honestly, I ship so few toku canon ships (Urara/Hikaru, Jabi/Tsubasa I SERIOUSLY DON'T REMEMBER IF I HAVE MORE) that I'll happily add Himeno/Yanma to the short list
I posted this question to fellows in the Sabikui Bisco discord that I’m in but I’m interested to see what thoughts other fans might have. If you’d like to respond, please reblog or share in the replies!
What was Milo missing in his life in Imihama that he gained from meeting Bisco and going on their journey together?
Bisco shares out loud what Milo means to him in ep 8. He expresses that before he became partners with Milo, he was like a firework and a stray dog that would probably die in a back alley somewhere if left on his own because without Jabi, he'd have no direction. Jabi was also worried about Bisco for this reason, telling him that he was like a powerful arrow but needed a bow and praying that after he dies, someone finds Bisco and gives him a reason to live.
Milo came into his life and Bisco was grateful for the happiness he'd obtained with Milo as his partner, his protector, his mentor, and his friend. Bisco had a hole in his soul that Milo filled and that made Bisco stronger in a way he'd never thought he could be. But what about Milo? Milo clearly adores Bisco and there is something about Bisco that FROM THE VERY START attracted Milo to him. Milo has a hole in his soul that Bisco filled for him, becoming so important to Milo that he chooses to live his life with Bisco as a part of him after he dies. But what is the hole that Bisco fills?
My thoughts under the cut.
Milo knows what he wants to do with his life. He’s decided he wants to be a doctor and use his knowledge of medicine and healthcare to support and save the people of the town he cherishes and his beloved sister Pawoo. However, he knows he is fighting and losing an endless battle. Milo refuses to work for the government which would get him all the resources he needs to save his sister from the rust but it would cost him the freedom to do what he believes is right: provide healthcare to the people who the government and the wealthy have written off as dead weight. Milo had been battling to protect the people of Imihama with Pawoo and through medicine and power, the two of them have given the people hope to battle the hopelessness of living in a rust-eaten world run by the rich and powerful who don’t care about them.
However, Pawoo is on the verge of dying from the rust and Milo is getting desperate to save her. Even though he knows what he wants to do with his life, I think for Milo, losing Pawoo would destroy him. They both kept each other strong as they were the pillars of hope in Imihama and without Pawoo, Milo might fall apart under that weight.
Milo hasn’t given up though. He’s doing everything he can to find a cure all while deflecting the constant attacks from Kurokawa to poach him and bring him in to work for the government. But I think by their last encounter in Imihama, Milo was really feeling cornered by Kurokawa. His experiments were not getting anywhere, Pawoo continued to get worse, and Kurokawa’s words were making him feel powerless.
And this is where I see Milo’s hole in his soul. Milo feels powerless despite wanting to fight till his last breath to stave off death for the common folk and Pawoo. Milo is constantly described as being physically frail looking, like he’d get blown away by a really strong wind. He’s also a kind, soft hearted person which I imagine is seen as a sign of weakness in this kind of ‘every man for himself’ setting. Pawoo protects him because she doesn’t want him to be used and hurt by the cruel world. And Milo is pretty self aware of all this. Milo wants to fight so badly but he thinks that all he can do is make medicine and in that battle he’s losing.
And that is when Bisco suddenly drops into his life. Bisco opens Milo to a world wider than Milo could have ever imagined from within the walls of Imihama. When Milo tells Bisco that his desire isn’t to return to Imihama, he expresses that he saw how just how powerful life can be as it battles the rust in their broken world. He learned that not only is life and the desire to live so much stronger, he learns that he himself is stronger than he had been giving himself credit for. He learned how to ride a crab, how to use mushroom arts, and how to shoot a bow with Bisco, the strongest man he’s ever met, acknowledged him every step of the way. When Bisco entrusted Milo to watch his back, I think that was a huge thing for Milo. Being acknowledged as an equal by Bisco, the person he admires, must have cemented in Milo’s heart that the place he wants to be the most now and forever is with Bisco. With Bisco, he feels like he can do anything, go anywhere, and save everyone they come across. And that saves Milo.
Milo became Bisco’s bow, giving his life direction, and Bisco became Milo’s arrow, his strength to pierce through any obstacle in the world. Which is why Milo couldn’t bear to lose Bisco. Milo would be alone again, feeling powerless to do anything and to save anyone. He would lose the person who constantly believed in him, encouraged him, and inspired him to keep fighting until he had nothing left. He would lose the hope he gained to keep on going.
But Bisco did not leave him alone. As long as Milo smiled when it was painful and hard, Bisco would be with him. As long as Milo lived as Bisco did, bravely and boldly pushing forward, Bisco would be with him. And Milo does just that. Even without Bisco, he no longer feels alone and powerless. He has taken the life of the strongest mushroom keeper, filling the hole in his soul which burns brighter than ever before.
