People requested that I draw more Franziska and Miles, so I obliged. And since the Christmas markets opened here just two days ago, I wanted to include my love for the festive time into it. Just a pair of Prosecutors enjoying a mug of hot cocoa on the Christmas market. What´s not to love?
I cheated with the background – it´s a photograph of one of our larger local Christmas market that I modified so it looked like it had snowed. I took it a few years ago; it didn´tsnow that year.
Personally it does. Kaneki is now determined to struggle to stay alive so he can see his loved ones again, and he’ll do anything for that now, even if it means killing Rize.
One of the interesting little tidbits I noticed in 171 was this little panel right here.
Yomo reflects that his not doing anything at all might have added to the loss at Anteiku, which directly foils something Kaneki had said just a few chapters earlier
and even more concisely, during the kenference
Which I think represents exactly what Ishida is trying to say, that there aren’t any concise, correct answers to the war at hand and that struggling through them is something that must be done for the end to be worth something.
The struggle comes from characters effectively throwing up their hands and going ‘well if that didn’t work, what else?’
Life isn’t a two-track railroad, but it’s hard to view it as anything other than that – what if I went to that college? What if I hadn’t said that to him? What if I didn’t move there? What if I took that job?
That’s the struggle in Tokyo Ghoul, maybe things would’ve been different, but maybe they would’ve been worse. We can stand back and judge the actions of the characters, but in their shoes would our alterations be different?
Pushing forward is an important theme.
And our choices will always have consequences. You must learn from them, and understand that there will be what-ifs, but there is no golden choice in a world built upon the back of death.
UT was really serious this chapter, actually, I wonder if it’s just because of the topic or if it’s a combination of that and his goofy old man act starting to crack, since he seems so tired
Something maybe is going very wrong already and he hasn’t admitted it yet…?
I 100% agree that his attitude seems way more serious than usual, maybe because he’s tired (and since we all more or less always agreed that his usual behavior was mainly a part of his creepy act) or because he’s trying super hard to pretend everything is fine when it might not be.
It also goes with the last chapter’s cliffhanger
…even if his joy to present real!Ciel as his masterpiece sounds genuine because it means he finally achieved his goals.
Honestly though…
I love @dorkshadows‘ take on it, but otherwise I also wonder if the attack on Soma/Agni might not become the crack in the current arc and its final confrontation, as well as why UT might be feeling that something is wrong, thus why he’s acting more serious/tired than usual.
I mean, it’s just a guess of mine, but if UT isn’t pro-violence where the Phantomhives are concerned (even if it’s extremely ironical coming from him):
And if that’s what he feels about real!Ciel too, then the events of ch126/127/128 could be something that UT ends up not being happy about.
Right now, we don’t know what triggered the attack:
did real!Ciel show up to see our!Ciel and got triggered by Soma touching him?
did he get jealous about Soma and his big brother act, so he planned to attack him/the urge hit him when he met Soma?
we also don’t know if UT knew about what happened before or after it actually took place (some say he was driving the cab but idk)
or maybe it’s Bravat’s side that allowed for the situation to happen (since real!Ciel is the blue star) and UT couldn’t stop it in time
finally, worst case scenario would be UT finding out about real!Ciel planning to attack the town house but, having no control over the twin, he was forced to comply with it.
Depending on which explanation it is, if the attack on Soma and Agni is something that happened outside of UT’s careful watch or that UT simply couldn’t stop it in time, then it could hint that real!Ciel might not remain his masterpiece for long. ://
And if that’s the case, I wonder till when UT will be able to deny it and lie to himself that things are going well…
After 141, it’s clear that UT considers Real!Ciel his masterpiece and cares a lot for him as a revived Phantomhive. But he doesn’t seem to care about RC as a person, instead going on and on about how lovely a doll RC is, even though he himself said RC has freewill and actions. It’s ironic that UT, for all the effort and devotion he put into RC, considers him a doll first, person second- he’s not wrong, per se, but it clearly upsets RC:
^ RC does not appreciate being touched against his will or being talked about like he’s not even there.
Then I got to thinking, we know our twin duos are Sebastian + Our!Ciel, and UT + Real!Ciel. OC says he doesn’t trust Sebastian. But what about RC’s feelings towards UT? I think it’s possible that RC loathes him at most, dislikes him at best. Remember when this happened in the Green Witch arc?
^ Being forcefed through the funnel during his mustard gas episode traumatized OC so badly that he relived his moment in the cult:
This happened moments before RC’s death, so the physical and emotional anguish is doubled. Now, in the current arc, we found out RC was there as well, and probably went through the exact same forcefeeding routine:
^ RC’s likely triggered by many of the same things OC was, such as having things shoved down his throat. Then in 141, we find out after he recovered RC’s body, UT’s been experimenting on it…
^ By shoving tubes through his nose and throat, while RC can do nothing but helplessly lie there and be carried around.
And since UT’s taking RC everywhere to observe OC, we know RC was sentient this whole time… meaning he could feel UT shoving those tubes into him, regardless of how gentle or not. At this point, RC had no free will and could do nothing but be UT’s doll.
^ He was sentient here as well. We already saw how OC reacted to the funnel. Who knows how horrible RC felt about having that thing shoved through his chest? We can only imagine UT’s been doing this to him non-stop for the past 3 years.
^ So then, when he had the chance to attack UT, he did. Of course, this was on the Campania and maybe RC was just a mindless zombie compelled by instinct. But he was aware of what’s going on around him and is inherently more advanced than the other BDs’. Maybe he doesn’t have to go around eating people in a search for souls or a substitute.
Maybe here, he wanted to bite UT, since now he can finally move on his own, and this is payback for everything UT’s done to his body while he could do nothing but watch.
And lastly here, RC just looks irritated and resentful. Even his line, “What do you think you’re doing!?” is angry. But UT doesn’t care, and this probably fuels RC’s dislike farther, because again, he’s being regarded as an object, and not his own person.
So in conclusion, based on this evidence so far, I think RC and UT are not emotionally close, and if anything, RC probably hates UT, which is ironic given all the care UT supposedly has for the Phantomhives. Of course, RC must know UT’s the only reason he’s alive now and able to see his brother again.
So the way I read it, going by this interpretation, RC tolerates UT’s presence and toying with his body because he regards UT as a means to an end. He needs to use UT to stay alive and take control of OC. UT arguably objectifies RC the same way Sebastian objectifies OC’s soul, and RC uses UT the same way OC claims to use Sebastian.
But this doesn’t mean RC is grateful towards UT or appreciates what he did. Because it happened against his will, and put him through unimaginable pain. So the moment RC finds something or someone to replace UT, he’ll probably leave and betray this reaper in a heartbeat. I’m just guessing what their relationship is at this point, but my thoughts could change depending on what happens next.
((you know what: actually your post makes me realize it’s similar for Lizzie.
Maybe UT “cares” about her too since she’s related to Claudia, but not doing anything about her crying/being depressed for months or even using her during this arc would be on the same level as imposing his wish onto real!Ciel. He’s too focused on his selfish wish to see all the damages he’s leaving behind.
Gosh UT will have amends to make if he’s not leaving the story after this arc… if he’s Cedric that also doesn’t vouch for him being a good dad, but then again since Tanaka is the one who stepped up after Claudia’s death, that’s to be expected))
I’m really intrigued by Othello’s attitude at the end of 141. Just going by what we’ve seen of him, he doesn’t seem to be an aggressive or sadistic individual. He’s otherwise pretty laidback and content with his own sphere of work. Science excites him the same way it excites Sieglinde, Sebastian, and Sascha, so nothing new there either.
But he looked so smug when he revealed himself to Undertaker on that last page. It was a total “gotcha!” moment. And I do remember Othello mentioning knowing a person 50 years ago (coinciding with the date UT deserted). That aside, Grell/Ronald/Will have reason to be upset with UT for Campania, but Grell and Ronald really only met him that one time. Grell’s got the right to dislike UT for all the trouble he caused her, and for slicing them up, but it’s not unfiltered hatred.
So what I’m getting at is- I think Othello has a personal vendetta against UT and has been waiting for the right moment to enact righteous punishment, AKA revenge. I don’t know what this grudge came from, but it’s entirely possible the two were once co-workers. We know nothing about shinigami politics, but given their emphasis on teamwork, I think each reaper’s chances of redemption and moving on/promotion depends on the collective result of their respective dispatches.
Maybe in abandoning his dispatch, UT completely shot Othello’s chances of redemption and obviously did not care about whatever situation he left Othello in. And now it’s Othello’s turn to fuck up UT’s life, one way or another.
It’d be ironic if this was the case, though, because UT’s been so preoccupied with his own emotions and plans that he’s neglected all the victims in his wake (Ex. the Campania passengers, OC, maybe Elizabeth, etc.). And he’s had no consequences, because the power’s been in his hands- none of his victims could have fought back. Until now. Othello would be a reminder that UT can’t get away with anything he wants and that for every action, there’s a reaction.
it’s the only memory he gets from that dream, maybe it’s a sign that
eremika is really going to be plot relevant. Why would he remember
Mikasa in particular (and not Armin for example), assuming these
memories were really about him and Mikasa? I’m so sorry if this doesn’t
make a lot of sense, I love your snk posts so I wanted your opinion.
Have a great weekend!
Hello anon! I am happy you enjoy my posts! And don’t worry, your ask
makes sense, but since my answer is gonna be pretty long I’ll break it
into two parts:
1) Firstly I will address the scene you mentioned and some theories about it.
2) Then I will talk a little bit of Eremika.
1) I agree with you that this scene
and this scene
are
both linked to a common plot point which has to do with some
worldbuilding elements like the paths among Eldians, the origin of the
Founding Titan, the Attack Titan and the truth about Ymir. Until these details remain
unknown it is difficult to come up with a perfect explanation for these
panels.
midnight-in-town 