Overblot Character Song Analysis #5: “Still Infallible, Until Tangible”
So I thought it might be fun to do an analysis series of Twisted Wonderland’s overblot character songs, just to see what the songs might say about the characters in question. As a small disclaimer, I do not actually speak or read Japanese so I will be primarily using fantranslations, though I should note that I didn’t actually end up using @mysteryshoptls translation very much this time, though I did still use the Japanese to English dictionary website called Jisho to help me along. Leona’s “Still Infallible, Until Tangible” is the fifth song up for analysis. The rest of the analysis will be under the cut due to length. Please read at your own risk because there will likely be spoilers within the song with regard to the character’s development and story.
So, first off we have the title which really caught my attention very quickly. The ‘Still Infallible’ part indicates that either he, Leona, or the individual(s) the song is directed at are ‘still’ incapable of making mistakes and/or being wrong. However, this is followed directly by the words ‘until tangible’ which implies that Leona or, again the audience of this song, are incapable of making mistakes until he or they are suddenly perceptible by touch. Now this can be taken a few different ways. If you go with the Leona interpretation, then Leona himself comes across as infallible, until you get close and realize exactly how messed up he is. This would reflect Jack’s initial hero-worship that he has until he starts getting a closer look at Leona. A second interpretation of the title could be that Leona himself is keeping his distance from others so that he won’t fall apart, because he recognizes the moment someone gets too close and he is touched (i.e. he becomes ‘tangible’ to them) he’ll fall apart. Finally, there’s a third interpretation if this title reflects the audience of the song which would mean Leona finds the audience infallible until he gets closer to them (i.e. they become tangible) and he realizes they too can make mistakes.
Now, I would like to note, before we go any further, that this is a very somber song and drives home the point (which I will note here has been contested within the fandom in the past, though I’m not going to point any fingers) that Leona is depressed. In fact, it has been implied in certain areas (i.e. the light novel version of the Savanaclaw dorm story) that Leona is even suicidal. So please be prepared for a downer of a song and exercise caution if any of these things are overly upsetting for you.
Beyond the closed door, I hear a festive song
The wavering voice sounds distant as even shadows scatter from it
Heading to the other side of the night, I yearn endlessly
For a pride that will shield me
So, Leona’s song isn’t pulling its punches. Right from the get go, it is already sad. The image being painted here is Leona on his own, listening to cheerful sounds of others through a door, and even though it's just right through a door, it all sounds so distant and gets scattered by the shadows (i.e. dark thoughts and depression) that Leona has surrounded himself with. So off he goes, to something poetically called ‘the other side of the night,’ yearning all the while for someone to shield him. This is particularly notable since in the JP version of Twisted Wonderland it is very clear that Leona is the hated second prince, with the emphasis being placed on ‘hated’ rather than ‘second.’ Due to this, it’s quite possible that Leona feels like there is no one who ever loved him or cared about him enough to shield him from others who hate him for possibly no other reason than the fact that he has such a terrifying signature spell and his habit of being moody. In this case, it is quite possible he is thinking of his family the entire time, but since they failed him he longs for a family, or Pride, that won’t.
Now I should note here that there is another translation for the lines: “I yearn endlessly for a pride that will shield me” which does somewhat change the meaning. This other translation is: “After constant insatiable longing, even arrogance becomes my shield.” Arrogance of course is very similar to pride, with pride typically being used because of its dualistic meaning of pride (the feeling vs. the group of lions). Anyway, this other translation has the pride being Leona’s shield, indicating he uses others as a shield against his own longing. This is an interesting interpretation to, as it indicates that the few relationships Leona does have, serve as a shield against his longing.
The light fades away, leaving the world unchanged, still colored in infallibility.
No matter how many times I reach out
These hands grasped nothing but air
If that’s how it is, let it turn to sand.
Moving forward, the first line of the chorus here is very interesting as it talks about how the light is fading, despite the fact that in the first verse it was described as being nighttime. However, the world remains unchanged even now. But here is where it gets interesting, with the words ‘Still colored in infallibility’ being tied to his description of the world being unchanged. So here, rather than infallible referring to Leona, infallible refers to the world itself. A world that Leona appears to feel has rejected him. The description of such a world being infallible indicates that Leona feels that this rejection is justified though. If we read into this, it can feasibly be inferred that being hated for so long has led to Leona hating himself and thereby viewing a world’s rejection of him as entirely reasonable. From Leona's persepective it is possibly a situation where he’s hated because he is unpleasant and generally hate-able, so obviously he’ll be rejected.
From that first line we flow into the rest of the chorus. Despite accepting that he has been rejected, and even viewing that as the right choice, Leona is still reaching out. He probably can’t even help it. However, he can’t reach anything or anyone. He’s still all alone, right where he started. This possibly references how misunderstood Leona is implied to be by the Savanaclaw dorm. Indeed, the light novel and manga both suggest that a big causal part of Leona’s overblot was the way the Savanaclaw dorm viewed him and placed all their hopes and dreams on him despite the fact that he feels like everything he does is ruined from the start. In other words, Leona views the Savanaclaw dorm's bright hope and nigh-idolatry of his own power as weighty. Possibly even to the point where it is crushing him under the weight of their expectations of him.
Either way, the chorus ends with the summation that, if Leona is going to be rejected, then everything might as well be sand. Which is what we see in Leona’s overblot. Even Ruggie, who didn’t reject him, but has been implied to have fundamentally misunderstood Leona and thus mischaracterized and rejected who Leona truly is and what his problems actually are, is attacked by this apathetic attack wrought by Leona’s depression and view that no one truly cares about him. In the end, this entire chorus is one big, very poetic, ‘what’s the use?’ Because everything Leona has tried, has failed.
Even the playful illusions are too dazzling, too bothersome
If I remain insincere as I am
Well, perhaps it's fine after all, I laugh bitterly at that.
Now we’re back to Leona in a more resting, less overblotted state, and it is still pretty bad in terms of mental state. Because at this point, even illusions of what might could be, are too much for him. He writes them all off as bothersome because he’s been hurt enough. Getting his hopes up again would just lead to tragedy. So he resolved to remain insincere and not show how he truly feels. Because if he’s insincere, then isn’t it fine if he’s hated? Isn’t it justified? It’s a bitter thought, as noted within the line ‘I laugh bitterly at that,’ but it’s one that Leona has bought into because he can’t come up with any other conclusion for how to handle this situation.
It’s here that we clearly see how depressed and self-loathing Leona truly is, and the idea of him being potentially suicidal is a palpable one as, in the first chorus, the final line of ‘If that’s how it is, let it turn to sand’ could also be referring to himself, which is truly horrifying thought that unfortunately aligns with his self-view. Bluntly put, he has a low opinion of himself and thereby, does not really care about his own well-being or future, which is why he doesn’t put any effort in. This is an intensive mental low, to say the least, and shows how serious Leona’s depression really is.
An elusive light, a twisted gaze, are all colored in infallibility.
Even if I list out all the reasons to blame someone
No one cares for the reasons behind, and if that is all I am able to grasp
Let it all crumble to sand.
And here we are at the end of Leona’s song. The light is fading away this time, but it is still elusive, and rather than an unchanging world, we have a twisted gaze. A twisted gaze, that may even be Leona’s as his mood and mental state steadily worsen. Or, perhaps, this twisted gaze is others views of him, since Savanaclaw's and other individual's perceptions of him has been suggested to be rather weighty for Leona due to their inaccuracies. Everything is still colored in infallibility, though, and is thereby deemed correct. The light eludes him, but it is justified in doing so.
This is followed by Leona mentioning that even if he did list out all the reasons he could blame someone for all this (those who abandoned him, his family, his country, or some other unnamed person) no one would listen. Why would they? He’s hated. Leona no doubt feels like there is no reason he could ever give to make anyone listen. So why bother?
So Leona’s decision is a simple one at this point. If this is all he can grasp and hold onto, then it can all crumble to sand. Because being the hated second prince who’s never given a chance or, even when he is, bungles it and remains perpetually misunderstood, is not worth it. So let it all crumble to sand.
It's worth noting here that Leona’s emphasis on sand implies that he may view his signature spell very negatively, which has been suggested before in-game with the way he mocks it in that it only destroys. This, paired with his negative self-view, may have caused him to make a connection between the two (i.e. that he’s as worthless as sand).
