Hi Anon and thanks, I’ll add it to the list! :3 As it happens, I think I watched a few episodes of Noragami back when it first aired, but now I don’t remember why I didn’t keep going…? This is strange. xD
Anyway, I was also planning to give it a try again (kinda like Akatsuki no Yona that I should reread from the beginning because it’s been years when I last caught up), mostly because some of my TG mutuals got back into it so I’m intrigued but, just like for the Promised Neverland, it will have to wait for 2019.
Thanks though, I’m really motivated to try it again, but this time I think I’ll go for the manga directly. :))
Thanks again for the rec ❤ and have a nice weekend Anon!
In fact, I’ve been recommended this series many times in a year or two, so I really intend on giving it a read, but it will be for 2019 if I can restrain myself until then. :))
I’m an avid reader and easily distracted, so I have to limit myself about starting new series until December, because of my studies. I’m not always successful (*cough* Golden Kamuy *cough*), but I have to really try because it’s only a few more months to go.
I promise I’ll let you guys know whenever I’m able to start it though!! Thanks again for sharing about something you think I may like. ^3^
Hi Anon! Well, the cast is huge, but sure, I do have characters I like more than others! It was hard to choose, but in no particular order (warning: spoilers everywhere)…
Ryuugamine Mikado
Because he started as a seemingly good and innocent kiddo…
before he lost his shit in a similar
manner
to Anakin Skywalker or Yagami Light (it’s the fallen angel trope: he went completely extreme to protect his ideals).
It used to be a subject of debate but in my opinion he lost it way more than Kida and, as Aoba once wondered, no this isn’t entirely due to Izaya or Aoba himself trying to mess with/use him. Rather it’s because he was bored of the ordinary way before the series had even started.
After all, that’s the main reason why he created the Dollars and why he moved to Ikebukuro, so his downfall isn’t that surprising after he met Celty and got to witness how powerful what he had created turned out to be (regarding the whole situation with Namie, Seiji and Mika).
That’s what makes a MC interesting though, so I’m not complaining. 🙂
Spoiler alert if you don’t read the novels Anon, but I also like how his arc and Anri’s end: it’s a shared conclusion that is expanded on in the SH novels. Mikado was bored of the ordinary, which was the basis of his character arc, but now he will never have the chance to go back to an entirely normal life anymore. I find that very fitting. ^^
Celty Sturluson
The other MC! And actually I wonder if there is anyone who dislikes her? Personally I found her incredible and that from the very moment of her introduction. It’s the only Dullahan I ever met in fiction so that makes her pretty unique, haha!
I also love the irony that she was more human & gentle than humans themselves and that she ended up falling in love with one of the most selfish humans ever. That being said, DRRR is literally “a story of twisted love” so I hope she gets to live long and happy years with Shinra. 🙂
Karisawa Erika
Because she’s an adorable Otaku and cosplay fan. I love how cheerful she always is, how she’s such a great friend and support to anyone who needs her.
I also love her VA (Tagaki Ayahi-san) and the fact that some other VAs of the series
(Mikado’s, Anri’s and Aoba’s iirc? or maybe Izaya’s and Shizuo’s?)
actually mentioned her character as a favorite for all the manga/anime references she’s constantly making. xDD
Finally she’s a great singer, many characters think so, and I don’t know why but I find this little trivia fact very enjoyable.
Orihara Mairu & Kururi
Count as 1 character even if there are two of them, just like it was explained in the novels. :))
I just… love how they’re very similar to Izaya in almost all of his good sides (that is: well informed, creative, cunning, dangerous, capable to protect themselves if they’re together) but they share none of why he’s a villain.
As such it’s amazing that they get along with Shizuo, Eijirou, Namie and Aoba, to name a few, when these characters absolutely can’t stand Izaya.
Also the irony that they’re big big fans of ‘Hanejima Yuuhei’ when Izaya and Shizuo hate each other? Pretty funny. 😀
Heiwajima Shizuo
So many feels for this character, because he is such a good guy yet he has a terrible view of himself because of his huge physical strength and anger issues, but also mostly because Izaya is constantly trying to pass him off as a monster.
It’s kinda why the Shizaya ship is a NOTP for me (despite really enjoying it when I was younger): Shizuo truly deserves the peace he wants as well as to learn to live with himself, instead of constantly being involved in schemes just because Izaya has a complex with him (I’m with Simon on this).
So anyway, he’s a great guy, he saved the situation so many times and he almost always sees through Izaya’s plans, so all the more reasons to love him.
Vorona
Amazing growth and character development + she is partially the reason Izaya vanished from the city (for now at least) while also making sure Shizuo wouldn’t become a murderer and, as much as I love Izaya’s character, that was fair and what needed to happen.
So I’m grateful to her and I hope she’ll eventually come back just like she wanted. :))
Akabayashi Mizuki
Someone once made a post about all the reasons Akabayashi is True Love My Yakuza and I’ll add just one: his VA, Yamaguchi Kappei-san (also L in Death Note) because damn, it’s a delight to listen to him speaking.
There is nothing to understand, he’s just incredible and I’m grateful to him for all that he did for both Anri and Mikado.
Kadota Kyohei
An old fashioned hero type of character, but isn’t that why we like him?
He saved the situation so many times, he’s got clear limits in what he will or won’t do, so he’s pretty amazing and I just love the whole ‘I’m no leader’ when he has the most loyal gang out of anyone in the series. xD
I’m also pretty happy about the fact that he’s a friend to Shizuo while not being a pawn to Izaya and someone who Celty and Shinra are happy to invite for hotpot, all at the same time. That just speaks of how great he is.
Rokujo Chikage
Warning: he’s my son. ❤
A ladies man (not a womanizer) but only in the most respectful way you can imagine: yes, he has something like 100 girlfriends because he’s constantly flirting with every girl he sees, but they’re all aware of this fact and okay about it (and about sharing dates with each other), so no judging.
Also he’s a student, has a part time job, is the leader of a bousouzouku gang called Toramaru in Saitama and yet he still finds the time to come to Ikebukuro to help characters he met just this one time. xDD
So he’s a pretty chivalrous guy, even towards guys (he takes his debts quite seriously), and that’s why he’s a fave!
Orihara Izaya
Well, DRRR wouldn’t be the series it is without Izaya so of course I love him, despite how joyful I am whenever he’s punched, stabbed or thrown around violently, because each time he deserves it. xD
In fact, he’s probably one of the most complex villains I ever read about and this is really emphasized by the way Kamiya Hiroshi-san voices him. Tbh I think DRRR in general stands out as a series, because
the main focus is the cast, not the plot, and all the VAs did their job quite amazingly (a big reason why, even tho’ the anime’s s2 didn’t cover the story as well as s1, I still enjoy it greatly).
But anyway: Izaya’s an ass. He knows that, everyone knows that and either hates him or rolls their eyes. When it comes to understanding him though, I think reading the novels or listening to what Shinra has to say on the subject is the most important.
Too many times Izaya was called a sociopath and I used to make this mistake too, but that’s just not who he is at all. That’s why I tend to think that the way Shinra described him and his love of humans to Manami in the last novel of the series is a direct consequence of his parents not really being around.
It’s actually hard to explain without quoting the discussion itself, so I’ll leave it at that for this post, but I do blame the absence of the Orihara parents regarding the way their 3 kids turned out to be.
I love them like that though and I love even more when Izaya himself shows a hint of weakness/annoyance about certain topics (Shinra, his complex with Shizuo, his sisters, his dislike of Saika, Tsukumoya, etc), so I wouldn’t even want their parents to try and make amends for not being around.
Anyway, I just don’t think it’s possible to enjoy DRRR as a series if you hold a real dislike for Izaya’s character, if just because it’s obvious that he’s going to be a pain in the back of most of the cast from very early on + we get to see his POV almost everytime something happens.
I find Narita-sensei is one of the best when it comes to writing complex and very unique characters, so Izaya is definitely enjoyable to read about!
Special mention: Kida, Anri, Simon, Akane, Shinra, Tom, Ruri, Kasuka, Saki, Yumasaki and Togusa. Oh and Shiki, idk why but I like him too. xD
As with every series, it’s actually way easier and quicker to list characters I don’t like, especially in DRRR because they’re all characters that aren’t really put under a good light by Narita-sensei himself, but I hope this answers your question.
As always sorry for rambling and have a nice weekend Anon!
Hi! Ah, I’ve seen this idea going around ever since Monday but I think it’s because the translation is misleading. 🙂
So, no, I’d say Bravat is definitely human. What he meant was simply that…
even if he and the rest of the sect (”his kind”) indeed killed innocent people, they did it while “granting [them] sparkle, offering them happiness by way of food and entertainment”, unlike Scotland Yard who’s treating him quite roughly.
In other words “his kind did nothing wrong because they did it out of devotion for someone who’s better than all of them”.
Also, one more proof that Bravat is definitely human is this…
…because if he were supernatural, I doubt he’d have used to be “a failure of a fortune teller” until he was manipulated and drawn into the sect for real!Ciel’s/the BD project’s sake. So yep, he’s human, at least I personally think so.
I hope it answers your question, have a nice day Anon!
Hi! Ah I’m so happy you gave this series a try, I find that in Western fan communities it tends to be quite underrated, despite selling a lot in Japan. :))
About Shima, so I don’t know exactly how we’re supposed to get there, but eventually I think the point of his character arc is for him to stop running away from what he feels regarding his family, his friends and the Myo Dha sect, so that he’ll end going back to them out of his own desire.
The whole spy thing started literally as the opposite, after all:
So in my opinion, it’d make sense that Shima would end up betraying the sides he’s currently spying for (that is to say both Illuminati and, if there is a need to, the Order as well), because at some point the Myo Dha (his family, Suguro and Konekomaru) will be in danger and he’ll want to save them.
It’s kind of the same thing as him not killing Izumo’s familiars with Yamantaka, when she tried to run away from Gedoin during her own arc, no matter if you think that he was following Mephisto’s orders or not. We know he’s sweet on Izumo, so maybe he just wasn’t resolved enough to make her even sadder.
In any case, I truly think he means it when he says he’s enjoying his job, but in my opinion that’s mostly because this job is allowing him to escape something he currently can’t stand:
You only have to look at Juuzou’s wedding (ch90/91) to notice that he’s always trying to stay away from his family, most likely because he has issues with the fact he sees himself as some sort of replacement for Takezou, his elder brother who died (protecting him and Suguro) during the Blue Night:
Clearly, he hates that his elder brother died for his sake and is being revered for it, because now he’s the one who has to live with carrying his brother’s sacrifice:
And, again it’s just my opinion, but that could be why he’s barely motivated to train with Yamantaka. It’s not about him being lazy, it’s just that Yamantaka is yet another thing that he directly inherited from Takezou and, even if that’s allowing him to be a double spy, he still “doesn’t want that to control him”.
For me, Shima Renzou is a character that’s simply screaming “let me be who I want to be and not a copy of the elder brother who died for my sake” and honestly? I totally understand. I used to think his family was really pushing the comparison with Takezou on him, before it was revealed that everyone in his family knew and was against him becoming a spy.
Obviously, his family isn’t unrelated to why he’s feeling like that (all this speech about honor, becoming an exorcist for the Myo Dha, protecting Suguro, etc), so I think it’s important that he eventually confronts them about this (or even better, that they come to save him so that they can show him he matters as who he is), otherwise he’ll never change his mind about himself, them and the Myo Dha.
…I’m sorry I’m rambling, but crack theory, actually I am hoping that Shima leaving Illuminati will happen at the same time as a completely hypothetical confrontation between Mamushi and Todo. I mean…
I’m not sure Mamushi will stay put forever and it’d be nice for her to have the chance to face Todo about how he manipulated her for years. Because now Mamushi is happy, she stopped having doubts about the Myo Dha and she married into the Shima family, so her bringing back Renzou to them would be #best development for me, even though we’re clearly not there yet. xD
Anyway, the point is, from the moment Shima was clearly bothered by the way Lightning was using Suguro, it means he’ll never manage to fully leave the Myo Dha behind to be a spy.
That’s why I think eventually he’ll quit being a spy because he’ll want to save people who are important to him. Or they’ll be the ones saving him, because he’ll be the one in trouble. Either way, going back to the people who matter to him is how I see his character arc ending. 🙂
Sorry for all the rambling xD I didn’t realize I had that many things to say about Shima. Anyway, I hope it answers your question! Have a nice day Anon! 🙂
Hi Anon! At first I read “Dazai” and thought you were asking me about Bungou Stray Dogs which I hardly watched or read haha. Anyway.
Bansai was Otsuu’s producer despite being a member of the Kiheitai and a terrorist, as far as I remember, and that was possible because he did it all under a different name. It’s thanks to him that Otsuu became such a famous singer, but they’ve never seen each other.
Slight spoiler alert but so far we actually didn’t get to see Otsuu again ever since Bansai’s death (if I remember correctly), so it’s legit to wonder if she can still be as huge as she used to be with him now dead, but I’m not so worried.
First of all, it’s plot convenience, but if we’re assuming that Shinpachi didn’t mention anything currently in the manga, then Otsuu as an artist must be doing okay despite Bansai’s death. Secondly, the HDZ48 arc that we had a while ago in the manga, before all the serious arcs, showed that her mother also takes good care of her business as her manager + that Otsuu has plenty of devoted fans, whether she ends up in a band or not, so I think that she’ll find a way to be okay, even without Bansai.
If Bansai hadn’t died though, then I like to think they would have enjoyed working together some more. It’s obvious seeing his design that music was a very important part of his life and character (if just seeing how he even used his shamisen as a weapon) and, if he had survived the war, it would have been nice for him and Otsuu to meet for real and use this opportunity to go even bigger as artists.
I hope it answers your question, Anon and that you enjoy where the anime is going. 🙂 Have a nice day!
Well, I’ll copy-paste my own tags from here then Anon, because I find they’re pretty self-explanatory:
And also a little something else…
Listen Anon, if Frances really didn’t care about her nephews in the past or now, then…
Lizzie wouldn’t have been betrothed to them and exposed to danger till now (especially for the last 4 years),
Frances wouldn’t have shown up for Ciel’s 13th birthday and taken him hunting, so that he wouldn’t be all alone or bored on the third death anniversary of the massacre
and she wouldn’t have told Lizzie to offer him to join them for a three week vacation, which was supposed to be the Campania arc, because she found he was working a lot.
There aren’t a lot of outstanding adults in Ciel’s life, so let’s avoid dragging down the few who exist, okay? :3
Hope it makes more sense this time. Have a nice weekend.
I consider a theory to be something that is coming 100% from within the universe of the series that you’re talking about. In comparison, a meta can be written using both the universe of a series but also what you believe to be an author’s (or the reader’s own) external influences.
A theory is… trying to foresee a plot twist or character development while quoting the series itself. A meta will rather be to do the same thing but while also focusing on how the author was possibly influenced in their writing or what the symbolism they used might be hinting towards.
The thing is, I am extraordinarily shitty at the latter because I have 0 knowledge compared to a lot of great blogs, so I absolutely love reading meta but I can’t say I am writing them when I just enjoy catching on unanswered plot points and trying to imagine future developments by only reading the series.
I think that overtime “meta” became the general term to be used in fandoms (hence your question), but
since
I can’t say that my blog is on the same level as others who really make a lot of educated guesses by analyzing how an author writes their story, personally I’d rather not use it for my own posts. :))
Sorry if this sounds too self-conscious somehow. xD I never liked comparison in good or bad, so I’d rather do my own thing in order to feel less left out in some fandoms from time to time. :))
I hope it answers your question, have a nice weekend Anon!
You know what they say Anon, nothing is ever perfect. :)) That being said, overall I have enough of different fandoms to survive the episodic bad sides of some others and it’s never 100% horrible, so frankly I always managed.
In fact that’s totally the perk of being a multifandom blog, although I’m making this hard for anyone who doesn’t want to/can’t use the blacklist extension (and I apologize for that <3).
Anyway, I think a general rule should be never to forget that people can have bad days, just like fandoms can have bad moments of crisis, so everyone can actually have some fandom experiences that are less fun than most.
The worst is when it taints your personal opinion of a character or a story’s arc and I think that’s always what we should strive to fight against as a community, but easier said than done obviously. x)
Thanks for passing by and reading Anon. :)) Please have a nice weekend!
Hi Anon! And well, listen, I don’t think anyone enjoying Berserk can actually seriously say that they hate Griffith in an extremely genuine way.
It’s more like we love to hate him: because he’s such an absolutely perfectly well-written evil and we have everything we need from within the narrative to shit on him in any way we want, because he’s unforgivable and very certainly not a candidate for redemption ever now that he was reborn as an evil angel.
Most villains in fiction are now written to be grey in terms of characterization: they are made to be relatable on some aspects, they are meant to have motivations fueled by their (generally complex) backstory and so in general, this leads to fans either defending the character or shitting on them unironically.
This is something that generally doesn’t happen with Griffith because he raised the bar way too high (the reasons I mentioned above) and that’s why everyone has fun collectively hating his ass, although there are minor exceptions as with everything.
Of course, there are readers who genuinely despise Griffith to the point of not even acknowledging canon facts about his character (pre/post Eclipse), but this is actual character hate which is always useless and irrelevant (especially since without one of the three main characters of Berserk, the story just wouldn’t be the same and we wouldn’t love it as much).
On the other hand, extremely rarely I’ve seen a few “fans” who’d rather shit on Casca and value what Griffith did to her and the others, but these guys are just… people you know have a problem IRL and I choose not to consider them.
So Anon, unless you tell me that you found the Eclipse to be a very enjoyable part of Berserk in what it represents or that you hate Rickert because of this
I think we’re good. 😉
Griffith as Femto represents the epitome of evil in fiction so he isn’t relatable as a villain and that’s why it’s easy for fans to shit on him, knowing that 90% of the time, people actually love the character for being so very evil since that’s a part of why the story is so magnificent.
That’s how I feel on the matter. Once again, if you stan Griffith to the point of trying to excuse the Eclipse that’s on the same level as fans who genuinely hate his character, not understanding that this is kinda necessary for the story’s settings. I never take kindly to either, but only you know where you stand in this.
Glad you like Berserk tho’! Have a nice weekend on your end as well! :))
Hi Anon! Okay so, no offense, I already did a post on the topic in the past, but I feel like there is something that’s amiss in your reasoning otherwise you possibly wouldn’t have reached these conclusions.
So first thing first, Guts doesn’t not love his son. Especially after the tower of conviction arc. And I’m sure of this because…
he couldn’t kill him from the moment the Skull Knight made him realize that this was his baby.
Afterwards, I agree with you, Guts’ behavior with his baby was a clear parallel to Gambino’s despicable attitude towards Guts himself, the difference being that we have to consider how Guts’ trauma from the Eclipse factors into this. Look…
After this happened, Guts went on this hellish journey to pursue revenge and target every damn thing from the underworld that the brand would attract. That’s how he became the Black Swordsman and all this hatred and violence he lived with for several years is what ultimately gave birth to “the beast of darkness” within himself.
All that to say, because of the Eclipse, Guts’ hatred (and fear) of anything demonic is the reason his behavior towards his own demonic baby was particularly aggressive. That being said, his baby is also the only one Guts could never kill and not just when he was born…
…and that during a part of Guts’ life where he wouldn’t trust or care about or depend on anyone but himself.
Then the conviction arc happened, but that’s when the baby warned him about Casca, which changed everything between them…
…because Guts definitely realized that it’s thanks to their child that he managed to rescue Casca.
From this point onward, between what the baby did for them and also Guts switching objectives after getting Casca back and new friends in his life, he started to show regret about his child’s fate…
which proves in my opinion that Guts does love his baby. And this breaks the parallel with Gambino indeed, because Guts having mixed feelings all this time about his son, despite the baby being (in theory) demonic, is probably related to how he suffered from the lack of parental love as a child too.
So I think it’s important to always consider what part of the story you would include this kind of reasoning in, because Guts’ attitude/feelings towards his child definitely changed throughout the story. There is even a lot to bet that, once Guts learns that Femto was given his baby as a vessel, he’ll be extremely pissed off at Griffith again.
Also to add, if you believe in the theory that demon infant => moonlight child like I do, I’d say that the child’s apparently wary attitude towards Guts is the consequence of Guts’ previous behavior towards his demon counterpart…
…just like the reason he clings so much to Casca is possibly because when he was a demon he could never approach her due to the brand hurting her.
However once again…
our little boy here is clever and curious (”all children yearn for their parents”), so he totally played a little game to see if his dad would yell at him should he annoy him just a little like he did in the past…
but I’d say that what this boy saw of his parents’ attitude towards him after this little test…
…pleased him a lot, enough so maybe that he’d then make sure to constantly help them the two times he materialized during the full moon.
TL;DR yes, Guts initally was very aggressive towards his own child, but in my opinion, rather than no love, that was the result of the trauma brought by the Eclipse, since things got better between them from the moment his son helped him get Casca back.
Afterwards, Guts was even shown to be thinking about his baby, wondering how he was doing (since he doesn’t know yet about him becoming Femto’s vessel), and overall I’d say that Guts’ previous attitude bears no real consequence to his relationship with his son because:
Femto mentioned feeling the demon infant being afraid for both his parents’ in vol22
the moonlight child, who is most likely what’s left of the demon infant after Femto’s rebirth, tested the water with his dad and seems to be comfortable enough with the situation that he would save him plenty of times afterwards.
I hope it helps Anon! Seriously, Griffith did fuck everything up for the entire Gutsca family, but it seems that, no matter what, these three (Guts, Casca and Baby) will always manage to watch out for one another. :)) Let’s hope it will last!
midnight-in-town 