bubi-the-eumel-deactivated20170:

101 dalmatians may have been a lovely movie, but if we take a look at Furuta’s expression, the way he was drawn by Ishida, it becomes apparent that there’s something twisted in his desires and so called “love” for her.

While Furuta mentions that he helped her to escape because he couldn’t bear the thought of her being raped by his father and relatives, which is indeed a noble and empathetic gesture from his side, from there it gets ugly.

The reason why he crushed her with steal beams was because he couldn’t bear the thought that Rize bears the children from another man. He was angered that Rize didn’t show her utmost grattitude and loyalty (aka faithfullness=sexual connotations) to him after this, he was angry that she didn’t give him what he wanted, regardless of she wanted. His gesture might have been a kind one in the past, but now it turned into entitlement to an extreme extent.

He viewed her as a baby machine, as an extension to his wishes and desires (by the way, did you notice how heavily emphasised her breasts in his vision of her are?) and to himself, but not as an individual. Not once did he mention that it is what Rize wants (which wouldn’t be true either way, but you get what I mean). His love has nothing healthy, aka consensual and balanced, about it, that’s nothing but an obsession to say the least. Obsessive love and jealousy that is delusional is a symptom of mental-health problems.

The emphasis of my answer lies in objectification. While I am sure that a small part of him wants a family because he wants to share his love and have connection to people, and that includes children, the reason why he wants children is not because he genuinely wants a family but because it is an integral part of having power, belongingness and because chidlren are simply are a by-product when having a family, at least in Sunlit Garden.

Children play a great role there, but not in a good way. Children are highly associated with status. If you are half-human? Then you are disposable and forgotten by your family. If you are a woman? Than you are highly likely a womb. The only advantage you can have in the Washuu family is to belong to the main branch and being male. Like, I know people hate this patriarchy stuff people spout from time to time, but no one can convince me that Sunlit Garden and the Washuu family are not a role model in regards to partriarchy.

So Furuta being chairman and respected by his underlings? Power boost. So Furuta marrying Rize, who might be a “womb”, but is integral to contributing to the Washuu lineage? Power boost. Having dozens of children as a formerly half human, disposable and unimportant? Power boost. And I highly suspect that he associates power with worth and confidence, just like Kaneki post-torture associated power as the only means for survival.

Furuta, too, has a great need to be acknowledged. I have been thinking about the “One-eyed king” lately and why Furuta repeatedly asked about it. I suspect slowly but surely that he wanted to be seen as some kind of authority figure, as a saviour, just like the One-eyed king was. That he knows about “him” before Kaneki was even aware of it could mean that the OEK played some part in the Garden, as a exemenplatory story of success and great pride in their family history, Furuta, yet again, couldn’t be part of. But he couldn’t take that role for it was unreachable (abstractly, that is). The OEK outside Sunlit Garden was a legend, a beacon that a mere mortal couldn’t possibily fullfill. So why not kill that OEK if it circumstance present it?

But then Kaneki “took” that role and Furuta’s response was…

Doesn’t sound that romantic, so heroic?

What I am going to say might be debateable, but healthy love does not play a part here. And the circumstances they were in… Let’s put it like this. Homosexuality, like heterosexuality, is based on genetics (and no, not a sickness or anything). But under forced circumstances, “sexuality diminishes” in order to replace it with connection that is desperately needed. One example would be Thomas Mann, who was homosexual, but because of the rigid social conventions about sexuality, especially sexuality, he married a woman and fathered many children. I wouldn’t even remotely say that he had any romantic feelings for his wife, but I would say that he put up with the pseudo romantical life he had with her and at one point or the other repressed his feelings, that were not compatible with the circumstances he was in.

I think this is a similar case with Furuta’s “love” for Rize. Attraction is a complex matter, I will admit that, but if there’s no trauma, negative athority figures and a damaging environment involved, I highly doubt many people would fall in love with their relatives. They established a healthy view of their sexuality, of gender and sexes and about themselves and their confidence and value as a living being.

Furuta had none of that. He knows about his origins (and about his father and his deeds…), that of “wombs” and V members, about the main branch, about how common incestual relationships are, how women and men are treated there. Nothing was a remotely suitbale for a child like Furuta, for every child. So it isn’t surprisng that Furuta feels that way for his own relative. That he is probably not aware that his love for Rize is not healthy in the least. And that’s why, in all honesty, I can’t say he ever loved (romantically, that is) her. I think she is very important to him, I think she matters to him a lot because she was one of the few people he spent time with and who didn’t hurt him (visibly, but I will come to that to another post). I think he loved her platonically, but moreover, he loved her because she was the only person he was allowed to love and because it incest was normalised in this environment. His constant sexual references to women indicate that he doesn’t have a grounded view about them. His broken relationship indicates a negative athority figure. The constant power ups and downs in Sunlit Garden enabled low-self esteem (which can do great damage).

Rize, though, became much more than his need for connection. She became an ideal, a possession in the end an obsession. Rize, as a person, is long gone, everything that remains is his broken psyche, mirrored by the embodiment of Rize in his visions and memories.

That’s why I think, in an alternate universe, where Furuta either had not experience such atrocities that went on there or if he got the psychiatric help he desperately needed (which involves years over years), his obsession for her and with it his sexual interest, would have diminished, if not vanished and what would have remained would be familial love.

I am sorry that I said more than I should, because technically, I already answered your question, but I felt compelled to do it.