what lies beneath the facade? an observation of kazui mukuhara's face
my attempt on trying to analyze kazui's feelings! (not sure if this has been pointed out yet im sorry if someone made a similar post. this post has very, VERY brief/minor discussion of sui btw)
im sure we all know by now that this is kazui's true feelings about his marriage; he hates it, and shows a self deprecating smile to the audience. i think, that the right side of his face where his bangs are longer is where kazui shows his true feelings to us. im gonna put some scenes where i think it's the most damning (while there are other pics I think applies, they may look like im reaching a little, so I won't share those). this is why in some scenes in half/Cat, you may notice that Kazui's expression can look unnatural where this observation is at play.
hell, even in the Cat album cover here, he covers the side of his face where his bangs are longer. this man is trying his best not to show anyone what he really feels. letting the door itself do the talking, so why should he? signifying that he at least, cannot wait what to show Milgram, to show us, what secrets are behind that door. (but also channeling an air of uncertainty doing so)
as well as in Undercover, i think it's very interesting that the creators make it a point to show both halves of kazui. when his mugshot gets taken, both of his sides are shown to us. one where he's smiling, and one where he's not. notice how his left side is where he's grinning and his right side is where he's serious?
we only catch his serious expression with one glimpse before he realizes he's being observed and quickly shows us a smile. (then during that scene where they show us which location correlates to which prisoner, the light is shining on the right side of his body. also, kazui is the only prisoner where they show both of his side profiles. the others show 3/4 of their faces)
before i continue, thank you so much for reading in advance!! >_< anyways keep marching on and keep reading this cool post of mine!
more pictures where they emphasise on his "right" being his true self in Cat, where his eyes are shown on the start and end.
half:
when I took a closer look at these images... was kazui more unhappy being around the long haired woman Vs him and his wife?
left is kazui with his wife, right is kazui with the long haired woman
this next one really gets me a lot. the most clear cut observation that tells us the other half of his face is where he expresses his true self.
he tears up for one split second, a ball of teardrop forming on his eye. what was something on that stage that made him so emotional?
then he quickly looks away to see something else catching his attention (which was the apple) after he stood up and looked forwards, kazui genuinely looks shocked/surprised.
knowing this observation can also give us a different perspective to some other scenes in half. like this one:
his wife touching his right side of his face. multiple questions pop up in my head when i see this scene.
was she ready to hear kazui out? was she catching onto him that he was hiding a secret/hiding his feelings? or was she trying to comfort that side of his face, as if she was saying "whatever it is you want to tell me, im sure i can handle it." to him?
hinako tries to understand him. tries to "grasp" his true face, his "true self". but kazui can only give a weak, depressing grin, as he gently puts her palm away, balling his fingers around hers. he doesn't know if she's actually ready for it. even though she's gentle with how she holds his "true side".
as we all know, before they zoomed in to this shot of kazui putting her hand down, their silhouettes were blurry. if you weren't close enough, you almost thought she was choking and suffocating him. not only kazui felt like the marriage made him feel like he was in a rut, he was afraid of hinako "suffocating"/disliking his true feelings (or side), even though she is holding it with care. hence why he was putting her hand down.
of course we know it didn't turn out the way he wanted it to turn out, from the next scene here.
kazui is clearly depressed towards the outcomes. at the end of half, his right side is not very happy at all, despite his left side making it look like he's grinning.
everything is all a mess now.
cat:
after finding out hinako wanted to "touch and caress", kazui genuinely seems interested in this thought and was sincere about what he was feeling here, so he pursues her in hopes those feelings are fulfilled. interestingly, the lyrics "so, it's wrong?" are on the screen when he shows the camera his right side.
when he proposes to her, he still remains looking at her in this direction, although we can't see how his expression looks like.
unfortunately for hinako though, this is the last time kazui ever looks at her on this side.
during the confession scene, his right side is blocked by the cup, so we actually don't know what he was feeling completely when he asked the question.
after this scene, we can finally see his right side again, but it's well hidden by kazui blocking that side of his face with a hand and cigarette. giving us a sense of mystery of what transpired after he asked the question.
kazui is entertaining his wife with magic tricks while showing his left side to the camera. his "fake" side is what he wants to show to her and to all of us.
but his left eye squints as he realizes about his dream. his left eye squinting is telling us that his fake side is breaking apart.
then, kazui drops down to his knees. take note of the rope falling down on his left lap.
after getting back up (from what seems like kazui stumbling from drinking 4 cups of alcohol), he rubs the right side of his face. he is really frustrated with himself here.
with all of the information we have so far, we can interpret this as kazui desiring to remove his fake, other half of himself (this is the only object we don't see when kazui is showing off his magic tricks, and ropes can be associated with suicide). he is given a choice to remove his left side, his false side, which is why that rope fell down that direction.
as he's about to tell hinako the truth, he transitions from
> lighting a cigarette, his eyes hidden from us
> kazui facepalming himself. as a smoke in a shape of a noose is formed. remember the rope i talked about earlier?
even though the rope initially landed on his left lap, the noose is angled to his right side. he's grasping his right side of the face as well. this, here, is kazui being ashamed of his "true self". if he could, he would want to remove his true self if it meant having to keep lying to people, or if it meant making people happy. kazui is going through with telling hinako the truth, while this scene tells us he is hesitating to do so and is 100% expecting for it to hurt him and her.
> he lets down his hand.
showing hinako and us, the audience, a very unique expression where he's snide, mischievous... almost mocking, yet at the same time, really depressed and frustrated with it all. from hinako's pose in half touching kazui's "true side", this is his answer; she is not going to like it one bit.
a stark difference in feelings. kazui looks like he's going to say or do something harmful, but his other side tells us otherwise. he didn't want things to be like this. also, it contrasts with the final scene in half very well.
when he bites on the dove, he doesn't look that satisfied doing so.
in this climax, it seems like kazui himself doesn't know what's what anymore, letting the adrenaline of telling his feelings take over him. letting both his "true" feelings and his "lying" self beat him up, because at this point of no return, what difference will his fake and real self make anyway?
i really love how we can't tell if his bloodied lips are frowning because he's shocked, distressed, or if he's grinning ear to ear, happy and glad to have finally told the truth. even in this scene you can tell that the right side of his lips is less happy than his left where his mouth is more elevated and smiling.
what does he feel now after all of this chaos? well, let's look back at his right side of his face again...
the MV ends with this shot of his right eye, slowly zooming in.
empty, emotionless, forlorn, and distant...
it's almost like he's staring and watching something at the sky after something fell down.
the confession scene in Cat did NOT happen in the bar: a series of images comparing that scene and locations in half
while i think more people are noticing some differences i still think the confession scene is underanalyzed by all... here are some images ive compiled!
different shaped cups, grooved edges, diluted ice
different coloured collars, no sight of a black coat
bar cup is placed in an elevated/chest level, away from kazui
confession scene cup is placed near kazui, on the knee/leg level
no sign of a brown leather sofa anywhere in the locations we've seen in half
no sign of a de-saturated brown low-end table in previous scenes of half
remember that kazui is all about misdirection and magic! if you're still thinking the confession scene happened in the bar... kazui's magic tricks has worked on you! this is most likely a new location we haven't known yet that kazui has teased to us. (i also recommend reading @archivalofsins' analysis of this scene on their profile)
observing the camera angles in half (with brief analysis)
feeling very fucked up thinking about how Kazui's theatre has balcony viewings, or the reason why the creators chose this theatre as a metaphor for kazui's story.
like aside the fact from the obvious symbolism of how indifferent and indecisive kazui has felt towards his life, or how hes too analytical to a fault where he has no choice but to watch his life unfold, it's just kinda funny and sad that the other reason why is because they have a second floor with balcony viewings. of course!
in the latter half of Half (lol), where Kazui is mask-less, the camera puts a lot of emphasis towards the audience.
the sequence begins with kazui looking upwards to the audience. (you can tell the stage is at the back with the lines and the front having reddish blocks)
kazui turns away from the audience. hes moving as if hes in an argument or in a confrontation with someone. you can see the curves in the side of the room, and the railings next to it. i find this scene to be very notable out of the rest because this is one of the only scenes where we can see the balcony floors in its fullest view.
kazui goes to the front, bowing towards the audience. (again, you can see the lines at his back; that's the curtain/stage walls + before he goes down u can see the stage light at the ceiling) is he apologizing to someone? did he see something fall?
camera changes again. he looks aside police kazui (or the chair), looks at his hands, and then puts his arm up at the air, as if he wants to catch someone? he's staring and putting his arms out towards the balcony floor, as if someone was going to fall. his palms open, and then he grasps them tightly in this scene; did he manage to catch whatever he wanted to catch? is he begging for mercy? is he trying to catch his dreams?
was it futile? the shot of his face prolongs for a little while. we can see his eyes slant. whatever he wanted from up there, it seems like he failed to get what we wanted.
the stage scenes end with kazui bowing towards the chair, like he just finished explaining things, or probably wanting to apologize towards the chair.
...meanwhile, when Kazui was still masked:
the camera is clearly Within the audience, shooting Kazui on the stage (vs the camera With kazui when he's mask-less, shooting Kazui's perspective of him to the audience).
there is no emphasis on the background, but instead, focuses more on kazui himself and what he's doing on the stage.
a lot of people think about the final bits of Cat, or the brief flashbacks in the screen at the final seconds of half as what happened before hinako's death, but i wonder if the mask-less stage scenes have the answers we need? maybe if we combined all of them together...
i have always interpreted the maskless scenes as Kazui re-enacting everything that has happened, and the info we have from Cat proves this even more to me tbh.
thank you for reading this far if you have! this is my first time trying to make a big post about milgram so please forgive me if this was hard to read, idk how to format these types of posts ;;
(this might've already been obvious to some people but I just felt like it was cool to point out, with the information we have from Cat.)
does anyone know what is actually happening in kazui's flashback?
what IS that thing sticking out so blatantly .. not to mention there's a sharp curve/angle on it too. The fact that I only noticed this now some days ago while I've been in this fandom since 2021...
also why are there so many ways to interpret Kazui's flashback lol.
I've asked around and people either say
he's facing backwards + his back is facing the camera (this is the most popular interpretation of the flashback)
facing forwards, head directly to the camera (crossed legged?)
(the blue part in this screenshot could be his leg, too, instead of his victim)
some even have said his body is sideways and his arms are reaching down, like he's giving CPR, trying to feel/hold his victim (this is definitely the saddest interpretation)
either way, it's definitely something to think about... And ever since people have said he's actually facing sideways vs his back is facing the camera I cannot unsee the thicker lines of white/crosshatching being part of his arm. And it made me think of why the creators decided to go with that style of hatching to begin with, with those lines.
if we wanna go by Mahiru's flashback, the part with lesser lines means there's a different person in the screenshot with them, then?
I wonder if we'll get a full version of these images one day, I'm really curious to see what the full picture looks like....
there's been a lot of talks about shidou's safety in regards to amane now that Purge March has dropped, I would like to give some people peace of mind about amane's threat to shidou. there have been lore drops here and there that implies he'll be fine
21/03/22 (Kazui’s First Trial)
Shidou: Mukuhara-san, you’ve not been looking great ever since you came back.
Kazui: Ahh…… yeah, I still haven’t got back to my usual self huh. Y’know, Shidou-kun…… kids can be really brutal huh. I don’t have any of my own so hadn’t realised until now.
Shidou: Haha, so they are. They won’t listen to the excuses adults make to explain themselves. ……though that’s also what makes them cute.
Kazui: Yeah… You’re really mature, Shidou-kun. By comparison, I’m really immature huh. Not growing up in any way other than my age. ……*sigh* Even I’m starting to hate that about myself.
22/06/27 (Amane’s Birthday)
Kazui: What’s up, Shidou-kun? You’re looking pretty down. I guess you must be tired, I’ve been relying on you a lot lately.
Shidou: Yeah, I just remembered…… today is Amane’s birthday. I’m just getting a bit sentimental.
Kazui: Hmm, it’s unfortunate, but at the moment we can’t worry about that. ……you understand, right? There’s something that you need to do right now. And if you tried talking to her your words definitely won’t reach her. Don’t look at me like that. We’ll just wait until the situation changes. Let’s do our best.
Shidou: Yeah. I’ll do what I can. I can’t have a child making a face like that. Even though we’re “murderers”…… we’re also the adults here.
22/10/24 (Shidou’s Birthday)
Amane: ……Kirisaki Shidou. How long do you plan on continuing this foolish behaviour?
Shidou: I wonder what you might be referring to there. I’m just doing what I need to do. If anything, I’d be happy if you would lend me a hand.
Amane: I warned you. I can no longer turn a blind eye to this wickedness taking place right in front of us. You’re bringing ruin unto yourself. Do you understand?
Shidou: No, I don’t understand. It’s my job as an adult to teach you that throwing a temper tantrum isn’t going to make everything go your way. If it’s a test of endurance you want, I’m happy to oblige, Amane.
i know prison isn't really comparable to a hospital, but shidou is a doctor. he's probably met folks who are averse towards medical treatments. we have to also remember he's canonically a father as well. the patience in this man knows no bounds! shidou is the person who knows best that children can get volatile if they go through their word and actually initiate in their tantrums.
in the second trial we've clearly seen him be more proactive and more motivated to interact and help other people in the prison. to me, these conversations shidou has had implies that he'll find a way or be able to defend himself is amane were to do something to him.
maybe let's say, i am grasping for straws here and maybe shidou is gonna be in ruins but for now i want to have faith in that guy. he's tried to be gentle and passive around amane at first from the very beginning, now he knows that type of approach doesn't work. i surely hope he's prepared and i think from these conversations, shidou himself is trying to prepare for what is about to come.
i do want to take amane seriously and respect her wishes not to downplay her as a child but im not gonna try and give her too much power, i don't think she's a Big and Major Threat we should all worry about. i know there are so many variables we have to consider in the second trial towards what to vote. regardless of what you want to vote her this trial, i think our first trial verdict has already locked her thoughts into place anyway.
22/04/19 (Futa’s Birthday)
Futa: ……! O-oh, it’s just you. It’s nothing. ……but well, on that note. Hey. Don’t you have anything happening too? Since being in here, just suddenly getting anxious. Feeling as though loads of people are all there condemning you, telling you you were wrong.
Amane: ……I’m fine. I don’t know what you’ve done or what it is you’re worried about, but I think if there’s something you believe in, you should stay true to it. It’s not something that should waver just because other people said something. I personally don’t plan on changing my own beliefs even if I’m told I’m wrong either…… ……today is your birthday, correct? I’ll pray for God to keep you under his care.
this is my first time doing a post like this so im sorry if there are any misunderstandings i have regarding these conversations. i do hope that maybe you can find some faith that shidou will turn out fine in some way. he's going to beef with a 12 year old. he should start thinking about what to do.
Stage scenes that show up during the "flashback screenings" in half + overlaying the flashback chorus with the lyrics sung in those stage scenes
transcript under the cut if the video text is too hard to follow! (video edit by me, I know the timing is a bit rough...)
Transcript —
I'm sure nothing will change and
(3:03) feelings shrouded in lies will float away and disappear
We'll laugh and call each other stupid names
(2:41) The curse of reuniting with you puts a dagger in my heart
So many things I wish I hadn't known, I'm just a coward
(2:41) The curse of reuniting with you puts a dagger in my heart
(1:12) I imagined that saying "See you" is the same as "It's over"
(1:18) Only if your heart will change but that's not possible
What I gave up a long time ago
(1:08) The curse of reuniting with you puts a dagger in my heart
Why is it questioning me now?
(2:56) Please tell me what I should do
So many things I wish I hadn't known, I'm just a coward
(2:45) I imagined that saying "See you" is the same as "It's over"
———
honestly im not sure if these mean anything (like what if the creators just wanted to add these scenes in randomly) but I did find some of the lines to correlate each other. and since Kazui is so intertwined with lies and deception... seeing the final chorus lyrics being paired with the other lyrics is an interesting thought to think about. this was really fun to edit tbh and seeing the lyrics sync together
the pink text that says "I just got a little" (greedy) is vaguely shaking up and down....... I just noticed that (and it's the only text that shakes around)
