do you guys ever think about how rui never plays the main character. always casts himself as the antagonist. how his job first and foremost as a director is to lift his actors to their limits and make them shine. how you can't always see him but he's always There, always orchestrating from backstage, pulling on the strings, studying the production as it is being breathed to life for their audience.
how he was never part of the scenery, how he adored the stories that seemed to be unfolding before his very eyes, but all he could do was observe from a safe distance. how he started making shows to connect with his classmates, but at the end of the day that only made it worse!! how "as always, nobody stopped to see the show." how rui isn't even considered an audience member for this show he calls Life (he's more of a phantom, really, lingering near the balcony, far far far away from the stage), and how at least in shows he's a part of something .
no mizuki doesn't need to look straight into the camera and say she's transgender for it to be considered good trans rep but it's clear as day that clpl is dancing around confirming it for reals. a central part of mizu5 was that mizuki was robbed of her own agency as a queer person. she didn't get to come out on her own terms. she was outed. by her own bullies no less. a huge hope for ena5 was for mizuki to reclaim that agency that was taken from her, and say it with her own words. but for her true coming out to be censored by a black screen? locked in a side story? are you serious?
we know that mizuki is trans. you can't even consider this implicit media subtext. we know that when ena says "mizuki is mizuki," she means that she doesn't see mizuki any differently. her love for mizuki does not change just because she finds out she is trans. she isn't walking on eggshells around her. but "mizuki is mizuki" is also a cheap excuse for freaks to insist otherwise, and with. wd lineup. the area convos that specifically talk about mizuki's interesting vocal range. grouping mizuki up with the boys for some reason. it's clear that clpl is pandering to that freak audience while also leading their queer audience along on a leash.
i don't need explicit confirmation to know that mizuki is trans. mizuki is a wonderful trans character. but for clpl to "imply" it and do nothing to disprove any other argument, never go beyond "mizuki is mizuki," keep mizuki's gender listed as ?, only puts a sour taste in my mouth.
i'd like to bring attention to the chicken robot rui has had since the beginning of time
this little guy has accompanied our purple friend since his guerrilla gig days. he and rui go WAY BACK. rui keeps it in a cage hanging from his work room ceiling which i find absolutely ridiculous i almost lost my shit the first time i noticed it just. Hanging. Watching.
The Bird Knows Of Your Misdoings
you can also see it in miku's curtain call event 3*. hiding. watching. observing. peeking through the shadows
anyways this show bird was revamped during phoenix to help tsukasa train for his role as rio
and yup. still in a cage, just in case if you were wondering
ft. a glimpse of kamishiro rui being absolutely miserable
okay but surely. SURELY. we have not heard of the chicken since, right? there's no way they would be this consistent in including this SINGLE ROBOT every other time!
or is there.
yup, just as 3rd anniv rolled around and the new wxs redesigns were released (it was during this time i reached Peak Crazy), i noticed something incredibly familiar about the bird rui was holding in his hand and typed "rui's room project sekai" into my google search engine with rapid fingers to double check. and indeed. it's the same goddamn bird.
he was cruel to turn away from the camera and leave rui fanartists starved but merciful enough to free the Bird from its cage and allow it a taste of the spotlight. how considerate of my son
i just thought it was funny, Okay. he and that chicken robo have been through thick and thin together. they are the textbook definition of friendship, i fear
finished the event story today (thank you sekai.best my dear buddy pal) and looped the comm numerous times and studied the lyrics under a microscope, so i will now ramble a bit about my thoughts!! spoilers for backlit lens flare.
cyberpunk dead boy, from what i can tell, describes how modern consumerism and fame affects artists. it tells the story of an artist who started out with big dreams of portraying their feelings through their work, but slowly began spiralling into this pit of numbers and recognition and a vain desire for attention. whatever they wanted to communicate with their audience no longer has any substance or thought. they are then left wondering about whatever it is they dreamed of before this. what was the story they wanted to tell? does it even matter anymore?
cyberpunk "dead boy." the artist no longer lives for their art. there is nothing to breathe life into. are they even alive at this point?
on the other hand, we are also given the perspective of the consumers. consumers who don't care about the thought put into a piece of art, consumers who only care about whether this will make them feel good or not.
when you connect these two, you get a vain, lost artist who no longer sees their audience as individual human beings, but as VIEWERS. BUYERS. and these members of the audience are also trapped in this loop of consuming, throwing away, and finding something else to sink their teeth into. there is nothing meaningful being created.
rui's 4 star illustrates these audience members quite well. see, none of the passing people are. people. they have electronic devices for heads, and they're all glued to their phones. the little child holding their parent's hand, it should be a very wholesome and endearing sight, but it just feels wrong. there is no connection being developed between the two. this card depicts this haunting dystopian society where art no longer carries any weight for the human race, and we are all just left as hollow vessels with a mindless desire for meaningless entertainment. we don't develop any connections with other human beings, and the feelings that rui wants to evoke within his audience are futile.
on that note, the themes in this comm and the cards are incredibly oppositional to rui's own philosophy. what HE wants to achieve with his own art, his dream. compared to the thoughtless robots this artist sees their audience as, rui is incredibly caring and treats every single living being with such soft tenderness. he sees his audience as people. everything around him, the nature, the interactions he has with others, every single detail in his environment is a source of inspiration for his work. every single detail means that much to him. and whenever rui encounters a new artwork, a new play or story, he never just plays it off like "YUP another play. same old." he practically takes apart each layer one by one, studies it intently and tries to understand what kind of meaning the artist wanted to communicate. he then applies it to his own life, and to his own work. to think that rui would ever treat art and stories as something to just be eaten, thrown out, and forgotten about, is unfathomable.
this only leads me to wonder about the role sakaki will play in wxs's current arc. we ended off the story with ohara explaining to sakaki that rui is interested in stage production, and would probably encounter him again in the future. the way they framed this cliffhanger makes it only correct to assume that sakaki will return and will have a bigger part to play in wxs's story and their development.
sakaki intrigues me. his manner of speaking is very light and careless, his mannerisms even more so. compared to ohara, who is incredibly headstrong and burning like the sun with passion for his work and every single detail that is put into it, sakaki treats these details like they're just. there. takes one look at the scene ohara is having trouble with and it clicks instantly in his head. says some cryptic shit and packs his bag to leave.
furthermore, considering that most event commissions are written for the characters, for the story in that event, i really wonder who this song is about? is it about sakaki? will rui encounter this exact same problem about wondering what it was he wanted to portray from the beginning (unlikely imo, but would be interesting to see). nothing in backlit lens flare even remotely hints toward the lyricism in cyberpunk dead boy (i may have missed something, correct me if im wrong) which only excites me more for their next focus hehehe !!!
this was just a bunch of word vomit,, thank you for bearing with me, hopefully it makes sense?!?
do you guys understand how crazy it is that for once nene's inherent need to say something, to speak up, to reach for the other person, is coming from someone who is still very very naive and ultimately doesn't understand the situation as well as she thought she did .
"i don't want you to console me as the victor" are imura's words to nene (not a proper tl, i apologize), and nene is left. very very confused. it wasn't her intention to hurt imura, nor did she think her words were a mere consolation. they came from a place where she firmly believed that no matter what she would not let her voice waver, she would not hesitate like back then. she would reach out. but it's different right now. she's not at scramble crossing. she's not freezing up onstage. she's at morinomiya music academy, where everyone is clawing and clashing, fighting tooth and nail for the lead role. it's no longer just for pure fun. it's not like phoeniland and the wonder stage where everyone can take turns and hold hands (a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point).
nene, while she is incredibly passionate and determined for what she does, she has always been on the calmer side. she doesn't want to get into conflicts, she doesn't want to clash with others. she wants to connect with them, no matter how hard she may find it to be. but she realizes now that ultimately, it is through conflict do you truly grow. for someone whose main thing (one of them) has been. the struggle to connect with others and to become more confident in herself, this is a huge huge step for nene. nene is learning to cling. she's learning to grow desperate. she needs this. and she'll do whatever she can to get it.
"the power of regret": she's taking all the regrets of her fellow classmates, the regrets of her own, and channeling those into the best possible performance she can give. for the sake of her dream coming true.
who up tonight thinking about aro rui again. and perhaps. Living
just! rui's loneliness being a factor of alienation from his peers but also from growing up in an amatonormative society where love is prized above all else. rui, who has always witnessed romantic love as a concept through the eyes of somebody else, but has never experienced on his own. rui, who feels like a complete outsider, merely a member of the audience when it comes to love. he's only a monster, one who is uncaring of others' feelings and is far too wretched to understand such an idea.
but then!! it comes to him! not through a special someone or a hasty front porch confession, but through the understanding that he has a place, he's not alone, there are people just like him. people who want to form connections with him. connections that don't have to be labelled, but rather, transcend any idea of what is considered romantic or platonic, anything else. they can be their own people, their own thing.
it's not only love, it's the bigger realization that you fill up the room and leave holes when you are gone. your name carries weight, and tracks footprints wherever you go. you are a fond memory of the past, a hand they hold for the future, and so many things that matter or could ever matter for each day you live here on earth.
for rui, as someone who was taught to believe that he'll never find what he's looking for, that life will continue to be a futile search for solace and belonging, it's surreal! the fact that he just. has so much now. blows his mind. and that makes me really emotional. good people are out there, good people who understand you and want to see you smile :) and if it's not people, it's experiences, places, feelings, et cetera et cetera.
rui's character arc is such a beacon of hope for anyone who believes, or ever believed, that good things are/were just not in the cards for them. that good things only lie in what society expects of them, in the unattainable. his story is a reminder that there IS a future, that life isn't a tireless search for that One Thing, but more so a journey of learning to open your arms to accept the Many Things that may come your way.
Black Hole Fantasy - Rui's Acceptance Towards Change (Character & Lyric Analysis)
Hello! This came to me in a vision. I'm either factually correct or just deranged to the point where every single song reads as Rui to me, but oh well!! I love the Crane Wives, I love this song, this album so so much. And I like Rui. So this is your sign to listen to Beyond, Beyond, Beyond in its entirety from beginning to end as intended. For me. (Please. It's also for your own good.)
Note: This is more of a middle school/main story Rui analysis but it applies to so many more of his focuses as well : ) I just didn't want to include everything or else it would end up too messy and long!
Aren't you tired of going through the motions?
Is the daily grind meant to dull the mind?
I sense a window somewhere closing
Somewhere in the world that I just have to find
We start off by looking through the window of a depressed teenager, roughly fourteen or fifteen, slowly wearing his heart and mind away. Every day is the exact same: he wakes up, goes to school (whether he actually sits through class is a whole other story), he keeps his head down, his presence small and tiny. He melts into the background and becomes nothing more but an idea, a rumour. There is no place for him here; all he can do is watch from a safe enough distance.
And Rui knows, he knows that happiness exists. He knows it's there, but it's not here. Not for him. Maybe, in another pocket of the universe where he didn't have to eat lunch alone, but rewriting his story this way, well, that just wouldn't be his story anymore, would it?
The days blur together
I watch the ceiling buckle, the walls are closing in
There's a black hole in the living-room floor
I keep trying to ignore, but it's growing
And even though he can try all he wants, remaining apathetic to the life he was given, he can't ignore how much it eats away at him. It's leaving holes in his chest, holes much too big for a simple fix. He'll take them with him wherever he goes, even as he leaves the rooftop, graduates, leaves the school, leaves the next one.
Even after he cuts his hair, transfers to Kamiyama, and carries on with his guerilla gigs like usual, he doesn't feel whole.
Why? Why won't it go away?
If love is just a chemical reaction
Is there a pill to take? Something to quell this ache?
Is this the real thing or a distraction?
Is it worth the risk? My life would detonate
My knuckles hesitate an inch away from the door
What happens when it opens?
It doesn't go away when Tsukasa approaches him with a generous invite, either. He's honoured, of course, but it brings him more fear and dread if anything. There's no way, he tells himself. Life has taught him that no matter how much love he has to give to the world, the world is simply not as loving. He can't take this chance, not again.
And even if it was good enough to be true, just enough good for someone like him, there's no way it would last. It's only a matter of time before they look at him like everybody else did, and all that would be left for Rui is to watch the world from above like he always did, revelling in the fact that he was proven right once more.
Even in my fantasy, I can't commit to believing
That I'll get what I want, I'm afraid of what I want
Even in my fantasy, I keep the car running
In case I need to take off
The months blur together
I watch the ceiling buckle, I wonder when it's caving in
There's a black hole in the living-room floor
I keep standing on the edge and looking in
After all, it's better this way! It's better this way: barely within arm's reach, always a few feet from the door, bags packed from the very beginning, ready to leave when it becomes clear to him that he is probably not welcome anymore.
All Rui needs is complete and utter freedom to make the shows he wants to make. He's convinced himself that he doesn't need other people. People are people, I am me. It's as simple as that, and there is no use in hoping for anything more.
But, deep deep down, he knows it's not true. He's known forever now that something was missing, something he can't place a finger on. This wasn't enough, it will never be enough, but he can't spit those words out himself. Admitting to the truth means accepting that you are unhappy, not like this, not forever, who are you trying to fool, you need more, YOU NEED MORE. However, for someone like Rui who has been taught to believe that he is a selfish person, a cruel, heartless thing who would do whatever it takes to get what he wants, it was easier settling with the little he had.
This is how it should be, Rui tells himself and to nobody else.
But a small, small part of him, something he left years ago in an empty room, cried for someone else to be there with him too.
And on the other side is another life
A version of me with a spark in her eyes
That I don't have
And now she's laughing
And it's killing me that I cannot see
What's making her laugh
From where I'm standing
And I have to know
So, I'm going in
I'm going in
I don't exactly have a perfect way to segue this into the last verse but I just really love the imagery of a younger, sadder Rui, watching his future self from a distance, and he's laughing, smiling, and he's so full of life. Who did he meet that he could let loose and just simply be? Who is making his face crinkle up into the smile he can't even muster anymore? Who is putting the shine in his eyes, the love in his heart? He wants to turn away, it's not real, it's not true. There's nothing like that for him. Not in this life. But the more he watches the more he hurts and the more he hurts the more he feels until all he can do is take that first step forward, reach his hand towards the light, and pray that something catches him.
Let's try this again
I'm on my way to your house, guided by the stars
I'm pulling in the driveway, I'm turning off the car
I'm running to your porch, I'm sprinting up the stairs
The door swings open and you're standing there
You're beaming down at me, you're reaching out for me
And pull me in your arms, and I feel your heart pounding
I take a step back to catch my breath
And we look at each other and double over and laugh, and laugh, and laugh
And years later, it hits him. That smile, that laugh he saw, was truly only possible due to the fact HE took that first step. It was Rui who "turned off the car," he's not running away anymore, he's moving forward. It was Rui who kept his arm outstretched, Rui who carried the courage to change, Rui who decided to grow closer with Wonderlands x Showtime, his classmates, and ultimately, with true friends outside of his troupe. Had he kept his heart closed away, cold from the wind on the school rooftop, everything would have stayed the same. Rui accepted change with himself first. Rui's change started with Rui.
And, by god, how good does it feel! How amazing is that breath of fresh air, the ache in his ribs from laughing too hard, the sores in his face from smiling too wide? How astonishing is the realization that oh, this is still you! It's still you! Despite everything, all the hurt, the loss, every sliver of joy in your life, it's still you! Maybe not quite anymore, but every part of you, at least a remnant, a memory, lives on in you alone. The Rui smiling with his friends today is the same Rui who believed that there was nothing in this world left for him. He's the same Rui as the Rui three, five, ten years ago, in the smallest of ways. And he carries every single part of him wherever he goes, close to his heart. And that really means something to me.
name's jay! 19, they/any, aroace. lover of creatures with various inconsistent interests. i like to play and draw. d20 sideblog is fearfu1symmetry i'm probably more active there :)
drawing reqs open through askbox!
dms, asks, and tags are all good! always looking forward to talking to new people o7
