#bsd ch 87

[kyouka-supremacy]

Love me a man who dramatically clutches his shirt

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Bsd Chapter 87-88 spoilers!

Yk the fact that Akutagawa is dead hasn't really sinked in my head yet... And we are already on chapter 93. Idk if its bc im in huge denial about it or because I just can't really see him die this early on in the story. I think that Akutagawa isn't going to really die, a part of me is hopeful. Since he turned into a vampire and all, theres still a small chance he can survive this one. I mean what was the point of molding Aku and Atsushi into the new Soukoku for one of them to die this easily?

A part of me doesn't want him dead because im biased and I love him so much but another part of me still doesn't accept Aku's death and tbh I think most of the fandom hasn't really accepted it yet and I think its because his death is written in a way that makes us doubt his passing.

I really hope that Akutagawa's character won't die here, he has so much potential for more character growth and development.

[oathofconquest]

I HATE IT HERE

[ellyisthecat]

HOW DARE YOU-

[kyouka-supremacy]

Something that results particularly striking in the last chapter is the characterization of Akutagawa as someone who, opposite to Atsushi, doesn't easily give up. It's something that could already been seen in Akutagawa, when he repeatedly refused to give in even when the situation looked most desperate during the fight against Fukuchi:

but in this chapter, it results particularly evident because it purposely contrasts Atsushi's defeatism.

Moreover, I don't think this is something that's always been present in Akutagawa. In The Heartless Cur, he readily accepts death– actively seeks it, even, since he barged in the fight with no intention of coming out of it alive. In Dark Era, too, he admits his defeat and accepts death when Gide overpowers him. He's shown doing the same with Gab in 55 Minutes. This certain being hellbent on being killed if he doesn't succeed, I've always interpreted it as some suicidal tendency of his (which is besides half-confirmed by Beast, where he is indeed explicitly described as suicidal). In this context, the “seeking a reason to live” results deeply draining for Akutagawa, who doesn't see the point of living to begin with, and thus some times he would just rather be put to rest.

The sweet thing is, this newfound resourcefulness, this hope from the last chapter isn't something that's always been in Akutagawa, but it's something that it was Atsushi himself to have taught him. Akutagawa says so himself:

And it's very heartwarming that Akutagawa is now returning Atsushi the same refusal to give up and determination to keep going on that Atsushi taught him in the first place. Really makes Asagiri's own words ring as true as ever:

[kyouka-supremacy]

The scene being repeated using the same panels of last month's chapter is such a nice recall to when the same happened when Fukuchi used Amenogozen to go back in time in chapter 87! Except this time it's Atsushi who's in control of time, to save the people he loves!

[kyouka-supremacy]

“our claws”

[kyouka-supremacy]

Okay but Akutagawa joining the Hunting Dogs would make so much sense? Because... 'hunting' and 'dog'? Also the HD uniform fits him so well

I know 😔😭😭😭 Huge agree on every point. Also if canon Akutagawa's arc is about getting better / learning to be good, that would be a case of Akutagawa getting significantly worse... And I LOVE to explore it. The concept of Akutagawa killing Atsushi and living with the knowledge that half of his soul has been brutally murdered by none other than himself is endlessly compelling to me in a six-months-battle scenario, but it's even more so in the hd context. Because whereas I feel like if he was to kill Atsushi in the six months battle Akutagawa would fundamentally lose his reason to live, and thus would simply become numb / stop living... Akutagawa killing Atsushi on Fukuchi's order and consequentially joining the hd would provide that change of scenario that is so sudden and unfamiliar and that would require from Akutagawa to maintain his senses, and thus not immediately spiral in invalidating depression. But the grief, the horror, the regret, the loss and the carnage are still there, all the same; they would just haunt him from behind, while he walks on the tightrope above insanity. Suddenly leaving everything behind, his organization, his mentor, his family, made it so that for a moment Akutagawa could believe he could have started anew and forgotten everything; but there's still someone always creeping at his shoulders, always at the corner of his eye, the feeling of silver slicing his throat, telling him that he should have been the one to die instead. So basically it's a slowburn of spiralling into insanity. And we love to see it!!!