I think the biggest irony of the whole wind bag situation is that while Eurylochus's actions did contribute to the 543 deaths in Ruthlessness, it also likely prevented even more casualties overall.
To explain, I believe it was confirmed that Ithaca was already within sight by Keep Your Friends Close, and assuming that the bag had remained closed, the entire crew would have made it home.
However, based on Poseidon's verses in Ruthlessness, it's obvious that he was intent on getting revenge on Odysseus and his men, had been searching for them to exact said revenge, and didn't care if there were innocents caught in the crossfire (in Survive, Odysseus explicitly mentions "the rest of our fleet, they wait at the beach", so these waiting soldiers were innocent of this specific crime of blinding Polyphemus, but were still not spared).
Therefore, I think it is reasonable to assume that had Odysseus and the other 586 men returned home, they would have been faced with the very real threat of Poseidon showing up and deciding to sink the entirety of Ithaca with a giant tide sooner or later.
And we know, based on Get in the Water, that Poseidon had the ability to do just that.
In addition, at that point in time, Odysseus had yet to learn the lesson of necessary ruthlessness, and so even if Poseidon had given him the choice between his own death or Ithaca's, I'm not certain he'd be able to survive that encounter, rendering his reunion with Penelope and Telemachus to be horribly short-lived.
So, in conclusion, both opening and not opening the bag would have led to tragedy, but opening it ultimately led to relatively less of it overall.
Spoilers for Chapters 1, 2, 117, 147, 254, 280, 281, 295, 298, 299 & 300 of Blue Lock and Chapters 2, 3 & 4 of Blue Lock: Episode Nagi.
Similar to my last post on Nagi & Reo, this post is also not necessarily a shipping post, but because I do ship nagireo, it might colour my analysis on them, so fair warning.
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With the release of the new chapters, I wanted to bring up an interesting parallel I noticed that helps strengthen the theory that Nagi and Reo's journey together will not end here. In fact, I think this parallel just helps to cement that they will continue to diverge from the rest, even with this recent failure.
To start, I think it is beneficial to establish that Nagi and Isagi are meant to be foils in the story and they often have scenes that parallel each other in key ways.
Many others have already pointed these parallels out before, but for argument's sake, I will list some of them down regardless.
Isagi's ego flaring after he shoots on his own vs Nagi's ego flaring after he sees Reo
2. Isagi being the first to enter Blue Lock vs Nagi (& Reo) being the last
3. isagi scoring the final goal of the U-20 match vs Nagi scoring the first goal
4. Isagi being classified as a "world-style" talented learner vs Nagi who is classified as a "self-style" genius
5. And most recently, Isagi who was at the top of the winners' bracket vs Nagi who was at the top of the losers' bracket
Even their designs are meant to be foils of each other wherein Isagi is short (relatively), has a weaker physical build and a darker colour palette vs Nagi's who's tall, has a stronger physical build and a lighter colour palette.
There are surely plenty more parallels you can find throughout the series, but with this, I hope that I manage to successfully establish that there is a pattern going on and this makes the next parallel I'm going to draw up quite interesting.
So!
Going back to the Blue Lock Entrance Test, I want to zoom in on what Ego considers to be "the egotism of a striker".
The idea that in this instance, a striker is someone who "tries to defeat someone stronger than themselves", "goes after the strongest one" and has an "obsession with their own victory which can't be swayed by others' common sense" is fascinating because it describes both Bachira and Isagi, yes, but it also describes someone who ended up losing despite following that doctrine: Nameoka Ryo.
In these few pages alone, we can see that Nameoka fulfills all the criteria of the "striker" that Ego is looking for. Not only is he purposefully going after the people who he perceives as the strongest, he is doing so despite it being seen as rather illogical because of the risk that he is willingly undertaking by focusing on no one else but Nagi and Reo.
Now you can argue that this definition of a striker's "egoism" is rather shallow because the idea has evolved and expanded over the course of the story, and yes I agree. But in the context of these specific scenes, we are being told that this way of playing is the "correct" way because of how it aligns with Ego's words (whose words are often law). Therefore, Nameoka, in these scenes, is considered the "ideal striker".
So what does it mean when the "ideal striker" loses?
In my opinion, having Nameoka lose, and making it so that Nagi is the one that causes him to lose is a purposeful narrative decision to help support the idea that ultimately, despite being in opposition to Isagi's route and therefore against Ego's ideals, Nagi's (and Reo's) path is valid.
Even the fact that Reo was saved by Nagi here is relevant because of how it supports the validity of their divergent path.
Circling back to Kira's elimination for a second, we see that Ego condemns Kira because when the ball hit him, he "gave up and accepted his defeat" and in his eyes, this is what it means to "run away" from the egotism of a striker and that is why he lost.
And what is interesting here is Kira's acceptance of defeat parallels Reo's acceptance of defeat. Notice that just like Kira, Reo was prematurely thinking about his defeat under the hands of another player (Zantetsu) and was blind to the options that he had after being hit.
This is why the "5 seconds" timer was placed behind Reo as it illustrates how he had turned his back on other options except defeat even though there was plenty of time for him to think of a back-up plan, especially considering how Reo had significantly more time than Kira did (1 second vs 5 seconds).
If we were to follow the original scenario, this would have been the end of Reo and consequently, the end of Nagi and Reo's joint path, but Nagi literally interrupts this narrative and denies its unfolding.
And not only does he deny it, he also manuevers The Egoist's plot device (the ball) to eliminate Ego's "ideal striker", cementing the fact that their path, while divergent from Ego's, is a valid path to take because it succeeds.
I think we have to question why Kaneshiro-sensei and Nomura-sensei felt that it was important for Nameoka (again, the "ideal striker) to be eliminated after Nagi reaffirms his determination to stay with Reo (and therefore reaffirming their partnership) and after Reo is shown to have run away from a striker's egoism.
I truly believe it is to showcase that Nagi and Reo's partnership and joint path, despite all the ups and downs, will prevail and even succeed in usurping the "ideal" egoists in the end.
It's just a matter of looking at all the options and not admitting defeat.
So I wanted to talk about how Anya is clearly traumatised because of her telepathy and how it has probably given her more grief and pain than anything else. Like yes there are occasions when she enjoys what she hears and has used it to her advantage (she wouldn’t have gotten a spy dad and an assassin mom if she didn’t use her telepathy after all) but this week’s episode highlights the fact that she already has a rough idea of what will happen when someone finds out about her telepathy or even has an inkling that she’s not a ‘normal’ kid and it is anything but positive.
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Remember how in the first episode Anya notes that she will have to leave Twilight/Loid if he finds out she’s a telepath and there’s a flashback showing how the scientists at the lab/facility were the ones that first planted that notion into her head?
I’m sure that her abusers’ words were enough to deter her from revealing her secret but it’s also important to note that Anya was adopted and returned four times. Meaning, that she was confronted with the reality that her abusers were right not just once, but four times.
And if this scene is any indication, Anya's astute perceptiveness has freaked out at least one set of adopters and led her to being shunned and subsequently returned.
That would be enough to traumatise any child but to someone who was already warned (possibly multiple times) that her power must be kept hidden? It makes sense why Anya is as desperate as she is to make sure that no one finds out that she’s a “freak” or a “witch”. She already knows and has felt the consequences of that over and over.
It also makes this scene in episode 4 a lot more devastating in hindsight because Anya just managed to find a family that hasn’t tossed her out because of her abnormalities yet. She doesn’t want to lose a place so warm and loving. Not when she’s so close to the perfect family life that she so dreamed of.
That’s why this week’s episode is so good for Anya’s self-confidence/self-worth and emotional/mental wellbeing. Not only did the heroic deed that she used her ability for give her public praise and recognition-
-but it also gave her private recognition and praise.
Like, there was absolutely no need for the Forgers to keep up the pretense here. The boy’s family already drove off and there was no one around them so there was absolutely no need to praise her anymore. But they did it anyway.
And man, the fact that Anya is able to read their minds here and see that they are genuinely proud of her is just icing on this sweet sweet cake.
She now realises that her power can be used to help people. That maybe it won’t just give her pain and grief. That maybe it can do good.
And looking at her being so happy about it makes me very emotional and I’m so glad that the beginning of Anya healing from her trauma was done in such a heartfelt way.
This little girl is so strong for dealing with what she has dealt with (and continues to deal with) till now and I can’t wait to see the rest of her journey.r
The fact that the "Yoo Joonghyuk from the 0th turn was willing to go through 1864 regressions solely to see Kim Dokja again" notion is so popular kinda irks me because of how it 1) strips YJH of any nuance in his character by reducing him to a pining lovesick man 2) kinda disregards an arguably more heartfelt reading of the scene
To clarify, I'm not gonna argue that YJH did not consider KDJ in his decision to regress, he evidently did, but it drives me nuts when people act like that's the only reason why YJH regressed.
Now granted, YJH did kinda start this whole conversation with "If I choose you as my Constellation sponsor, will I finally get to meet you?" and so I understand when people think that meeting KDJ face-to-face is the reason why YJH chose to regress despite the slim chances but I also want people to consider one of YJH's enduring characteristics.
YJH has always been portrayed as wanting to know the truth of the world he lived in and wanting to understand his origins. He seeks to reach the conclusion because he wants answers for his suffering and the hardships he went through. Hell, one of the things he says to KDJ during this scene was "Who am I?" and then he goes on to ask whether "the secret of this world lies beyond the wall, where you are?"
YJH of the 0th turn has reached a point in his life where he is happy but he says that it's because of that that he's "even more curious about what lies beyond the wall". He wishes to take the time to understand himself after achieving such happiness and this really feels like an example of someone seeking self-actualisation.
And this also ties into my second point because understanding YJH's (imo) primary motivation ultimately frames this scene as one where two individuals who deeply love each other have to separate because one of them has decided to dedicate their life to a certain goal while the other (reluctantly) accepts their decision because they understand that it would make their loved one fulfilled.
It's a different flavour of bittersweet from the popular reading because what separates them is ultimately YJH's desire to reach self-fulfillment and KDJ accepting his desire even if it he thinks YJH is a "dumb bastard" for doing so.
After spending so much time with YJH, both as a character and as a companion, KDJ understands better than anyone that this is what YJH needs to do. And so he lets him go.
Even if it hurts. Even if he knows that YJH would eventually resent him for it. Even if he thinks regressing will just make him miserable. He lets go because he knows that this is who YJH is and he would be remiss if he let his own personal feelings get in the way of respecting his agency.
And yes, this sucker punching line right here "Tell me, you fool. If I continue to regress, will I ever get to meet you again?" does imply that half of his reason to regress is to meet KDJ irl but! I also wanna point out that KDJ never really confirmed to YJH that he could meet him again. And taking that into consideration alongside YJH's final words to KDJ, "I shall pray that you may continue to exist somewhere too" and that he still didn't stop to second-guess his regression, you're kinda left with the impression that YJH would have still gone on this journey even with the possibility that KDJ may never show up again in the future. He regresses with the small hope that they will meet each other again but he doesn't move forward solely because of that small hope.
I like to think that it's because in the 0th turn, YJH already considers them to be companions and even if he doesn't meet KDJ again, that doesn't mean their bond didn't exist.
Because, as he said about his other companions, "Just because I will forget about them, doesn't mean they'll suddenly stop existing".
Much like how the Demon King of Salvation won't stop existing even if he forgets him.
But like, regardless of whether my interpretation is right or not, I just think that YJH going forward for his own truth rather than just a desire to see KDJ again makes for a sweeter narrative after the bittersweet ending of the 0th turn.
Because as luck would have it, KDJ would once again guide YJH towards the end on his 1864th turn in the future/past, just like how he did during the 0th turn.
Regardless of YJH's personal motivations and KDJ's personal hangups, the two are irrevocably linked and that small hope from seemingly aeons ago finally became reality after countless lives.
Maybe this is why they are called "Life and Death Companions".
So recently, there was this blue lock exhibition where you could be accompanied by either an E4 (isagi/bachira/kunigami/chigiri) or a reonagi/nagireo voice guide. (Full translation for the former here and the latter (+ the actual audio) here)
And the reonagi/nagireo one makes me very :) sane :) actually :)
And the fact that this script was supervised by Kaneshiro-sensei himself and thus makes all of this canon...
It's not like I was finally getting over my obsession or anything. This didn't drag me back into reonagi/nagireo hell at all! :)
I also haven't been obsessing over the other stuff that came with the exhibition either. Nope. Nope.
I'm completely chill guys. My life hasn't been ruined and I'm not in shambles at all. I am A-OK.
