An in depth analysis of the first chapter of Stormbringer:
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In this analysis i will be identifying the authors behind The Flags, the metaphors, uses of symbolism as well as how Verlaine's actions changed the trajectory of Chuuya's character arc.
The symbolism behind the first chapter of Stormbringer is phenomenal. Every light novel I read I come away with a million details I adore, but this one is so full of them. I had to point it out.
It all starts with Chuuya's job. His career in the mafia is a beautiful metaphor for his shift to the Port Mafia. In its description Asagiri specifically uses the phrase, âgiving the gemstones a new lifeâ. The process is described as bringing a valuable thing out from the criminal underbelly to be reused and resold. Chuuya has already been compared to a diamond before but here it takes on a new meaning and a new context. It becomes this toxic symbol for the treatment he endures and the life he has accepted.
To explain how Chuuya being compared to a gem is toxic, I first need to explain how Yosano and Chuuya are foils. Foils are important, authors use them to make the reader compare characters with similar origins so the finer details stand out and itâs easier to see what went wrong. Funnily enough whenever they are first in a scene together Chuuya and Yosano are at ends. With Yosano on the ground and Chuuya above her. They are literally the inverse of each other. Isn't that so cool?
Okay so briefly, Fukuzawa and Mori parallel each other. A bodyguard and a surgeon. One actively tries to avoid conflict the other benefits from the needs that arise from conflict. Fukuzawa brought Ranpo with him as his main reason behind starting the detective agency. Mori threatened Dazai into staying and securing his position of power. Ranpo and Dazai, at that point in the organization's timeline, are representative of the potential their organizations hold. They both propel their organizations into unprecedented success. They both only survive because of that organization.
Ranpo only survives because the Agency appeals to his strengths. Dazai only lives because Mori tricks him and holds his life hostage. The first people they hand pick to invite into their organization represent the impact they have: Yosano and Chuuya.
They are both victims of abuse from the military. They were both âfreedâ to a situation that only constricted them even more. Ranpo reminded Yosano of her kindness and offered her a place in the agency to be kind. Dazai pointed out the sheep's betrayal and offered a place in the mafia in exchange for the sheep's safety. The same thing happened: A man meets a boy, the boy meets a friend. Obviously one is more awful than the other. Thatâs what makes them foils but thatâs not all.
Yosano's ability saves the people she loves and keeps her safe. Chuuya's ability threatens his life and the lives of those around him. One came out of military abuse confident and proud. She was showered in care and attention. The other came out of the military and immediately faced a constant onslaught of violence. His existence appealed to the greed of several men and led to their demise. Obviously this isn't Chuuya's fault but it's a clear difference. Yosano was met with kindness and Chuuya faced selfishness.
The most important difference between them is the metaphors assigned to them that represent their âredemptionâ. Like Chuuyaâs gem metaphor, Yosano has a symbol that represents her change to an agency member, her butterflies. Through adversity she changes and shifts into a new creature. Her wounds literally become butterflies. Her faults, her failures, only feed her growth.
The difference is heartbreaking because the jewelâs second chance is only seen as successful based on its ability to satisfy the tastes of others. A butterflyâs second chance at life, however, is successful if it lives. It's evolution is in pursuit of a better life and it flies. The butterfly is free, it changes and redeems itself for the sake of its own survival. A jewel is changed by slowly chipping away at its body and forming it in the tastes of any given person. His faults, his failures, only discourage him, forcing him to furthur isolate. A jewel never benefits from any of the "polishing" it receives.
Yosano earns her redemption through her kindness. Her kindness and the kindness around her grows exponentially. She cares and is cared for in turn. She is a testament to the peace the ADA can bring to a person over a long period of time.
Chuuya earns his redemption through violence. His violence grows exponentially. It just compounds. Stormbringer shows that perfectly. It only leads to more violence and more misery. Violence finds its way to him and he finds a way back to it. He is a testament to the horrors a person can face in the Port Mafia over a long period of time.
This is where Kafka Asagiri's writing becomes exceptional. These metaphors are conditional. They only represent how they changed to fit their organization. Chuuya doesnât have to stay a gem for the Port Mafia. That metaphor isn't at all tied to his character, he can still divorce himself from it. He can give up the idea of being that perfect jewel of a weapon for the Port Mafia and be alive. AND THAT'S THE RUB.
A butterfly is alive. It can breathe, eat, reproduce, die and most importantly fly. A butterfly is FREE from gravity. A jewel isn't alive. It doesn't eat or breathe or reproduce and the only death it can have is a gradual fade into irrelevance. This implies a lovely concept alongside the themes of the book as a whole. Whether Chuuya is or isn't human is irrelevant when the Port Mafia doesn't treat him like he is. He forfeits his humanity as he conforms to the ideals of the Port Mafia. An organization he originally hated.
There is a small hope in The Flags. They are a small pocket of kindness and warmth in the dark criminal world. They show him kindness and of course he reacts to it with violence (it's what's kept him safe for so long) but they are patient. They don't let that violence expand. They catch the multiplying waves of malice and Chuuya is given a rare opportunity to be kind. Kindness in the Port Mafia is wild (Especially back then. I wouldn't trust it tbh but that's me). For a moment, for a very very beautiful moment, Chuuya feels the expanding effects of kindness. Even if it is very small, it might have eventually been enough to jostle him out of that instinct to rely on violence. He was growing :( he was healing, he was getting better!!!
This is where Verlaine really fucks everything up but first let's discuss The Flags (or The Young Bloods or The Young Wolves. All really good names really. Wish they had more than 10 pages of screentime).
The Flags all symbolize something. I mean flags are inherently symbolic. As a concept a flag is a symbol of a greater collection of people. But each member represents something important.
Lippmann symbolizes Chuuya's desire for peace.
He is likely inspired by the real life American author Walter Lippman. He was part of the negotiation for the Treaty of Versailles that stopped WWI. He wrote from then, through WWII and well into the Cold War. During the Cold War he wrote his most influential pieces criticizing both the war as a whole and the response to it. His most well known book, Public Opinion, might be what Lippmann's ability is based on. In that book Lippmann claims that a direct democracy, like America has, is dangerous and unsustainable because of propaganda. (Likely the connection between Lippmann's ability and the novel is that because Lippmann could always identify the root or motive of an issue he could resolve it. âUse a person's motive against themâ ) He made the point that because the government had been using the media to manipulate how people see themselves and others there could be no way to trust consensus.
THAT is why Lippmann (the character) is so important. Walter Lippmann was keenly aware of the influence the government had on the psyche. He argued against it.
This is so important because Lippmann is the first body Verlaine shows Chuuya. He's the one that is pulled from the chaos and stored in his trunk. He is the one Verlaine goes out of his way to taunt Chuuya with. Lippmann represents an ideology that Verlaine is entirely against. That the ideals a government pushes is wrong. Walter Lippmann argued against stereotypes (he coined the word btw. He's that girl), against negative perceptions of groups of people, and he is against a falsified version of reality that people hold onto (he called them pseudo-environments). Verlaine is everything Public Opinion was warning against. Verlaine is detached from reality and is using a burrowed rational (FROM THE GOVERNMENT) to justify the horrible things he's doing.
The idea that Verlaine and Chuuya are curated soldiers manufactured for the sole purpose of chaos is a lie, a half-truth. Lippmann represents a desire to reject that lie and not act on it. By showing off Lippmann's body first Verlaine has symbolically taken the idea of an identity outside what the military has labeled him from Chuuya. And then he does it literally! He opens Chuuya's gate and causes mass destruction. He proves that first. He uses the half truth that Chuuya's body has been altered to prove that Chuuya can't possibly be human.
Ideally Lippmann would have been able to negotiate Verlaine out of it but that's not possible. That's another one of my favorite parts of this book. Verlaine is so far gone to delusion that he is inconsolable. There is no talking to him. There will be no reasoning with him. Lippmann being unable to bring peace to the situation is especially tragic considering what he represents for the Mafia as a whole.
Lippmann represented peace (and Verlaine could have started a world war with all the political figures he tried to kill). If you look back you'll notice The Flags never shoot or attack until Lippmann does first, they all wait for his cue. Piano Man ordered Lippmann to shoot first. The Flags would pullbout their weapons and threaten but they would always wait until Lippmann believed violence was the only answer. His main job was negotiations, his is possibly the only truly altruistic position in the Port Mafia. SINCE WHEN was the PM making deals and playing nice with other organizations? Since when did they ever consider the needs, wants or desires of their surrounding organizations? That is so uncharacteristic of the PM. I think Lippmann might be the only time ever the PM has been described as an organization that considers the needs of others. The whole point of the PM is that they are the worst of the worst so they can control how bad things get. Lippmann's negotiations aren't necessary considering the main objective of the Port Mafia but his inclusion represents a small (emphasis on SMALL) hope of a desire for peace within the PM. Not just from Chuuya but from the organization as a whole. The fact that no one has replaced him since his death really cements how small a hope it was. (Verlaine really took all hope and happiness with him to that damn basement.)
More importantly, Lippmann working there and creating a semblance of peace proves that maybe Chuuya could have done the same. Verlaine has killed Lippmann and with it the idea that Chuuya might be able to do good.
The rest of The Flags he kills in secret, or at least he doesn't show them off to Chuuya the way he did with Lippmann. It is important to note that Albatross, out of everyone, survived long enough to at least be conscious when Chuuya was there.
Verlaine has a thing for blondes. He keeps Lippmann's body like it's a fucking souvenir. He also doesn't demolish his body. Keeping it recognizable and intact enough that it is a surprise when Chuuya steps into the bar and sees so much carnage. He intentionally leaves Albatross alive. Verlaine had to know he was leaving Albatross alive. He isn't an idiot and Albatross was a loud man. I would even go so far as to argue it would be harder for Verlaine to fight someone and not immediately kill them. He can create black holes at will and do any other number of horrible things.
It had to be intentional that Albatrossâ chest was torn open in a way that didnât kill him.
I'm not going to say it's because he wanted Chuuya to see him die. That's too sadistic (it doesn't align with his goals exactly. He doesn't want to upset Chuuya, he just thinks upsetting Chuuya is an unfortunate byproduct of a better life) and I don't think he would have predicted Dazai would take him there. Especially considering how quickly Albatross died after Chuuya showed up. If he did plan that it would be a stupid plan.
But why are Albatross and Lippmann special?
Because they are blond. đ
That sounds really dumb but listen. BSD has this thing where color really means something. Yellow specifically represents a character's hope. Specifically a character's hair color represents what their motives usually are. I will go in depth on why I think that eventually but for now let me expand on Verlaine, Albatross and Lippmann's optimism specifically.
They are optimists. I don't care, they are silver lining seekers.
âIt's actually not a bad thing that the only person I trusted died because of someone I saved. It's not horrible at all because he was actually holding me back. Now that he's gone I can be free. Yes, that's exactly what this is. This is freedom.â How is that not Toxic Positivity?
Verlaine even uses humor to detach himself from a terrible situation.
Lippmann and Albatross are also optimists. To have a job that requires you to make peace in a system of organized crime that is often violent you have to have at least a little optimism.
Albatross, as he lay dying, can find solace in the silver lining that Doc is alive (he isn't). He gives Chuuya his motorcycle. Albatross finds a way to make his dark situation a positive one, even if it is in a small way.
Verlaine âfavoringâ these two is important because it shows even as he is killing these ideals for Chuuya (and by proxy himself) he wants to hold onto that hope. He wants there to be a silver lining. His silver lining is, in this chapter, Chuuya. Someone he calls family and hopes he might be able to escape isolation with.
Albatross is important as a character in this way because of who his author might be. Out of all the authors I've theorized might be what influences The Flags, this connection is the one I'm the most confident in. Albatrossâ author is Charles Baudelaire.
Briefly Charles Baudelaire is an 18th century French Poet. He is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and single handed translated all of his works into french. He is credited with Poe's popularity in France. Arthur Rimbaud hailed Baudelaire as one of his greatest inspirations and called him "The King of Poets". He PIONEERED prose-poetry, a style that Rimbaud and Verlaine wrote in frequently. More than that, if you try to buy books full of late nineteenth century poetry, the works of Rimbaud, Verlaine and Baudelaire are frequently sold together as a set. Which is so cursed for so many reasons.
Asagiri WOULD have come across the works of Charles Baudelaire in his research of Edgar Allan Poe, Rimbaud, or Verlaine. If he didn't use Charles Baudelaire in the Verlaine and Rimbaud story it would have been a crime.
But why would Albatross be the character that represented Baudelaire out of everyone?
Well for one Charles Baudelaire wrote a famous poem L'Albatros. In which he compares himself to an albatross that is pulled from the sky and cruelly beaten and broken by a crew of sailors. The brutality of what that crew does to that bird reminds me distinctly of the gore in the Stormbringer. This line from the poem specifically sticks out to me:
âriding the storm above the marksman's range;
exiled on the ground, hooted and jeered,
he cannot walk because of his great wingsâ
That is the main theme of Stormbringer in the most beautiful words possible. Chuuya's abilities are his wings. They only bring him closer to the storm (the chaos Arahabaki promises to bring). In this poem the albatross isn't afraid of the storm, it even protects them from being shot at. They are stronger for it but they are alone. The catch is that the Albatross can't ever land. If he does reach the earth, and modern society he is so much more vulnerable than he is in the sky.
With the earth being a metaphor for a meaningful social connection, in the way that they could both bring relief and safety, it is truly a perfect way to describe Stormbringer. The real challenge for Chuuya isn't the violence he faces, he knows how to deal with that, it's the risks and trials of trying to connect to someone. The unavoidable fact that all relationships are destined to end in death, in hatred or by the slow eventual drift that casts a pair apart. The terror of trying to belong in an intricate social system after years of having no healthy reference for what a safe and uplifting friendship looks like. It mirrors the terror of the albatross in the poem that fears walking the earth with its slow and insufficient legs. The sailors tie the albatross to the boat and laugh when it can't get away; that is what Verlaine fears. That is a perfect representation of what Verlaine wants to avoid. And It is that same risk that Albatross encourages Chuuya to accept and continue down the same path.
The Albatross also plays into the mirror Chuuya shares with Yosano. The two of them can fly and are incredibly vulnerable but they are free. Out of everyone in The Flags Albatross is the most comfortable and confident. He shares that ease that Yosano has in the ADA.
Albatross being based off of the King of Poets is so sweet because as another character based off of a poet Chuuya would fall metaphorically under his rule. Chuuya would be his responsibility and his to protect. The beautiful implication is that: under his care Chuuya might have learned to fly.
Iâm going to make things worse by pointing out that Paul Verlaine was given the title âPrince of Poetsâ before his death. By killing Baudelaire he metaphorically inherited the responsibility and control over the narrative. He symbolically inherits control over Chuuya. This bit of foreshadowing is so beautifully hidden and meaningful. Itâs such good writing. Asagiri is thinking in five dimensions.
I had my doubts about Albatross being Charles Baudelaire but I can't see another way around it. Albatross is a beautiful representation of Baudelaire whether or not it was intentional. If Albatross isnât a representation for Baudelaire I would be shocked because no other author would fit into the story so well.
Let's all take a moment to register and digest the sentence, âThe King of Assassins murdered The King of Poetsâ.
Isn't that the most heartbreaking sentence? Especially when Verlaine's goal was to destroy every part of Chuuya that was remotely human. Verlaine killing the author that pioneered the form of writing he wrote in and inspired him is so perfectly symbolic of how Verlaine had wanted to divorce himself from his humanity. He didn't want to be heard or seen by humanity. He was cutting off every tie he had to it. This is great symbolic foreshadowing of how in the end Verlaine resigns himself to silence. Killing off Albatross cements this desire and irreversibly takes any hope of acceptance away from him. It symbolically takes away his literary voice, and his inspiration to speak. Isn't that fucking awesome. Isnât that so fucking cool.
So then which of the three abilities is his? It isnât the dinosaur one. It's the quicksand that appeared when they fought Adam. In The Albatross and several other Baudelaire poems, the earth is used to symbolize extreme misery. I think because Baudelaire studied to become a priest the imagery of heaven and hell stands out in his mind. The earth represents death, pain and defeat. He specifically associates it with the imagery of a corpse being lowered into earth. In Get Drunk, Baudelaire tells you to get drunk, âIn order not to feel Time's horrid fardel bruise your shoulders, grinding you into the earth,â. In The Albatross, the bird is exiled from the earth with the threat of abuse at its landing. In Music, he describes the seas beneath his boat as abysmal and a mirror into his own despair.
The poems that play the biggest influence in Stormbringer all describe land as something dangerous and terrible. You'll notice a theme in The Flag's abilities and strengths, the conflict in the original work becomes the weapon they use to protect themselves. Thus Albatross hurts others the way he had hurt, he traps people to the earth.
Iâd like to reintroduce the two other poems that are alluded to in Stormbringer: Music and Get Drunk
I would like to briefly remind you that Albatross started drinking heavily early in the morning and he kept Chuuya up all night with his loud music. In both of these poems Baudelaire writes about escapism. Get Drunk, especially, is good at this. Explaining how through the frivolous things in life a person can find peace. The narrator hails anything and everything that will dull the ache of existence and claims a sober reality is too miserable.
Let's think about Albatrossâ motives when he blasts music above Chuuya's room. Chuuya is a 16 year old boy isolated, grumpy and defensive. He has nothing in his room that makes the room his. It is little more than a cell. It would be so easy for Chuuya to feel alone in a place like that and he does. At the start he feels upset. It is over several things but the feeling of discontent persists through each new thought. Blasting music that Chuuya knows is from Albatross is a distraction from that, albeit an annoying distraction. It's harder to feel lonely with exciting music.
Iâm going to bring up Yosano again because sheâs my favorite and remind you of her main metaphor about how she can fly because she is free from what had bound her. In Baudelaire's poem Music, he describes the feeling of listening to music as if he was sailing. He specifically describes using the wind to evade the depths of the ocean. It isn't flying, but it is freedom from an oppressive force. A temporary, assisted freedom from a force that wants to sink him into a violent death. And to think that from a greater height the very same force can appear beautiful. Albatross blasting music for Chuuya alongside himself, says a lot. He wants Chuuya to be free from loneliness.
Baudelaire's Albatross was about horrible isolation and loneliness. The crew of sailors represent the harsh and hateful society that rejected him time and time again. The bird is tied to the boat and humiliated. The Albatross is a poem that perfectly represents how Verlaine sees himself in contrast to true humanity. He doesnât think heâs safe, not emotionally, and because of that he fights against the rope (love) that ties him to the ship (humanity). He fights against the relationships that keep him wishing he were human.
Albatross is a direct foil to Verlaine. He takes Chuuya on wild adventures that push his limits and expand his skills as an individual. Chuuya benefits and becomes stronger as a result of befriending Albatross. Albatross is everything Verlaine says he wants to be for Chuuya. They both want him to feel less lonely. They both whisk him away to places that test him. They both see a potential future of loneliness in Chuuya that they try to weed out. Obviously one is more callous and abusive than the other but that's what makes them foils.
Albatross is there to prove at the very very core of it (beneath all the blatant disregard for life) Verlaine's intentions are kind. It is his actions, the things he justifies, and how he disregards Chuuya's wishes that make it harmful. And isn't that just the perfect explanation for (some) abuse? Sometimes it isn't a vile and evil creature like Mori that wants to break you down, sometimes it is misguided kindness. Verlaine, like Chuuya, had no healthy reference for what a relationship should look like. They didn't get a chance to grow up and learn to manage their emotions or gain a stable sense of security. All they could do was survive.
Still the point behind this distinction between Verlaine and Albatross is that the intention never matters. The end result never matters, the beliefs behind it never matter, none of these things justify abuse. Nothing will justify abuse, to intentionally harm another regardless of any context is disgusting. And Verlaine gets punished by the narrative for it.
Verlaine leaving Albatross alive is representative of his wish to connect with Chuuya. It represents a fleeting hope that perhaps he might still be able to show his love in a more productive way. An understanding somewhere deep inside of him that what he is doing is wrong. Verlaine pulled Albatrossâ chest open, watched that heart beat and he let it. He still secretly yearns for that better version of himself. Of course the possibility of that happening dies with Albatross but the wish is still there.
I think it's important to note that Albatross specifically tried to save Doc.
He is not described as having any fighting experience. He is only a doctor. Above that he also admits easily to having thought about poisoninh Chuuya. He has an eccentric view of life and death and wishes to be closer to god. Doc is a cynic and a sadist. He eagerly awaits a grand war that will cause two million casualties (Perhaps he has prophetic powers considering how Fukuchi has recently confessed to knowing there will be a war ahead that will be disastrous).
If Lippmann represents a desire for peace and Albatross represents a desire for friendship then what does Doc represent?
He desires chaos. Chuuya does too. The two of them both crave violence when it serves their own goals. Chuuya becomes frustrated when his job is âtoo quietâ. He wishes for more violence because it will mean he'll become a mafia executive faster. Doc wishes for a great war so that he will be closer to god.
He is a doctor (obviously). His main goal should be to save as many people as possible and yet he doesn't. He is a doctor, he should be healthy but he isn't. If Chuuya isn't human, he shouldn't want or feel human things but he does. If Chuuya is human, he shouldn't be capable of so much violence and destruction but he is.
Doc contradicts the traits associated with a doctor the way Chuuya does with humanity. Doc represents an acceptance of that natural contradiction. No human will bow to the will of their expectations because that defeats the purpose of free will. Not to mention it would be impossible to satisfy every expectation. Mistakes will always be made and life will always eventually give way to death. This is unsettling to most but not to Doc. Doc is entirely comfortable occupying the space of a perfectly gray morality with his 500 lives lost and 500 lives saved. He doesn't care at all about the perception of those around him or any idea about the way he should be acting.
THAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT TO CHUUYA. If Chuuya could just shrug his shoulders at the question of humanity and live his best life that would be awesome. Because at the end of the day it doesn't really matter, does it? Lovecraft isn't human, John S. is half tree, Nathaniel is human but has no will of his own, Atsushi is occasionally half a tiger, Demon Snow is an ability but makes its own decisions and has its own will, Elise might have her own will, Bram is a vampire, Fyodor says he's a god and Sigma literally doesn't belong to this reality. A drop in the bucket, really. That piece of information is largely irrelevant to the majority of Chuuyaâs day-to-day life. Knowing the answer would change so little and trying to point to a specific part of an individual to try to prove humanity is a futile effort. To attempt to define humanity is a fruitless endeavor. There is no list of criteria that determines an individual's right to be considered human. And in a world with so many different identities it really doesn't matter.
I think itâs important to consider why exactly Chuuya wants to be human and confirm his humanity. I am going to point to the gem metaphor from before and say freedom. If everything he does is predetermined by a preexisting code how does he fit in an ever changing and ever evolving world? Control over his life and his actions is understandably a priority. After years of having so much of his autonomy taken from him of course he would want absolute free will. This is a bit of an overcorrection.
Nikolai is actually a wonderful example of how the obsession of absolute free will can paradoxically trap a person in a toxic cycle. âChuuya can't be human because he is ruled by code crafted by scientistsâ sounds a lot like âNikolai isn't free because he is ruled by morals and emotions forced upon him by godâ. We are all a product of our surroundings, our genetics, and our influences. It is unavoidable, no one is above influence. In trying to be free from morality Nikolai has trapped himself in another set of rules, one made by him but a trap nonetheless. Verlaine later falls for the same fate. What defines us is our actions. That is the only thing a person can truly control.
Speaking of Genetics, let me introduce who I think was the inspiration for Doc. I think Doc might be Dr. Michael Crichton. He graduated from Harvard Med School and is the author of Jurassic Park. Donât judge me. I could not find another well known book on dinosaurs anywhere and this just fit so well.
I forgive you if you laughed at that because the recent depictions of Jurassic Park haven't been very good. I would like to point out that the main theme of Jurassic Park was a lot like Frankenstien. Humanity vying for godhood and attempting to create and alter life to its tastes. The main theme of that entire book is how dangerous it is to play haphazardly with genetic modifications. It critiques it! Heavily!
The Jurassic Park scientists do everything that had been done to Chuuya and Verlaine. Those dinosaurs are not dinosaurs at all. They are amalgamations of DNA, organs and limbs. Several different species fused together into an entirely new form of life with no native habitat and no place in the food chain. The point of that book is that these animals were set up to be violent. They were set up for failure, they had nothing. They could do nothing else but occupy the island they were born in. It isn't their fault. They are an invasive species. They will always be an invasive species. They don't belong anywhere. I would even say that realistically even if they survive, the mismatched instincts of a million different creatures from different climates and habitats (from both prey and predator) will make it virtually impossible to sustain a population. They would fade into extinction.
Jurassic Park is a criticism and warning against genetic modifications. It blames the human's death and misery squarely on the humans and not the raptors. All the chaos is a product of the scientistsâ reckless actions. It presents the desire to alter life for science as inherently flawed and the creations as unfortunate victims that now live an difficult life.
It is one big red neon sign saying âDon't do this! This is stupid!â. This is important because, alongside Docâs shameless attitude about life, he represents how none of The Flags prosecute Chuuya for the things he had to do to survive. Like the creatures on the island Chuuya was taken and altered into something he doesn't understand. He was changed into something that for which there is no belonging, no understanding and no sense of security. He has to make peace with the complicated and somewhat artifical nature his existence.
Chuuya has been perpetually cornered, and he has had to act out to survive. The Flags don't care. They don't care when he threatens Iceman. They don't care when he threatens Pianoman. They don't care when he curses them out and blatantly rejects their kindness. They forgive it. Once the weapons are lowered and the danger has passed it's like nothing happened. Iceman is especially guilty of this, forgiving the scar he earned and working the hardest to find Chuuya proof of his humanity.
Doc represents the true and unconditional acceptance that comes with family. What is just as interesting is that Chuuya was starting to pick up this habit. When Doc admits to thinking about poisoning him, Chuuya lets it go. This is something that had the potential to be awful for him. It is another instance where his body is being fucked with without his consent or awareness. Doc could have earned a punch for it (he would have deserved it too) but Chuuya lets it go almost immediately.
That is what Doc represents. His death represents Verlaine taking away that path to acceptance for Chuuya (FYI i do think Chuuya could gain these ideals again later I'm talking about in Stormbringer in isolation). He is forcing Chuuya to choose between Light or Dark. Humanity or Inhumanity. When Chuuya could just coast the line between them comfortably the way Doc does. He could and up until the events of Stormbringer he had been struggling to do just that. He was attempting to define his existence on his own. It was his own private journey, one that had all the potential to end in peace. Verlaine took that away but why?
This acceptance is also vulnerable. It can shatter in a moment and it isn't an offensive thing, it can't ever fight back. The feeling of belonging is the weakest to emotional trials. You can't use a sense of belonging as a weapon, it won't protect you, it is what needs protecting. As a concept, acceptance is something that has to be managed and fed. It can be strong but it can only ever be defensive.
Doc couldn't defend himself against Verlaine. Albatross had wanted Chuuya to feel acceptance and with his last efforts he gave Chuuya his prized possessions. He not only dies thinking Doc is alive, he dies thinking Chuuya will be fine. He dies thinking that this is a wound that could heal, that Chuuya could move past this. He doesn't know what a life changing event this would be. He had no idea Chuuya was losing sight of his humanity and his sense of self.
Like before, what Verlaine takes from Chuuya he has taken from himself. What Chuuya loses, Verlaine loses by extension. Verlaine also loses his only chance at acceptance. Chuuya won't ever want acceptance from Verlaine, or ever accept Verlaine, after that incident. The possibility of healthy and healing connection for the two of them dies with Doc. This has severed their connection entirely (...for now?).
Pianoman and Iceman don't have abilities. Pianoman at least I have a possibility for who it could be. They were a lot harder to research for because I reverse engineered it by looking for books about quicksand and dinosaurs. I found Lippmann so easily, I just googled him and didn't put âbsdâ at the end. Also idc that they dont have abilities Ranpo doesnt have an ability and he's based on an author.
For Pianoman I think the inspiration might have been the poem Piano by D.H. Lawrence. In this poem the writer describes coming across a singer and a pianist. He says they sound lovely but then he writes his reaction with a panicked tone. He calls the song insidious as it brings him back so clearly to his childhood. This line specifically stands out to me: âthe heart of me weeps to belongâ. At the end of the poem the author breaks into tears because the brilliant joy of his childhood is something he might never feel again.
The main reason why I think this might be Pianoman's influence is because he is the one that offers that picture to Chuuya. The myriad of emotions felt in that poem, Chuuya feels all at once. A reminder that he once belonged and a question if he ever will again.
Iceman's influence is likely the 1946 play The Iceman Cometh by Eugene OâNeill. This is where it gets really sad.
In this play a group of drunk men gather in a saloon. Each person is tormented by some tragedy in their lives. They all hoped and wished only to lose something important. There is an air of helplessness in response to their reality. The men suffer through disillusionment. They offer themselves unattainable hope to give their misery a purpose.
Soon, however, a man named Theodore âHickeyâ Hickman appears and joyfully announces he is no longer drinking. He encourages others to do the same. Over the course of the play Hickey becomes more insistent and more desperate for them to follow his advice. He wants to take away their disillusionment but is warned that doing so would end in their deaths. He later confesses to the murder of his wife. He claims he did it to free her from disillusionment. He begs to be killed now that he no longer suffers from a false hope.
This ripples to another character who starts to confess their sins and accept reality. They too lose their will to live and ask for a way to repent. The main character, who loved the woman he screwed over, tells him to take his own life. It is implied the only fate that will find the men left in the saloon still stuck in delusion is death.
It is pessimistic and eerily similar to descriptions of The Flags and their hangout spot. This play might be the biggest inspiration for the short period of time where they were alive. It kinda hurts to think Asagiri gave them that bar with this story in mind. That it was only there to serve as a fleeting oasis that could do nothing more than lead them through escapism and to their death.
The point of that story is that death comes for them all regardless of any detachment from reality. The character Hickey is The Iceman and representative of death. He encourages people to chase their unattainable dreams in the hope that failure will force them to face reality.
Iceman, the character, also represents death. He represents failure and a little bit of disillusionment. Don't get me wrong I love him but he acts like the Iceman in the play (as in the role in the story). He was there, attempting to stop the sheep, before the sheep betrayed Chuuya. He was there the second time Chuuya lost a group of people. He is the only one that didn't want to celebrate Chuuya's one year anniversary. He is a sort of reminder that The Flags would have died. If not then then it would have happened any other number of ways. Currently as I'm writing this, only chapter 113 has been released, the Port Mafia is fucked. Most of their members, sans Chuuya, are vampires. Mori has resorted to asking for spare agency members like a neighbor asks for a cup of sugar. Even if The Flags did survive they weren't going to reach Hitotsu's age.
It also makes sense why Iceman would be able to detect abilities. Hickey was keenly aware of every person's main conflict. In BSD a character's ability is always representative of their main conflict.
What does it mean when Verlaine kills Iceman?
The Iceman Cometh is a harsh critique of holding onto hope for the sake of avoidance. It points out the futility of it and personifies death to be an insistent reminder of their failures. Iceman represents the risk of connection. The risk of getting to know someone, like Iceman, is intimidating at first. It can be very hard to trust a situation that leaves you incredibly vulnerable but doing so can be more than worth it. Iceman doesn't try to be appealing. He is standoffish and imposing but secretly he was working the hardest to prove to Chuuya he was human. True acceptance requires understanding the risk of rejection, betrayal and manipulation. It could happen, there's no way around it and you just have to accept it. In order for the bond to be genuine there has to be trust.
Just like before Chuuya was showing early signs of learning from these positive examples. Of course he's the most hostile towards Iceman, he has been betrayed once and abhors the idea of it happening again. Iceman is the least friendly and outwardly kind. It's hard to put trust into a person like that. Then The Flags all aim their weapons at him and for a moment it looks like Chuuya really thinks they're going to betray him. They could. That scene really outlines a flaw in Chuuya's perfect jewel of violence. It would be understandable for him to walk away from their friendship because of what they are capable of. He doesn't. He stays and he trusts they won't hurt him. He trusts Pianoman's word and he is beyond rewarded for it.
I want to cry thinking about it but The Flags were the perfect formula for redemption. I don't know how Chuuya would have been different if he had spent even a few more years with them. With just one year he was already making so much progress. He could have been so happy. God, when Verlaine intends to take humanity away he really doesn't half ass it.
When Version kills Iceman it is representative of him taking that risk away. There's no rejection, betrayal or manipulation to be worried about if no one is given the chance. Out of everyone Verlaine lives with the most disillusionment. He tells himself countless lies and polite fictions to deal with the tragedy of his reality. When they all shatter, the way they always would have, he can't escape facing it. He doesn't die but he does disappear into obscurity. Iceman's inclusion in the story is also foreshadowing the majority of the tragedy in Stormbringer. Verlaine, like Hickey, thought he had the solution and risked the lives of those he said he wanted to save. He loses everything in the end.
Iceman representing both death and the possibility of rejection is so clever because they aren't just risks, they are both inevitabilities. There will eventually be at least one person that cuts you deeply no matter what you do. There's no point in avoiding it, there's no point in pretending it can be avoided. Verlaine's pipe dream is that he can separate himself from his pain by rejecting his humanity. The pain is still there, it is still within him influencing his decisions and as the only explanation for his actions. He can't escape it. There is no escaping it. When that pipe dream fades away just like the characters in this play he is unable to face reality.
Funfact: OâNeill was the first American playwright to win a Nobel Peace Prize because his plays were so tragic and sad. Thanks Asagiri, did you google, âSaddest piece of literature everâ?
I will validate theorizing that The Flags are American or French by pointing out (if the fan wiki can be trusted, I don't own a japanese copy of stormbringer or read kanji) that The Flag's codenames were written with english pronunciation. Albatross did not call himself Ahoudori, which is the Japanese name for an albatross, he explicitly called himself Albatross. Every other character in The Flags has an English pronounced code name. Even Doc, it's just Doc. They chose english code names. I promise I looked for as wide of a range of authors as I could. My research will be flawed obviously bc I only fluent in two languages, and Japanese is not one of them. That being said i am very pleased with the authors I picked. I think they fit very well in the theme of the story and they all bring a new more interesting point to the story. If I'm wrong then at the very least these are fun and appropriate hcs.
I cannot overstate how excellently this first chapter is crafted. It sets up the main themes so perfectly. It foreshadows so much of the misery to come. After reading some of (what I think might be) the source material, this chapter is such a wonderful response to the points and questions presented by those authors. It is so hard to properly mix the themes, points and morals of several books, poems and plays in a way that isnât reductive. It is so hard not to invalidate or butcher the meaning behind that piece of art when you attempt to add to it. It is even more difficult to expand on those themes, to connect them, do something original, do something impactful and then be entertaining. Itâs just such beautiful writing.
I love that the world that surrounds the characters echoes their actions and morals through hidden symbolism. It really adds to the theme of the complicated feelings surrounding a predetermined life.
Side Note! I think it's kinda silly that for most of these they're all very sad and Doc's is just dinosaurs. Obviously there's more to it but dinosaurs! I love that.
The symbolism of Adam, Chuuyaâs gate and Verlaineâs ability all get more explored in other chapters. I wonât be analyzing them now as they donât do much in the first chapter other than be introduced. Iâll be analyzing them separately when I analyze each individual chapter of this book and then probably a collective essay on the work as a whole. If you want to be notified when I post you can just follow me on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter (or X) and Tumblr under the same username.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed my analysis
A general theme in the literary devices of disillusionment used to avoid dealing with hard situations
Albatross' is probably based off of Charlies Baudelaire
Doc is probably based off of Micheal Crichton M.D.
Lippmann is probably based off of Walter Lippmann
Iceman is probably based off of Eugene O'Neille
Piano Man might be based off of D.H. Lawrence (I'm not sure abt that one tbh. Least confident in that one. Paul Verlaine also has a poem abt a piano but it's not related in anyway thematically so đ€·ââïž)
The Flags were always going to die thats kinda the point. With the refrence to The Ice Man Cometh it's clear that because these characters had no goals or dreams outside the Port Mafie they would die in the Port Mafia. This kind of works as sort of cautionary tale for Chuuya
The Flags all each represent a key component that could have led to Chuuya healing from his trauma and moving on. He was actually well on track. He had made great progress
When Verlaine killed The Flags he symbolically took all those key components away from both himself and Chuuya. Keeping them BOTH from moving on and keeping them both in disillusionment
Yosano and Chuuya are foils. The ADA gives Yosano autonomy (Butterfly) and the PM dehumanizes Chuuya (Gem).
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