Zenshu

Natsuko Hirose & Luke Braveheart Dynamic Analysis

Few episodes ago, Luke Braveheart monologued about how despair had him all cornered to the point he lost sight of his purpose and dare I say his will to live all along. He was born and instantly got bestowed with the title of a "Hero" a weight that no child should bear. He spent 18 years of his life mastering the arts of the sword, discarding everything that made him /him/ His aspirations, his hobbies, his interests, the things he hates, the things he loves and his dreams. None of it mattered. He had to be a hero for everyone. He is a Hero and he'll be nothing but a Hero. For 18 years, all he did and kept doing was slashing and shedding blood. He had to think of nothing but the safety of his people. After all, he is a beacon of Hope to them and not by choice.

But no matter how many foes he executed, there was no end to them. It was a cycle of killing and having to kill some more, with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. A perpetual vicious cycle of hopelessness and helplessness is what all of this was. But Luke held onto Hope that eventually all things come to an end, good and bad. Surely, there will come a day where these foes will cease to be and that the world will finally know respite and peace. Surely, he'll be able to step down from this daunting title that has been forced on him. That he'll be able to live the rest of his life as plain Luke. Just Luke.

But none of that happened. He kept slitting and slashing and killing endlessly. With each wave, an ally, a dear friend, a family member dies. Luke had to be the witness of so many tragedies. Friends that once used to brim with so much life and vigor reduced into lifeless chunks of meat. He had to bear witness to all of that. In a way, the universe was mocking him and the title that he had to bear.

Deep down, he was aware of the cruel harsh cold reality he was in but decided against admitting it. Until he reached a wall. A realization that all of this isn't worth it anymore. This whole Hero act led them nowhere. The monsters kept coming in tremendous waves. People kept getting annihilated. Friends kept leaving him. He was on his own like he's always been. There was absolutely no hope in sight. What was he fighting for? Who was he protecting exactly? Why even bother when everything's been in a continuous state of stagnation? With each wave, his sanity slowly but steadily slipping away until he was met with nothing but dread. Dread of living and state of existentialism.

What was he there for? What was his purpose? Why was he brought upon this world? To bring it salvation when there was none to begin with? When the world was doomed from the get go, clearly mocking him? Everything is pointless. Protecting the Soul Crystal is pointless. In fact, it is the very thing that brought tragedy and agony upon them. Once represented Hope for the nation, now turned into a symbol of Despair. It is the cause of their woes. His woes. It is the reason he was stripped away from living his youth, from being a normal person. Forcefully put on a pedestal with humongous expectations only to fail them. Luke Braveheart found solace in the act of bringing an end to the source of his suffering, The Soul Crystal, pronouncing the end of the world. Its "salvation". He almost committed the deed. He was impossibly close to achieving it. But the unexpected happened. Natsuko happened, popped up out of nowhere, from nowhere, no amount of fortune telling or prophetic visions could possibly foretell the coming of Natsuko.

She came and brought the "reason" and the "purpose" but more importantly, the "person" of Luke. The phrase may sound awkward but it's intentionally written that way. Luke solely dedicated his entire life defeating abominable beings leaving no room to know anything about himself. His own person.

Through Natsuko, he learned and realized that he has a talent for cooking. He enjoys baking myriad of dishes, traditional meals and even those beyond the scope of his own world. He learned that he has knack for making hairdos and coming up with creative hairstyles for Natsuko. He learned that he enjoys seeing his friends all happy and merry when they taste his food. He learned that he enjoys gardening and looking after all the plants and flowers that color his palace. He learned that he has it in himself to have fun even on the battlefield. He learned that he could slow down and take a deep breather. He realized that he could appreciate the little things that bring him joy and mirth. He realized that he could step down from being a Hero even if it's temporary. That he could finally be himself for a while. That he could learn about who Luke Braveheart is.

But the biggest realization akin to an epiphany hit him so hard and it was that he has learned what being in love is and experienced it. He, who was stripped away from the most basic things an average person could experience, finally was able to learn what First Love was. For he fell in love with the very "reason", the very "purpose" and the very "person" who showed up in front of him seemingly out of nowhere. As if she's a miracle. A blessing. A star illuminating the dark bleak night sky but ultimately fated to fade away.

What was his purpose? Why was the title of "Hero" conferred upon him? What did he fight those atrocious and hideous-looking beings for? What did he live for?

Natsuko. Natsuko is the answer. Natsuko is his "reason" and his "purpose" and thanks to her, he shedded away the blood-stained title and became his own "person". He lives for Natsuko. He fights day in and day out to protect the world that Natsuko lives in. And he will fight till the bitter end just to ensure that Natsuko lives the rest of her life in comfort and serenity. That's what he is here for. That's why he's alive.

The massive burden on him made it so that even in his love declaration, he is self-sacrificial enough to keep the very reason of his being alive at the cost of his very own life. Within that poignant juxtaposition lies the purest form of love. Love. A word that seems to encapsulate Luke and Natsuko's dynamic.

Natsuko, hailing from a foreign land, was thrown into the universe of her favorite childhood movie. A flop of a movie that no one could've fathomed except for Natsuko who was inexplicably drawn to it. Natsuko dedicated her entire life finessing art. That tragic story ignited something in her. A fire to craft her own story. A passion to breathe life into her creations. To breathe life into characters very dear to her heart. She worked, grinded and hyper focused on that goal. Not batting an eye on her surroundings, on those she affected with her contagious zealousness. Unbeknownst to her, several people had experienced their first love because of her but she hadn't. She didn't have the time for that, after all, she had a goal that she was working so hard towards. To no one's surprise, her efforts have paid off and she reached the very pinnacle of her career as an artist and as an animator.

But heavy is the head that wears the crown. With her newfound position as a renowned animation director came taxing expectations and responsibilities. She knows she mustn't disappoint anyone, not her superiors, not the industry she works in and definitely not the fans who are waiting for her next project with bated breath. She mustn't let anyone down cuz she's a prodigy, a virtuoso. And one wrong move could spell the end of her entire career. The pressure weighed on her for years until the crackling sound of fire started to evanish.

What was once unadulterated passion, now morphed into dreadful duty. Natsuko's passion turned into her biggest fear. She couldn't live with herself if that outcome came to be. In fact, she preferred escapism and death over dealing with any of it. She found solace in putting an end to her own life if it meant that she'd run away from the scrutiny of the masses. That's how much of a coward she was.

Art, once a passion, turned into the source of her woes and suffering much like the Soul Crystal was to Luke. Natsuko took it upon herself not to rely on anyone and not to seek any form of help. She was completely submerged in the depths of darkness and despair, especially after being hit with the realization that her creations, her drawings and her art have been the cause of all the chaos and mayhem that befell the nation. Her art became a weapon of destruction rather than a tool of happiness and creativity. That was her state until a certain light has emerged.

Luke Braveheart, a fictional character of a tragic story, was a Hero who had to battle hundreds and thousands of enemies to protect his nation. He lost people who were dear to him but kept persevering until he was met with a fate worse than death. Becoming the Ultimate Void. The very thing he was fighting so hard to prevent from occurring.

Natsuko, back then, was enamored by the tragedy of Luke Braveheart. So much that he pushed her to pursue art. So much that she scribbled his figure million times on her notebook. So much that she could draw him with her eyes closed. So much that all of her allowances and the hard-earned money was spent on buying his merch. So much that her room was filled with nothing but his posters and figurines. So much that she couldn't bat an eye on her surroundings and on the people that she's affected with her passion cuz she was that fixated on Luke Braveheart. So much that she spent all-nighters learning the process of animation just so she could breathe life into Luke, running, walking, fighting and screaming. So much that he is the very "reason", the very "purpose" of which she's an artist. She became the "person" that she is, she reached the pinnacle of her career, she achieved the unthinkable thanks to Luke Braveheart.

Luke Braveheart was her passion, the fire that never ceased to crackle, the very essence of her being. Luke was her first love. Luke was the light that emerged from where she was completely overwhelmed by her own sorrows and woes. Luke Braveheart saved her by giving her a purpose in life. Just like how Natsuko saved Luke by giving him a purpose back.

There's beauty in knowing that Luke and Natsuko share a dynamic where they're both in a perpetual cycle of saving and protecting each other. Granted, Luke is a fictional character and he exists whether Natsuko interferes or not. But indulge me with this when I say that we're talking about Luke Braveheart who is not a fictional character.We're talking about the humble down-to-earth guy who likes cooking and coming up with unique hairdos. The very guy who fell in love with Natsuko. Natsuko saved that guy. But it all circles back to how HE gave her a purpose from the very start, from when she was but a 9-year-old kid. And she treated him in kind by blessing him with one too, without even being aware.

He sought to protect the world she's in yet ended up losing her. So in protest, he cursed the world itself because he lost his very reason of being and living. However, Natsuko is alive, was only temporarily engulfed by the bleak space of her doom and gloom, but she was saved by none other than the reminder that Luke Braveheart is the reason she's alive, the reason she pursued art at all and the source of her passion and joy. So now, it's her turn to emerge like the light he was to her and save him from the brink of self-destruction.

The intricate layer of their bond, the duality of despair and salvation, of burdens and purpose, and how they became each other's reason for being. It is poetry itself. Love as salvation, not just in the romantic sense, but as something deeply transformative and reciprocal. Their dynamic isn’t just about affection; it’s about identity, about rediscovering oneself through another. The way it was framed and told, Luke giving Natsuko a purpose long before she even realized it, and her returning the favor in a way that changed the very fabric of his existence—it is next-level storytelling.

It’s the kind of love that goes beyond the surface, beyond attraction or fleeting emotions. It’s like they were always meant to find each other, even across the barriers of fiction and reality. It is the very definition of soulmatism. Natsuko and Luke's story transcends that of the typical confines of what makes love /love/ and I find that ethereally beautiful and powerful.

I bet Chuuya was terrified of dentists when he first joined the Mafia.

Because like. He grew up on the streets. I doubt any of them ever exactly got health insurance.

So the first time Mori informed him what a dentist was and how often he was required to go, he actually freaked out.

Chuuya: what do you mean you sit in a chair and let a stranger tamper around inside of you?!

Mori: It's just your teeth, Chuuya, and it's required.

He won't refuse an order, so he goes, terrified. And the second he enters and sees the chair he immediately starts "Oh grantors of dark disgrace-"

Only for Dazai to show up because Mori made him tag along in case Chuuya tried to get out of it. He had to stand there the whole time, because if he let go, Chuuya's power would destroy the office on its own.

And even though he's become used to it by now, Dazai will never. ever. stop making fun of how terrified he was that first visit, nor will he ever let him live it down.

They're on a mission, and Chuuya's trying to be intimidating. Only for Dazai to tell the enemy, "oh, don't be scared of this chibi. He peed his pants the first time he went to the dentist." (he did not. or at least, he claims he didn't. We'll never know the true story).

Needless to say, Chuuya made sure that any enemy who Dazai told didn't live to share the info. Which may have been Dazai's plan all along, it's hard to say. Either way, no matter how much time has passed, Dazai still can't resist making fun of him for him once in a while.

And after the mersault arc, when Chuuya couldn't get the fangs out, he may or may not have said "Oh no, perhaps you should go to a dentist-"

Chuuya kicked him in his broken leg.

I wanna talk about Odasaku for a second, and his character arc in Dark Era

I love Odasaku, and one of the things I love about him is that he's not just there to be the friend Dazai loved and lost, he's a really deep character who grows over the course of the Dark Era novel, and he learns how to speak up.

I feel like his arc is mitigated in the anime, and I'm not going to be blaming it necessarily, it's just that a book written in first person POV is able to achieve a lot more depth to the MC over the anime , which is forced in nature to take a more third person, observational take to the character.

Dark Era spoilers, obviously.

The first thing I would like to bring up is Oda's personality, and for that, I'm actually going to start this analysis off with using a quote from Beast, of all things, because this was honestly the best description of Odasaku ever.

The best way to describe Odasaku's personality is obliviously perceptive. He's really smart, and somehow a complete airhead at the same time. When you read either Dark Era or The Day I Picked Up Dazai, you can sense this in an instant. How this pertains to his relationship to Dazai in particular is that he sees things. He knows that Dazai is hurting deeply, he's one of the only people who sees past the dark exterior and the child deep within, but at the beginning of the book, he won't say anything. He puts Dazai on this pedestal in a sense, and doesn't believe that his input is warranted, and he says nothing, even when Dazai is a walking cry for help. After listening to Dazai casually admit to a suicide attempt via banging his head against a hard tofu block without batting an eye, that's when Ango arrives and tells him off.

However, the conversation quickly shifts, and the matter isn't brought up again.

The next time someone tells Odasaku to speak up when he's summoned to Mori's office, and is greeted with a rather...bizarre scene. Still, he's a low-grunt of the Mafia, and Mori is the boss, so he lets whatever stuff is going on fly, until he eventually interrupts, ignores whatever was going on, and announces his presence. Which prompts the following conversation:

Still, it's apparent he doesn't take these words to heart, and continues to perceive almost everything, but never comments. However, something soon happens which brings to the surface just how deeply ingrained Oda's reticence truly is.

After Oda was chased by the enemy snipers, most of them had enough holes in them never to rise again. Until one picks up a gun and aims it at Dazai, the enemy executive, all other backup too far away to offer any aid. Instead of trying to avoid it or stop it, Dazai walks right up to the enemy and says , paraphrased "shoot me, please shoot me." The whole time, Odasaku's desperation is palpable, and unlike the anime, he attempts to stop Dazai from this blatant self-destruction by calling his name and then screaming it, thinking that he felt they were a million miles apart. After the ordeal, when Dazai faces his friend again, he offers all his excuses, how he knew the sniper would miss, but Odasaku wasn't satisfied. And this is where we get the first hint at how Oda really feels about this:

He wants to say something. He wants to punch him for the stunt Dazai just pulled, because he sees the truth. He sees the child inside of him. But once again, he's restrained by the apparent gap between them in rank and mind. Another important thing to note is that throughout the novel, Odasaku considers their difference in rank a bigger barrier than Dazai does. He makes comments about Dazai helping him, the low runt in the Mafia, but the executive doesn't care. Here once again, Oda is inhibited by this apparent gap between them, but this scene is also growth for him in the sense that he understands that there's a problem here. Earlier, he passively listened to Dazai speak of suicide, but faced with a barely disguised attempt, with the true demons inside of Dazai's mind, he wants to stop him, to reach out, to tell him that it's not ok. But he can't. Not yet at least.

After a later incident, we're given a flat-out description of Odasaku's philosophy, and why he chooses to remain silent. When the two of them are at the restaurant, discussing the enemy, and when Dazai realizes they might actually be a formidable opponent, he laughs, elated with the notion that perhaps he might be beaten. And that's when we get perhaps the clearest look into Odasaku's mindset:

There's a lot to unpack in this interaction: first, we see how much Odasaku truly cares for Dazai, how much he wishes he could rid his heart of the darkness buried deep inside. But the problem is, he believes he can't. He doesn't think he could do anything, at first, he's not sure what to say to him because what could he say? He doesn't think he can reach him. And then the all important line "What we see is everything, and everything we see, we ignore. All we can do is stand before the deep ditch between us and others and keep silent." The thing is, not everyone sees everything. He doesn't realize this. He's so oblivious, he can't even comprehend that he's more perceptive than others, almost like Ranpo when he was younger. He doesn't know what to do with the information he receives but to ignore it, as he says, to see the distance and remain silent through it. But still, he makes a halfhearted attempt to reach out, but is interrupted when Dazai's phone rings, and doesn't bring it up again.

The biggest turning point is the kids and Gide. Gide, who drags Odasaku, a character who seemed to have the healthiest will to live, into the darkness. By removing all his hope, his proof that he could one day write a novel and give up killing forever, he brings Oda down into the pit of despair that he lives in, the pit that Dazai lives in. Where the sun won't shine again, and all that's left is revenge and then death. This is where the tables turn, and now Dazai is trying to save Odasaku from that darkness that he knows all too well. He tells him useless platitudes, cliches that must have been uttered to him over and over that he knows won't work, but Dazai is desperate to save the one he's on the verge of losing. But Odasaku won't let himself be consoled, and he goes on the suicide mission to fight Gide. And only now, now that he's about to die, now that he's in this place of solitude and despair, that he reflects on Dazai and their relationship.

It's only at the end does Odasaku wish he would have said something. When he understands the darkness, he sees Dazai for what he truly is - a lonely, sobbing child. And it's only after this realization that he should have invaded the solitude does he speak up when Dazai arrives, and tells him to be a good man. Because he realizes that the darkness is going to overwhelm him unless something changes, and with his dying breaths, Odasaku gives over the advice that changed his life, not a way out of the darkness, but a way to brighten it just a little, and make living a little more beautiful. Something only he could understand, having tried to walk that path for himself. It can't be that it never occurred to him earlier that Dazai's mental health may have benefited from a...change in vocation, but he never thought it was his business to say anything before. But now that the darkness has consumed him, that's the final push for him to finally say something and reach out to his friend at the last moment before it was too late.

And though I don't think the anime did all of this justice, the parallels between these moments will always kill me.

🍀 21 Plot Twist Ideas 🍀

Stuck on your WIP? Unsure of how a scene should go? Feel as though your story is lacking substance? Enduring with the frustrations of writer’s block?

Why not try throwing in a plot twist?

A messenger brings bad news

Something important is stolen

Someone vanishes without a trace

An important item is damaged

Protagonist recognizes a face in the crowd

Someone seems to intentionally fail

Protagonist finds an item thought lost

A charitable act has a harmful result

A cruel act has a beneficial outcome

Someone unexpectedly returns the favour

A raging storm moves across town

A gift makes a character the target of a murderer

A fallen enemy makes one last attack

Only one character in danger can be saved

An enemy saves the life of Protagonist’s friend

A will from a long-lost relative appears

A secret rival seeks to replace Protagonist

A thief makes Protagonist their next target

An obscure law suddenly becomes important

Strangers mistake Protagonist for a fugitive

A tool breaks when needed most

ATTENTION ALL

DANNY MOTTA IS GOING TO REACT TO EPIC THE MUSICAL THIS IS THE SECOND BEST DAY EVER (THE BEST DAY WILL BE THE DAY OF THE REACTION)

So we know that Chuuya complained about his fangs getting stuck, but in the newest chapters, it doesn't seem like he has them in anymore.

Which means that the order of events between the finale and chapter 113 (I believe that’s the number) went like this:

First, they walked back inside the prison, with Dazai still holding the antidote. Chuuya says, “don’t you think you oughta take it by now?”

Dazai shrugs. “I’ve got time.”

Chuuya nods. They make their way more into the prison. “Hey, don’t you think you better—"

“It’s fine,” Dazai assures him. Chuuya frowns.

“You aren’t just waiting until it’s too late, are you?”

No response.

“Dazai? Hey, Dazai, answer me—"

“I think I better go now—"

“TAKE THE STUPID ANTIDOTE—“

“No! I don’t wanna HEY WAIT—" Chuuya jumps onto Dazai sending him sprawling to the floor, and they have a long struggle and frankly ridiculous struggle, which involves Chuuya trying to inject the antidote while Dazai fights him. Eventually, Chuuya manages to restrain Dazai's arms with one hand, and shoves the syringe into Dazai's neck with the other. He’s sweating and panting as he throws it away and lets go of Dazai's hands. Bitter at having been defeated due to his lack of strength that tends to happen when you narrowly escaped death more times than you can count within the past half hour, Dazai comments, “you know, with that expression on your face and those fangs, you really DO look like a vampire.” Which reminds Chuuya of his current predicament. He gets off of Dazai and they seek out a bathroom where Chuuya spends a good deal of time in front of the mirror, trying to get the fangs off without hurting his real teeth. He attempts to google it, but complains about the lack of service and good wifi. Dazai reminds him ever so kindly that it’s a prison, idiot. So they trek all the way up to the first floor and Chuuya stands on the roof, above the wreckage and pile of blood, holding his phone up until google loads and provides him with solutions. They found a way, but in order to get the ingredients required, they’re forced to raid the cafeteria, much to Dazai’s delight. All the required ingredients are eventually collected, but Chuuya spent an extra half hour trying and failing to pull Dazai out of the cafeteria as he scoured places including but not limited to: the fridge, the freezer, every cabinet, all the pantries, and the so called “hidden pantry” where all the sweets were. They finally make it back to the bathroom, where after much bickering and pulling and coaxing, Dazai finally manages to yank off the fangs, causing Chuuya to emit a high pitched sound not unlike a girl’s shriek. Finally, they make it back to the room where Sleeping Beauty is, still quite unconscious.

“I just don’t get it,” says Dazai. He crouched down and stares Sigma thoughtfully. “Why hasn’t he woken up?”

Chuuya frowns. “Do you think it might have to do with the stab wound—?"

“Nah, couldn’t be. Not in this series.”

“Oh, right.” Chuuya examines him again. An idea comes to him. He turns to his partner, his expression perhaps a little too gleeful. “May I…?”

Dazai waves a dismissive hand. “Go for it.”

Which is how we arrive to the state of affairs in chapter 113. Dazai’s no longer self destructing or hungry, Chuuya’s fangs are gone, and Sigma will find himself with a SEVERE back pain when he wakes up.

Say you break your ankle. You could know everything there is to know intellectually about the injury. Even with this vast knowledge, you will still experience physical pain.

Now take this logic and apply it to things like ADHD, autism, clinical depression, and other less visible/divergent disabilities. You cannot think your way out of feeling.

That is to say: you are not a bad, lazy, or selfish person for struggling, even if you know why you are struggling.

Ngl, this line from episode two feels like the show's way of explaining all its silly little traumatized characters.

A cute detail I love about the Agency's office is that everyone else's desks have files and laptops on it while Ranpo's just has a singular phone because it's the only thing he needs to do his job; get calls and go detective. And then come home and snack

(Ranpo's desk is the one in the center)

best world trigger panel ever