I can’t agree! I think it’s clearly reflected in almost everything he does. IMO the best method to see the ways he’s stayed the same would be to look at how Vincent acts then note how OC is different.
In an attempt to be more like Vincent & RC, OC:
Tries to be cold, but he’s actually more emphatic of people than he lets on.
Tries to be confident, but gets embarrassed about things his predecessors wouldn’t have cared about.
Tries to be Vincent but never will be.
Tries to convince people he’s wholeheartedly mature when we all know he isn’t; though that’s due to his age too I’d argue RC is a lot more genuinely mature.
Tries to be fearsome but his easily-flustered personality means those close to him don’t always take him seriously.
Tries to be charismatic and enticing, but can’t keep it up and pushes people away because he’s a little awkward:
Tries to be a mastermind in his own right, but relies a bit too heavily on Sebastian which occasionally causes problems for him.
Of course there’s a lot of stuff that has changed too though! He isn’t the innocent boy he used to be and that’s something that’ll never come back, sob. However, I do believe you can see the person he used to be almost all the time.
Here are some reasons that come to mind why OC might not be so happy about RC’s return:
OC knows his brother is dead because he witnessed how he got stabbed in the chest
OC knows that RC isn’t just “dead” but literally “doesn’t exist” anymore because his soul got eaten by a demon
OC thinks it was his fault that his brother’s soul got eaten and therefore has strong guilt feelings towards his brother
OC knows that his brother is 100000% dead
hence, OC knows that his brother who returned isn’t “alive” but must have been turned into some kind of zombie
OC knows his brother shot Soma and
brutally
killed Agni
OC read that creepy message on the wall and knows that his brother knows that OC retrieved the ring from RC’s stomach after his death (+ RC’s message didn’t sound like he was pleased by what OC did to him)
OC knows his brother isn’t the same person he used to be
OC took on his brother’s identity and deceived everyone, so now that his brother returned, there’s the possibility that all his lies will be exposed, and not only that, he’ll return to his old weak, worthless self again
OC knows that his brother isn’t “alive” but a zombie, which means that he has to kill him (just like he had Sebastian kill all the zombies in Campania & Weston arc) which means that he’s bound to witness his brother’s death a second time
etc.
Tl;dr: The point is that OC knows that RC is 10000000% dead and that the person who is standing in front of him and looks exactly like RC isn’t the same RC he used to love and admire so much. Also, OC is not as naive as to believe that a
miracle™ might have brought his brother back to life, so he knows that RC must be some kind of zombie.
That’s why he isn’t happy
Bonus:
I mean, OC never really was enthusiastic about the idea of bringing dead people back, so…
“Several people have asked me to do the “**witch hashtag” challenge that is trending now, but I’ve already drawn a manga with a similar story – just not with a witch. It’s a manga called “Kuroshitsuji” where a demon finds a child who is injured all over, and raises him in order to eat him one day… – Toboso”
**Note: ”Let’s meet at the witches’ Sabbath” (#魔女集会で会いましょう) is a hashtag that is currently trending on Japanese twitter and people post mangas/ illustrations to the theme “a witch finds a human child and ends up raising him” – (so it’s pretty much Kuroshitsuji au where Sebastian is a witch instead of a demon lol).
“Sebastian: I found a miserable child at a Sabbath, so I’m now cultivating him in order to make him tasty to eat. It takes time and effort, but I’m looking forward to the day I can harvest [him].”
Sebastian 3 years ago: Oh, well, well… what a little master.
Ciel 3 years later: Sebastian, you’re just a demon, so why do you care about your prey’s appearance [my appearance] so much? Isn’t it troublesome…
Sebastian: Young master, if there was a food that is tasty but doesn’t look delicious, and a food that looks delicious but isn’t tasty, which one would you like to eat?
Ciel: [Neither.] I’d eat a food that is tasty and looks delicious.
If it is not apparent already, I am a huge fan of this series. The series currently has 7 volumes, with the 8th volume to come out on the 22nd of December. I thought to give brief summaries of each volume, give some of my thoughts on it for those curious since there is no official release for these novels in English as of yet and the anime that will air in January of 2018 is likely to cover at least the first two volumes of the series. So let’s get down to it. Spoiler free.
I was also expecting the flashback to be ending this chapter, but I guess it will be next month. The scene with our!Ciel taking back the ring from his brother’s belly will be in the next chapter definitely!
I’m also glad we got some introspection for Ciel, I mean, it’s time for some serious character development, that’s what this arc is leading to through the twins confronting each other in my opinion, so it was very important to be able to read our!Ciel’s thoughts about why he chose to become his brother now that it’s addressed again in present time.
Right now, after ch137 I strongly feel for our!Ciel ❤ but at the same time, I know it’s going to be his chance soon to confront most of his trauma and probably feel better afterwards. So let’s support him till then!
Hi! No offense though Anon, but I’m not sure if you’re shitting on the story in general, or just expressing your feelings about the newest chapter and Seb clearly deserving to go home hungry?
If it’s the former then I’m afraid I disagree.
If it’s the latter though, then let’s build a shrine to Nina and Frances, in hope that they will keep on annoying Seb until he goes home hungry. 😀
Here, take some tissue for your feels :3 and have a nice day!
Apparently, it’s something a part of the fandom still has a hard time grasping, despite Sensei herself being rather clear on the subject (in my opinion of course), so personally when it comes to Seb I’m always in the “what did you expect? he’s a demon after all” mood.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
As always, people are free to like and ship whatever dynamic they want in the story, my blog is not here to argue about shipping except where my own preferences are concerned,
but still, I think it’s important not to expect any positive development from Seb on this aspect, even if he’s the main protagonist. So I doubt demons can become any better, it’s not in their nature, just like butterflies don’t poop rainbows.
For me, this chapter mostly was “unexpected” in the idea that Seb clearly didn’t spare Ciel from any aspect of the psychological trauma after his brother’s death. So it was really painful for us, Ciel’s fans, who do feel for the poor boy, but I agree we can’t really say it’s unexpected considering what happened during the green watch arc, just because Seb was fed up with PSTD!Ciel.
That guy is a dick, but what did we expect, he’s a demon after all. 😉
Thanks for passing by and have a nice day Anon. :))
Hi Anon. 🙂 Well, he’s a demon so he’s naturally stronger than humans even if I agree that it’s not obviously shown in his physical disguise of “Sebastian Michaelis”.
But hey, it’s probably to avoid some humans figuring how strong he is + he would probably appear less handsome to most humans if he was a huge bara character with big muscles everywhere in sight. xDDD
So yeah he’s slender, thin and doesn’t appear to be particularly muscular even if he’s probably physically stronger than 98% of the cast. :))
I hope it answers your question, have a nice day Anon! :3
Hi Anon! OMG, I’m happy you gave it a try and enjoyed it, even if I don’t remember recommending Monster to anyone in particular xDD (must be my head tho, I kinda had a rough day so far due to partying a lot last night lmao).
Anyway, Monster is one of the few series I was rec’ by people IRL and that I really was fond of myself so I’m just glad if I could make other people try it. 😀
About Nina and Johan now, I do agree with your interpretation of Johan’s dynamic with his sister! The thing is, Johan was quite shaken by what happened during the last “experiment” (when they took Anna and Bonaparta killed everyone in his mansion) and that led to him wondering all his life about what his mom’s choice meant regarding how much she loved him and his sister.
After that, their mom told them to run away before disappearing on her own, so yeah, I think Anna really was all that Johan had left and mostly she was his twin (his double, as he called her sometimes), so he probably felt they had this very important connection (and actually it was confirmed in Another Monster that they did have a mental connection)
and that no one would ever understand him better than Anna did, especially after everything they went through.
In my opinion, his bond with Anna was so significant to him that it explains why there were some really creepy allusions from time to time (like “I was born to smother you with flowers”, frankly this isn’t something a brother should say to his sister but moving on), as well as why he managed to impersonate her while manipulating Suk without anyone ever having the slightest suspicion.
However, for Nina herself, I don’t agree that she hated Johan. I think she was definitely scared of him, and understandably so, when she realized that he had killed all the adults who took of them after they ran away, which is why she ended shooting him when he asked her to, because she was lost as to what to do or think.
Then there is when the truth about the red rose mansion finally comes out about Nina (and not Johan) being the one who witnessed it all and, upon remembering the event, Nina says to Tenma that she “couldn’t shoot him but [she] knows Johan will destroy himself”. That’s why in my opinion if she had truly hated him, she would have managed to shoot him a second time and wouldn’t have been able to forgive him at the end.
To be honest, overall I really liked their dynamic! It’s part of why Monster was so very interesting, because Anna was Johan’s only weakness and even in Nina’s case, while she was never free from the shadow of her brother it became some kind of protection, since everyone knew that she had an influence on Johan.
I hope I answered your question. 🙂 Thanks for passing by, have a great day! :3
Ahhh I agree, Anon! 😀 And yeah my mom really likes it, I think she’s about to meet Martin actually!
Funny story but I’m just like you: I intend on reading more from Urasawa-sensei because I know he’s done other amazing series besides Monster, it’s just that I have to wait until I have more free time (probably next year) before I lose myself in a new series. xDD
I don’t think I only have one favorite character in Monster though, I mean it’s all so complex and there are so many interesting characters that it’s hard to choose. If I had to make a choice though, then I’d say….
Wolfgang Grimmer, beating Tenma by a very small margin. I just… I loved him so much for his humanity and his bond with children, despite the horrible upbrining he had. Also witnessing him learning how to feel and express his emotions was just… incredibly moving.
The ending nearly annihilated me however, no matter how many times I read it or watch it I’m sure to always cry, so I think it’s really one of the best and most emotional death scenes I’ve ever watched (because it’s even sadder in the anime with the music and voice acting).
Other favorite characters besides these two are Nina, Johan (see above) and Eva (I did a full 180° on her character: I used to despise and dislike her so much and then the arc with Martin just… oh my God, very emotional moment as well).
Anyway, you’re welcome Anon, thank you for passing by and I hope it answers your question. :3 Please have a nice day!
Hi Anon! To be honest, the plot twist about the “two identical little girls” creeped me out pretty badly until the truth was revealed. x) You can totally blame the Kinderheim 511 for messing up with Johan’s memories and Johan’s actions are to blame for his sister’s amnesia, which explains the swap indeed, but boy was I glad when we found out the truth.
Anyway, Nina’s wish to become a lawyer “to save the life of many people” is precisely why I think she never hated her brother and how she was able to forgive him at the end. It went with what Bonaparta told her after the killing at the red rose mansion, about being careful not to become a monster after everything she and her brother went through. Except that Johan never heard that.
In the end, despite all the many horrors he caused, Johan was simply a victim at first. It doesn’t excuse what he did, but I agree it makes sense that his sister, who was able to forgive him, would move on by focusing on helping others as a lawyer. 🙂
Thanks for passing by Anon and have a nice day! ❤
Hey Anon and omg, not at all, at least not from what I remember of Tenjho Tenge? :// I think I went through a third or half of this series before dropping it 5 or 6 years ago (the plot and art were not my thing), but frankly I don’t recall any real similarity with Monster when it comes to the plot.
To be honest, it’s hard to find something that’s even slightly similar to Monster in terms of plot in the first place, mainly because it’s a story that isn’t bound by most general reductive tropes or narrative ploys in manga. But anyway: from what I read, I don’t remember Tenjho Tenge to be comparable. Sorry. :3
To be honest, I know it’s not to everybody’s taste but I never mind rereading/rewatching something I liked. 🙂 Of course, it’s not like a rediscovery but it’s still a very nice experience in my opinion because you can always notice new things or just remember why you liked it so much in the first place.
Anyway, lots of love to you too ❤ Please have a lovely week! ^3^
There is a reason (besides #plot) as to why Ciel doesn’t know anything about her and that is because Vincent probably didn’t like to mention his mother, similarly to how our!Ciel doesn’t particularly mention his parents either after what happened:
So the same must go for Liz and Ed:
because if Frances was so adamant about Lizzie training so hard for her future as Countess Phantomhive in the first place, and if she looked so sad in Lizzie’s memories while implying how dangerous that life would be (when Vincent was still alive), it might be because Claudia was killed too.
In the end we can’t be sure yet, but I just wouldn’t be surprised if Frances and Vincent always had a hard time talking about their mom because something happened to her, just like our!Ciel currently doesn’t really like to talk about his dead family.
TL;DR I don’t think Liz and Ed know more about Claudia than Ciel does, but I can be wrong. 🙂
Have a nice day Anon!
Hi Anon! Please look above, I already answered your question a little while ago. :3
To develop a little further though, to be honest I have no idea who will tell Ciel about Claudia in canon, especially since…
it really seems he doesn’t have the slightest idea about her being Vincent’s predecessor xD so there is probably quite a lot to share about her.
For me, there are three possibilities as to who will speak to Ciel about Claudia, whether or not he’s the one who ends up asking them or if they decide they need to: UT, Tanaka and indeed Frances herself.
As of right now, I don’t think whoever discusses the topic first really matters, but if it turns out to be UT, I am not ready to trust him with being as neutral as it should be needed, so I hope Tanaka and/or Frances will also end up speaking about this with Ciel.
I do like the idea of Frances being the one to address the subject more though, for two reasons:
it would probably give us more to understand about Frances’ character too, since for now it’s really hard to say what she knows/doesn’t know and how involved in the plot she truly is.
besides, she knows what it’s like to lose family to the Watchdog duty since she lost the exact same family members as Ciel, so I totally need her and Ciel to talk.
So yep, I’m hoping we’ll get to see Frances and Ciel speaking about Claudia, but for now I don’t think Edward and Lizzie know about their grandmother either. I mean, if somehow they do and Ciel is here like “???”, I will just die laughing at how Ciel is so so bad at simply asking other people about information. xDDD
Thanks for passing by and have a great weekend! :3
midnight-in-town 