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itwearsadress

A chapter for you <3

Hello!

Thank you for waiting for chapter 64 ^^ You can read it at the links below. MediaFire DL | Mangadex

The box lurks 👀

A couple of thoughts below the cut.

itwearsadress

Ch 63 for you✨

I managed to finish up this chapter as well! You can find it by clicking the links below. Mangadex ‖ MediaFireDL Have a picture of Yashiro lying 🤭:

SPOILERS/THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT

artemisrisen

I have a theory - it’s probably wrong, BUT I need to put it out into the universe. it also relates to my prior post about misumi potentially finding out that yashiro went to doumeki’s place - but specifically, how misumi is finding out anything related to yashiro and who is “sources” are.

I think nanahara might be the source in question.

In chapter 63, misumi somehow knows about the whole debacle with tsunakawa - but specifically, he also knows that yashiro was present at the shooting AND that doumeki shielded him. yashiro asks how misumi even knows this, and misumi laughingly says not to question his sources.

it makes sense that misumi would have intel on tsunakawa’s shameful situation, but how the hell would he know it was yashiro? even kamiya kept it vague when telling izumi-mama. this would be info only known by the family group present, who are not about to share anything unnecessary. well, the family was present - and nanahara.

in the very beginning of the time skip, at yashiro’s casino, yashiro asks misumi how he even knew where he was (since yashiro moves his location every six months). amou responds that nanahara told them.

it’s played as a joke, but it shows that a) amou still has nanahara’s contact info, and b) nanahara is willing to impart information outside of yashiro’s knowledge, even though he’s no longer affiliated with the yakuza.

I don’t think nanahara’s been informing this whole time; I think that he only started after misumi realized that yashiro was hiding extremely crucial info (that doumeki is now under tsunakawa).

but why would nanahara inform on yashiro’s whereabouts to misumi?

because he wants to be in the yakuza again. he said so when he and yashiro were talking in the car outside the restaurant. he wants yashiro to have a group and he wants somewhere to go home to. I absolutely don’t believe that nanahara is a turncoat or anything; I think he’s a little naive sometimes, and wants to believe that misumi would only have the best intentions towards yashiro. and there’s the promise, perhaps, that misumi will be able to coerce yashiro back into the fold.

there’s still a lot unknown, but I just have to believe there’s something here. if nanahara is secretly keeping tabs, then I have to believe yashiro’s continued involvement with doumeki is going to come to light with serious consequences.

winterwing-butterfly

This actually makes sense if we think about how many times Nanahara said that he would never betray Yashiro - and how Yashiro would sceptically react to that.

winterwing-butterfly

Saezuru Chapter 63

Impressions post summary, pre scanlation. ⚠️

Misumi

Everyone has been pointing out Misumi as the final boss, and I don't think any of us can disagree on that. While we thought that Yashiro would go to Misumi to attenuate the situation for Doumeki, it was the other way around. Misumi is more a threat than a potential asset. We might have slightly put aside the idea of seeing him that way because he stops caring about Yashiro and Doumeki's relationship pre time-skip (once he finds out about D's impotence). It might have been a similar mindset when we don't get to see him consider Ryuuzaki as a threat dealing with his "possession": Misumi couldn't see emotional dependence in Ryuuzaki and Yashiro's involvement.

Doumeki, despite the real reasons behind it, went to Sakuraikka willingly; Yashiro was trapped in a deal with Misumi when he was still 19, vulnerable and certainly not cunning enough to have realised how cornered he became.

I keep hopes up for Amou to interfere on this, but every single time in the story he implied that Misumi should leave Yashiro alone, the reaction was as if Misumi had just heard the biggest absurd in his life. That said, while we have been worried about the consequences of what will happen to Doumeki (after he shielded Yashiro), maybe we should be more concerned about the chains Misumi holds over the years.

Misumi played a big part to sort the issue with Hirata pre time-skip, but I wonder if he would react differently from Hirata towards Doumeki, in the slightest threat of Yashiro leaving or being taken from him. It would not be jealousy in relation to status within the organisation, but it would still involve his drive for manipulation and power.

Tsunakawa's decision on what to do with Doumeki now seem secondary compared to that. There might be some positive influence from Nikki, negotiations from Amou, or simply Doumeki being excommunicated. All these scenarios seem less threaten than Misumi realising that Yashiro took him back and vice-versa. It was the first time Misumi openly expressed authority instead of indirectly leave things open for Yashiro to decide. If Amou becomes involved in this, I'm not even sure if Misumi would forgive him; it will have to be behind his back, as it was done when Doumeki was taken to Sakuraikka.

Izumi

Now that we know who Izumi really is, it's possible to notice tiny hints on this direction that I personally couldn't see before. For instance, if Doumeki had been tattoed by someone in Sakuraikka, his tattoo should be an irezumi hikae or munewari style (tattoos that look like you're wearing bodysuit), just like Misumi, Ryuuzaki and Tsunakawa have:

Doushinkai members seem to have hikae style. We see Tsunakawa being tattooed on his legs on what seems to be munewari style, while he's with Muraji. Doumeki's tattoo has a Japanese style, but it does not follow a traditional irezumi. Obviously, being tattoed within Sakuraikka would have raised more questions about him, since Izumi herself could interpret the meaning behind the design as Doumeki already having someone dear to him.

Another hint: Izumi's name could have been picked to play with the sound of the words irezumi (入れ墨) or sumi (墨), which is how tattoos are called in Japanese. That, though, is just a speculation of someone who is fascinated about the subject. 😆

Easy to notice these details now that her identity was revealed, so shout out to @vic-saezuru7 who had brilliant observation skills to flag this a few years ago. I still would like Izumi to have a bigger role in the story (maybe being an informant or involved in how Doumeki gathered the money brought to Doushinkai), but just the fact that she is not pictured as a villain (like women are in most BL titles) is a relief.

Yashiro and Doumeki

Yashiro reflecting about his relationship with Doumeki without denial and finally taking the initiative post time-skip was a big win. Huge progress if we also add up that he ignored an actual order from Misumi.

My speculation is that Sensei will be shadowing chapters 23 to 25 from now on, with a few dynamic changes. 63 ends with Yashiro looking at Doumeki down on the floor in what seems to be him "not knowing what to do with him".

From the beginning of Saezuru, we see various representations of Yashiro and Doumeki's semiotics to mirror boss/control vs. subordinate/devotion. The first chapters place Yashiro's figure mainly above Doumeki up until chapter 23, where the dynamic changes ultimately leading to a balance, and then return to its initial foundation. We see that in the main story but also in some covers, as below:

Needless to say that post time-skip we have the reverse of this (Doumeki above Yashiro) and several dialogues/titles with the theme boss/control vs. subordinate/devotion. Doumeki masking his feelings since his reunion with Yashiro does not alter this dynamic until chapter 52, when Yashiro sees his tattoo for the first time. In that scene, Yashiro's reaction claims being above, not in balance. Balance would come effectively after Doumeki found out the truth about Yashiro's desire and listened to his implied confession, in chapter 56.

This loop in change of dynamics (above > balanced > below) were great narrative tools to give us the illusion of understanding and masks being put off from both characters, but Sensei only made this happen dramatically with Doumeki shielding Yashiro, in chapter 61. From that impulse, balance was crossed once again, but backwards to the boss/control vs. subordinate/devotion relationship.

Since the end of chapter 63 is with Yashiro once again above Doumeki, I wonder if this only means that D's devotion is still there or if this is also an indication that Doumeki will become Yashiro's subordinate again. As in, willing to become his right-hand man, despite the outcome of them being inside or outside the yakuza.

In my (possibly unpopular) opinion, a happy end to Yashiro is, indeed, having Doumeki devoted to him. Not above, not equal… completely devoted. Yashiro lived his whole life stuck on the consequences of people's actions and decisions, so, to me, this is only fair. In an overall perspective, it also suits how much Doumeki shapes his life around him.

danmeibrainrot

Chapter 63 previews are out!!!

Title page-

"I don’t know what it is I want.”

Manga page 1

“It’s been a long time since I heard him make that kind of strained voice.”

“I thought everything had changed. Was I wrong?”

Manga page 2

“If he hadn’t changed…”

“If he were still the way he was back then…”

________________

I'm SO HAPPY to see Yashiro again 😭♥️

And he is actually thinking about Doumeki's actions last chapter!! You are SO CLOSE to the truth Yashiro 🤞🤞

littletigerburningbright

Yashiro as Doumeki’s Savior

So I’ve been thinking more with this latest chapter of Saezuru about Doumeki’s potential darkness as a character. Not his villainy, because Doumki isn’t a villain, and I’m not talking about that here, but his capacity for violence, because violence has been a running theme with Doumeki throughout this whole series, and what he said to Yashiro in the past about Yashiro saving him from that, rescuing him from the brink of corruption. Yashiro believed that Doumeki was too pure and good for the world of the Yakuza, and he wanted to protect Doumeki from that. And Yashiro believed himself to be a corrupting, damaging influence in Doumeki’s life. Doumeki countered Yashiro’s statement about him being too good for the Yakuza by telling him that he was wrong, that he wasn’t good, and that it was Yashiro who had saved Doumeki just by being in his life. Doumeki wasn't ever as perfect as Yashiro saw him to be, I don't think, but that doesn't mean he's a bad guy either. Yashiro idealized Doumeki, and demonized himself.

Part of what drew Doumeki to Yashiro was that he could see how actually selfless Yashiro was, that he always was saving people, when everyone else just thought of Yashiro as a shameless slut, and bad news, Yashiro himself included. But Doumeki could always see the truth of who Yashiro really was. So him saying Yashiro was his savior, that he pulled him out of the darkness, is, I’m thinking more and more, actually completely true. Doumeki was headed down a bad road when he met Yashiro. He’d cut himself off from his sister and mother, he was drifting and aimless, just out of prison. He had no real human connections anymore, and nobody else was really willing or able to give him a chance. The guys he was working with in collecting protection money thought he was useless at his job, and Doumeki himself was drowning in this fear and belief that he was just like his father. He was in a seemingly hopeless, and very dark place. And then he met Yashiro, and Yashiro almost immediately reconnected him with his sister, and started really insisting to Doumeki that he was this pure and sweet guy who didn’t belong in the violent world of the Yakuza, that he was a good person. Maybe Yashiro was the only person in Doumeki’s life to ever tell him something like that. He treated Doumeki like his life was worth something, that he was worth something. That he mattered. He gave Doumeki a sense of self-worth, thus pulling him back from the brink of self-destruction, from going down a darker path of more violence and isolation.

The great tragedy in all of this, though, is that Yashiro couldn’t see that. He couldn’t believe Doumeki when he told him he’d saved him, because Yashiro’s own self-perception is so warped and wrong from a lifetime of abuse. All Yashiro could see was the ways in which he would eventually corrupt and destroy Doumeki. All he saw was the ways in which he could hurt him. And so he pushed Doumeki away, trying to protect him, not realizing he was actually taking away the one thing Doumeki truly needed in order to stay on a better path, that being Yashiro himself.

Without Yashiro by his side these last 4 years, it seems Doumeki has fallen back into that darkness a little. He seems more violent and quick to anger than ever. Almost brutal. He acts much colder and much more apathetic towards others in general. His innocence seems to be gone. The great irony then is, Yashiro, in attempting to save Doumeki from his own corrupting influence, actually took away the one thing Doumeki needed to NOT become a violent monster. Yashiro, in thinking himself a monster, in thinking himself someone incapable of good, didn’t realize how much Doumeki needed him and relied on him to keep him in the light. Yashiro thinks of himself as a blight, a darkness which infects the lives of others, but it’s the opposite. Yashiro is this person who is full of light and goodness, who rescues people, who saves them, who puts out goodness into the lives of others.

And so as much as Yashiro obviously needs Doumeki, Doumeki needs Yashiro just as much.

They save each other.

Yashiro needs Doumeki to break him out of the cycle of abuse he's been stuck in his whole life, to help him realize and confront what was done to him, and that it was never his fault, and Doumeki needs Yashiro to save him from falling into the darkness of his own demons.

winterwing-butterfly

Second preview of Saezuru is out, and my reading of the cover kind of complements the perceptions I had from the first one. I see Doumeki's black shirt as his duty and the clear back as his feelings. More specifically, the clear part seem to reflect light going through the shadow of trees, as in 木漏れ日 (komorebi).

嵐山 (Arashiyama) - 京都 (Kyōto)

For those who watched Wim Wenders' Perfect Days (one of my favourite movies of all), this concept is familiar. 木漏れ日 literal translation is "sunlight leaking through trees". In other words, a life being worth living for the tiny spotlights, despite the shadows surrounding us.

That was my reading from the contrast on the back of Doumeki, in the cover of chapter 62. Light being his feelings for Yashiro; dark being his obligations with Sakuraikka and the implications surrounding his situation with them.

In addition to that, Doumeki wear suspenders and we could read from this that his "dark side" now needs to be sustained by something other than himself. Let's hope Kamiya can be this pilar. The suspenders are dark, but the light on his back surpasses it, being placed precisely over the tattoo on his back ーthat also represents Yashiro or D's feelings for him.

Yoneda-sensei and the nuances she presents to us are brilliant. :)

Edit: just saw some comments that the suspenders can be actually a gun holster, but I guess the interpretation more or less remains. Especially if we think that Kamiya is not a fan of holding a gun; maybe some dirty work might be pushed to both by Tsunakawa?

itwearsadress

Ch 62 Sneak Peek 2✨

The second sneak peek for Saezuru chapter 62 was posted to ihr Hertz's twitter. ^^ It's the chapter cover page and what I assume is the first page of the chapter~

You can find it under the cut as well as a quick translation.

danmeibrainrot

THE FULL COVER IS OUT OMGG 🎉❤❤😭

vic-saezuru7

Love this❤️🦅❤️

jilyreadz

Day 7 - What kind of bird is each character in Saezuru and why? (name as many as you like)

I’ll only say the ones coming at the top of my head! I also had to search up A LOT of birds for this one, and hidden meanings of course :D

Yashiro – Dove (Obviously because they are the purest birds you’ll ever see)

Doumeki – Eagle (Fastest animal in the world and loyal too CHECK!)

Nanahara – Albatrosses (Loyal birds all I can think of as a good reason)

Kageyama – Crow (Obvious reasons because his name is shadow)

Kuga – Seagull (Free spirited and adventurous)

Sugimoto – Puffin (I always thought that Nanahara treats Sugimoto as a little brother and Puffins are generally considered little brothers)

Misumi – Laysan albatross (The oldest bird species alive and usually symbolize deep regret like his relationship with Kurobane or his wife)

Amou – Owl (The most intelligent Saezuru character in my opinion – so therefore is awarded with the smartest bird)

Kamiya – Kea Parrot (Apparently, it’s a very reckless bird)

Ryuuzaki – Northern Mockingbird (It’s a very aggressive bird in protecting its nest but retreat from large predators – like Ryuuzaki with Hirata)

Hirata – Koel (highly ambitious in claiming its sky and flying, but it is cowardly in its nest-building and parenting, relying on crows to hatch its eggs)

Aoi – Sparrow (Starting an art exhibition despite the deep trauma that affected her, yeah, she’s definitely like a sparrow that knows her self-worth)

Tsunakawa – Cormorants (Symbolizes greed)

Niki – Mockingbird (I honestly think she’s just so innocent and vulnerable like a mockingbird)

Muraji – Cormorants (Same as his boss)

Inami - Ravens (Oh I just hate you so much)

I love the amazing bird design here and I believe it's a Quetzal? Apparently, it symbolizes freedom, wealth and divinity and the connection between physical and spiritual worlds! Love it.

(I do headcannon that this is the bird that flew passed Yashiro's window in the hospital)

danmeibrainrot

More thoughts on Chapter 61

In this chapter Yashiro is so emotionally rattled that he falls into silence. Sitting outside Doumeki’s room, he barely speaks. His replies and singular command ("drive faster") to Nanahara are short, just enough to function. There’s no wit, no instructions, no sarcasm, no composure. He looks like he’s shut down emotionally, frozen in a state where speaking might unravel him. For someone like Yashiro who usually masks everything with glibness or control this kind of quiet is rare and deeply revealing. It shows how disturbed he really is.

When he finally looks at Doumeki inside the room, his face is subdued and raw in a quiet, painful way. There’s no performance. Just a still, heavy expression.

What adds another layer to this emotional exposure is where he brings Doumeki. Kageyama’s clinic. Bringing Doumeki there exposes the depth of his personal involvement. He doesn’t take Doumeki to a clinic connected to Doumeki's group, or somewhere the group would typically handle things like they were planning to. He brings him somewhere that’s his. Trusted.

And perhaps the most telling detail: he waits. Yashiro sits there the entire time while Kageyama treats Doumeki. Even Kageyama is surprised. He has no obligation to be there. He’s not Doumeki’s family. He’s not required to stay as a superior. No one would have questioned him if he had left after dropping him off. But he doesn’t. He stays. Quietly, alone, and visibly shaken.

That act of waiting isn’t about duty. It’s not professional, and it’s not transactional. It’s emotional. And for someone like Yashiro, who goes out of his way to avoid emotional intimacy, that makes it even more striking. He’s not just deeply invested his feelings are already involved, far more than he wants to admit.

And Kageyama sees it. Nanahara sees it. They both also witness the silence, the tension, the rawness in Yashiro’s usually guarded presence. But Yashiro? He’s probably already building the excuse in his head: “I owed him. He protected me. It’s just payback.” “It’s my mess, so I have to clean it up.” That’s how he protects himself from others seeing the truth, and from having to confront it himself.

But none of those justifications hold up against the reality of his behavior. Because someone who’s just fulfilling an obligation doesn’t sit there silently, too rattled to speak. Someone just doing their job doesn’t choose Kageyama’s clinic. And someone just “paying back a debt” doesn’t hesitate like that, doesn’t hover with a hand that wants to reach out but can’t.

Yashiro might try to brush it off, but the truth is already showing and everyone in that room knows it, even if he won’t say it aloud.

And that’s what’s terrifying: Yashiro is probably already planning how to protect Doumeki from Tsunakawa or anything else that might follow and given his long history of self-sacrifice, we know what that could mean. He won’t hesitate to hurt himself, isolate himself, or even throw himself in harm’s way if it means Doumeki stays out of it. The silence, the hesitation, the choice of clinic they all point to someone who feels too much and doesn’t trust himself to say it. So instead, he acts. Quietly, desperately, and always at his own expense.

thelonelysoulhome

His face 😩🥺😫😭😭😭😭 YASHIROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God I'm wounded.. I'm on the floor..

winterwing-butterfly

好きだよ

When Yashiro says "I like it/you" to Doumeki in chapter 56, his brief shock comes from the fact that the question Doumeki asks him is phrased exactly the same way as his stepfather once did, but in the past tense:

「酷いの好きでしたよね」 "You used to like it when it hurts, didn't you?"

「酷いの好きだよね」 "You like it when it hurts, don't you?"

As a child, he agrees with a single interjection. As an adult, he chuckles about the irony, but this time replies with a "I like it/you" ( 好きだよ). The phrase has all implications we are well aware of, but is in the same verb tense used by his stepfather (present tense).

Doumeki's question can also be translated with the meaning "you liked it" (as in, maybe you still do), but I personally think that "used to" can be applied here as a reflection of him trying to induce Yashiro to admit that he doesn't like pain anymore ("used to" in English meaning something that happened before and will no longer happen again). It might also be plausible if you think of a Yashiro deflecting with the present tense, reaffirming that "no, you are wrong, I still like it when it hurts".

It is a sad view, because it would indicate that Yashiro is still very resistant to detach his self-image as someone who enjoys pain.

Of course, Doumeki is completely oblivious about all of this and understood the ambiguity mainly as a confession. Which still is, but immersed in a deep dose of melancholy.

In the end, we can count this as another important moment in their interaction that connected Yashiro with the worst in his life.

winterwing-butterfly

Given the recent discussions in Saezuru Fandom, I’d like to bring some points about:

a. Yoneda-sensei as a creator; b. us as readers; c. the fandom.

a. Yoneda-sensei…

did say that she is concerned about making her story appeal close to reality, and this one of the reasons she does not explore much of high-school environment in her works (frequently explored in BL). As an argument, she mentioned that adults have a way more complex baggage that she finds interesting to explore.

also said that she had no plans to represent a critical portrayal of society and only finds complex characters and a shadowing past easier to create.

mentioned that the storyboard, emotional development and change of characters are a priority for her, in terms of how they would think and act.

answered in an interview that her idea for Yashiro came by exclusively with the intent of creating a character that represented contradictions. It took her almost 2 years to effectively develop Saezuru plot (after Tadayoedo), because she could not think of a character that could disrupt and change someone like him, up until she had the idea of an impotent Doumeki.

once twitted (to justify Amou/Hirata relationship with Misumi) that she sees sexual desire and love as completely distinctive and that the sad part about it is that both can't be an indicator of love and obsession (obsession to Hirata; fraternal love to Amou).

mentioned that she used to be interested in psychology, but never studied it or read anything substantial about the subject.

does a ton of research, but also gets inspiration watching movies to create her characters in Saezuru.

finds the dynamic master & servant an appealing and exiting scenario and refers to herself as a fushoji (she had her debut after her Reborn! doujinshis became famous).

used to livestream her creation process of Saezuru but stopped a bit after chapters 24-25 were published. She got a bit of harassment from fans from outside of Japan there. It was also around that time that she created her Twitter account separately from the Saezuru comic account, and when she progressively stopped posting in her blog (now deleted).

stated that reading and writing are very different things and, as such, cause different and stronger impact on readers.

b. us as readers…

will have a different and biased understanding of both the text and its interpretation.

should not see words or other means of communication as objective. A small example is that the phrase "The door is open" can mean: "come in", "leave", "you forgot it open", etc... depending on the nuance, context, and intention. And this coming from a literal-based language, such as English. The lexical semantics in communication is not rigid ー and I am not even entering the cognitive aspects of it, that should be applied not to oversimplify the complexity of human interactions.

need to read the text in Saezuru considering that there are 5 layers beneath it: 1) Yoneda-sensei’s intention on what she wanted her characters to say; 2) what it gets transmitted to readers who understand Japanese; 3) what is translated from their understanding to another language; 4) our semantical reading of the text; 5) our interpretation.

need to consider that translations are not flawless and things will be lost, no matter how capable a professional is.

should be humble to accept that Japanese readers do not, I repeat, do not get the same understanding of the text as we do as westerns. This is not even only connected to language, but with cultural differences, beliefs, nuances. An example I can give is on chapter one: when Yashiro is comparing himself to Kuga saying that he is shadow while Kuga is light, he is actually singing. The English translation does not expose this nuance because the dash (ー) was not considered as a prolonged sound. We can listen to Shingaki-san sing these words it in the drama CD and it refers to a song from The Rose of Versailles that transmits quite well Yashiro’s feelings and comparison with Kuga at that moment.

can acknowledged that BL media is walking in baby steps regarding misrepresentation, but also acknowledge that BL is an easy target for criticism, if compared to way more problematic medias out there ー that are well protected by white cis men and will continue to be disseminated without the same level of discussion.

if aware of this stigmatisation and still consuming BL media, can make use of this distress to do something to change the scenario in the real word. Engage in Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, volunteer to have a chat about consent with teenagers, gather with gender alliance in your community, you name it…

need to read Saezuru as an entertainment media that is created by Yoneda-sensei to pay bills. It’s her job, and she does create it around the premise of moe consumption prominent in Japan, you like it or not. This does not remove the merit of her work being magnificent compared to others in the same genre (or others), but it is pointless to idealise Sensei as politically engaged in societal critics because Saezuru reflects it independently of her intentions. This is our reading from this.

c. the fandom

has always been complicated, but it became a huge pain during the past 8 ish years because people became more intolerant and disrespectful to the slightest disagreement they came across with. Tumblr in particular lost tons of its users since the change in guidelines, but a lot of lovely people left because they got feed up about the wave of arguments and frequent attacks. In Saezuru fandom, I especially feel for @domeyashiro, @lustfulcat, and the hilarious @saezurushitpost (to name a few) that used to be active.

should be aware that they lose a lot replicating this type of arrogant, patronising and self-righteous exchange. People that used to share interview translations, fanfics, fanarts, references, all sort of material… they get tired and stop helping. Some possibly even stop enjoying the media, because all they can see is a flood of metas where people are more concerned about proving themselves right than celebrating plot development, character development, etc.

bends too much in labelling characters with (sometimes simplified views) about trauma, diagnosis, personality disorder, gender identity, discrimination… Yes, Saezuru represents reality, but Saezuru is not reality. It is much more a reflection of Yoneda as a creator and our projected reading. Yashiro trauma is a narrative tool used by Yoneda-sensei to reflect Yashiro’s contradictions; Doumeki’s actions are used as a trigger to change it. People are free to agree or disagree with her approach about it; what people cannot do is downplaying her or others as dumb, ignorant or discriminatory for not seeing things the same way. Especially the Japanese audience.

can have its own interpretation, based on the creator's premise above. What the fandom should not do is being disrespectful or derogatory with people that do not share the same views. And I guess I'm starting to sound a bit repetitive at this point, so I will stop right here.

Chapter 61 of Saezuru will be released in a few days. Can we please enjoy it without more of these? Most of the audience in Tumblr is composed of social minorities (myself included), and we should be each other's allies instead of using each other as a platform for self-affirmation.

pouletaulait

Nanahara: "..."

It's such a pity that we don't get to see Nanahara's face when Yashiro dropped that bomb 😫 I'm sure he was suspicious but he still must've been shocked that Yashiro mentioned it so casually and in that place. 😳 Also Yashiro sure wasn't worried that anybody might overhear their conversation even though it might cause trouble for Doumeki. He's such a tsundere sometimes 😭 The neko is showing its claws 🤣

swallowerofdharma

Tales of separated lovers

A preview of the artwork for the cover of volume 9 of Saezuru has been posted. Looking at the horizontal format, my thoughts went to the dust jacket, the removable paper cover, and how we will have Yashiro on the front and Doumeki on the back cover, yet they will still be connected through their touching across the spine of the book. Doumeki is the one reaching, but he does so with a protective glove, while Yashiro doesn’t know how to interpret the touch and grab Doumeki’s wrist to stop or redirect him. He doesn’t understand Doumeki’s intentions. Once we close the volume, they will be on different sides, two separated lovers.

And so I thought, why not writing down at this point my interpretation of Doumeki’s tattoo? Many others have contributed their thoughts and theories and it was always interesting to read them. This isn’t a counter argument to any different explanation, only a contribution to the discussion, my personal interpretation and reasoning.

In this little exchange between Yashiro and Nanahara in chapter 53, Yoneda takes the opportunity to give us a big clue. Although it didn’t seem like Yashiro examined the tattoo that closely in his shock upon discovering it, he tells Nanahara: “He’s carrying around some celestial maiden or whatever on his back”.

While I was reading about Japanese festivals, I was captivated by the story behind the Tanabata or Star Festival, the tale of The Cowherd and The Weaver Girl.

In the original legend the two lovers are both celestial beings, but in other tales the cowherd is a human man who falls in love with a celestial maiden and marries her through deception. But the common point in all these stories is that the couple will become separated, the celestial maiden or spouse will go back to the sky and the man will be forbidden from seeing her and will have to go through some kind of trial to meet her again sporadically.

Now, I think Doumeki made a heavy choice. But one might as well think he was already pinkyless, why not tattooed as well? And the scars on his face aren’t hidden by clothes. He cut his finger off without even sharing sake and now that he has, that he is formally part of the Sakura family, why not celebrate his new status with a tattoo as well? The tattoo might show his resolve and commitment to do as it takes to see his celestial spouse once again.

Yashiro is horrified and it is a testament to how well these characters are written that we can understand his reaction on multiple and profound psychological levels. The men that Yashiro sought out and that used violence freely, the men who trapped him in the yakuza, the men who put his life in danger, they have their backs covered in tattoos. Yet Doumeki was supposed to be different in Yashiro’s point of view. Beginning with his impotence, and the way he used to treat him, without contempt, Doumeki from four years ago, before the Hirata incident, was in Yashiro’s eyes supposed to go back to a normal life, a safer life without the stigma. Because severed fingers and tattoos continue to be stigmatized in Japan. Yashiro knows what that means, because people had been treated him differently and regarded him in contempt even before he was formally introduced to the yakuza. Why bother with a tattoo when Yashiro’s stigma is even unrelated to that? But for Doumeki he had envisioned something better. I love how real this is, from the perspective of trauma, that feeling of separation from the experiences of others, from the experience of Yashiro’s internalized homophobia and the homophobia that is directed towards him, from the social aspect of being yakuza as opposed to be a “civilian”, the constant proximity with crime, corruption, power struggles and danger, in Yashiro’s eyes the ceremonies, the tattoos, all are a cover up, they are fictional, superficial things, he never belonged anyway. He is there because of Misumi’s capricious nature, on a whim. And Doumeki wasn’t supposed to be part of it. Yashiro had a little, modest dream, he could get him out, he could let him go free of it all. Free of any additional stigma. Can’t fingers be reattached?

On the other hand, Doumeki’s tattoo, Yoneda let us know is probably “some celestial maiden or whatever”, recalls stories of separated lovers who were bound to meet again, even if for a fleeting moment, one night a year, and maybe even less, because it is said that if it rains the lovers are prevented from traversing the heavenly river.

Sources:

Lafcadio Hearn, The romance of the Milky Way, 1905 : this is still the best retelling in English prose I have found, however I didn’t search wide and far, and it includes some of the common Japanese variations of the original Chinese tale.

Takagi Masafumi, シリーズ/比較民話](二)天人女房/白鳥処女 [Series: Comparative Studies of the Folktale (2) Tennin Nyoobo/The Swan Maiden] (In Japanese)

Hagoromo Tale (In Japanese) : this is the page with a most interesting depiction

Tanabata on Wikipedia

Swan Maiden on Wikipedia

swallowerofdharma

Hey, this is the day. It’s Tanabata, so here are some reading suggestions again!

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