Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Something that people tend to misconstrue about Nagisa’s father is that he actually wanted his son to have flawless academic performance. In reality, the conditioning to strive for absolute perfection was merely a part of the manipulation (or in more scientific terms, the independent variable) of the experiment he conducted on his son. In Nagisa’s own words:
“My parents raised me like they were levelling me up in some game… They didn’t even treat me like a person […] My father was a teacher at our school, he was a researcher of children’s talent. He used his own son to research the growth of a child’s talent. He wanted to see what the growth curve would be like if he pushed a child to the breaking point… Isn’t that funny? I was the subject of such an amusing experiment.”
So now we have evidence that Dr. (?)* Shingetsu was not placing high expectations on Nagisa because he wanted him to succeed, but rather out of morbid scientific curiosity. Below is an excerpt from the man himself:
“I cannot obtain the result I was expecting with my experiment. I cannot discern whether the environment or the subject himself is the problem. I shall look into the experiment conditions in more detail.
Until now, I have used solely visual observation, but I should erect cameras to watch the subject at all times and discipline the subject when resting longer than allowed.
If I do not obtain any desirable results with the experiment, I will conclude that the problem lies within the subject, and change my experimental target.”
One thing to note is that it is unclear what his desired results are. According to Nagisa, he was apparently researching the growth curve of a child’s academic talent under extreme stress— however, we should be aware that Nagisa is likely an unreliable narrator due to his conditioned biases**. Although a common interpretation is that Dr. Shingetsu was expecting an increase in Nagisa’s performance, there are two main factors that disprove this:
1. Nagisa states that during the experiment, his father would force him to study for several days straight using intravenous analeptics, threats, and corporal punishment. The exact drug he used is unknown, but it is likely either doxapram, due to it being administered intravenously, or amphetamines, which are noted to have cognitive-enhancing abilities. However, the overuse of analeptic stimulants can cause cardiovascular problems, as does stress and sleep deprivation. In this environment, the likelihood of Nagisa suffering a stroke or heart failure increased considerably. Dr. Shingetsu would definitely have known this.
2. Sleep deprivation and excessive stress are known to negatively impact cognitive function and development. Dr. Shingetsu would also have known this.
This begs the question: why would Dr. Shingetsu subject his son to conditions that could result in health hazards and/or declined performance if he wanted Nagisa’s academic success?
A possible answer is simply that the “desirable results” were actually a decline in performance. Perhaps Dr. Shingetsu wanted to find the point of absolute burnout where Nagisa would either barely function, or give up completely. Perhaps he was dissatisfied with Nagisa’s resilience to the experimental conditions. In the end, Dr. Shingetsu ultimately reaped the consequences of treating the Nuremburg Code as the Nuremburg Suggestions allowing his hunger for knowledge overpower his morality.
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* Due to the nature of his research, it is most likely that Nagisa’s Father (referred to as Dr. Shingetsu for the sake of brevity) was a psychologist, particularly a developmental psychologist. He also likely held a doctorate degree.
** There are multiple instances of Nagisa being an unreliable narrator. In the referenced scene alone, there are two: one is his implication that Monaca was paralysed by Tokuichi and Haiji, when in reality, she feigned the severity of her injuries. The second is his claim that Junko truly loved the Warriors of Hope.
I’ve compiled a list of headcanons that I have for this lil blue boy. I’ll warn you, some are dark, but only to the normal canonical degree. Read below the cut!
- Nagisa is physically very weak. Prior to being kidnapped by Junko, he was extremely underweight as a result of the stimulants inhibiting his appetite, and overexertion. Although he’s become a healthier weight, he’s still very tiny with little muscle mass.
- Due to his lack of strength, he couldn’t kill his parents in a conventionally violent way: rather, he poisoned them. (his dad being both a scientist and teacher enabled him access to highly lethal drugs).
- He has a strange.. sterile smell. Akin to both a hospital and ozone.
- Because of his trauma involving needles and injections, he has a strong aversion sharp objects. This is why his robot uses a rifle instead of a melee weapon.
- He secretly loves ice cream, despite claiming that sweets are disgusting and unhealthy. His favourite is matcha!
- He’s on the aroace spectrum, and also bi.
- His mom is from Russia, and Russian is actually his first language. Sometimes if he’s experiencing particularly strong emotions, you can hear his accent come out.
She used to call him «моя маленькая новолуние» (my little new moon) because of his surname.
He’s written little poems about Monaca in Russian. And cursed at servant in his native language, too.
- His “horns” function almost as sensory organs, like cat whiskers. They can sense subtle changes in wind patterns, temperature, and vibrations. When he is exhausted or sleeping, they droop down. Nobody knows why.
These horns are also very sensitive to the touch. Nagisa experiences a shooting pain if they’re handled too roughly. However, if they’re stroked gently, he’ll feel a pleasant and calming sensation (good luck on him letting you do this, though).
- He often feels cold, abnormally so for someone his age, which is why he wears his scarf all the time.
- He refuses to admit it, but he’s extremely touch-starved. His parents weren’t exactly the physically affectionate type, so when Monaca hugged him, he bluescreened internally. Also, he not only allows Jataro to cling to him, but enjoys it quite a bit.