babied depending on how old Y/C is (for purely speculative reasons Iām going to say at least 100 years, but it doesnāt really matter).Ā
I think the reason Y/Cās age might play a big part in their dynamic is how they act as a noble and their intelligence. I think Reiji would match better with someone whoās more logical or academically intelligent rather than emotionally intelligent simply because anyone with an ounce of emotional intelligence would be able to see through Reiji like a pane of glass - which heād resent. Characters like Laito, Yui and Kou are all highly emotionally intelligent, and 2 of those characters actively put Reiji on edge.
But on the flip side, I donāt think heād enjoy someone whoās just as academically smart as him either. I think itād end up turning into a contest where one is constantly trying to one-up the other. In other words, heās a walking contradiction. BUTā¦ if Y/C COULD match his intelligence but know when and where to apply it, I think heād be more than happy to oblige in the relationship.
For scenarioās sake, letās say Y/C and Reiji are in the study, drinking tea as per usual - if Y/C were to show an interest in whatever book/experiment heās indulging in and ask a question, I think heād state something along the lines of, āDo you really not know this? Truly, at your ageā¦.Never mind, Iāll indulge you this time.āĀ So in one regard, heād still be as insulting as ever, but I think like with Yui, heād be inclined to explain his interests.Ā
Letās not forget that 1) Reiji was extremely emotionally neglected as a child and 2) in this case, someone older than him doesn't know something he does. This not only gives him the opportunity to gain the attention of someone whoās essentially āthe chosen oneā by his fatherās standards, but it also gives him the opportunity to info-dump on someone who CAN understand what heās talking about without zoning out.
I think if Y/C shared the same level of seriousness and level-headedness as Reiji then thereād be more room for a relationship to bloom over timeĀ - whether theyāre smarter than him or not wonāt really make a difference as long as they can hold a rational conversation/argument.
Given that Y/C has a strong personality and is most likely strong-willed and resilient, I think itād be harder for Reiji to force any power dynamic, since itād just backfire. As for Y/Cās place in the house, Iām going to assume youāre also referring to the typical house-wife duties of cooking/cleaning etc. Personally, I think heād appreciate someone who knows their responsibilities and actively fulfils them. From what we see in More Blood and Dark Fate, Yuiās prone to either fumbling around or getting distracted when sheās supposed to be doing a chore or task, and we see that Reiji becomes quite frustrated when this happens. And more often than not, Reiji will end up completing the task that Yui/the brothers fail to do. Even in the drama CDās with Reiji, the majority of the time, heās just cleaning up other peopleās messes, so if Y/C takes it upon herself to do these tasks, it takes that burden off of Reiji, and though heād probably just say something akin to, āDo you expect me to applaud you for doing the bare minimum? Honestlyā¦ā, I think heād be quite appreciative since it means they can split/share responsibilities rather than one holding the fort and the other creating some form of chaos.
As for Y/C being just as much of a threat as Reiji, I donāt think itād cause too much of an issue in a Vampire/Vampire relationship. We mainly see Reiji use his Vampirism as a way to scare Yui into submission, so with another pureblood like himself, thereād be no point in him trying to establish dominance via his fangs. But thatās purely based on if Y/C is a normal Vampire and doesnāt have any special abilities like the brothers do - which Iām pretty sure Reijiās is just potion-making and mind control/reading. But from what weāve seen, I donāt think Reiji would be quick to violence or try to kill anyone at this stage in his life (RIP Edgarās village, can we get 5 big booms in the chat).Ā
But that's just regarding physical violence, in terms of Y/C actually killing him, I think he'd be both frustrated and admired by it. After all, death is the biggest way a Vampire can show their love. However, I think Y/C would either have to assassinate or poison him herself in order to gain that level of respect from him. When we see Reiji kill Beatrix, he doesn't do it himself, which then leads to him creating the reanimation potion so he can bring her back to life, just to kill her himself. Naturally, if Y/C were to kill him and not be the one holding the knife, I think he'd be disappointed, whereas, if Y/C were to use his own weapons against him, and poison him and then cut his head off for example, I think he'd admire them a lot more.
In terms of dynamic, I think if Y/C is on the more level-headed side, Y/C and Reiji would have more of a fun but frustrating rivalry-type of marriage, and theyād probably share the same dynamic as Reiji and Ruki - and Iām specifically referring to that one interaction in Lunatic Parade where they enter the cave and theyāre both arguing over which wayās the right way out and Ruki says they should go in one direction, so Reiji goes in the opposite direction only to walk back because it was, in fact, the wrong way and Ruki just stands there and says, āI told you so.ā THATāS the kind of dynamic I think weād see with someone who can hold their own against Reiji in terms of logic and intelligence. Itād definitely be a rivals-to-lovers kind of dynamic.Ā
HOWEVER, if both Reiji and Y/C are more on the logical-over-emotional side, I donāt think Reiji would open up that much emotionally. I do think he would open up or at least become comfortable and let a few walls down, but I think there needs to be some emotionally-charged argument for him to actively show that little bit of vulnerability - but again, Iām just speculating different scenarios of what I think would work best, youāre free to do whatever you want, itās your fic and you can make him as canon or OOC as you want (let the fics run free!).
On the other hand, if Y/C is more like Ayato, Kou or Yui (post more blood) in terms of personality, itād definitely be more of a āhate to love them, love to hate themā kind of dynamic since, quite frankly these guys just will not cut Reiji some slack. But, I think as long as Y/C knows when to act cordially or lady-like, I donāt think Reiji would mind too much as long as they keep their distance behind the scenes.Ā
If Y/C is emotionally intelligent or sensitive to emotions, I think Reiji would have a harder time within the relationship because he wouldn't be able to dissociate from his feelings/trauma. Instead, I think Y/C would be able to crack the never-ending code that is Reiji and āforceā him to confront the fears and feelings he's kept locked away. Much like with a logical Y/C, I think a relationship could definitely bloom, but as opposed to the logical Y/C, it wouldn't start on friendly terms. If anything, I think a marriage with a logical Y/C would allow Reiji to confront his trauma naturally and progressively over time, whereas with an emotional Y/C, Reiji would be forced to confront that trauma, whether he likes it or not - it wouldn't be on his terms. But either way, once Reiji starts to mellow out and let a few walls down, the relationship can actually bloom for both parties.
Man, I could write so much more on this but it's so long already lmao. Hope this helps anon <3
Your analyzes are really helpful and so valuable to the community. It was from your latest analysis of Reiji that I got motivated to research the boys more thoroughly and became very knowledgeable about behavioral issues. But as I replayed each HDB and MB route, I suddenly realized something.
Each of the brothers is very different, but they all seem to share a lot in common when it comes to punishment and obedience. Despite being raised by such different types of mothers, many of the brothers use one common control tactic - a "reward" for obedience or punishment for disobedience. Of course, some of them can take the reward as such, while others have it quite twisted. And it seems that this practice really works on Yui, because this way they train her to obey without a second thought so that she can to avoid the pain, but I got the impression that they didn't see it that way. For most of the development of Yui's "relationship" with one of the boys, this goes to an extreme and eventually she starts to lose the line between pain and pleasure and things get complicated. But I wonder if they are doing this to make her a masochist? As far as I am informed, a man cannot suddenly become a masochist, but is born with such a tendency, and over time, so to speak, learns to awaken it. Does this mean that Yui is actually really a masochist, and it's not just words when brothers say so?
Of course I know your focus is mainly Reiji and I have no idea if you've played any of the other routes to you know. Also, Reiji isn't as mentally screwed up as Cordelia's sons and he acts very carefully and thinks his actions out more than his brothers. But since you also mentioned this reward and punishment tactic, I would be very happy if you could give me your opinion on the subject.
This is a very astute observation! You are right with each brother engaging in Operant Conditioning (or punishment and reward) even though they each have different mothers; I don't think this is coincidental. From what we see of their mothers, it can be implied that the behaviour is learned - we predominantly see this with Cordelia and her general behaviour, but we also see this with Beatrix and Shuu (I would mention Christa but I feel I lack a thorough understanding of her character). From each of the brothers, to the mothers and by extension even the Mukamis, they all seem to exhibit this form of behaviour; the only way for this to occur [beyond coincidence] is for there to be an interlinking variable. In this case, our good friend Karlheinz - CEO of Beans, Means, Heinz.
From what we learn from Ayato's and Laito's routes, it's implied that Cordelia met Karheinz when she was young - in other words, he preyed on her for her blood, and for her heritage. This can imply that Cordelia may have, in fact, been groomed (for Karl's plan) - since it can be implied that he too engages in the punishment and reward system. This is mainly theoretical, however, from Cordelia's extensive collection of fine jewellery - that, (if I'm right) come from Karlheinz (and can even be implied to be 'love bombing'). We know that Cordelia becomes self-destructive and abusive when she isn't with Karl, possibly implying that his time and gifts act as the "reward" - whereas him marrying Beatrix, Christa and generally discarding Cordeila acts as the "punishment". Cordelia possibly learned her behaviour from Karl and imprinted it onto her children - a sort of "cause and effect" if you will - whereas I've implied Beatrix to suffer from some form of generational trauma; though Karl may have also [possibly] used Operant Conditioning on Beatrix, and Christa, too.
And yes, you're right - some brothers are generous with the rewards and do something that actively makes Yui happy, such as Ayato, Azusa and Kou. However, brothers such as Laito, Kanato and Reiji present a more twisted version of 'reward' - such as Laito forcing himself on Yui [in basically every chapter let's be real] or Kanato wanting to turn Yui into a wax corpse - but that's heavily due to their response to their trauma.
You're also right about Yui being easily 'trained' via Operant Conditioning. However, I think this is a precaution - a means to demonstrate complete and utter control - and like I've mentioned with Reiji, he spares no time in enforcing that; meaning that he's likely done this hundreds of times before (and most likely so have the others). In other words, the Operant Conditioning may just be a standard routine among the brothers. I do like your interpretation that they're doing this so that Yui can avoid their punishments - it definitely puts them in a more sentimental light (and I appreciate that you've read it like this). For characters like Subaru, Shuu, Ayato (and even Kanato) I can definitely see this interpretation - as punishing Yui is more trouble than it's worth; they want her to behave and do exactly as they want.
However, for characters like Reiji and Laito, they particularly enjoy pushing Yui around, they enjoy making her slip up so they can punish her. I see this as more of a demonstration of power and control - as well as a boost to their ego. Reiji and Laito are two characters that lacked control and authority in their childhood - implying that their actions towards Yui are possibly a way to achieve that. For characters such as these, I don't belive that they want Yui to avoid pain in the beginning. Throughout the mid-way section and the end of their respective routes, they don't delight in Yui's pain - it's only in the beginning, and I think this is due to their trauma-response. In other words, the abused become the abuser - they delight in Yui's pain because she feels a physical manifestation of their mental/emotional pain. It's sadism at its most ironic.
So yes, I agree with you on that front - I don't think they see Yui's 'training' in a pet-like way - instead I believe it's a fail-safe. It's a way for each brother to be in complete control, while having the security that Yui can't escape, act out or leave them. At the end of the day, each brother values and desires affection and acceptance - using this form of control over Yui guarantees that. It's a twisted way for them to garner the emotional security they need.
However, I don't believe that any of the brothers use Operant Conditioning to actively or purposefully make Yui a masochist. From what I know, researched and from my own experiences, no one is born a sadist or a masochist. Instead, I believe it to be a learned response. Sadism and masochism are responses to pain - I don't believe people are intrinsically born to enjoy pain - it's called 'pain' for a reason. However, and this is drawn upon my own experiences, I believe that sadism and masochism arise from the exposure to suffering.
If you're exposed to constant and unyielding pain, there's only a small selection of responses to choose from. You can't run from it, you can't hide from it - fighting it only makes it worse - therefore, the only way to deal with the relenting pain is to accept it, tolerate it...enjoy it. I touch on this in my MB analysis regarding Azusa and Yui (and how Azusa is a "dark parallel" to Yui regarding this exact topic). Since the female brain doesn't full mature until mid-twenties, I can afford to take some liberties regarding Yui.
When you're exposed to heavy abuse and physical abuse as a child, your brain does funny things. Now, I'm only talking from my own experiences - so any other views on this are greatly appreciated. But like I said, when you're exposed to pain at a young age, your brain tries to rationalise it and find an effective response. If it's constant, unyielding and inescapable, you can either fight it - and in some cases, make it worse - or you can accept it. When you're a child, or a young adult, you're constantly told the message that you should enjoy life; that you have nothing to sad about or anything worth crying over. Notice how I used the word: enjoy. This is intentional because this is where the brain begins to warp. So, instead of crying about the pain, you instead learn to see the positives - that whoever's inflicting the pain is giving you 'special treatment' for example. This is what we see with Azusa and his attachment to Justin.
People inflict pain because they want to see you suffer; from how my brain responded to that, the only way to combat that is to enjoy it. Once the pain's over - or it's finally stopped for good - that sentiment doesn't go away; instead it finds something to latch onto. Think of your brain as one big circuit board, and the masochism as a cord. Once the pain stops for an extensive period, that cord becomes unplugged - and another cord is plugged in its place; the circuit board fills up. The masochism is still there, the cord hasn't disappeared; it's dangling, and it needs something to latch onto. Once you grow older, your brain develops more plugs, more sockets for different cords and branches that need to be filled in - one of those plugs is sexuality. Now obviously, sadism and masochism aren't intrinsically sexual, they are both sexual and non-sexual: the sexual being self-explanatory and the non-sexual being oriented around amusement - again, it's irony being displayed in its most painful form. But I digress, once sexuality opens itself up to the brain - like with Yui - the unplugged cord of masochism has a socket to wire itself into.
The point I'm getting at is that I believe masochism - and Yui's masochism - to be a trauma-response. It acts as a way for her to 'deal' with the pain - however, since her brain is underdeveloped, her mentality surrounding it warps and distorts. The line between pain and pleasure does become blurred. In other words, it can be implied that Yui's masochism (and Azusa's) are coping mechanisms that have become warped and distorted over time.
Note that Yui never starts the game(s) as a masochist. If anything, she hates the pain. Yet by the end of the game, she is a masochist. She's masochistic due to the severe mental stress she's under and the vile abuse she endures - and her brain can't revert back due to the extent of the distortion. Routes such as Reiji's and Laito's hinge on Yui's mentality unravelling; becoming fragile and mouldable - this is how the masochism is able to infiltrate, it's a coping mechanism (but instead of being able to abandon it, it's latched onto another part of her brain, her sexuality).
Furthermore, when the brothers refer to Yui as a masochist, it could be implied to be an exaggeration, a way to riddle Yui's mind with stress, denial and self-doubt. In other words, it could be implied that they're gaslighting her to sow doubt and make her more susceptible to their mental manipulation. Additionally, it could be implied that they're enforcing masochism onto Yui so that they can enact their own sadism onto her without any complications - to make her a 'willing victim' if you will. In essence, the brothers could call Yui a masochist in order to imprint their own views and needs onto her - sadism and masochism is the giving and receiving of pain. It can be implied that the brothers' sadistic tendencies act as an outlet for their trauma; they need a recipient to take the pain they're giving - that being Yui. However, the brothers' sadism and Yui's masochism doesn't match up.
The brothers begin their routes revelling in Yui's pain, yet they don't end their routes with the same sentiment. Yui, however, starts the routes trying to escape the pain, only to yield to it - and by the end of the route, revel in it. And I'm not just strictly talking about her own pain either. In Reiji's HDB manservant ending, we see Yui delight in the pain and subservience of others. She gains control over Reiji, in which she belittles and emasculates him, all while playing the role of 'Cordelia' - and in Kanato's HDB manservant ending, we see Yui brutally (and sadistically) murders the other brothers, revelling in the affection she believes she'll get because of it. In essence, sadism and masochism are learned responses or coping-mechanisms (gone wrong), but that's just my opinion.
You're also right, Reiji isn't as screwed up as the triplets, and he does think out his every move - painstakingly so. The only other brother I'd say who comes close is Laito,since they're both highly manipulative and predominately enforce Operant Conditioning - with Reijiās focus being on control and Laito's being on sex. When Yui behaves, they each reward her in non-material ways - for Laito, it's sex or physical affection, and for Reiji, it's remedies when Yui's sick, her favourite meals etc. What they both 'reward' Yui with is their vulnerability. In other words, manipulative characters like Reiji, Laito, Ruki and Carla enforce Operative Conditioning to gain the comfort of control; only once that boundary is established do they 'mellow'. In other words, the need for punishment and reward is a basis wherein the brothers can build a relationship that they can thrive in.
I never understood Reiji's goals and intentions until I came across your blog. You have literally analyzed the entire game in such a detailed way that in the end you can't help but think about his psychology and character. I admit that before I read every one of your posts about this boy, I always found him to be the most boring Sakamaki brother and I couldn't explain his actions, but thanks to you I decided to give him 1 more chance. What I like most is the fact that even though he is your favorite, you don't justify or sugar coat him like many people do with their favorite character, but you appreciate, examine and explain his flaws and mental problems, trying to analyze like a true psychologist. Respect for the work you have done. I saw that you're planning more posts like this in the future and that you're going to try other characters like Ayato, who I think shares quite a bit of Reiji's personality. I can't wait for it.
Ah! Thank you, I'm glad you decided to give him one (1) more chance [even though you shouldn't, he's very rude]. BUT your point is exactly the reason why I wanted to analyse him in the first place. He's generally considered 'boring' or 'annoying' to deal with, and his dialogue can be hard to sift through if you're only looking at him at surface level.
I know I've said many times that I wanted More Blood done and dusted before now - and I genuinely thought I'd be finished, but sadly over 100k words isn't enough words for our boy - that and I'm āchronically illā at the moment. I feel like a sick Victorian child lmao
I am getting through the transcripts, but very slowly. It doesn't help that I was on the verge of a stroke when someone decided to ādeleteā a section of my work. Thank you Ctrl + Z because I was about to invoke the most destructive gamer rage this world has ever seen.
I am glad that you decided to send this ask Anon since I never really knew how much this could help people understand Reiji (even if it's just from my perspective). I feel like the best way to thoroughly appreciate a character is to acknowledge their flaws, and I'm glad you're able to appreciate them too >3<
But I do think you're right about Ayato. I feel like he definitely shares a lot of traits with Reiji, but more so as his opposite. I feel like Reiji and Ayato have a ying/yang code to them; I stand by my interpretation that Ayato represents chaos and that Rejii represents order.
[For your diligence, please take this sanrio Reiji]
Also, mini rant: I can't be the only one that instantly thinks of Zhongli whenever they see the word 'order', right? The line just goes through my head like the plague, so now my brain decided to fuse him and Reiji together, and now I'm stuck with this:
Hello. I wanted to tell you that your analysis is simply unique! Respect for all the good work you did on Reiji. I really enjoy reading DL psychology posts and this one was the best I've ever come across on all things guys. It's really sad that there aren't any for Ayato, Subaru, or some for Mukami.
Good luck with your blog development! <3<3<3
Awww thank you!! Still working on More Blood so there's development (just slow) but it does include analyses of the mukami's (though only what we see in Reiji's route; the same will go for the other games such as Vandead Carnival). So when I [finally] get round to that, stay tuned! I would like to delve into other characters in the future - definitely Ayato. Delving into Reiji's character makes me realise just how much these two parallel each other, which I find extremely interesting when it comes to their dynamic. Thank you for your kind words, Anon <3
Sorry I know I shouldn't bother you but when are you going to publish your new analysis in at least a month or so, I'm desperate and I have nothing to look for or read?
I don't want this to sound rude, but I'm trying the best I can at the moment. Route analyses take a very long time and are very demanding (hdb took roughly 6 months straight when I was working on it for about 8-10 hours a day) but not only is my job very mentally demanding, but so is my degree, and so I can't work on my analysis 24/7 like how I did. I understand that a lack of content can be very frustrating, but there's a lot of time, effort, and research into producing a high-quality analysis. Some transcripts can take a few days to get rough, and some can take an entire month. I know it's my own fault, but I like to hyperanalyse anything and everything that sticks out as significant. Don't get me wrong, I've done quite a lot of the analysis, but the sections I have left are very long.
Next month would practically be impossible to release, but if you want, I don't mind sharing a few spoilers (?). My word count at the moment is almost 100k words, which you can imagine is excruciatingly long, and that's still with only half of the thing done. The best I can say at the moment is that I only have 50 more pages of untouched transcripts to go.
Don't feel bad about asking about this, it's nice to have you check in. But like you, I'm also a little desperate to get this finished, but I can't rush or be careless with it. Don't forget that More Blood is double the size of the first game and is way more complicated in themes and underlying tones. Even small analyses like the Do-S CD took about a month straight (8-10 hours per day) to do, and now that I barely have any time to do anything, I have to put my analysis on hold. Like I said, not only is my job mentally taxing on me, but my English degree is exponentially taxing (I have a 13-page script to do by next week). What I'm saying is that my time is very stretched and limited to my priorities at the moment. I want this analysis out just as much as you do, I've invested so much time and energy into it that it's getting on my nerves too lmao.
As I mentioned, I hope this doesn't come off as rude because I completely understand your point (so don't feel bad about asking!). I'm just very exhausted at the moment.
Once this thing is done, though, I can thankfully say that the analyses I have in store are not as long-winded. Vandead Carnival is relatively short and won't take nearly as much time as this. I just underestimated how long More Blood would take to do - so that's my fault.
More Blood requires a lot of time, and sadly, time is something I don't have at the moment. If you want a sneak peek, tell me, and I don't mind sharing a little bit - I won't tell you where from, though - :)
Hello, I wanted to give you a recommendation that if after doing the analysis of Reiji's more blood route you did your analysis of the drama cd diabolik lovers bloody bouquet reiji or cd drama diabolik lovers more, blood vol.10 reiji, than the cd dedicated to wing same route, of course it is only a recommendation
Hello to you too! I'm planning on analysing Reiji's more blood vol 10 drama cd after the route analysis anyway, however I still need to analyse Reiji and Kanato's Do-S versus cd since I completely forgot about it up until now - but I'll get round to that at some point aha.
As for Reijiās bloody bouquet, I will end up analysing that cd when I start analysing Dark Fate since it was released afterwards. I'll be going in order of the games, so don't worry; I do have a masterlist sitting in my drafts which will be released once More Blood is done, so it'll be easier to navigate and keep track of - but thank you for you're recommendation!!
I am glad to know that you are going to do the analysis of Reiji's route from more blood, I am going to wait patiently for it, because there is something in your analysis that catches me and I want to read it until the end, Reiji is my favorite character in all of DL and I I am glad to know that someone analyzes it in depth because there are things that I did not realize before and I could see them more clearly in your analysis, Greetings!
Ahh thank you for waiting patiently with me! I'm glad you enjoy my findings - in all fairness, this is something I love doing but it takes such a long time (and I know the analyses I've put up are already very lengthy). I'm happy that Reijiās psychological findings didn't just resonate with me but with you as the audience too. I know my style of writing can be a tad convoluted and I was pretty worried that it would come across as confusing, but the fact that you're able to see the same things as me when it comes to Reiji's behaviour genuinely makes me so happy, both as a writer and as a part of the fandom!
Anyway, I hope you're glad to know that there is more content on the way - I'm hoping to get through More Blood as fast as possible (so far I'm at 200 pages) so that I can dive into more of his character. But, I have to say, if it's taking me this long to get through the second game then God help me when I get to Dark Fate and Lost Eden :')
Do you plan to do the reiji analysis of more blood? and also from his drama cd? And are you going to continue doing more reiji analysis? because I really like them and they are very interesting
Yes! I do, I'm currently working on More Blood at the moment anyway, I'm about half way through but it's taking me a little longer than I would have hoped since I'm at uni too. I do intend to fully analyse Reijiās route in each game as well as his drama cd's and character songs - hopefully More Blood will be finished in the next few months, and I'm glad you like what I've done so far!
I always find Reiji to be dismissed by a lot of the fandom since he's not as profound as others, so I'm glad you're able to enjoy his character with me :)
Diabolik Lovers Drama CD Analysis: The Dinner Banquet by Moonlight
This drama CD is already a part of my HDB route analysis for Reijiās character, however, I wanted to post it separately for convenience - this post mainly consists of both analysis and my own thoughts and interpretations. I thought Iād post this separately just in case anyone wanted to read my thoughts on it without having to scroll down my entire HDB route analysis.Ā
As always, this transcript is by the lovely @dialovers-translations.
So, shall we begin?
Word Count: 9,171 words
*Cling*
Reiji: Haah...I simply cannot get enough of the fragrance of this tea. During this short timespan given to me, I get to indulge in the highest of luxuries. At dawn, when everyone is falling asleep, enjoying a cup of tea by myself. A wonderful time just by myself. I even find myself wishing that the fools in this household would just never wake up again.
The door opens.
Shuu: ć¼ Sorry to crush your dreams, but Iāll have to interrupt your ideal time.
Reiji: Hm? ...Tsk, Shuu. You truly do appear at the worst possible times. Hmph. Thanks to you, the best time and space changed to the worst time and space in the blink of an eye.
You usually do not wake up over the slightest thing, so whatās the matter?
Shuu: Hm...For some reason I couldnāt fall asleep. Thereās this certain thing missing from my bed after all.
Reiji: ...āThis certain thing?ā
Right at the beginning of this CD, itās pointed out to us that Reiji rarely gets his own time, heās always busy with something and never really has any time to himself to relax - bringing us back to his perfectionism and how that can cause people to become restless until something has been āperfectedā, leaving sparse amounts of time to simply sit back and enjoy your own company; yet that becomes interrupted, and Reijiās sour mood returns.
Itās quite fitting that out of all the brothers, itās Shuu who decides to deflate Reijiās mood - if youāve played or followed Shuuās route, then you know that heāll frequently do things to intentionally irritate Reiji, and I think that is exactly what heās doing here. Shuu has a trivial problem, an inconvenience, and who does he annoy ? Reiji, and him being the way he is, voices his disdain for Shuuās presence. What I find to be quite apt is how Shuu gives a vague hint to his problem and expects Reiji to know what it is. The reason Iāve said that itās quite fitting of Shuuās character to do this is because he does the same thing but with his emotions throughout his route - not only does he not elaborate on his inconvenience, but he purposefully makes Reiji question the circumstance; and we all know that Reiji despises not understanding things. To link back to a prior section, notice how Reiji only vocalises his displeasure, he doesnāt physically remove Shuu at any point, implying that he may not hate Shuu as a person, but he doesnāt condone his behaviour. Shuu catches Reijiās attention and then promptly cuts him off, annoying him. Furthermore, notice how Reiji was the first person Shuu went to, yes Reiji is the most mature, but Shuu still went to him to fix his problem; that could imply that in this scenario, Reiji acts as the ācaretakerā, the mature figurehead who deals with everything from financial affairs to personal problems - this further shows his need to succeed at everything, and be āperfectā -.
Shuu: Nn...Iām tired...Oh well, Iāll sleep.
He drops down on the couch.
Reiji: Ah...! Wait! Please do not sleep on the couch!
Shuu: Zzz...Zz...
Reiji: Ugh...You...Vampire version of Sleeping Beauty! Shuu! Youāre in the way! If you fall asleep there, itāll ruin my long-awaited tea time! Youāre an eyesore, so please disappear from my sight!
Shuu: ...Hm? ć¼ Zz...Zz...
Reiji: ...! Kuh...He wonāt wake up. This guy really...!
Hm. Oh well, itās fine. I suppose he wishes to be killed by me. Iāll grant your wish right now.
Reiji pulls out a blade.
Reiji: Fufufu...If thatās what you want, Using this silver knife Iāve spent days and nights sharpening, Iāll chop off your head in a single motion. This is your punishment for corrupting my wonderful space. You deserve to die while writhing in pain.
Shuu: Nn... (sleep-talking) I canāt...suck no more...Zz...
Reiji: Heh. Dream on for eternity, Sakamaki Shuu.
Notice how Reiji still keeps up his politeness, even when practically yelling at Shuu - itās fairly easy to see how much Reiji resents his brother, and with that in mind, itās a natural response to be quick to anger. Yet, with Reijiās annoyance growing, youād think that his form of speech would differ and grow more irascible in his wording. I find it quite apt for Reiji to call Shuu āSleeping Beautyā, not only for the fact that he usually just sleeps all the time, but the fact that Aurora/Talia/Briar-Rose (depending on what source youāre reading from) was a princess within the fable...and given that Karlheinz is the current Vampire King, that would give Shuu a āprincelyā status. To add onto this, just because I thought it was neat, in the Disney adaptation of the fable, Aurora only speaks 18 lines - which reminded me of how little Shuu tends to speak. Thereās not much to analyse for that part but I thought Iād mention it since I thought it was quite apt of Reiji to draw this comparison.
Something that did strike me as strange, was how Reiji decided to draw his sharpened knife at this point in the narrative - if Reiji truly hated Shuu (which I donāt think he does) why wait until now to attempt his murder ? In all honesty, I donāt think Reiji wouldāve actually killed Shuu; in my opinion, I think it was more of a ploy to wake Shuu up - put him on high alert - and get him to leave the room. Itās in a vampireās nature to have higher senses, so one should be able to detect another and or possible danger and it can be implied that Reiji was attempting to use those senses to his advantage in order to get Shuu to leave of his own accord. Additionally, how Reiji claims, āThis is your punishment for corrupting my wonderful space. You deserve to die while writhing in painā could be inferred to refer not only to Reijiās current dilemma - his āwonderful spaceā being his time to himself without being interrupted, being surrounded by his own company and relishing in the sparseness of their occurrence; since Shuu has interrupted that, it has therefore become corrupt - however, it could also relate back to Reijiās childhood and his CEN. It could be implied that if Shuu had been different, Reijiās childhood might have been different too, but due to that not occurring, Reijiās once āpureā childhood has now been tarnished and 'corrupted' - pure in the sense that as an infant he wouldāve received the care he needed, yet due to Shuuās importance, that pure, āmotherlyā care and acknowledgement was lost, and his once āwonderful spaceā was then only full of loathing and solitude; to me, that makes sense as to why Reiji says āYou deserve to die writhing in painā. Overall, this inference might be considered a long shot, however, it did pique my interest and I thought Iād share it.Ā Ā
Approaching footsteps can be heard in the distance.
Ayato: ...Aaah!!
Kanato: Trying to kill him in his sleep...What a boring way to murder someone.
Laito: Nfu~ Are we interrupting something, perhaps?
Ayato: Oi!! Donāt try and kill him here, you idiot! Take that kind of stuff outside! Youāre in the way!
Reiji: Why are you three here? Did you not say youād be going to bed and headed to your rooms earlier?
Ayato: Ah, yeah, we did say something like that! But you see, Iām hungry so I just couldnāt fall asleep.
Laito: Nfu~ What were you trying to do while we were asleep, I wonder~?
Kanato: If you want to kill him, itās the most fun when the other person is wide awake. You wouldnāt want to miss out on their suffering face, would you?
Ayato: Kanato, you really are messed up, huh?
Laito: Eeeh~? But you know, I can understand what Kanato is saying.
Kanato: Fufu...~
Reiji: Haah...
Shuu: (yawns) ...Shut up. Donāt make a fuss right next to the couch.
Laito: Oh dear? Have you awoken?
Shuu: Anyone would wake up if itās that noisy...Che
Ayato: ...This is the living room, you know!? It doesnāt belong to you, so donāt go clicking your tongue like that! This is my turf!!
Laito: It doesnāt belong to you either, Ayato.
Ayato: Haah!? Every single thing in this house belongs to me!
In this section of the CD, we see Reiji take the passive role when faced with the triplets - which is evidently different from how he is with Yui, or Shuu for that matter - and this could possibly be due to their vast differences. It is to my interpretation that compared to Reiji, Shuu and Subaru, the triplets are rather unhinged and far more bombastic in their whims, desires and means of keeping control - more so Ayato and Kanato moreover Laito since heās easier to negotiate with -. In addition to this, Reijiās lack of dialogue in this part could imply back to his passive behaviour compared to the three, as well as present their character differences; and they also tend to listen more to Shuu over Reiji, which would no doubt cause friction, and could potentially link to why Reijiās presented as passive towards the triplets - there wouldnāt be much point in trying to control their behaviour if they never planned on listening to Reiji in the first place -.
Kanato: Ah...Iām so...terribly hungry...
Ayato: Haah?
Kanato: I...I... *sniff* This whole time...
Ayato: ...Oh fuck.
Reiji: Hm? Kanato, whatās the matter?
Kanato: IāM TELLING YOU IāM HUNGRY, AM I NOT!? Iāve been telling you OVER AND OVER with the look in my eyes! Whatās your problem!? Donāt make fun of me!!
Laito: Aha~! He snapped!
Kanato: You see, when I get hungry...I completely lose control...I just get so incredibly angry, I canāt help it!
*THUD*
Shuu: Aah...Noisy...
Ayato: Calm down already! If you throw a tantrum like that, youāll only get even more hungry!
Kanato: Shut up!!
*THUD*
Kanato: As if you would understand how I feel!?
Ayato: ...!? Fuck, this pisses me off! Oi, Reiji! This is your responsibility!
Reiji: Haah? Iād appreciate it if you wouldnāt spout such nonsense. For starters, if you guys had just minded your own business...
I quite like this interaction between Reiji and Ayato here from the declarative āOi, Reiji! This is your responsibility!ā, it not only paints Ayato as a bit of a brat, but it also implements the theme that Reiji is the ācaretakerā among the brothers - he cooks, he cleans, he makes sure everyone is okay; more so Kanato, but thatās for an obvious reason. Thereās also the implication that the triplets view Reiji as more of a āpaternal figureā since their actual father is absent from the majority of their lives, and due to Reijiās strict and stiff personality, he would naturally be considered as the āresponsibleā member of the household; hence why Ayato is quick to pass the responsibility of his brotherās hunger onto him - it reminds me of how a child would complain to their parent and then expect them to fix their problem -.
Iād also like to mention the use of aposiopesis, the ellipsis at the end of Reijiās sentence implying that his dialogue is trailing off or ābreakingā and is left unfinished. For instance, it could imply that as heās talking, heās had the realisation that the triplets wouldnāt have listened to him anyway, but it could also represent his passiveness in the situation. He was on the verge of ākillingā Shuu and now heās allowing his siblings to run rampant around the living room and declare him to fix Kanatoās problem...that doesnāt seem like the authoritative figure we follow through his route with Yui and I think Reijiās purposely taking the back seat, and his unfinished sentence could be implied to demonstrate that. From my interpretation, it seems that Reijiās initial thought process is to simply āstick it outā until the triplets leave, and he can once again attempt to have his moment of relaxation.
Kanato: Uu... *sniff* Anything will do...Anything...Just...FILL MY BELLY!!
*THUD*
Laito: Nfu~
Shuu: Aah...What a pain.
Reiji: ...I understand. I understand so please calm down! I will make you a homemade meal. ESPECIALLY for you guysā sake, I will do that.
Shuu: It isnāt really special or anything. Youāve always been the one in charge of cooking.
Reiji: Shuu!!
Laito: Nfu~ Either way, we donāt want Kanato to cry and complain any longer, so please get right to cooking~
Reiji: Good grief... (mumbles) Why do I have to do all of this...One day, Iāll kill these guys for sure...
Kanato: Did you say something!?
Itās evident to see that compared to all the brothers, Reiji often goes overlooked or simply does not hold more of a notable presence; and I think scenes like this display that quite well. Phrases such as āI understand. I understand so please calm down! I will make you a homemade meal. ESPECIALLY for you guysā sake, I will do thatā portray Reiji as a character who tries to conform, reason and reassure the situation at hand; the fact that he repeats the verb phrase āI understandā implies that heās opting to reason with Kanatoās demands and let him know that the problem will be addressed and sorted. By following Reijiās route, we understand that heās a character who abhors unnecessary drama and complaints; therefore, heās attempting to solve the problem quickly and avoid any possible tantrums from Kanatoās end.
*TIMESKIP*
Reiji: Here you go, now thereās nothing to complain about, is there?
He drops the plate on the table.
Laito: Nfu~ So violent! The pudding you took your time making will become a mess!
Reiji: Even if it looks bad, as long as your stomach gets filled, it shouldnāt be a problem, right?
Ayato: ...Are you happy now, Kanato?
Kanato: ...Pudding! Sparkling...Pudding!!
Reiji: I present to you, Sakamaki Reijiās special iron-packed pudding, topped with raspberry sauce.
Kanato: *munch much* Mm...~
Reiji: Hey! At least give your impressions first! Like āit looks goodā, or āthank youā to express your gratitude!
Kanato: Haahn...*munch munch*
Reiji: ...The cold shoulder!?
The notion that Reiji drops the plate on the table alongside his remark presents a passive-aggressive tone, which I think is quite fitting since he likes to display a more āgentlemanlyā faƧade - heās obliged to Kanatoās whims even though he didnāt want to; passive-aggressiveness naturally comes hand-in-hand with that sort of behaviour, that sort of passive behaviour. Additionally, Laitoās remark of āso violentā could imply that he doesnāt take Reijiās sour mood too seriously and opts to play off of it - it can be further implied that none of the triplets take Reijiās efforts seriously at all. This inference can be found when Kanato gorges the pudding without uttering a word, which causes Reiji to grow more irritated since he feels like heās entitled to an utterance of praise to āexpress your [Kanatoās] gratitudeā. It not only displays Reijiās passiveness to āgive inā to Kanatoās anger, but it also displays his incessant need for praise, acknowledgement and attention from others - which we can clearly see throughout his route, as it stemmed from his childhood and CEN -. It also explains why Reiji becomes quite expressive when given āthe cold shoulder!?ā by Kanato.
Ayato: Haah...Oh well, he calmed down so whatever? By the way, Reiji, isnāt there any for us? Aah!?
Reiji: ...Why would I have to cook for you guys as well?
Shuu: ...Iām hungry.
Ayato: Exactly, hungry!
Laito: Right~? Weāre totally starved!
Reiji: I do not care! Why not cook for yourself?
I find it quite humorous that Ayato expects for there to be food for him and the others, it not only shows his entitlement, but also his treatment of Reiji - the caretaker, the figurehead, the paternal figure, the butler -. Itās at this moment that Reiji shows his more authoritative side towards the brothers and attempts to cut their interaction short - evidently it doesnāt work, but it shows how the other brothers are willing to take advantage of Reijiās efforts in order to sate their own needs. It both displays the brothersā selfishness, but also Reijiās lack of presence - which could imply why heās as brutal and manipulative as he is throughout the entirety of his route -.
Ayato: If we were allowed to, we would...But are you sure? If we were to cook, who knows what will happen to the kitchen...
Laito: Right? Werenāt you the one who lashed out at us for using the kitchen the other day?
Shuu: Ah...That was...Because you guys made the whole thing explode, right?
Ayato: It wasnāt an explosion! We were only cooking!
Reiji: Would the kitchen really explode from just cooking? ...It canāt be helped. Iāll make an exception and make something for you guys as well.
Shuu: Try and make it as quick as possible, okay?
Reiji: ...! For some reason I just donāt feel satisfied... Oh well, I suppose itās fine. I will make you something.
Kanato: ...Iām looking forward to it.
Reiji: Youāre still planning on eating more!?
Here we see both Ayato and Laito display their slyness, a little bit of reverse-psychology in order to get their way - to eat without cooking -. I find it quite fitting that Shuu also plays into this, not only due to his apathy and laziness, but also because he knows that itāll irritate Reiji; in turn, their ploy works, Reiji questions himself, something that he does internally quite frequently, showing his more doubtful side, and gives in to their demands. Interactions such as this show how the brothers tend to treat Reiji as a servant of sorts - and can explain why Reiji treats Yui as such, heās treating her how he himself is treated. Itās both sad and ironic. However, Shuuās quick remark of āTry and make it as quick as possible, okay?ā not only shows his gall, but his ungratefulness towards Reiji, and how far heās willing to go in order to annoy him; and Reijiās reluctant to that, he yet again gives in and becomes passive, this can be seen through the phrase āitās fineā. Itās a phrase we all use when we yield or back down from something, even if weāre not fine with it; it presents our own passivity towards something that may cause conflict. I also wanted to bring attention to Kanatoās dialogue here, as it again presents the brothersā entitlement, and how they each expect Reiji to rally round each and every one of their problems or inconveniences - but also, the exchange is quite funny to me -.
*TIMESKIP*
Reiji: Now you canāt complain.
He drops the plates on the table again.
Laito: Nfu~ What a brute. Thereās no reason to slam them down like that.
Ayato: Woah!! Despite everything, in the end Reijiās a good guy! He made all of our favourite dishes! Iām digging iiin~ *munch munch*
Delicious, this Takoyaki!!
Laito: These macaroons as well...Theyāre sublime~ Almost as if theyāre straight from a famous store in Paris. Nfu~
Shuu: *munch munch* The steakās good...
Reiji: ...!!! Unconsciously...I ended up...making everyoneās favourite dish...I almost seem like you guysā mother at this point! Damnit!
He slams his fist against the table.
Reiji: ...I canāt forgive myself.
Again, we see Reijiās passive-aggressiveness through his mannerisms, for which Laito states āWhat a bruteā. The phrase itself holds no deeper meaning in the context and is mainly used to display Laitoās āplayfulā personality and mockery towards Reiji. Additionally, the praise that Reiji lacked from Kanato earlier is made up for here by Ayato, Laito and Shuu as they each state that: āThe steakās goodā, āTheyāre [the macaroons] sublimeā and āDespite everything, in the end Reijiās a good guyā. I wanted to bring attention to the third comment - made by Ayato - as I find it quite significant towards Reijiās character. It can not only be used in the context that heās gone out of his way to please the others and their ravenous stomachs, but it could also relate to his route in general - throughout Reijiās route he (at first) treats Yui quite poorly yet, when the time calls for it, heās also there for her; heās got Yuiās back when all else fails is what Iām trying to say. That despite everything, Reiji does care for Yui, itās just in his own messed up way.
Furthermore, I find the notion that Reiji subconsciously cooked their favourite meals to be quite telling - implying that as much as he claims to hate his brothers, heās still meticulous in their preferences; inadvertently showing that he does, in retrospect, care for them. The added factor that Reiji seems to despise the fact that heās catered to everyoneās favourite dish, and canāt forgive himself for it could imply that to some degree, Reiji views himself as a ābadā person - or that he likes to think that heās a bad person in order for him to make sense of his childhood; again bringing us back to his CEN and the belief that a child has to be āwrongā in some way for their parents to not love them, and with that in mind, it therefore makes a little more sense as to why Reiji becomes frustrated with himself after this situation.
Footsteps approach
Subaru: ...Oi!!
*THUD*
Reiji: ...! That startled me! ...Subaru?
Subaru: Che...Makinā a fuss down here...Youāre all far too loud, I canāt sleep!!
Reiji: Aah...My apologies for the inconvenience. However, it should be resolved now. Their bellies have been filled, so they should soon...
Subaru: Oi, make something for me as well.
Reiji: Haah...?
Subaru: āCause of these guys I woke up and when I came downstairs, the air was filled with nothing but delicious smells. Now Iām hungry as well.
Ayato: *munch munch* Aah? If you snack at night, youāll get fat!
Reiji: Speak for yourself!
Subaru: ...Che! Hurry up! Iām starved!
Reiji: Heh. I refuse. Iāve been cooking non-stop since earlier, and I do not wish to return to the kitchen over and over again.
Subaru: Haaah...!?
Reiji: Seeing you sulk that much makes me uncomfortable too, if you are dissatisfied, why donāt you...
*CRASH SHATTER*
Reiji: ...!?
Laito: Ah-aaah~ Look at that hole in the cupboard. Now we get a nice view of the moon.
The added appearance of Subaru to this scene allows us to view Reiji from different perspectives and scenarios. Subaru also desires food and Reiji puts his foot down and denies - showing assertiveness towards his sibling - and from that, Subaru begins to destroy the house - throwing a makeshift tantrum if you will -. It could infer that if either the triplets or Subaru donāt get their own way, theyāll resort to violence, which would no doubt cause Reiji an unending amount of hassle; it links back to the point I made previously, that Reiji is treated as some form of servant by his brothers, and in order to avoid a large scale conflict, he must oblige and become passive (to a degree, he still remains his usual snarky self). It could be implied that when Subaru creates a hole in the cupboard, itās as if to say ādonāt test meā, and we all know that Reiji is a man who prefers to avoid unnecessary risks, and so, he becomes complaisant. Itās a good tactic on Subaruās end, yet form Reijiās perspective, it shows his lack of assertiveness towards his brothers, and how he allows himself to be pushed around by them - which obviously allows all that negativity to bubble and fester for him to later take out on Yui -.
Shuu: Nn...Itās cold...
Subaru: Oi...Shall I do more? Aaah!?
Reiji: Haah...
Subaru: I donāt mind wrecking every single wall in this damn place.
Ayato: Oi, oi, cut us some slack. Itāll become something even worse than a haunted house.
Shuu: Father will go on a rampage so cut it out. This is a pain.
Reiji: ...!! Father will!? Thatās...You leave me with no other choice, I understand. Iāll make you something.
Subaru takes a seat.
Subaru: Make it quick, got it?
Reiji: Just sit still there and prepare yourself!
Laito: Nfu~ He may be complaining, but he sure looks after us well.
Reiji: Laito! Did you say something just now?
Laito: Noo~ Nothing at all. Nfu~
Once Reiji realises that their āFather will go on a rampageāĀ if any more damage is done, heās quick to null Subaruās behaviour. We know that out of all six brothers, Reiji is the only one to value his fatherās opinion and presence - Iāve mentioned why earlier on during the childhood section, but it again links back to his CEN and need for approval. Reiji wants to prove that heās capable and successful to his father so that he may receive the love he lost out on, he wants to be acknowledged by him and prove heās worthy enough to be loved.Ā
I also like how not only Ayato calls out Reijiās āsoft spotā, but Laito also points it out too, and - in typical Reiji fashion - Reijiās quick to dismiss the statement by goading Laito to repeat his phrase, which Laito promptly denies. It links back to the point I made of it earlier, that Reiji doesnāt want to think of himself as a āgoodā person, this could be due to a multitude of things such as his upbringing, race, resentment of Shuu, the fact he had his own mother killed, his treatment of Yui etc. However, in my opinion, it could also be implied that Reiji doesnāt want to believe that heās a āgoodā person because that could allow his brothers to take advantage of him further; that his āpolitenessā could be his downfall and no one would take him seriously or see him as a threat - especially in regards to Yui -.
*TIMESKIP*
Reiji: This is the last dish for the night, got it!?
*THUD*
Subaru: ...Haah!? Whatās up with that attitude!? ...By the way, whatās this?
Reiji: Hmph. Youāre always saying how you donāt have a favourite meal, so I made this from the leftovers.
Reiji: Heh. Despite complaining about being hungry earlier, in the end, you have a small appetite. Since I assumed you wouldnāt have much, I figured it would be best to make my own favourite meal, so I could eat it afterwards.
Subaru: Che...Fuck. You made me this sloppy, slimy dish...
Reiji: Exactly. Thatās why it might be wise for you to pass up o...
Subaru starts wolfing down the pasta.
The more this scene continues, the more apparent Reijiās passive-aggressiveness shows; the irony of Subaru asking what Reijiās problem is, is honestly brilliant. It really shows how out of touch each brother is with one another. I also quite like how Reiji just assumes that Subaru wonāt eat the meal and it backfires exponentially - it demonstrates that Reiji not only underestimates Yui but also his brothers; yes, it also shows his manipulation since he more or less goads Subaru into not eating the Carbonara since itās Reijiās favourite dish, again linking back to Reijiās reverse-psychology and anti-conformity tactics.
Subaru: *munch munch* Mm...
Reiji: Youāre actually eating it!?
Kanato: Smells nice...Let me have a little too.
Subaru: (talking with his mouth full) Just go āhead and take some...
Kanato: Okay. Thank you very much. Bon appetite.
Reiji: Hold up! My share! Make sure to leave some for me too!
Subaru: Haah? As if I care...
*Sluuuurp*
Reiji: Aaaah! Scarfing it down like that...! I made a larger portion so at least leave some behind!
Kanato: Thank you for the meal~
Ayato: Woah! They ate it all in one go!
Reiji: ...Youāve got to be kidding me!? That amount...By just the two of them, all at once...
By having Subaru eat the dish, and Reiji consequently being surprised by that, it presents the implication that Reijiās intellect and ego can sometimes precede him and thus demonstrates his overconfidence. Heās overconfident in himself to always be right, but he also underestimates everyone else around him to play into his tactics. I also enjoy how Kanato also digs in too, it not only shows both Subaru and Kanato getting along for once, but I just find it funny how someone as petite as Kanato is eating so much; itās also amusing how they both disregard the fact that Reiji made the dish for himself and yet by the end of it, heās the only one whoās not eaten. Reijiās dialogue of āHold up! My share! Make sure to leave some for me too!ā could be interpreted as a plea, heās almost begging for his two siblings to leave him some of his own dish; the ellipsis during the statement, ā...Youāve got to be kidding me!? That amount...By just the two of them, all at once...ā sells his disbelief at the prospect of the situation heās just caused himself. I like to think that this shows how his usual cocky behaviour can, at times, backfire. It shows that heās not as perfect as he likes to think he is and that assumptions can do more harm than good.
Subaru: ...Phew~ It didnāt taste bad.
Reiji: Ugh...Why did you not leave my share behind? Todayās carbonara turned out excellent as well!
Subaru: You made it for me, so I get to decide what to do with it. Stop complaininā...!
Reiji clenches his fists.
Bearing that in mind, we again see Reiji become a little more assertive towards his sibling yet he quickly becomes passive once more. We see this through Subaruās retort, and again shows how Reijiās usage of words can backfire; therefore, that then gives him no logical argument to present to Subaru, and so, he clenches his fists. Reijiās body language within this section is telling of both his passiveness and also his anger, it can be implied that clenching your fists is the result of pent up anger and frustration; with that in mind, this can therefore link back to Reiji and his ācontrol issuesā - his perfectionism, his narcissism and his need to monopolise everything -. I particularly enjoy how Subaru calls Reiji out on this by telling him to āStop complaininā...!ā. The declarative itself presents Subaru as a reckless character, but as someone who has more presence than Reiji; it also presents the difference between Reiji and Shuu compared to their respective siblings - both Shuu and Reiji are a lot quieter and reserved in their ways, whereas Subaru and the triplets are vocal, disruptive and reckless in their behaviour. However, this section could also imply that Reiji knows when to hold his tongue so that conflict does not break out on his end, it can be implied that he clearly wants to argue back against Subaru due to his clenched fists (showing his irritation) yet, he holds back. He holds back because as we know, Subaruās temper and sheer strength can often be a loose cannon, and I donāt believe Reiji would challenge that; hence why his fists are clenched - heās ābiting his tongueā so to speak -.
Reiji: Kuh...
Laito: Aah~ My bellyās filled and we get such a nice view of the moon from here.
Ayato: Yeah! I finally feel satisfied!
Shuu: I feel you.
Reiji: Ah...Thatās right! All of you were finally able to fill your empty stomachs, werenāt you? All because of me! That being said, hurry up and...
Laito: Nn...
Ayato: Iāve gotten sleepy... *yawns*
Shuu: Zz...
Kanato: Good niiiiight~
Reiji: Hold up! Will you all be sleeping here!? I was just about to pour myself a cup of tea to lift my mood! Return to your rooms at this instant!
Ayato: ...Thatās a pain. Who cares if we sleep here?
Reijiās frustration becomes more and more apparent as the CD continues and this section displays that, especially through his need for recognition, āAll because of me!ā. This exclamative demonstrates both his aggression and his thirst for acknowledgement - he wants thanks for his aid -. The personal pronoun āmeā can be implied to present Reijiās self-importance, as heās stating that his siblingsā stomachs would still be in āperilā if he hadnāt been āgenerousā enough to provide what they wanted; yet again, he and his remarks are completely and utterly ignored, it demonstrates that his brothers donāt take him seriously and that heās just the āparentalā figure, heās the butler to them. When you see Reijiās treatment from the other brothers, it becomes easier to understand why heās the way he is with Yui, especially his need for reassurance and praise.
Reijiās demands are again ignored; each line he speaks at the end of this section is an exclamative, heās quite literally shouting at them and he goes disregarded - as the CD continues his mood decreases and decreases until he more or less gives up and gives in to his brothersā anarchy. Iād like to link this back to Reijiās relationship to Yui, much like how over time Reiji wears Yui down into becoming more or less subservient to his whims and desires, here we see almost the same thing - their situations parallel each other - as all the brothers exhaust Reiji and wear him down until he inevitable gives them what they want. It all inadvertently links back to Reiji wanting to cause others the same pain and struggles he feels and this circumstance is no difference; if anything, it displays it to a bigger extent.
Laito: *yawn* Napping in the light of the moon...is another one of my ways to have fun. Nn...Iām sleepy...
Reiji: Donāt actually fall asleep!
Kanato: Uu...*sniff* Iām tired but...Youāre being noisy...
Reiji: ...! What is you guysā problem!?
Subaru: My thoughts exactly! Getting sleepy after eating...Youāre all Vampires, arenāt ya!? This is the pinnacle of laziness.
Reiji: Exactly...Indulging in human food and then falling right asleep...Heh! This is unbelievable.
Subaru: As a Vampire...It has to be āthatā, or I just canāt feel satisfied. Isnāt that true?
Reiji: Youāre right.
Reiji licks his lips.
Reiji: In the end...Nothing beats drinking the blood from a fair ladyās neck. Otherwise, our hunger and thirst can simply not be quenched.
Subaru: Heh, so simple-minded.
Reiji: What?
Within this section Reijiās mood changes rather quickly from Subaruās remark at his brothersā laziness, and then it reverts back to his usual sour mood. What I wanted to bring attention to here is how Reijiās mood lifts when someone is in accordance with him, they have either similar or the same views as him; it relates back to Reijiās need for approval and reassurance, and for a brief moment, Subaru allows him to indulge in that which therefore lifts his mood.
I do find it quite humorous how Subaru calls Reiji of all people āsimple-mindedā. It could imply back to Reijiās lack of presence, he doesnāt stick out all that much compared to the others; therefore he could be viewed as bland by both his brothers and us as the audience, so by Reiji declaring that drinking from the neck is best, it wouldnāt stick out all that much - itās the typical place to bite within most Vampiric fiction -. With this statement from Reiji alongside his more passive presence, āsimpleā would be the first word to come to mind - if you werenāt aware of the complexities of Reijiās character, or, from the brothersā perspective, the inner struggles and complexities of Reiji behind closed doors, itād be natural to label him as āsimpleā. With this implication in mind, it could be seen as quite a meta joke from our perspective.
Subaru: Drinking from the neck is too orthodox, itās boring. Besides, the taste of the blood is too rich, itās not my cup of tea.
Reiji: ...Is that your way of indirectly ridiculing me?
Subaru: I just meant to say that an old geezerās tastes are different from mine.
Reiji: O-Old geezer...!? There isnāt that large of an age gap between us!
Subaru: Hah! Then at least your appearance is that of an old geezer! Youāre barely any different from our old man. ...When it comes to blood, you see, itās best when sucked from a womanās ankle. When you bite her there, you get a perfect view of how she tries to reject you with her entire body.
Shuu: Heh...Hehehe...
Reiji: Shuu! Werenāt you asleep?
Shuu: No, Subaruās childish lecture on blood-sucking was simply too hilarious...I couldnāt help myself.
Subaru: Haah!? Child, you say!?
Shuu: If youāre going to call Reiji an old man, then so am I, right? In that case, youāre nothing but a brat. A child.
Subaru: ...Ugh.
It can be implied that when Reiji uses the interrogative, āIs that your way of indirectly ridiculing me?ā heās not just asking if heās wrong, heās posing the question āare you mocking me ?ā; therefore, āaskā in this context could be implied to mean ādemandā instead - it all depends on how you yourself interpret the tone of this dialogue -. However, with Reijiās character in mind, it could be inferred that heās almost offended by Subaruās comment, as if to say āare you saying what Iām doing is wrong ?ā and we all know that Reiji loathes being wrong or seen as āsimple-mindedā as Subaru put it; Reijiās a character who enjoys using his intelligence to overpower his prey and back them into a corner mentally - therefore, to have that pulled into question would most likely cause some form of offence to Reiji, heās intelligent and heās a man of tradition; I doubt heād enjoy having that mocked. It also links us back to his āretrainingā of Yui, throughout Reijiās route in HDB as Yui barely calls out Reijiās behaviour and she never mocks him whereas the brothers do; most likely if Yui went against Reiji sheād be punished with something truly abhorrent. However, in other routes (Iāll pick Laitoās HDB route since itās the closest to Reijiās in terms of psychological abuse) she ābitesā back a lot more - such as when she quite literally bites Laitoās lip when he kisses her against he will...and what does Laito do ? He plays it off and treats Yui like a game - both Laito and Reiji treat Yui as a psychological game, something to crack and break until theyāre subservient, in essence, itās a game of cat and mouse to these two. I wanted to compare this little section because compared to Laito, Reiji wouldnāt stand for Yui fighting back and would most likely view it as ābad mannersā, later punishing her for it. My point is that Laitoās the type of character who doesnāt let mockery or resistance offend him, or get under his skin, whereas Reiji is, and I think thatās due to the mockery he endures from his brothers - Reiji is quite often the ābutt of the jokeā whereas Laito is not and treatment like this would undoubtedly effect Reijiās tolerance towards his siblings as well as Yuiās resistance.Ā
I also like Shuuās interjection here; how he calls Subaru a child when Reiji is called an āold geezerā. Itās not just Shuu saying that Subaruās the youngest and he doesnāt know what heās talking about, itās also Shuu retaliating since heās just indirectly been called old, but itās also Shuu inadvertently defending Reiji. By Shuu naming Subaru a ābratā, heās unintentionally defending Reiji and fighting his corner even though heās most likely only trying to save his own feelings since heās the eldest and heās basically just been told through Subaruās remark at Reiji that he also looks like an āold geezerā. Shuu - who we know likes to wind up Reiji - has just haphazardly defended the brother he has so many quarrels with; itās both unintentionally funny and quite endearing.
Shuu: In that case, I can understand why you would suggest something as childish as drinking from the ankle.
Subaru: Then which place do you prefer!?
Shuu: Me...? I...Letās see...It has to be the chest, right? Piercing through the veins closest to the heart and sucking her blood suits my tastes best. The blood flowing from those veins is so sweet, itās almost like syrup, you know?
Subaru: Che...So you are an old geezer after all!
Shuu: At least call it an adultās acquired taste, youngster.
Reiji: Okay, no fighting! Besides, donāt be engaging in such ridiculous quarrels here, but take them elsewhe...
Laito: ...I canāt help but like drinking from the thighs best, I suppose~ Drinking from a young maidenās second softest spot makes the blood slightly greasy, it sticks to my throat...Nfu~
Subaru: Che...Laito! You were awake as well?
Iād like to bring attention to the aposiopesis that Reiji uses within his dialogue here. Aposiopesis is the device of suddenly breaking off in speech, which can be found within āelsewhe...ā, it shows how Reijiās speech is trailing off in tone, but if we pair it with the ellipsis at the beginning of Laitoās sentence, it can be interpreted that Reiji is once again being interrupted by his siblings, and with the inclusion of the ellipsis at the end of Reijiās dialogue, it can be further implied that he knows heās about to be ācut offā; hence why aposiopesis has been included, Reiji trails his sentence off - possibly growing quieter depending on how you interpret ellipsis - because he knows heās going to be interrupted again. Itās a regular occurrence for Reijiās character to be cut off by his brothers or just ignored in general. I didnāt want to say too much about this section or derail into a tangent since Iād just be repeating myself but I did want to mention the aposiopesis.
Laito: I was finally thinking of getting some rest, but you guysā started talking about something interesting so I woke up again.
Reiji: In that case, please use this opportunity to take your leave! All of you have been given your own, proper room after all!
Kanato: Uu... *sniffles* ...Shut up...! I canāt sleep...I CANāT SLEEP LIKE THIS!! Teddy...My Teddy is saying he canāt sleep either...It upsets him!
Reiji: ...! Donāt suddenly scare me like that!
Kanato: I...Such thing...Whether itās the neck or the feet, the chest or the thighs...I donāt care about all of that!
*THUD*
Kanato: I...The place I like best...are the fingers. In particular, the little finger - which looks as if you could just bite it off - is my preference.
Subaru: Basically...What youāre trying to say is that, right?Ā You might just accidentally eat the whole pinkie ć¼ Thatās what you mean, isnāt it?
Kanato: Fufu...Haha...What happens, happens, but itād be twice as delicious.
Shuu: Ugh...Iāll pass up on human flesh.
Laito: Likewise. Picking out the bones is a pain after all. If I were to eat it, it would have to be properly seasoned.
Something to note here is Kanatoās outburst, as soon as Reiji proposes that they all retire back to their rooms so that he may indulge in his own privacy Kanato has one of his famous outbursts - which then scares Reiji -. However, once Kanato begins to talk again, he brings the conversation back to blood drinking; the very āargumentā that Reiji was trying to dissipate between Shuu, Subaru and Laito. It not only displays that Kanato uses his violent emotions to get his own way (as per usual with him) but that Reijiās interests and pleas are of no concern to anyone - Kanato has basically just shut Reiji up in order to carry on the conversation at hand between the other siblings; it genuinely shows how dismissive of Reiji all the brothers are.
Reiji: Right, right. Putting this talk about flesh and bones aside, now that you are all awake, hurry up and...
Ayato: ...If youāre gonna suck her, it has to be the nape, right? I donāt like it to be too fatty. Something a little more refreshing is exactly my taste!
Reiji: ...!? Ayato, you too...
Subaru: But thatās lacking, donāt you think? Then it feels like you barely even had any.
Ayato: Thatās not true! To make up for it, you just have to drink plenty!
Reiji: Well, Ayato has always been quantity over quality. That being said...
Shuu: Jeez...Both Ayato and you guys donāt know a thing.
Reiji: Shuu...Please donāt stir up this conversation again...
Kanato: ...Saying we donāt know...*sniff* Thatās just...Too cruel! Both me and Teddy...*sniffle* did our best to come up with an answer! Yet you completely disregard it like that...
At this point itās growing quite clear that Reijiās giving up on the conversation - he has his little quip at Ayatoās expense, but aside from that and the usage of ellipsis and aposiopesis, it can be implied that Reijiās grown tired of trying to be assertive towards his brothers; opting to replace his strict orders with reluctant pleas - something we tend not to see during his actual route - and it shows the difference between Reiji and his siblings.
Laito: Exactly! Right above the chest is standard just like the neck, isnāt it? Or perhaps the eldest son standing at the head of this long-lasting Sakamaki household has no other choice but to protect such traditions?
Shuu: Are you trying to insult me? A āfakeā pervert like yourself probably doesnāt even understand the profound meaning behind standards.
Laito: A fake pervert? āPretendingā, you say?
Reiji: Fine, fine! Who cares if itās just an act? If you were a true pervert at heart, it would be disgusting anyway. So, everyone, pleaseć¼ć¼
Ayato: This kind of pisses me off...The way youāre looking down on us. I donāt give a damn ābout you being the eldest son of not...The greatest person in this household is this Ore-sama over here!
Shuu: Hah. Youāre lame.
Ayato: Aah?
Subaru: He really is. Being the āgreatestā or the āstrongestā, bullshit.
Ayato: What did you say? You wanna fight!?
Subaru: Fine by me. āCause I had my fill earlier...
He cracks his knuckles.
Subaru: ...Iām overflowing with energy now. I need a little something to let off some steam.
First and foremost, I wanted to draw attention to Shuu calling out Laitoās faƧade, I donāt intend to do a deep dive into the subliminal meaning of this interaction since this is a psychoanalysis of Reiiji but I did think that it was quite funny to see Laito become irritated at the fact that Shuuās basically just called out his entire defence mechanism with little to no effort at all. Secondly, I like how Reiji chooses to ignore this, his irritation has come back, since by almost removing himself from the conversation at hand, heās allowed Kanatoās outburst to derail the situation further and allowed for Shuu to cause conflict between the brothers. The exclamations are back and his snappy attitude is coming to the forefront; this can be implied through āWho cares....ā. It can be implied that Reijiās becoming aerated once more since heās once again trying to control the situation - to no avail again -, everythingās getting out of hand and itās doing so at a quick pace, and Reijiās attempting to defuse this; it once again demonstrates Reijiās control issues that we see quite prominently through his route and his treatment towards Yui.
Reiji: Honestly...So hot-headed. Are you listening to what Iām saying? You lot, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would all take your leave. Right now!
Laito: Nfu~ If you want us to leave, you might have no other choice but to use brute force.
Reiji: Haah...?
Kanato: Horrible...Telling us to leave...Even though weāve been expressing our will to stay here...Isnāt there a single place for me and Teddy in this whole manor...!?
Reiji: Hold up, I never said that. Iām simply telling you to rest in your own roć¼
*CRASH*
Reiji: ...!?
Laito: Ah-ahh~ Here we go.
Ayato: Heh...You vandal! Even if you try to scare me off by destroying our surroundings, you wonāt get your way!
*CRASH THUD*
Subaru: Heh! Lame! Youāre nothing but a fraud! Nobody has ever thought of you as āamazingā or āstrongā!
Ayato: What did you just say...!?
*CRASH*
*CLATTER*
The situation quickly devolves into madness and as it does, Reijiās dialogue reflects that, he emphasises his words alongside his exclamations - and what happens ? It devolves even more, Laito takes this opportunity to aggravate Reiji further by taunting him; and Kanato takes this to an extreme, interpreting Reijiās words to mean that he [Kanato] has no place within their house and that he doesnāt belong there.Ā
Reiji: Waić¼! The manor...The manor will fall apart! Shuu! Didnāt you say that father would be enraged!? Please stop them!
Shuu: Ugh...What a hassle.
Reiji: It isnāt āa hassleā!
*SHATTER*
Laito: Hm...But stopping those two once theyāre like that is rather difficult, donāt you think?
*THUD*
Laito: More importantly...Shuu...Letās continue our discussion from earlier.
Shuu: Hm? What do you mean?
Laito: That Iām a fake pervert. Iād like you to explain yourself.
Shuu: What? Youāre still talking about that? Youāre surprisingly one to hold grudges.
Laito: Nfu~ I get told that a looot~ ...Well then, tell me your reasoning. Depending on what you say, even I wonāt forgive you.
*CRASH*
I genuinely enjoy how Reiji becomes frantic at the realisation that their father would be āenragedā by their reckless commotion. It not only displays how much Reijiās values his fatherās opinion but it also removes him further from his brothers - the rest of them could care less about what their father thinks or feels, yet Reiji persists, he doesnāt want to displease him because he wants to be acknowledged by him; it all brings us back to his raging CEN, but at this point Reijiās losing his usual calm composure - his composure drops and his control of the situation decreases. The situation has become out of hand and Reijiās becoming quite desperate for the commotion to end; I think thatās why he states āIt isnāt āa hassleā!ā, Reijiās genuinely asking for help in order to rein his brothers in. Additionally, the notion that Reiji uses single quotation marks in regards to Shuuās statement could imply that Reijiās showing some form of sass towards the situation, and what happens ? Latio cuts in - meaning Reiji is promptly ignored and avoided - so that his and Shuuās ādiscussionā can continue, which then spurs another argument to arise.
Reiji: Ugh...These two are starting an argument as well...Just cut it out already!
Kanato: ...! Thatās why...Thatās why you tried to drive us out earlier, didnāt you?
Reiji: ...! āDrive outā, you say?Ā It might have sounded that way but...
Kanato: Youāre admitting it, huh? You just admitted it, didnāt you? That you tried to get rid of us!
Reiji: Ah...So what!? I simply wanted to enjoy a cup of tea by myself, thatās all!
Kanato: Shut up!! ...In that case, please brace yourself. Teddy, he is the embodiment of all evil trying to strip us of the place we belong. You donāt have to hold back, okay?
Reiji: Aaah, come on! Why...Why does it always turn out like this!??
Kanato: Teddy...GO!!
*Pow pow pow pow pow*
Reiji: ...Donāt attack me with your stuffed bear! Aah, please!! Just cut me some slack! Whatever happens, donāt come crying to me afterwards...!!
*CRAAAASH*
ć¼ć¼ THE END ć¼ć¼
Something that I wanted to place emphasis on is the notion that Reiji and Kanato are the only pair left. What I mean by this, is that itās quite apt for these two to be the only ones left - we know that Reiji is treated as an outcast by his brothers for his dictatorial personality and strict need for rules and control however, Kanato is also viewed as an outcast by his brothers too, most prominently Ayato and Subaru with Ayato calling him a āhystericā for his unbearable personality and incomprehensible actions. Notice the similarity ? None of the brothers can bear to be around Reiji due to his uptight personality and none of the brothers can stand to be around Kanato due to his mania. The outcasts are grouped together however, itās also the dynamic of a parental figure and a child being presented too since Reiji tends to look after Kanato - itās a mature and immature dynamic -.
I also wanted to bring attention to when Kanato exclaims āI donāt understand!ā, itās quite sad from his perspective since it showcases how much of an outcast he is compared to the other brothers, again something we see with Reiji. However, I like how Reiji genuinely shouts back at him with āYou are plenty noisy yourself!ā, it shows Kanatoās lack of self-awareness and it also displays Reijiās irritation - heās lost complete control of the situation and now heās watching from the side-lines unable to do anything because no one will bother to listen to him. I also wanted to give weight to when Reiji says āIt might have sounded that way but...ā towards Kanatoās statement as it can be implied that in this moment, Reiji is attempting to show compassion towards Kanato yet he quickly justifies his actions; it presents the implication that Reiji is willing to compromise but he will remain logical towards whatever circumstance is thrown his way - much like how he is with Cordelia within his route -.
Additionally, the image of Reiji being attacked by Teddy is honestly hilarious. But, I wanted to bring attention to Reijiās last piece of dialogue: āJust cut me some slack! Whatever happens, donāt come crying to me afterwards...!!ā. It poses the implication that Reiji is practically pleading with Kanato to leave him be - heās worn out and frustrated - but itās the implication that Kanato goes to Reiji when something goes wrong thatās somewhat endearing to me, and it reinforces what I implied earlier, that thereās a parent/child dynamic between the two - one outcast looking out for the other, if you will -. I just think that itās quite a sweet implication to make between the two given that they are āpushed outā compared to their siblings.
In conclusion, Reiji is mostly dismissed and ignored by his brothers, and can be implied to only be viewed as the butler faƧade he tends to display; and if you think about it, itās honestly quite sad, but it gives us the understanding as to why heās so controlling of Yui and why he craves attention and acknowledgement for his actions. If his brothers are barely willing to appreciate Reijiās āgood mannersā, then it can be inferred that heās going to try and find it somewhere else; that being through Yui and her kind nature which Reiji promptly takes advantage of in order to quell his own needs.
This analysis is inspired by a post byĀ @carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich and how Endzeit is never specified as a virus - yet we all seem to refer to it as one. It peaked my interest since I never really noticed it when playing through the games, and once she pointed that out, I thought Iād do a little digging.
Regarding Endzeit, it's never mentioned what it specifically is - we're only led to believe it's a virus, yet it is never specified in any route; it's simply known as a "disease". So, using a little biology, why not figure out what kind of disease Endzeit actually is ?
For specification purposes, I'm only going to focus on how it's transmitted and affects cells, rather than analyse any symptoms it causes. This is due to the Diabolik Lovers universe being fictional; therefore, any symptom can be purely fictitious. For example, you could contract a disease that turns your skin green or gives you purple eyes - however, when defining what type of disease it is, those symptoms don't matter (they're made up) whereas the transmission of that disease does matter. There's only a set amount of ways a disease can be passed on: through skin contact, blood, ingestion and water contamination, and those transmissions can be analysed and lead us to our answer.
Infectious illnesses, deficiency diseases, hereditary diseases (covering both genetic disorders and non-genetic hereditary diseases), and physiological diseases are the four primary categories of disease. Other categories of sickness exist as well, such as communicable and non-communicable diseases. The most fatal conditions in people include lower respiratory infections, cerebrovascular illness, and coronary artery disease.
Though it never states that Endzeit is a virus, we learn that Endzeit is transferred through blood contact. So if we go off the basis of the main types of diseases: parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, we can narrow down our options and find out what Endzeit truly is.Ā
So, shall we begin ?
Word Count: 2,461
Fungi
Let's begin with fungal infections and how fungi compares to Endzeit. Fungus is a collection of microorganisms that belong to its own kingdom and are neither plants nor animals. Fungi are widespread in nature and may be found on human skin, in the soil, on plants and trees, as well as on numerous interior surfaces. By dispersing tiny spores, fungi proliferate. These spores are frequently found in the soil and air, where they can touch surfaces of the body, especially the skin, or be breathed. These fungi develop, disseminate, infiltrate tissue, and spread locally when fungi enter the body and the immune system is suppressed. Some organisms, particularly yeast and some moulds, have the ability to enter blood arteries and infect nearby organs as well as the circulation.
Direct skin-to-skin contact (with people or animals) or indirect contact with infected objects on floors or in the ground are the two main ways that fungal infections spread. With the way Endzeit acts and transmits, we can easily list fungi off our candidate list since fungal infections are caught through skin-to-skin contact and not through blood as we see with Endzeit.Ā
Parasites
Next to dissect are parasites. A parasite is a living thing that inhabits its host and feeds off of or at the expense of it. Protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites are the three primary groups of parasites that may harm humans. A parasite consumes components or essential substances from its host, another living thing. The host can suffer certain effects of the parasites - hiwever, they do not instantly or even ever kill the creatures they use as food, in contrast to predators. Although dangerous bacteria and viruses also live as parasites, parasites are eukaryotic creatures. Plants, animals, or fungi can all be parasites.
Transient parasites make contact with the host, but only to feed from it. The blood-sucking bats of South America and mosquitoes are two examples of transient parasites. In addition to using the host as a source of food, persistent parasites also use it as a home. Permanent parasites include hookworms and tapeworms. The parasite may be found in the bloodstreams of those who have it, and contact with the blood of an infected person has the potential to spread the parasite to others (for example, by blood transfusion or by sharing needles or syringes contaminated with blood).
As far as we know from Carla's routes, Endzeit is a blood disease that is transmitted through blood contact; implying that it infects other blood cells in order to break down the body. Endzeit attacks the blood. However, a parasite is an organism that feeds on parts or vital products from another living organism. Endzeit in itself isn't alive whereas parasites are - they usually come in the form of tapeworms that can also infect the blood. Parasites can be microscopic or large enough to see with the naked eye, and they survive by feeding on the host. They can also spread parasitic infections, which can lead to sepsis.Ā
Ectoparasites like lice and mites can adhere to or burrow into the skin and remain there for a long time, whereas protozoa and helminths mostly harm the stomach. Most protozoa and helminths are either extremely mildly unwell or non-pathogenic, which means they don't cause disease. The most typical method of passing parasitic protozoa and helminths from person to person is by faecal-oral transmission, in which parasites discovered in one person's stool ends up being ingested by another organism. Diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal issues are frequently the first signs and symptoms. The effects might get worse when parasites attack the organs or red blood cells.
Bacteria and viruses can live outside of the human body - parasites, however, require a living host in order to survive. Bacteria and parasites can usually be destroyed with antibiotics. On the other hand, antibiotics cannot kill viruses. Bacteria, viruses and parasites can cause a wide variety of illnesses and can infect any of the organs of the body. Viruses are often responsible for respiratory illnesses and digestive illnesses. Bacteria can infect any part of the body, but often cause diarrhoea when they invade the digestive tract.
The one glaring hole in this contender is how parasites are caught - parasites are ingested through contaminated food or water. We know that Krone was locked in the dungeon after being infected with Endzeit and that Carla looked after her; therefore, they would have been exposed to the same drinking water and food, yet Carla is not affected by water or food - he's perfectly fine. My point is that parasites travel and infect through ingestion - they use water and food to gain a host; regarding Carla and Giesbach at this time, neither of them are infected, even when they most likely drank the same water as the infected. So that means that Endzeit couldn't have infected the Founders through ingestion or water; therefore, Endzeit is not a parasite either.
Bacteria
Bacteria is made up of a single complicated cell. It has the ability to endure on its own, within or outside of the body. Most germs don't cause harm. In actuality, our bodies contain a variety of bacteria, particularly in the stomach where they aid in food digestion. Some germs, however, can lead to illnesses. Bacterial infections can damage the skin, stomach, lungs, throat, and many other body parts. Many are minor; a few are serious.
A person's health is significantly impacted by bacterial illnesses. Any part of the body can develop the disease, and it can be brought on by the organism itself or by the body's reaction to its presence. Humans can contract bacteria via the air, water, food, or living things. The main means of bacterial infection transmission include contact, aerosol, droplets, vectors, and moving vehicles.
When germs that cause an illness in another region of your body enter your circulation, blood poisoning ensues. Septicaemia or bacteraemia are terms used to describe the presence of bacteria in the blood. Although they aren't nearly the same, the phrases "septicaemia" and "sepsis" are sometimes used interchangeably. Sepsis may result from septicaemia, the presence of germs in the blood. If untreated, sepsis is a serious and frequently fatal illness condition.
The most important part here is that bacteria acts the same way as parasites in regards to their transmission; it doesn't spread through blood contact. This means that Endzeit cannot be a bacterial disease.
Virus
Viruses hurt people by killing cells or obstructing cell function. Our systems typically respond by raising our body temperature, releasing a chemical called interferon (which stops viruses from multiplying), or activating immune system cells and antibodies to fight the intruder.Ā
Viruses, which are nothing more than genetic material encased in protein, are the most basic kind of germs. A virus cannot function alone; in order to accomplish its single goal of replication, it must infiltrate a living being. A virus that enters a person's body has the potential to exploit the cellular machinery to replicate itself, take over new cells, and continue to spread. Also susceptible to infection by viruses are bacteria, fungi, and other living things. The virus starts to damage the body when it reproduces more quickly than the immune system can stop it. Since viruses are the tiniest germs and may move through the air with a cough or sneeze, they are typically the simplest to get. Some viruses can also transmit through body fluids or insects.
The biggest viruses are smaller than the tiniest bacteria, proving that viruses are smaller. Their only genetic components are a protein coat and a DNA or RNA core. They must cling to cells in order to replicate. Most of the time, they rewire the cells to produce fresh viruses until the cells rupture and die. Other times, they transform healthy cells into cancerous or malignant ones. Most viruses, unlike bacteria, do cause illness, and they target particular types of cells while doing so. For instance, some viruses target blood, liver, or respiratory system cells; sometimes viruses specifically target bacteria.
Blood contact or fluid-contact contracted diseases (such as Endzeit) are referred to as viruses. Diseases like Hepatitis and HIV are both named viruses and are spread through blood contact. The infected blood itself could arise from any of the disease types; however, Endzeit is spread through direct blood contact, which would effectively make it akin to HIV; therefore, it would be akin to a virus. Nevertheless, that's just the transmission, not the source - so for blood diseases to occur, there has to be something akin to impure or unclean blood, meaning that it's a bloodborne disease.
Bloodborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, which exist in blood and other body fluids. Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in the blood and can cause disease in people. If Endzeit started as a bloodborne disease then it could have been caused by any of the disease types (if an open wound was infected by unclean air, bacteria, or fungi for example). However, for a bloodborne disease to spread, it must be through direct contact with the blood, and Endzeit is passed through direct contact with the infected blood, effectively making it a virus.Ā
Additionally, Endzeit isn't caught through normal contact, it's just blood. So that means it transmits through DNA. In Carla's Labyrinth Ending in Chaos Lineage, we get the dialogue "Shin was exposed to Carla's blood at that time. Endzeit that only the founders can get, is passed by blood infections".
Viruses with a DNA core are capable of surviving in the nucleus of the cell they infect, using the host's biochemical machinery to replicate their DNA. The DNA of some viruses can become integrated into the DNA of the host cell. This means that the more the disease replicates, the worse the symptoms become, which could explain why Krone and Carla seem to have survived longer than the other infected founders - and again, this mainly arises with viruses.
Furthermore, we learn that Endzeit can be cured, but only if the founder becomes a ghoul - which means that the DNA must change. So the Endzeit must attack and infiltrate the DNA otherwise the DNA wouldn't need to change, and what specifically attacks and infiltrates cell DNA? A virus. A DNA-dependent DNA polymerase is used by DNA viruses to copy their genetic material, which is DNA. The nucleic acid is primarily dsDNA; ssDNA is less frequent since ssDNA often expands to dsDNA during replication. This would explain why Endzeit can only be transmitted through blood and why it attacks the body as it does - by replicating its own DNA, it kills the host's cells in the process.
When a virus attacks a cell, it replicates its own DNA until the original cell bursts; this would naturally explain the tamer symptoms we see Carla experience such as blood spots. The closest disease to the blood spots we see is called purpura. Purpura, also called blood spots or skin haemorrhages, refers to purple-coloured spots that are most recognizable on the skin. The spots may also appear on organs or mucous membranes, including the membranes on the inside of the mouth. Purpura occurs when small blood vessels burst, causing blood to pool under the skin; itās also caused by viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis - which are bloodborne viruses.
Although it's said that the founders believed it to be airborne (and it very well could have started like that) from what we see with Carla, if it was still an airborne disease, Shin should have caught it. This is due to the fact that the two are accompanied by one another and also share physical contact such as when Carla strangled Shin or even just the fact that they are close together. The fact that this does not occur and that Shin has an 'immunity' to Endzeit means that it must have mutated at one point inside one of the founders, making it a bloodborne virus and not airborne bacteria since the Endzeit can only be passed on through blood contact, which is what we see both within the Labyrinth Ending and back in Banmaden when Carla and Krone were locked away.
Moreover, Menae also escaped Banmaden, meaning that if it was airborne, there would be a chance of her being a carrier; from what we see, she never caught or carried Endzeit. So there has to have been a mutation within one of the infected founders' cell DNA; thereby making it a transmuted virus as opposed to an airborne or bacterial infection. Bacteria doesn't attack the cell or the cell DNA, so the symptoms we see (blood spots, bruising and coughing) shouldn't be caused by airborne bacteria - but that's taking the disease at its closest comparison; we have to remember that this disease is fictional - the most important factor is the disease's transmission. Endzeit is transmitted through blood and blood alone; thereby naming it a DNA virus.
In conclusion, though it's never stated as a virus, the Endzeit itself has all the transmission and developmental qualities of a virus - specifically a bloodborne DNA virus as opposed to a fungal, bacterial or parasitic disease.
Want to find out how much of a dialovers expert you are? This quiz features 35 questions on content from across the franchise (some of which are much more difficult than others) so you can put your knowledge to the test. Good luck and let me know how you get on!Ā
I think this is pretty good considering I havenāt played:
- Almost any of the Tsukinamiās DF routes
- Any of Lost Eden or Chaos Lineage
So all questions about those games/routes I had to guess. :p I got one correct by pure chance though.Ā
The drama CD questions were so hard! I translated them, yet I couldnāt get them all correct. Especially the ones about the Kingās Game & Aquatic Showdown CDs were brutal. xDĀ
Not to brag but I think I'm taking the win here guys. If you've not tried this quiz yet PLEASE do it's so good! It's difficult yet satisfying - if that makes sense; it really puts your brain to the test. The questions were harsh but I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
Diabolik Lovers Analysis: Why is Reiji Associated with the Colour Blue ?
Within any official Rejet art, Reiji is always surrounded by the colour blue, which to me seemed odd. Ayatoās colour is red (the colour of his hair), Laitoās is green (the colour of his eyes), Kanatoās is purple (the colour of his hair and eyes), Shuuās is yellow to match his blonde hair and Subaruās is grey to blend his outfit together (black and white). But Reijiās is blue, it doesnāt match his eyes, hair or even outfit. So why make this design choice...? Well, first we need to establish that colours are symbolic, and with that, we can dive into the colour theory of the correlation between Reiji and the colour blue.
So, shall we begin ?
Hereās a few pictures where Reiji is depicted as being the colour blue:
From Reijiās personality, it would be natural to assume that his colour would be dark purple or black. Black is associated with strength, authority, and power. Black lends an air of authority and intelligence to those who wear it; it symbolises prestige, formality, and importance. However, dark purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition; it also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, pride, mystery, and independence. Reiji fits into all these traits, yet his colour is blue. At first, this doesnāt really make sense, until we dive into colour theory; only then does it make perfect sense.
While blue conjures images of sky and sea, itās also the colour of bravery and dedication. Blue represents introspective journeys and symbolises wisdom and depth of understanding. Blue is also a symbol of depression and the depths of the human psyche. Blue stands for serenity, rather than passion, and itās the colour of all thatās constant and unchanging. The colour blue can feel cold and impersonal, and even unfriendly. Blueās association with depression and sadness are also pervasive, as blue is a harbinger of night and darkness; this is extremely reminiscent of 'A Certain Prophet's Fate' and how he lives in the darkness of the night - which symbolises his corruption, longing and depression.
Dark blue is also linked to consciousness and intellect, making it a good colour to suggest precision and advancement - which is something that Reiji constantly strives for. Dark blue works well with its direct opposite, orange, and its related colours, burnt sienna (Yumaās colour) and red (Ayatoās colour). This cooperation comes in the forms of Vandead Carnival and Lunatic Parade. Blue and red are opposites, they are foils for one another, just as Yuma and Ayato are foils for Reiji - but once conflict arises and the foils need to cooperate, they work extremely well. One makes up for what the other is lacking.
A red hue often symbolises valour, courage, enthusiasm, blood and life while the blue colour indicates perseverance, justice, vigilance and respect for God. As a character, Ayato is often portrayed with a red hue or colour scheme and is presented as full of life, enthusiasm and courage throughout his routes; even the fact that Rejet often portrays Ayato as the 'leading love interest' or 'main character' aids this symbolism. Whereas Reiji is often accompanied by his need to endure his troubles and bear the burden of his insecurities - he is accompanied by perseverance; something that his blue hue represents. Additionally, Reiji is the only character aside from Ruki who holds any respect for Karlheinz - someone who is often portrayed as a God-like being; though this respect isn't born from inspiration, it's born from Reiji's need to impress him and feel accepted. Therefore, though Reiji's blue hue showcases his respectful nature towards his father, it is derived from feelings of inadequacy, pain and sorrow..
Renowned for its composed demeanour, blue is a tranquil presence. It doesnāt intrude or pester. Instead, it merely makes itself known, much like Reiji - blue is a passive colour that perfectly encapsulates Reijiās demeanour. As a peacemaker, the colour blue doesnāt intend to stir the pot. In fact, it loathes the idea of creating conflict - just as Reiji does. Blue doesnāt like being in the spotlight, so it keeps to itself; regarded as one of the more reserved hues, blue is tight-lipped. Though it doesnāt have a strong personality, blue does have a unique spirit.
Anyone who associates with the colour blue thrives on organisation. Blue doesnāt like to disrupt the status quo, and itās for this reason that thereās so much predictability to it. Since it enjoys order so much, blue can be rather controlling; when things donāt go according to plan, it can be pretty unsettling. We see these traits present themselves in Reiji, he's keen, organised and thrives on order; all these things make him inherently predictable - yet when the situation turns sour, Reiji is quick to become cruel and demeaning, and this showcases how much he depends on order. Colour theory and deep symbolism such as this highlights why blue is Reijiās colour - it doesnāt represent his better qualities, but his detriments. Blue is a visual representation of what Reiji is behind his āpoliteā faƧade.Ā
Blue symbolises all that is pure and transparent in Japanese culture; ironically, this is the opposite of who Reiji is as a person. Reiji isn't a pure or transparent character, he's corrupt, manipulative and secretive - he never says how he feels or what he truly means; there are always several interpretations and double meanings to his riddle-like dialogue. This can ultimately imply that Reiji being surrounded by a blue hue isn't just to present his hidden nuance but to also showcase his contrast. To present the irony and melancholic truths of his character.
Blue is a sensitive colour, and can hurt easily and deeply. Blue cowers in the face of betrayal and is unsure of how to pick itself back up; this is the core of Reijiās character, heās suffering from a wound that he struggles to heal on his own, and so he shuts his emotions off and becomes cold and stern in the hopes that it wonāt happen again. This is why blue is Reijiās colour, it represents his insecurities, and it encapsulates who he is underneath his faƧade.
Diabolik Lovers A Certain Prophetās Fate Analysis
What I found when reading through the lyrics, is that the story being told could be Reijiās thoughts and perspective - the song may act as his inner thoughts and him trying to articulate them in a metaphorical way. The song itself is quite beautiful to listen to but I wanted to address the lyrics and their hidden meanings in relation to Reijiās character. We know that Reiji likes to use his intellect to his advantage; so it can be argued that he wouldnāt outright admit his state of mind within this song, naturally, heād create a more elaborate way to let hisĀ āstoryā unfold, and I think this is what we see here.
So, shall we begin ?
Note: I wanted to post the song separately too since I know my HDB analysis is long, and posting it separately would also be convenient if you just want to read the song analysis on its own.
Word Count: 7,492 words
In the dense black forest of Schwarzwald, In doting adoration of a virgin, riding on a unicornās back
First of all, Schwarzwald simply means 'Black Forest' in German; it relates to a forest so dense that almost no sun ever reaches the forest floor - those who enter are surrounded by darkness -. This can create quite dark imagery, not just physically but also metaphorically as the darkness contrasts with the imagery of light -Ā "a virgin, riding on a unicorn's back"Ā - and this can be implied to relate to the story of Faust as well as the character of Yui.Ā
Within the story, weāre introduced to two virgins, one being named Gretchen and the other is the Virgin Mary herself - both contain imagery of purity and religion, Gretchen prays to God for her soul to be cleansed and Mary carried the son of God. What I wanted to draw parallels on is how that imagery applies to Yui, she was raised in a church - showing that sheās a child of God, and we know that her religion plays a rather big part in her life; she prays to God quite frequently, and - in the literal term - she is also virginal. Virginity can connotate to a multitude of things, such as physical virginity (the hymen is intact) but also religious virginity - purity - and not beingĀ ātaintedā by darker forces at play. If we take theĀ āvirginā to mean Yui - someone pure of heart and spirit, someone whoās not been corrupted by the dark side of humanity and holds truth in her beliefs - then what does the unicorn signify ?Ā
Unicorns can often be linked to purity, freedom, gentleness, virginity, innocence, divinity, and magic. Christians believe that the unicorn symbol is that of Christ and Mother Mary themselves - both being devoted children of God -. By posing the imagery ofĀ āa virgin, riding a unicornās backā, it could be implied to symbolise Yui and her many virtuous traits - or, to put it simply, Yui is riding on the back of her virtues -. Additionally, symbols such as unicorns and virginity can also be implied to carry imagery of light - the concept of unicorns are more often than not depicted as being pure white and flying up to the Heavens - past the white clouds and into paradise, a place that is also depicted as white or āpureā -. Virginity can also contain those sameĀ āwhiteā qualities as white lilies are typically the symbol of virginity. The reason Iām honing in on the colour white is due to itās connotationsĀ of purity, innocence and light. To put it plainly, purity represents light, and Yui (in this context) represents that purity.
That being said, if Yui is the second part of that phrase, itās likely to imply that the first relates to Reiji himself.Ā āDense black forestā, letās unpack that: bothĀ ādenseā andĀ āblackā contain connotations of darkness and something impenetrable; it contrasts the imagery of light and purity weāve just discussed. Themes of light are often representative of religion and themes of darkness represent those of hellish qualities; if Yui representsĀ ālightā in this case, then Reiji must consequently represent the ādarkā. The āforestā could connote to Reijiās emotional state as traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and āother worldlinessā - all traits we see within Reiji -. Due to Reiji being the narrator (since heās singing) it can be implied that heās metaphorically describing his internal struggles, heās stuck within his own turmoil - and emotions such as this are often referred to as aĀ ādark placeā, which links us to the symbolic imagery of theĀ āblack forestā. It not only symbolises his Vampiric nature - something not of God nor Heaven but the darker depths of Hell itself; hence why they originate from the Demon World within the Diabolik Lovers canon - but it also symbolises his emotional distress and his inner darkness that he oppresses Yui with. The light and dark imagery reflect Yui and Reiji as well as their religious counterparts - Yui represents light, and Heaven, whereas Reiji represents the dark and therefore Hell.
The nounĀ āadorationā could imply that Reiji desires to beĀ āfreeā of his traumatic ties while Yui rests atop her kindness. However, it could also imply that Reiji wishes to drag Yui down into theĀ ādark forestā with him and corrupt her pure nature.
The brightly shining moon, a stirring breeze,
With the fairiesā boisterous rituals, driving pounding hearts ever faster
The adverbial phraseĀ ābrightly shining moonā could posses connotations of light - referring to Yui as weāve previously implied - however, the wordĀ āmoonā could imply that theĀ ālightā is pale, and itās cold as opposed to the warm light associated with the sun - they both can also be associated with God as he created both the sun and the moon; they both produce Heavenās light however, one is pale and cold in comparison to the other, leading darker forces to claim the night -. Within the Bible,Ā night represents a lack of faith in God. With this symbolism in mind, it can be implied that once the cover of daylight has faded, Yui is vulnerable, and theĀ ādark forestā would consequently growĀ āstrongerā - which is something we see within the route as Vampires are canonically weaker within daylight.
Conversely, the phases of the moon can symbolise immortality, eternity, enlightenment and the dark side of nature itself. Something that clearly applies to the character of Reiji - Vampires are immortal and spend their eternity feeding into their trials and tribulations, theirĀ āenlightenmentā in this case, is to be killed and be setĀ āfreeā. It could be implied that as the moon shines, not only is Yui vulnerable in her faith, but Reiji is biding his time to strike her down into hisĀ āeternityā.
Fairies are often associated with plants and springtime, depicted as pure figures who possess magical powers. However, in the tales of fairies, they are, more often than not, mischievous creatures with dark and evil intentions.Ā The Latin root word for fairy is āfayā meaning fate; this could signify the purpose of fairies within myths, fairies in stories are constantly messing with the fates of humans. Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. I wanted to draw attention to the imagery of fairies and theirĀ āritualsā as their connotations can vary from divinity to Satanism.
It can be implied that this section refers to Yui, as within the first interpretation of fairies, they symbolise purity and life - and given Yuiās age at the beginning of the story, her youth displays the life her body has and the life it can give, sheās pure, untainted and brimming with life. However,Ā āfairiesā could also relate to the brothers. With the interpretation that fairies can also derive from a darker ilk, and like to cause mischief, it could represent the brothers - they each have dark intentions for Yui no matter whoās route you play, and they do it for their own entertainment and their own benefit. Reiji purposely dehumanises Yui and turns her into a loyal pet. ReijiāsĀ āritualā is to strip Yui of her virtues so that sheāll play into his incessant need for control, driving her pounding heart even faster - what I mean by this is fear, throughout the beginning of Reijiās route, Yui was undoubtedly afraid of Reiji and the threat he posed to her; he implemented fear into Yui in order to break her.
Conversely, this line can also be interpreted to contain sexual connotations. Weāve dived into how fairies can also be symbols of sexual intimacy and depravity; if we take into account that sadism can also occur within intimate situations like this, it could link back to Reiji. By him essentially breaking Yui, it can be implied that he gains gratification from doing so;Ā ādriving pounding hearts ever fasterā, Yuiās heart could be inferred to be beating from fear whilst Reijiās could be implied to be pounding from the pleasure his sadism grants him.
While unknowing that the contracted āDevilā follows afterā
This line could serve the implication that while Yuiās vulnerable in the night, she still holds that naivety; she hasnāt figured out the situation sheās in and Reijiās closing in on her. Iāve interpreted theĀ ācontractedĀ āDevilāā to relate to Reiji - a narrative self-reference, if you will -, heās referring to himself while posing the situation that Yui is unaware of his darker intentions for her. She holds firm to her beliefs in God yet she is ignorant to her state of vulnerability.
Ah, such a foolish thing you are, little girl (Falling to ruin)
That glass mask of yours is (beginning to crack)
Decide, without looking back at the promises shredded by your sins
Firstly, Iād like to point out that Yui is referred to as aĀ āfoolish thingā. This noun phrase could insinuate that Reijiās chastising her naivety, and the fact that she was blissfully unaware and ignorant to the position she was in. To add to this, the nounĀ āthingā also displays the difference in power as itās established early on in Reijiās route thatĀ āsacrificial bridesā are merely nothing more than blood bags - right from the get-go Yui is beneath Reiji -. However, from a psychological standpoint, itās clear to say that when one person intends to ruin anotherās life in some way, shape or form, they tend to distance themselves - either physically, emotionally or both - as itās easier to hurt someone when you barely view them as a person at all; and I think this is what that line means, Reijiās pushing Yui intoĀ āfalling to ruinā - sheās falling to her (spiritual)Ā ādeathā, sheās losing herself and who she is.
The second line strikes me as ironic as the phraseĀ āglass maskā can predominantly refer to a personās faƧade. In the context that Reiji is implying Yuiās innate kindness to be a faƧade of some form, he could be posing the implication that those who are kind oftenĀ āhide awayā their darker counterparts; their āsinfulā side. Throughout most of Reijiās route, Yui has been posed with the question that she should let her dark and carnal self prevail - proving to Reiji that in all her humanity, Yui is nothing more than a pet, an animal who thrives on her carnal instincts, and we see this within the second ending, when Yui poses herself as Cordelia - enslaving Reiji - and essentially living at theĀ ātop of the food chainā. In that ending, Yui lets her darker side prevail and - in the context of this particular phrase - it therefore poses the implication that herĀ ākindnessā was simply a faƧade, herĀ āglass maskā. The nounĀ āglassā can have connotations of fragility; that theĀ āfaceā sheĀ āprefersā to show is not how she actually feels. The overall implication that Reiji is giving us, is that Yui expresses feelings that are not her own; and theĀ āmaskā she wears is as fragile as glass, and once sheās distracted or vulnerable, that mask will break and herĀ ātrueā self will show.
This is obviously very ironic since Reiji is the one to hide away his true feelings - he plays the role of aĀ āpolite butlerā yet we know he is anything but that - he uses abuse and manipulation to cover up his own insecurities and turmoil. If anything, he is the one who wears a mask of glass. Glass is fragile, much like his ego and self-esteem, and that mask beings to crack as his route develops - indulging in Yuiās naĆÆve compassion.
The third line could be implied to mean that Yui must make her decision to stay with him - commit to Reiji without hesitation, without the desire to run and give in to her carnal sins with him. Heās asking Yui to take the plunge into sin with him, revoke her religion and commit to him.
āYou still do to that extent, even though Iāve told you so firmly.ā
This dialogue strikes me as odd, it doesnāt refer to much within the song, however, it could pair with the second piece of dialogue, implying that Yui is still trying to run from her situation; sheās not ready to fully commit from God to theĀ āDevilā - theĀ āDevilā in this case being Reiji, and quite obviously,Ā āDevilā has quite sinister connotations; given that Yui was raised by the church, her commitment to something demonic (and vampiric) is not going to be an easy or nice feat for her.
It can also be implied that this is taking place throughoutĀ the beginningĀ of herĀ ātrainingā as it can be inferred that sheās still resisting him even though heāsĀ ātold [her] so firmlyā, further insinuating that she still has her willpower at this point. Sheās not fully succumbed to Reijiās abuse yet.
A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens
Like a chaotically blooming rose, itās splattered across your face
This first line could posses many different interpretations, the first could relate back to Faust, a man who sold his soul to the Devil yet still tried to force himself into Heaven, only to fail. However, it could also relate back to the relationship between Reiji and Yui, and insinuate something of a sexual nature. Not only are horns associated with devils and demons, but the nounĀ āhornā can posses connotations of a phallic symbol and sexual imagery. Within Greek mythology, strength, power and supremacy are a part of the symbolism of horns. The other connotation is virility - procreative vigour. Within the story of the āPloughā, even the use of the oxen to pull the plough had its sexual connotation. The plough drew its furrow in the soil, and was pulled by reins attached to the oxen's horns. The horns were the force behind the ploughās coitus with the earth; therefore, horns grew a sexual connotation. Alongside the nounĀ āhornā the verbĀ āthrustā also contains sexual connotations; with this semantic field in mind, it could imply thatĀ āheavensā relates to Yuiās purity and virginity. Additionally, the imagery of roses also feeds into this interpretation as white flowers are a common symbol of virginity; the imagery of a flower blooming can often be associated to metaphorically represent becoming a woman (losing your virginity) and the flower turns from white to red as the blood pours - and roses are often red or at least associated with the colour red as opposed to white.
Conversely, it could also refer to Yui and Reijiās emotional relationship, and the dark and light imagery could be a metaphysical representation of that. It could imply that Reijiās abuse is starting to infect Yui - a child of God being corrupted by something demonic -. It can also link back to herĀ āglass maskā as the corruption allows Yuiās kind nature to drop and her weak and vulnerable state to beĀ āsplattered across [her] faceā. It could insinuate that theĀ āblooming roseā is Yuiās corruption starting to grow and infest her; yet sheās still trying to fight it - sheās infected by Reiji, and the rose imagery could represent that. Roses are often associated with love and throughout Reijiās route, we see Yui start to fall into the categories of Stockholm Syndrome and co-dependency, thatĀ āloveā is starting to bloom yet it is a twisted form of love.
This deep crimson curse is our familyās fate
A damned soul, never again toā¦
The imagery of aĀ ādeep crimsonā can connote to blood, and not necessarily just Yuiās. the notion that itās referred to as aĀ ācurseā andĀ āfamilyās fateā offers the interpretation that Reiji views his heritage as a source of evil and misfortune and that tribulations are inevitable and unavoidable for him. It not only relates to each brotherās misery and the misery they force upon Yui, but it also relates back to their mothers and Karlheinz himself as Christa dealt with severe mental illnesses, Cordelia suffered from a multitude of issues and Beatrix was severely bullied by Cordelia - and Karlheinz foresaw all of this and made it his personal experiment to cause each one misery and make sure that instability was passed down onto each brother; with that information in mind, it would be natural for Reiji to interpret this recurring theme to be something akin to a family curse, a terrible privilege that each of them share. In addition to this,Ā āA damned soul, never again to...āĀ could be a self-reference from Reiji, if he views his heritage as aĀ ācurseā, then itās likely that he appoints himself as aĀ ādamned soulāĀ - withĀ ādamnedā giving connotations of misery and turmoil -. Iād like to bring attention to the aposiopesis found within this line as what Reiji aims for is left ambiguous, however, what I interpret this unfinished phrase to mean, is that heās aĀ ādamned soul, never again toā reach theĀ ālightā and achieve happiness and genuine love and affection. If Reiji interprets himself as a cursed child, it would be natural for him to crave the love and stability he was never given, he wants what he canāt have and he canāt have it because heāsĀ ādamnedā to be awarded nothing but tribulations, turmoil and misery.
āYou know you can never escape!!ā
Iāve interpreted this section of dialogue to link to the other - it uses the passive voice. The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence, for example:Ā āthe plate was dropped by Yuiā rather thanĀ āYui dropped the plateā. The most important part of this sentence is thatĀ ā[Yui] can never escapeā, yet it comes secondary toĀ āIāve told you so firmlyāĀ - which is the least important part of the phase, yet it is spoken first; further implying that Reiji is using the passive voice toĀ āchastiseā Yui into submission.Ā
The phrase itself could pose a few interpretations, one being that she can never escape from Reiji - Yuiās his prey and heās not going to let her go idly by -. The second is that she can never escape her fate; I think this is the overall theme of Reijiās song. Reiji is fated to live out a torturous, Vampiric existence, and Yui is damned to be tied to Reijiās fate due to her fatherās involvement. Yuiās fate was decided once Cordeliaās heart was instilled in her; she was damned from the beginning and I believe Reiji knows this - heās trying to drag her into damnation with him.
A dying science,
Your impressions destroyed, at the hand of a shameless fist
The first line here could be interpreted as an oxymoron, as science is often connected to discovering something new or creating something new - discovering a newĀ ālifeā so to speak - and this connotation would naturally contrast withĀ ādyingā. Science can relate to a multitude of things, biology, chemistry, physics and psychology to name a few. this phrase could link to both Reiji and Yui if we take the psychological approach - the phrase itself could be metaphorical of Reiji breaking Yuiās self-worth. Throughout his route, Reiji has undoubtedly used Yui as anĀ āexperimentā of sorts, aĀ āscienceā to explore and break down into its basic fundamentals; herĀ āimpressionsā - impressions of herself, those around her and trying to help them as best as she can - areĀ ādestroyedā, her self-worth and confidence are decimated by Reijiās cruelty, by theĀ āhand of a shameless fistā.
However, it could be interpreted in a more literal sense and instead link back to when Cordelia inhabited Yuiās body and chose to destroy Reijiās laboratory; and in turn, destroy the potion he was devoting himself to that would resurrect Beatrix, devoting himself to aĀ ādying scienceā if you will. In that moment, Reijiās impressions of coming to terms with his CEN were destroyed by Cordeliaās self-importance - herĀ āshameless fistā destroyed the very thing (aside from Yui) that was pivotal to him.
As these sins pile up like the falling snow, there is no hope of redemption
Their height surpassing even your castle walls, itās far too late to even pray to God
This section here could be implied to be metaphorical and represent Yuiās inner self and her emotional walls and boundaries. First of all, comparing sins to snow alongside with the sibilance in both can be implied to connote to something light and cunning; theĀ āsā sound can also give off snake-like imagery - which takes us back to the religious themes threaded throughout the game and this song. The snake that bit Eve (the Devil) and āawakenedā her can make quite a nice parallel to Reiji and Yui. Throughout this song, it can be inferred that Reiji references himself to be theĀ āDevilā - heās not the Devil but he is demonic - and Yui (throughout the games) is named Eve in relation to herĀ āawakeningā; both the Adam and Eve theme threaded throughout More Blood, and the other games hold quite Biblical references and imagery.Ā
Snow also continues this religious imagery as it often symbolises purity, which could mean that this contrast is posing the implication that Yuiās sins are pure (as in [something] is pure envy or [insert sin here]ā. However, snow tends to fall slowly and lightly, which could imply that Yuiās submission into Reijiās abuse is slow and light at the beginning but like snow, it culminates over time. We could even go as far as to compare her submission to the sin of sloth. Sloth has been defined as a failure to do things that one should do; in this case - or rather, in Yuiās case - that failure is the failure to overpower her abuser.
The second part to the first line -Ā āthere is no hope of redemptionā -Ā could apply to both Reiji and Yui. Yui has no hope for redemption once she submits to Reiji - to submit to Reiji, a vampire, a demon, she is effectively turning her back on her faith; sheās made peace with her fate and therefore, there is no redemption for her in Yuiās own eyes. As for Reiji, he has no hope for redemption due to the abhorrent cruelty he bestows on Yui; his treatment of not only her, but Shuu, Beatrix and Edgar too. Reiji cannot achieve redemption because he cannot accept when he is at fault. His behaviour towards others and his sadism prevent him from becoming better; therefore, for him, there is no redemption. At least, redemption cannot take place just yet, remember, this is a story being told by Reiji about Yui - his perception of her is going to be vastly different from ours as the audience; therefore, he cannot see āredemptionā for her, and in his own way of thinking, he poses the question that maybe she cannot see redemption for herself either.
The imagery of Yuiās sins growing higher than herĀ ācastle wallsā could be implied to be metaphorical. When a person hides away their feelings, we often use the phraseĀ āputting up wallsā to describe their emotional cut off. I believe this can be referential to Yui as throughout the beginning of Reijiās route, we often see Yui hide away her deeper affections; she keeps her larger thoughts and feelings to herself most of the time - her distaste, longing, uncertainty is wrapped away in her mind (we as the audience see those thoughts and feelings, but Reiji doesnāt). In order to keep herself from facing Reijiās uglier tendencies, sheāll sometimes lock her emotions away (not all of them, but quite a few). Overall, it could be implied that Reijiās influence is starting to take a hold of her internally and she canāt block it out or subdue it, and because itās festering in her mind, itās already in her subconscious; therefore, itāsĀ ātoo lateā for her to pray to God to help her. Reijiās wormed himself into Yuiās mind and her faith in God cannot overpower that.
Unable to grasp that ānothingness,ā that eternal priceā
The nounĀ ānothingnessā can connote to the state of being nothing, something that is non-existent, lack of being, unconsciousness or death and I think the latter is the main connotation for this noun within the context of the song and Reiji as a character. We know that Vampires within the DL universe crave death, and being killed is the ultimate way for someone to confess theirĀ āloveā - to die is something that all Vampires crave. This line, to me, could imply that Reiji longs for death, to have the misery end and finally rest for eternity; we know from following Kanatoās route that he [Kanato] is jealous of humans since we can die quite easily whereas he cannot - he canāt grasp thatĀ ānothingnessā that is death - and I think this can apply here. It can not only be implied that Reiji wants to - in some capacity - die, but that heās almost chastising Yui for the fact that she can reach death easier than him. The dash (or hyphen) at the end of this sentence poses the inference that heās beingĀ ācut offā orĀ ācut shortā, not by his brothers or Yui, but by himself; heās purposely cutting his sentence short and I think this links back to his internal struggle of opening up and lowering his front. Throughout Reijiās route, his character has always been to-and-fro with his emotions - heās reserved yet malicious - however, I think this line in particular allows us to see into his head more and could even pose the theory that Reijiās suffering from depression just like his brother(s). Neglect, abuse, perfectionism, paranoia (of beingĀ āoutedā for his feelings and of Yui leaving him - this is seen throughout Cordeliaās interference), they all add up one on top of another and paired with his need to impress his father and prove his worth, it all culminates to him possibly wanting to be theĀ ānothingā that he feels - that his childhood made him feel -. Heās giving us insight into his mind yet at the same time, it could be implied that heās scolding Yui for how easily she can die and fade into thatĀ ānothingnessā yet he is unable to do so himself.
Aah, the punishment you dreamed of (Why did I see it?)
This spiral labyrinth is (never-ending)
In conclusion, unless I suck you dry, the rules of logic wonāt survive
Linking back to the previous line, theĀ āpunishmentā Reijiās mentioning could be death. Again, this is a story from Reijiās point of view and we know for a fact that he implements his own views and beliefs onto Yui; it would be no different how he would force his views of death onto her too. Consequently, it could then be implied that he also believes Yui to crave death as much as he does - which would then make sense as to why he saysĀ āthe punishment you dreamed ofā. As the audience, we know that Yui doesnāt want to die, but Reiji canāt accept that and instead views it as her denying herĀ ātrue feelingsā - he needs to have that corrupt control over her mind in order to relax around her -.
Ironically, the very word ālabyrinthā is often used to illustrate confusion and complexity. As such, the symbol of the labyrinth can represent an enigma, a puzzle and confusion. Some view the labyrinth as a metaphor for a spiritual journey, with the entrance representing birth and the centre symbolising God, knowing or enlightenment. Getting to the centre requires a long, arduous journey of growth. First of all, the spiral is a symbol of change, as all things in this world must change over time. Nothing can live and be stagnant, and as scary as change is, it is also wonderful, because that means that everyday we have a new chance, a new choice, to change ourselves. I think this overall line is Reiji speaking out about his subconscious, he as a person is constantly changing and conflicting with himself - and this is mainly brought about by Yui -. Heās trapped pondering the same path and as he walks on, he delves deeper into his own psyche; however, thisĀ āspiral labyrinthā isĀ ānever-endingā because he canāt come to terms with who he is - who he is underneath his trauma, his privileges, his race and status - because, in my interpretation, that person is something Reiji would see as weak and powerless, which is the same thing he loathes in Yui - which brings us back to the interpretation that in some ways, Yui subconsciously represents Reijiās inner self, and his childhood. Due to Yui possibly representing these things, the spiral never ends because Yuiās representation is something Reiji wants to run away from, but no one can run from their past, and until he learns to accept the better things about himself and the things heās done out of spite and hatred, he can never fully leave that labyrinth.
The third line links more to what we see during the route, which is him biting Yui. However, in thisĀ subliminal context, this line could be implied to implement the power dynamic - and the importance of said dynamic -. Overall, this phrase basically states that if Reiji doesnāt drink Yuiās blood, then logic wonāt survive; this could imply that Reiji has to drink from Yui in order to continue the power dynamic between them, he needs to be the one in control, the predator, and Yui needs to stay in the position of weak prey. By furthering this interpretation, it could imply that in regards to their races, predator and prey is the only logical dynamic to establish and for that to be disturbed would imply that logic no longer exists; it would mean that Yui has the upper hand, and not Reiji, he would no longer hold the control he desires. If we compare this interpretation to the Manservant Ending, we see that power dynamic flip. Instead of Reiji instigating the blood sucking, this time itās Yui - sheās in control and she does as she pleases, he canāt drink the amount he wants (he canāt suck her dry) - and therefore, all logic has disappeared, the prey has become the predator and logic has died, Reijiās control has died, and his self-worth has died.
Following Reijiās route, we quickly learn that Reiji is a man who values intelligentĀ and logic - his intellect fuels his self-esteem - and unless he has Yui at his mercy (with the threat of draining all her blood) the logic of the Vampire/Human dynamic wonāt survive, itāll die along with his frail ego.
āKukukuā¦Or rather, would you like to die right now?ā
This piece of dialogue links to the previous ones weāve seen throughout the song; itās a string of dialogue weaved into the story, a cross between Reijiās āfantasyā and reality. Heās told Yui that she can never escape and now heās giving her theĀ āoptionā of dying - in reality, there is no option, itās reverse psychology of giving her the choice of doing something that he knows she would protest against (that being death). It acts as Reiji essentially keeping Yui under his control.
Additionally, the fact that Reiji laughs when saying this could imply that he doesnāt take Yui seriously enough to consider her a threat; furthermore, it could be implied that heās choosing to mock her in her time of distress - Yui wants to leave but she canāt and Reijiās taking this opportunity to laugh at herĀ misfortune.
In a storm driven mad with desire, my mind calms, all thoughts cut off
Like a vanishing rose, cutting across my mind
When you think about a storm, you probably donāt have many pleasant meanings to connect to it. Itās a symbol of chaos, negativity, trauma, difficulty, weakness, and even depression. Storm symbolism also signifies change and transition since storms are only temporary. However, in literature, storms play a completely different role. Theyāre used as elements of foreshadowing, which is the act of predicting the future in the story. Itās a very frequently used symbol that can be used in almost any setting. Normally, it predicts something unpleasant, tragic, or even scary.
The storm itself could be implied to represent Reijiās inner turmoil; how by focusing on that one specific thing can in fact calm him, his mind is steady - it could be interpreted asĀ āordered chaosā, which refers to a complex situation or process that appears chaotic while still having enough order to achieve progress or goals. The idea of āorganised chaosā is more than saying you know where everything is in your messy bedroom or office, even if no one else can make sense of it. Itās also the idea of a looser set of rules and giving yourself a little more freedom to find your own success. it can be inferred that theĀ āstormā is Reijiās subconscious, or at least his mental state, yet his mind is able to be calm due to him being able to navigate that chaos - itās something only he can understand, both giving him the satisfaction of surpassing everyone elseās psychological skills but also the satisfaction of being able to hide the mess that is his mind so well.
The last line of this phrase could be implied to mean that Reijiās mind has become blank, his usual thoughts of resentment and jealousy have ceased, theyāve vanished and so, his mind has become blank. Additionally,Ā āblankā can have connotations of calmness - since the mind has become devoid of thoughts and emotions, it becomes oddly calm in its emptiness. Here we also see the nounĀ āroseā make another appearance, however, roses not only symbolise love and purity, but it also has other connotations too. In the Middle Ages, roses were hung from the ceilings of meeting rooms; it was understood that everyone under the roses was sworn to secrecy. With this in mind, it could be implied that the nounĀ āroseā symbolises secrecy, Reijiās desires and detriments are to remain a secret - a secret that he and Yui will later share but aĀ āsecretā nonetheless -. However, the notion that the rose isĀ āvanishingā could imply that his unchecked mind is starting to dissipate; the thoughts that haunt him so much areĀ ādisappearingā from his conscious mind. However, the verbĀ ācuttingā gives off the interpretation that his vanishing thoughts are quite abrupt, as though Reijiās trying to forcefully forget the chaos in his brain - implying that Reijiās trying to forget his turmoil in order to calm his mind.
This memory is our familyās fate
A damned soul, never again toā¦
Memory can often connote to both remembranceĀ and forgetfulness however, it can be interpreted thatĀ āmemoryā relates to the previous line, of Reiji trying to forget his tribulations. Each person that holds a substantial relationship with Karlheinz is dealt with nothing but despair - whether that relationship is founded from genetics or courtship is of no relevance, as each person is given their own cruel hand by āfateā -. Therefore, itās possible to assume that Reijiās memories of pain is shared throughout the family; each brother is wallowing in their own trauma, yet they cannot talk about it or cope in a healthy way, they each let their emotions fester and try to forget their memories, and because that mechanism of trauma is passed through the family, it has therefore become their āfateā.
Here we also see the repetition of the lineĀ āA damned soul, never again toā¦ā. The adjectiveĀ ādamnedā can have connotations ofĀ beingĀ condemned or doomed, especially to eternal punishment - which is quite similar to how the brothers view their long-lasting lives. With this in mind, we can again imply that Reiji isĀ ādoomedā to suffer the consequences ofĀ āfateāsā cruel hand; he can never again revert to the past, before his trauma was dealt to him, and that is his familyās fate.Ā
āā¦āI will never let you goā
Once more, we are presented with Reijiās dialogue, however, this phrase has both sorrowful and threatening connotations. The phraseĀ āā¦āI will never let you goāĀ has obvious menacing implications, since Reijiās holding Yui hostage in this overall situation - if Yui tries to leave, then heāll punish her, or heāll kill her. This threat enables Reiji to carry on implementing his control over Yui and bending her to his will - breaking her in the process -. Conversely, this threat can also possess quite sorrowful and forlorn connotations. Following Reijiās route, it can be implied that Yuiās inadvertently and subconsciously helping Reiji come to terms with the type of person he is; without Yui, his bitterness will only fester to a higher capacity, and his abuse tactics and sadism will only grow - thus, it could be implied that Reiji canāt let Yui go because of this, and when you think about it that way, itās quite melancholic.
āKukukuā¦ You should understand by now, right?ā
āIt is your fate to continue to have your blood sucked by me.ā
Reiji yet again insults Yuiās intelligence by condescending to her that she should be able to understand the situation sheās in, and how itās her āfateā. Throughout the entirety of Reijiās route, his use of language towards Yui is typically demeaning, and here is no exception.Ā
The nounĀ ābloodā can have many different connotations and symbolisms, one of which is that it represents life - this is mainly derived from the fact that blood is the very substance that flows through our veins in order to keep us alive; with this connotation, it could be implied that YuiāsĀ āfateā is to have her life drained by Reiji for his own satisfaction. However, blood can also be seen as something thatās a personās āessenceā. If thereās something that is so core to your sense of identity or your beliefs, you could say that āitās in my bloodā. This interpretation could imply that Reiji intends to finishĀ ātrainingā Yui until every last part of her has been taken away, herĀ ācoreā has beenĀ āsuckedā out by Reiji in his attempts to perfect her - all her aspirations, hope, pain and suffering have been removed by Reiji, as blood can also connotate to pain and suffering; something that can be implied to be Reijiās fate - his fate is to suffer, and he will inflict that same punishment upon Yui, since her fate is to become broken and damned along with him.
āā¦āThis prediction is absolute.ā
āā¦ā¦So, wake upā¦ā
Firstly, the lineĀ āThis prediction is absolute.ā could imply that both Reiji and Yuiās fates areĀ āabsoluteā, theyāre established and universallyĀ decided upon that this is the path they must both follow. The nounĀ āpredictionā carries connotations of both science and philosophy. The first comes from the fact that during an experiment, predictions are made in relation to the outcome - the experiment at hand however, can range from physical chemicals to the inside of someoneās mind. Additionally,Ā āpredictionā can also connote to something being prophesied. The inference that Iām trying to make, is that both connotations are linked; though this insinuation is mainly derived from More Blood and Dark Fate due to us learning more about Karlheinz and how heās monopolised his bloodline. Both Reiji and Yuiās fates have already been decided due to Karlheinz effectively using his sons asĀ āexperimentsā - therefore, the life that Reiji and Yui are to live, has already been prophesied and predicted; thus, it isĀ āabsoluteā.
The phraseĀ āwake upā is honestly quite a strange line to include in this song however, it could imply that Yui needs to wake up from the dainty person she was, and accept her fate - aĀ āwake upā call if you will -. Conversely, it also reminds me of a darker theme within dreams, that to ādieā (in a dream) is to āwake upā; with that in mind, it could infer that Yuiās past self needs toĀ ādieā in order for her to āwake upā and accept who she is now, who she is presently while being under Reijiās control. No longer is Yui pure and untainted, and so from Reijiās perspective, she needs to āwake upā from thatĀ āactā.
āAwaken and become a part of our family.ā
āIn the darkness, unable to see anything, with youā¦ā
āā¦āI want to feel it!ā
Following my interpretation that Yui needs to let her past self die in order toĀ āwake upāĀ could link to this section here, and it could imply that Reiji believes that Yui needs to let herself go, let her religion, beliefs and self-worth diminish and die in order for herĀ ātrueā self toĀ āawakenāĀ - let Reiji remould her to his desire and welcome herĀ āretrainedā self into his arms.Ā
Weāre brought back to this imagery of darkness, and this imagery could link back to theĀ ādense, black forestāĀ we saw in the beginning, showing the songās cyclical structure. Much like the beginning, the theme of darkness could infer that Reiji desires Yui to fall from herĀ āheavenly graceā and join him in his misery -Ā āunable to see anythingāĀ but despair and longing -. Throughout Reijiās route, itās been made clear that Reiji wishes to shatter Yui as a person, and rebuild her to his design; therefore, Reiji wants Yui to fall into despair with him, so that heās no longer alone in his turmoil. The last line ofĀ āā¦āI want to feel it!āĀ could reinforce this implication, that Reiji wishes to have company in his damnation and he wants to know and feel that every part of Yui belongs to him - from her determination to her compassion, he wants to feelĀ ālovedā by her, yet he wants to break her in that process so that she can never escape from his abuse.
A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens
Like a chaotically blooming rose, itās splattered across your face
Here the cyclicity of the song is made clear with the repetition of the chorus - it reinforces Reijiās desire to corrupt Yui and drag her down toĀ āHellā with him. Conversely, it may simply be the poetic voice (Reiji) attempting to reiterate a certain point, reflecting the continuing nature of time, entrapment through repetition and re-living events - re-living Yuiās downfall and her entrapment in Reijiās cruel schemes.
This deep crimson curse is our familyās fate
A damned soul, never again toā¦
A damned soul, never again toā¦
Again, this section is repeated, implying that itās significant, that ReijiāsĀ āfateā and turmoil is significant - and it is, itās significant to Karlheinz. Each brotherās fate is significant in one way or another as it all ties into KarlheinzāsĀ āplanā, their fates have been preordained; therefore, theyāre allĀ ādamned soulsā, they have been from the beginning and Yui is no exception to this, and I think Reiji knows this. The last line is repeated twice, and contains the same wording and grammar; this gives the impression that the ending is inevitable and nothing can be done to stop it. The sense of repetition created through this element of the structure also creates a sense of hopelessness, reflecting the lack of choices that Yui has in this position and how Reiji will inevitable dictate her entire existence.
āā¦āHave you understood?
Very well, in that case, become mine for all eternity.ā
This first line is in fact a rhetoric, Reijiās not asking a genuine question to Yui, heās establishing their power dynamic and that she should already know to obey his every whim. HeāsĀ patronising her intelligence just like how he does throughout his route - it infers that overall, nothing has changed and Yui is still hopeless and Reiji is still bitter and resentful towards others and towards himself.
The very last line however, displaysĀ that even though Reiji is as heinous as they come, he still wishes for Yuiās company while he waits for hisĀ āfateā to consume him. The pronounĀ āmineā shows Reijiās possessiveness and how he wants Yuiās compassion to himself - implying that she gives him the comfort and āloveā heās so desperately wanted throughout his life. Heās dragged Yui down into the pits of despair and sheās had no choice in whether she wanted that or not, that is herĀ āfateā. Though Reijiās bitterness may not have changed, and his abuse may not have corroded, this line implies that he wishes to have Yuiās company throughout his misery; to not be completely alone.
To conclude, this song is overall, quite sad and it gives us insight into Reijiās mind; how he wants to corrupt Yui for his own gain, yet he doesnāt want to lose her company because he doesnāt want to be alone. The song doesnāt justify any of Reijiās actions towards Yui - instead it shows how cruel he can be - but it also shows just how alone he feels, and by the end of this storyās analysis, the overall feeling that comes to mind, is pity.
Okay so now that Iāve managed to reel a few of yāall in, I just wanted to say thank you for reading my (small brain) analyses - I know thereās only two so far but there will be more I promise! Iām just finishing up on my transcripts for More Blood at the moment and BY GOD, thatās going to take a WHILE for me to analyse because thereās just so much content to delve into - I am not ready for this 80k word fiasco I S W E A R, this manās gonna kill me.
So, I just wanted to say a quick hello - Iām Pidge, welcome to the Hell that is my brain -. ALSO! If you have any suggestions or thoughts, donāt hesitate to come and bug me; Iād genuinely like to talk to yāall on a friendlier basis and have some Reiji bullying hours, and itās going to take a good few months for More Blood to be completely analysed, so if you want to talk - or bully (either is fine) - feel free to come and bug me :)
